Ofolrodi

by Imploding Colon

Rating: teen
Tags: Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Rainbow Dash, Other, Random, Adventure
Length: 674565

Rainbow Dash traverses the perils of the Dark Side of the world to reach the Midnight Armory.

Rainbow Dash traverses the perils of the Dark Side of the world to reach the Midnight Armory.

Cover art by Dafaddah

Published 2017-06-04 22:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2021-03-01 01:41:41 UTC

A Vision of Reflection

A pair of glowing eyes flashed open beneath crystalline red skin... followed by a second pair... then a third and fourth and fifth and...

She sat calmly on a sea of velvety cushions. Sweet incense tickled her glossy nostrils. On all sides of the unicorn mare there levitated jagged crystals—joined together in a halo by translucent beams of tapering ruby light. The crystals hummed from within, carrying the cadence of over two dozen murmuring, chanting voices—all hers and yet not.

She exhaled, blowing incense and fragrant smoke away from her pulsating horn. She sat in a rectangular chamber at the very summit of a massive floating structure—a geometric marvel constructed out of translucent glass that glowed faintly with crimson and fuchsia hues. Directly in front of the calmly-seated mare there stretched an open balcony... and past the balcony's razor sharp edge was a dead sky filled with lingering blue twilight. Far beyond, a dark gray valley of vulcanized rock sloped perpetually upward... so that the horizon was drowned high above in onyx mountains and even blacker canyons. Somewhere in the midst of all this lifelessness, a circular patch of earth burned forever around a solid square of black, from which shot beams of blended gold in every direction, piercing the nebulae floating above and beneath where the mare calmly reposed.

Several breaths later, the mare closed her surface eyes. Several more pairs of eyes deep within her translucent skull fluttered open and shut in quick succession. Her breaths came quicker now—quiet and contemplative.

Not long after, a body rose from several see-through floors beneath her. A blue stallion in flowing purple robes rode a glass lift to the top of the floating structure... until at last he joined the mare on the balcony. Upon seeing her awake, his crystalline lips pursed with anticipation. Several layers of eyes blinked on top of one another as he smiled delicately... then trotted towards the very edge of the room.

Thunder echoed in the distance, emanating from the patch of burning earth, but the rigid floating vessel scarcely felt a single vibration from that distance. The stallion's horn lit up, and several glass compartments unfolded to reveal a shelf full of diamond chalices. Without lifting a single hoof, the stallion levitated a ruby-colored vial and carried it with him towards the center of the room. The compartments slid magically shut on their own behind him.

Much of the incense had faded by the time the stallion approached the mare. He trotted around her calmly... patiently... swaying as if in a casual dance. Every time his hoof made contact with the floor, the glassy surface lit up with dim ruby brilliance. At long last, he crossed the mare's vision, ducking his head low with a loving smile. She gave no response—not that he expected one... at least not quite so soon. Floating a bed of cushions over, he sat leisurely down across from her, floating the vial between them with his back to the curved horizon and the flaming battlefield in the distance.

There, he waited... waited for a sound.

At last, she had one to give. "Mrmmfff..." Her horn flickered as her head swayed along with her shoulders. "...Archeantus. I... I just..."

"Shhhhhh..." He reached out with a blue hoof, stroking her cheek. "Gently, Alamais. Come up gently."

She shook in place—as if having surfaced from an arctic dive. "The darkness... so immense..." Multiple eyes blinked on top of one another. The crystals hovering around Alamais flickered bright and brighter. "...getting harder and harder... mrmffff... to penetrate..."

Archeantus kept stroking her cheek. "The Lord chose you for a reason, Alamais. You are strong... the strongest Vessel there is. Now... give me the good news already." He grinned from cheek to glossy cheek. "You had another vision?"

"A reflection," she clarified, her voice solidifying into a dull drone. "Of Endrax."

Archeantus' ears perked up. He adjusted the folds of his robe and cocked his head to the side. "Endrax, you say?"

"Not... not her of course..." Alamais winced, reaching a dainty hoof up to rub her skull just beneath her horn. "But... a memory... the final memory of the soul closest to her when she barricaded the Sepulcher of Ages..." She shuddered, her voice faltering again. "But... but it's so painful... almost too painful to—"

"Ah ah ah..." Archeantus waved a hoof. "Easy does it, precious. Here..." He levitated the vial beneath her muzzle and popped the diamond cork. "Stillborn." His glossy brow furrowed. "Inhale."

As soon as the lid was opened, plumes of ruby smoke shout upwards. They took the form of curled, fetal shapes, and the air shook with high-pitched wailing. Alamais inhaled the fumes, and her many layers of eyes lit up until they all pulsed as one. A blink... a second blink... and her figure stopped teetering atop the cushions altogether.

"Now is it coming into focus?" Archeantus asked, corking the vial shut again.

"Hmmmm..." Alamais' ears twitched. "Vy'lyssa."

Archeantus looked up at a crystal pulsating towards Alamais' right—one of many. The phantom shape of leafy ears flickered in and out of existence. "The... bloodwing, yes?" His jaw tightened slightly in disgust. "That poor old soul... from the Raid on the Very Last Bastion?"

"A warrior. A fighter," Alamais pronounced. "Mother of two. Both sons. Nightbloods who died defending their separate patrols from the Onyx Brood." She breathed in, breathed out. "At night when they were foals she sang them to sleep in their hammock high above the Huntlands, telling wholesome tales of glorious victories won by the Mother of Nightmares on the Light Side." A shudder... then something close to a sob. "She never was able to rescue her beloved mate V'ynxxm from the deep hives..."

"Knowing the matriarch at that time, the bloodwings probably used him and hundreds of others as bait to drag the swarms out of hiding." Archeantus smiled smugly. "You know how they are, Alamais. Treacherous... rat-haired scoundrels—the thieving lot of them. Why, it's their bloody damned fault the Sarcophagus got sealed up to begin with. If they had just allowed us to eliminate the Onyx Brood on our own terms instead of resorting to pathetic alchemy, then this never would have—"

"I was her just now," Alamais rambled on. "Hundreds of years ago... running alongside Wy'nnxx and company..."

Archeantus stifled a groan. "Uh huh..." He rubbed his temple and calmly listened. "Do go on."

"After assassinating the entire Brood with the runic payload... I reached..." Alamais winced. "That is... Vy'lyssa reached for her pendant... to kiss the emblem of Luna and be ferried off into the Eternal Dream with the Goddess of Nightmares' blessing..." Her eyes lit up as she stared past Archeantus. "And... I saw something..."

"Endrax, yes?" Archeantus cleared his throat and folded his forelimbs again. "You saw Endrax sacrificing her stubborn self to rob the Lord of greatness."

"Yes... and... no..." Alamais murmured. Thunder rolled in the distance beyond the balcony as she said, "I saw something else. Something... that Vy'lyssa never could have seen."

Silence.

Archeantus leaned back, taking a breath. "Alamais... darling... you said that this vision was a... 'reflection,' yes?"

The other unicorn nodded. "Very much so."

Archeantus' glossy flesh glowed bluer. "Well, if Vy'lyssa wasn't reflecting something, then something else must have been. So, what is it?"

Alamais was silent. Still as stone.

Archeantus sighed inwardly. He flexed his leg muscles. "Let me go get another vial, then—"

"Endrax..." Alamais said.

Archeantus shifted back onto the cushions. He blinked at her. "A reflection of Endrax?" He cocked his head to the side. "Do... do you finally know where Lexxic and his bastard brothers are carrying the third fragment?"

"No. It's..." Alamais held a hoof tenderly over her chest. Something was pulsating visibly within her translucent figure. Something black and necrotic and muscular. "...it's not the third fragment."

"Then what is it? Please, precious. Give me something to tell the Lord."

Alamais' eyes hardened. Half of the crystals floating around her burned with sudden violet brilliance. "Sssssssister."

Archeantus blinked. "Sister?" He blinked again, his blue hue paling. "As in... another Divine? From the Light Side?"

The crystals dimmed slightly. Alamais glared past him. Her voice took on a different tone altogether, hoarse and gravelly: "'I only ever had one sister.'"

Archeantus stared at her with his muzzle agape.

At long last, Alamais' gaze faltered. She looked the stallion in the eye, and her voice was more tender this time. "It is a light, Archeantus. Whatever the memory... the spirit of Endrax reflected, it's more brilliant than the beams that emanate from the Sepulcher. It can only be this bright because it's every color of the spectrum thrown into one. And it's here, Archeantus. On this plane."

Archeantus swallowed. "So then..." He nodded. "...at long last... after all these forsaken centuries... the sisters of Tchern have come this way to invade us."

"It's... not them," Alamais insisted. "This light... it's somehow brighter. And older."

"Older than the alicorns?" Archeantus asked. His ears twitched. "You mean... a light from the machine?"

Alamais merely teetered.

Archeantus turned to gaze beyond the edge of the balcony. He pointed nebulously into the twilight while looking back at Alamais. "From... where does this strange sun rise?"

Alamais swallowed. "From the only edge it's purposed to."

"Which, Alamais?" Archeantus squinted. "Farside or Nearside?"

"Farside," she said. "As indicated in the Web Etchings of olde."

Archeantus scoffed. "Oh please, darling. The Spindlers are more ancient than we are. Senility poisons their souls to the point of being unharvestable. You know this."

"But their words on Ilrifa—"

"Are just words, Alamais!" Archeantus growled, nostrils flaring. "Just like the word 'Ilrifa' itself! Pointless and religious and drab and nothing!"

Alamais shook in place suddenly. One crystal lit up to her left side, and there was the flicker of a foalish effigy. Her voice whimpered to match it. "I'm so sorry, Archeantus."

Archeantus sighed. "Oh precious..." He leaned in and hugged her gently.

"There're just... so many voices..." Alamais cried, her red gloss taking on multiple pale hues. "...so many voices to parse through... and trying to find the truth amongst them all is so... so..."

"Shhhhh... it's okay. Truly, it is." He patted her shoulder and leaned the two of them back so he could smile gently into her face. "You are one of a kind, Alamais. A vessel like no other. There are bound to be some challenges along the path to ascension."

Sniffling, she looked meekly at him with multiple glowing eyes. "Will... you tell the Lord about this?"

He stared at her for a few quiet seconds. "No," he said eventually, then kissed her on the forehead. "Not until we learn more."

"We?"

"Yes, we." He smiled. "You're not alone in this. None of us are ever... ever alone." He tapped her chin. "In many we are strong."

She gulped and nodded. "In strength we are m-many."

"That is correct. Besides... this shouldn't necessarily alarm us." Adjusting his robe, Archeantus swiftly stood up. "If there is indeed a new presence arriving Farside, it'll soon become Lexxic's problem. And anything that threatens him can only be a blessing to us and our quest to bless the Lord with the Sarcophagus' treasure."

"Yes, Archeantus." Alamais nodded shakily. "But of course."

"There's a good girl."

"Shall... shall I continue searching?"

"No, darling." He trotted past her, giving her shoulder a loving pat. "You rest now. You've earned your waltz with the stars." He aimed his horn at a nearby wall. The air rang with chimes, and the glass panels of the ceiling receded... exposing Alamais and her crystals to an endless expanse of glittering constellations. "Perhaps—amongst those—you will find more savory sisters. Hmmm?"

"Hmmmmm..." Alamais laid herself back on the cushions. Her body dimmed as her face sported a delirious smile. The crystals above her lowered slightly; the ruby bands that connected them drooped over Alamais like a loose duvet. The dark organ pulsing inside of her slowed to a cool, thumping pace. Relaxed.

In the meantime, Archeantus returned to the lift. As it lowered down the tall narrow shaft, the brotherly smile from his muzzle soon faded. He glanced aside and aimed his horn at a rectangular panel attached to the translucent lift. It glowed slightly... pulsating with a voice broadcasted throughout the descending chamber.

"Praetor?""

"Commander Eutropius," Archeantus spoke firmly. "There's been a development."

"A vision from the Vessel?"

"That's between me and the Lord," Archeantus said. "Right now—set a course away from the harvest fields. We are to return to the Hesiod immediately."

"Yes, Praetor. Shall I reign in our scout vessels?"

Archeantus lingered in brief silence. "No, Commander," he said. "Send them beyond the Sarcophagus. Start scanning for anomalous souls along the fringes of the Huntlands."

"The Huntlands? But... that will take them to bloodwing territory. Beyond Petra!"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Archeantus said. "Tchern's been silent, wasting time and resources over this damnably mysterious 'Flux' of hers. What's more, Lexxic's forces are spread out and weak. They should be of no concern to us." He stared up through the passing floors, spotting Alamais' slumbering figure high above. "Just in case... anchor the scouts' prime souls before we disembark. Worse comes to worst, we can retrieve the most out of their legions."

"Is there a threat from Farside?"

Archeantus took a deep breath. "I don't know yet. But I must speak with the Council at the Hesiod at once. In the meantime... we must get all the information we can from the Huntlands and beyond."

"Yes Praetor. And what of the Lord?"

"Nothing's changed about that, Eutropius." Archeantus' many eyes flickered until they aligned in one blue beam. "The Lord is my responsibility. Nobody else's." As the lift reached the command floor at the base of the structure, he stared out at the burning patch of earth beyond the glass surfaces. "He gave us life. I aim to give him back ten times more." He stepped out with a flap of his robes, sneering: "I'll be damned to oblivion if there's a creature on this plane that deserves what's inside the Sarcophagus more than him."

At the Far Side

Thunder.

Shouting.

Pacing hooves and the rumble of the Firmaments.

A metal lens rotated to life. A flesh eyelid shook... quivered... then flew open, full of tears.

Flynn gasped deeply. The balding stallion stared heavenward with his one good eye.

The heavens stared back down at the Heraldite. Stars and constellations stretched for eternity. Dust clouds and galactic swirls obscured the space between the edge and boundlessness.

Flynn winced... grimaced. Gnashing his teeth, he forced himself into a sitting position.

As he rose... a ghastly sharp precipice of straight-edged granite wobbled before him, and all below was swirling tempest.

"Whoah—!" Instinctively, the unicorn scoot-scoot-scooted away from the Edge of the World... only to realize that it was actually dozens upon dozens of feet away. Flynn sat—slumped—on a stale plateau of dull blue rock... carved with a countless array of ancient grooves and scrapes. It was the hardest rock he had ever pressed his flesh against, and just staring at it made him feel as though his remaining optic nerves would rub dry. "Holy... h-h-holy siren panties..." He swallowed a lump down his throat as lightning flickered above and beyond, illuminating the fringes of perpetual night. "...all dry and crumpy-crustled..." He wiped bulbs of sweat off his light brown scalp. "We made it. We actually m-made it to—"

The stallion became aware of a severe migraine.

"Aaaugh!" Hissing, Flynn clutched his bald spot in two hooves as a weak pulse emanated from his horn. "On second thought... k-kinda wish I was on the receiving end of a Frostknifer's spear right about n-now..." Thunder rolled, and he immediately winced. "Not h-helping!" As his temples throbbed in pain, blood rushed back to his ears—and he realized he wasn't listening to thunder. "Uhm..." Weakly, Flynn craned his dizzied head to the side. "Who's shouting?"

"Big Show," rolled a deep voice from behind. "The aggrravated rrapscallion's been at it forr almost an hourr now..."

"For... for an hour?" Flynn finally turned away from the world's end. "Just how long have I been out of it, Kepler—?" He gasped, his good eye widening while his lens rotated wildly. "Holy shit! Wildcard!" He galloped over.

"It's alrright, frriend," Kepler calmly said. The wyvern knelt beside the battered, bruised, and bandaged griffon's side. He was busy wrapping gauze and a thick canvas material over the stub of Wildcard's left arm—where a prosthetic once resided. "I prromise you, it looks worrse than it trruly is."

"My arm!" Flynn wheezed, sliding up to Wildcard's side. He gawked at the missing metal apparatus. "My beautiful... beautiful arm!" His ears drooped, and the balding stallion smiled apologetically at the griffon. "Well... you know what I mean..."

Wildcard calmly shrugged... then offered a half-hearted gesture with his one good hand.

"I mean... sure, I remember things!" Flynn shuffled in place. "But I don't quite remember what took my carefully-crafted invention from you! No matter." He licked his lips as his horn glowed. "Just let me examine it and I'll be sure to fix—"

"No, brrotherr!" Kepler insisted, waving a desperate claw. "I wouldn't do that if I werre you—"

Too late. Flynn tried using magic... and the resulting jolt of pain nearly threw him backwards like a hard right hook. "Aaaaugh! Shit nuggets!" He fell hard on his flank, wincing all over. "Hoooooooo sweet baby calves..." He rubbed his weakly glowing horn. "...feels like a steamtrain just had a vodka honeymoon with my skull!"

Wildcard whistled.

"You mean you don't remember?" Kepler remarked. Sighing, the wyvern adjusted his spectacles. "I was afrraid of that. Yourr split-second herroics torre severral of the leylines affixed to yourr nerrvous system."

"You..." Flynn sucked oxygen through his teeth, afraid to so much as tap his own horn. "You m-mean I'm suffering a metanervous mana-concussion...?"

"Brrought upon by overrexerrting yourr telekinetic abilities." Kepler nodded. "Most definitely. If you sit tight and relax yourr horrn, you should rrecoverr in a day or two... if you'rre lucky..."

"This... this must be why I don't remember things."

"Focus on yourr thoughts," Kepler suggested, continuing to bandage Wildcard's limbs. "Trrace yourr shorrt terrm memorries back to the point in which you fell unconscious."

"Not all of us are meditative geniuses of Mortuana's School of Mountain Matronliness, Kepler," Flynn droned. He looked up past his cohorts. "Sometimes when we lose our minds, we just..." His jaw hung agape. "... ... ...lose our shit."

"What is it?" Kepler traced Flynn's line of sight. "Oh. That. Ha-Hah! Quite a rrremarrkable sight, yes?"

"I'll say..." Flynn exhaled.

He stared at the horizon—an act that took bending his neck... and shoulders backwards by quite a startling degree. There was no vanishing line in front of him like he was used to. Instead, if he stared straight ahead, he saw earth: rocks, valleys, mountains, canyons. All of it dark. All of it bleak. All of it shrouded in a hazy, hazy shadow and serenaded by cold and distant starlight. He could see the edges of the world—three of them, at least—only at a certain distance and beyond.

"But... but..." Flynn murmured like an infant foal. He looked to his left.

There was a discernible horizon—but he could scarcely tell where it vanished from where it solidified into upwards, bending earth. When he looked to his right, he got the absolute same sensation. The edge of the world stretched far, far away... further than either of his eyes—natural or unnatural—could scan. It was when he looked away from the world's end that he made out the edges of the rest of the world. And the rest of the world stretched upwards like a sloped wall—thousands upon tens of thousands of miles in length—until a hauntingly observable line formed the very opposite edge of that plane.

"...didn't... didn't expect..."

"To what?" Kepler calmly asked as more voices shouted in the background. "To see the terrrestrrial measurre in its entirrety? Ah! 'Tis the effect of dwelling oh-so-suddenly on the concave side of this worrld, my frriend!"

"I... I..." Flynn grimaced, his natural eye twitching as it traced the dark curve. The plane was so dark that it formed a black silhouette against endlessly swirling stars. Somehow, grasping the enormity of the world only made the entire piece of Urohringr seem even smaller. "I guess I didn't make good enough calculations." He gulped. "Without sunlight... or the direct obfuscation of the Firmaments—"

"It's like starring through the placid waterrs of a frreshly melted lake in sprring."

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is." Flynn jolted in place. "Wait." He raised a hoof to his face and his mechanical eye rotated, zeroing in on the blackest part of the plane's curve. "Do... do you see that?"

"Hmmm?" Kepler craned his hairy neck while tending to Wildcard. "Allow me to guess." He smirked slightly through his tusks. "Glowing lights? An otherrworrldly twinkling of sorrts?"

"Well... yeah." Flynn nodded. "Especially right in the center. I..." He looked at Kepler. "...I can't be the only one who sees it?"

Kepler shook his head. "Rainbow Dash has seen it. Ariel too."

"What is it exactly? A city of some sorts?"

"Think darrkerr, frriend."

Flynn could only wince. "... ... ...the Trinary War."

Kepler nodded slowly. "A bitterrsweet lighthouse for the path ahead, if I may darre say so."

"Yeah, well..." Flynn fumbled a hoof through his bandolier. "...good thing I brought some tools for the trip along. No need for things to ever get that bleak." He pulled out a compass and blinked at it. The needle was spinning counter-clockwise one second... then clockwise the next. "... ... ...well, that's disconcerting."

"Is it now coming back to you, brrotherr?" Kepler said, tying the last of Wildcard's bandages straight. "Ourr arrrival herre in the rrealm of chaos?"

"The Gondola. It... it had trouble along the way." Flynn stood up on wobbly hooves. He pivoted about until he saw the shattered gold remnants of the geodesic sphere in question. A platinum crate had been dragged over and it was leaking with the Herald's rattled supplies. "We... we ran into trouble." He rubbed his horn, wincing. "I... I had to save Remna and Wildcard. And..." Just then, a breath sharply left him. The stallion's ears instantly drooped. "Bard... ... ..."

Kepler and Wildcard exchanged glances. Both hung their heads. "How I wish you wouldn't have remembered that for a while, my frriend."

"How..." Flynn winced. He looked at Wildcard. "...why?"

Wildcard didn't move.

By then, the shouting had gotten so loud that it was shaking Flynn's aching skull. Groaning, he spun about and frowned into the thunderous scene. "Dammit... dammit Big Show... will you can it?! I'm trying not to die of grief and migraines over here!!!"

"Don't tell me to 'can it!'" Logan shouted. The obese stallion was pacing in angry circles, dragging the blunt end of his axe behind him—causing sparks to fly across the dead blue stone. "I'm trying to have a civil discussion with Missy McNoBalls over here!"

"'Civil'?! Hah!" Ariel scoffed. The gray coated mare hovered across from the earth pony, folding her forelimbs with an iron frown. "You're talking about cold-blooded murder!"

"Ain't nothing murderous about ridding a pest of its damned stupid neck!" Logan growled, pointing at a limp feathery figure lying on the fringes of the wrecked Gondola beside them. "If it weren't for her, we'd have made it here far more smoothely! What's more, a living breathing Divine would be on our side to ferry us all the way through this chaos festering shit-soup of a plane!" He gnashed his teeth. "But noooooo! Miss High-and-Mighty had to show her dumb beak up and ruin things! Then Miss Higher-and-Mightier had to spare her pathetic life! And right now I'm being lectured on morality by Miss-High-and-Hump-Her-Rainbowness!"

"If the Austraeoh says we're not to murder her, then as the Heraldic Seven we are bound and honored to obey!" Ariel hollered back.

"Not when it's a stupid-as-mud decision!" Logan retorted. "Look—we just went through Hell and came out the other side! And in all that time, Rainbow Dash's been banging her head against more numbskulls than the rest of us can even shake a stick at! Hello?! That's a recipe for having a screw loose if I ever heard one! No shit she's gonna crap out the wrong end every once and a while! I say we forget it and wipe a really cruddy smear off the map while we still have the eyeballs and brains to make any sense of its senselessness!"

"Are you saying that we directly ignore Rainbow Dash and exterminate Seraphimus?!"

"If we don't... we're the ones being exterminated!" Logan hollered. "It's a simple fact of life! Y'know! Facts? Farts are smelly. Grass grows. And this crazy chicken-bitch is going to stop at nothing to see us dead! So no way in Hell are we letting her go!"

"Wait..." Flynn hobbled in the direction of the arguing pair. "Seraphimus is... is..." His one good eye bulged as he regarded the unconscious figure in the shadow of Logan's axe. "Holy Hell... we brought her with us?!?"

"Yes, baldy," Logan belched aside, frowning. "We did. Or—much rather—Rainbow Dash did."

Ariel stomped her hoof. "She's our leader, Logan! And as her Eljunbyro—"

"—we're not about to abandon her by setting a psychopath from Frostknife free just so she can hunt us all down one by one and whittle the Herald away until there's only the Austraeoh left to defend herself!" Logan boomed. "Enough of us have bitten the dust as it is! Mortuana! Bard! Remna! Who's next, Ariel?! Huh?! Is it you? Gonna throw yourself in the bitch's slice-em-and-dice-em path just so your marefriend can feel better about herself?!"

"For crying out loud, Big Show, it's not that—"

"There's too much at stake now, girl!" Logan exclaimed. "The World! Urohringr... hell, all of the Urohringrs—"

"Wait. Remna?" Flynn did a double-take, grimacing. "Are you telling me that Remna's... that Axan's...?" Just then, his gaze caught a violet-scaled corpse in the distance. His one pupil shrank to a pinprick. "Oh Goddess..."

"Yes, Flynn. That's right," Logan huffed. "Axan's dead. The one ticket to the Midnight Armory that we never even knew we friggin' had... and she wasted her magical gift all on undoing this one shithead's crusade in the name of Verlaxion!" Schiiiiing! "I'd say we make it clean and we make it quick. After all—Hell—who knows?!"

"Big Show—" Ariel reached for the stallion and his axe.

Logan wielded the blade, undaunted. "She may have killed Bard too—"

Thwap! An angry talon gripped Logan's shoulder. Dark goggles glared into him, framed by Wildcard's even darker feathers.

"Oh, what?!" Logan sneered back at the three-limb'd griffon. "Gonna step up to the plate now of all times, buddy? Here! Lemme give you the axe! You can do the honors!"

"Seraphimus didn't kill Bard."

Logan and the others stumbled in place. They turned and looked up. "How do you know?"

Swooooooooosh! A blue streak touched down on petite wings. Rainbow Dash stood up straight, muscles coiling. Her short bangs billowed in the tempestuous winds of the world's edge, and the twilight beyond the firmaments glinted off dozens of fresh cuts and welts. "Applejack and Fluttershy tell me so. That's how."

"Oh. Great." Logan rolled his eyes as Rainbow Dash approached them. "Your girly-girly ghost pals suddenly vouch for Seraphimus' divine innocence!"

"They never said she was innocent," Rainbow muttered, brow furrowed.

"Rrainbow One..." Kepler reached out to her. "You arre so terrribly injurred. If you would just allow me to exam—"

Rainbow Dash shrugged him off, continuing her angry march towards Logan. "But you know who's definitely not innocent, Big Show? You. Me. Everyone here who's crazy enough to get this far to save the world that we'll go even further. And—if it takes just a tiny sliver of moral centeredness to enlist as much harmonic energy as possible to aid us in our journey, then I'm all for it. Because—you're right—we don't have a crazy huge fire dragon matriarch to make it easy for us. She did what was necessary for us to get here... and I'm not about to ruin it by having you—or anyone else—go friggin' psycho on souls for whom there's still hope!"

"Hope? Pffft!" Logan rolled his eyes. "What hope?! You heard her earlier when we were all dingleberrying off the world's edge! She's got nothing left to live for! Who says there's any hope in that?!"

"Me! Rainbow Dash flapped her wings until she was snarling in Logan's face. "I say that there's hope in that! You don't believe me. Fine. I'll toss you off the edge myself and you can go looking for the hope beyond the Firmaments!"

"Can we please stop yelling at each other," Ariel insisted.

"Harumph..." Logan folded his forelimbs as he glared back at Rainbow Dash. "Did Fluttershy feed you that idea as well?"

"As a matter of fact, no," Rainbow muttered, floating back slightly. "She's been doing all she can to dam my tears in since we landed here. It's Applejack—however—who wouldn't mind seeing your big fat butt go for a chaotic swim in the star soup!" A beat, and she winced before glaring over her shoulder. "Oh knock it off, egg head. We've been through a lot! Let me spitball!"

"Guys..." Ariel was gazing off in the distance, her wings twitching nervously.

"I swear..." Logan sneered at the petite pegasus. "I know I pledged my allegiance to you along with the rest of Mortuana's finest... but if your crazy-ass girl-scoutisms causes us to die at the end of Seraphimus' talon—"

"I'm not going to set her free to hunt us down, Big Show," Rainbow exclaimed. "We're going to tie her up and bring her with us."

"Pffffft! Oh really?!?" Logan practically cackled.

"Guys—" Ariel wheezed.

"You have a problem with that?!"

"And how on earth do you plan to make that happen, girl?!" Logan pointed at the griffon's limp arms. "She broke through the best binds that her own kind put on her! She flew to the edges of the world to slaughter you! What force on this damned earth is going to keep her foot from flying twenty thousand leagues up your butt?!"

Ariel flew in between them. "Hey!" she hollered. "Dipshits!"

Wildcard whistled shrilly.

After he was done, Ariel pointed towards the side—past the golden wreckage. "Will you look already?!"

Logan and Rainbow Dash pivoted about. Immediately, their eyes widened and their jaws dropped.

"Holy..." Logan exhaled.

"What the Hell...?" Flynn whimpered.

"My starrs and garrterrs..." Kepler breathed, adjusting his spectacles to see better.

As the Herald bore witness, a ruby light was emanating from the large battered corpse of Axan...

...and it was slowly rising towards the stars above in a frothy magenta cloud of otherworldly luminesence.

Ariel blinked. She turned to gawk at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow paled, her ears and tail drooping as she plopped down onto her flank. The mare's eyes remained locked on the ethereal glow floating slowly above the scales and bones. After a dry gulp, she murmured aside: "No, Pinkie, I... don't think that's accurate... or appropriate to say at a time like this..."

Concerning Lights in Darkness

"You can see the Midnight Armory, Rainbow?!" Twilight Sparkle gaped. "All the way from this edge of the plane? That's virtually impossible!"

"Nothing's impossible for Dashie!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, sticking a ghostly tongue out. "You should know that by now, oh ye of little kaizo!"

"Remember..." Rarity raised a hoof, smiling thoughtfully. "She swore she sensed the Midnight Armory—at least in part—while we were up on the Light Side. Through the earth itself, if I recall."

"Yeah... but..." Rainbow Dash fidgeted, continuing to stare at the heart of the curved horizon. "...I wasn't so certain at the time. But now..."

"Seem's sportin' of yer Austraeoh powers to let you see that sort of a thang, Rainbow," Applejack said.

"Remember the last Seed?" Fluttershy suggested. "You... you went inside the tower above the maelstrom, not knowing what you would find. When you came out... you saw a golden beacon leading to where the gondola was."

"So this sight is cut from the same cloth!" Pinkie Pie chirped. "Sight cloth! Fits like a glove! Heehee!"

"Hrmmm..." Rarity hummed, following Rainbow's line of sight. "I do appreciate textile analogies more than the average pony, but let's not jump to enthusiastic conclusions here, Pinkie Pie."

"Awwwwwwwwww! Don't be a poopy marshmallow!"

"What I'm just trying to say..." Rarity sighed, then floated closer to their anchor. "...is that we simply don't know what Rainbow is seeing. These blasted Austraeoh powers—albeit useful—have proven time and time again to be anything but predictable."

"Rarity..." Applejack glared at her with razor-straight eyebrows. "It's a pyramid-shaped speck of golden light sittin' smack-dab in the center of the Dark Side. What the hay else could it be?"

"Well, I don't know!" Rarity tossed her ghostly hooves. "For all we care it could be something else that Utaan or Yaerfaerda or Celestia-knows-what is pointing our beloved Rainbow to!"

"I must admit," Twilight said, tapping her chin in thought. "The Midnight Armory is the simplest goal at this point." She looked back at her fellow companions. "And if everything we've learned about Austraeoh and its connection to harmony in this world maintains the ongoing pattern—"

"Rarity's right," Rainbow Dash suddenly said. "Let's... not jump to conclusions. I've barely gotten used to touching the floor here."

"It's... just so amazing," Fluttershy cooed, staring down at the dull blue stone. She phased a fetlock through it and murmured, "The actual Dark Side of the world... and we're actually here..."

"Yeah, well..." Rainbow Dash looked at her cuts and scrapes—all of which continued to glow brighter and brighter. "...one freaky thing at a time, Flutters."

"Oh gosh..." Fluttershy nibbled on the edge of a hoof. "Just why is Rainbow's blood doing that?"

"Ain't just Rainbow," Applejack said, reminding the others. "The same thang's happening with her buddies."

"Also Seraphimus!" Pinkie Pie pointed at the randomly-glowing body lying unconscious to the side.

Applejack sighed heavily. "Eeeyup. Her too."

"We're all from the Light Side," Twilight said. She blinked. "Or—rather—we were all born on the Light Side." She cocked her head aside. "I wonder if that has anything to do with it."

"You're certain you're not sensing anything out of the ordinary, darling?" Rarity asked.

Twilight shook her head. "We're not... enchanted by something... if that's what you're wondering."

Fluttershy nodded. "We're just as alive here as we were on the other side of the world before taking the plunge."

"Well, most of us," Pinkie added with a wince.

The mares shuddered. Their eyes wandered over to the dormant corpse of Axan. Thunder rolled in the distance as a cold wind continually pelted the moist stonescape.

"That light... just now..." Applejack tilted her hat back. Her brow furrowed. "...you reckon that was her spirit?"

"I..." Twilight Sparkle bit her bottom lip. "I-I think it was some other kind of phenomenon."

"Really, Twilight?" Applejack looked at her. "She just died here on the Dark Side—a land brimmin' with chaos and shadow. You dun think that maybe... just maybe... there's somethin' more to it?"

"But... but..." Twilight exhaled through clenched teeth as she shook her head. "It's such a wild speculatory conclusion to make, Applejack! What if the heat signature of a dragon simply manifests itself differently on this plane! It doesn't necessarily have to involve—"

"Do we or do we not make our ways to the Harmonic Plains after we die?" Applejack asked.

"Well... I mean..." Twilight Sparkle fidgeted in mid-hover. "Princess Celestia always maintained that... th-that..." She gulped. "That is, most Equestrian cultures are of the belief—"

"So what's the stretch, then?" Applejack remarked with a shrug. "If it's the most likely possibility, then shouldn't we consider that we're witnessin' somethin' in the living flesh that folks on the Light Side have only ever dreamt about for centuries?"

Twilight gulped. "I don't like what the thought is stretching to, Applejack."

Applejack said nothing.

"But Twilight..." Rarity looked at her. "As a researcher and a scientist... shouldn't you have an open mind? Shouldn't you consider all possibilities?"

"I do," Twilight insisted. She shook her head while gazing forlornly at Axan's corpse. "I still don't like it."

"If... if that was Axan's spirit," Pinkie Pie murmured in a hauntingly melancholic voice. "...then where did it go?"

Thunder.

Rainbow Dash stood still, breathing intently.

A heavy set of hoofsteps shuffled to a stop behind her. "So... uh..." Logan cleared his throat. "You and the girls done deliberating?"

Rainbow swallowed. "Far from it, Big Show." She reexamined the glowing wounds on her forelimb. "At this rate... I'm not sure we're ever going to stop."

"Any light you have to shed on us and... uh... these weird lights would be killer."

Rainbow merely clenched her teeth.

"Sorry." Logan sighed, kicking at the cold stone beneath them. "I don't mean to rush you—"

"No. We..." Rainbow sighed, turning away from Axan. "We need to get moving sooner than later."

"This is all a crazy shock to take in, Rainbow. For all of us—I mean. And..." Logan exhaled heavily once again. "I'm sorry also for... y'know... being a total butthead back there."

"You're concerned for the party. It's cool—"

"No it ain't." Logan frowned. "I'm just so..." His leg muscles tensed and untensed. "...so... friggin' pissed. But—thing is—I know I'm not the only one."

Rainbow was silent.

"If you believe there's a reason for sparing Frostknife's favorite turkey buzzard... then that's fine. Ain't my place to talk you down. You're the Austraeoh and—if the whole world's salvation rests in your hooves—then why not add a griffin to the mix?"

"I appreciate your objections, Big Show," Rainbow muttered, glancing at him sideways. "I... understand why you would not want to keep her around."

"You're allowed to be pissed off at her too, y'know."

"It doesn't matter," Rainbow said.

No response.

"We just... gotta find a way to get her bound up all nice and tight... so she won't hurt anypony. Including herself." Rainbow pivoted about to face the wreckage of the Gondola. She rose her voice to speak above the howling winds. "Then we gotta go back in there and salvage all we can. Some of the golden metal snapped off. Maybe we can use them to create a wagon or a sled of some sort... so we can carry all of the supplies. Once Flynn gets his magic working again—"

Logan's large hoof rested on Rainbow's shoulder. "Rainbow..."

She blinked.

He continued, "I may not have liked Remna very much. Hell... a lot of us definitely hated her guts at one point or another. But you're the reason for this journey. And if you need time... you've got it."

"It... doesn't... matter," Rainbow snarled. She leaned away from his hoof. "All we need to do is keep moving. We know our destination. My girls and I are almost certain I can see it. Every moment we spend here is just wasted ti—"

Rainbow's words, her frown, her very breathing—all of it melted away the moment she felt Ariel floating up from behind and hugging her in a soft, warm embrace. Rainbow's pupils shrank as she stared out into the starry expanse.

Fluttershy, Pinkie, and the rest closed in. "Rainbow..." Fluttershy sniffled. "Would it help if we cried first?"

Rainbow clenched her teeth. She fought it, but the Firmaments were less forgiving on this side of the plane. The elements blew right through her. "She g-gave me so much... and yet she t-took so much away. And yet... I couldn't be h-here without her help. Or without...without..." She shut her eyes as the tears sprang loose. A whimper or two later, and Rainbow was burying her face into Ariel's forelimbs. "I'm sorry... I-I didn't mean to take Bard from you guys. I... I understand now what Axan d-did... but Bard?" A sob, and she was shaking now. "Wildcard... Ariel... everyone—I'm so sorry. I hoped it would have gone better... so m-much better... but now I d-don't know what to hope for..."

"It's not your fault, Rainbow," Ariel murmured, sniffling herself.

"Barrd was brrave, and he knew what was at stake," Kepler said, shuffling closer. "Axan too. They believed in you... and so do we."

"You... you will regret it," Rainbow cried as Ariel hugged her. "I swear—"

"That'll be for us to decide," Flynn said with a soft smile. "For right now—and forever—you're stuck with us. That's a promise."

Rainbow felt like protesting—but then she felt the soft feathers of Wildcard as he came in to join Ariel in the hug. That's when she lost it entirely, and it took the collective circle of the Herald to keep her steady in the tearful minutes to follow. Her ghostly friends—and the stars—looked on.

They wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

So Few Even Know

Five pairs of ghostly eyes traced the shadowed edge where the horizon ended in the epic distance above them. A terrestrial black swath ate at the cosmic swirls beyond, and everything in between the far end and that very spot was darkness. There was the occasional splotch of dim luminesence: a river of firelight twinkling off several unknown continents away. But—for the most part—the landscape bending ahead of Rainbow and her friends was darker than dark. The presence of stars flanking the plane—afforded to their peripheral thanks to their position at the very edge—made everypony feel even smaller.

"It's so enormous," Fluttershy murmured. "And yet—when you take it all in at once—it seems so small."

Applejack whistled. "Reckon so."

"How come we can't see it all like this on the other side?" Pinkie Pie remarked.

"Because, darling," Rarity explained, "The world was constantly curving away from us when we lived in Equestria."

Pinkie Pie squinted, rubbed her head, then squinted again. "... ... ...I don't get it."

"On a convex plane, the rest of the world is obscured beyond the vanish point and—" Rarity went cross-eyed, then sighed to herself. "Why do I even bother?"

"Wait!" Pinkie Pie waved a hoof. "I think I get it! It's like a cockroach getting lost on the outer ring of a doughnut!"

Rarity beamed. "Exactly, Pinkie! Once again, you never cease to ama—" She suddenly winced, drawing her forelimbs daintily to her ghostly chest. "Wait... j-just how often did cockroaches make contact with the treats back in Sugarcube Cor—???"

"Let it rest, Rarity," Applejack muttered. "You ain't got the same stomach y'all had then."

"Mmmmmm..." Rarity squeaked with a noticeable shudder. "Don't s-say things like that, Applejack!"

"But it's true."

"I don't care!" Rarity tilted her nose up. "I aim to reclaim my vital organs when all this is said and done." She suddenly gasped. "OooOooOooh! Perhaps our bodies will be even better once we bring the Harmonic Prism back to Equestria?! I could certainly do with a pointier horn, how about you, Twilight?" She batted her eyelashes. "It goes so fashionably well with sunhats."

"A lot of time has gone by, Rarity," Twilight said, staring up at the furthest end of the curved plane with squinting eyes. "Odds are Canterlot fashion has gone through several seasons."

"Well..." Rarity slumped with a frown. "Did I just get off the Barge of the Damned and Depressed or what?"

"Sorry, Rarity," Twilight murmured, continuing to gaze skyward-and-earthward at the same time. "I just... can't get over how wrong this feels."

"Wrong?" Fluttershy gulped. "H-how so?"

"The furthest edge of the plane." Twilight pointed. "I can see it."

"Yeah?" Pinkie Pie dug into her ghost ear. "So?"

"Well... it shouldn't be possible," Twilight snorted. "Considering the thick atmospheric layers that must surely be collecting along the curvature of the plane..." She glanced back at their anchor. "...the gas should refract light far too much for such a piece of the earth to be visible to the naked eye from so far away!"

Rainbow Dash was wrapping the last length of a bandage around her forelimb. In so doing, she obscured the last exposed wound suffered from the battle on the Light Side. The glowing dissipated altogether, masking Rainbow and her ghostly mares in the penumbra of starlight.

She tilted her head up to meet Twilight's gaze. "The Firmaments were placed here by the alicorns to protect the Light Side—just like the Sun and Moon. We know this."

"Yeah! But even still—!"

Rainbow raised her bandaged hoof. "Before you even start, Twi." Her brow furrowed. "... ... ...do you honestly expect all things in an ancient realm exposed to pure chaos to function just like you'd expect? Even scientifically?"

"... ... ..." Twilight Sparkle sank beside Rarity. "I'm not sure I can handle this." Her teeth chattered. "Everything I ever learned at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns... to think that it's all out the window."

"I dunno 'bout y'all," Applejack said, tilting her hat back. "But I plum lost any semblance of familiarity the first moment I saw ponies in Rohbredden fixin' to kill each other."

"Well, of course, Applejack," Twilight muttered. "We all had to struggle with the morality of this situation."

"Some longer than others," Fluttershy said.

Rarity and Twilight winced.

"Wooo!" Pinkie waggled her eyebrows. "Look at the tail extensions on you, girrrrrrl!"

"Yes, well..." Fluttershy fidgeted with her forelimbs, although she didn't look even remotely ashamed. "It had to be said."

"Maybe..." Applejack fanned herself with her hat. "...I'm a mite big lucky I didn't pop out of the Vanilla Zone until the very last second."

"We all had our struggles to deal with, AJ," Rainbow said. "Let's not pretend otherwise."

"Yeah, but it's all simple now, right?" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "We made it past Verlax and her army of meanie-pants in Rohbredden! Now all we gotta do is jog to the Midnight Armory, grab the Prism, then hop-skip-and-jump back!"

"There's a Trinary War in effect, Pinkie!" Twilight grumbled. "Remember? Three giant armies killing everything in their path in a death struggle for the Armory?!"

"Yeah, so?" Pinkie stuck her tongue out. "We just avoid those cranky melon fudges!" She chuckled in Rainbow's direction. "Sorry to steal from you without asking."

"It's okay, Pinkie." Rainbow gulped. "And—more to the point—there's Luna knows what waiting for us between here and our golden destination. Never mind the factions of the Trinary War."

"Well..." Pinkie's ears folded. "...I said it'd be simple... I didn't say it would be easy."

"How... uhm..." Fluttershy bit her lip. "...how are we going to get back to Equestria?"

"Oh Goddess..." Rarity grimaced. "Fluttershy makes a good point." She looked at Rainbow. "We can't very well go back the same way we came, can we?"

"Maybe..." Rainbow tightened her bandages,wincing slightly. "Maybe not. I dunno." She looked behind her at the cosmos lingering beyond the windblown precipice. "The Emeraldinians weren't the only ones to cross over. Someway—somehow—the Dark Vigil carried an entire civilization of Lunar Imperialists over to the Dark Side."

"And don't forget Chrysalis and her hive!" Twilight exclaimed.

"The alicorns also visited this side," Fluttershy said. "Right?"

"I don't know, Fluttershy," Twilight remarked. "I don't think Luna or Celestia have been to the Midnight Armory since it was first planted there by their forbearers. And all others—like Whitemane and Mortuana and Onyxxus—only made it as far back as the edge on the Light Side."

"Oh." Fluttershy stared woefully at the ground beneath them.

"Duaaaaaaaaah!" Pinkie gasped through an epiphanous smile. "The Divines! Endrax!" She grinned in Twilight's face. "A dragon matriarch got us to the Dark Side! Maybe Endrax can do us a favor and bring us back!"

"Uhhhhhhhh..." Twilight leaned away from Pinkie, wincing. Her eyes darted aside. "You want to handle this one, Rainbow? Or should I?"

Rainbow Dash stood up on aching limbs. "Mrmfff... I think the Herald and I are on our own with this one, Pinkie."

"But—"

"After all, Verlax went searching for Endrax." Rainbow sighed. "And we all know what happened to her."

"Yes... but still..." Pinkie cocked her head innocently to the side. "A big meanie dragon like Axan turned good after doing super horrible things to a bunch of ponies. Who says someone like Endrax can't do the same?"

Applejack and Rarity exchanged thoughtful glances.

Rainbow took a breath. "I don't know... at least—I don't know enough to bet on it." She gazed up at the dark plane's curve once again. "This is the Dark Side. It's way... waaaaaaaaaay different from anything I've ever experienced or faced before." She gulped. "Just... who knows what we're going to run into?"

"Then... do we even know how we are going to get back?" Fluttershy murmured.

Rainbow slowly shook her head. "I've no clue, Flutters. But—then again—I also had no clue before I touched the Utaan symbol. What's to say I won't learn a new way to go beyond once we've gotten the Prism?"

Silence.

The six souls continued staring at the dark swath.

"Whereabouts—would you say—is Equestria?" Rarity asked.

"From everything we've learned from Luna, Whitemane, and Mortuana," Twilight stated. "I'd say it's safe to bet that it's directly opposite of the Midnight Armory."

"Then... in a way... we're looking at Equestria right now?" Rarity stated.

"I suppose you could say that."

Rarity exhaled through a bittersweet smile. "I wonder what they're all up to now... everypony in the sun..."

"It could be night for them, Rares—" Applejack said.

"Bah! Of course, I realize that! Even still... how remarkably odd..." Rarity cooed. "Very soon we will be treading under their very hooves—trying to save each and every one of them—and only a handful of mortals on the Light Side even know it."

"Yeah, well..." Rainbow Dash's nostrils flared as she turned to face her ghostly companions. "Let's work on a way that every pony born after us will know about it. Ya dig?"

"How?" Pinkie said.

"How else? We go ea—" Rainbow winced. Hard. "Forward. We... uh... go forward..."

"Reckon we should pack our things, then," Applejack said.

"Yes. But..." Twilight pivoted about to gaze sympathetically at Rainbow. "Are you sure that you're ready, Rainbow?"

"Nope." Rainbow spun about with a flick of a short tail. "Which is why we should get going."

"Better fetch the Herald, Sugarcube."

"Stop being ahead of me, AJ," Rainbow Dash muttered in mid-trot. "You're not that psychic."

For the Voyage Ahead

"Mrmmmfff..." Flynn clenched his teeth, aiming a flickering horn at a stack of gold metal shards. "Mrmmmfff... almost... g-got it... m-moving...!"

Kepler shuffled past him with a bundle of supplies over his hairy flank. "Has yourr herroic horrn recoverred, good frriend?"

"Well... erm..." Flynn fidgeted in place. Thunder rolled over the sterile precipice as he murmured, "Almost—but not fully—"

"Then save yourr telekinetic strrength!" Kepler commanded as he began assembling a crude sled out of their gathered materials. "If you shatterr yourr connection to leylines completely, then you might neverr cast magic everr again!"

"But I want to help!" Flynn frowned. "We're set to take off at any moment and the Herald can't afford for any of us to slack off—"

Heavy hoofsteps. "How're your muscles, baldy?" Logan asked, glaring down at him. "Still sore?"

"Well... n-no, actually—"

"Good." Thwump! Logan dumped a bunch of alchemic equipment over the unicorn's backside. "You wanna help? Throw out all the crap we don't need and pack up all the stuff we do need all neat and tight."

"But—"

"But what?" Logan arched an eyebrow. "You think—where we're going—we're gonna rely on your sparkly brain noodle alone? Pffft. This is the Dark Side, creampuff. Gotta brute force our way towards the horizon 'cuz it is literally all uphill from now on!"

Flynn pouted, carrying the alchemic equipment over towards where an assortment of supplies had been gathered. "I am not a creampuff."

"I'll believe it when I see some sweat kiss the twilight, buckaroo!" Logan spat, marching away. "You've got several dozen spent moonrocks to cast off! Knock 'em out!"

Kepler was waiting for Logan over by the strips of harmonic gold. "I've gatherred all I could carrry from the Gondola..."

"Well done, Kep," Logan said with a nod. "Just tell me where the heavy-as-crud stuff is and I'll haul it on over."

"To what end?" Kepler's spectacles reflected a pulse of lightning as he looked over at the remains of the Gondola. "Is not ourr intent to pack light? Surrely you can't carrry so much alicorrn metal..."

"I'd like to give it the ol' college try."

"If you must overexerrt yourrself, dearr frriend, best to do it herre than countless days laterr." Kepler's hairy brow furrowed. "While we arre in mid-trravel."

"I don't think I'll be the only one drawing the supplies."

"What arre you thinking?"

Logan tapped his chin in thought. "I'll haul the heavier stuff—like our medicine, the remaining rune stone gifts from Bleak's Plummet..."

Kepler smirked. "Ourr food supplies?"

"Shuddup, walrus." Logan gestured. "Leave the bare essentials to me."

"Then what will we need a second sled forr?"

Logan's nostrils flared. "What else?"

Kepler looked over to where Seraphimus lay dormant. "Ah. But of courrse. I suspect we can't allow herr to fly, much less trrot."

"I'd say pack a few non-essentials with her and then we've got ourselves a caravan," Logan said. "If... that's what the Austraeoh wants."

"Indeed she does."

"Now... I'm strong and all... but..." Logan shifted where he stood. "I sure as heck can't bend alicorn metal. Something tells me we're gonna have to arrange these metal planks as uniformly as we can and fasten them tightly together."

"I think I have yourr idea neatly picturred in my mind."

"Do you really?" Logan smiled sheepishly. "Because I sure as Hell can't draw a blueprint to save my butthole."

"Ha-Hah!" Kepler waved him off. "Go and fetch the largerr planks, brrotherr! Leave the engineerring to me!"

"Thanks, Kepler." Logan trotted off. "I'd ask Flynn, but I'd rather him feel as useless as possible for as long as possible."

"I heard that!" a voice cracked amidst the thunder.

"Then..." Kepler tappec his furry chin, speaking to himself. "...the next thing on our agenda is deciding prrecisely who shoulderrs guarrd-duty..."

"You can't be serious," Ariel stammered.

Wildcard merely gave a vehement nod. He gestured as well as he could with one arm—which caused him to teeter off-balance towards his left.

Ariel reached out and caught him. "Look at you, for Goddess' sake!" She frowned as thunder rolled above them. "You're on three limbs and a prayer!"

Wildcard stretched and unstretched his wings.

"And we are not making you walk on your feathertips the entire way!" Ariel huffed. "If anyone should be drawing Seraphimus' sled and watching over her, it should be Big Show!"

Wildcard gave her a blank goggled look.

"I don't care if he's the strongest among us! Two of us can draw the bigger pack of supplies if we have to! You, though? You're in no condition to watch over Seraphimus!" Ariel folded her forelimbs. "If that batshit crazy fascist gets free again—you'll be the first thing that stands in her way!"

"...good thing he's the best equipped to deal with her," Rainbow Dash said, hovering into the conversation.

Ariel gave her a double-take. "Are you serious?"

"Jee. I said what I meant, didn't I?"

"Have you noticed that Wildcard here is missing a talon? He's only three-fourths griffin right now."

"Ariel, please." Rainbow gave her a bitter smirk. "A dude's feeling."

"This is no laughing matter."

"Good. Because I'm not telling a joke." Rainbow turned to face Wildcard. "You and the Commander of the Talon go way back, right?"

Wildcard took a shuddering breath. At last, he gave a sincere nod.

"Then that makes you our ace in the hole," Rainbow said. "You two have history together. If anyone in the Herald can convince her to see reason once she's come to—it's you."

"Uhm... excuse me, but..." Ariel leaned her head in. "What good is reason when you've got a complete psychopath on your hooves?"

"Nevertheless, Wildcard's volunteered. Who else would be drawing the sled that Seraphimus is on? Me?" Rainbow Dash suffered a cold shudder. "I think the further we keep me from that griffin when she wakes, the better." She pointed at Wildcard's missing prosthetic. "And we're blessed to have eggheads like Flynn and Kepler with us. If anyone can fashion Wildcard here a temporary walking-stick until they can craft a proper prosthetic, it's them."

"Still, Rainbow... I think this whole idea is messed up," Ariel said. She winced slightly. "No offense."

"I hear ya, girl."

"I mean... hasn't Wildcard here been through enough?"

Rainbow looked at the griffin. Her eyes rested on the bo-staff lying across his back, still stained in blood. A faint glow twinkled between the feathers.

"If Wildcard wants to guard Seraphimus, I am not about to argue with him," Rainbow Dash said. "And that's the end of it."

Wildcard bowed ever so slightly.

A heavy sigh escaped Ariel's muzzle. "Fiiiiine... but then..." She gestured at Seraphimus. "...what—exactly—are we going to do to keep Sleeping Beauty in check? I mean, the chumps on the Light Side tried to bind her—and they failed."

"Hmmmm..." Rainbow Dash slicked her bangs back. She gazed at the ruined Gondola, then at the spot where Seraphimus lay. "Why do hard work..." She smirked. "...when the alicorns have done all the labor for you centuries ago?"

"I must say, Rainbow..." Flynn reached in with both hooves, licking his lips. "...this was some pretty smart thinking."

"Is it?" Rainbow sweated, fussing with a length of metal cable. "Is it really?" She and Flynn leaned back, wiping their brow. "Because it looks pretty dumb to me."

Before them, Seraphimus' body had been bound in six places. Her arms and legs had been drawn behind her back, and her wings were coiled tightly together. Every single limb was entangled in a complex array of metal cords—and each of the cords wound their way to a series of straight golden rods fetched from the collapsed Gondola. The rods acted like splints, rigidly holding Seraphimus in place like a multi-layered griffin sandwich. It was obvious from looking at the job that the Talon member would have very... very little room to move once she awoke... which is just what Rainbow and Flynn intended. Lying on the side of a hastily-crafted sled, Seraphimus resembled a delicious slice of cat-bird meat pressed tightly between two slices of golden bread.

"Dumb, it may be. But so long as dumb works..." Flynn shrugged. "...then it's more than fine in my book." He looked at her. "I'll be sure to triple-check that the cords are taut once my magic works again."

"Good stallion," Rainbow said. "Getting her to eat and use the bathroom is going to be one heck of a challenge, but we'll deal with that when we get to it."

"Or Wildcard will deal with it."

"Heh. Yeah. Exactly." Rainbow's ear twitched, and her muzzle scrunched. "'What's the safe word???' Tchh..." She frowned into empty space. "AJ, get Pinkie to shut up, please. Thanks."

"Kepler and Logan should be done with the supplies soon," Flynn explained. "And I've neatly sorted through the runes that the sarosians gave us."

"Do we have enough ammo for the trip ahead?"

"I... can't say how powerful the lunar enchantments are... at least not until my horn is back to normal," Flynn said. "But we have a sizeable amount of kersplodey rocks at our disposal."

Rainbow breathed in. "Cool."

"But... only two boomsticks."

Rainbow exhaled. "Cool enough... I guess."

"Would you rather have none?"

"Nope. Not on your life." Rainbow turned and gazed away from the world's edge. The tiny golden speak lingered slightly above the visual terrain. "I've got Ariel surveying the landscape eas—er... I mean ahead of us."

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that," Flynn said. "The compass doesn't work out here. I doubt any other conventional navigation would help us either."

"Lemme guess. The stars are all different."

Flynn nodded. "Completely. We might have to invent our own means of directions."

"But... we're essentially going west now, right?" Rainbow looked sideways at the unicorn. "I mean... compared to how we were going?"

"In relation to where the Edge was on the Light Side? Well, sure, Rainbow... but I'm not sure that metric's going to help us much now." He gestured. "Once we get barely one-fourth of the way into the shadowed madness, we're gonna have the horizon stretching wildly in all directions... at least from our perspective."

"We'll still know which horizons lead to the edges, right? I mean... all we gotta do is look up."

"Certainly." Flynn nodded. "But how easily might we lose track of where we came from with where we're headed?"

"Uhhhhh..." Rainbow fidgeted slightly. "...leave bread crumbs?"

"Heh..." Flynn smiled awkwardly. "Considering how far we've got to go between here and the Armory, we'd starve before we made it one tenth of the way." He gulped. "I hate to make things sound dire, but we're going to need to take our time and forage around the landscape. Try and find wood for fire. Food for eating. Resources for making a mobile shelter. And we gotta find it all pretty darn quick."

Rainbow's body shrank as she exhaled. "I guess I was... just fooling myself in thinking we could wing it to the Armory and zip right back, huh?"

"Even without a Trinary War to deal with, I wouldn't be surprised if..." Flynn cleared his throat. "...if it's years before we manage to see the Sunrise again, Rainbow."

Rainbow nodded. "Here's hoping awesomeness outlasts youth."

"I'm with you on that one."

"Still..." Rainbow flapped her wings and ascended towards the twilight. "...I'd better check up with Ariel. If this crazy friggin' trip is going to start, then we'd better figure out a path to take."

"We'll be ready when you are, Rainbow!" Flynn called out after her.

Kepler shuffled up, and the first thing he did was stare at Seraphimus' bound figure. "My oh my... you cerrtainly crreated a worrk of arrt with the alicorrn metal."

"Yup." Flynn sighed. "That we did."

"Still..." Kepler winced, staring at the weighty golden bars holding Seraphimus' unconscious body down. "...do you think we'rre overrdoing it a bit?"

A beat.

Flynn's fetlock slapped Kepler upside the hairy head.

Kepler blinked. "Rright." He straightened his spectacles and marched off. "Ahem. I shall go and assist Wildcarrd in crrafting a walking stick."

Just a Short Survey

Ariel levitated at a high altitude, peering into the grand black curve of the world. The twilight above cast a silver sheen across the gray tips of her fuzzy ears.

It wasn't long until a prismatic shape was hovering at her side. Rainbow Dash's pendant glinted as she pivoted slightly to face Ariel.

"So... how's it looking to you?"

Ariel exhaled slowly. "Well... I never thought I'd hear myself say this... but I kinda wish Echo was here right now."

Rainbow nodded. "That dark, huh?"

Ariel pointed a hoof nebulously into the continental shadows. "There's a flat plain of solid stone—for sure—and it stretches waaaaaay out." She tilted her hoof slightly to the right. "There's a dip of some sort from... the north? Is that north, now?"

"Might as well be."

"Hrmmfff..." Ariel tossed her mane, squinting. "Anyways... there's a valley that juts into the plateau—I think. Otherwise, the rock is perfectly smooth. Like a pearl, even. The further away from the Edge of the World, the shinier the rock gets. Of course..." She grumbled breathily. "That could just be an optical illusion on account of the twilight." She rubbed her fuzzy nose, then turned to glance at Rainbow. "You suppose that the further we get from the edge, the easier it will get to actually see things?"

"You're hoping for too much, girl," Rainbow said. "This isn't the Light Side. Firmaments or no Firmaments, there's no Sun or Moon to help us on our journey. Only the stars."

"Egads..." Ariel shivered. She hugged herself in mid-hover. "I'm not sure I'm ready to deal with... that much darkness."

Rainbow bore a bittersweet smirk. "It's not like they called this place the 'Pizza Side.'"

Ariel blinked sideways. "Huh?"

Rainbow blinked back. "You've... you've never had pizza?"

"Should I have?"

"I mean... wowsers... it's like layers of cheese and tomato sauce served on a circular pie of dough and then you've got broccoli and mushroom toppings—" Rainbow Dash stopped in mid-sentence as she saw how adorably confuzzled Ariel's expression was. "Ahem." She hung her forelimbs behind her back and gazed into the dark continents. "Well, when we get to Equestria, we should totally have Pinkie Pie bake some for you."

"Heehee..." Ariel brushed a bang back. "Now there's a goal. Never mind the Harmonic Prism."

"That'll be one for the history books," Rainbow Dash muttered as thunder rumbled over their heads. "When Celestia, Luna, and the Council of Canterlot ask me why I went on such an epic around-the-world journey, I'll tell them: 'I did it for pizza.'"

"Hahahahaha..."

Silence.

Ariel gulped. "So... uhm... where the Hell are we going first?"

"I was hoping you'd have something to help me with."

"Well, I'm afraid I don't." Ariel swung a forelimb. "Either we march towards the fuzzy black area or the fuzzy gray area."

"It's not all blank, though." Rainbow squinted hard, her neck tilting up as her eyes traced faint glowing lines and splotches in the indiscernible distance. "There's definitely stuff going on out there."

"Yeah. Stuff we want to avoid."

Rainbow gritted her teeth slightly. "Not forever, though."

Ariel nodded, gazing down slightly. "Yeah..."

"Well, we've got something to start with, at least," Rainbow said.

Ariel looked at her. "What's that?"

Rainbow's brow furrowed in the twilight. "Darkreach."

Ariel's ears twitched. "Oh. Right."

"If this exact spot is where the Emeraldinians surfaced, then their Dark Side encampment can't be too crazy far away," Rainbow said. "Between Kepler's knowledge of Mortuana's records and Rarity's crazy senses... we're just bound to find it."

"You think?"

"Definitely." Rainbow nodded. "And that's as good a place as any to head to first."

"Have you talked to the others about this?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow's cheeks turned ever so slightly rosy. "I will now! Yup!"

Ariel giggled.

Rainbow smirked.

"Ahem... but seriously, though..." Ariel blinked nervously at her. "What will we even expect to find there? The Gondola obviously hadn't been used in a while when you discovered it. I doubt there was travel between the Light Side and Dark for decades... centuries even. Would there still be any Emeraldinians alive in Darkreach? Descendants... perhaps?" She grimaced. "If I was holed up in a place like this all my life, I'm not sure I'd want to be visited by blood-glowing strangers."

"I... kinda doubt anypony's going to be waiting for us there," Rainbow said. "But... who knows? It could have supplies. Stuff we could use to help us on the journey ahead."

"Fair enough."

"I dunno about you... but I kinda want something familiar to help me... to help us feel 'grounded.'"

Ariel nodded shakily. "You won't get any argument from me."

More silence.

"Guess... we'd better get going, then, huh?" Ariel remarked.

"Yeah." Rainbow inhaled. "First thing's first, about Bard..."

"Rainbow..." Ariel rested a hoof on her shoulder. "We already told you. It wasn't your fault—"

"Hey. I'm cool." Rainbow turned to face her. "Well... cool enough. But this isn't about me."

"What are you getting at?"

"Maybe... uhm..." Rainbow gazed down at where the rest of the group were gathered. "...now's as good a time as ever to let everypony else clear the air."

"Oh." Ariel stared down at them as well. She hesitantly nodded. "Y'know... that's not a bad idea." She looked at Rainbow. "What did you have in mind?"

"The better question is..." Rainbow looked back. "What do you guys have in mind?"

A Moment of Silence

After the group had gathered their supplies, there were just enough loose pieces of the Gondola left to form two separate piles of compact golden shards. The bars and lengths of shrapnel were arranged to look as geometrically perfect as possible. They stood out amidst the dead flat desolation of the World's Edge, and the nebulaic starlight from beyond the firmaments glittered off the metallic surfaces so that they were visible for hundreds of meters in all directions.

Kepler was putting on the finishing touches to a series of words etched across a round chunk of stone. The chunk of granite rested on the top of the rightmost "monument," and in the dim twilight it read: "In memory of Johnny "Bard" – friend, husband, father, hero."

The two sleds—including the one Seraphimus lay on—had been assembled and rested a few meters away from the pair of monuments. Rainbow Dash, Ariel, Logan, Flynn, and Wildcard all stood in a neat line. Rainbow's ghostly companions hovered around their anchor—somber and silent.

At last, Kepler finished carving the words. He stepped back from the golden piles and wiped his brow. "Haaaa... therre, my frriends." He pointed at his work. "Surrely, those who might happen upon this arrrangement in the futurre will know that therre has been a divine purrpose to it all..."

"It's very nice, Kepler," Rainbow said with a nod.

The wyvern turned around, his spectacles reflecting her deadpan expression. "I am sorrry that we could not find a larrge enough stone to place upon Axan's 'monument.' If you would allow me some time to scourr the nearrby landscape, I'm cerrtain that I could find—"

"No, Kepler," Rainbow exclaimed through a sigh. "We can't stay out here forever. Besides..." She gazed forlornly in the direction of Axan's large, unmoving corpse between there and the gondola. "...she was never one for words... or any sort of ceremony."

"Unless stomping on poor defenseless blue pegasi is her idea of a ceremony—" Pinkie began, but then received an orange slap to the top of her ghostly head. She shifted gears, immediately smiling. "But that was several novels ago! So who's counting?!"

Rarity cleared her throat, then smiled at Rainbow. "I think—in Axan's case—her actions speak for her."

"Yes, Rainbow," Twilight Sparkle added. "If she ever wanted a monument... you're it."

"Hoo boy..." Rainbow's wings drooped as she mumbled: "No pressure there."

Ariel craned her neck, speaking to Kepler. "I think this is a marvelous job you've accomplished here, Kepler. Bard would appreciate it."

"Yeah, way to go, Keps," Logan said, leaning on his axe. "Sure as Hell a better grave than he ever would have gotten back at Blue's Ranch."

"Tchyaa..." Flynn nodded. "Too bad we couldn't bury him here to. I think he'd be super happy to be as far away from that place as possible."

"There you have it!" Ariel smiled. "In a way, he got his wish."

Dead silence.

Ariel sighed. "Okay... it still sucks..."

Flynn cleared his throat. "A modicum of sanctity, please. Is that so much to ask for?"

"I dunno, baldy." Logan smirked. "Bard believed in doing things smoothly, but he rarely ever accomplished it."

"Big Show..."

"What? You're going to tell me he wasn't ever a total clusterbuck at times?!" Logan swung a hoof in the air. "Remember that one time he defeated the arsonists in Pine Prefecture by burning down half the town?"

"It was an abandoned town—"

"And then when chasing pirates off the gulf of Silt Prefecture, he got the bright idea of sitting Ariel on a rock and playing music from behind a shipwreck and convincing them that she was an intoxicating siren..."

Wildcard exhaled sharply. A smile formed beneath his beak.

"See?!" Logan pointed, smiling brilliantly. "Hah! He remembers!"

Ariel folded her forelimbs with a pout. "It wasn't so funny at the time..."

"Well, it sure as Hell worked, didn't it?"

"I swear... I've never kicked so much pirate groin in my life..."

"And don't get me started on that Rust Syndicate crap." Logan looked over at Rainbow. "Tell me—how many dozens of ways did you nearly screw up the raid of the Northern Hoof's vault?"

Rainbow fought the urge to chuckle. "You can't put that all on Bard. A lot of Rust was me half-assing it."

Wildcard conducted an invisible melody in the air with his right talon.

"Wildcard has a point, darling," Rarity said. "If it weren't for Bard distracting Revan with his handsome charm, you and Wildcard wouldn't have been able to make any progress whatsoever."

Twilight squinted at the ghostly fashionista. "The way you say it makes it sound like Bard was seducing the leader of the Northern Hoof."

"And who says it wasn't, hmmmm?" Rarity batted her eyelashes.

"Eugh..."

"Ahem..." Rainbow looked up. "I wouldn't have gotten as far as I did if it weren't for Bard." She caught sight of Wildcard's goggles shifting in her direction. "I mean—yeah—we all know who can really clear a room and take names, but—no offense Wildcard—Bard's charisma and swagger and big-brother-ness is what actually caught my attention and made me listen to the Desperados' case to begin with—" Her words dissipated as a pained expression overwhelmed her muzzle. Her ears drooped hard as she whimpered: "He was my brother. A shuddering breath. "The big brother I never had..."

Sniffling, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie hovered close to Rainbow. They couldn't hug her, but their proximity was the next best thing.

Rainbow rubbed her cheek dry and sighed. "Nicole's lucky. And... and it's a good thing..." She nodded to the stars. "...it's a very good thing that she got to meet him for one last time. And now... she's heading towards a better place." A swallow. "As are we."

Flynn looked up at that—but he said nothing.

Logan cleared his throat. "I know I'm probably the last person to suggest this sort of a thing... but I'm guessing a moment of silence would be pretty damn appropriate. Huh?" He looked at the others. "For both Bard and the dragon matriarch?"

"Capital choice, brrotherr," Kepler said... and proceeded to hang his head.

There was sudden movement. The group observed Wildcard shuffling forward. Gripping Bard's staff in his good talon, the remaining Desperado knelt before the rightmost pile of alicorn metal. The blood on the rod had long lost its glow by now.

Soon, Ariel fluttered forward and landed at Wildcard's side. She engulfed the griffin in a soft hug from behind, and together the two paid their silent respects to their dear friend.

Rainbow Dash looked on. She knew that she should have been hanging her head and giving the entire moment to Bard. But—for whatever reason—she couldn't. After all, neither did Bard.

Rainbow's vision swam across her surroundings—or more specifically the faces of those lingering around her. Logan was the most serious and deadpan she had ever seen him. Kepler—of course—composed himself with the usual grace and well-practiced dignity. Flynn looked anxious and more than a little bit sad. Wildcard—as always—was frighteningly unreadable. Rainbow felt her heartbeat growing heavier as her vision dwelled on him. But then all it took was the comforting image of Ariel hugging the Desperado to put her at ease. The pegasus was emotional as always, tearing over a bittersweet smile as she nuzzled Wildcard's neck. Off in the distance—still aside from steady breathing—was Seraphimus' bound figure. A cold shudder ran through Rainbow Dash, and it was around that point that the moment of silence ended.

Wildcard stood up with aid of Bard's staff. Silently—with mute grace—he collapsed the weapon entirely... then stuck it into a pouch of his bandolier. The one closest to his heart. He turned to look at Ariel and waggled a few of his talon's claws.

Ariel looked over him at Kepler. "Wildcard's wondering how sturdy these monuments are."

"Oh! They'll last quite the long time, most assurrredly!" Kepler said.

Ariel exhaled while Wildcard breathed with relief. "That's nice, Kepler," the pegasus said.

"I mean... surrely not forreverr," Kepler digressed, staring at the Edge of the World and the lightning brimming beyond. "This close to the Firrmaments, a tempestuous gale is bound to blow some of the golden sharrds off theirr foundation within a few centurries, and of courrse therre's the crreeping rravenous hand of entrropy—"

"That's nice, Kepler," Flynn growled.

Kepler froze in place, smiling nervously. "They'll last severral lifetimes! Ha-Hah! No worrries!"

Logan sighed long and hard, although it was through a smile. "What did I tell ya?" Pivoting on the handle of his axe, he turned to look at Rainbow. "Any final words you wanna say in Remn—erm... in Axan's memory?"

Rainbow gulped. "I... think I've said all that needs to be said."

"You won't get another opportunity like this, Rainbow," Flynn added.

"Don't think like yer doin' it for Axan, sugarcube," Applejack suggested. "Think of it like yer doin' it for yerself."

"Applejack's right, Rainbow." Fluttershy nodded. "If there's anything to get off your chest, then now's the time. It's okay."

Rainbow stood up straight. "Well then... okay." She trotted towards the leftmost monument and stiffened her muscles. "Just... I hadn't prepared anything..."

"Speak from the gut, Dashie!" Pinkie chirped. "You can do it!"

"Very well." Rainbow took on a proud stance. "Axan, the Divine Matriarch of Flame, was nothing short of the very paragon of—"

Just then... there was a grotesque, blood-curdling shifting sound echoing from the location of Axan's corpse.

"... ... ..." Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "...the crap?"

Pinkie Pie's nose scrunched. "Well, that wasn't a very nice eulogy."

"Pinkie, you dolt!" Rarity hissed. "Something amidst Axan's remains is moving."

"Oh gosh!" Fluttershy hid behind Applejack. "What could it be?"

"Rainbow?" Ariel hovered over. "What's the matter?"

"Guh..." Twilight winced, her horn suddenly glowing. "I'm sensing a sudden energy surge! Ancient... ancient magic!"

"What in tarnation?" Applejack offered.

There was a final shifting of movement. Rainbow and her friends looked over to see something small rolling out of a bloody pocket within Axan's corpse.

"Uhhhhhh..." Rainbow moved away from the monument and towards Axan's body. "...something just rolled out of her..."

The Herald followed cautiously behind.

Bearer of Many Flames

Rainbow Dash approached Axan's corpse slowly... pensively. Soon, she had to trot even slower; Wildcard had marched directly in front of her. Even with just three limbs, the last Desperado insisted on forming a living shield in front of the pegasus. His goggles reflected a bright round object situated just a few feet from where Axan's dormant snout lay.

"What in the Hell...?" Logan rasped.

"What is that thing?" Flynn stammered.

Ariel gulped, craning her neck to see from where she hovered. "Whatever it is—it's glowing."

"I... uh..." Rainbow squinted as she and Wildcard came to a stop. "I believe that's Axan's blood."

Rarity leaned in. "No doubt about it, Rainbow. That... thing was resting deep within Axan's corpse. I... I do believe it originated from a pocket of flesh situated inside her neck."

"Brbrbrbrbrbrrrrr..." Pinkie shook all over. "Even in death she's looking for excuses to shovel spit."

"It's... organic," Fluttershy said, her tone calm.

Applejack looked at her. "You mean that thang's alive?"

"Not... quite..." Fluttershy blinked slowly. "But... I sense that it's made out of the same material as Axan's body. Strange that I didn't feel it before..."

"Do dragon bodies make pearls?" Applejack lifted her hat and rubbed her ghostly scalp. "Danged if I'm not confused as all heck."

"Axan may be dead, but that object isn't," Twilight Sparkle insisted. "At least not magically. There's a strong enchantment about it that's not diminishing."

"Is it harmful?" Rainbow Dash asked aside.

The Herald glanced at her.

"I... I don't think so, Rainbow," Twilight said. "But even still, I don't know what it's purpose is."

Rainbow exhaled. "Guess there's only one way to find out." She trotted forward.

"... ... ...!" Wildcard stretched his good arm directly in front of the mare, blocking her. The two shared brief visual contact. Then—with drooping crestfeathers—Wildcard relented. He sidestepped and allowed Rainbow Dash to trot past him and approach the sphere.

Cautiously, Rainbow Dash knelt down and squinted into the object's blood-red glow. Axan's juices coated the round surfaces, and it generated an undeniable heat. With nervous hooves, Rainbow reached forward and barely tapped the edge of the sphere. It was still hot—but not scalding. After a few more ginger taps, Rainbow dared to roll the thing towards her. In so doing, she cleared off the outer coating of crimson.

A vulcanic gray surface glinted in the starlight. It was a paradoxical sight: the material appeared both dull and shiny all at once. To Rainbow, it looked as though she was cradling an enormous marble with a thin layer of transparent glass surrounding a burnt charcoal core. She wiped off even more of the blood—and upon touching the cold glossy shell the sphere reacted with brief flickers of flame from deep within... like the heart of a furnace struggling in vain to burn back to life.

"It's... it's reacting to you, Rainbow," Twilight Sparkle said. "Faintly... but there's a spell in place there." Her horn glowed as she phased through Rainbow's shoulder to study the object closer. "Still... what was this doing on Axan's person?"

"It's a Drragon Stone," Kepler suddenly said.

Everypony looked immediately at the wyvern. Including the ghosts.

"A what stone???" Pinkie belched.

"A what stone?" Rainbow echoed.

"Of courrse! It has to be!" Kepler smiled through his tusks. "Do you not rrememberr Rremna speaking about it? When we firrst held audience with Prrincess Celestia?"

"If... if what Kepler says is true..." Twilight began.

The wyvern adjusted his spectacles and declared: "This is what Axan used to speak with herr Divine Sisterrs! It is a tool of communication—far olderr than all magics on this plane! Even Alicorrn magic! For it was herre long beforre this piece of Urrohrringrr was everr discoverred!"

"If that's true..." Ariel's brow furrowed. "...then how come Axan was able to keep ahold of it when she was transformed into Remna?"

"The Drragon Stone is as much a parrt of a Divine as a hearrt, brrain, orr firre gland," Kepler explained. "The Mountain Matrron's spell worrked in that it trransferrred all of Axan's essence into Remna's shell. Obviously—Axan did not wish forr herr sisterr Verrlax to trrack herr when she enlisted herrself in Morrtuana's Herrald."

"So then..." Flynn rubbed his chin as he processed the truth aloud. "...the Dragon Stone got absorbed into Remna's figure."

"Prrecisely!" Kepler nodded. "And now that Axan has rregained herr forrm upon death, the Drragon Stone has been rreleased frrom concealment."

"Dayum..." Logan shifted where he stood. "Do you suppose Axan meant for us to get ahold of this?"

Wildcard glanced at the others upon hearing that.

"Difficult to say," Flynn muttered. "From the look of things... planning ahead wasn't one of Axan's strong suits."

Twilight drew into a ghostly huddle next to her anchor. "If this is Axan's Dragon Stone..."

"Do you realize what this means?" Rarity breathed.

"If it means what I th-think it means..." Fluttershy gulped. "...then perhaps we are better off without it."

"Why's that?" Pinkie asked.

"Because..." Applejack's jaw tightened. "...magic on this here side of the plane ain't the same as the harmonic stuff we're used to. Who knows just who or what could be listenin' in on—?"

Rainbow Dash wiped off the last of the blood, cradled the sphere in both fetlocks, and spoke right into its surface. "Hello, Endrax?"

Her marefriends froze in place, wincing.

The Herald collectively sucked their breaths in.

Rainbow polished the surface once again. "Endrax?" She tilted her ears towards the twilight above. "Endrax, are you there?"

Dead silence.

"Endrax...?" Rainbow exhaled slowly. Her ears started to droop. "... ... ...Sturke?"

Still no response.

"Rainbow Dash..." Ariel's wings went limp as she touched down and relaxed. "I love you to death, girl..." Her eyes narrowed. "...but I kinda sorta want to punch you right now."

Wildcard nodded vehemently.

"How do we know that we even want to talk with Endrax?!" Logan sneered through clenched teeth. "Most dragons you or the Herald have ever met kinda sorta have a fetish for squashing the friggin' Austraeoh to a bloody pulp!"

"I disagrree!" Kepler folded his forelimbs. "Ourr close alliance to her sisterr Axan would surrely give us some leverrage!"

"Oh—like that worked with Verlax!" Ariel hissed.

"Verlax was crazy, though!" Flynn insisted. "She was a special kind of shit snowflake!"

"Only because she flew blind circles on this side of the Plane!" Ariel hoarsely exclaimed. "Endrax has been here for millennia! Imagine how crazier she must be!"

"But she came here to solve chaos, not become it!" Flynn exclaimed under his breath.

"Oh... and when has that stopped the dragons from going all mega-psycho-bitchy?!" Logan rasped.

"Guys... stop whispering," Rainbow muttered. She stared deep into the pearlescent surface of the sphere. "I really don't think anyone's listening."

The Herald let loose heavy breaths.

Wildcard sliced the air with his right talon's claws.

"He has a point..." Ariel looked from the Desperado to Rainbow Dash. "Just because the Divines are silent on the other end doesn't mean they're not listening."

"I sure wouldn't mind if Sturke was listening in," Flynn said. "We could use all the help we can get—especially in getting back to the Light Side."

"I hate to say it, but I doubt she can, my frriend," Kepler remarked. "If the alicorrns cannot assist us through the Plane, then I do not see how the Queen of Equinox would be able."

Ariel shifted where she stood. "So... uhh..." She brushed aside her raven black bangs with a nervous fetlock. "...how come Endrax isn't responding?"

"Maybe... she can't?" Flynn said.

Silence.

"...or she doesn't want to?" he then added in a quieter tone.

Rainbow Dash continued to stare deep into the shiny surface of the Dragon Stone. She shifted her grip in order to turn the bloodied object around.

"Dashie!" Pinkie pointed. "Look!"

Just as the mare said this, the sphere shrank within Rainbow's grip. It stopped as soon as Rainbow's fetlocks stopped. It was now approximately the size of a hoofball... which made it considerably less awkward to grip.

"It... shrank..." Twilight Sparkle blinked. "Rainbow, what did you do?"

"I just... just..." Rainbow shrugged, still staring at its surface. "...just wanted to hold it better."

"It may be the rresult of a rresidual enchantment," Kepler stated. "Accorrding to Morrtuana, the Drragon Stone was divinely crrafted to be used by morre than just the gifted Matrriarrch herrself. No doubt Axan's broodlings employed it in the past—and they werre all considerrably smallerr than theirr motherr."

"That's totally true," Rainbow said.

"So... uh..." Logan scratched his forehead. "Does that mean Rainbow's now the Stone-Bearer or some shit?"

"Pfffft..." Ariel rolled her eyes. "Doesn't she have enough on her plate?"

"Well, how the Hell else would you read this situation?"

"Dumb luck."

"Heh... the dumbest."

In the meantime, Rainbow's lips were pursing. Her ruby eyes reflected a curious sight.

The Dragon Stone was flickering with light—subtle but very real. Tiny sparks of flame-red luminescence billowed from deep within the stone.

Wildcard adjusted his goggles before proceeding to kneel down beside Rainbow.

"You see it too, huh?" Rainbow remarked.

Wildcard nodded. He reached his good talon forwards—but then paused to look at Rainbow.

Rainbow gladly lifted the stone towards his grip.

Together, the pegasus and the Desperado cradled the Dragon Stone. Under Wildcard's guidance, they tilted the enchanted object around by about one hundred and eighty degrees—sweeping towards the bent black horizon.

As they did this, they noticed the stone flickering at random intervals. They slowly repeated the process until the flickering was slightly... less random. Together—in mute concentration—they found that the Dragon Stone pulsed with fiery red light on every turn, forming a subtle pattern.

"Is..." Flynn blinked his one good eye. "...is it reacting to something?"

"Or some things," Rainbow murmured. "You see? It pulses three times. There... there—and there."

Wildcard and Rainbow continued the motion, swinging the stone slowly about and causing the illumination to repeat.

"What... uh..." Ariel shivered slightly. "...what's causing it?"

"Endrax?" Fluttershy suggested.

Rainbow took a deep breath. "Who knows." She looked past Fluttershy as she stood up. "We'll have to figure it out along the way." She opened her saddlebag and slipped the object in. "We've waited here long enough."

"You want to bring it with us?" Flynn stammered.

"Yeah." Rainbow turned to face him, deadpan. "And?"

"I just... erm... well..." Flynn rubbed the back of his head.

Ariel spoke for the Herald: "What if it makes us stand out? Y'know... like a burning torch to the bad guys here on the Dark Side?"

"What...?" Rainbow pointed at her ruby pendant, causing it to glow slightly. "And I'm not already a friggin' beacon?"

The Herald winced—collectively blushing.

"Guys... guys..." Rainbow marched past them. "...at some point we gotta stop being afraid of being afraid. I know it sucks to be out here... but it's only going to get crazier. It's about time we faced it." She lingered in place momentarily, chilled to the bone to see the corpse of Axan vanish from her peripheral. "We've... been given more than one gift today. Let's not waste a single one of 'em."

The group collectively nodded.

Wildcard stood up, brushed his talon gently across Rainbow's shoulder, then marched towards the sled that housed Seraphimus.

Rainbow nodded after him. "Right." She stretched her wings. "Let's friggin' move already."

Rainbow Dash Goes Forward

The group carried themselves boldly into the ever-dark. In so doing, they formed a solid line. Logan carried the sled full of supplies. Wildcard carried a few more materials—along with Seraphimus' unconscious figure—and he kept far to Logan's left. Kepler and Flynn carried whatever they could on their backs and filled up the center of the moving line.

"The morre sprread-out we arre, the betterr!" Kepler had said. "If therre's any sign as to the location of Darrkrreach, we arre surre to find it this way! Ha-hah!"

In essence, the team was performing a clean sweep as they trotted along. This required more than just the combined observation of Flynn and Kepler—or the ones pulling the sled—of course. Rainbow Dash and Ariel were the quicker and more athletic members of the group. Ariel held up the left flank; she made sure to keep within earshot of Wildcard to her right.

Rainbow Dash kept to Logan's right—as far from Seraphimus' sled as possible. As she and the rest of the group carried on, they realized soon that they would inevitably lose each other in the bleak shadow of the curved plane. The further they drew from the World's Edge and the wreckage of the Gondola, the less brilliant the starlight above them. Their peripheral vision was slowly being encumbered by utter darkness as they lost visual contact with the precipice behind them.

"Oh, how terribly frightening!" Rarity shivered noticeably. She clutched Fluttershy's limb as she looked all around in a demure fashion. "It's like we're cascading into a steep valley that never ends!"

"That's pretty much what this side of the plane is, Rarity," Applejack said. "Reckon we ain't seen the half of it."

"The half of darkness?" Pinkie Pie made a face. "How does that even make sense?"

Twilight Sparkle face-hoofed. "Oo-wee... this must really be a world of chaotic opposites for Pinkie Pie to be asking that."

"Baby steps, everypony," Fluttershy said. She turned and smiled at Rarity while squeezing her hoof. "Stay close, Rarity. I'll keep you safe."

Rarity blinked. "... ... ...I don't rightly know what to say anymore."

The group marched for minutes... and those minutes turned into hours. As it turned out, the deepening darkness wasn't quite as alarming as they first thought. The precipice behind them drew further and further away until the very edge was a dim line of pale starlight, and yet the bleak landscape around them became slightly more discernible with each progressive step. Granted, it helped that the lifeless stone was as predictably flat and barren as when they first graced upon it, but even in the shadows of the sun-less realm the Heraldites could make out the etched surfaces of the rock beneath their hooves.

"I'm not the only one seeing this, right?" Logan asked—having to speak above the scraping of their sleds. Despite the wear and tear from constant contact with the rock, the alicorn metals proved durable—and the structures remained in tact behind the pony and griffon drawing them. "Like... I can almost make out the shape of the field all around us." He blinked hard. "Can... you call it a field when it's made of stone and not grass?"

"Call it whateverr you wish, brrotherr," Kepler said. "I suspect that—the furrtherr we traverrse this domain—the morre ourr eyes become accumulated with the lighting... orr lack therreof."

"Huh..." Logan tilted his head up, realizing he now had to squint to shield his pained eyes from the endless bands of constellations. "I should have expected that, I guess."

"I can see pretty damn far," Flynn said, his mechanical eye whirring. "Just give a shout if you need me to spot something."

"Hrmmmffff..." Logan's jaw muscles clenched. "Cheater."

"Pffft! Oh come on!" Flynn smirked, gesturing to the sled on his left. "You think I can see well?! Wildcard must be having a ball with his eyes!"

The goggled griffon saluted with a makeshift crutch and resumed his steady march.

"Double cheater," Logan grunted.

Rainbow was silent the entire time. Usually, such slow progression would have meant complete and utter torture for the petite pegasus. However, this was a completely alien landscape and Rainbow Dash wasn't about to throw herself—or her friends—blindly into the opaqueness of it all. She took the time to observe the shadowed landscape along with her friends.

Four hours into the march, she started discerning... color. The Dark Side wasn't entirely dark. In fact, if Rainbow Dash had the opportunity to label the stone beneath her, it would be "cold blue." Something a few shades darker than an aged Wonderbolt Uniform. If a moon had the opportunity to shine on it, she suspect it would glow quite spectacularly.

What's more, the stone wasn't entirely dry. A cold, thin layer of moisture gathered over the earth—growing more and more prominent as the group carried on. It was as if a great ocean had receded away from the World's End and left just enough condensation to coat the steel-hard flesh of the plane forever. The etchings—a constant mar to the otherwise immutable stone—formed narrow and lengthy puddles that splattered under Rainbow's hooves. And as she crossed a few fissures, the liquid deepened enough to reflect the stars above, producing a violet sheen to the sleep shadows all around.

"Heh..." Rainbow bore a bittersweet smirk as she muttered, "Millions of miles away from home and on the other side of the world and still I'm scaling a purple landscape."

Only Pinkie Pie laughed. The rest of Rainbow's marefriends were mute with marvel as Rainbow and the Herald lost themselves in the belly of darkness. It was a hauntingly paradoxical thing: trotting along a dead-flat plane that inevitably led them towards a curved horizon stretching up, above, and into the stars. It was already resembling the universe's longest, cruelest uphill climb.

Another hour passed—and at last one of the Heraldites spoke up. It was Logan, boldly questioning when the group would pause to rest and eat. It wasn't a fault of innate laziness; the stallion was presenting a good point. With no sun, no moon, and virtually no marker whatsoever to determine how far they had traveled and for how long, there was no telling how they were to pace themselves. There simply existed no scale in the history of anything. The closest comparison was spelunking underground for weeks at a time, and out of the whole of them only Rainbow Dash was remotely qualified.

"Perrhaps some of yourr frriends would be useful in giving us a temporrarry map to plan by," Kepler suggested.

Rainbow opened her muzzle, but Rarity was already speaking.

"I'm sorry, Rainbow, but I simply don't detect anything beyond this..." She shivered again. "...insurmountable flatness."

"Sounds like Maud in middle school!" Pinkie Pie said. She tilted her head in Applejack's direction in time to receive a well-deserved swat. "Heeheehee...!"

"Is it really this desolate for miles and miles ahead of us, Rarity?" Twilight asked.

Rarity nodded. "I'm afraid so, darling. However... not to sound like an oaf..." She fidgeted slightly before looking at Rainbow. "...I might get a better bearing if we were to move faster."

"Or higher?" Fluttershy suggested.

Rarity pointed. "What she said!"

Rainbow took a deep breath. She turned to her left and witnessed the entirety of the Herald glancing at her in mid-march. She bore a smirk. "Maybe... uh... Ariel and I should catch some air and fly ahead."

"You mean..." Ariel was already grimacing. "...split up?"

"What? No!" Rainbow rolled her eyes in the twilight. "We'll stay close; we won't go crazy far. I just... think there might be a better chance of catching our bearings if we gain altitude." She looked at Kepler and Flynn. "At least for a bit."

Kepler and Flynn exchanged glances.

"Verry well, Rrainbow One..."

"If you think it will help your friends and their senses—"

"Hold on a damn second." Logan scraped his sled to a hault. He frowned, holding a hoof. "I can barely see where my piss lands in this dayum inkiness. How will we keep from losing sight of you gals completely?"

"Uhhhhhhh..." Rainbow rubbed her pendant. The air around them lit up with ruby haze, illuminating her smile.

"Yeah... uh huh..." Logan gestured towards the rest of the Herald. "And how will you find us?"

Flynn held his breath... strained... then finally illuminated the tip of his horn. "Ah... there we go... kinda sorta..."

Wildcard nodded briskly.

"Well then..." Logan exhaled, moving again with the sled of supplies. "Guess I'll shut up, then."

"No, Big Show, I super appreciate it," Rainbow Dash said. "Your caution makes a whole lot of sense. Believe me... losing sight of each other in this mess would be absolute... er... Luna Poop."

Twilight sighed. "Rainbow, really?"

Rainbow shrugged. "Old habits..." She then looked at Flynn. "However... I also think we should wait a bit longer. Let Flynn here get fully reconnected with his leylines."

"Not a bad idea," Flynn remarked. "Should... hopefully be up to snuff within the hour."

"That's okay," Ariel said, hovering and rubbing her forelimbs nervously. "I can wait."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Not keen on volunteering?"

"The Twilight Lands where Bard and Nicole grew up is one thing... but going this long in this place without more than a dim light to guide you?" She shook from head to tail. "I'm a bit scared to fly more than five inches ahead of me."

"It's okay, Ariel," Rainbow said. "When it's time to get going, I'll light the winds for us."

"But..." Ariel squirmed. "How's just that one pendant going to keep me from getting completely lost or separated?"

"Then I guess you're going to have to stay really close to me."

Ariel blinked. Her wings beated a bit more stiffly now. "Eheheheheheh..." She glanced over her shoulder and brushed her bangs back. "...oh... the horror."

There Is No Day

"So, uh..." Ariel squatted and unsquatted, stretching her back and wing muscles. "Any particular way you wanna... y'know... do this?"

Rainbow Dash sat in the middle of an endless ocean of flat rock. She had taken off her saddlebag and was rummaging through it. "Hmmm?" she exhaled out the side of her muzzle.

"Like... you take the lead... I follow you..." Ariel shrugged. "I ascend first... you follow me..." She shrugged again.

Rainbow's hoof brushed past bundled food, supplies, and a flickering gloss orb. She lingered slightly, her hoof resting on the edge of the Dragon Stone. "We're just flying," she muttered. "Not getting married."

"But... it's a strange sky and we're on the Dark Side and there's chaos everywhere and—"

"I've yet to see anything chaotic."

"Rainbow..."

Rainbow exhaled, brushing the stone aside and reaching for a pair of goggles nestled in the far corner of her saddlebag. "Alright, Ariel. You want a two step program?" She pulled the article out, smiling slightly at its familiarity. "Step One: we chillax. Step Two: we chillax some more."

Ariel gulped. "Sorries." She sighed, letting her wings droop. "I guess I just felt that... that this place is so crazy weird that it must hold its own sort of intense gravity. Y'know?"

"No..." Rainbow's hoof brushed across the initials "S.L." "I don't."

"Err..."

"It's just a sky," Rainbow droned. "Unless it's suddenly filled with dragons or managliders or giant airships piloted by maniacal one-eyed psycopaths... then it's no different than any other sky. For realsies." She looked at the Heraldite situated next to her. "If we freak out over every alien detail of this part of the plane, then we'll never take off and fly anywhere."

"I... I-I guess you have a point."

Rainbow gulped. "And... I guess I should be sorry too."

Ariel's ears twitched. "What for?"

"I should be better at making decisions—y'know... for the group. Especially when it comes to flying."

Ariel shrugged. "You got far with the Noble Jury. I'm guessing it wasn't a pressing issue with them."

"Yeah, well—I cheated." Rainbow's lips smirked ever so slightly. "We had a manaship... and I had a hammock."

"Oh yeah?"

"Ohhhhhhhhhh yeah..." Rainbow raised the goggles to her eyes. She brushed a hoof across a lone crack resting across one of the glass lenses. "A friggin' space elk was doing all the navigation. And when that didn't deliver, Pilate filled all the gaps with his zebra senses."

"I'll... pretend that I know what that means," Ariel wheezed.

"All good and fine, girl. I've only ever done the same." Rainbow breathed calmly. "How about this? I'll take point. You fly behind me. When I want us to fly faster or higher, I'll signal with my tail."

"You... want me to stare at your tail the whole time..."

"Uh... yeah?"

Ariel cleared her throat. "Works for me."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Eeuuughhhh..."

"Hey..." Ariel smirked. "You told me twice that we gotta 'chillax.'"

"Feed my ego any more and I'll sink like a stone."

Ariel giggled. "Looks like most of the Rainbow Dash I know survived Bleak's Plummet after all."

"You really don't know a whole lot about this alleged 'Rainbow Dash.'"

Ariel blinked. "You could tell us," she said in a soft tone. "You could tell all of us."

"Yeah, well..." Rainbow returned to examining the lenses. "...from the look of things, we're gonna get easily bored on this twilight trek, soooooo—"

The goggles reflected dull scales glinting by.

"... ... ...?!" Rainbow Dash spun around, blinking at the pale thin horizon that marked the distant edge of the world.

Ariel noticed her sudden movement. "What?" When there was no response, Ariel trotted closer. "Rainbow, what is it?"

Rainbow opened her lips... but said nothing. She blinked again, gazing at dreary blackness all around. Finally, she looked at the goggles again. All they were reflecting was starlight.

"... ... ...Rainbow?"

"Nothing. It's..." Rainbow shook the cobwebs out of her skull. "Been awake for a bit too long, I guess. Seeing shadows..."

"Do you want to rest up a bit? I'm sure the group won't mind—"

"Nah. Everything about our journey across the Dark Side so far has been total lame sauce." Rainbow strapped the goggles on. "We'd better survey the landscape, make some progress, then rest up." She tightened the article around her head and looked at the mare beside her. "Or did you need a breather?"

Ariel easily shook her head. "I'm super good to go!"

"Cool. Wings spread, girl." Rainbow trotted forward. "For added protection."

"Last question."

"Shoot."

"If... for some reason we get lost in the... y'know... darkness..." Ariel gulped. "Should I just look for your ruby pendant or—?"

"Nah, I'll get Fluttershy and the other girls to help." Rainbow patted Ariel's shoulder with a set of wingfeathers. "I'll find you."

Ariel exhaled through a smile. "Best thing I heard all day."

"Silly bird horse." Fwooosh! Rainbow shot towards the twilight. "There is no 'day.'"

Bleak Glimpse at Prehistory

The world was dark. The air was cold. A numb shadow hung over everything.

And yet... it felt wonderfully... deliciously good to be flying again.

Rainbow Dash stretched both wings out and coasted along the chilled winds. The temperature was bitingly low—for sure—but it wasn't like the frigid altitudes of Starkiss or Central Rohbredden. For all its bleakness, the Dark Side felt like midnight during a cool autumn month. It was strangely pleasant in a way... until Rainbow's goggled vision once more took in the enormity of desolation stretching beneath her in every direction.

Rainbow flew forward at a modest speed. She was hardly alone. Ariel glided directly behind her, carful to match the petite pegasus' speed. Then—all around Rainbow Dash—a ghostly quintet of equines chatted calmly... or at least as calmly as they could afford to.

"Without a Sun... there really can't be any sort of photosynthesis," Twilight Sparkle murmured aloud. "At least... not by the way we understand it."

"So..." Applejack glanced aside as she and their fellow friends glided alongside Rainbow Dash. "That means no apple trees?"

"I'm afraid not," Twilight said, shaking her head.

"No sunlight... and no trees..." Fluttershy squirmed in mid-glide. "You can't very well have a stable ecosystem. That means no animals and no larger animals to prey on the smaller ones."

"You never know!" Pinkie Pie smiled brightly. "Nature finds a way!"

Rarity squinted at her. "How so...?"

"I dunno..." Pinkie shrugged. "Something something brundlefly. Say!" She turned to grin at Twilight. "If there's no futa synthehol—"

"Photosynthesis," Twilight growled.

"If there's no plant burping, then how come we're all able to breathe?"

Everypony blinked at that—including Rainbow Dash.

"She does have a point there, Twilight," Rarity stated.

"I suppose... erm..." Twilight's ears drooped as she scraped the stars above for a logical conclusion. "...in a realm that's been nothing but chaos since it split off from Urohringr, the chemical balance of life on this side of the plane must be... n-nothing we can even possibly predict."

Applejack smirked. "Y'know, you could just say 'I don't know,' sugarcube."

"Meh."

"Soooooooooooo..." Pinkie tapped her fuzzy chin and wagged her eyebrows. "Giant flying narwhals when?"

"Twilight..." Fluttershy floated closer to the lavender unicorn in question. "So far... we know that the alicorns discovered this piece of Urohringr..."

"That's right, Fluttershy."

"And it's thanks to them and Celestia and Luna that harmony is maintained on our side of the plane," Fluttershy continued. "In Equestria."

"Precisely. All of the natural occurrences in the world that we know have been influenced by the Elements of Harmony. That's why getting the Harmonic Prism is so important." Twilight looked ahead at the curved horizon and the faint splotches of light flickering in random spots. "Aside from restoring us to our natural selves... reclaiming the magic of the Alicorns in its purest form can undo the damage that chaos has done back home."

"And stop the rift in Ponyville from spreading, right?"

Twilight nodded. "That's the idea."

"So..." Fluttershy rubbed her two hooves pensively together as she stared at the emptiness down below. "This side of the plane—as we're now seeing it—is more or less what the world was like before the alicorns found it?"

Twilight blinked. "Well... right. But not entirely." She cleared her throat. "After all, the alicorns' influence have affected the Dark Side pretty heavily over the past few eons. Chrysalis and Tchern—once alicorns themselves—flocked to the Dark Side, and they brought their swarms with them. Then the Dark Vigil would never have come here if it weren't for the reign of Nightmare Moon..."

"What about these mysterious 'Night Shard' peops?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight winced slightly. "I... I've no clue." A gulp. "But I wouldn't doubt it."

"Ya reckon that everythang was completely dead and lifeless before the alicorns showed up?"

"Not... completely," Twilight said. "After all... we've learned that the progenitors of equine life have much to do—if not entirely—with the 'angels.'"

"You mean the ancient pegasi that Rainbow found out so much about?" Rarity hummed.

"Right." Twilight nodded. "These proto-pegasi could very well have been the origin of all ponies... ever. And it's... n-not like they were dead corpses that were ultimately resurrected by the arriving alicorns. I mean... Celestia's and Luna's kind are powerful, but they're not that powerful."

"Huh?" Pinkie went cross-eyed. She rubbed her head and wheezed: "Start over from the beginning, Wise Twi! You've lost the Pink!"

"What I'm trying to say is..." Twilight shuddered. "...there's no telling just how much time passed between the Sundering of Urohringr and the moment when the denizens of this world were saved by Harmony. While it's easy to assume just a few years... it could very well have been decades... centuries... eons. The universe is old—and so is Urohringr. Who knows? Maybe a definitive ecosystem of some sort did manage to thrive here. We just... haven't even begun to scrape the surface of the Dark Side—so we don't know what that kind of a pre-light world was like."

"Only that ponies lived then," Rarity said. "And we're all the product of them today."

"Well, we're the product of ancient pegasi blessed by alicorn magic. Yes. But..." Twilight brushed her bangs back as she glided alongside Rainbow. "...aside from the forces of the Trinary War, being on this part of the plane could very well be like traveling back in time... a prehistoric time if there was any."

"That's really... fr-frightening," Fluttershy stammered.

"Who knows, darlin'?" Applejack smiled, leaning over to nudge Fluttershy in mid-glide. "Maybe you'll find all sorts of new mesmerizin' creatures to learn about."

"Yes, well..." Fluttershy frowned. "So long as they're not trying to eat Rainbow Dash."

"Who wouldn't want to eat Dashie?" Pinkie giggle-snorted. "Just look how scrumptious and bite-sized she is! Teeheehee!"

Rainbow rolled her goggled eyes. Flexing her wing muscles, she spoke firmly to pierce the cold winds: "Sense anything yet?"

"Nope!" Pinkie shook her head. "I mean, aside from Applejack's hoof that's half-a-second from slapping me!"

"Guh..." Applejack winced, drawing her fetlock back and blushing slightly. A sigh, and she drawled towards their anchor: "Ariel's feelin' calmer than ever. The group of dudes back on hoof are feelin' a teensy bit anxious—probably for yer well-bein'—but they'll survive."

"Wow, Applejack!" Rarity beamed at her. "Your powers are turning out to be quite flexible!"

Applejack tilted her hat back with a smirk. "It's like a clean slate out here, Rara. Not like there are any distractions or nothin'."

"Don't be so modest! You're a natural at reading ponies!"

"Heh... Pa always did say I had a knack for convincin' ponyfolk to take home more bushels of fruit." Her freckled muzzle scrunched. "Maybe that's why Filthy Rich was always tryin' to squeeze ideas outta me when I was a teenager."

Fluttershy smiled behind a pink lock of hair. "Maybe Rainbow can bring peace to the Trinary War through apples."

"Hey!" Pinkie chirped. "That's a funny!" She cupped her muzzle and hollered towards the bent horizon. "Hey! Dark Side! Fluttershy made a funny!"

Twilight giggled.

"Ahem..." Rainbow looked at Rarity. "I was sorta hoping you had something to say."

"Oh!" The fashionista blinked, eyelashes fluttering. "Well, of course, darling! Hmmmmm..." She rubbed her forehead, eyes squinting towards the horizon. "I... suppose I do sense a slight change to the terrain..."

"Oh yeah?" Applejack craned her neck. "Where?"

"Nowhere close, mind you. Several miles ahead—at this rate."

"Still, it is a change to this drab flatness!" Twilight exclaimed. "What is it, exactly? A ravine? A mountain?"

"The former, more or less," Rarity said. "The landscape dips somewhat. But... that's all I have right now. No forests. No hills. No buildings or structures of any kind."

"Awwwwwwwwwwwww..." Pinkie pouted. "Nothing whatsoever?"

"Well, aside from the three-story metal tower situated a kilometer ahead of us, heheheh—" Rarity suddenly blinked her eyes wide. "... ... ...oh bother. I suppose that is a thing."

Applejack face-hoofed.

Rainbow took a deep breath. "Works for me." She looked over her shoulder. "Hey! Ariel!"

No response.

Rainbow sighed... then flicked her tail. "HEY! Pay attention, girl!"

"Erm... uh..." Ariel's eyes glinted in the starlight, facing Rainbow. "What?"

"Rarity says she senses something!"

"Really? Like what?"

"A... uh..." Rainbow looked at her pale companion. "...tower of some kind. Something made of metal."

"Whoah." Ariel blinked. "That's kind of sudden."

"Yeah. Was thinking the same."

"Wanna check it out?"

"Dang skippy." Rainbow looked aside. "Flutters?"

"I'll keep my senses on the rest of the Herald, Rainbow." Fluttershy nodded, smiling. "Go ahead and don't you worry."

"Here goes nothing." She motioned to Ariel and the two plunged swiftly towards the stony surface of the plane. "I'd give my bottom bit for it to be a public restroom at this point."

Pinkie belched, "With our luck, it's probably a Tim Horseton's."

Dead World; Dead Detritus

Th-Thap!

Rainbow Dash landed first. She kept a respectable distance from the metallic structure looming in front of her. The ground was littered with an assortment of random shrapnel—all rusted and bent awkwardly about.

Th-Thwump! Ariel touched down behind the petite pegasus.

"Soooooo..." She scratched her scalp with a pair of wingfeathers. "...if this is some sort of catapult, I'd say they're a teensy bit out of range from the world's edge."

"It's not a catapult," Rainbow said. She raised her goggles and furrowed her scarred brow. "But it was made to be moved around."

Ariel's eyes fell to the stone bed of the plane. Near the closer corners of the structure's four-sided base, the remnants of a rusted wheel lay strewn about. "I see..."

A cold brisk wind blew over the desolate plane... and it was evident that this wind never died down. Ever. The structure creaked as it slowly rocked in one direction... then settled back to the original. Then there would be another frigid breeze and the pointlessly laborious process would repeat. There were chains and loosely-connected bits of metal dangling off the middle-level of the thinly framed tower.

In truth, it was more of a multi-tiered pedestal than a tower. It stretched barely taller than two stories, and many of the metal surfaces had been rusted with age, elements, and neglect. Had it not been for the stark, simple fact that this was the only artificial construct for hundreds upon hundreds of untold flat kilometers, then the likes of Rainbow and Ariel wouldn't have given the object a second glance.

"I was... kinda sorta expecting something more epic than this to greet us on the Dark Side," Ariel said.

"What would you have preferred?" Rainbow murmured as she trotted at length around the foundation in a lazy circle. "A tall, twisted black obelisk that could turn your mind and body inside out through sheer chaotic madness?"

"... ... ..." Ariel shifted where she stood. "Well... maybe not my mind... ... ..."

"Hmmmmm..." Rainbow reached the far end of the structure—away from the direction that the rest of the unseen Herald were gradually trotting from. Here, she saw the entrance to the platform: a series of steps ascended in a zig-zagged fashion, winding up the neck of the structure and ending at the topmost platform lined with thin black railings. "Judging from the size of the stairs, they're made for ponies like you and me."

"So..." Ariel leaned forward, eyes bright and blue in the twilight. "...this was crafted by the Emeraldinians!"

"How?"

"H-huh?"

Rainbow was squinting at the structure. "Where did they get the metal for it?" She calmly breathed in and breathed out while the structure groaned and creaked in the wind above her. "They couldn't have carried that much stuff from the Light Side via the Gondola. Unless..." She rubbed her chin, gazing off into the curved horizon overshadowing them. "...they forged it."

"They could have built a forge at Darkreach," Ariel said. "I mean... this is not Darkreach. Heh."

"I could have told you that, girl." Rainbow scuffled sideways slightly. She stared closely at the metal debris lying spread across the stone. She noted the remnants of a long bar—shattered down its rusted length. There was a tiny cylindrical chamber lying on its side, resembling the base of a torch. The thin metal framework was darker than the rest of the metal, charred black by something other than rust. "A manatorch," Rainbow Dash thought aloud. "Unicorns."

"H-hey!" Ariel beamed. "You really know your ruins!"

"Not well enough..." Rainbow knelt down low, squinting at a purely round shell. She was staring at something that looked like one half of a sphere. If it weren't for a length of chain anchoring the hollow concave thing to a stake in the rock-solid earth, then surely it would have been blown away ages ago. "I... don't know what this is... although it seems strangely familiar for some reason."

Ariel's ears perked. "Do any of your friends know what it could be?"

Rainbow's muzzle scrunched. "Not really. I mean... Pinkie Pie thinks it's a pasta drainer." She exhaled, approaching the base of the structure. "At this point, I'm half-tempted to believe her."

"Heh..."

Rainbow reached the bottom foundation. She waited for it to shift, creak, and groan. Then—without flinching a muscle—she placed one hoof up onto the bottom step... followed by a second.

"Ah!" Ariel winced all over, wingtips flaring. "Ah ah ah ah—!"

"Relax," Rainbow droned, and proceeded to trot up the crooked, rusted steps. "It's sturdy."

"My butt is sturdy!" Ariel frowned. "Why do you always gotta do things the dangerous and impulsive way?"

Rainbow's vision scraped across her from above as she rounded a flight of rested stairs.

Ariel rolled her eyes. "Right..." A sigh. "Forgot who I was talking to." Wings flapping, she ascended the lazy way to meet Rainbow at the top.

Rainbow shuffled to a stop in the middle of an eight-foot-by-eight-foot platform. There was no top, ceiling, or awning. Naked twilight shimmered down onto a flat metal pedestal surrounded on all sides by narrow railings—railings that may have once been strong enough to keep a guard pony from plummeting over the edge of the lookout post.

"It's a lookout post...!" Ariel wheezed.

"Thanks for reading my mind." Rainbow's eyes traveled up a pair of metal spokes jutting up and positioned parallel to two corners of the topmost platform. Scrutinizing the scene, Rainbow noticed a pair of rusted hooks dangling loosely from two-thirds up the height of the spokes. "Hmmmm..." She smiled warmly to herself. "Hammock."

Ariel flashed her a look. "Huh?"

"There was a hammock here," Rainbow said. "Once upon a time."

"How do you know?"

"Trust me." Rainbow swallowed. "I just do." She gazed off towards the horizon from which they walked. From that height, she could make out a narrow line of bitter pale blue. "Although... nopony's slept here or even minded a post here for who knows how long. Years... maybe even lifetimes."

Ariel gulped. "So much for Darkreach."

Rainbow glanced at her.

"I mean... that's gotta settle it, right?" Ariel grimaced noticeably. "They abandoned the Gondola. They abandoned the precipice. They abandoned this post..." She sighed. "There can't be any survivors of the Emeraldinian Expedition... can there?"

"If there were..." Rainbow shuddered. "It'd have to be their grandfoals."

"Great great great great grandfoals is more like it," Ariel said.

Rainbow didn't have a response to that. Something had caught her eye. She trotted over to a rectangular solid of metal that stood out from the rest of the platform. There was a narrow black space between the top of the box and the base of it, and everything inside was ink black.

"A chest?" Ariel remarked.

"One way to find out." Rainbow rushed over and gripped the lid. She lifted... hard... but the opening to the metal container refused to budge. "Rrrrrngh! Dang rust... thought I l-left you in Red Barge!"

"Here, lemme help." Ariel rushed over, gripped her side of the lid, and lifted as well. Straining and sweating, she somehow managed to throw a silly glare in Rainbow's direction. "Them meat on your bones is stretched paper thin, girl! You need to get some protein in you!"

"You're one to t-talk," Rainbow hissed, straining.

"What's that supposed to mean—?!"

Crack!

At last, the chest opened. Several white shapes scattered in the air—like moths. Rainbow and Ariel flinched... only to realize that it was shredded paper bits. The debris scattered, filling the cold air with a moldy smell. Thunder echoed from the precipice in the distance as Rainbow looked into the belly of the chest. Reaching in, she winced to feel a pile of scribbled manuscripts reduced to dry and flaky pulp—completely unreadable.

Ariel bore a bittersweet smile. "I wonder what they even wrote about."

"Judging from the view?" Rainbow turned once more to the pale thin line twinkling behind them. "Probably about a sunrise that never came."

"Hey..." Ariel pointed. "Look! Something's still in tact."

Rainbow dipped her head low. She reached into the chest... then pulled her hooves back out, cradling a brown metal slab. There were several lines and blemishes etched into the half-rusted plate. Rainbow was at a loss to make heads or tails out of the blurred lines and criss-crossing geometric shapes.

"Is it... a language?" Ariel suggested. "Some sort of written primer?"

"Don't look like any runes I've seen," Rainbow exclaimed, shaking her head. "Nothing repeats. It's just a flat line and then an empty space and then a bunch of tiny little squigglies—"

"A map."

Rainbow flashed Ariel a look.

Ariel shrugged. "Maybe it's a map of some sort."

"Hrmmm..." Rainbow returned to scrutinizing the slab up close. "If this is supposed to be an Emeraldinian map, then the Dark Side is a wholllllle lot smaller than we all thought."

The air filled with deep, breathy cackles.

"That wasn't so funny, Ariel," Rainbow muttered.

"Uhhhhh... I agree?" Ariel responded awkwardly.

"Then why the weird laugh?"

"I... didn't laugh, Rainbow."

"....?" Rainbow turned to look at her.

Ariel stared back, blinking in confusion. "What? I didn't. Honest."

Rainbow's lips pursed. She looked all around. The lofty pedestal was surrounded in a blue gloss of arid, lifeless stone. Aside from the breeze and lazily dangling chains, all was still.

"How about..."

"A nap?" Ariel rested a hoof on the Austraeoh's shoulder. "How many hours have you gone without sleep?"

"I haven't bothered to keep count."

"Of what?" Ariel arched an eyebrow. "Of shuteye? Or your marbles?"

"Meh," Rainbow meh'd, then proceeded to plop the slab over her flank until it was firmly balanced. "Let's get this to the dudes back at the caravan... give 'em an excuse to feel smart."

"Heehee! Sounds like a plan...!"

Things Are Looking "Up"

"The Hell are you drawing, Keps?" Logan belched.

"Shhhhh!" The wyvern sat hunched-over on the back of the sled Logan was pulling. "I am channeling inspirration..."

"From what? My farts?"

"Please, brrotherr!" Kepler rasped. He drew a pen across a rectangular piece of parchment. "I am attempting to constrruct a map of ourr trravels..."

"Pffft. What's that going to amount to at this point?!" Logan smirked as he marched firmly ahead. "Just drag a straight line across a blank canvas and spit all over it."

"Can we not afforrd a modicum of serriousness?! Should we find the need to backtrrack, we will wish to know wherre we'rre headed and wherre we came frrom!"

"How can you even draw in the dark?" Logan looked over his shoulder. "Do wyverns possess some sort of 'hair sense' that I don't know about?"

"It's ourr whiskerrs."

"Whoah. You dudes have whiskers?! I've never noticed!"

Flynn called out from Logan's left. "You've decided to frame it based on the north edge, right?"

"Stay out of this, baldy!"

Kepler looked over, adjusting his spectacles. "What was that, brrotherr?"

Flynn's mechanical eye glinted in the distance from the twilight. "I said—you decided to frame your map based on the northern edge of the plane, yes?"

"To what end, dearr frriend?!"

"I mean... we're heading west now! I hope you've got that sketched out!"

"The Hell do you mean, we're heading west?!" Logan belched.

"Do kindly explain!" Kepler hollered.

"I mean... first we were going East..."

"Yeah...?!" Logan squinted.

"But—now that we're on the opposite side of the plane from where we started—we're literally going west!"

"Pffft! Are not!" Logan spat.

"We totally are! Think about it!"

"I am!" Logan frowned. "And you're a cancerous asshole!"

"Dude! We never stopped going in one singular direction!"

"Uh... you do remember the big friggin' curve we experienced in the talons of a heroic dragon lady...?!"

"Still to the point! We're going in the same direction that we originally were! Just... from east to west across the same plane!"

"Goddes alive, what an idiot—"

"So I sure as Hell hope that Kepler is drawing a map with us moving from right to left!"

"He totally isn't!"

"How would you know, fatass?"

"If he's smart, he'll be drawing our path from left to right! Cuz that's where we're headed! East!"

"Pffft—Big Show—"

"Space East!"

"East died back at Bleak's Plummet!" Flynn exclaimed, trotting closer. "You gotta learn to think three-dimensionally!"

"Get back in line, dipshit—"

Flynn gestured with a free hoof. "We have the Light Side as a frame of reference. Knowing our distance relative to the length and width of Rohbredden and the Grand Choke we can get a general idea of how far we have to go to get to the Midnight Armory!"

"To what end?"

"Well, if what Rainbow Dash says is true, then it's position on the opposite side of Equestria, right? So if we see ourselves as retracing her path west—"

"That's stupid. You're stupid."

"Dude! We have lest distance to travel because the concave end of the plane has a smaller surface area and—"

"Stop overcompensating for the fact that you're a dumbass and we're still heading east."

"It's not east, bro!"

"It totally is! Look!" Logan looked over his shoulder. "You're drawing us going from left to right, aren't you, Kepler?"

"Actually..." The wyvern concentrated on where he was scribbling with his pen. "I am drafting a vertical map."

Flynn and Logan blinked simultaneously. "Vertical???"

"Indeed." Kepler smiled through his tusks. "And I am endeavorring to anticipate the many obstacles we have yet to face by allowing a generrous amount of blank space along the top porrtion of the map."

"Oh for crying out..." Logan rolled his eyes. "Is there something in the air here?! I swear, the whole Herald has gone stupid."

"A vertical map?!" Flynn grimaced. "Kepler, I love you like a brother, but—are you actually drawing from the bottom?"

"Indubitably."

"That has got to be the absolute most convoluted way to perform cartography! I mean... how are you going to account for latitudes in that sort of a fashion?!"

"In this case, they will be verrtical, of courrse."

"Ugh... I feel like I'm going to vomit."

"What's the big deal, baldy—?"

"You can't draw veritcal maps, Big Show! It's just... just... really gross!"

Just then, Wildcard let loose a shrill whistle in the distance.

"Harrk!" Kepler tilted his head up. A ruby light glinted off his glasses. "Movement!"

"Whoah!" Logan scuffled to a stop as Ariel and Rainbow Dash touched down. "There you gals are! What did you find?"

"Not much," Ariels aid. "Exceppppppt for a lone tower of rusted metal sitting out in the middle of nowhere."

"No kidding?"

"Yeah." Rainbow nodded. "About half a mile ahead of us. It... looks like it was left here by ponies with unicorn powers."

Flynn craned his neck. "What's that in your saddlebag?"

"Oh, this?" Rainbow opened the satchel to reveal the metal slab with etchings. "It's the only thing we discovered that was still in tact."

"What the Hell is it?" Logan asked, muzzle scrunching. "Looks too small to be a hot plate."

"Big Show..." Flynn sighed.

"What?! I'm hungry!"

"The girls and I have been chatting about it while Ariel and I flew back here," Rainbow said, sliding her goggles back. "We think it might be a map. But... it's not like any map we've ever seen. Just... can't make heads or tails out of it."

"Hmmmm..." Kepler scratched his hairy chin. "Perrhaps..." He reached his claws out, repositioned the slab, then held his unfinished map up next to it. "...if you arrrange it verrtically like so?"

Rainbow blinked. For the bottom sliver of the slab, the etchings perfectly matched the meager scratches that Kepler had already begun making on the parchment.

The wyvern smiled victoriously.

Ariel and Wildcard exchanged glances.

"Oh..." Logan blinked.

"Huh..." Flynn's ears drooped. "...well, screw me, I guess."

Come To Your Senses

"We're making progress, Rainbow!" Rarity said in a chipper tone. She smiled back her and her friends' anchor as they glided slowly after the bodies of the Herald below. "There's a ravine up ahead! I sense it!"

Twilight Sparkle brightened. "Just like the one in the map! Er... slab!"

Pinkie Pie giggled.

"Very nice, Rarity," Rainbow said, flapping her wings steadily. Her eyelids blinked heavily under the constant twilight. "Just let us know when we're almost over it."

"Right." Twilight nodded. "We don't want the Herald suddenly plunging into a crazy abyss."

"I doubt it's that steep and dark a chasm, silly!" Pinkie Pie insisted.

"Even still." Twilight looked at the others. "We don't want to take any chances."

"I'm with Twilight on this one," Applejack drawled.

"Very well, then." Rarity nodded. "I'll be sure to give plenty of advance warning. Still..." She sighed gently. "This is some welcome calm after all the mayhem we endured to get over the edge."

"Donnnnn't jiiiiiiiinx itttttttttt," Pinkie Pie hummed.

"Oh don't be silly, darling. I think we've met the worst kind of odds already!"

"You'rrrrrrrrrre jiiiiiiiiiiiiiinxiiiiiiiiiiiing itttttttt!"

"Eugh..."

"Y'know..." Applejack squinted, tilting the brim of her hat forward. "Is it just me... or are the stars above us gettin' awfully bright all of a sudden?"

"I'm sure it's just you, AJ," Twilight said.

"'Cuz they sure seem so to me," Applejack insisted. "Wonder if that's just a natural state of bein' on this side of the plane for so dang long. Even the dimmest speck of light becomes a dag'blame'd sun."

"Heaven forbid!" Rarity exclaimed. "Literally, in this case." She let loose a nervous laugh.

"It's just our eyes' way of adjusting to the constant darkness, I'm sure, Applejack," Twilight said.

"Yeah, but we're ghosts."

"Hmmmm?"

Applejack squinted at Twilight. "We don't have natural eyes to adjust to nothin'. We're essences of Harmony at the very best. So how come it's so unnerving all of a sudden?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh..." Twilight's ears drooped. "Shoot. I... don't have answer to that."

"It beginssssssss!" Pinkie chortled.

"Now enough of that, Pinkie!" Rarity scolded while Pinkie Pie giggled. "You're going to give us all migraines at this rate!"

"But we don't have heads! Just ask Rarity!"

"Pinkieeeeeeee..."

"Heeheehee..."

All the while, Rainbow Dash was concentrating on the Herald down below. Her eyes rested on the two sleds... on Flynn and Kepler marching between them... and on Ariel flying at a lower altitude.

The petite pegasus exhaled slowly. Her eyes darted slightly to the left.

She spotted the sled that Seraphimus was being dragged on. The starlight caught her silver feathers in a modest glint. And then—

Shadows.

Moving shadows.

"... ... ...?" Rainbow Dash threw her gaze to the left.

Something darted out the corner of her eye.

"...!" Rainbow looked to the right.

She saw nothing but the gentle haze of stars. Otherwise, all was still and tranquil above a solid black horizon gradually looping upwards.

Rainbow's breaths were slightly ragged for the space of a minute.

One mare in particular noticed it.

"Rainbow...?" With a soothing tone in her voice, Fluttershy floated closer. "Is something the matter?"

Rainbow gulped. "No. I'm... I'm fine..."

"Rainbow... ... ..." Fluttershy put on a mild version of the stare. It still rocked Rainbow to her core. "Don't make me sick Applejack on you."

"You wouldn't dare."

Fluttershy tilted her face up with a smug grin.

Rainbow sighed. She looked left... she looked right... and then she floated closer to her ghostly companion. "Flutters... have you... uh..."

"Yes, Rainbow...?"

Rainbow gulped, glancing around. "Have you sensed anything... or anyone out of the ordinary?"

"No, Rainbow." Fluttershy shook her head. "I can't say that I have."

"Nothing whatsoever?"

"This entire landscape has been dead as a grave. Even deader. I can't even detect the remnants of organic material. It's all... delightfully blank. Well..." Fluttershy rubbed her fetlocks pensively together. "I don't suppose that's quite so 'delightful,' but it is putting my head at ease." She chuckled slightly under her breath.

"Well, that's good." Rainbow sighed. "I guess."

"Should... I be sensing anything?" Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow bit her lip.

"Rainbow, if you have something to tell us—"

"I just... rmmmff... can't shake this strange feeling," Rainbow murmured.

"What feeling?"

"As if we're being followed."

Fluttershy's eyes widened slightly. "F-followed?"

"Ehhh... yeahhhhhhhh..." Rainbow fidgeted in mid-glide.

Fluttershy looked all around, her ghostly mane tossing. "By what?"

"I don't know."

"What's giving you the idea that—?"

"I keep sensing... things," Rainbow murmured. "Like... shadows. Reflections. Shades of stuff... y'know?"

"No, I don't know." Fluttershy's brow furrowed. "How long have you been experiencing this?"

"Honestly?"

"Of course."

"Ever since we took off. Er... Ariel and I. Ever since we began flying."

"You don't suppose it's the Dragonstone?"

"Huh?"

"The piece of Axan you picked up," Fluttershy suggested. "It's magical, right?"

"So Twilight says."

"And it's just as old as Axan is... er... was." Fluttershy cleared her throat. "There's an awful lot about it that we don't understand."

"Yeah. But even still... why would it be making me so..." Rainbow shivered slightly. "...paranoid?"

"Is that how you feel?"

"Errrr..."

"Why didn't you tell Ariel when she talked to you earlier? She seemed concerned—"

"I can't tell her that I'm feeling a bit rattled by shadows'n'crud."

"And why not?"

"Because she and the Herald are depending on me," Rainbow hissed, floating close to her ghostly companion. "I'm the one with all the crazy senses that they don't understand. If I can't get a grip on it—how can I expect them to ascertain it any better?"

"They're your friends, Rainbow Dash! Your protectors and allies—"

"But they're still not the Austraeoh, Fluttershy," Rainbow insisted, gazing down at her travelling companions. "When push comes to shove, there's still a bunch of crud that I and only I will have to carry on my shoulders. Well... the rest of you girls too, I suppose, but even that's different." She gulped. "I just... can't burden them with crud until I know more about what this Dark Side is doing to me and my... er... Austraeoh-ness."

"Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy folded her hooves in mid-glide and gave her anchor a stern look. "Haven't we all learned by now that honesty is the best policy?"

"Yeah. But..."

"But nothing. If you're feeling that you feel concerned about, then you should tell the Herald. You're right that there are only things that the Austraeoh can handle. But you should remember that the Austraeoh is not alone in this! There's a role for Eljunburma as well! And let us not forget what Yiffydehm did in bringing all of us girls back!"

"It's 'Eljunbyro' and 'Yaerfaerda'."

"You know what I mean," Fluttershy muttered. "Rainbow, forgive me, but there's an awful lot of strange sounding words to memorize..."

Rainbow smirked slightly. "There are... aren't there."

"Promise me that you'll bring this new sensation of yours to the group."

Rainbow Dash blinked.

Fluttershy leaned in. "Promise. Me."

"S-sure thing!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "You bet! And... uhm... I'll see about having Kepler or Big Show carry the Dragonstone for a while." She smiled crookedly. "Share the load and all that token fluff."

"Token?"

"Sorry. Tired."

"That's an excuse you'll run out of sooner than you think." Fluttershy nevertheless smiled. "But I'm glad you've come to your senses... or some of them, at least."

"What would I do without you, Fluttershy?"

"Uhm... I'm scared to think."

"That makes the two of us."

Rooster Crows at Midnight

Scraping.

Jostling.

Feathers and gold.

Moisture and stone.

A headcrest shifted... shifted again.

One eye opened. Dull. Charcoal brown.

A second eye opened.

Blinking.

A dead, flat horizon shook and shifted. Black on black.

Another blink.

The eyes darted upwards at an angle.

Another horizon—this one bent, stretching upward and blotting out the stars.

A body loomed in the foreground, hitched to a shed crafted by metal planks tied together. Dark black feathers and a midnight coat flexed with bruised muscles. Bandages seeped with glowing blood, and a lion's tail flicked through the twilight.

She inhaled. Exhaled.

She moved her muscles—

—but she did not budge.

A horrible weight was pressing upon her from multiple angles.

She tried moving again. Claws wriggling. Tail snaking.

It was no use. She was one with the sled. Inch by inch, the aches and pains of combat screamed back into her limbs—but that wasn't what tore the breath out of her lungs.

"Rrrrrrrrrr..."

Darkness and twilight. Bodies shifting. Voices.

And off in the distance...

"Rrrghhhh—"

A flounce of color. Like the living manifestation of a prism. It stood out like a beacon amidst the shadows.

"Rrrrrrrrrrgh—Aaaaaaaaaaaaugh!"

She shook and twisted and spat from where she was bound. An angry beak bit and clattered at the air—nearly frothing.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!" She hissed and snarled and hyperventilated, causing the entire sled to rock and rattled from where it was being dragged. "Damn... d-damn you...!"

The body dragging her twisted about. A pair of black goggles reflected a possessed griffon's yelling maw.

"JORDAN!" she seethed, eyes twitching with impenetrable madness. "Curse you! Curse you to blighted oblivion you... rnnnngh—Godless coward! FOOL!"

"My starrs and garrterrs!" a voice rolled from the distance.

"The Hell is that noise...?!" another voice blurted.

Wildcard whistled. She could see the claws of one talon motioning high in the air.

An obese shape hobbled over. "Huh?" A dull sigh. "Awwww for Pete's sake..."

"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!"

"Say Dashie?" Pinkie chirped.

"Hmmm?" Rainbow Dash blinked tiredly as she flew alongside Ariel.

"You're looking really healthy!" she exclaimed.

Rainbow's face turned, carrying a deathly deadpan expression.

Even Ariel noticed it. She looked aside with an anxious squint.

"I am?" Rainbow droned.

"Hee-hee-hee!" Pinkie nodded briskly. "Uh huhhhhhhhh..."

"Well, cool... I guess..." Rainbow slurred.

"I mean it!" Pinkie cooed. "You're strong and level-headed and full of spunk!"

"Pinkie... sugarcube..." Applejack sighed. "Is there a reason for this heap'o'compliments?"

"Yes, darling." Rarity nodded. "Do explain what is so unique about Rainbow's spunk at the moment." The ghostly fashionista instantly blushed. "Erm... you know what I mean."

"I'm only trying to say that Rainbow's been full and wide awake for hours! Days!" Pinkie sing-songed.

"Yeah..." Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "...and?"

"Plblbllblblblb!" Pinkie stuck her tongue out. "No more fainting spells, silly!"

Rainbow blinked.

"Oh gosh..." Fluttershy looked at the other mares. "Pinkie's right!"

"Well I'll be darned..." Applejack lifted her hat to scratch her ghostly head. "That's... that's a thang, ain't it?" She plopped the article back on before looking at the rest of the mares. "Didn't Rainbow suffer from shiverin' spells and faintin' before y'all picked up me at Starkiss?"

"All of my journey, actually..." Rainbow Dash gulped. "Ever since leaving Equestria..."

"What?" Ariel blinked, flying closer to Rainbow. "What about leaving Equestria?"

"Twilight?" Fluttershy looked at the unicorn in question. "Have you noticed Rainbow having one of her chaos-induced fainting spells recently?"

"I... can't say that I have..." Twilight rubbed her chin, squinting in thought. "Funny. I was so focused on our talks with Luna and the situation with Bleak's Plummet to pay much attention..."

"Cuz Dashie's been going on for a longgggggggggggg time without going kerplunk!" Pinkie Pie said. "I'm guessing that she got over it!"

"Pinkie, I'm part chaos," Rainbow Dash said. "There's not 'getting over it.'"

"Still... she's got a point, sugarcube," Applejack said. "From what I hear... you was gettin' close to dyin' on several occasions. Only—on account of the flame—"

"Utaan!" Fluttershy gasped. She looked at the others. "The rune she found at the Last Seed! And the flame within!"

"You think that... cured her?" Rarity stammered.

"Oh, wouldn't that be wonderful?!" Fluttershy gasped.

"I... I don't know..." Twilight murmured.

"Oh Twi..." Pinkie pouted. "Don't be a poopy-saddle."

"No, I mean..." Twilight Sparkle grimaced slightly. "There's got to be something else to it."

"You mean now that we're on the Dark Side?" Applejack said.

"Perhaps."

Rainbow blinked. "Huh... I never... thought much about that."

"Thought about what?" Ariel blurted.

Rainbow looked at her.

Ariel smiled sheepishly. "Can ya blame a girl for being nosy?"

"Pinkie Pie just made an observation," Rainbow explained. "Ariel, do... do you remember the last time I collapsed?"

"You mean because of your chaotic dizzy spells?"

"Right."

"Kinda... but... but I think it was a bit different."

"Huh?"

"Well, remember on our way east from Frostknife?" Ariel spoke. "After we had gotten some distance between ourselves and Starkiss, you... uh... you started having some super freaky nightmares and—"

"I collapsed like a dead brick," Rainbow droned.

"That's right!" Rarity nodded. "You did, darling!"

"You haven't had nightmares since the Utaan rune, though, have you?" Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow looked at her. "I've barely even slept since the Last Seed, Flutters."

"Still... you haven't collapsed either." Fluttershy folded her forelimbs. "I still think there's a reason for that."

"But..." Applejack squinted. "If bein' on the Dark Side... so far away from Harmony and Equestrian magic could have an effect..."

Rainbow's brow furrowed in thought. She looked over at Ariel again. "I'm part chaos, right?"

Ariel nodded. "Right."

"And... and this whole side of the Plane is pretty much dominated by chaos... right?"

Ariel gulped. "It's sure as not harmony."

"So like... what if..." Rainbow fidgeted in mid-glide. "...so long as I'm on the Dark Side... I'm not going to die from the poison of chaos?" She bit her lip. "Or at least not die as fast?"

"I've got an even freakier question," Ariel murmured.

"Yeah...?"

Ariel pointed at Rainbow's pendant. "What happens when that comes off on this side of the Plane?"

Rainbow's marefriends all locked up, stiff and tense.

Rainbow brought a hoof to her Element. The ruby lightning bolt flickered slightly.

"That's... pretty freaky indeed..."

Ariel smirked slightly. "Wanna test it out?"

Rainbow merely squinted at her. She prepared a sarcastic response, but—

Off from the distance: "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!"

Ariel and Rainbow jolted in place. They both looked down and behind them.

"The Hell...?" Ariel grimaced. "Is someone strangling an infected cat?"

"Rrrggggggh! Verlaxion damn you all to oblivion!"

"Don't tell me..." Rainbow's ears folded. "That's..."

Fluttershy sighed. "It is."

Your Regularly Scheduled RAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!

"Gaa-aaaaughhh!" Seething, writhing, Seraphimus hollered at the nearest thing to her. "Goddess damn you, Jordan! At least the Blight is natural decay in Verlaxion's shadow! But you?!" She forced the sled to rock and rattled as she rambled and spat. "You defiled all that was good in the light! You don't deserve her mercy! Damn you and every moment of trust I ever once held in you! The blood of Rohbredden is on your claws you impudent waste of flesh! Rrrrgh—baaaaaaaaaaaugh!"

Wildcard sighed. He calmly turned and looked at the rest of the Herald.

Logan stood, leaning a forelimb casually against his axe. Noticeably rattled, Kepler and Flynn remained huddled behind him... peeking over the obese stallion's girth to catch glimpses of the rabid griffin.

Not long after, Ariel and Rainbow Dash landed. Ariel winced hard... and immediately found a hiding place alongside Kepler and Flynn.

"Well..." Pinkie Pie dug the edge of her hoof into her ghostly ear as the air around them resonated with the impenetrable squawking. "...at least we've got a reliable sled alarm!"

"Pinkie..." Twilight sighed, then looked towards Applejack. "Applejack? Your thoughts?"

"She's plum loco."

"I mean... can you sense where she's at? Emotionally?"

"Yeah!" Applejack raised her voice to be heard amidst the bellowing. "I sense that she's plum loco!"

Twilight hollered back, "I mean can you tell if she's retaining any honest sanity inside that bird brain of hers?!?"

"Girls! Please!" Rarity clamped two hooves over her head and grimaced. "Isn't there enough yelling as it is?!"

"Maybe... uhm..." Fluttershy squirmed in place. "...maybe Wildcard can calm her down?"

Pinkie pointed. "He's been standing in front of her this whole time!"

"Oh... uh..." Fluttershy shifted in place. "...perhaps Kepler could fix up a nice warm Bleakweed broth?"

Twilight glared at her. "Seriously?" she droned.

"Well... it a-always worked for Angel whenever he was in a f-fussy mood!"

"Oh yeah?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Did Angel ever launch himself at you at the speed of sound while you was fixin' to cross to the Dark Side and nearly killed you and all yer friends in an apocalyptic temper tantrum?"

"Hmmmmm..." Fluttershy gulped, leaning away from the shrieking creature with a nervous smile. "M-maybe Wildcard can calm her down!"

"Eughhh..." Twilight Sparkle face-hoofed.

"Just relax everypony," Rainbow muttered aside.

"Relax?!?" Pinkie squeaked.

"Try... to relax!" Rainbow said with a frown... then trotted forward to join the Herald.

"...going to slay you infidels and feast your goddess forsaken entrails to the sharks! I swear to Verlaxion...!" Seraphimus continued, scarcely pausing to breathe.

Logan looked aside at Rainbow with a bored expression. He muttered, "You want me to say 'I told you so' or wait until an hour from now and then say 'I told you so?'"

"Stuff it, Big Show." Rainbow nodded in Wildcard's direction. "How long has she been awake for?"

"You mean you haven't heard the siren from second one?!" Ariel wheezed.

Wildcard held a few claws up, formed a fist, then a few less talons.

"Eight minutes..." Rainbow Dash nodded. Her nostrils flared with a winded sigh. "It's only been the sound of sentient explosions for eight minutes."

"Can we please find a way to silence her?!" Rarity shrieked, clutching her pony ears.

"Reckon there's only one way to make sure of that, sugarcube," Applejack said.

Rarity glared. "I'm open to any option."

"Seriously, though, this isn't good at all," Twilight said, grimacing. "We still don't know what we're in for out here. She could wake up Celestia-knows-what and send all of the Dark Side's populace after us!"

"Terrific..." Rainbow slurred.

"...because I am the Right Talon of Verlaxion! Chosen by the Goddess! By the Six Tribes I shall righteously slay you infidels!"

Flynn whistled. "She's said 'infidels'... like... eleven times."

"Aye..." Kepler nodded, blinking behind his spectacles. "And 'rrighteous' close to twenty-five."

"Who does that?" Flynn exhaled.

"I've got a better question," Logan belched. "Who allows it." Schiiing! He lifted the blade of his axe for emphasis while looking at Rainbow. "I'm tellin' ya, Rainbow... just one firm swing. Our ears—as well as Wildcard's muscles—will all be better off for it."

"The answer to that is the same now as it was at the Edge of the World, Big Show."

"But—"

"I don't like it any more than you do, but we are not killing her."

"Sooooooo..." Logan rubbed his aching head amidst the screaming. "...instead we're just killing ourselves slowly."

"Let it go, emo colt," Ariel said firmly. "Rainbow Dash said to spare Seraphimus' life and that's what we're doing."

"What life?!" Logan waved a meaty forelimb. "That's not a griffin! That's a bullhorn with tits!"

"She's the Austraeoh and what she says goes!"

"Oh, will you climb out her butt for one measely second?!" Logan frowned. "Being good, merciful, ethical horse-morons ain't gonna help us when Miss Screamgasm exposes us to the factions of the Trinary War with her radical uvulating!"

"It won't come to that!" Rainbow screamed—then winced from overcompensating for the bedlam. "Look—we've got a long way ahead of us before we run into anything—"

"We don't know that—"

"We've got a long way ahead!" Rainbow emphasized, frowning. "If there was something around that could hear 'Sirenphimus' then Fluttershy would be able to sense it first. And so far—she's sensed nothing nearby!" She turned to look at her ghostly companion. "Right, Fluttershy?"

"'Write?'" The wincing pegasus rubbed her ghostly ears. "'Write' what?!?"

"...into the gates of oblivion along with the infidels of the Seventh Tribe...!"

"Aaaaaaaand twelve," Flynn muttered out the side of his muzzle.

"Ha-Hah! She's on a rroll!"

"Okay... fine..." Rainbow trotted firmly towards the sled. "Maybe if I just let her get it all out of her system—"

With a shrill whistle, Wildcard blocked the petite pegasus' path.

"Get it out of her system?!" Logan cackled. "If she deflated anymore from yelling, we could use her as a throw rug!"

"Your desire to spare her life is a noble thing, Rainbow," Flynn said, nodding. "But... if you speak to her—face to face—while she's in this state..." He winced. "...then who knows how far gone Seraphimus will be. She'd probably be better off dead."

"Works in my book!" Logan said with a grin.

"No no no!" Rainbow gnashed her teeth. "We are not going to let her just roll over and die! The murder ended back in the land of Verlax!"

"Hah!" Logan's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure of that?"

"Rainbow—" Twilight began.

"Yes!" Rainbow huffed. "I am!" She knocked Wildcard's talon away, turned around, and headed straight towards the bent horizon. "If you insist—I won't talk to her. But we can't stop right here and hang around as if this is some sort of crazy griffin heavy metal concert! We gotta keep moving!"

"And... and..." Ariel shivered from head to tail. "Endure all of... that?"

Kepler added, "It would be considerrably morre bearrable if herr vitrriolic phrrases carried a morre rrobust vocabularry..."

"Grin and bear it..."

"But—" Flynn began.

"I said grin and bear it!" Rainbow hollered over her shoulder, beyond peeved. "You're the Herald! You've thrown yourself at wendigoes and sarosians for my sake! Surely a brief tune-in to 'Lost Marbles FM' won't murder you!" With a grunting sigh, she pressed onward... pointing with her wingtips. "Now come one! Up ahead, the plateau dips into a canyon. And—if the slab is of any indication—that's where we're going to find Darkreach!"

Wildcard sighed. Reluctantly, he shuffled back to the source of the screams and re-hitched himself to the vibrating sled.

"This..." Flynn rubbed his bald skull as he marched after Rainbow. "...is going to leave a mark on my cerebellum."

"Oh hush," Rainbow spat, frowning ahead. "This may be the Dark Side, but we're still creatures that need to breathe oxygen. Just give it an hour. She has to pass out at some point or another..."

An hour later...

"...rip every sinew of flesh out from underneath your putrid skin for every foal of Verlaxion freezing to death for your holocaustal sacriledge—!!!" the air echoed with the griffin's bellicose lungs.

Logan glanced aside under the sheen of twilight. "I told you so—"

"Stuff it!" Rainbow snarled.

Which Would Be Familiar

"...and sworn duty to the Council to avenge the Goddess at all costs! I don't care how many of the Blight's infidelic bastards stand in my way! You shall taste the wrath of Verlaxion with..."

"Thattttttt's fifty-seven!" Flynn said, still rubbing his head in mid-trot.

"Oh come on." Ariel frowned aside at the stallion. Their march had turned into a subtle slant, descending slowly towards a darker pocket of the landscape ahead of them. "That doesn't count!"

"Sure it does!"

"She said infidelic. That's not even a word!"

"Yes it is!"

"At least count it as 'fifty-six-and-a-half.'"

Flynn hollered back over the sound of Seraphimus' bellowing. "It's all in the meaning of the expression! I'm counting it as fifty-seven!"

"Horse hockey!"

"As much as I hate to take sides, my frriends," Kepler muttered, smiling tiredly back at the two. "But I do believe ourr brrotherr Flynn has a point."

"Really?" Logan huffed, sweating as he tugged and tugged the supply sled over a cleft of rock. The smooth earth below was being slowly replaced with a jagged, craggy texture. "She's spent hours barfing up homicidal nonsense and now you're grading the turkey buzzard on grammar?"

"What else are we going to do?" Flynn shrugged. "We can't judge her skill at billiards."

Ariel and Kepler laughed. It was a squeaky, wheezing expression at best. Soon, the sheer exhaustion of the migraine-inducing moment weighed down on them, and they sighed into the twilight. In the ensuing silence, Seraphimus' words echoed ever-explosively across the diminishing plateau.

"...meant for the Spring Havens! Not the bottomless abyss to which you've dispensed so many innocent, Goddess-fearing souls! In the name of the Queen of Frost I shall..."

"She's got the lungs of an endurance flier, that's for sure," Flynn muttered. "I just wonder if she'll keep yelling in her dreams once she finally passes out."

"If the bitch passes out," Logan grunted.

Ariel bit her lip. "I just feel bad for Wildcard this whole time. He's been in the direct line of sight of her hollering since she began."

Logan shouted over the noise. "Yo! Double-yoo! Enjoying the performance?"

A haggard, exhausted Desperado looked back from a distance. A middle-claw glinted in the twilight, and then he resumed his hobbling march.

Logan and Flynn chuckled.

Kepler cleared his throat. "Perrhaps... one of us should rrelieve him."

"Pffft. I'm not playing shotgun to Miss Shits-a-Lot," Flynn muttered.

"Why not?" Logan smirked, looking ahead and marching. "You've got a streamlined skull cap. Her sound waves will bounce right off you."

"Well, don't look at me!" Ariel's voice cracked. "What if she gets loose and bites my larynx off?"

"She won't get loose," Flynn snarled. "We tied that shit super tight."

"Yeah, but still—"

"Frriends!" Kepler frowned. "Arre we the Herrald orr arre we horrrible?" He turned completely around. "I shall take Wildcarrd's place!"

"No, Kepler..." Ariel sighed, holding the wyvern back. "I'll do it—"

"The task must fall upon me—"

SWOOOSH! Rainbow Dash touched down in a blue blur. "I'll take Wildcard's place."

Logan did a double-take. "Huh?"

"You heard me." Rainbow Dash frowned, marching back towards Wildcard. "Since you're all so determined to not give a crap."

"Kepler gives a crap!" Flynn said.

"Indeed, I—" The wyvern did a double take. "What?"

"Rainbow, don't." Ariel held the mare back. "That... that will just make things worse."

"It's my fault she's still with us, right?" Rainbow winced from the noise. She flattened her ears and hissed aside: "It's only fitting."

"What's fitting is that you not stay close enough to her to exacerbate what's already a skull-splitting nightmare," Ariel said.

"She's got a point there, Rainbow," Logan said. "Unless... your plan is to make her pass out faster."

"I think we can rrule that out at this juncturre."

"Hey... guys... whatever..." Flynn held his hooves up, smirking. "So long as the unlucky sap isn't me... ... ..."

"...and you! Yes, you!" Seraphimus spat and sputtered at the stallion pulling her sled. "You are a shame to unicorns everywhere! What promises did the traitors at Wyvern Point make to you?! Did they claim they would protect your family? Ferry you faster to the Spring Havens?!?"

An hour later, Flynn sighed heavily. He sweated and grunted as he struggled to pull the sled evenly over steeper and steeper embankments.

The Herald had left the perpetual flatness far behind them. It was as though giant plows had raked up entire swaths of dull, dark earth. All of it was stone or gravel or vulcanized dust at best. No sign of soil or sand or sediment—but an increasingly uneven slide into miasmic darkness. The bent horizon loomed higher and higher—or so it seemed—as the group continued their zig-zagging descent, all the while attempting to maintain the contents and the structural integrity of their sleds.

Logan managed well. Flynn—not so much. The unicorn had to pause every once and a while to steady the contents of his makeshift wagon—and prisoner—with expert telekinesis.

"Hurry up, slowpoke!" Logan growled from up ahead. "Not all of us are on a luxury tour, y'know!"

"...will bury you in the earth along with the bones of the unrighteous...!" Seraphimus wailed into Flynn's ears.

"Grnnnghhhh..." Flynn sweated and sweated, fumbling to keep up a swift pace as the occupied sled rattled behind him. "Real glitz and glamour..." His one natural eye darted up.

Wildcard flew at an easy glide. His wings easily flapped on either side of him and he relished in the cool kiss of the twilight winds at his headcrest. Despite the relief he was obviously experiencing, he kept close to Rainbow Dash—flying alongside her at all times while he rested his lower limbs.

Rainbow Dash stared dead ahead. In the sheen of the stars above, she made out the hint of rising rockfaces. At first, she thought that she was staring at the other side of a canyon. But then, as the group continued their descent, she spotted narrow plumes of rock rising sharper and sharper from the sloping earth underneath. They resembled stalagmites—with the absence of a cave. Their sharp tips were bent ever-so-slightly forward, so that Rainbow imagined that she was a blue dust mite threading her way through a microscopic patch of hairy skin.

This—among other, noisier things—distracted her, so that she had to snap her head in Rarity's direction to realize that she was being addressed.

"Rainbow! Are you paying attention?"

Rainbow pondered whether or not to answer that honestly. Exhaustion weighed heavily on her brow. "Mrff?"

Rarity pouted. "I sense something!"

Twilight floated up in a lavender blur. "Rarity senses something!"

"I just said that, darling!"

"But I wanted to make sure that Rainbow knew—"

"Well, she's hearing it from the fabulous source, is she not?!"

"Girls, just—" Rainbow held a hoof up, sighing. "Get to the point. Rarity, what are you sensing?"

Wildcard looked over, goggles rattling.

"Grfff... sorry, Rainbow..." Rarity rubbed her temple. "The shouting is... g-getting to me. Ahem." She floated upright, proudly. "But never mind that! You must see this!"

"See what?"

"Come!" Pinkie shouted cheerfully from a distance. "Come gander with us ganderoos!"

Rainbow simply... fell. She allowed gravity to carry her after her descending companions.

Slightly alarmed, Wildcard drifted speedily after her. Followed by a curious Ariel.

"Uhm... what are we plummeting for?" the pegasus mare droned.

After half-a-minute, Rainbow joined her friends where they had formed a ghostly circle around a rusted object leaning against one of the many jagged stalagmites.

"Whew-wee...!" Applejack was scratching her blonde head. "If that sure doesn't stand out!"

"I wonder how long it's been resting here," Fluttershy murmured.

"Probably a super-duper-ultra long time!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Poor little thing..."

Twilight muttered, "It's made of metal, Fluttershy. It's not alive. It never was."

"Sorry. Just..." Fluttershy shuddered. "This landscape has been so dead and desolate since we arrived at the edge. I guess I'm getting desperate for a critter or two to sense..."

"Uh, Rainbow?" Ariel landed behind along with Wildcard. "What are we looking at?"

"That's a... very good question." Rainbow Dash trotted towards the object. Seraphimus' shouts echoed in the distance, and they caused a slight ringing sound to emanate from the hollow of a fallen sphere. The two rounded edges yawned open, spilling out metal wires and filaments that had partially-disentegrated over time.

Wildcard cocked his head from side to side with avian scrutiny. His goggles reflected loops of copper fitted into an iron stalk.

"Can't say it's the prettiest doodad I ever laid eyes on," Applejack said. She turned to face Rainbow with a smug grin. "What do you suppose it could be?"

"Better yet..." Twilight squinted. "Who left it here?" She tilted her head up. "Maybe it's a remnant of the Darkreach expedition?"

"That seems rather obvious," Rainbow spoke in a low tone, pacing slowly around the object. "But... I can't shake the feeling that I've... seen this sort of a thing before."

"We both did, darling," Rarity said. She winced slightly from Seraphimus' screams but continued: "Back on the plateau. By the lookout tower."

"Oh yes!" Fluttershy nodded. "There were pieces of similar spheres lying around! Remember?"

"No... that's not the reason," Rainbow said. "I've seen these machines zipping around before."

"What, Rainbow?" Ariel trotted up, leaning over her shoulder. "What is this thing?"

Rainbow exhaled, her tail flicking. "It's Darkstinian."

Balls to the Future

"Darkstinian?" Flynn raised his head as his natural eye blinked at Rainbow Dash. "What's that?"

Rainbow, Ariel, Wildcard, and the rest of the Herald were gathered in a tight huddled beside the metal wreckage. Seraphimus and her sled were parked several yards away so her rambling voice wouldn't interfere with the dimly-lit conversation.

"It's not a what," Rainbow Dash said, gesturing at the rusted sphere-halves in Flynn's grip. "It's a who."

"Well... who, then?" Flynn aimed his mechanical eye at the material yet again, the lenses whirring as he attempted to analyze the material inside out. "It's not any sort of tech that I've heard of... or recognize."

Rainbow Dash took a breath and explained, "Darkstine is a country sandwiched between Emeraldine and Silvadel. On the Light Side."

"Rainbow Dash..." Logan leaned over, brow furrowed. "How in the heck could Light Side technology be suddenly here on the Dark Side?"

"Maybe..." Ariel looked at the others. "...it was ferried over by Onyxxus' expeditions? Rainbow did say that Darkstine was situated right next to Emeraldine."

Wildcard nodded thoughtfully.

"It just... doesn't make any sense," Flynn muttered, turning the rusted material over and about. "The logistics, I mean. From what the Mother Matron taught me, the nature of Darkreach was kept very sacred... and secret. They didn't want word spreading throughout the continents or else the lunar exodus might try finding the expedition and pillaging it."

Logan looked at Rainbow. "Any evidence that Emeraldine and Darkstine might have worked together?"

"Well..." Rainbow Dash stood up straight, sighing. Her eyes searched the darkness in front of them. "...when I visited Darkstine, they were on the verge of a civil war. What's more—they kept themselves very much closed off from the rest of the world... both physically and culturally." She swallowed. "But... th-that wasn't always the case."

"Oh?" Ariel blinked.

"Right. I... I'm trying to remember..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her head in deep thought. "Cuz... like... I-I met a few descendants of proto-Darkstinians who had been holed up in Silvadel when Axan took over. I'm talking entire generations of displaced unicorns who still believed in an age-old political entity. What was the friggin' name? Circle... Cycle... Cylinder..."

"Cylindrrimane," Kepler pronounced.

Everypony looked at him.

"I know of these ponies," the wyvern said with a stately nod.

"Well, spit it out, Tusky!" Logan remarked with a smile.

Kepler adjusted his spectacles and said, "Morrtuana spoke often of the easterrn neighborr of Emerraldine. But it did not bearr the name of 'Darrkstine.' And Rrainbow Dash's mention of a civil warr is quite irronic, forr even in days gone by the kingdom of Cylindrrimane was sufferring frrom intense culturral dichotomy."

"Hey!" Rainbow perked up, pointing with her hoof. "That's right! I remember one of the Silvadelian Darkstinians mentioning something like that! Like... 'Darkstine' was the name of some mad general or something."

"Wow..." Ariel's muzzle hung agape. "You remember that?"

"Pffft. Sure. It was one of the Zetta's." Rainbow blinked hard. "...I think."

Kepler cleared his throat and continued: "Howeverr, Cylindrrimane—as a functioning political entity—was firrmly allied with the Council of Verrdestone. There was a cabal of unicorrns who were sworrn to prrotect the alicorrn sorrorrity of Emerraldine. Forr this rreason, Morrtuana called upon the wisest scientists of herr time to assist in rroyal endeavorrs."

"Doessssss this include the Darkreach expedition?" Ariel asked.

Kepler gestured at the sphere halves with his claws. "I do believe we arre bearring witness to such evidence rright now."

"But... that's so friggin' crazy," Rainbow Dash muttered.

"How so?" Ariel asked.

"Just... that I would run into Darkstinian stuff waaaaaaay out here," Rainbow explained. Her fuzzy ears twitched. "If I didn't have you guys here to explain it to me, I'd fear I was hallucinating."

"A little homesick, are we?" Logan remarked.

"Mrmmfff..." Rainbow rubbed one forelimb with another. "Believe me. I don't miss Darkstine very much."

"Do you... uhhhh..." Ariel rubbed her head as she struggled to produce the question. "Do you remember when the place changed names? From 'Cylindrimane' to 'Darkstine?'"

"Not really," Rainbow Dash said. "It had to have been sometime before Axan brutally wrecked Silvadel and trapped thousands of ponies underground in the nation's capitol. She was a super bad dragon, once." A beat. Rainbow rolled her eyes and sneered aside: "Oh hush, Pinkie."

Logan looked at Kepler. "About how long ago did the expedition to Darkreach begin?"

"To be honest, frriend, Morrtuana was neverr too terrribly clearr on that," Kepler said.

"Really?"

"I suspect it's because the expedition was starrted by alicorrns... so it likely began beforre the Mountain Matrron was of the apprroprriate age to lend a hoof to herr fatherr Onyxxus." Kepler smiled gently beneath his tusks. "Howeverr... the morrtals of Emerraldine—and Cylindrrimane, it would seem—werre not heavily employed until about fourr orr five centurries ago."

Ariel looked at Rainbow. "You think that's a realistic window? Four hundred years ago?"

"For proto-Darkstinians to have followed the Darkreach Expedition?" Rainbow shrugged. "I dunno. I guess. If it happened any later, I've no friggin' clue how they would have passed by Axan's brood in Silvadel without mishap. But... then again... I've no idea how they managed to get thorugh the Grand Choke." Rainbow raspberried out the side of her muzzle. "Alicorns are broken."

"Soooooo... back to the junk at hoof..." Logan pointed at the metal entrails. "The Cylindrimaniacs must have gifted the Emeraldinians with their tech."

"Obviously," Rainbow droned.

"After all these years—it somehow resembles the stuff you saw back in Darkstine, Rainbow?" Ariel asked.

"Look, all I remember is a buncha floating spheres." Rainbow pointed at the stuff in Flynn's hooves. "And—well—there you have it."

"What was the point of this rusted crud anyways?" Logan asked.

"I serriously doubt it was always rrusted, my frriend," Flynn stated. "And—if you ask me—it was likely a means of rreconaissance."

"Soooooo..." Logan rubbed his head. "This was a patrol thingy?"

"Most assurredly."

"That explains why we saw one of them by the lookout posts," Ariel declared. "These little thingies must have zipped back and forth between Darkreach and the outlying towers."

Kepler nodded. "Seems like a most efficient way of coverring lots of darrk grround."

"Certainly more ground than we've been able to cover," Logan muttered.

"Gotta admire the Darkreach Expedition." Rainbow managed a smile. "Seems like they had their stuff together."

"Uhhhhhhhhh... guys?" Flynn suddenly murmured.

"What is it, baldy?" Logan looked over. "Figured out how this crap must have worked?"

"Mmmm-hmmm..." Flynn nodded, his mechanical eye still locked on the insides of the contraption. "More to the point... I think I can get it working again."

Wildcard's goggles rattled at that.

"You're shittin' me," Logan exhaled through an agape mouth.

"No joke." Flynn's horn glowed as he rearranged some of the loose wires and crystal shards. "The leylines aren't completely frayed. This can actually... totally be reenchanted again."

Wildcard looked at Ariel.

"Uhhhhhhh..." The mare blinked. "Do we really wanna do that?"

Wildcard looked at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow took a deep breath. "If this thing can be restored to its original programming, then it just might continue its old rounds."

"Meaning..." Logan leaned forward.

Kepler beamed. "It can lead us dirrectly to the frront gates of Darrkrreach! Ha-Hah!"

"Hmmmf..." Logan leaned back with a casual smirk. "I knew that."

"Well, Rainbow?" Ariel looked from Flynn to their most important member. "How 'bout it?"

Rainbow winced from the distant exclamations of Seraphimus. "Pffft... shoot. What's the worst that could happen?"

Lecture For a Lecture

"So... in summary..." Twilight Sparkle adjusted non-existent bifocals and then slapped her ghostly forelimb as she floated right in front of Rainbow Dash. "...with full consideration of the sinful wages of hubris and the painfully-weighted inclination of naturally-occurring irony, you must never... ever end a conversation with 'what's the worst that could happen?'"

Rainbow Dash sat on the edge of a rock, her blue chin smooshed down against a lazy forelimb. The rest of the Mane Five hovered limply around her with identically lethargic expressions. "Mrmmfmfff... thanks, egghead." She stifled a yawn, staring dully at Twilight. "Could you have just saved us the forty-five minute lecture and told us that conclusion at the very beginning?"

Twilight tilted her proud chin towards the starry heavens. "Just wanted to make sure I nailed the message home."

"You nailed it alright, sugarcube." Applejack yawned. "Right to a cross."

"Oooh! I love carpentry jokes!" Pinkie Pie beamed.

"... ... ..." Applejack blinked. "Anyways..." She gazed at Flynn and Kepler who were kneeling before the partially-assembled pieces of a metal sphere. "Seems like they're makin' progress."

"Indeed." Rarity looked over at Wildcard, situated before a thrashing and bound Seraphimus. "Good to know that some of us are."

"I can't believe that she's still struggling so much," Fluttershy remarked. "Even after all this time."

"Well, she did lose just about everythang thanks to Verlax," Applejack said. "And she's been made to believe that Rainbow's to blame."

"Would you be even remotely forgiving if you had every reason to believe that something or someone had devoured the entire Apple Family?" Rarity asked.

Applejack tilted her hat back. "Rarity, Granny's dead. And if thangs had gone differently two years ago, I reckon she wouldn't be."

Rarity winced. She hung her head. "A thousand pardons, Applejack..."

"Naw... dun feel so bad, sugarcube." Applejack bore a gentle smile. "My point is... I know what led to such a tragedy." She looked warmly at Rainbow Dash. "And I have the capacity to understand it all. If thangs were a tad bit different...?" She shrugged. "I dunno what I'd do. But I reckon I'm just a far more reasonable mare than this wretched Seraphimus varmint."

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "I don't think any of us can even pretend to relate to Seraphimus." She looked melancholically across the way to where Wildcard was guarding his former companion. "Her life—her entire existence was sculpted by Verlax to be a self-destructing weapon to urge me onward in my quest."

"And now you've brought her with us to urge you onward even faster," Twilight Sparkle said.

Rainbow slowly turned to glare at Twilight.

Twilight raised her forelimbs. "I'm just saying..." She sighed, lowering her hooves. "Verlax is long dead. You should stop punishing yourself, Rainbow."

"Sparing her life was not punishing myself, Twilight."

"But how much are you willing to sacrifice to try and save her?" Twilight asked. "Given all that's already at stake?"

"I've got an even better question." Rainbow gnashed her teeth. "What does it friggin' matter?"

Twilight opened her muzzle... but hesitated before she could give a reply.

"Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy quietly spoke. "We're all on your side—"

"Are you?!" Rainbow frowned. "Because from what it looks like and how it sounds, it almost seems as if I'm the only friggin' sane pony alive anymore."

"Don't be overdramatic, darling—" Rarity started, but couldn't finish.

"No... no!" Rainbow growled. "I have enough trouble as it is trying to keep the Herald from going all murder-y without you girls wanting to jump on the death train!"

"What are you goin' on about, sugarcube?"

"I want you girls to promise me something..." Rainbow shuddered, clasping her hooves together as if in prayer. "I need you girls to promise me something."

"Anything, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said.

Rainbow's gaze hardened. "Promise that you're on board with me on this." She looked at each and every one of them. "Promise that I'm not the only pony here who still believes in Harmony... that when push comes to shove you will support me in trying to get Seraphimus back on track to having a decent, self-respecting life... any kind of life... because it's frickin' life."

"Of course we're with you on this, Rainbow," Twilight said.

Rainbow sighed. She leaned over and rubbed her forehead. "'But...'"

"I just..." Twilight sighed, folding her forelimbs. "I want to make sure that you're doing this to Seraphimus for Seraphimus... and not out of some guilt-ridden complex to rectify perceived mistakes of the past."

"Yeah?" Rainbow muttered. "Like what mistakes?"

"Well..." Twilight fidgeted, squirmed, and meekly said: "Like Shell."

Rainbow let loose a heavy sigh. "Twilight..." She looked up with a frown. "...for the last time, I'm not—"

A swath of leather wings streaked in Rainbow's peripheral vision.

"...?!?" Rainbow spun about, eyes wide.

Fluttershy shot up with a worried expression. "Rainbow? What is it?"

"Did..." Rainbow turned and glanced all around. "Did you just..."

"What, darlin'?" Applejack blinked.

"Is everything okay, Dashie?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Thought... could have sworn..." Rainbow shuddered.

"My stars! You're so pale!" Rarity exclaimed.

Rainbow jolted. She stared at her. "... ... ...Cloudsdale... falls without me."

Twilight's muzzle scrunched. "Huh?"

"Heeheehee... what are you going on about, silly?" Pinkie burped.

"I..." Rainbow leaned over and rubbed her head. "I don't know..."

"Well, I do know something!" Pinkie stuck her tongue out, floating closer. "You could really use some shut-eye!"

"I whole-heartedly agree!" Rarity nodded briskly. "This seems as good a time as ever to set camp and—"

"We got it!" Flynn exclaimed.

"Eurreaka!" Kepler added.

The ghostly group looked over to see the metal sphere—conjoined and sparkling—lift up and levitate in place. A dull red glow emanated from the contraption's seams, like crimson vapors. Then, with a pronounced humming sound, the Cylindrimanian artifact zipped its way around the rocks and geological formations with smooth speed.

"It's going!" Ariel exclaimed. "Whew! Look at it!" She waved at Rainbow Dash. "What's the word?"

"Rainbow..." Twilight leaned in. "You really really should lie down and rest—"

"Hop to it, Herald!" Rainbow hollered. With a flap of her wings, she glided effortlessly forward. "Don't let it out of your sights!"

Wildcard whistled and swiftly reattached himself to Seraphimus' sled.

Logan hitched himself to the supply wagon and galloped briskly after the device while the rest of the group followed suit.

Twilight sighed, limply keeping up with their anchor. "Rainbow..."

"Twilight... if you know anything about me... anything at all..." Rainbow tiredly blinked in spite of herself. She locked her eyes on the red-glowing sphere as it illuminated a cone of dead rock in a diagonal swath. "...it's that stopping is the one and only death knell."

"Well, for all our sake, here's hoping that you're correct."

"Jee. Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Anytime."

Dropping the Ball Again

The floating sphere had successfully been brought back to "life," and it hummed with glorious manatech as it puttered along its dutiful path through the stone ravine.

But it was also slow. Damnably slow... which made an already laborious trek ten times more excrutiating.

Rainbow Dash felt it the most. She flew in a hunch, her limp body dangling lethargically off a pair of flapping wings. Ariel kept pace with her for the sake of keeping pace—although it was an awkward, fidgeting accomplishment at best. The two hung right behind the Cylindrimanian sphere, flying close enough that they could both catch a whiff of the crimson steam venting from the seams of its metallic shell.

Flynn and Kepler trotted right behind them, and they looked no less exhausted. Flynn carried on with melodramatic flare, panting visibly while occasionally swiping at the sweat gathered along his balding scalp. Kepler remained as stately as he could, crawling forward with labored pride. Starlight flickered sporadically off the lenses of his glasses as he tilted his head about, taking in every detail of the rocky terrain they were navigating.

The shadows doubled. Something was looming above the ravine—a large rock formation of sorts. It was difficult to make out against the bent horizon stretching ever high above. This was a challenge that Rainbow never fully anticipated. With the help of Rarity, they were able to keep close tabs on the geography looming ahead of them. The ghostly fashionista informed the rest that a huge mesa was jutting out of the center of the ravine, stretching over a hundred feet above the rest of the jagged terrain. However—for whatever reason—the floating sphere wasn't moving directly towards this structure. Instead, it veered diagonally towards the "left," skirting various stalagmites and conical rock formations... seemingly leisurely in its speed and inclination. Weathering sigh after sigh, the group followed suit... until the entire pilgrimage was subdued by quiet, anxious silence.

Amazingly, Logan was the least exhausted of the Heraldites. He reveled in the slow pace, taking the opportunity to survey the landscape illuminated a few meters ahead of the glowing red sphere. He had reinforced the sled behind him with an extra set of reins that took most of the weight and pressure off his hind quarters. This seemingly put an extra spring in the obese stallion's step, and he often found himself having to slow his trot so as not to leave Wildcard too far behind. He constantly threw glances over his shoulder to keep a watchful eye on the lingering Desperado.

The griffin's face was next to impossible to read. Solid black goggles masked any emotion to be found whatsoever. He was nothing more than a stalwart guardian tasked with dragging the group's heaviest burden along. As for the angry weight in question—she was finally showing signs of losing steam. Seraphimus words had grown thinner... breathier... albeit no less caustic. Her body had long stopped thrashing against the restraints, and her beak hung open as she summoned the oxygen to funnel curse after curse out. It allowed for a haunting quiet to permeate the dim atmosphere of the ravine, and the group almost missed the constant echoes that masked them from their own thoughts.

"My life... my sworn devotion... to Verlaxion..." Seraphimus hissed, her voice beyond hoarse and scratchy. Sweat-stained feathers drooped from her neck as she drooled over the side of the scraping sled. "...necessitates... th-that I exact justice... b-by any means necessary..." She blinked slowly and breathed with even less speed. "For the foals... th-the foals of our Queen... ... ...our Goddess... ... ...our G-Great Unifier... ... ..."

Applejack whistled, floating backwards as she gawked at the sled behind them. "Well, will ya look at that?"

"I'd much rather not," Rarity droned.

Applejack tilted her hat back, looking at the others. "I mean she's plum losin' it. The fight."

"Applejack," Twilight quietly chided. "I really really don't think she's losing the will to fight."

"Well, for a spell, no doubt." Applejack blinked. "Ain't that worth celebratin'?"

"If... if she actually does calm down, then maybe Rainbow Dash can finally talk to her?"

"Pffft!" Pinkie rolled her eyes. "As if!"

"It needs to happen, Pinkie—"

"What needs to happen is for that inside-out meanie head to come to terms with the fact that she's not in charge anymore!"

"Everypony deserves a second chance. Even her. Why else would Rainbow Dash have saved her life?"

"She's not a pony!" Pinkie Pie shrieked. "She's a death chicken with military scholarship!"

"Girls, please..." Twilight clutched her shaking head. "We are not going to make this entire trip through the Dark Side an endless argument over—" Just then, her horn sparked. She looked up with widening eyes. "Hold up a second."

"...?" Rainbow tiredly looked up in mid-flight. Right as Twilight's horn strobed, she spotted the sphere pulsating with a bright flash of red light... then falling dead and inert to the stone floor of the ravine. "Hold up!" she shouted.

The Herald scuffled to a stop beneath her. Ariel hovered in place, confused.

Rainbow Dash pointed. "Ball down!"

"Huh?" Flynn craned his neck. He gnashed his teeth upon spotting the sight. "Awwwww buttsicles."

"Ohhhhhh..." Logan winced. "That's... uh... that's not a good thing, is it?"

"Hold yourr brreaths, frriends!" Kepler called out, scrambling towards the fallen sphere along with Flynn. "All may not be lost!"

"How can you say that?" Ariel shrugged in midair. "Our rusted tour guide just did a suicidal dive into the rocks!"

"Probably because it hit a pulse of overloading mana feedback or something!" Flynn exclaimed.

"Dude, could you underjargon your jargon for the jargon-deprived, please?" Rainbow entreated.

Flynn raised the sphere with his telekinesis. He rotated the object, looking it over, probing with tendrils of magic. His mechanical eye rotated in and out, scrutinizing.

Wildcard took the opportunity to look all around, studying the dark landscape around them. At the bottom of the wide ravine, all was darkness and shadow. The stalagmites loomed like granite tree trunks along the edge of an ink-black forest.

"Sooooooooo..." Logan craned his neck. "...how's it looking, baldy?"

Flynn looked up. He did so with a tired smile. "It's just as I thought. A cluster in the leylines shorted the inner wiring."

Kepler nodded. "Easily rremedied! No need to worrry!"

"Worry? Who's worried?" Logan shrugged, looking all around. "We're only stuck in the middle of butt-knows-where, shadowed and vulnerable."

"Just give me a few minutes!" Flynn exclaimed, prying the seams of the sphere apart so he could access the crystals and wires inside. "I'll have this thing purring in no time! Maybe I can even make it go faster!"

"Yes! Please!" Ariel sighed, dusting her forelimbs off. "It's taking all my willpower not to just fly upwards and find Darkreach on my lonesome!"

Rainbow Dash looked at Ariel... at the sphere Flynn was tinkering with... then at the shadows all around. She felt her wings—how weary and stiff they were, even in mid-flap. A cold shudder ran through her body, and by the time it reached her throat she was speaking boldly: "Put the repair on hold, Flynn."

Flynn looked up, his one good eye blinking. "Huh?"

"Save it for later," Rainbow said, slowly descending. "Time to take a break. We're setting up camp here."

"Wait—what?" Flynn shifted where he stood.

"Woohooo!" Logan cheered. He then blinked awkwardly. "Er... I mean... why here?"

"There's no telling how long it's going to take for us to reach our destination," Rainbow Dash said. "We've been going at this for hours... maybe even days. There's just no way of knowing."

"But Rainbow..." Ariel squinted at her. "What if we're attacked while we chill out here in the middle of an open ravine?"

"Attacked by what?" Rainbow remarked. "By all the nothing that Fluttershy's sensed in this entire, desolate area?" She sensed a yellow ghost nodding in her peripheral. "We need to feed up, get rested, and get our heads together. So... that means sleep. It's an order."

"Mrmmfff..." Ariel pouted, folding her forelimbs. "I still think that this stupid sphere isn't actually leading us to Darkreach."

"Sure it is."

"Then why is it taking so friggin' long?"

"Does 'Darkreach' sound like a place that can easily be... y'know... reached?" Rainbow Dash said. "If I was to put my money on it, I'd place the colony in a location that would be super friggin' hard to get to. And that's just the task we have before us."

Kepler spoke up. "Judging from the slab, we'rre not too terrribly farr from the etched rrectangle! But how to find the entrrance... well... that's up to ourr ancient mechanical helperr to prrovide us!"

Ariel sighed in defeat. "Okay... I guess we could use the rest."

"Damn skippy!" Logan exhaled, already unpacking his sled of supplies.

Ariel rolled her eyes. "Big Show could use the rest. But... I-I just want to make sure we get to Darkreach sooner than later. If anypony out here got a good grip of the Dark Side, it had to have been Onyxxus' crew."

"We can only hope," Rainbow said with a nod. "Right now... we gotta rely on ourselves. And 'ourselves' won't be getting far on mere fumes. So... time to rest it up. Pitch them tents, everypony."

"A grueling task if there ever was one," Flynn muttered to himself, heaving the sphere over his shoulder.

"Ha-Hah!" Kepler grinned through his tusks. "I get it!"

"Pfffft... you never get anything."

Of Liars and Cowards

Rainbow Dash made no more than four steps when—

Schiiiing!

Bard's staff stretched through the air, blocking her.

Rainbow calmly looked down the length of the metal and at the griffin who was holding it.

"She's not going to peck my eyes out," Rainbow droned. "Let me talk to her."

Wildcard's emotionless goggles reflected the mare's face doubly.

Rainbow furrowed her brow. "Stay nearby if you want. I need to face her."

Wildcard stared back. He exhaled slowly. Cl-Clakka! He retracted the staff, hobbled about on three-and-a-half limbs, then roosted on a rock overshadowing Seraphimus... and just a one-second-leap away.

Rainbow cleared her throat and continued trotting to the sled where Seraphimus lay.

"Rainbowwwwwww..." Twilight wrung her ghostly fetlocks with an anxious expression. "I sure hope you know what you're doinggggg."

"I never do," Rainbow said and plopped down on the ground.

"... ... ..." A pinned-and-restrained griffin glared daggers at her.

"Hi," Rainbow breathed. She placed the three leaves of bleakweed on the ground, pressed her hoof towards them, then shoved them until they were just below Seraphimus' beak. "Here. This is for you. Y'know... to eat and stuff."

"... ... ..."

"You do eat, right?" Rainbow muttered. "I can't imagine that you survived in Rohbredden solely on badassery and snow-huffing."

"... ... ..."

"That wasn't a request, y'know," Rainbow Dash said. "You are going to eat those leaves. You're going to eat them whole." She nibbled on her own leaf, staring at Seraphimus the whole time. Two bites later, she said, "There's no telling how much energy you've wasted thrashing around and shrieking your head off like a moron. You need sustenance to get better."

"... ... ..."

Rainbow nibbled and nibbled and—"Mrmmfff..." She leaned forward. "Don't try and make me hoof-feed it all into that sharp beaky-beak of yours. I'm not that stupid—"

"I would rather starve a thousand deaths then take your offering!" Seraphimus hissed.

Rainbow Dash leaned back, sighing. "Aaaaaaand there it is."

"Poison..." Seraphimus slurred.

"Huh?"

"You'd be trying to poison me anyways," Seraphimus said, more firmly. The obvious traces of exhaustion lingered on her charcoal brown eyes. "Will never... never take food from you..."

"Yo..." Rainbow cocked her blue head to the side. "If I wanted to poison you... don't you think I would have done so hours ago?" She blew out the side of her muzzle. "Tch... heck, I could have tossed you to the stars back in the Gondola. Ever wonder why I didn't bother doing that?"

"I know why."

"Oh yeah?"

"It's because you wish to give me a long and torturous death, Blighted One," Seraphimus spat. "And I shall not give you the pleasure."

Rainbow sat in silence for a bit.

"Egads!" Pinkie Pie looked at Applejack. "You think she really means that?"

Applejack gave her a double-take. "Are ya seriously askin' me?"

The rest of the mares were looking at Pinkie.

Applejack exhaled sharply. "She sure as hay believes it's true. There. Ya happy?"

Rainbow's eyes wandered to Seraphimus again. "I thin we got off on the wrong hoof." A crooked smile. "So how about starting over?"

"... ... ..."

"Cool." Rainbow finished her second leaf, gobbled the morsel down, then dusted her hooves off. "Mrmmmfff... mrhefllo..." She waved with a hoof. "My name... mrmmmff... is Rainbow Dash." A final swallow. "Born in Cloudsdale, raised in Equestria, killed in Aridstone—"

"I do not care for your putrid excuse for a biography, creature."

"Uh huh. Cool." Rainbow flicked her tail like a cat and blinked at the griffin. "So your name's Seraphimus, huh? Is that—like—a common name in Rohbredden?"

Charcoal brown eyes narrowed visciously. "It is my name and my name alone."

"Riiiiiiiiight... so... uh... were you born with it or did you earn it the moment you became the Right Talon of Verlaxion—?"

"What do the names of the foals of Verlaxion mean to a pathetic monster who's forever separated them from their Goddess Supreme?!"

"I didn't kill your Goddess—"

"Bite your tongue!!!" Seraphimus snarled, causing the sled beneath her to rattle. "You boasted about it before the Council of Verlaxion!"

Rarity and Fluttershy winced.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, shut them, then rubbed her forehead. "Thattttttttttt was all for show—"

"You are a vicious and unrepentent murderer—"

"I wasn't given' much of a choice!" Rainbow Dash reopened her eyes, glaring. "Verlax—the Dragon Divine posing as your so-called 'Goddess'—had preordained her death for the very moment I arrived, and she released all of the wendigoes that she had been holding onto for centuries on her own volition!"

"Might wanna slow it down, sugarcube—" Applejack stammered.

"I became the monster you wanted to hate because it would give your stupid country solidarity!" Rainbow swung a hoof towards the nebulous twilight above. "If I didn't—those idiots in the Council would still be turning on each other! How would you hold off against a bunch of frozen banshee horses then?!"

"A great deal better than if a lying, selfish abomination like you hadn't murdered our Queen in cold blood!!!" Seraphimus' enraged voice echoed against the nearby rocks before dissipating into the shadows beyond.

Rainbow Dash fumed and fumed. She opened her muzzle to say something... lingered... then looked over her shoulder.

The rest of the Herald were all standing in a straight line, staring. Upon seeing Rainbow's angry glance, they all shuddered... spread apart... and trotted off to random destinations around the camp.

Wildcard glanced at them, then continued acting as faithful sentry over the scene. He adjusted the limbs beneath his muscular figure and kept his goggled gaze locked on Seraphimus.

Rainbow turned towards Seraphimus again. "Would... it give you... any sort of inner peace to know that I never wanted your Queen to die?"

"None whatsoever." Seraphimus stared icily at her. "I would wish—more than anything in this world—for you to die... horribly... painfully... and at the end of my claws, if possible."

The mares looked at Applejack.

Applejack looked back, rolled her eyes, then nodded.

"Yeah, well..." Rainbow sat up straight. "That's not happening. And as much as I'd like to throw you over the edge of the world so that you landed back home in Rohbredden, that can't happen either. Right now, I'm on a super crazy important mission... the same mission I was on before Verlax got stuck in my craw—"

"I wish you nothing but failure and disappointment, infidel."

"Yeah. Uh huh. And letting you go isn't really an option either. One—you'd be dead meat on your own. Two—I'd be dead meat with you out there plotting my untimely demise."

"Then you should kill me."

"That's not happening either—"

"If you had an ounce of bloody commitment, creature, then you would—"

"It's not friggin' happening, you Celestia-forsaken melon fudge, so you can just buck up and take life up your ungrateful tailpipe!" Rainbow snarled.

For once, Seraphimus was silence.

Wildcard glanced quietly between them.

At last, Seraphimus exhaled. "You're worse than I thought." A hiss. "You're a coward."

"No—a coward would have murdered you on both opportunities that I had to," Rainbow said, glaring back. "First at Starkiss... then at the World's End."

"Instead, you wait for time to do the dirty work for you." Seraphimus' headcrest straightened. "You are a coward."

"Yeah, well, keep saying that," Rainbow replied, turning her last leaf around. "We're on the Dark Side of the World. We're all going to need our little happy places."

"Dark Side... of the World...?" Seraphimus muttered with sudden confusion.

Rainbow glanced at her.

Seraphimus looked back, and her frown returned. "You lie."

Rainbow turned and turned the leaf around in her hooves. At last, she sported a nerdy grin. "How about a history lesson...?"

Twilight perked up.

Both Seraphimus and Wildcard cocked their heads with identical, avian motions. "Buh?" one of them exhaled.

Educating Your Kill Parrot

Rainbow Dash held her last bleakweed leaf in her little pony hooves and brought it to her little pony mouth so she could nibble on it with her little pony teeth. She did so with a considerable amount of precision and purpose, pivoting the whole of the morsel as she continued to bite into the thing.

Seraphimus was forced to stare at her the entire time. Her headcrest raised and lowered, and the griffin ultimately frowned. "What's this...?" she hissed. "In addition to a murderer, you're also a glutton?"

"Mrmmmfff... grnnghh-hnng..." Rainbow Dash waved a fetlock, swallowed, then continued nibbling at the leaf.

Seraphimus sighed. Her hawkeyes darted straight up.

Wildcard gazed back—but was silent. His gaze remained on Rainbow Dash.

At last—after a few little chompy-chomps with her molars—Rainbow Dash finished her "work." She swallowed the last few bites down, then placed the leaf down between the two of them. "Ahhh... urp... there we go..."

The leaf had been bitten to form a perfect curved line: consistently narrow like a quarter-circle.

"I would have drawn a line in the sand... but my hoof edges aren't as good as talons." Rainbow gestured at the bound guest. "I mean... you have talons, but we also don't have sand. Plus, you're kinda sorta in a homicidal rage at the present moment." She chuckled cheekily. "Heh heh heh heh..."

"... ... ..." Seraphimus glared.

"Aaaaaaaanyways..." Rainbow Dash shifted forward and pointed at the leaf. "Look at this leaf."

"No."

"So... pretend that this leaf... is the world that we live on." Rainbow's eyes occasionly darted between the partially-eaten meal she was gesturing at and the prisoner before her. "The land I'm from, Equestria, and the land you're from, Rohbredden, are both located on the curved portion of the plane." She pointed at the convex side of the bitten leaf. "This is the side where ponies, griffins, mules, squirrels, and all the rest love to live and play. The Sun and Moon both light this side—well—except for the very-very edge of it. That's the Twilight Lands and the seas where the midnighters loved to hang out."

Seraphimus merely stared.

"You..." Fluttershy squirmed, floating closer to Applejack. "Do you think any of this is getting through to her?"

"I dunno, darlin'." Applejack adjusted her hat, eyes locked on Seraphimus. "Reckon she's got her attention grabbed."

"So... you and me?" Rainbow managed a fuzzy smirk. "We've always lived on the bent outward side of the plane. But... there is also this side..."

Her blue hoof swam over to the concave side of the bitten leaf.

"This... is the Dark Side..." Rainbow's brow furrowed. "It's called that because there is no Sun. There is no Moon. There is only stars. This side of the world is a total mystery to most of the creatures who live on the Light Side... creatures like you and me."

"... ... ... ... ..." was all Seraphimus had to give.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand..." Rainbow Dash ran her hoof over the concave side again and again. "...it's a safe bet that whatever lives on the Dark Side of the world isn't very much attuned to Harmony. We're talking about Goddess-knows what kinds of monstrosities are allowed to live in a pitch-black place ruled only by chaos." She gulped, her eyes trailing off slightly. "Nasty... bone-chilling... life-stealing chaos..."

Seraphimus raised an eyecrest.

Rainbow cleared her throat, stifled her tremors, and looked solidly at Seraphimus again. "Well... turns out that there is one shining light on the Dark Side. One all-important beacon that was placed there longggggggggggg ago. I'm talking a gonzo amount of years ago. Like... friggin' eons atop of eons having a pancake slumber party of near-eternal proportions. There really is no way to picture the gargantuan amount of epochs shoveled into a furnace and churned around with—"

"Laying it on thick, Rainbow," Twilight droned.

"Like unwashed wool!" Rarity winced.

"Errr... you get the picture!" Rainbow circled the leaf with her hoof. "Big... bigggggg banana-shaped plane. Super old! And—just as old—there's a thing situated in the middle of the undercurve... here." She pointed at the middle of the concave portion. "Tucked away in some super ancient place called the 'Midnight Armory.' This amazing magical artifact is called the 'Harmonic Prism'. And while everything else about the Dark Side is evil, ugly, and chaotic—this thing... this artifact... this solid piece of peace-bringing Harmony is the answer to restoring life in all of its glory... or... more specifically... the life of this plane we all make ugly burpies on. Why is that important?"

Seraphimus' bored eyes met Rainbow's.

Rainbow's brow furrowed. "Because this plane is dying. It once belonged to a bigger and more awesome thing. A collection of curved planes. But—a long time ago and for some reason—this piece of the bigger thing got... broken off. Sundered. And now it's... like... a smaller thing. And it's energy is waning... and so is all the stuff living on it. And... like... the powers of Harmony—the same powers that give us the Sun and Moon and the Harmonic Prism—can only sustain life for so long. Even that has to run out... unless someone... somepony... gets the Harmonic Prism, brings it back to the bent outward part... and gives the entire plane a snazzy, cosmic reboot."

Rainbow Dash leaned back. She took a deep breath.

"I only found out about this about two years ago... and even then I only knew so much. I've been discovering little bits of truth along the way. Along what way? Well—to make a long story short—I've been flying eastward from my home kingdom every month and week and day and night so that I may one day cross over onto the Dark Side so that I might then fetch this Harmonic Prism from the Midnight Armory and do something to stop the world from going permanently kaputzy."

Seraphimus was silent.

Rainbow arched an eyebrow. "Nothing. Not even a spittake or—"

"That entire story is asinine," Seraphimus grunted. Her beak clapped: "You're asinine."

Fluttershy and Pinkie winced.

"Mrmmmmmmm..." Rainbow face-hoofed hard. "Wrong... A-Word..."

Regarding Insults and Integrity

"You should have killed me when you had the opportunity," Seraphimus proceeded to growl.

Rainbow was still rubbing her muzzle. "Has anypony ever told you that you have the lame habit of repeating yourself?"

"I meant what I said," Seraphimus hissed. "I have nothing left. Not in this world or the one next."

"I know you think that now—"

"I know that!" Seraphimus snarled, making Wildcard stir cautiously above. "Why did you bring me to this place of desolation? So that I would somehow feel at home?"

"Did you listen to any of the crap I just said?" Rainbow frowned. "We lived on a curved plane, and this is the Dark Side—"

"Lies and Blight—"

"This is the Dark Side!" Rainbow Dash pointed straight up. "Have you not seen the friggin' horizon bending up into the stars?!"

"She can't at the moment, darling!" Rarity insisted. "We're at the bottom of a valley!"

"The... the crossing!" Rainbow Dash's voice cracked. "In the Alicorn's Gondola! What do you even think that lift was for? It brought us all the way over to—"

"She was unconscious for half of the ride," Twilight said, wincing. "Aaaaafter she spent all her waking moments inside the thing trying to kill us."

"D'uhm... uhmmm... Axan!" Rainbow Dash spread her blue wings wide. "Biggggggg frickin' dragon! Dropped her equine shell and grew all big and draconian and gave her life to bring us over to the—"

"We left Axan's corpse back miles ago, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah!" Pinkie nodded. "And Psycho-Polly here just woke up—!"

"Rrrrgh!" Rainbow Dash growled aside. "For crying out loud, girls! Are you on my side or aren't you?"

"You're not exactly giving us much to work with," Rarity said. "Or Seraphimus for that matter."

"Wowsers..." Pinkie blinked into the twilight. "...come to think of it, it's a bit of a stretch for the griffin to swallow anything Dashie's got to explain!"

"Girls... come on," Rainbow Dash muttered in a hoarse voice. She frowned. "If she keeps her eyes and ears open long enough, she's got to eventually realize where we are and what this Dark Side is all about."

"If y'all dun end up stranglin' each other before ya get to Darkreach," Applejack said.

"AJ... come on..."

"Who... ... ...?"

The ghostly mares winced. Rainbow Dash turned around to find out why.

Seraphimus' anger was momentarily replaced with pure confusion. "...wh-who in Verlaxion's name are you talking to?"

Rainbow Dash raised her hoof... hesitated... the muttered out the side of her muzzle. "Yeah. No. I'm not touching that."

"Rainbow..." Twilight droned.

"Are you still so deluded by the Blight's touch...?" Seraphimus looked like she was going to vomit. She tilted her head up as far as her restraints could let her and gawked at Wildcard. "Jordan...? You've betrayed me only to put your faith and trust in a veritable mad-mare?"

Wildcard merely sighed.

"Look..." Rainbow Dash pivoted to face Seraphimus directly. "I could go off on all the nitty gritty details but you're not exactly in the position to believe any of it—"

"Oh, yes, creature..." Seraphimus spat. "By all means—do spare me!"

"All your life you've lived under a bubble of ignorance thanks to your Queen!" Rainbow snarled. "Believe it or not, the Sun does not revolve around Rohbredden!"

"Oh, but it revolves around your home country?"

Rainbow smiled with rosy cheeks. "Actually, it does!"

"Augh!" Applejack face-hoofed.

"Unnggh!" Twilight cringed.

"Seriously, darling—" Rarity started.

"I pity the ponies who live in your realm..." The feathers on the back of Seraphimus' neck rose on end. "...that they must make themselves complete by invading other lands and tainting them with their perverse ideologies!"

"Dude—the only 'perverse ideology' I brought to your frosted shores was how to kick butt and rock a killer rice hat!" Rainbow frowned. "Every time I ran into you or the rest of the Talon it was just me trying to get the frick away from you guys and go on with my journey—"

"E-except for when you launched the torpedo attack on her and the Frostknifers at the World's End!" Fluttershy nervously stammered.

Rainbow forced her eyes shut. "Okay." Her teeth clenched. "Everything except for after Frostknife... because that was a necessary show—"

"You ruined my entire nation," Seraphimus said in a firm, angry tone. "You tore the foundation of the Six Tribes down from underneath them and threatened thousands upon millions of innocent lives!" She howled, "And now you're trying to avoid the responsibilityfor your actions!"

"No! Seraphimus!" Rainbow winced as she stammered, "That's just the thing! I am totally taking responsibility for all of it! It's just that—"

"Then own the sins you have committed and put an end to my shameful existence!"

"I am not going to do that!" Rainbow Dash lunged forward until she was staring Seraphimus down in the beak. Wildcard moved to pull her away, but Rainbow was already barking: "Too much crud has fallen from the tree of lameness and I am not about to have your innocent death on my conscience too! You deserve a second chance at being awesome, Seraphimus! Yes! That's right! You deserve this!"

Seraphimus didn't bite Rainbow's jugular. Even within spitting distance, she didn't try to peck her eyes out. She simply glared at the pegasus with her cold charcoal eyes and calmly said: "You've taken everything from me. You've robbed me of my station, my dignity, my purpose, and my family. But nothing... nothing that you could ever possibly say or do would be more insulting..." Her eyes narrowed. "...than to insist that you cowardly spared my life for me."

Rainbow Dash stared at her. She breathed raggedly.

The ghostly mares glanced at one another anxiously.

Wildcard watched in silence.

Rainbow quietly stood up. She swiveled about—hooves scuffling—and silently walked away from the scene.

Before she left earshot, however, she paused. "If you feel insulted, Seraphimus. That's fine. Be insulted. It's okay if you hate me." She then looked over her shoulder. "But someone's done far more insulting and arrogant things to you in the past... and through lies and deceit she won your trust. It was Verlax's decision to set up her own death... to die and release the wendigoes... and her hold on your family." Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "She gave up on you long before you were even born, Seraphimus. But now that I have you in my 'Blighted clutches...?'" She shook her head. "I'm not giving up. Not now... not ever."

Seraphimus said nothing.

"Now eat your dang leaves." Rainbow marched off with a frown. "I guarantee they're tastier than anything else Rohbredden's been shuffling around all your life."

Time to Turn In

"So..." Kepler finished munching on a leaf of bleakweed and adjusted his spectacles. "Frrom what I can tell..." He pointed a claw at the metal slab resting between him and the other Heraldites. "...therre arre two faint indentations that diagonally attach frrom the lateral edges of this rrectangularr solid." He lifted his face with a tusked smile. "I suspect that these arre the elusive entrrances to Darrkrreach."

"What are they?" Ariel asked, stifling a yawn. She leaned her chin on her fetlock from where she lay on a sleeping mat. "Tunnels? Caves?"

"I suspect brridges."

"Bridges?" Logan raised an eyebrow. "In a ravine?"

"They go over the ravine, lard brain," Flynn grumbled. He glanced at Kepler. "That explains why the sphere is programmed to go ass-over-elbow in its return to base. The entrances to Darkreach must be really out of the way."

"Indeed so." Kepler nodded. "I suspect we have a grreat deal of elevation ahead of us."

"Sooooooo..." Ariel blinked blearily. "The base isn't underground?"

Kepler gestured up towards the curve of the plane. "Therre is something immense that is blocking out the starrlight. It looms above us... only a gallop away frrom wherre we arre currrently setting up camp. I believe therre is... ehhh... a naturral plateau of sorrts. Sudden. Steep. And narrrow."

"Like a mesa?" Logan asked.

"Exactly. Rrainbow's invisible frriends have sensed something to that naturre the last time we asked herr. If you ask me, it makes perrfect sense." Kepler smirked. "If therre is indeed a singularr rrising mesa in the centerr of this ravine, it would make forr a grreat defensive forrtification."

"It's like the Emeraldinians had a natural moat built around their headquarters," Flynn said.

"Prrecisely!"

"Sooooo..." Logan's eyes narrowed. "...these two bridges that the slab's indicating... are built on the furthest side of the mesa?"

"That's what the map appearrs to suggest."

"I wonder what that's all about," Logan remarked. "Weren't they expecting more supplies from Emeraldine? They'd be coming from the Edge, so why not make a bridge directly accessible to the beginning slope of the ravine?"

"Maybe..." Ariel yawned and curled her cheek against the sleeping mat. "...mmmmm... they ran into a bunch of midnighters and xenophobic Rohbreddenites along the way. They probably thought questionable forces would be following them from the Edge... so they had to fortify against the Edge-side portion of the ravine."

"Or it could be that the local geography only allows for bridges to have been constructed more easily from the Far-side portion." Flynn shrugged. "Maybe the ravine's edge is closer to the mesa on those two sides."

"In this drreadful darrkness, therre simply is no way forr us to ascerrtain that matterr," Kepler said. "The Rrainbow One, howeverr, is gifted with the apprroprriated senses to make a solid deterrmination."

Logan looked over. "How 'bout it, Rainbow? Do any of your friends sense the bridges from here?"

Silence.

"Rainbow?" Flynn repeated.

Ariel's eyes fluttered open. She sat up and looked over with concern.

Rainbow Dash sat in silence, staring at the stone surfaces of the campsite around them. Her eyes weren't even fazed by the gentle flicker of the fire they had kindled. It wasn't until Twilight flew directly in front of her and gestured dramatically that she finally snapped out of it.

"Hmmm?" Rainbow looked up. "Bridges?"

The members of the Herald exchanged glances.

Flynn cleared his throat. "It's... been a Hell of a hike, Rainbow." He smiled kindly. "Why don't you catch some shuteye? You of all ponies deserve it the most."

"Hrmmm..." Rainbow teetered slightly where she sat. Her eyelids hung heavily. "I wish that I could..."

"Rainbow...?" Ariel raised an eyebrow. "To be perfectly honest... you look downright pooped."

"Just hit the mat," Logan said. "You're body will know what to do next." He smirked. "Hell, that always works for me."

"Wish it were that easy..." Rainbow rubbed one forelimb with the other. "I just..." She sighed, ears drooping. "I wish I could have gotten through to her."

"To who?" Flynn's brow furrowed. "Seraphimus?"

"A task most difficult," Kepler hummed. "Even morre so than ourr epic trrek to the Midnight Arrmory, I suspect."

"Sure. But..." Rainbow gulped. "... ... ...I really believe there's an opportunity here to reach out to her... to make her see some sense in all of this..."

"Sense in what?" Ariel waved at the blotted-out stars above. "We're camped on the inner curve of a giant Death Croissant. Even I'm having a hard time not being utterly freaked out by it all." She chuckled nervously, then nervously kneaded the mat beneath her. "Knowing that... every bright and warm and happy thing that's ever existed is now hundreds of unknown miles of earth and metal beneath me..."

"I learrned of the rreality of this plane by studying dilligently underr the Motherr Matrron forr yearrs," Kepler said. "While I find it all fascinating—it's neverrtheless daunting in everry aspect."

"The Herald had years and years devoted to this subject matter, Rainbow," Flynn said. "Just as you've devoted the last few years of your life to living it." He shook his head. "You can't expect a random soul from Rohbredden to get it from a single conversation."

"Even if she weren't insane," Logan muttered.

Rainbow frowned. "She's not insane." Her nostrils flared. "She's just... misguided."

"Hah... yeah, okay..."

Rainbow glared at Logan. "I know 'insane,'" she said firmly. "I've seen what it's done to an entire village... and to lost daughters. I've buried bodies, Big Show."

Logan avoided her gaze and squirmed slightly where he stood.

Rainbow sighed. "I know that I'm asking a lot of you guys... and you've sacrificed so much for me already." A shudder. "And it sucks to make you sacrifice even more for someone who's only jeapordized everything we've worked for so far—"

"We've got Seraphimus' back, Rainbow Dash," Logan grumbled. "Don't you worry."

Rainbow looked up at her, blinking. "For real?"

Logan glared back. "You can't expect us to like her... but... mffft... like it's been said a gazillion times already... you're the Austraeoh and you've more than proven that you've got both the guts and the brains to make magic out of this whole journey of yours... of ours." He shook his head. "I won't prattle on and on about what I think about the damned buzzard lady anymore..."

"You're doing it right now—" Flynn started.

"Shut up!" Logan hissed while Kepler chuckled. "Point is..." Logan looked at Rainbow. "You deserve a break, Rainbow. And if it means giving Seraphimus that break... then so be it."

Rainbow exhaled with relief. "I... I'm glad to hear you say that."

"Yeah. Just understand..." Logan pointed. "You're not going to win her heart with a single crazy conversation. Hell... just might not win her heart. Period."

Rainbow nodded. "I understand that."

"And understand that we're tasked with protecting you no matter what." Logan's eyes narrowed. "That means you over her... in any and all circumstances."

"It won't come to something crazy like that."

The Herald were silent.

"I promise," Rainbow Dash said firmly. "I won't let her become a threat to us again."

"We believe you, Rainbow," Ariel said.

Rainbow looked at her.

It took a few tired seconds for Ariel to put on a reassuring smile.

Rainbow lingered where she sat. The mare rubbed her forehead, sighed, and said, "Somepony needs to go on watch—"

"Wildcard already volunteered," Flynn said.

"I could have guessed that," Rainbow said. "But the griffin's gotta be exhausted. He's been watching over Seraphimus all this time and he's still having to deal with the fact that Bard's—"

"We're all exhausted, Rainbow," Flynn said. "And... Bard's death is something that'll affect us forever."

"But we're the mother-buckin' Herald," Logan proclaimed with a fat grin. "And Double-Yoo is the most Heraldic of us all. You don't have to worry about him. You should have to worry about him."

Rainbow stifled a yawn and smiled tiredly. "Yeah. He's awesome like that, huh?"

"Indeed." Kepler put the slab away. "I suggest we sleep forr the next few hourrs. About two shifts' worrth. Then Flynn can rreactivate the spherre and we will follow it to one of Darrkrreach's brridges."

"I'll take the second shift after Wildcard," Logan said. "I was only ever a power-napper anyways."

"Oh great..." Flynn rolled his one natural eye. "Being woken up by you is always a treasure."

"I'll try to make it less smelly for you this time, Baldy."

"Ugh..."

"Sooooooo..." Ariel blinked. "Wildcard's on patrol first... then Logan... then we wake up hours from now and set off after the magic ball?"

Kepler exchanged nods with Rainbow Dash. "That would appearr to be the plan."

"Cool! Works for me!" And Ariel proceeded to curl up into a fuzzy gray ball with a delirious smile in the center. "Nini..." She was out like a light.

As everyone quietly shuffled away to retire, Rainbow sat in place, staring at Wildcard from a distance. She could scarcely make out his figure—only a pair of lenses that reflected Twilight amidst the shadows.

Applejack floated closer to her anchor. "Yer mighty worried about the feller, ain't you?"

"Hard not to be, AJ," Rainbow said.

"Reckon he did an awful lot to pull for you after what happened in the Quade," Applejack remarked. "If that ain't loyalty, then I don't know what is."

"It's not that," Rainbow muttered.

"Rainbow..." Fluttershy calmly cooed as she floated beside the mare. "Nobody's blaming you for what happened to Bard. Certainly not Wildcard—"

"It's not that either," Rainbow said. "I mean... yeah... it totally sucks that Bard's gone. He and I went through a lot. Wildcard too. But now that the Desperados are down to one..." She gently nodded her head in the griffin's direction. "...Wildcard's pretty much the longest-running companion I've got."

"You're not seriously trying to measure the worth of friendship based on sheer longevity, are you?" Twilight bore a wry smirk. "Because I'm certain I learned a lesson or two back in Ponyville about that. Want a lecture?"

"Pffft... cut it out, egghead," Rainbow muttered. "I guess what I mean is... I-I met Bard and Wildcard back in Rust. And that..." A shudder. "...that was barely two months after I left the Noble Jury behind in Val Roa. Wildcard is... like a piece of the Light Side. A very warm... very noble piece."

Her ghostly friends looked on.

Rainbow rolled her eyes at herself. "But what am I even talking about?" She put on a soft smile. "I have you guys with me. That's as warm as it can ever get."

"Awwwwwwww Dashie..." Pinkie swept in for a hug. Her hooves phased straight through her anchor, but that didn't stop her from committing to the gesture. "You're allowed to like all your friends equally. Even the Boo Haunted House ones!"

"You should take the time to talk to Wildcard," Rarity suggested. "Get to know him... since you care about him so terribly much."

"I..." Rainbow grimaced. "I wish I knew how..."

Find Your Happy Thought

Rainbow slumped down onto a sleeping mat a few paces away from the campfire. Unlike Logan, Flynn, and Kepler—she didn't allow for a tent over her head. She gazed sideways at the stone and darkness that had enveloped her. High above, a sliver of twilight fed cold blue luminesence down onto her tired limbs and bruised flesh.

"... ... ...ow," Rainbow muttered.

"Hmmm?" Fluttershy looked over, ears curving back with concern. "Rainbow? Are you alright?"

"Yeah... yeah..." Rainbow tired, then winced... feeling her jaw muscles. "Just... friggin' hate this..."

"Hate what, darling?" Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Sleeping?"

"No. Just... coming to a stop," Rainbow muttered. "It's only at times like this that all of the nasty side effects of getting into so many friggin' scraps finally catch up with me." She curled up—wincing as she did so. "Right now... I'm finally feeling the swordtips of the Frostknifers." Her teeth clenched. "Oofa... and there's a right-hook from Seraphimus... and there's another one..." She tongued the inside of her muzzle. "...and an uppercut."

"My stars...!" Rarity curled into a floaty marshmallowy ball, shivering from ghostly head to tail. "I don't even know how you do it!"

"Having a hammock to sleep in helps," Rainbow said. And a wistful smile crossed her muzzle briefly. Then a sigh. "Instead of curling up to the dead-stone bosom of an unforgiving Dark Side..."

"Eh..." Applejack waved a hoof. "You'll get over it."

"Applejack!" Twilight snapped, frowning.

"What?" Applejack shrugged. "I mean it! Our Rainbow is no push-over! She's agile! She's resilient!"

"She's frugal!" Pinkie exclaimed... then squinted into the shadows. "Wait..."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, AJ," Rainbow said. She tried to yawn—but only found another reason to wince. "But... right now... I would trade all of that to just be sleeping on a soft cloud somewhere."

"Maybe you can still make that happen?" Rarity smiled faintly. "Surely if you gather up enough moisture—"

"There is none," Fluttershy said.

"Huh?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "There hasn't been a single cloud in sight since we crossed the Edge, Rarity."

"She's right," Twilight said with a nod. "This is just the very precipice of the plane... but so far it hasn't yielded enough moisture and evaporation to form anything malleable to pegasus hooves."

"Dearie me..." Rarity rubbed her forehead. "I... I-I haven't even noticed!" A dainty gulp. "I suppose I've just been paying attention to the landscape and topography..."

"And you've been doing a very good job of it, Rare-Rare," Rainbow Dash said. "For realsies. We've relied a lot on you as of late."

"Oh... well thank you kindly, darling!" Rarity blushed slightly.

"I only wish I could have been so helpful," Fluttershy said. She shook her head. "But there simply hasn't been any creatures to detect."

"And for all we know..." Twilight looked at the others, nodding. "We're probably better off that way."

"FRUITY!"" Pinkie suddenly exclaimed. In the ensuing silence, she smiled sheepishly at her friends. "That's... uh... th-that's the word I was looking for. Heehee..."

There was a cute drawling sound... strangely melancholic. Everpony looked to see Applejack yawning... and yawning some more.

"Eeeeuhhhh..." Applejack rubbed her eyes. "Reckon I'd have a silly retort to give Pinkie, but I'm suddenly too tuckered out to care."

"You're not alone..." Rarity fought a yawn with all her lady-like strength... and failed. "Mmmmmfff... why did you have to introduce such a dreadful contagion into the air, Applejack?"

"Pardon..."

"Hmmmm..." Rainbow tiredly smiled against the sleeping mat. "Enough about me... when was the last time you guys turned in?"

It was Twilight's turn to fight the infection yawn bug. "Well... uhhhh... mmmff... probably just as long as you've gone without sleep, Rainbow."

"It feels like forever," Fluttershy said, blinking heavily.

"Heh... no kidding." Rainbow nodded. "Why don't you all dive back into the Vanilla Zone? It's been friggin' forever and you've earned it."

"Oh Rainbow..." Fluttershy shook her head. "We couldn't do that—"

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzhhnorrrr..." Pinkie Pie was already snoring.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Well... we do need to be alert for the final climb to Darkreach... and Wildcard's patrolling for Rainbow and the Herald."

"I..." Fluttershy squirmed in place. "...I just feel bad leaving Rainbow Dash all alone."

"I am not alone, Fluttershy." Rainbow gulped, her eyes turning slightly glossy. "Believe me. I'm not."

"Well, you certainly won't get any argument from me." Rarity smiled tiredly and pushed Pinkie's rump. "Come on, Pinkie..." Slowly, the two were absorbed by a faint lavender light. "Time for dreamland."

"Mmmmmmmm..." Pinkie smiled as she nodded off. "Whatever you say, Maud. Just... be sure to walk Gummi... past the caves of licorice... zzzzzzzzzzz..."

The two vanished softly. Fluttershy followed after them.

Twilight hovered just above Rainbow Dash. "You are going to sleep yourself, right?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Rainbow..."

"Believe me, Twilight. There's no pony on this Plane—Light Side or Dark—who is more tired than I am." A beat. "Well... aside from Ariel, of course."

Finally, Twilight smiled. "Well okay then..." She turned around. "...but you shout if you want us to come back and help you with something."

"I doubt there are any libraries to organize between here and the Armory, egghead."

"Pffft.. whatever. Come along, Applejack..." And Twilight vanished into thin-air.

The farm mare lingered in place, though.

"You heard the Princess' star pupil, AJ," Rainbow fought through a yawn. "Leg it."

"I... I wish that I could, Rainbow..."

"Pffft. Come on." Rainbow cuddled up against the sleeping mat, exhaling. "You're the one who started the yawn fest. Own up to it."

"Well... sure... I'm tired... but..."

"But what?"

Applejack gazed up at the mouth of the ravine. At the endlessly swirling cosmos and galaxies in the distance. "How... how do you ever fall asleep, Rainbow?"

"I... I don't follow..."

"Under the weight of it all... the dag gum enormity of who you are and what yer questin' for..." Applejack winced tiredly. "I'm so sorry. Reckon it's a rude thang to hammer into yer noggin'. But... but sometimes I wonder how you ever... ever found the courage to sleep in all them months and months of soarin' east without us..."

"Without you guys...?" Rainbow shrugged against the mat. "For a while... it wasn't so hard..."

"Oh?"

"I mean... I just carried on like I did back in Ponyville... and in Cloudsdale..." Rainbow's eyes searched the stars above. "I'd dream about killin' it at the Best Young Fliers Competition... or about joining the Wonderbolts... or about stealing the spotlight at a Canterlot Air Show. But... then..." Her ears curved back slightly. "...as I kept moving away from Equestria... those fantasies hurt. They kept my mind agitated... didn't help me sleep at all."

"So... what did you think about?"

"You," Rainbow Dash said. She immediately twitched. "You and the g-girls." A nervous smile. "Hanging out. Doing adventure stuff. Simply having a snack at Sugarcube Corner."

"I... I-I reckon that didn't feel too good for long neither."

Rainbow slowly shook her head. "Eventually things got so chaotic that I was too exhausted to think of anything. Sleep just came to me. Then I met the Noble Jury: Belle, Pilate, Kera... ... ..." She pronounced another name between her teeth, but it was accompanied by a cold shudder. "But there came a time when thinking about them was too painful too. And then I was rejoined with you and Twilight and the rest of the girls..."

Applejack nodded. "The good and the bad come in waves, huh?"

"Totally..."

"Do you ever dream still?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow hugged herself. "You mean besides those terrible nightmares I had?"

Applejack bit her lip. "Sorry. I-I forgot..."

"It's okay. You haven't been a cognizant apple ghost for long."

"Heheh..."

"I don't know what to tell you, Applejack," Rainbow Dash said. "The last few times I've slept, there's been... nothing."

"Nothin'?"

"Just... blankness..." She swallowed. "Wonderful... peaceful blankness..." She rolled onto her back and gazed up at the stars. "Once upon a time—for the sake of being edgy—I used to tell myself that taking naps was just 'practicing for death.' But now? Now that I know so much about life and Urohringr and the Harmonic Plains... I guess I can't pretend to practice for anything anymore."

Silence.

"I expect to see Granny again someday."

Rainbow looked over. "Hmm?"

"Granny Smith..." Applejack murmured, staring up at the stars. "...I'm sad about her passin', of course... and I won't pretend to say that Apple Bloom and Big Mac ain't goin' through tough times back at home with copin' and all..." She looked down at Rainbow Dash. "But somehow... the Harmonic Plains is more real to me than they've ever been. Just seein' all of the epic thangs this world has to offer up close and hearin' the wise words spoken by Mortuana when she was still with y'all..." She paused for a moment, shook her head, then smiled. "I dunno. I mean... this is the Dark Side and all... but somehow everythang's not quite as bleak to me as it used to be."

Rainbow gulped. "I've no clue if that's how the Harmonic Plains really work, Applejack," she muttered. "Or if they're even real... despite everything that Mortuana or Celestia or Luna have said."

"But if they were real... and there is a place where we're all headed to... Granny Smith included... wouldn't you like to meet them all again?"

Rainbow's muzzle hung open. "... ... ...there are too many names to count," she exhaled.

"Well..." Applejack smiled. "Maybe that's yer warm thought to sleep to."

Rainbow blinked.

Applejack tilted her hat. "Good night, sugarcube. You mean the world to us. You really do..." And she backed away... and vanished.

Rainbow Dash was alone. And yet she wasn't.

She knew it. She wrapped her warm smile around herself, rolled over, and collapsed into delirious unconsciousness.

Back Where You Began

It started with hoarse laughter, low and cackling.

Rainbow's left ear flinched. Then her right. She opened her fuzzy eyes to a fuzzy world. The bliss of the mare's slumber only proved itself with how terribly uncomfortable it was to leave it.

All around her, the bodies of the Herald slowly rose and fell with quiet, gentle breathing.

Rainbow blinked. She looked at the soft gray splotch that was Ariel a few paces away. She took note of the shadows of Flynn, Kepler, and Logan fast asleep in their tents. Off in the distance, Wildcard perched atop a rock, forming a silent sihlouette against the twilight canvas above.

All was silent.

Rainbow Dash's eyes twitched... fluttered... and finally closed. She nestled her fuzzy chin back into the pliable surface of her sleeping mat.

And once again, she drifted.

And drifted...

...until a shifting sound disturbed her hearing yet again. It was a singular rustling at first, but soon grew more and more pronounced with rhythmic purchase. Like breathing. Snorting. Chuckling.

And then...

...a voice.

"Heh heh heh heh... a 'Herald', they call themselves..."

Rainbow's forehead tensed.

"...and not everypony has wings. Pfffft... so much for 'angelic.'"

The petite pegasus opened one eye.

All was still... save for a shadow. Darting. Slithering.

"Don't you just hate a nice day's work that sows chaos all on its own? No effort required. No fun."

Rainbow's heart froze. She sat up straight, ruby eyes darting around. There was a flicker to her right—a sign of reflected twilight being interrupted. She looked to see Scootaloo's goggles; both lenses were reflecting a wall of moving goat hair.

"I guess this is what happens when I'm forced into early retirement."

Rainbow jolted in place. The voice shifted, shuffling to her left. Panting, she turned her head the opposite way.

The Herald kept sleeping. Meanwhile, the folded spectacles resting just outside Kepler's tent reflected dragonscales. Within seconds, an antler'd shadow rose above the dwindling fireplace. There were limbs. Leather wings and blue feathers.

"Not that it matters. Seems like the most twisted labyrinths are the ones we've made for ourselves..."

Rainbow's gaze rose up... up. Her muzzle hung agape.

"Rather ironic, wouldn't you say?"

The shadow turned around, its nebulous hues unraveling with lavender glee. A pair of eyes rested in the center, flickering red on yellow. A one fang'd smirk loomed as he hovered in midair, peering down at Rainbow Dash with a devil-may-care grin.

"Why, hello there, Sparky." The fang glinted.

All of the hairs on Rainbow's neck had bristled by now. She spread her wings and hollered violently into the Dark Side. "Raaaaaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaugh!"

Wildcard shot up with a start.

His body blurred as he faced the direction of Rainbow's bloody roar.

The air around him echoed, disturbing Seraphimus awake.

The hellish reverberations of Rainbow's scream hadn't dissipated, and already the dragonequus was casually stroking his beard.

"What? What's the matter?"

He plucked his skull clean off while his eyes remained hovering in place to study the cranium in his lion's paw.

"Is there something caught in my flavor-savor?"

"Rrrrrrrrrgh—!" Rainbow Dash charged at full gallop, clenching her teeth until they nearly cracked. She hurled herself skyward with a murderous rising hoof-kick. "HAAAAAUGH!"

Her blue body streaked pathetically through her target. Phasing through, she slammed into a random stalagmite positioned behind. The impact was so thunderous that it sent pebbles showering across the camp site.

"Hey! Rude, much?" He plopped his skull back on and hovered backwards with his arms folded. "What did that rock ever do to you?!"

"You..." Rainbow Dash heaved in mid-air, shaking all over. Veins showed in her eyes as she spat with each bombastic syllable: "I killed you!"

"I know, right?" He reclined lazily as he glided over a tent or two. "But you don't see me foaming at the mouth over it—"

"Aaaaaaaaaaugh!" Rainbow Dash sailed straight for him.

"Mayday! Mayday!" he chortled as her body phased through his hairy jigsaw figure. "Incoming easthorse at Dumb O'clock!"

Th-Thwumppp! Rainbow's body barreled through a tent, collapsing it. Flynn and Logan were fast awake, struggling to fight their way out of the tent. Rainbow Dash inadvertently knocked them into each other with her desperate attempt to fly at her target again.

A few paces down, Kepler shimmied out of his tent and awkwardly slapped his spectacles on. "What in Goddess' worrd...?" He flinched as Wildcard streaked past him.

Breathless, Wildcard took a flying leap, glided, and landed right at Rainbow's side. Cl-Clakkkk! He brandished Bard's staff in his one talon and looked every which way for an intruder.

"Nnnghhh..." Ariel groggily awoke, blinking confusedly at all of the commotion. "What... what's going on—?"

"Ariel!" Rainbow hollered as the figure coasted towards her. "Move! Get away!"

"What?!" Ariel's eyes widened as she shot up with a gasp. "Get away from what—?!"

"Discord!" Rainbow's voice cracked as her ears and tail drooped. "He's... he's b... he's b-b..."

"Discord?!" Ariel spun around a full circle as the dragonequus phased through her. "The Hell is a Discord?!?"

"Rather clueless, is she?" He smirked, reaching out to "pinch" the confused Heraldite's gray cheek. "Guess it makes sense. After all, she's pretty much blonde on the inside—"

"Stop it!" Rainbow galloped, drawn forward by a hellish frown. "Leave her alone!"

"Rainbow—!" Ariel flinched and ducked down low. "Aaack!"

Rainbow barely flew over her—flying through the dragonequus' laughing figure. WHUD! She slammed into another rock structure—this time causing it to tilt dramatically and crumble to pieces.

Ariel—frightened—threw Rainbow Dash a wide-eyed look.

Meanwhile, Logan and Flynn finally fought their way out of their tent—courtesy of the bigger stallion utilizing his axe. Riiiiiiiiip! Big Show burst out with a grunt, looking all over.

"...the Hell...?"

"Are we being attacked or—?"

"It's Rainbow Dash!" Ariel stammered, pointing at the crazed pegasus. "I-I think she senses something—"

"I think she senses something!" Discord imitated, his eyelashes growing three times as long for a brief second. "Eugh! Tra-la-la-la gag the girl!"

"I will NOT let you touch another one of my friends!" Rainbow shouted, propelling herself skyward yet again.

"Hahahaha!" He merely grinned at her as she flew towards him. "Do you even hear yourself—"

"SHUT UP!" Rainbow Dash punched and kicked and thrashed at the air. "Rrrrgh—SHUT! UP!"

Flynn grimaced.

Logan gripped his axe while looking all around. "What... wh-what's she even fighting?! What is this?!"

"I don't know—"

"I can't even sense a thing!"

"Rrainbow One! Please! You must calm down!"

Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes reflected the distant shape flailing in mid-air. Rainbow's yelling voice echoed over the desolate stone.

"He's right here! Discord! He's back! Tell me that you see him! Rrrrngh—Dang it! Tell me that you see him!!!"

"Rainbow, you're punching at nothing—"

"There's nopony there!"

"We prromise you that you arre safe! Please! Come down at once—"

"No... No! Rrrrrrghh—You dang stupid coward! I killed you once—I can kill you again!"

Seraphimus' beak hung open as her eyes narrowed. A cold, disgusted breath left her throat. "She's mad..."

Discord yawned, his body rippling in lavender streaks upon each thrown punch of Rainbow's forelimbs. "Really... is this how you've carried on all this time? I mean—sure—I caught brief glimpses and snapshots but... heheh... I guess it's really true what they say..." He grinned slyly. "The feature presentation rarely ever lives up to the previews."

"Shut up!" Rainbow panted and panted, her voice growing ragged as she overexerted herself. "Just... sh-shut up!"

"So Determined!" Discord flung his arms wide. "Did you catch that capital 'D'? It stands for Dense! All hail Rainbow Dense, the Australioh! Heh heh heh..." There was a crimson glint to his pupils as he hissed: "You were always the easiest one to distract. I guess that's why I chose you."

"Rrrrrrrr—" Rainbow Dash angled her wings and made to dive straight through the villain. In a dark blue, Wildcard came up from behind and grabbed her before she could suicide plunge into the stone earth below. "Nnnghh—Let... let g-go!" She yelped and struggled. The Desperado nevertheless kept her in a vice-hold with his one good talon. With expert wings, he lowered her down to the ground—and the Herald. "I... I-I have to stop him! Don't you get it?! He's back! Discord's back and... and..."

"Rainbow!" Ariel rushed forward, grasping both of the mare's hooves and fighting with her every violent motion. "Rainbow—look at me—"

"NO!"

"Rainbow—"

"N-no!"

"There's nothing there! You're safe!" Ariel pleaded, staring her straight in the eyes as Wildcard held her still. "You're with your friends! The Herald's protecting you—"

"You don't get it!" Rainbow drowned in a cold sweat. Her pupils were the size of mustard seeds as she looked all around. "He's chaos! The lord of Chaos! None of you are safe! Cloudsdale... I-I mean..." She clenched her eyes shut. "...Ponyville... Equestria..." She fought and struggled once again with Wildcard's grip. "Rrrrrngh—friggin' melon fudge! I'll break you into a million pieces next time and toss them all into Tartarus!"

Discord merely yawned. "Yeah... well... I can see you're not yet ready to show up to the gaming table. That or you rolled a natural twenty in stupid. Either way... borrrrr-iiiiing." He snapped his fingers, and a pair of shades appeared on his snout. "I'll be back," he gluttered in a deep, thick accent... slowly dissolving backwards in a lavender pool. "Hopefully sooner than thirty hundred chapters or so. Zing!"

And just as he dissipated...

...five pastel colored shapes came bursting through the harmonic ether.

"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy gasped.

"Oh darling!" Rarity yelped, zipping towards their anchor. "What ever is the matter?"

"We heard you shrieking and crying and caterwauling!" Pinkie yelped.

"But for some reason—we couldn't get through to you!" Twilight exclaimed.

Applejack nodded as they all hovered around their friend. "We kept bangin' and buckin' against them walls of the Vanilla Zone somethin' fierce—"

"But the barrier somehow wouldn't buckle until just now!" Rarity exclaimed. "As if something was holding it in place!"

"Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy floated close with a sympathetic expression. "You look awful!"

"What happened, Dashie?"

"Please... tell us..." Twilight looked with an urgent expression. "Did something happen just now? What's going on?"

Rainbow stared at each of her friends. Slowly, her body went limp... and gravity did the rest. Her scowl morphed into a grimace, and tears flowed rapidly. "He's back," she whimpered, her voice foalish and crumbling. "He's back, you guys. I don't know how, but he's back..."

"Back?" Pinkie's muzzle scrunched. "Who's back?"

Fluttershy looked all around. "I... I don't sense anybody..."

"Girls..." Applejack was staring dead-straight at Rainbow Dash with shrinking pupils. "This... this ain't a good thing..."

"I... I don't understand," Rarity stammered.

"Who?" Twilight looked at Applejack, then at Rainbow again. "Tell us! Who is back?"

"Oh gosh... oh no..." Rainbow sobbed and quivered. "Oh please Celestia, no... no no no no no..." She covered her muzzle with trembling hooves.

Wildcard refused to let go—instead keeping the mare anchored safely in his grasp. This gave Ariel room to lean forward and cuddle Rainbow closely.

Kepler, Logan, and Flynn formed an anxious perimeter. Their eyes continued to scan the darkness surrounding them... searching for an answer... a reprieve.

And finding none.

Let It All Out

With a streak of dark feathers, Wildcard glided down from a high altitude patrol. His talons scraped the stone earth as he came to a swift stop.

Ariel looked up, a petite pegasus cradled in her forelimbs. "Anything?"

Wildcard shook his head. Not long later, a wyvern touched down at his side.

"Mrmmff!" Kepler caught his breath, stood up, and held his glasses steady as he spoke. "We searrched high and low! Just shorrt of scaling the mesa!" He shuddered. "I'm afrraid we found nothing."

"That goes for us too..." Flynn strolled up with Logan in tow. They stood above the flattened remnants of their tent. "Nothing hiding behind any of the rock structures. My horn couldn't illuminate a single thing."

"I swung my axe at the shadows for good measure," Logan grumbled.

Flynn rolled his good eye. "Point is..." He turned to face Ariel. "...we're just as alone now as we were when we first set camp here."

"This ravine is desolation incarnate!" Logan's brow furrowed. "I mean... no offense... but what's the point in searching? If Rainbow's friends can't sense anything—"

"Big Show...!" Ariel frowned, giving Rainbow's shoulders a squeeze. "Shhhhh..."

"Look... I'm no big fan of her freaking the buck out either," Logan said. "But if there's any making sense of this—shouldn't the ball start in her invisible friends' court?"

Ariel shook her head. "Rainbow Dash is not the one who should be pressured into—"

"They sense nothing," Rainbow Dash stammered.

Wildcard craned his neck to look at her.

Ariel patted Rainbow's shoulder. "Rainbow..."

"They don't..." Rainbow sniffled, strill trembling all over. "But I know what I saw... what I heard." Her eyes darted around in a nonstop cold panic. "He's b-back... I don't know how... but he's back..."

"This crreaturre..." Kepler took a few steps forward, his eyes narrowing. "...this 'Discorrd'... he is the one rresponsible forr yourr chaotic state, yes?"

"I'm responsible for my chaotic state," Rainbow momentarily growled. "All because I killed him. I picked up the Element of Loyalty and s-single-hoofedly turned him into stone. I dashed him into a hundred pieces and... and..." Rainbow clenched her teeth as more tears welled up. "How can he possibly be back? How? I don't understand... how?!"

"Rainbow Dash..." Rarity floated in front of the mare, stealing both her attention and her words. "We've been over this a dozen times! None of us sense anything different!"

"If... if there was a dragonequus nearby... Discord or not..." Fluttershy gulped. "I-I'm sure I could sense him. At least... at least I think I—"

"Maybe her nightmares came back!" Pinkie suggested. She looked directly at their anchor. "Could you just have had a bad dream, Dashie?"

"No, Pinkie..." Rainbow gnashed her teeth as the Herald blinked in response. She shook in Ariel's grip, her ears folding back. "This was real. You don't know because you didn't have to deal with him like I did."

"Heeeeeeeey..." Pinkie pouted, folding her forelimbs. "Being blown to pink smithereens is definitely dealing with it—!"

Applejack placed a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder, silencing her. She turned to look at the others. "Rainbow's tellin' the truth, y'all."

"Or she thinks she's tellin' the truth," Rarity said.

"Our loyalest mare's been battlin' all sorts of epic monsters and heebie-jeebies for over two years now!" Applejack's brow furrowed. "Dun ya think she'd know the difference between what's real and what's a mind spell?"

"With all that chaos in her system, who knows, Applejack?" Rarity said in a sympathetic turn. "And here we are on the Dark Side..."

"Girls!" Twilight hovered squarely next to Applejack. "Aren't we forgetting something? When we tried to get out of the Harmonic state—"

"Vanilla Zoooooone!" Pinkie hoofy-kicked.

Twilight sighed. "The Vanilla Zone. When we heard Rainbow and tried to get out... something was keeping us from exiting!"

Fluttershy shuddered. "Or someone..."

"Right." Twilight nodded.

"Oh dear..." Rarity grimaced. "...you can't possibly be suggesting—"

"This was our very first trip to the Vanilla Zone after crossing over to the Dark Side," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's the first time we—the Elements of Harmony—decided to leave Rainbow Dash and 'recharge.' So... what if there's more to it than just the five of us attached to Rainbow?"

"Tw-Twilight...?" Rainbow Dash sat up, her lips quivering. "You... are you meaning to say he's... he's anchored...?"

"Anchored?" Logan belched. "Who's anchored?"

"Discord?" Flynn murmured.

"Hrrmmmm..." Kepler stroked his hairy chin. "Rrainbow Dash..." He looked at her calmly. "You arre am exceptional specimen forr possessing harrmonic enerrgy in its purrest forrm—as embodied by the souls of yourr closest frriends whom you've absorrbed back in Equestrria..." He narrowed his eyes. "But that isn't the only spectacularr thing about you... forr you arre also imbued with chaos. A blessing orr an infection, you werre neverrtheless forreverr changed by the rrift that opened in the hearrt of yourr kingdom. What if—just possibly—the souls of yourr frriends werren't the only things that you absorrbed...?"

Wildcard's goggles rattled at that. He turned and looked nervously at Rainbow.

Rainbow Dash's coat had paled even more. "No... that can't be right..." She shook her head, trembling even harder. "That's bullcrap! I got rid of him for good!"

"Rainbow Dash..." Flynn spoke quietly, carefully. "All this time... you've flown under the lights of the Alicorn Princesses... and the Firmaments placed their harmonically by their forebearers. But none of that is shielding you here on the Dark Side." His ears folded anxiously. "Nothing is around us to shield the chaos within any longer—"

"He..." Rainbow clutched her pendant desperately with quivering fetlocks. "...is dead. It's gotta be some crazy monster impersonating him or something!"

"Rainbow—"

"You just haven't found him yet! You just h-haven't..." Rainbow's voice gave out, replaced instead by pitiful hyperventilation. She lost the strength to sit upright and more or less collapsed to her side.

Ariel easily caught her. "Shhh-shhhh... just breathe. It's okay. You're not alone with this..."

"Don't want him to be back don't want him to be back don't want him to be back..." Rainbow Dash repeated with foalish squeaks. She curled up in Ariel's embrace.

Twilight, Rarity, and the others watched with misty-eyed expressions.

Ariel looked up at the rest of the Herald.

The males exchanged nervous glances. At last, Wildcard nodded and—fwooosh!—resumed flying in a wide orbit of the camp site.

As Kepler joined him, Flynn and Logan shuffled off. "We'll... uh... go looking around the outer fringes of the ravine."

"Stay close together," Ariel said, stroking Rainbow's mane. "No matter what, keep each other safe."

"Roger that."

As the Herald split apart, Ariel remained in place, holding Rainbow close. "They're going to keep looking, Rainbow."

"I'm so scared..." Rainbow cried. Her voice cracked as every defense dissolved completely. "Goddess help me, I h-haven't been this scared in f-forever..." She clenched her eyes shut. "Mmmmmm... Celestiaaaaaa..."

"It's okay..." Ariel smiled gently before nuzzling the mare close. "It's okay, Rainbow. Let it out. It's okay, girl..."

Rainbow sobbed like an infant, even as her friends circled closer. The only one looking remotely composed was Applejack. She hovered higher—like a sentry—gazing around at the darkness surrounding. At long last, her ghostly eyes found the silvery shape of Seraphimus off to the side.

The griffin wouldn't stop staring at the sobbing pegasus.

Applejack's eyes narrowed... and her frown was far from a subtle thing.

Friendship With Extra Mayo

"What if... the Dark Side is like one giant ice cream cone surrounding the Vanilla Zone which is why we have such a hard time breaking free?!"

"Pinkie—"

"AND... without her harmonic friends nearby, Dashie starts to lose it in the whosit? I mean, I'd go crazy and start dreaming up big baddies too!"

"Twilight, admit it. Pinkie might have an oxymoronic way of describing her theories—but it's a lot simpler than... brrrrr... the actual, literal Discord having r-returned!"

"Rarity, if Rainbow Dash said it and Applejack confirms it—"

"But Applejack only knows what Rainbow Dash experiences."

"Yer sayin' she ain't experiencin' reality?"

"No, Applejack, what I'm trying to say is that it's all a matter of perspective. I agree with Pinkie insomuch that whatever's happening to our friend—and to us—is merely a component of dwelling on the Dark Side! But to actually claim something so horrible as... as D-Discord returning..."

"Just because it's terrible dun mean it ain't true, Rarity."

"Applejack—"

"Truth hurts more than we want it to. I'd say we treat this like it's the worst case scenario. We accept what Rainbow Dash has declared about Discord and then we focus on what needs to be done about it!"

"B-but what can we do about it? If Discord's really b-back, then we're in m-more danger than we can even pretend to imagine!"

"We're not in danger, Fluttershy."

"But Twi! We couldn't reach Dashie when she needed us the most! That's poopy news! It's like the Defcon One of Poopy news!"

"What in the hay is a 'Defcon?'"

"Definitely Enigmatic, Freaky, Calamitous, And Nasty!"

"The word 'and' doesn't start with an 'o.'"

"Then you think of something, Twilight!!! Golly-gee-gummy-gunk! It's a little hard to break the forth wall when it starts to break back against you!"

"I-I-I don't even think I can ever g-go back to the Vanilla Zone after today..."

"But we have to, Fluttershy! Otherwise we'll never recharge! We can never help Rainbow Dash!"

"Hrmmm... ya reckon we should keep ourselves from goin' back into that bright'n'shiny place? See how long we can manage?"

"I... shudder to think of what that might do to us, Applejack. Unless you, Twilight, think it wouldn't be harmful to us or Rainbow."

"I... I-I can't say for certain. All evidence seems to suggest that it would be a detriment to our connection to Rainbow Dash to never, ever go back to that place."

"Then maybe we can go there for only a short spell? Feel it out? Like a quick power nap?"

"After what happened last time, I don't think we can afford to experiment much... as much as I'd love to."

"Duaaaaaaah! We can take turnsies! Rotate our filly fuzzy sleeping schedules around the clock!"

"That's... actually a good idea, darling."

"Make it so that one of us is always guardin' Rainbow Dash? Like a loyal pup? Shucks, sign me up!"

"And after all that's happened, she could really use our help. I mean... have you ever seen her so... so t-terribly distraught?"

"Can't say that I have."

"Nope."

"Uh uh!"

"You've known her longest, Fluttershy. How about you?"

"I... I-I can't remember. Rainbow Dash has always been the strong one. All the way through Rohbredden—as we watched her surpass obstacle after obstacle—she only served to reinforce the courageous, resilient image I've had of her. But seeing her utterly collapse like that..."

"Mmmmmm... makes you wonder exactly what p-poor Dashie went through right after we all went kablooey."

"Good heavens... I shudder to think! And now the weight of Discord has fallen back on her shoulders!"

"Yeah... ... ... ..."

"... ... ... ...what if it really is true? What if our beloved Rainbow is... is actually tethered to him like we are to her?"

"Then it's our job to give her support! We carry her spirit on our shoulders like she's carried us! After all, we're in this together!"

"Of course..."

"Absolutely!"

"Yeah!"

"Boy howdy!"

"After all she's been through, we deserve no less! First thing she wakes up, I suggest we all gather around and tell her how we're going to plan to deal with this threat—"

"I'm awake, egghead," Rainbow Dash droned from where she laid curled up under starlight. "You can tell me now."

"Eeep!" Twilight Sparkle jolted in place. She and the other ghostly mares pivoted to face Rainbow Dash.

Stirring, Rainbow Dash rubbed the gritty remains of tears from her eyelids and squinted at the group. "I'm totally sorry for freaking out like I did before..."

"Oh Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy floated forward with ears folded.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, darling," Rarity said.

"Darn tootin'!" Applejack nodded. "If I was in yer place, no doubt I'd be caterwalin' somethin' fierce as well!"

Rainbow Dash merely stared at Applejack. She stared and she stared...

"Okay. Maybe not. Heh..." Applejack tilted her hat back. "But... you gotsta admit... that's an awful lot to digest in one evenin'—"

"Mrmmfff..." Rainbow Dash stirred some more, rubbing her eyes. "I don't really want to talk about it. Not right now."

"But Rainbow Dash!" Twilight glided forward with an anxious expression. "This is very serious! We have to deal with this as soon as—"

Pinkie rested a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. The party mare shook her head, then spoke to Rainbow in a calm, melodic voice. "Don't let us interrupt your shuteye, Dashie. Cruddy crud or not—you still need to rest for the trek ahead."

"Grnnngh... sleep... how..." Rainbow's tired eyes darted around. "How long have I been sleeping?"

"Not long enough," Fluttershy said. "Trust us."

"Ungh..."

"Uhm... erm..." Twilight cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, Rainbow. Pinkie's right. You really could use the rest right now."

"Where's the Herald?"

"Don't worry. They're safe—"

"If they're safe, then you can tell me where they are," Rainbow said with a sudden frown. "Well? How 'bout it?"

Rarity sighed, then looked aside. "Fluttershy, darling?"

"Flynn's guarding Seraphimus at the moment," the pegasus said. "Logan and Kepler are scouting."

"Uh huhhhh..." Rainbow Dash blinked. "And what about Wildcard? Ariel?"

Fluttershy merely smiled.

"Flutters...?"

"Look for yourself, darling," Rarity said.

Rainbow didn't have to look far. She tilted her head to the right and nearly bumped into Wildcard's beak. The griffin slept, perched in an upright position directly in front of Rainbow—his back to the twilight. In the midst of his slumber, the Desperado somehow continued clutching Bard's staff with his one good talon.

Rainbow looked to the left... and got a muzzle full of gray fuzz. Ariel was spooning her from behind, enveloping the petite pegasus' body with a protective hug. She was also asleep.

It was like waking up in a warm cocoon of comraderie. Rainbow Dash instantly lost the nerve to move any further.

"Well... uh..." Rainbow gulped. "...I guess I'm getting some more sleep."

Twilight stifled a breathy giggle. "Looks like it."

"Have... have they been here long?"

"All night long, Rainbow," Fluttershy said. "Wildcard insisted on guarding you all night. And Ariel..."

Rainbow's eyes briefly crossed Applejack's gaze. "Yeah..." She lowered her head as she rested in her friends' close proximity. "Yeah, I get it."

"They believe in ya, Rainbow," Applejack said. "And so do we."

"Mmmmm..." Rainbow exhaled softly. "I guess... g-guess I'm pretty lucky, aren't I?"

Twilight nodded. "All things considered."

"Right..." Exhaustion set in once again, and Rainbow closed her eyes. "Good enough."

She snuggled under Ariel's arms... and was fast asleep as her friends looked on.

Stone Waters; Set Sail

Hours later...

The Cylindrimanian sphere warbled along at a zig-zagging pace. It barely skirted past the stalagmites and loose boulders filling the valley floor as it made its way gradually up a slowly ascending grade. Up ahead, a craggy incline stretched towards visible starlight. A tall cleft of rock loomed to the left, and it was obvious that the ancient piece of machinery was headed towards it.

"Ha-hah!" Kepler smiled through his tusks as he glided through the air, perched on a rock, glided, and perched on another rock. "It is just as we prredicted! I have no doubt at this point that we shall be dirrected to a lofty brridge strructurre of some sorrt orr anotherr!"

"Yuh huh..." Flynn huffed and puffed as he and Wildcard dragged the larger sled behind them. To give Logan a bit of relief, they exchanged griffin guard-duty... but the stallion was starting to regret the generous action by the time they reached the first hint of an incline. "Any chance we c-could predict some crystal-blue springs or refreshing ice d-deposits along the way?"

"Do not sound so despondent, brrotherrs!" Kepler hopped and glided above them, following the sphere's leisurely path. "Therre shall be time forr rrest once we get to Darrkrreach! I am surre of it!"

"Mrmmmfff..." Flynn clenched his teeth as sweat ran down his bald crown. He used telekinesis to lighten the load behind him and Wildcard, but it barely worked in relieving them of the weight. "I wonder what are the odds that a guild of Emeraldinian physical therapists survived there over the past half-millennium..."

Wildcard—naturally—said nothing. Although he broke a sweat, his breaths were solid and his pace was constant as he pulled his half of the heavy weight.

Flynn glanced aside at the Desperado. "Does anything ever bother you, dude?"

Wildcard merely shrugged. He scraped the floor with his temporary metal cane of a prosthetic and tugged along.

Flynn sighed, his one eye narrowing at the shadowed ascent ahead. "And here I thought we had lost all the robot parts of you..."

There was the subtlest of muscle shifts to Wildcard's throat—something resembling a smile behind his streamlined beak. He nevertheless kept marching uphill.

Behind them, Logan pulled the smaller wagon with the greatest of ease. Although his limbs weren't bothered the slightest by the trot uphill, he wasn't smiling. The large stallion constantly threw a look over his shoulder, focusing on the prisoner being tugged behind him.

Seraphimus was constantly looking to their right—squinting at two feathered shadows gliding evenly with the Heraldic caravan. Her charcoal brown eyes settled coldly on a petite pegasus...

"Hey..." Logan gnashed his teeth. "Hey...!" He reared one leg and rattled the sled.

Seraphimus winced as the metal all around her jolted. Her eyes turned so she could glare at the pony pulling her.

"Eyes off. Ya hear me?" Logan frowned back at her. "You don't get to glare at her. Not after what she went through last night."

Seraphimus calmly exhaled. "After what happened last night..." Her eyes narrowed. "...I wonder why the lot of you aren't glaring at yourselves in disdain."

Logan merely clenched his jaw muscles.

Seraphimus hissed, "She's insane... both dangerous and demented. It will lead you and the rest of your companions to ruin." A cold breath. "That's a promise..."

"So long as I'm in charge of your ungrateful pussy-ass, you shut your rancid beak. Got it?"

"You know this," Seraphimus slurred. "You know that she will be the death of you. Why do you persist?"

"The only thing I know is that I'm gonna volunteer to feed you soon. And I promise that all you eat is gonna be a whole lot browner than bleakweed leaves."

Seraphimus merely snorted at that. Nevertheless, she was silent as Logan carried her the rest of the way up hill.

Off to the right, Rainbow Dash and Ariel flew parallel with the group, slowly ascending towards the top of a stone promontory.

"Once we get to the peak, I'll ask Flynn and Kepler to switch off the old metal ball thingy for a while," Ariel said. She smiled pleasantly. "Then you and the rest can chill while I go scouting ahead for the bridge."

Rainbow nodded. "Okay..."

"If I find it on my first flyby, I'll come back and let you guys know. If I don't, then I'll get Wildcard to help me. We'll be in Darkreach in no time. You don't have to worry about that."

Rainbow took a shuddering breath. She nodded again. "Okay... ... ..."

Ariel squinted sideways at her. She flapped her wings and flew backwards, facing Rainbow with concern. "Is... everything alright?"

Rainbow gulped. "Yeah..."

"Do... your friends sense the bridge ahead of us?" Ariel cocked her head to the side. "'Cuz that would be super cool... n-not that I want to put the pressure on you or anything... eheheh... I'm sure once we get to Darkreach we'll find our own way to get inside and—"

Rainbow flew to a stop, hovering in place.

Ariel levitated in front of her. "Rainbow...?" Her voice grew softer. "Rainbow, what's wrong?"

"I... uh..." Rainbow avoided her gaze, fidgeting with her fetlocks. "I really w-wish you didn't have to be juggling so much all because of me..."

"Hey..." Ariel smiled. "It's what the Herald's all about!"

"Even still, I'm usually... awesomer," Rainbow's voice cracked. "You shouldn't have to look after me so hard."

"Pffffft... please..." Ariel rolled her eyes. "...should I even try to list all the times you've saved the Herald's neck? My neck? Yowsers... if my mother knew how much of a damsel in distress I've turned out to be on occasion..."

"Ariel, you... you don't get it..." Rainbow shook her head and sighed. "I'm the Austraeoh. I should be tougher than this. I have been tougher than this. And last night..." She grimaced. At last, her sad eyes lifted to meet the other mare's. "... ... ...last night you didn't exactly see me at my coolest. And... and I'm sorry for that." She gulped. "I'm sorry if I totally ruined my 'courageousness' for you and Wildcard and the rest. I suspect I'm probably lame forever now..."

Ariel merely smiled. She drifted in and gave Rainbow a soft hug. "I'll never be sorry for having known you."

Rainbow bit her lip. A slight rosiness crossed her cheeks.

Ariel gave her a nuzzle. "Let us take care of the Austraeoh for a while." She leaned back with a smile. "You just focus on giving us a sign if that asshole Discord shows up again. Promise?"

Rainbow opened her muzzle. Her breath hung off a squeak however...

...for she saw a length of gray scales and goat fur reflecting off of Ariel's ocean blue eyes. In the distance, there was a cackling noise.

Rainbow shivered once... swallowed... and gave a nod. "Promise."

Don't Drop the Ball

Twilight Sparkle's eyes twitched. "Rainbow."

Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder. She and Ariel were gliding along the outer edge of the promontory overlooking the ravine. "What's up?"

"Magic.' Twilight gulped. "I sense... magic."

"Well, of course you do, silly!" Pinkie Pie pointed at the sphere puttering up ahead, climbing the final ascent. "That thing's been shimmer-glimmering away for the last hour!"

"No... no..." Twilight rubbed her horn, grimacing slightly. "This is a different magic. A deeper one."

"'Deeper' how, darling?" Rarity asked.

"I-I'm not sensing any living thing out here," Fluttershy said. "Wherever this magic is... it's just magic."

"Still..." Rainbow took a breath, looking forward. "Sensing magic where—all this time—there's been a whole lot of nothing... is something."

Ariel threw Rainbow a double-take. "What? Are the girls sensing Darkreach?"

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. All ahead of them was impenetrable darkness. "I'm not sure..."

"Can you... pinpoint the location, Rainbow?" Twilight asked.

Twilight raised a hoof... pointed it... pivoted slightly... and pointed again. "In that direction. Slightly... down a bit."

"You mean back into the ravine?" Applejack asked.

"No." Rarity shook her head. "I do believe that Twilight is pointing into the heart of the mesa across the way."

"Sounds like the ticket!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Rainbow cleared her throat. She turned around to shout at the other herald. "Guys! I think Twilight's found—!"

"Harrk!" Kepler's voice cracked in a panic. He gestured with a shaky claw. "The sphere!"

"Huh?" Ariel looked.

"Aw sh-shit!" Flynn gnashed his teeth—nearly tripping over himself while drawing the sled of supplies. "It's heading for the edge!"

Sure enough, the Cylindrimanian object in question was swiftly barreling for the edge of the promontory... and into plummeting darkness.

"Quick!" Kepler sputtered through his tusks. "Someone catch it!"

"Awww Hell..." Logan grunted from afar.

"I got it!" Ariel began a swift dive. Her ears folded back in mid-plummet. "Crud! It's too far—"

The sphere fell over the edge like a crimson flare.

"...!!!" Wildcard briskly unhitched himself from the sled, abandoned Flynn's side, and rocketed towards the cliff's edge in a black streak. Swooooooosh! He shot beneath Ariel, vanished... and rose back up with the fluctuating sphere tucked under his good arm.

"Whew..." Logan exhaled. He slumped to a stop, then frowned at the griffin tethered behind him. "You shut up."

Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. "I did not say a thing."

"You were thinkin' it!"

Ariel, Rainbow Dash, and Kepler joined up with Wildcard at the cliff's edge.

"So... what the buck?" Ariel stammered, still catching her breath.

"Why did it up and toss itself over the edge like that?" Rainbow asked. "Can ancient machines get existentially depressed?"

"It is simply a matterr of prrogrraming," Kepler remarked. "Let us not be drrawn into errroneously assigning this machine a perrsonality!"

"Well, Kepler, if you ask me it looks like the thing's having a temper tantrum!" Ariel remarked, pointing at the thing.

The device shook and gyrated and whirred in Wildcard's grasp. The three-limbed griffin struggled to keep the thing from flying off into the darkness again.

"Herre..." Kepler reached in and shut the device off. "Allow me..."

The glowing red sphere went dormant. Wildcard lifted his goggles and looked curiously at the others.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Wildcard," Rainbow said. She looked towards the darkness, scratching her head. "Rarity? Twilight? Any idea on where the thing was headed?"

"Straight for the mesa, darling," Rarity said.

"That's exactly where the magic I'm sensing is located," Twilight added. "Rainbow—I'm quite certain the sphere was only trying to return to Darkreach."

"But why take the plunge?" Rainbow slurred. "Was this sphere supposed to fly?"

"Did the old spheres in Danksteen fly when you first saw them on the Light Side?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"'Darkstine', and that was modern day tech, Pinkie. Who knows if the Cylindrimanians could build stuff that advanced centuries ago."

"Hrmmmmm..." Pinkie looked into the shadows. "Maybe it was expecting a piggyback."

"Ain't no pigs on this side of the plane, darlin'," Applejack said.

"Not that kind of a 'piggyback,' Applejack," Rainbow said, trotting up to the very edge.

"Rainbow?" Ariel hovered close. "What are your friends saying?"

"The little space marble thingy was definitely heading towards the mesa situated on the other side..." Rainbow murmured, squinting.

"But... how? Why?" Ariel gestured. "This isn't where one of the two bridges is located."

"Not now, it isn't..." Rainbow tilted her neck down. She stared at the dark stone edge of the promontory... at the obsidian crags lining the edges of the ravine below. It was hard to make out in the dim twilight, but she thought she saw some peppery bits of paler stone... like shattered concrete. "... ... ...Rare-Rare?"

The ghostly fashionista hovered closer. "You raaaaaaaang?"

"Anything... uh... weird about the rocks below us?"

"Not a single thing whatsoever!" Rarity exclaimed.

Rainbow sighed. "Okay."

"Wait..." Rarity struck a melodramatic pose, her horn glowing with intense scrutiny.

Twilight and Applejack rolled their eyes.

"... ... ...now that I think of it..." Rarity fluffed her mane, scanning the heavens with her eyes while her horn strobed. "Yes... yes! I do sense something different about this part of the ravine!" She pointed suddenly towards the cliff's edge. "Look! Examine that portion of the rock, if you would!"

Rainbow flapped her wings and hovered ahead. Ariel nervously followed her.

Soon both pegasi were levitating right above the precipice. Following Rarity's directions, Rainbow approached a swath of rock that stood out from the rest of the stone material. It was pale, smooth in multiple places, and fused tightly to the preexisting cliffside.

"A foundation..." Ariel murmured.

"Your adorable fuzzy friend is right!" Rarity beamed. "That is very... very unnatural stone! Mixed and poured several lifetimes ago!"

"So... that means..." Rainbow pivoted about.

"The bridge fell ages ago," Twilight remarked. "The metal sphere wasn't programmed to take that into acount."

"Darkreach must be on the other side!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Is... is it safe for us to cross?" Fluttershy stammered.

Rainbow inhaled. "Only one way for us to find out." She turned to look at the rest of the Herald. "We found our place of entrance, guys."

"Entrance?" Logan craned his thick neck. "I don't see a damn thing!"

"Because the bridge fell out years ago, dumbass," Flynn said. "That's what she's trying to say!"

"Oh. Great. Perfect." Logan shrugged his shoulders, causing the sled behind him to shake. "How are we gonna get this shit over?"

"One thing at a time..." Rainbow paced through the group. "We need to scout ahead."

Ariel and Wildcard immediately shot a hand up.

Rainbow smirked slightly. "Yeah. I could have predicted that." She stood up straight. "But I'm going with you dudes."

"But... Rrainbow One..." Kepler adjusted his spectacles. "What if the entrrance to Darrkrreach holds unknown perrils?"

"I'll be safe so long as I'm with you guys," Rainbow Dash said. "Besides..." She slapped a hoof over Kepler's hairy shoulder. "You're coming with?"

Kepler blinked. "I am?"

"Yup!" Rainbow gripped him and kicked off the cliff's edge. "Come on, everypony! Be there or be square!"

"Guhhhhhhhh!" Kepler writhed in her grasp, unaccustomed to flying at the pegasus' speed. Wildcard and Ariel swiftly followed behind.

"We'll... uh... we'll be in touch!" Ariel called back to the two stallions guarding the bound Seraphimus. "Just stick around for a bit!"

"Wait! Can't you just—" Flynn reached a hoof out.

Too late. The four figures disappeared into shadow and twilight.

Flynn leaned back, nostrils flaring. "Mrmfff... this sucks."

Seraphimus nodded. "I am inclined to agree."

"Shut up!" both Stallions grunted.

The Gates of Darkreach

It wasn't long before the group met a wall of stone on the other side. It was more elevated than they expected, but all it took was a steady flap of their wings and they easily ascended high enough for a soft landing.

Rainbow touched down first. She placed a shivering Kepler onto the stone earth beside her.

"Whelp... that wasn't so bad." She looked behind them as Ariel and Wildcard flew in. "Not exactly the longest bridge in the world."

"Trrue..." Kepler shivered. "I-I doubt that they could afforrd much building materrial outside of constrructing Darrkrreach."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, looking at the wyvern. "Are you okay, buddy? I didn't mean to shake you up."

"Oh... nothing to worrry about, good frriend."

"Then what's the deal?"

"I'm an avid gliderr..." He straightened his glasses with a nervous smile. "Not quite so excelled at speedy flight."

"We'd better work on that, buddy."

"I shudderr to imagine what forr."

"Shhhh. Don't pretend to be that stupid." Rainbow Dash paced over to where Wildcard and Ariel stood. "Well?"

"I can't believe it..." Ariel looked down at her squirming hooves. "Are we actually standing on Darkreach?"

"That remains to be seen." Rainbow pivoted about, squinting into the darkness. "Rarity?"

"It's... hollow beneath us," Rarity said.

"You sure of that?" Pinkie asked.

"Oh... absolutely!" Rarity's eyes blinked wide. "I'm not certain why I couldn't feel it so clearly before, but there is most definitely a hollow construct beneath where we are currently situated."

"Land's sakes..." Applejack tilted her head back. She gaped at Rainbow. "Does she mean to say that them Emeraldinians carved out an entire home from the heart of a mountain?"

"Or maybe Onyxxus did..." Rainbow paced about. She reached a hoof up and touched her pendant. A ruby glow emanated from the Loyalty Element, and it shone a crimson spotlight through the darkness ahead. "Okay... okay..."

Wildcard cocked his head to the side.

"What are you looking for, Rainbow?" Ariel asked.

"Prresumably an entrrance," Kepler said. "Darrkrreach—it would seem—is beneath us."

Ariel gulped. "Must be d-dark down there."

"It's quite heavily shadowed up herre."

"Thanks for proving m-my point."

Rainbow looked left... then right. All she saw was flat stone. Even her pendant illuminated nothing but sterile, smooth rock.

"Rarity...?"

"I'm searching!" Rarity's voice cracked as she floated as far as the lavender force field could allow her. "I'm looking for the entrance! Honest, I am!"

"Maybe if we ask Twilight to hone in on her magic senses?" Applejack suggested.

"Well... what I'm sensing is below us," Twilight said. "And... and scattered in multiple places."

Fluttershy looked worriedly at her. "Scattered?"

"There are much more than one source now," Twilight said. "If you ask me, the same technology as the sphere that brought us here is incorporated throughout the base."

"Just... how deep and big is this thing?" Rainbow asked.

"Difficult to tell," Rarity murmured. "But—for the time being..." She gulped. "...it's akin to an inside-out Bleak's Plummet."

"Golly..." Applejack bit her lip. "That's either welcome news or it's a tad bit too forboding."

"If Darkreach is so big..." Fluttershy blinked innocently at the others. "...then how do we find the entrance?"

Pinkie's head popped up through the stone. "It's easy, silly!"

"Eeeeeeek!" Fluttershy flew into Applejack's arms.

"Pinkie...!" Rarity frowned.

Pinkie giggle-snorted. "What?"

"What are you doing?" Twilight asked.

The party mare stuck her tongue out. "Looking for the entrance, silly!"

"Uhhhhh..."

"Heeheehee... oh brave new world with such walls in it." Pinkie "backstroked" through the stone, phasing in and out as she sang: "Stop being a boring and buoyant and sink into it! Are we gonna help Dashie or not!" She took a deep breath for melodramatic flare and backflipped... sinking deep into the rock.

"Huh..." Twilight rubbed her head. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Seriously?" Rainbow droned, smirking slightly. "Are we actually going to have that conversation?"

Twilight sighed... then sank purposefully into the rock below with a lavender splash.

"Hey!" Rarity "galloped" after her and Pinkie and sank as well. "Wait for me!"

"Uhhhhh..." Fluttershy shivered slightly, then hovered close to the farm mare's side. "I-I'll just float up here and stay with Applejack."

"Ain't nothin' down there that could hurt ya, sugarcube."

Fluttershy merely squeaked and clung to her.

Applejack sighed... then wrapped a forelimb around Fluttershy with a motherly smile. "Dun ya fret. They'll be surfacin' in a jiff."

"Sooooooooooo..." Ariel trotted towards Rainbow Dash, stroking her smoky bangs back. "What's going on now?"

Rainbow stood in place. Blinking.

Beneath her, she spotted Twilight's and Rarity's ghostly unicorn horns breaking the stone surface and skittering around like lavender and white dorsal fins.

"Y'know..." Rainbow exhaled. "...there are times when I really... really wished you guys could see what I see."

Ariel smirked. "Must be heartwarming."

"Sure." Rainbow burped. "Right now, though, it's really... really stupid."

"Still... heartwarming."

Rainbow nodded. "Not gonna fight it."

"Dashie!"

Rainbow tilted her head up.

Pinkie surfaced like a fuchsia volcano. Her muzzle formed a pearly-white grin. "I found it! I found it! I found it! I found it! I found it! I found it! I found it!"

"Ahem..." Rarity surfaced beside her. "Pinkie Pie found it."

Rainbow whistled to the others and glided over. Kepler and Wildcard followed closely behind.

"What, ho!" Kepler craned his neck. "An entrrance?"

"The entrance," Rainbow said, then looked as Twilight surfaced. "Well?"

"There's... a mechanism beneath where Pinkie's hovering," Twilight explained. "It's fused to some sort of crystal."

"Is it one of the magical things you've been sensing?"

Twilight nodded. "Yes. But the leylines are weak. Fleeting."

"What's up?" Ariel asked. "Or... in this case, down?"

"Pinkie found the entrance," Rainbow explained. "But—as Twilight says—it's fused to some crystal trigger that's lost most of its juice."

"Hrrrmmmm..." Kepler squatted low and rubbed his claws over the dead stone surface of the mesa. "No doubt the Emerraldinians constrructed this place so that it would be impossible to open frrom the surrface."

"Then how do we open it?" Ariel asked.

"Therre's one thing the ponies of Emerraldine and Cylindrrimane werre guarranteed to have," Kepler declared.

Ariel blinked. Then her eyes widened. "Unicorns!"

Kepler looked at the last Desperado. "You kow what to do."

Wildcard nodded, saluted, then flew back towards the cliff's edge in a blur. Fwoooosh!

Rainbow turned towards Twilight. "Could Flynn open the door from the outside, you think?"

Twilight nodded. "I don't know. I'm positively certain I can't."

"Maybe if you concentrate really really hard!" Pinkie squeaked.

"Right..." Twilight sighed, glaring off along the mesa's surface. "Help us, Flynn. You're our only hope."

"Good to know we've got an ace in the hole," Ariel said.

FWOOOOOSH! The Desperado blurred back, depositing a yelping stallion.

"Gaaaaaaaah—!" Flynn fell flat on his chest. "Oomf!"

Wildcard winced and reached an apologetic talon out.

"Eugh..." Flynn stood up with the griffin's help. "Now I-I know what an eagle-struck rabbit feels like..."

"Ha-hah!" Kepler grinned. "Suddenly I'm not quite so alone!"

"So... uhhhh..." Flynn squinted his one good eye at the others. "What exactly did you bring my butt over here for?"

"Flynn, we need your butt to open a door," Ariel said.

"Buh?"

Rainbow pointed ahead. "Pinkie found an entrance. Twilight found a crystalline trigger that's holding it shut."

"Hrmmmm..." Flynn rubbed his chin as his mechanical eye pistoned in and out. "Not sensing any mana-residue in the air... what kind of a crystal is it?"

"Probably best if he felt it for himself," Applejack said.

"Rainbow Dash..." Twilight motioned with her fetlock. "Bring Flynn closer."

"Over here, dude..." Rainbow glided a few feet and touched down so that she was phasing through the lavender unicorn in question. "Twilight?"

She and Rarity pointed through the stone below.

Rainbow gestured, matching their pointing hooves. "Should be around there-ish..."

"Cool," Flynn muttered, trotting towards the spot. "I happen to be quite skilled at working with 'there-ish.'"

"Less sass and more mage class," Ariel said.

"Shhhh!" Kepler insisted, standing beside Wildcard. "Let ourr brrotherr worrk!"

Flynn stood in place. He tilted his horn to the left... then to the right. A pulse of light ran down the narrow extension, then spun its way back up. Holding his breath, he bent over until his brow grazed the stone floor. He closed his good eye, concentrating.

Rainbow, Ariel, and Rainbow's ghostly friends watched in tense silence.

"... ... ... ... ... ..." Flynn's eye reopened. "I got it." Another breath. "Stand back." He licked his lip, tilted his horn ever so slightly upwards, and channeled a bright pale glow through it.

Flash!

Silence.

Ariel looked left and right. "Soooooo..." Her brow furrowed. "What exacly did that—"

RUMMMMMBLE!

"Fart nuggets!" Ariel leaped into the air, hovering with folded limbs. Beneath her, a solid line of glowing red light materialized.

The line turned out to be the lip of a wide, rectangular door. The mouth opened upwards as misty air ventilated into the dim twilight. There was a metallic grinding sound, and soon the door opened in its entirety.

Crkkkk-Hisssssssssss.

A crimson crystal was pulsating from within—the source of the red light. Soon, it faded like a candle... and all was pitch black inside. Rainbow and Wildcard could make out the hint of pale steps—immaculately carved—leading down into the deathly shadows. An eerie roar of untethered echoes wafted up from the questionable depths of the exposed mesa.

Flynn gulped. "You're welcome, I think."

"My starrs and garrterrs..." Kepler grinned through his tusks. "A rrelic of the past! And we arre undoubtedly the firrst to venturre in for an epoch!"

"Not exactly joyful news," Ariel muttered. She turned to look at Rainbow. "What next? Do we draw lots or—?"

Clak-clakka! Wildcard extended Bard's staff, crouched low... and bravely descended into the dark depths to scout it out.

"Hey!" Flynn reached a hoof out. "Dammit, dude. Stop being cool!" He illuminated his horn and made to go after the Desperado—

"No." Rainbow blocked him. "You, Ariel, and the others find a way to get Logan and Seraphimus over here."

"Rainbow!" Ariel shook her head. "But we can't just—"

"I want us all on the mesa," Rainbow said. "The Emeraldinians obviously thought this was a safe, easily-defended spot. So let's take advantage of that as quickly as we can!" She pivoted around and peered down the shadowed flight of stone stairs. "Don't worry about me. I'll be with Wildcard."

As she descended, her ghostly friends helplessly floated after her—tethered.

"Weeeeeee!" Pinkie Pie pumped a hoof in the air. "Blind field trip! Woohooo!"

"Ohhhhhhhhh..." Fluttershy shivered, clinging to Applejack. "Somehow I knew we'd be doing this sooner than later!"

"Dun you worry, sugarcube," Applejack said, holding onto her hat. "Rainbow knows what she's doin'... I think."

Soon, Rainbow was gone, and Flynn stood alone with Kepler and Ariel.

"Well... this is going to be very, very painful," Flynn muttered.

"Have a little faith," Ariel said, frowning. "Rainbow and Wildcard can take care of themselves."

"It's not Darkreach I'm worried about." Flynn turned around with a huff and marched carefully to the mesa's edge. "It's Big Show's fat ass."

A Sanctum of Shadow

"Wildcard...?" Rainbow Dash crept forward, easing down the stairs. The chiseled stone steps were smooth—but also slippery. There was a curious prevalence of moisture inside the hollow chambers of Darkreach, and her hooves slipped more than once. So—with a tense breath—she flapped her wings and proceeded to hover her way down the steep incline. Her ruby pendant shone a lightning-bolt shaped spotlight against dull black walls and metal reinforcement beams. "Wildcard... for realsies. Are you ever going to tell me what freaky-deaky stuff happened to your eyes? Because if you can see your own beak in front of your face while wearing goggles inside a place like this... well... you'll definitely be earning yourself a 'cool-guy' award."

Silence.

Rainbow's eyes darted left and right at the dead stone as she descended. "Wildcard? Yoohooo. Tall, dark, and feathery? Give me a whistle or something, Desperado."

The ruby spotlight shone through a bright yellow face looming directly in front of Rainbow. "He's two stories beneath us already, Rainbow—" Fluttershy said.

"Gaah!" Rainbow jerked back.

Fluttershy winced. "S-sorry...!"

"Guh... stop being such a ghost, Flutters."

"I... I-I can't help it."

"I know I know..." Rainbow squinted as she saw the steps ending at a flat stairwell facing a solid wall. The path then branched left and right, turning around and forming two parallel sets of steps that descended even further into the heart of the mesa. Rainbow slowly spun about and followed the shadowed inclined. Her voice echoed against the looming walls. "If this leads all the way back to Emeraldine through the body of the plane, I'm seriously going to quit everything."

"Heehee!" A pink ghost streaked past Rainbow's peripheral vision as they floated down. "Sounds like a good backup plan to me!"

"Wouldn't we hit the machine layer first?" Fluttershy suggested.

"It doesn't go that deep," Rarity corrected in a serious tone. "Not even remotely." She gestured to Rainbow Dash. "A few more flights down, and then there's a large chamber, Rainbow."

"This can't be the only entrance," Twilight Sparkle said.

Fluttershy looked at her. "What makes you say that?"

Twilight gestured up at the height of the stairwell behind Rainbow Dash. "Can you imagine hauling all of the equipment and supplies from the Light Side down these steps?"

"Perhaps the Emeraldinians were made of strong stuff!" Pinkie suggested.

Twilight shook her head. "I think we just found a side entrance. There must be an even bigger door elsewhere."

"You mean like a freight elevator or something?" Rarity suggested.

"I don't know..." Twilight exhaled, her eyes dancing across the light Rainbow's Element was casting. "I really don't think they could afford to craft something as complex as an elevator in this place."

"Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Pinkie gestured at the spacious stairwell. "Isn't this 'spacious' enough?"

"The walls here are perfectly... impossibly smooth!" Rarity said. "No sign of normal quarry dredging. It must be the work of alicorns."

"Well, alicorns can make elevators!" Pinkie Pie smiled. "Remember the Gondolaaaaaa! That was built at the End of the World!"

"I really don't know how much time Onyxxus actually spent here," Twilight murmured.

"Come to think of it..." Applejack rubbed her scalp beneath her hat. "I really wouldn't mind seein' the Machine World sometime!"

"You saw it past Bleak's Plummet when Rainbow touched the 'Utaan' symbol, darling," Rarity said.

"Ehhhh..." Applejack waved a hoof. "That wasn't the same thang. I wanna take a gander at the deep underground doohickey's y'all saw." She bore a freckled smile. "Reckon it's mighty fancy."

"I don't care how fancy that Urohringr crud is," Rainbow grunted. She reached the bottom of the stairwell and peered into dead darkness. "I just wanna find my friend. Wildcard?!?"

As her voice stopped echoing, Fluttershy streaked into view, pointing past the shadows. "Shine your light over there, Rainbow Dash..."

Rainbow did as she was instructed. At last, she caught something—the glint of Bard's staff... then a set of claws. Dark, glinting feathers framed Wildcard's figure. The Desperado flicked a lion's tail in a lazy attempt to "wave" back at Rainbow... then proceeded to pace across the large space before them, observing every little detail that broke through the shadow.

"Seriously, dude?" Rainbow crept up behind him. "How can you see—?"

Wildcard held the staff out, blocking her. He then pointed at the floor in front of them.

Rainbow and her ghostly friends craned their necks.

Directly in front of the petite pegasus was an array of fallen swords, blades, and polearms. A weapon rack had fallen over from where it once was situated against the nearest wall. If Rainbow had taken another step, she might have cut her fetlock on an exposed blade.

"Okay... I won't question it then." Rainbow gulped. "I'll just be thankful."

Wildcard's goggled gaze quietly scanned the room.

Rainbow had to shine her pendant about to see nearly as well.

In a ruby swath, she exposed more junk that had fallen or been scattered across the floor. Supply crates... lengths of rope... tool boxes and machine parts. At last, she caught a glistening assortment of smooth crystals.

"Hey! Twilight, look!" Pinkie pointed. "Is that the stuff you were sensing?"

"No." Twilight shook her head. "Somewhere in this place there are crystals that are still energized."

"After all this time?" Applejack whistled. "Amazin'..."

"Still... those crystals look like they could still be enchanted." Twilight managed a slight smile. "That's incredibly useful."

"It's... it's such a mess in here!" Rarity squeaked. "Look at everything strewn about so!"

"No bodies," Fluttershy said.

The others looked at her.

She looked back. "Unless... th-there are equine remains much deeper."

Twilight and Pinkie shuddered.

"Let's just..." Rainbow paced forward, shining her light further. "...focus on one detail at a time."

Wildcard wandered over to a wooden table positioned against the wall. There was an assortment of metal slabs—imperfect chunks of ore with obsidian black surfaces. Lying on the table's edge was a set of chisels... along with dark black sediment strewn onto the stone floor. The griffin held one chisel in his claws and glanced back at Rainbow.

Rainbow nodded at her reflection in his goggles. "Guess we know where Kepler's beloved map came from..."

"All things considered..." Twilight gazed at the random junk lying on the floor. "...the place is in amazing condition."

Rarity stared thickly at her. "Really, darling?"

"I mean—yes. It was left in a mess. But there's almost no dust! No cobwebs!"

"I smell mildew," Applejack muttered. "It's far from perfect in here."

"Precisely." Rarity nodded. "There's a lot of moisture in here."

"But... why?" Fluttershy gulped. "It's almost perfectly dry on the outer surface."

"Maybe..." Applejack shrugged. "...there's some spring deep within this mesa?"

"It could explain why they built this place in here!" Pinkie remarked. "I'd like to have my whistle wet if I was guarding the Dark Side!"

"So... the moisture carried up from a well deep inside... and now it's condensing against the walls of this place," Twilight remarked. She nodded. "It's possible, I suppose."

"The tunnels here do run deep," Rarity said, gazing down with a glowing horn. "I shudder to think how far they go..."

"Twilight..." Rainbow spoke out loud, gazing about. "The mana sources you've been sensing. Is there one nearby?"

"Mmmmmmmmm..." Twilight's eyes narrowed. Her horn strobed, and at last she responded: "Yes."

"Where at?"

She pointed a lavender hoof. "At the far wall."

"You mean in this room?" Rainbow remarked.

Wildcard looked over, headcrest arched.

"She's right, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said with a twinge of nervousness. "I'm sensing... a lever of some kind."

"... ... ..." Rainbow pivoted about. She faced the direction Twilight had pointed. With Wildcard following close behind, she skirted the wall... then finally came to a metal panel of alicorn gold welded to the stone surface. Indeed, there was a thick platinum knob with a hoof-shaped indentation. "Hmmmm... earth-pony friendly."

"Them Emeraldinians were considerate!" Applejack stated.

"Hey look!" Pinkie Pie pointed at a circular etching in the gold metal. It illustrated starry spots orbiting a galactic swirl. "What's that mean?"

"A... symbol...?" Rarity blinked. "I doubt it's meant to be artistic."

"Almost looks like a cutie mark..." Twilight remarked.

"Probably Onyxxus'," Rainbow suggested.

Twilight nodded. "That would make sense."

"Uhm..." Fluttershy huddled in close. "A-are you going to pull the lever?"

"Hmmm..." Rainbow Dash firmly gripped the lever. "That would be a good idea."

"Now Rainbow, before you yank that—" Twilight spoke.

"Zoop." Rainbow jerked the bar hard.

Ch-Chtunnng! A loud reverberation rolled through the chamber. Golden lights flickered... strobed... and went black.

Twilight froze in place, grimacing. Her eyes darted around the compartment.

Wildcard looked around in mute curiosity.

Rainbow stood in place, gripping the lever. She looked across the shadows.

"... ... ...you see?" Twilight wheezed. "You never know what your brash actions might—"

"Zoop!" Rainbow jerked the lever again.

CTHUNGGG!

Bzzzzzt-ttt-ttt!

Sparks flew from the flickering light sources... but swiftly died. All was pitch black yet again, although a low hum emanated from the depths of the underground compound below.

Twilight sighed. "Well, there you have it."

"I... don't think there's enough juice," Rainbow muttered.

"But something definitely happened!" Rarity exclaimed. "I sensed something moving just now!"

Pinkie squinted at her. "Moving?"

"It... it couldn't have been something alive," Fluttrshy said with remarkable calmness. "Or else I would have sensed it."

"I... I think it's something mechanical," Rarity said. "Below us... about three stories deep." She looked at the others. "It directly responded to the lever Rainbow was pulling."

"Hmmmmmm..." Applejack tapped her chin. "Reckon it's some sort of generator thingy?"

"Yes. Yes, I believe it is!" Twilight nodded, a smile forming. "I'm sensing residual mana energy flickering from down below! There must be an engine room to Darkreach... some sort of central distribution center for leylines!"

"We've got a batch of crystals in this room," Rainbow said. "Maybe there's still a way to light this place back up."

"If we're to fully explore this place—much less get situated—then that would seem most essential," Rarity said.

"Woohoo!" Pinkie Pie pumped a hoof. "Let's get the Dark Side Slumber Party going!"

"Easy, Pinks." Rainbow turned towards Wildcard. "Hey, dude. We've got some deep magic crud to do. Better hop up and grab Flynn."

Wildcard fidgeted in place, reticent to leave.

"Hey... it's okay..." Rainbow smiled assertively. She rubbed her pendant to intensify the waning, harmonic glow. "I've got the girls with me. I'll be totally safe."

Wildcard still hesitated.

"Look, will you friggin' go and bring our bald wizard down here already?" Rainbow huffed. "Y'know, Bard was big on protecting me too... but even he knew when to keep from being clingy."

Wildcard exhaled. The Desperado managed a brief smirk beneath his beak. He waved with the staff in his grasp, turned tail, and glided back up the stairwell in a murking shadow.

Rainbow stood alone with her ghostly friends orbiting.

"You... uh... reckon it'll be a while before he comes back with Flynn in tow?" Applejack said.

"Hrmmmff... probably," Rainbow said with a nod.

"The wise course of action would be to wait right here until they return," Twilight said.

"Yup!" Rainbow turned around with a devilish smirk and pressed on. "Let's explore some more ruins!"

Pinkie giggled.

Twilight face-hoofed.

Cat Bird's the Word

THUD! Logan landed hard on his front hooves and plummeted flat on his chest. "Ooomf!"

"Guh!" Ariel, Kepler, and Flynn collapsed all at once—with the latter's horn positively shorting out from overspent energy. "Whew...!"

"Cheese and crackers, Big Show..." Ariel hissed, struggling to catch her breath. "...did you eat most of the Gondola since we left the edge?"

"Oh hush!" Logan stumbled to his thick hooves, brushing the dust and sediment off his body. "You didn't wuss out this bad when you took the sleds over!"

"Dude..." Flynn gnashed his teeth. "We carried the sleds over first so we could practice for you!"

Ariel fell onto her backside. Fwoomp! "Why don't we just have Big Show gallop all the way to the Midnight Armory?" She panted, sweating. "That at least would flatten this piece of Urohringr out!"

"Oh hush..." Big Show marched over to where Seraphimus was restrained. "Yakkity-yak all you want. You're gonna beg for my girth when you need it."

Ariel fought the urge to vomit. "There's one thing I didn't need to live to hear."

"I meant for stomping the hell out of our enemies!" Logan gnashed his teeth. "Goddess on a bike, mare, were you foaled in the gutter?"

"I'd take a sewer over this anyday..."

"Frriends... Do not despairr overr the occasional..." Kepler sat up with his glasses hanging crookedly off his sweaty muzzle. "...bout of extrreme exerrtion. Ha-Haaaaaaa..." He winced breathily, rubbing his left wing. "Hrrrrmf... if nothing else, such frrivolous strruggle builds charracterr! Makes us... mrmmmfff... strrongerr..."

"The only thing strong in me is the knot in my neck," Flynn droned. He waved a limp hoof. "Fellow Heraldites... we finished transporting our fat asses across the ravine." His horn fizzled out as he closed his one good eye with a smile. "Until Rainbow Dash needs me... I'm calling it a night."

Fwooooosh! Wildcard landed and hoisted Flynn briskly up to his hooves.

Flynn's muzzle locked into a pained expression. "Oh buck me sideways..."

"Lemme guess..." Ariel smiled at Wildcard. "Rainbow needs him."

Wildcard nodded. He lazily attempted a gesture or two with one talon, then hoisted Flynn—carrying the smaller Heraldite over to where the hatched entrance to Darkreach lay in wait.

"What did he say...?!" Flynn stammered, his mechanical eye whirring. "I wasn't looking!"

"Errrr..." Kepler craned his neck to shout after him: "Something to do with... rrelieving a widowed elephant, I do believe!"

"The buck—?!" Flynn's voice cracked, and he was yanked like a windsock down into the depths of Darkreach.

"Keps...?" Ariel blinked at the wyvern.

"Ach...!" Kepler tossed his claws. "I am a loss to keep trrack anymorre! We must get him an operrational left limb once again!"

"Heh..." Logan fished around the sled Seraphimus was on. "...guess Flynn's gonna be super useful for the time being. Bet he feels like a lucky bastard."

Seraphimus' charcoal eyes narrowed on Logan's motions. "What—pray tell—are you searching for?"

"Wise turkey," Logan slurred, still rummaging. "I'm checking to see if anything's missing."

"Why... ... ...?"

"So I'll know if you confiscated anything while my friends were carrying my fat keister across the canyon."

"Do you honestly believe I am in any position to steal from you?" the griffin droned. "You're more foolish than I thought."

"And you're more of a bitch than I thought. But who's counting? Certainly not Keps. Lucky bastard was born in a sanctuary without females."

"I heard that!" Ariel's voice cracked from afar.

Logan winked at Seraphimus. "She heard that. Not that it matters. Ariel's only Diet Female at best."

"I heard that too!"

Seraphimus grumbled. "The only reason I'd steal anything from your pathetic supplies would be to slit my own throat." She spat. "But—sadly—you don't hold anything that sharp or useful on this wagon."

"See... you're doing it wrong," Logan droned, standing up to check the other sled nearby. "We're in a land of darkness, chaos, and even grimmer-darkness. If you try being that much of an edgelord, you'll just come across as 'average.'"

"Your pathetic attempts at levity are misguided."

"Pffft! Buck you, lady! I'm trying to keep myself sane! We sorta need the bald unicorn, so I can't just kick Flynn's skull in for my own amusement." Logan smirked over his shoulder. "I guess pissing the Hell out of you on a regular basis will have to do."

"The only Show you're Big at is displaying your banal trivialities before an uncaring audience."

"Hah! Nice attempt! See... you'll become tolerable yet." Logan gestured, then turned to face her directly. "However..." He glared with sudden menace. "...you so much as fall back into Miss Murder McShitpants and make a threat to Rainbow Dash... and I promise you... 'suicide' won't be too far away. I'll give it to you gladly at the end of my axe."

Seraphimus raised an eyebrow. "Is that an invitation?"

"A challenge." Logan said. "To see if you wanna last long enough to meet an end you could be proud of... or die at the hooves of a 'pathetic attempt at levity.' Choice is yours..." Logan marched casually back to their supplies. "Soon... we're going to go downstairs for a stay at Camp Darkreach. I want you on your best behavior... or you won't have your best spine. Are we on the same page?"

Seraphimus merely snorted. She glared off past the edge of the mesa. "A book with such a page deserves burning."

"Cute. But you gotta work on your delivery."

"Infidel..."

"Mrmmmf... See what I mean?"

Worth a Thousand Words

Fluttershy turned around from staring up through the ceiling of the large room. "Wildcard's coming back with Flynn," she said. "They'll be here in a few minutes."

"Well then!" Twilight beamed. "Maybe we'll finally turn the lights back on in this place!"

"I know this is rather redundant... but..." Rarity coughed delicately, shivering slightly as she gazed at the detritus exposed under Rainbow's ruby spotlight. "Do we really wish to?"

"We do if we want a lick of sense about what happened in this place!" Applejack declared.

"I'm getting a clear enough picture as it is..." Rainbow Dash said, trotting through the debris-strewn environment.

"No offense, Rainbow..." Twilight gazed lethargically at her. "But how can you logically come to any conclusion in the dark?"

"Just... the little details, egghead," Rainbow droned, shuffling along. The lightning bolt under her chin illuminated tool boxes, empty trays, and a smattering of loose armor plates. "Unless you forget, this isn't the first time I've stumbled upon an abandoned hole in the wall."

"Well?" Pinkie floated closer, batting her eyelashes. "What do your learned senses tell you, oh wise sage Dashie?"

"Seems to me that the ponies who once stood their post here left in a pretty big hurry," Rainbow said.

"Or..." Fluttershy gulped. "...they were attacked?"

"Fluttershy's right." Applejack motioned at the nearby table covered in scattered materials. "This place has 'ransacked' written all over it."

"And yet..." Rainbow shone her pendant around. "No bloodstains. No bodies."

"It could have been centuries, Rainbow," Twilight said. "Plenty of time for scavenging."

Rainbow turned to look at the unicorn. "... ... ...no skeletons?"

Twilight fidgeted in midair.

"Perhaps... they were buried?" Rarity suggested. "The bodies, I mean... before the survivors fled."

"If there were survivors," Pinkie said in a surprisingly grim tone.

"No..." Fluttershy shook her head. "I'm just not sensing enough organic material." She then squinted at Rarity. "Curious, Rarity... you think the Emeraldinians fled this place?"

"Well, take a look around!" Rarity's voice squeaked as she shivered again. "I certainly would!"

"Yuh huh..." Applejack stared at her with bored eyebrows. "Where to, pray tell?"

"Well, back to the Gondola, obviously." Rarity fluffed her mane to punctuate the obvious truth. "It's the fastest way to the Light Side."

"But Rarity..." Fluttershy chewed her bottom lip. "...they'd have to contend with sarosians and mean Rohbreddenites."

"Yeah!" Pinkie nodded. "And don't forget! Mortuana was stuck in Wyvern Point for the past few hundred years! That means the next alicorn to help them—Queen Whitemane—would have been a gazillion miles away!"

"... ... ..." Rarity blinked. "Well... bother. This is quite the contemplative predicament, isn't it?"

"Rainbow..." Twilight looked at their anchor. "In the past—when you came across places like this—how did you know for sure that the location had been utterly abandoned?"

"They weren't," Rainbow said. "And this place is waaaaaaaay different. That's why I'm making that guess."

"Well..." Pinkie rubbed her head. "What are you comparing it to?"

"In the middle of the Grand Choke... right when the ocean began..." Rainbow breathed slowly. "I stumbled upon a Val Roan encampment. An entire expedition died there. I knew because I saw the bodies buried... and the bones..." She shuddered noticeably. "... ... ...and the note from the last survivor begging forgiveness for resorting to cannibalism."

"Okie dokie lokie!" Sweating, Pinkie Pie gazed towards the opposite end of the room. "Why doesn't anypony shut me up anymore?"

"Oh my..." Fluttershy grimaced. "If that's how bad it can get on the Light Side, then how awful can the Dark Side g-get???"

"Oh come now, darling..." Rarity smiled nervously. "It's not all terrible! I mean... this is an Emeraldinian encampment! That's like a little slice of neighborly harmony!"

Fluttershy sighed. "Then what forced the ponies to leave this place?"

Rarity hung her head. After a few seconds of silence, she pricked an ear up. She raised her head with a glowing horn. "Rainbow Dash..."

"Yeah, Rares?"

"Up ahead. Towards the right. In the middle of the wall."

"Yeah...?" Rainbow lifted her neck, shining the ruby spotlight dead ahead. She trudged over loose bric-a-brac and unspent crystals. "What are you sensing, girl?"

"There's... an assortment of stones along the wall," Rarity explained. "Everything else about this room is chiseled to geometric perfection."

"The result of alicorn magic," Twilight said.

"Indeed. But somepony's placed something on the wall."

"Like what?" Rainbow asked, feeling around as she trotted further. "Some sort of symbol?"

"Far more intricate than that, darling." Rarity managed a smile. "If I trust my artistic muse—I daresay it's—"

"A mural!" Applejack gasped.

Sure enough, Rainbow's ruby light was glinting off a multi-colored assortment of hundreds upon thousands of tiny stones delicately arranged along the wall at the end of the room.

Rarity pouted. "Must you steal my thunder, as t'were?"

"Sorry..." Applejack winced. Tilting the brim of her hat, she nodded ahead. "Give it a shine, Rainbow. Let's see what we're lookin' at..."

Rainbow was already rubbing her hoof across the lightning bolt of her pendant. The harmonic energy intensified, brightening until the entire wall was illuminated.

"OooOoooOooOooh...!" Pinkie Pie cooed.

"Oh how pretty..." Fluttershy smiled, her shiny eyes reflecting a brown shape situated in the middle of a verdant green plain with mountains in the distance. "... ... ...what is it?"

"Uhm..." Twilight rubbed her chin. "A structure? A mountain? A city?"

"It's Trixie Lulamoon's hat!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Twilight gave Pinkie a double-take. "Who?"

"Y'know..." Pinkie winked. "Trixie? Remember? From way back when? The Ursa Minor stomped through town and you showed her who was boss?!"

"... ... ... ... ... ..." Twilight blinked hard. "Egads..." She rubbed her horn, wincing. "Yeah, sure, I remember. Just... come on, Pinkie... talk about another time and place—"

"Well, it does resemble a wizard's hat, I suppose," Rarity murmured, squinting at the conical shaped structure. "But that's being quite vague at best. I think Twilight's right. The mosaic is depicting a mountain of some sort... or a city..."

"It's both," Rainbow said in a calm tone. "It's Verdestone."

Applejack's eyes twitched. "That's Verdestone?"

"Eeeyup." Rainbow nodded.

"Oh wow..." Twilight smiled wide, hovering up to the mosaic. "I've read about the faraway capital of Emeraldine in many of the royal history books—but never have I seen an illustration this... this..." She giggled inwardly. "Isn't this amazing?! It's so intricate! And it's ancient too! This... this is like a time capsule to a long lost age!" She gestured. "This is a mental snapshot of what the city looked like when the expedition first arrived here in Darkreach! I wonder what it looks like now..."

"The city surrounding its foundation is a lot bigger," Rainbow Dash said. "And there are a bunch of roads and trade routes connecting to it like a huge web."

"Wowie zowie..." Pinkie looked at her. "You say that like you've seen it in person!"

"That's because I did," Rainbow said with a nod. "It's where I met Whitemane."

"Land's sakes..."

"That must have been an incredible experience," Fluttershy said.

Rainbow shrugged. "I wasn't there too crazy long."

"But you were there, right?" Pinkie leaned forward. "Huh huh huh?"

"Totally. The city's built in levels... rising from the bottom to the top." Rainbow gestured midway up the ginormous cylinder. "That's where I went to shop for an outfit that would hide my wings." She pointed even higher. "There's the gates to the Council where I first met Steelteeth... or was it Steeltooth? Goddess... I hate myself sometimes..."

"Mmmmhmmm. Steel Jaws. Yes. Got it." Rarity drifted forward with a dumb grin. "And where did you run into Her Royal Fabulousness? Hmmm?"

"Whitemane?"

"Do tell!"

Rainbow pointed at the summit. "Right there. The utmost summit. There was a palace built there for the Royal Family—Onyxxus and Whitemane and Mortuana and the like." Rainbow smirked slightly. "From the looks of it... that place must have been super old. It was there when these dudes created this mosaic. Huh... cool."

"How long were you in the palace?"

"Eh... overnight. Slept on a bed. It was nice, I guess."

"You..." Rarity fought the urge to squeaked inwardly. Turning rosy, she chose the softest thing within reach to hug—which turned out to be Fluttershy. "You actually had a princess slumber party during your journey eastward? Squeee!"

"Oh... uh... how dreamly!" Fluttershy stammered. "Rarity, my withers..."

"Yeah. I suppose you could say that."

"Ohhhhhhh it must have been heavenly!" Rarity sighed.

"Dressed in silk? Standing on the cool, windblown balcony?" Rainbow gazed at the mosaic. "Staring out at a countryside dotted with lights... like stars?"

"Reckon it does sound a mite bit relaxin'," Applejack said with a grin. "You deserved no less, sugarcube."

Rainbow exhaled. "I... didn't really care for it."

"Heeheeheee!" Pinkie giggled.

"Why not, darling?" Rarity pouted, sad-faced. "You were experiencing a slice of unmitigated luxury and elgance!"

"I... didn't really enjoy a lot of downtime back in those days," Rainbow said. "Every moment I got a chance to think, it just... r-reminded me of the fact that you gals were gone..." She rubbed one fetlock against the other, pensively.

"Oh Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy turned misty-eyed.

"I'm so sorry," Twilight said in a sincere tone. "I'm sorry that our being gone kept you from enjoying pleasantries..."

"Eh... nothin' for you to be sorry for. I experienced a lot of stuff... I've been to a lot of killer-cool places. I'm proud of it all. Really, I am. But... y'know..." Rainbow turned her back to the mosaic. "...I much rather be here... on the Dark Side... surrounded by confusion and grim shadows..." She finished with a wink. "If it means having you guys with me again."

The ghostly quintet merely smiled at that.

"We're glad to be with you as well, Rainbow Dash," Twilight spoke warmly. "And we're going to help you get back in one piece. Who knows? Hehehe... maybe you can revisit those places again?"

"With a real smile on your face this time!" Pinkie hoof-pumped. "Weeee!"

"Yeah... just maybe," Rainbow said. A beat. She lifted her gaze a few degrees more.

She became aware of Flynn and Wildcard standing just outside the penumbra of her pendant's glow. They were silent until she made eye contact with them.

"You... uh... you done reminiscing with your friends?" Flynn asked.

"Er... yeah..." Rainbow cleared her throat. "Sorry, dudes."

Wildcard shook his head.

"Don't be sorry." Flynn smirked, trotting over to examine an overturned crate of crystals. "If you have the downtime to catch up with them—be our guest. We haven't the heart to stop you."

"To be perfectly honest..." Rainbow fidgeted in place. "...I... didn't really think I was gonna have all this downtime since crossing the edge."

"Yes, well... that's bound to change sooner than later," Flynn muttered, levitating multiple magical reagents off the floor. "What say we get this place lit up so we can properly prepare for the inevitable?"

Wildcard looked at Rainbow.

Rainbow nodded.

Wildcard nodded back.

"You get that crud energized, Flynn," Rainbow said, trotting briskly across the room. "The girls and I will look for a generator room or something."

Pinkie waved a hoof. "Just be on the look out for clever girls!"

"For what?" Rainbow looked back. She ran into a doorframe. Bonk! "Augh! Dang it, Pinkie!"

Hold Onto Your Flanks

Rainbow Dash scampered down a stairwell and took a right turn. Ahead of her, the manacables and metal fasteners flickered along the length of the corridor's low ceiling.

"There, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight Sparkle pointed as Rainbow's friends phased ahead of her. "Forwards and towards the left!"

"I see it!" Rainbow growled, flapping her wings to give herself a little boost. "I know I'm fast, but outrunning pure magic is a tall order!"

"The air's shiftin'," Applejack said. "Do you feel that?"

"We're about to enter an enormous room!" Rarity said. "Slow down, Rainbow! There are lots of randomly jutting objects!"

Rainbow Dash only half-heeded her warning. She galloped through a doorframe and into a great black void. Her ruby pendant caught the edges of numerous metal spokes and gears and manacoils. Grimacing, she scuffled to a stop before she could slice herself on any of the dormant instruments.

"Oh goodness...!" Fluttershy glanced all around. "Did we enter the Machine Layer?"

"Nah..." Rainbow shook her head. "Too deep."

"Besides, the machinery in this room was built by mortal hooves," Rarity said, her ghostly horn glowing. "I've sensed the real thing up on the Light Side. There's a clear difference."

"But..." Pinkie looked at Twilight and Rarity. "Didn't alicorns carve this place up?"

"Reckon they hollowed the mesa out for sure," Applejack said, peering up at the looming metal contraptions. "But everythang else musta been filled in by the folks from Emeraldine." She whistled, her green eyes tracing the lengths of metal levers and pulleys. "Good golly... it's like a convoluted cider makin' machine in this place!"

"I really don't think the Emeraldinians came to Darkreach to produce cider, AJ," Rainbow Dash droned.

Applejack smirked at her. "Bet you wish that they did."

Rainbow Dash sighed long and hard. "Yeah... ... ..."

From the corridors above and behind Rainbow, echoing hoofsteps and voices could be heard.

"Rainbow?! Rainbow Dash?!? Did you find the source?!?"

"Incoming Flynn!" Pinkie chortled.

"And Wildcard's not far behind," Fluttershy said.

Rainbow turned around and hollered through the generator room's entrance. "I'm down here guys! Don't charge in! It's pretty cramped and bulky in here!"

Not long later, a balding unicorn and goggled griffon stumbled to a stop in the doorframe.

"Ah jeez...!" Flynn leaned against a wall, panting for breath. Sweat glistened from the illumination of his horn. "I was worried for a second there, Rainbow..."

"Dudes..." Rainbow smiled crookedly. "It's alright. I've got the girls with me."

Flynn gulped. "Guess I-I keep forgetting that part..."

"Awwwwww..." Rarity smiled at the others. "It's so deliciously sweet how much he cares."

"Give it a sec," Applejack droned. "He'll be droolin' over the ancient machinery soon enough."

"Oh wow..." Stars filled Flynn's good eye as his muzzle dropped and his limp limbs carried him forward. He gazed up, up, up at the towering machinery... his ears drooping in awe. "...so this is the generator room. Look at all that ancient Emeraldinian tech..."

"Cylindrimanian," Rainbow Dash corrected. "Don't forget that, buddy. I've seen this sort of grimy gears'n'tesla coil cereal before." She huffed, pivoting about to gaze lethargically at the dormant metalwork. "It's got New Ring City written all over it."

"Yes, but that was all in present day," Flynn stammered. "Still, must have been no less of a wonder to behold..."

"I dunno. I was too bummed out by the dead foals at the time."

Flynn glanced over. "Dead foals?"

Rainbow Dash heard a pained squeak emanate from Pinkie and Fluttershy.

"Uhhhhhhhh—but enough of that!" Rainbow grinned awkwardly. "What can we do to get the juice running in this place again?"

"Goddess help me..." Flynn rubbed his scalp. "I-I don't even know where to start!"

In the meantime, Wildcard silently shuffled past them. The griffin's tail flicked contemplatively as he peered up into the forest of metal parts... dangling chains... dead-still axels...

Rainbow looked at Flynn. She lightly smacked the stallion upside the head. "Give him light, ya melon fudge!"

"O-oh! Right!" Flynn licked his lips, shone his horn brighter, and stepped right up to Wildcard. "Any sign of a crystalline buffer assembly?"

Wildcard peered and peered across the glaring spotlight. His goggles rattled, and he pointed his one claw up through the mess of machinery.

"What?" Twilight squinted. "What is Wildcard pointing at?"

"I... don't see it..." Flynn squinted. "You sure you've spotted it? Should be full of spent, dormant crytals."

"Rainbow..." Rarity leaned in. "...above the centrifuge, five feet left of the perpendicular gears."

"Uhhhhhhh..." Rainbow spoke into Flynn's ears. "Rarity says 'above the centrifuge, five feet left of the porcupine gears.'"

"I said 'perpendicular', darling—"

"I see it!" Flynn gasped, spotting a giant porous sphere of metal looming beyond the angle of Wildcard's pointed claw. "Wow! It's bigger than I expected!"

"That's what she said!" Pinkie said, then floated backwards as she giggle-snorted.

"Wow." Applejack droned. "Reckon that's a first."

"And it won't be the laaaaaaast!" Pinkie winked.

"Soooooooooo..." Rainbow glanced between Flynn and Wildcard then back up at the suspended sphere. Half of its holes were full of dead, dull crystals. "Is that thingy really the core of the entire generator?"

"I suspect as much. Genius engineering." Flynn smiled. "From the looks of it, the machine is designed to hold ten times as many crystals as is required—most likely to conserve mana while establishing a spherical leyline web of renewable harmonic energies."

"Sooooooooo..." Rainbow glanced at Wildcard who was likewise dumbstruck. "...that means what exactly?"

Flynn sighed, rolling his one good eye. "We stick a few crystal shards into it one at a time like a pincushion until we have enough juice to boot up the generator for a test run."

"Oh..." Rainbow and Wildcard nodded vigorously. "Why didn't you say so?"

"Meh..."

Rainbow gulped. "So... uh... how do we begin?"

"Just two more!" Flynn hollered from below, shining his magic spotlight up through the metalworks.

Rainbow Dash and Wildcard levitated beside the central core's sphere. Rainbow cradled a mess of crystals in her fetlocks while the Desperado reached in with his one talon and slid the final two shards into their respective holes.

"You sure that's enough?!" Rainbow called down. "This thing looks like a porcupine that's been through chemo!"

"Honestly, Rainbow..." Rarity sighed. "What is your obsession with porcupines lately—?"

"No! It's perfect!" Flynn hollered from below. "We don't want to overload the manacircuits! Especially if this thing hasn't been booted up in Goddess-knows-how long!"

Wildcard and Rainbow exchanged glances.

"Sooooo... uh... what now?"

"You'll wanna fly down from there!" Flynn said, casually trotting over to a series of levers and dials embedded in a cylindrical dais. "Assuming this whole place gets moving again, we wouldn't want you both being decapitated by the swinging machinery!"

"!!!" Wildcard dove in a blink.

Rainbow Dash swiftly followed them.

"Okaaaaaaay..." Flynn cracked his neck and flexed his forelimbs. "...moment of truth."

"If you're gonna yank a lever... just yank a lever," Rainbow droned.

"Shhhhhh!" Flynn squinted aside at her with a smug smile. "Please, Rainbow... this is a stuation that calls for professional lever yankage."

Wildcard snorted.

"Oh hush." Flynn stared into the instrument panel. Licking his lips, he aimed his horn at a crystal diode. Flash He illuminated the first one... then another diode two spaces over... and finally he charged mana into a miniature tesla coil.

Whurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

The air hummed with dull electricity.

"Alright..." A shuddering breath, and the Heraldite rubbed his hooves together. "Here goes..." He reached for a lever.

Rainbow and her ghostly friends watched intently.

"Rnnngh!" Flynn yanked.

Grkkkk—vrmmmmmmmmmmm... The chamber around them shook, rattled, and died.

Wildcard raised an eyecrest.

"It's okay." Flynn re-gripped the lever, tightening his muscles. "That's to be expected. Just got... to crank it!" He yanked again.

Grkkk-kkk-kkkk—vrmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

"Oh jeez... oh jeez..." Pinkie hopped and hopped and hopped in midair. "The tensionnn!"

Fluttershy covered her eyes. "Tell me when it's over!" Applejack patted her shoulder.

"Ohhhhhhhh..." Twilight practically drooled through an anticipatory grin. "I can't wait! This is so exciting!"

"Heh heh heh heh heh..." That last voice didn't come from any of the girls.

"... ... ...?" Rainbow Dash stared into the crytals she was cradling.

A hairy muzzle smiled. A sharp fang glinted. "Aaaaaaaaaand boom goes the Dark Side."

Rainbow paled. Her blood ran cold as she looked up at Flynn and Wildcard. With a jolt, she blurted: "No! Wait—"

"Rnnngh!" Flynn cranked one last time.

Rainbow flinched hard, dropping all of the crystals loudly to the floor.

But in the meantime—

VROMMMMMMMMMMM! The entire room lit up with a flash... the settled to a cool blue glow. And as for the machinery above them...

Clkkkk—Clkkkk—Clkkk—Clkk—Clk-Clk-Clk-Clk! THUMMMMMM!

The ancient machinery twirled, spun, and rolled to life. Soon the entire room was purring like a giant metal kitten underground. The core of crystals shimmered elegantly while the grimy gears and axels spun into a smooth blur.

"Ha ha ha!" Flynn hopped up and down. "Now we're talking! Wooo! Looks like we're in business, folks!"

Wildcard, in the meantime, was staring confusedly at Rainbow. He glanced at all of the crystals she had dropped, and then his goggles reflected her breathless face.

Rainbow panted and panted. She looked at the shiny shards—but the chaotic reflection was gone.

"You alright, sugarcube?" Applejack asked. "Things are up and runnin', it seems. Ain't that a good thang?"

"Yeah..." Rainbow Dash shuddered. "Sure it is..."

Speak "Fuzzy" and Enter

"Purring like a kitten..." Flynn dusted his fetlocks off with a smile. He turned from an instrument panel and smiled up at the loftily-placed spherical core fitted with sporadic, glowing crystals. "I estimate it's... running on only twenty-percent normal juice at the moment. Which is good. This thing's likely been inert for a super crazy long time. Best that we 'wake it up' slowly, y'know? The more bouts of manafeedback that we avoid, the better."

Wildcard only nodded.

"Once the entire thing stabilizes, we'll see about shoving more manacrystals in. I mean... sure, it looks like we've got loads to spend through... but it's probably best that we don't count our blessings before they've... they've..." He shrugged. "Well... there's no evidence of birds on the Dark Side. So I'm gonna avoid making an egg analogy."

Wildcard sighed.

"Anywho, what's the next order of business, Rainbow Dash?" Flynn asked. "I'm guessing it's to let the other Heraldites inside and inspect what's left of the facility."

Silence.

Flynn turned around, arching an eyebrow. "Rainbow Dash?"

She stood in place, staring at the reflective surfaces of the generator room.

Wildcard shuffled over and tapped her shoulder with a claw.

"!!!" She jumped in place, hissing through her teeth. "Good! Cool! Fine! Whatever!"

Flynn squinted his natural eye. "Is... everything cool?"

"Yeah. Sure." Rainbow took a shuddering breath. "Just... visions."

Flynn and Wildcard exchanged glances. "Discord?"

Rainbow trotted limply past the two. "Only glimpses. The girls are still here. They're... uh... they're keeping him shielded. Or me shielded. I dunno."

"Should..." Flynn squirmed. "...should we be freaked out?"

Wildcard facepalmed.

"I'll be sure to update you on when it's time to utterly panic," Rainbow Dash said, stepping up to an etched panel in the wall fitted with glowing specks of light. The heart of the mesa hummed loudly around them, echoing further from deep within. "As for now... I wanna count this as our first victory of the Dark Side."

"Damn straight!" Flynn grinned.

Rainbow gulped. "Hopefully it won't be our last..."

Wildcard breathed in and out. His goggles reflected moving machinery and flickering manalights.

"Well..." Flynn slicked back a mane that was hardly there. "There are lots of rooms in this wonderfully carved 'colony.' If we do a thorough search, then maybe we can scrounge up some super useful tools for—"

"Check this out," Rainbow droned, interrupting the stallion. She pointed at the diorama etched into the partially-pit panel in front of her. "This thing right here."

Wildcard and Flynn shuffled up.

"Huh..." Flynn's mechanical eye rotated in and out. "If I didn't know better, I'd say this was—"

"A map," Rainbow Dash said. "A layout of Darkreach."

Wildcard nodded.

"Are... are we sure?" Flynn asked, trying to study the shape of the geometric layout. "It's a bit simpler than I expected—"

"Rarity's confirming for me right now," Rainbow Dash said. She pointed at the rigid lines surrounding the lights. "This is the overall shape of the top floor."

"But just the top?"

"I... think it's simply attempting to outline the power grid," Rainbow said. "But it's definitely the shape of the topmost layer of Darkreach."

Wildcard pointed at a few dark spots along the etched rectangles.

"Some places are unlit," Rainbow added, observing Wildcard's talon.

"Then... if this thing is working correctly..." Flynn leaned his head to the side. "That means some places aren't fully receiving power."

"Do ya..." Rainbow's ears flicked. "Uhhhh... do ya have to shove more crystals in?"

Flynn was alredy shaking his head. "Not a good idea. There's no telling how screwed we'll be if the central manacore overloads. I mean..." Flynn looked at her. "The central engine to this place isn't alicorn tech, but do you really think we can build a new one?"

Rainbow shook her mane. "Cylindrimane is a long... long distance from here. And their cultural society's changed at least once."

"However..." Flynn turned about and scanned the interconnecting manacables with his mechanical eye. "...if I could figure out precisely how the manapower is distributed in this place..."

Wildcard glanced at him curiously.

"Simple, Double-Yoo." Flynn gestured with a hoof. "We can redirect the juice from less important systems and get the top level illuminated completely... well... almost completely."

"Hold up," Rainbow said.

The other two looked over at her.

Rainbow was staring into abject nothingness. "Twilight's giving me a science lecture."

"Buh?"

Rainbow stared... squinted... then nodded. "Cool. Thanks, egghead." She turned to look at the other two Heraldites. "She says there's an instrument panel right..." She pivoted, scanned, then pointed at a series of dials positioned perpendicular to the lit panel. "...there!"

"Hell yeah!" Flynn galloped over, scuffled to a stop, then blinked. "Errr..." He glanced over at Rainbow. "What's it function?"

"Pffffft!" Rainbow rolled her eyes. "You tell me, brainiac! Twilight doesn't know its purpose—only that the manajuice is being funneled through it."

"Ah. Okay..."

"You're the stallion who graduated from Manapunk Academy."

"I am self-taught."

Rainbow face-hoofed. "Oh. Great."

"No, it's a sexy 'self-taught'," Flynn insisted, studying the dials up close. "Hmmmmm... hold up. I think I'm seeing a pattern here." His lensed eye focused on a series of symbols etched above each dial... then up at the lit panel where the corresponding emblems were situated alongside each illustrated compartment. "So... I think each of these funnel power into the various compartments of Darkrreach."

"Can they power up the top room?"

"It's... a bit more convoluted than that," Flynn murmured. "Unless there's another compartment, I think these dials will control the power levels of Darkreach in entire sections."

"You mean multiple floors?"

"Something like that. My guess is that each symbol represents a prearranged section of vertically arranged chambers. If we had more crystals lit, it'd be possible to power up the entire place. As it is, however, we can only provide juice to one portion of the colony at a time."

"And we don't want to overload any of that schnazz right this second."

"Exactly."

Rainbow sighed, taking a step back. "Well... then... uhm..." She shrugged. "Time for a Darkreach spelunking adventure?"

"Lighting up one chamber at a time?"

"That's the idea, yeah."

"Not without the rest of the Herald," Flynn remarked, shaking his head. "I wouldn't suggest it."

"Right." Rainbow nodded, then turned to make a lethargic exit. "I'll go round 'em up, I guess."

Wildcard whistled. The other two looked at him.

The Desperado approached the instrument panel. His goggles reflected a wide rectangle with two dull diodes. He gestured at it.

"Yeah, we just went through that room," Flynn said. "The one with the mosaic... mural... thingy..."

"No..." Rainbow squinted and shook her head. "That's not the room with the Verdestone mosaic."

"It's not?"

"It's not shaped the same way," Rainbow said. "And Rarity concurs." She pointed. "This is a different large room... one we haven't been through."

"How could we miss it?"

"Dude, it was darker than Luna poop when we first entered this place. I'm sure there are lots of crud on the first floor that we've missed."

Wildcard shook his head. He pointed again at the large rectangular on the panel.

Rainbow cocked her head to the side, squinting.

The topmost horizontal line of the rectangle was fainter than the rest. "Huh... there are two empty diodes. I'm guessing they could be lit up?"

"Most likely," Flynn said. "And corresponding to manacircuitry."

"So... basically... that large room is not lit up right now?"

"Correct."

"But two diodes—one must represent manalights. But what's the other for?"

"I..." Flynn looked at Wildcard, then back at Rainbow Dash. "I don't know."

Rainbow's ear flicked. She glanced at the ear beside her. "For realsies, Rares?"

"What does your friend sense?"

Rainbow smirked. "Cool beans." She looked at Flynn. "I know how to get the rest of the Herald inside."

"You mean we're not using the stairwell?"

"Pfft. Stairs are for noobs." Rainbow pointed at the unlit rectangle. "Juice that baby up. I'll be there in a jiff." SWOOOSH!

"Big Show!" Ariel shouted, pouting. "Cut it out!"

"I'm just saying...!" Logan leaned back against the supply shed with a casual smirk. "...she's got lots of muscle on her! All we need is a big enough oven and then we can easily feed two Herald per drumstick!"

"Eughhhh..." Ariel shook her head, tail flicking. "...I can't believe this place is corrupting us already."

Seraphimus droned: "I welcome any death... including something as pathetic as cannibalism."

"See?!" Logan gestured. "She's into it!"

"I no longer know which of you two is worse," Ariel droned.

"Granted..." Logan scratched his chin as he glanced over at the bound griffin. "...lack of fear will make the meat juices less succulent."

"Mrrmmmfff..." Kepler adjusted his spectacles. "This is not what I wanted to put in my memoirrs."

Logan glanced at him. "You're writing memoirs???"

Before the wyvern could respond...

CRKKKKK!

The mesa beneath them shook.

"Ackies!" Ariel took off, flying and trembling in midair. "Earthquake!"

"No!" Logan pointed. "Look!"

"My starrs!"

A solid line of glowing red light materialized. Then—with mechanical grace—a ginormous "lid" tilted up, lifting and opening. It was easily ten times the size of the first hatch in the roof of the mesa that had been accessed to reveal the stairwell. Peering down, the group saw a shallow ramp leading to a large "hangar" of sorts built into the upper crust of the mesa. There was a smattering of loose crates and age-old abandoned junk. But—hovering in the center—was a lively, blue sight. Rainbow Dash flew up and into the open air of twilight.

"Hi, welcome to Darkreach." She smiled at the group. "We don't have sandwiches here, but we can pretend." A wink. "Right?"

Get That "Exploration" Achievement

Logan, Ariel, and Kepler finished dragging the two sleds down into the upper hangar of Darkreach. The faint twilight of the outer world was swiftly drowned out by a bright array of buzzing red lights filling the spacious chamber below. Metal equipment, Cylindrimanian tech, and random other pieces of junk lined the otherwise vacant compartment.

"Well... I must admit..." Kepler finished dragging Seraphimus' sled in with Ariel's help. He stood up and dusted his claws and wings off with a tusked smile. "This makes a grreat deal morre sense! I suspect you have unveiled the main entrrance to this domain, Rrainbow One!"

"Not by myself, I didn't," Rainbow shook her head as she finished dragging the equipment sled in with Logan. "Flynn gets most of the credit, although we'd be nowhere without Wildcard's senses and the girls'."

"Does this mean everything's lit up in this place?" Ariel asked. A slight shudder. "I wouldn't want to be stuck in a darker-than-dark place in the middle of nowhere."

"Flynn says we should boot up the manasystems slowly," Rainbow said. "Or else we could overload the central power core or some crud." She pointed at the massive gears locked in place and holding the large hatch above the ramp open. "Right now, about seventy percent of the juice is being used to open this baby."

"So... we gotta redirect the energy right after closing up?" Logan asked.

Rainbow nodded. "Something like that."

Logan exhaled. "I can dig it."

"Prrobably forr the best that we close this hatch at all times that we do not need it," Kepler said, observing the continuous hum of manacircuitry illuminating the place in a crimson glow. "This is a larrge, well-arrmorred doorr. No doubt the Emerraldinians felt it necessarry to shield themselves frrom something."

"Like what?" Ariel asked.

"Hrrmfff..." Seraphimus muttered, low on sleep and functioning vocal chords. "It's your own damned fault that the wendigoes are out and about."

"Hah!" Logan grinned. "Are you for real? Even after all this time?! The Edge of the World?! The day-less trek through Cragville?!" He stood before the bound griffin, gesturing wildly. "And now this nosedive into the throat of a lone mesa drowning in twilight?! Still you deny where we all are, toots?"

Seraphimus glared at him. "Do not call me 'toots.'"

"Heh..." Logan leaned back. "Poor turkey. I think you've drained all your brain matter into a lonely throbbing bitch gland."

"Don't get too close to her, Big Show," Flynn said, trotting into the hangar from a side entrance. "She's liable to bite off your only remaining inch of pride."

"What if I'm into that, Baldy?"

"Eugh... Goddess help us all."

Ariel waved. "Hi, Flynn!" She waved again. "Hiya, Wildcard! How are you holding up?"

Wildcard—distracted—bumped into a random support beam. THWUMP! His goggles rattled, and—with a hissing sound—the griffon spun about and punched his one talon repeatedly into the column. A few seething seconds later... he calmed... then waved his claws from side to side.

Wincing, Ariel turned to look at the others. "Okaaaaaaaay... guess we found shelter right in the nick of time."

"I can't sleep," Rainbow said. "Not yet. Not until we've mapped this place out more."

"I whole-hearrtedly concurr!" Kepler said. "We must make a surrvey of Darrkrreach as soon as possible! Ascerrtain the tools we can salvage frrom this sanctuarry's hallowed halls!"

"Don't get on your knees and worship this place yet, Keps," Flynn muttered. "The lower floors are pretty ransacked. Whoever left this place may have taken everything with them."

"So..." Ariel squinted. "...it is completely abandoned?"

Wildcard nodded.

"Looks like it," Rainbow said. "Plus, Fluttershy's not sensing anything... or anyone."

"Still..." Kepler cleared his throat. "We have an entirre plane of chaos ahead of us... and I suspect this is the one and only place that will be even rremotely hospitable."

"Four eyes is right," Logan said. "I say we start gutting immediately." He gestured behind him. "How about getting this tin can shut?"

"Will do!" Flynn said, looking at Rainbow. "And then—if you want—I can go about powering up the whole of Darkreach in sections. We can explore each of them in quadrants."

Rainbow nodded. "Until we're able to power up the entire place?"

"Precisely."

"Well then..." Rainbow cracked her neck muscles and flew forward. "Let's get to work."

Bodies huddled in a dark room.

Flynn's voice echoed from a distant corridor far below.

"Central quadrant...!"

"Just crank it, Baldy!" Logan shouted.

Cht-Chtunnnnnng!

The dim red lights flanking the room flickered from crimson to bright gold.

Seraphimus squinted. Released from the sled, the exhausted, bruised griffin was heavily chained to a series of pipes in the far... far corner of the large room.

The rest of the Herald flinched as the chamber lit up like noonday. They saw benches... strewn equipment... and a grand mosaic of Verdestone on the far wall.

"Ooooooh!" Ariel cooed, smiling. "Pretty!"

"My starrs and garrterrs!" Kepler beamed. "Is that... Verdestone?"

"Uh huh." Rainbow Dash flew down the length of the room. "But now's not the time. Focus, everypony. We only have a small window of time to scour this room before Flynn's gotta juice up another compartment."

"Right! On it!" Ariel dove towards a pile of debris and began shifting through it. "Still... this room's so highly decorated. What do you think it was for?"

"Meeting? Rrecrreation?" Kepler suggested, examining random bric-a-brac along a table. "Perrhaps a commissarry?"

"Ohhhhhhhh lawd..." Logan sighed, turning over a large crate. Thud! "I wonder if this place still has a kitchen intact."

"Maybe—but anything we find in there has got to be over centuries old." Ariel grimaced from afar. "You really wanna munch on something that old?"

Logan smirked. "Can't be any worse than stuff I've eaten before."

Seraphimus groaned. "Verlaxion... finish me now..."

"I said focus, ponies!"

With a loud rattle, Wildcard yanked a slender metal object from a pile of dusty junk. He held the thing up victoriously, glancing at the others.

"Whoah..." Logan squinted from a distance. "...the Hell is that thing?"

"It looks manapowerred," Kepler said, adjusting his glasses. "Cylindrrimanian technology, no doubt."

"Yeah... but what's it for?" Rainbow asked.

"Hey..." Ariel pointed in Wildcard's direction. "Is that a trigger?"

"... ... ...?" Wildcard turned the object around. Indeed, he saw a glinting metal nozzle. He balanced the neck of the thing on his left stub and dug a right claw into the instrument. Whurrrrrrr—THUNTT!

The cylinder jolted like a potato cannon, and a grappling hook was violently launched across the chamber. CLANKKK! It embedded into the pipework just inches above Seraphimus' feathery skull.

Wildcard and Rainbow Dash winced. "Okaaaaaaay..." Rainbow cleared her throat. "New rule... no more touching weird things without thinking."

"Got it," Ariel said with a nod.

Seraphimus sighed. "Infidels..." She slinked away from where the metal hook was embedded. "...now they're just teasing me."

"I fearr that therre isn't much to find in herre, Rrainbow One," Kepler said.

"I agree." Rainbow flew off towards an adjacent corridor. "I'm telling Flynn to juice up the next section."

"Lateral quadrant...!" Flynn's voice shouted.

Bzzzzz-bzzzzzt!

A long, narrow corridor flickered to life with bright, gold light.

Rainbow Dash and Ariel stood side by side, staring down at an array of narrow doorways yawning open with concrete frames. Dust and grime materialized under the harmonic illumination.

"How quaint," Ariel muttered.

"Quickly..." Rainbow started trotting down the long thin hall, glancing into every room. "...let's do a quick scan."

"What do you see?" Ariel asked, catching up and craning her neck.

"I think..." Rainbow's ruby eyes reflected bunk beds, cabinets, and loose garments. "...this is the living quarters."

"No kidding?" Ariel glanced into each claustrophobic compartment, observing household items like brushes and horseshoes strewn about. "Kinda looks like a college dorm."

"Really? So you've been to Kihutaja?"

"Huh? You mean the Colonial Islands?"

Rainbow sighed, shaking her head. "Never mind—" She suddenly jolted in place, staring into one particular compartment. "Whoah boyoooooo..."

"What is it?" Ariel peered in with her. "Guh!" She grimaced. "Talk about cruddy..."

"Yeah!" Rainbow smirked, gesturing into a compartment the same size as all the previous living quarters—only this one possessed a single bed floating atop a glorious pile of metal junk and inside-out mechanisms. "But it's nifty crud!"

"Is it?" Ariel looked disdainfully at oil-stained gears and manacrystal casings. "Is it really?" A sigh. "Maybe we should bring Flynn or Keps in here to take a gander."

"Curious..." Rainbow gingerly shoved a few rattling tools aside, uncovering even more gearworks. "...all of the other rooms are filled with bunkbeds. But here? We've got one cot and what looks like an unkempt garage. What's the deal? What makes this room so special that it stands out from the others?"

"Whyyyyyyyyy so many questions?"

"Honestly, girl..." Rainbow gazed at her with a sly smirk. "...is this your first visit to a derelict abandoned station?"

"In Rohbredden I... uh... stumbled upon many a... ... ... ... ... snow hut."

"Riiiiiight."

"Pffft. At least pay attention to what you're rummaging through." Ariel pointed at the only part of the wall not covered with hanging tools. "For instance, what's that?"

"Hmmm?" Rainbow blinked at a crookedly-framed illustration of an industrial landscape.

"These Emeraldinians sure were homesick," Ariel remarked. "Still..." A shudder. "...I like the mural of Verdestone in the other room waaaaaaaay better."

"Mosaic."

"Huh?"

Rainbow ignored her for a brief moment, her ruby eyes trailing the circular shapes of large "holes" dotting the heart of the painted cityscape. "...New Ring City. No..." She smirked. "Old Ring City."

"Isn't that the name of—"

"—a place in Darkstine. Right." Rainbow trotted in a circle, taking the entirety of the junk-filled room in. "I believe these quarters belonged to a Cylindrimanian."

"You sure?"

"Pretty sure—" Rainbow stubbed her fetlock on something. Thunk! "Augh! Luna's Nipple!" She hopped in place, hissing. A few seconds later: "... ... ...yeah yeah, I'm sorry, Twilight."

"What did you run into?"

"I dunno." Rainbow hopped and hopped. "Something stupid."

"Here..." Ariel squatted low and picked up the item in question. "...let's take a closer look."

The rectangular object immediately flickered with dull red light, causing Ariel to drop it with a slight shriek.

"Shhh!" Rainbow finished flinching. "Calm down."

"It... it's mana-powered!" Ariel gulped. "Whatever it is."

"Huh..." Rainbow reached down to pick up the large, rectangular object. Again, it glowed with a faint red light upon her grasping it. "Must be some pretty wicked tech to still have some juice after all this time." She pivoted it to the side. A series of cables dangled loosely from an open compartment. "Weird... is it some kind of battery?"

Ariel eyed a slender handle along the top of the thing. "... ... ...looks like a briefcase to me."

"A briefcase?" Rainbow turned the thing over, causing the cables to pivot and sway. "Pffft... no lid. Nothing to open it up with." She pivoted it some more, exposing a small hole. "Hey—looks like a crystal housing chamber."

"Look..." Ariel pointed at the side of the device. "Are those... letters?"

Rainbow squinted. "'C'... ... ... 'A'... ... ...'I'... ... ...'" she began reading.

"Hey! Gals!" Logan's voice hollered from somewhere beyond the hallway outside. "Double-Yoo found something super important looking! Come and have a look!"

"Ahem..." Rainbow craned her neck and shouted back: "Is Flynn ready to switch power again?"

"Do I care?"

Ariel rolled her eyes. She smiled at Rainbow Dash. "Do we wanna poke around here a bit more?"

Rainbow looked at her, at the "briefcase," then at her again. "Nah." She tucked the thing under her left wing and trotted out... cables dragging behind her. "Let's get to the meaty bits later."

"Okay, Flynn," Rainbow Dash muttered. She stared across yet another spacious chamber. "Hit it."

This time, the bald stallion was within earshot. He stood beside the entrance to the room and cranked a lever. Cht-Chtunnng!

Gold light flickered to life, illuminating a room filled with instrument panels and crystalline stations. In the center there stood a massive table with a dull black surface comprised of countless rusted metal pins.

"Okay..." Logan was the first to huff. "... ... ...what the buck?"

"Just as I thought..." Flynn smirked, trotting away from the lever as he gaped at all the blinking, flickering lights. "...that explains why I was able to power this place up from here."

"Care to fill us in, baldy?"

Flynn gestured with a hoof. "This must be the master control room... the operational hub of Darkreach."

"Hey! Cool!" Ariel smiled proudly. "Score."

Rainbow Dash was shaking the rectangular object she pilfered from the sleeping quarters. After hearing a slight rattle, she shrugged, then casually tossed the piece of junk to the ground behind her. Cl-Clunk! "Soooooo..." Dusting off her hooves, Rainbow stared at the table before them. "The heck is this thing? A tetanus baptismal pool?"

"Surrely therre is a deeperr purrpose to it," Kepler said.

"That's what I'm intending to find out. Aaaaaand..." Flynn approached a series of dials and swiftly turned them. "...if I am correct."

Vrmmmmmmmmmm!

A loud hum emanated from the metallic table in the center of the control room, causing Ariel and Wildcard to guard themselves. The air crackled with electrical energy, and the group watched as hundreds upon hundreds of metal needles lifted up from the base of the table. They rose at different heights... forming a pattern... then ultimately a geographical silhoutte. It didn't take long for the Herald to realize they were staring at a three-dimensional model of the mesa and the surrounding ravine—comprised entirely out of magnetically raised pins.

"Ta-daaaaaaa...!" Flynn folded his forelimbs and smiled proudly at the group. "Fillies and gentlecolts, I present you a map."

Wildcard whistled.

"Whoahhhhh..." Ariel blinked.

"That's nice and all," Rainbow said. She turned to smile at Flynn. "But will it blend?"

Logan snickered.

Flynn rolled his good eye and droned, "I think this is pretty significant. It's giving us a pretty accurate picture of the surrounding landscape."

"No kidding." Rainbow rubbed the back of her head. "Maaaaaaaaaaaaybeeeeeeee... it can show us further long to where we need to go?"

"That's what I'm hoping."

"But..." Ariel squinted at the others. "...just how far did the Emeraldinians of Darkreach go? And did they actually map out any of that stuff?"

"Only one way to find out."

"Guess you'll need this place juiced up for quite a while, huh?" Rainbow asked.

Flynn said, "This looks to be the central planning and management area of the entire facility. I'm hoping that any secrets about the whereabouts of the colonists can be figured out here."

"Then you must obserrve the inforrmation storred herre with grreat scrrutiny, brrotherr," Kepler said.

"And I would love to have your help with that, Keps," Flynn said. "Above all else... we must be careful and delicate with all of the instruments here." He shrugged. "Who knows how faulty some of this tech can be?"

"Hey..." Logan lumbered forward, reaching his hoof towards a faintly glowing diode. "What's this thingy do?"

Flynn winced hard. "Dude! Hold up—!"

Too late. Logan pressed the thing.

But then...

FL-FLASH!!! Six separate beams of light shot inward from previously-concealed emitters. The entire table glowed... and an image danced and flickered in the center of the room. Layer by layer, the skull of a pony materialized in three dimensions above the metallic map of the mesa. The cranium acquired an ink black coat and a midnight mane. Deep, wise eyes pooled into being and a muzzle full of immaculate teeth opened in sync with a deep bass voice crackling forth from unseen speakers:

"—scrkkkkkk—forth with the blessings of Harmony, foals of Emeraldine. Our weary eyes rest upon the—scrkkkkkkkk—" The sagely stallion's face rippled with static, rematerialized, and repeated the fragmented message. "—scrkkkkkk—forth with the blessings of Harmony, foals of Emeraldine. Our weary eyes rest upon the—scrkkkkkkkk—"

As the face rippled again, Ariel hovered closer to it... muzzle agape. "A... a hologram...?"

Flynn nodded, dumbstruck. "Apparently..."

"But..." Rainbow Dash squinted. "...who is it?"

"Beats me," Logan exhaled. "Look at his teeth!"

"Big Show..."

"With chompers like that, he's gotta be royalty!"

"Onyxxus..."

The group looked over at Kepler.

Kepler took a deep breath. "The late patrriarrch of ourr beloved Mountain Matrron..." The wyvern bowed with quiet reverance. "...I feel it in my hearrt. This is Morrtuana's fatherr..."

Wildcard stared thoughtfully at Kepler, then at the infinitely repeating hologram.

"Huh..." Rainbow slicked her short bangs back, gazing at the hologram. "...neato."

Dashie, Our Only Hope

—forth with the blessings of Harmony, foals of Emeraldine. Our weary eyes rest upon the—scrkkkkkkkk—forth with the blessings of Harmony, foals of Emeraldine. Our weary eyes rest upon the—scrkkkkkkkk—"

"So..." Pinkie Pie's eyes narrowed. "That's Onyxxus, huh?"

Twilight Sparkle hovered next to her and Rainbow Dash. "That would seem to be the case."

"Seems to have a goldfish memory, doesn't he?"

Twilight glared aside. "It's the recording, Pinkie. The message is obviously stuck."

"Oh. I knew that. Heehee."

"Isn't it incredible?" Fluttershy cooed. "An actual honest-to-goddess alicorn..."

Applejack squinted aside. "Didn't y'all get a chance to see Mortuana while she was still alive?"

"I know. But it doesn't make this any less amazing," Fluttershy said. She cocked her head aside, staring at the hologram from a different angle. "Once upon a time, we only knew about two alicorns: Celestia and Luna. But bearing witness to others? I don't know about you, but I find it to be an amazing experience."

"Look at his mane!" Rarity stammered. "I know it's just a holographic projection, but observe how it shimmers in the light despite being such a dark color!" She sighed dreamily. "Must have been so silky and smoothe... quite remarkable for a stallion!"

"That's right!" Fluttershy breathed. "He is a stallion! This is the first alicorn stallion we've ever seen!"

Applejack spoke, "Y'all do realize that this feller-a-corn you've been fawnin' over has been dead for untold centuries...?"

"Applejack, darling, don't be so quick to rebuke." Rarity upturned her nose. "We are allowed to acknowledge beauty in all its forms. No doubt the regal gentlecolt was the paragon of virtue and inspiration while he was still alive."

"If you ask me, he's kinda edgy-looking," Pinkie Pie droned.

Rarity sighed. "Goddess help me... I wonder if I will be regarded so bluntly long after I've perished."

"Who knows... with somepony like Pinkie Pie still around..." Applejack smirked.

Clearing her throat, Ariel floated closer to Rainbow Dash. "Do you... uh... do you have an assessment yet or are you waiting on your friends to finish deliberating?"

"You know me too well," Rainbow muttered. "They're busy being ponies."

"Hey!" Pinkie pouted. "I resemble that remark!" A blink. "Wait..."

"Yo! Herald!" Rainbow spoke across the Emeraldinian Command Room. "Any thoughts?"

Logan, Kepler, Wildcard, and Flynn pondered while the translucent alicorn portrait continued to repeat itself: "—scrkkkkkk—forth with the blessings of Harmony, foals of Emeraldine. Our weary eyes rest upon the—scrkkkkkkkk—forth with the blessings of Harmony, foals of Emeraldine. Our weary eyes rest upon the—scrkkkkkkkk—"

"Well, he... uh..." Logan shifted where he stood. "...he sounds like a monarch, alright."

Flynn face-hoofed. "You could at least comment on his intent, lardo."

"Well let's hear you come up with something smart, baldy!"

"If you ask me..." Flynn rubbed his chin in thought. "He's addressing the colonists of the Darkreach Expedition."

"Obviously," Logan said.

Flynn rolled his eyes and continued: "But it sounds like he's saying something commemorative. It's... not something I would expect to be stored within Darkreach's crystalline memory banks."

"How do you mean?" Ariel asked.

"Think about it." Flynn looked at the others while the portrait kept speaking, distorting, and re-speaking. "Onyxxus still had duties to attend to back in Emeraldine. It's likely that he produced this message from the heights of Verdestone."

"Not prrecisely," Kepler said.

Flynn looked over. "Hmmm?"

The wyvern slapped his claws against the nearest wall. "It's rratherr obvious that alicorrn magic carrved Darrkrreach frrom the hearrt of this mesa. I suspect Onyxxus paid at least one visit to this domain. He could verry well have given this speech as a farrewell addrress..."

"Beforrrrrrrrrrrre making his way back to the Light Side," Ariel droned.

"Exactly."

"So he's wishing the poor bastards here 'good luck,'" Logan remarked. "Cool. Got it. What now?"

"Not so fast..." Flynn waved a hoof. "I still don't get why this is the first thing we uncover as soon as we boot this system up."

"Well, this message was stored in the 'crystalline database' thingy housed here in Darkreach, right?" Rainbow remarked.

"Yeah..."

"Well, it's been offline for Celestia-knows how long." Rainbow blinked. "Maybe—in throwing the switch—we've inadvertently brought the system back to square one?" She looked at the others. "There could be more messages. There could be more to this message. We just don't know because we're only scraping the surface."

Ariel's eyes squinted. "Is there a way to find out more?" She waved at the hologram. "First off—to figure out everything that Onyxxus said?"

"I... suspect that providing more power to the main core could help out," Flynn said. "I had been hoping to do that gradually—for fear of overloading the system."

"Make it your main priority," Rainbow Dash said. "Because if these dudes actually left messages for us to uncover then I sure as heck want to access the full bulk of them." She waved a hoof at the map of the mesa made out of magnetically-raised pins. "Gathering as much information about the Dark Side would be super... super awesome."

Flynn took a deep breath. "I'll need to hop back down to the generator room... slide more crystals into the core. However, I'm going to have to do it slowly... one at a time... or else I might inadvertently cause a blackout—which would lead to permanent data loss."

"I shall happily assist you, brrotherr," Kepler said. "Jourrney orr no jourrney, I would love to hearr morre frrom the wise muzzle of Morrtuana's patrriarrch."

"You guys do that," Rainbow said. "I'm assuming that—in powering up the rest of the core—you'll be restoring lighting to the rest of the settlement?"

"Presumably."

"Good. Ariel, Big Show and I can continue searching the compound." Rainbow Dash turned tail and marched out of the room. "Let's get every square inch of this place covered, dudes! I wanna know all that there is to know!"

"Wowie, Dashie!" Pinkie grinned wide as she and the other ghostly mares accompanied her. "You really take disembodied holographic heads in stride!"

"Wouldn't be my first time," Rainbow droned, navigating a concrete hallway. "I encountered something similar with Commander Hurricane back in Stratopolis."

"Stratopolis?" Rarity pronounced.

"Yeah. One of the two Sentinels said to accompany this piece of Urohringr," Rainbow Dash said. "Funny how a single message from the past can shed so much light on a crazy-flank situation in the present."

Pinkie Pie droned: "Only a precise hit will set off a chain reaction."

"... ... ... ... ...huh?"

"Heehee! Let's go spelunking!"

Rainbow sighed, shaking her head in mid-trot. "Never a dull moment."

Mobile Awesome Spectral Horse

"—forth with the blessings of Harmony, foals of Emeraldine. Our weary eyes rest upon the—scrkkkkkkkk—forth with the blessings of Harmony, foals of Emeraldine. Our weary eyes rest upon the—scrkkkkkkkk—forth with the blessings of Harmony, foals of Emeraldine. Our weary eyes rest upon the—scrkkkkkkkk—"

"You know..." Twilight Sparkle scratched her chin, squinting at the translucent face of Onyxxus being broadcasted against a wall between adjacent doorframes. "...I'm a bit surprised he doesn't have an accent."

Pinkie and Rarity looked over Rainbow's body while their anchor rummaged through a pile of debris. "An accent?" Above them, manalights flickered to life one after another as Flynn continued powering up the entirety of Darkreach.

"Yes!" Twilight nodded. "Or a different language entirely!" She gestured at the alicorn image. "This was recorded... what... countless centuries ago. Even Old Equestrian Basic had several different modifiers, spellings, and verbage in the days of the Neo Classical Era."

"But these fellers were Emeraldinians," Applejack said.

"I don't see how that makes it any different, Applejack," Twilight said with a slight frown. "Language is language... a highly evolving and naturally malleable thing. It... it just doesn't make sense for a culture to speak in the same way for the better portion of a thousand years!"

"Maybe the history books are wrong!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Pfffffft!" Twilight nearly spat her tongue out. "The Royal Archives of Canterlot are anything but wrong."

"Live and learn, egghead." Rainbow Dash sat up with an object in her hooves. It was metal, slender, and housed a narrow central chamber. "By the time we're done with the Dark Side, I'm betting you'll find that almost all of the 'history books' are wrong to some degree."

"What did you find there, Dashie?" Pinkie asked.

"Mmmmm..." Rainbow pivoted away from the repeating hologram so her response could be better heard. "I've been through enough warring countries to recognize a crossbow when I see one."

"Even one that's so glossy and streamlined?" Applejack smirked and tilted her hat back. "Reckon you found yerself a space crossbow!"

Pinkie Pie giggled.

"Thing is..." Rainbow looked at the concrete corridor she was in. "...this doesn't look like the armory. I wonder if it was just left here by accident and... there could be more elsewhere in this place."

"Could be a mite bit useful, sugarcube."

"I... I-I'm not sensing an armory," Rarity said.

"Could you try and 'feel around' for a room that has more of this thing?" Rainbow asked her.

Rarity whimpered slightly. "I don't know... but I will certainly try, darling." She pressed two hooves to her pale forehead and clenched her eyelids shut. "Crossbow... powers... a-activate!"

"Maybe this is a discovery to bring to the others," Twilight said.

"Right." Rainbow balanced the weapon on her back and briskly trotted up the nearby stairs. More lights came to life as she ascended. "Hopefully they found more useful things than I did."

Wildcard whistled.

Ariel and Logan spun about from where they stood before the grand Verdestone mosaic of the common room. The flickering face of Onyxxus loomed above them, speaking on repeat.

"What is it, boy?" Logan grinned at the three limb'd griffin. "What did you find?" Ariel's hoof swatted his big forehead, but he didn't stop grinning like an idiot.

Exhaling, Wildcard crossed the distance between them, dragging a large metal crate with his tail. With a breathy grunt, the Desperado swung the container so that it slid to a stop between the other two Heraldites.

"Nuts," Logan droned. "Metal nuts."

"Whoah! Wildcard!" Hovering, Ariel reached down and dragged her hooves through a mess of metal bits, levers, bolts, and rods. "It's like a metal junkie's wet dream!" She looked at him. "Was this the only one that you found?"

Wildcard shook his head. He held all five talons out, then clenched and unclenched his fist four times.

"Wow! Talk about the motherload!" Ariel grinned from ear to ear. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Wildcard smirked. He looked towards Logan. With his one talon, he smothed his headcrest back and mimicked a horn coming out of his forehead.

"You really think Flynn can make you something out of this?" Logan raised an eyebrow. "We're already overworking the bugger as it is."

"Pffft... Big Show..." Ariel swatted the stallion with her tail. "For Wildcard, Flynn would do anything... even turn a box of nuts and bolts into a new prosthetic."

"Hrmmmf... wish he loved me nearly half as much," Big Show muttered, polishing off a golden sphere he had found. "I sure could use a refrigerator."

"Harrk!" Kepler shuffled briskly into the room, grasping a slender golden object in his claws. "Look, brrotherrs! Sisterr! Gaze upon that which I have acquirred!"

"Keps, Big Show already found a spear," Ariel remarked.

"Oh ye of little ingenuity!" Kepler gestured. "Obserrve!" He then twirled the object in his grasp and proceeded to scrap the small of his hairy backside. "Mmmmmmmmm... ha-hah! Most heavenly indeed!"

Wildcard gave a thumb's up.

"Heh..." Ariel rolled her eyes. "We're all glad for you, Keps."

"Dude... a backscratcher?" Logan grinned at the wyvern. "Why not just use your scorpion tail? You were born with a natural one!"

Kepler gave him a shocked expression, his spectacles nearly falling off. "You darre suggest that I would stoop to being so barrbarric?!" He gestured. "How about you prrocurre the harrdened mucus frrom yourr nostrrils with yourr prrehensile limb!"

Logan and Ariel chuckled. Wildcard smirked.

Then... from the far end of the room:

"What... am I even looking at?"

The Heraldites looked over.

Seraphimus sat with a dumbstruck expression. Handcuffed to pipework, she kept her twitching hawkeyes glued to the holographic image of Onyxxus on repeat.

"Silly bird," Ariel hummed. "They don't have stuff like that back in Rohbredden, do they?" She placed metal bits back in Wildcard's box and yawned. "Oh well. Just have to chalk it off to 'infidels' and 'Blight' and whatever."

"There... are no ponies like that in any of the prefectures..." Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes fixated on the horned stallion's coiled wings—occasionally showing beneath his neck and shoulders. "Nor in the Seven Seas." She squinted at the Herald. "Precisely what is this place?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "Weeping chickens of the world, unite..."

"Now you want to know the truth?" Ariel stammered. "Even after we told you so many friggin' times?"

"Now now, frriends..." Kepler shuffled between them. "That is no way to trreat good and prroperr curriosity. Adverrsarries orr not, we arre still in this togetherr, yes?" He cleared his throat and faced Seraphimus. "You see, King Onyxxus of Emerraldine was one of severral extrraterrrestrrial equines who descended frrom the heavens long ago beforre—"

Logan let loose a loud whistle. "Yo, Keps." He yanked the small wyvern back by his scorpion tail. "Save it."

"But I was merrely wishing to educate—"

"You can't teach a frog how to hop if it's already proven itself to be stupid!" Logan frowned at Seraphimus. "Ignore this momemtary lapse of raisin baskets. She's still as murderous as an owl with rabies. You think she's going to want to kill us any less once she knows the truth" He shook his head. "Wait until the turkey really really wants it."

"Yeah..." Ariel threw Seraphimus a cold-hearted glare. "What he said."

Kepler squinted at them both. "Arre we not wishing to illuminate this poorr soul? Do not forrget what the Rrainbow One wishes—"

"Rainbow wants to keep her alive," Logan grunted. "If she wants to play ball on our team, then she has to prove it." He glanced aside. "Right, Double-Yoo?"

Wildcard stared at the Verdestone mosaic. He merely sighed.

Seraphimus clenched her beak angrily. "It's a wonder that you misguided cretins eluded Chandler for so long."

"Some shit in life is easier than you think, toots." Logan pointed. "And as defeating for your screwball of a 'Defense Minister,' we have one selfless badass to thank for that! And unfortunately, you self-righteos bucktard, he's no longer with—"

Thwap! A sharp talon clenched Logan's shoulder, instantly silencing him.

Logan blinked over at Wildcard. "... ... ...what? Too close to home?"

Ariel face-hoofed. "Dammit, Big Show..."

"What? Somepony's gotta read her the riot act! Bard would have gotten a hoot out of it! Don't you deny it!"

It was precisely then that Rainbow Dash bounded up an adjacent set of steps with the crossbow in tow. "Okay guys, I found something we might be able to use. Right now, I've got Rarity 'scanning' for others in the compound and—" She froze in place.

Everyone stood, shifting about awkwardly. Frowing faces and downcast eyes avoided each other. Onyxxus' voice continued repeating eerily in the background, piercing the tense silence.

Rainbow arched an eyebrow. "... ... ...well if this place isn't a warm fuzzy bucket of kittens."

"Everypony seems..." Pinkie grimaced. "...pony poop'd."

"AJ?" Rainbow tilted her head aside. "Your honest thoughts?"

"Ahem." Applejack adjusted her hat and gestured at Seraphimus. "Reckon it stems from her... but not entirely."

Seraphimus looked at Rainbow Dash. Her beaked expression was strangely neutral.

Rainbow blinked at that. A sigh, and she looked lethargically at the Heraldites. "Look... can we work on one thing at a time? Right now, we should be scouring Darkreach for useful tools. Let's save group therapy for another occasion... preferably when Flynn or Kepler could figure out how to conjure peanut butter snacks from the ether."

"Look..." Logan gestured at Seraphimus. "She started pretending to be interested in—"

"Another. Time." Rainbow glared daggers at him. "If you can't be useful here in Darkreach, then trot outside and make us a bridge across the ravine with your butt."

Logan crossed his forelimbs and pouted in silence.

"Whew-wee, Dashie!" Pinkie grinned. "You can really be like Lime Pie when you wanna—"

"Shhhh!" Rainbow hissed at the ghostly mare. "You too. I'll say when it's time to chillax and gargle nonsense."

"Hrmmmf." It was Pinkie's turn to fold her forelimbs. "All of those sunrises have burnt your jollies!"

"Uh huh." Rainbow looked at the Herald. "What did you guys find?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh..." Ariel squirmed in midair. "Uhhhh... eh heh..."

Kepler gulped and held his tiny pole up. "Behold! A scrratcherr of the back!

Wildcard face-claw'd.

"And... erm..." Ariel pointed at the crate. "The makings of a new prosthetic for Wildcard." She gulped. "We hope."

Rainbow exhaled. "Well, cool beans." She gave her flank a shake, caught the crossbow in midair, and brandished it. "The girls and I found this. I'm not one hundred percent certain... but I think it might be manapowered. Like... you fit it with a manacrystal and it fires energy pulses." She turned the thing over. "I say this because it kinda resembles the rifles that I saw back in Ledomare—"

The glossy surface of the crossbow's stock reflected a pair of red-on-yellow eyes. "Do you really intend on dragging their useless fannies all the way to your destination?"

Rainbow Dash froze in mid-speech. Her muzzle hung open.

A fang glinted as a smile formed above a tuft of goat hair. "Lock and load this thing up. You can off them in their sleep. I'm certain the big one can feed you for a year at least."

"Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow paled.

Ariel squinted. "Rainbow? Is something the matter?"

Chaotic chuckles. The voice rang off the crossbow's metal structure. "I bet you'd want to gobble her up first."

"Guh!" Rainbow tossed the crossbow out of her hooves.

"Rainbow?!" Twilight gasped.

"Whoah!" Pinkie's gaze followed the thrown weapon. "From downtown—!"

Swoooosh! Wildcard glided towards the ceiling and—Snatch!—caught the weapon in a single talon. He descended with softly flapping wings. His goggled eyes looked at the weapon, then worriedly at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow shivered in place. She caught Seraphimus' curious gaze in her peripheral vision. "I... uh... I was th-thinking that if we found more l-like that thing... uhm... we could stock ourselves for the j-journey to come..."

"Buck the journey," Logan muttered, squinting at her. "What the heck's the matter with you."

"She's mad," Seraphimus droned. "I've told you all this."

"Rrrrrngh..." Logan stomped a hoof and leaned angrily in her direction. "How would you like to have every feather plucked off of you with tweezers?"

"It would be less torturous than listening to you defend her fractured, flimsy mindset."

"Don't push it, death eagle."

"Guys, can we not—"

The overhead manalights flickered brightly. Flynn's voice hollered down from a descending staircase.

"I think I've got it!"

Onyxxus' image shook and rippled. "Bzzzzzzzzt—Rrkk-Rrkk-Rrkk-Rrkk-My-My-My-My-My little poniessssssss—" The hologram inverted, flickered, then re-manifested itself as a stately alicorn with a powerful stare. "My little ponies, brothers and sisters of the Verdestone Council... all of us are gathered here in honor to send you forth with the blessings of Harmony, foals of Emeraldine. Our weary eyes rest upon the final dawn's precipice where the golden bridge has been built to sustain you, the lifeblood of Darkreach, our most ambitious venture of hope for this age and the ones to come..."

"Well..." Fluttershy shuddered. "...the timing couldn't be better."

"Ooh! A movie!" Pinkie beamed. "Did anypony bring ghost popcorn?"

"Pinkie..." Rarity sighed.

"Heehee! It's okay! I forgot to bring ghost butter!"

Don't Feed the Dragonequus

"The world as we know it is dying," Onyxxus' recorded image spoke. The deep booming voice echoed through the halls of Darkreach. "Ages ago, we set out to plant a garden of harmony and peace—but that garden is starting to wither away. There are very few of my kind left who first cultivated this living, growing world. The tools that we used may yet be restored. The key to this is accessing the Harmonic Prism located within Midnight Armory, situated on the Dark Side. But we cannot venture there as we are right now. There are far too many hazards and unknown dangers acting as impenetrable blockades. To confront this, we have established Darkreach... our first bastion of harmony on the Dark Side. With the combined efforts of mortal and immortal kind, we may just yet mount up a crusade to acquire the relic of life-giving harmony and restore this world to what it was originally blessed to be..."

"Hrmmmff..." Logan folded his forelimbs. "Poor ideological god-sap. Shit didn't work the way he expected it to, did it?"

"Shhhh!" Ariel frowned, glaring aside. "Have some respect!"

"Hey—his heart was in the right place! But take a look around us!" Logan exhaled. "I'm just saying... Mortuana had a waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better track record! And even that was sketchy as buck."

Kepler sighed. "Therre is grrave trruth to ourr brrotherr's rrambling, sadly."

"Onyxxus' bloodline was dying," Ariel muttered, staring at the speaking hologram. "Darkreach was the best thing he could manage, given the circumstances."

"Yeah, well..." Logan's nostrils flared. "Maybe he should have given it the ol' college try a lot sooner... instead of heaping it onto the shoulders of so many unlucky mortals."

Wildcard gestured something with his right talon.

"The prrevailing patterrn of things as of late," Kepler translated.

"Uh huh..."

Scampering hoofsteps. Flynn bounded up into the room, panting. "We're at over eighty percent juice! How's it looking!"

"We're being talked to by a long dead Emeraldinian god-king," Ariel said. "You did good."

"Whew! Awesome!" Flynn grinned. "You know, sometimes I even amaze myself—"

"Shut up and take notes, Baldy," Logan grunted.

Flynn jumped in place. Floundering, he levitated a pad of paper and began scribbling on it with black ink. "It's... it's a repeatable message, Big Show. All I gotta do is just switch a lever now and he'll give his lecture all over again."

"I know. I just don't want to hear your self-righteous ego-stroking. Now take notes."

"Mrmmmmm..." Flynn did just that, begrudgingly.

While the rest of the Herald paid attention to the message, Rainbow Dash shuffled numbly into a corner of the common room and sat down.

"... ... ...?" Rarity and the others looked over. "Weak in the knees, darling?"

"It's not stadium seating in here, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Stand up if you wanna see the climax!"

Rainbow was hardly in the mood. She trembled as she glanced up at the turned heads of the Herald. "You've heard one rambling alicorn, you've heard them all."

"Indeed." Rarity rubbed her dainty chin. "They do appear to be quite prone to... self-indulgent monologues."

"What's botherin' you, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

Rainbow swallowed a lump down her throat. "What m-makes you think that something's bothering me?"

"Because I'm me and you're you." Applejack frowned. "Now spill it."

Rainbow bit her lip.

Twilight Sparkle floated closer. "It's... it's Discord again, isn't it?"

Rainbow hung her head with a sigh.

"Rainbow..." Applejack sighed. "We ain't gonna get anywhere if you dun level with us. Haven't you learned—?"

"He was trying to talk me into shooting up all my friends," Rainbow Dash said.

Applejack blinked. "... ... ...whelp."

Rainbow grimaced. "Yeah... ... ..."

"Was..." Twilight Sparkle squirmed. "...he serious?"

Rainbow frowned. "No, Twilight, he just likes to spit out suggestions of spontaneous homicide for kicks!"

"Well, Rainbow, he is Discord," Rarity said glibly.

Rainbow raised a hoof... faltered... then relented with a sigh. "True enough."

"If you ask me, he's just tryin' to get under yer skin," Applejack said.

"Well he's doing a dang good job of it," Rainbow grunted.

"I'm sorry, Rainbow," Twilight said. "The girls and I—we aren't doing a good enough job of shielding you from him. Maybe if... if we all concentrated or meditated or—"

"He does whatever he wants whenever he wants, Twi," Rainbow droned. "I can't expect you guys to keep tabs on him twenty-four-hours a day..." She rolled her eyes. "Heh... as if 'days' matter here on the Dark Side."

"We get it, Dashie," Pinkie Pie said, her ears folded. "It's just tough when we can't sense or hear him like you can."

"Why would he want you to off yer buddies and pals?" Applejack remarked.

Rainbow frowned. "Does it matter?"

"I think it does." Applejack tilted her head back. "From what little we knew of Discord... it seemed obvious that he enjoyed tormentin' ponies."

"Or just trolling them!" Pinkie said.

Twilight squinted at her. "'Trolling...'?"

Pinkie bore a smug grin. "You really should have spent more time on the World Wide Whinny."

"Pinkie, there is no such thing."

"Well maybe there should be!"

"From the sound of it, I think not."

"Point is..." Applejack cleared her throat. "Discord seems to have the most fun with everypony bein' alive for him to rule over all chaotic-like." She squinted at Rainbow. "So why would he want all yer friends dead?"

"It's... it's just the notion that chills me to the bone," Rainbow muttered. "I'm getting the impression that Discord has... more or less witnessed most of the stuff I've been through... that we've been through." She clenched her teeth. "I think his sense of humor has darkened from all that."

"He's simply trying to harass you!" Rarity upturned her nose. "Nothing more! Nothing less!"

"That's just it, Rarity," Rainbow Dash muttered. She gazed at Seraphimus—her charcoal brown eyes reflecting Onyxxus' translucent glowing figure. "I can't afford to settle for more or less. I need to know what I'm dealing with. Concretely and exactly."

Silence—save for the regal tone of the deceased alicorn.

Twilight looked over at the fairest of the ghostly mares. "Fluttershy? You've been silent for a while. What are your thoughts on the matter?"

"Wuh oh..." Pinkie Pie flinched. "It's never a good thing when Flutters has been quiet for a while."

"Don't be silly, darling!" Rarity waved a hoof. "Our beloved Fluttershy is just being her usual meek self!" She looked over. "Isn't that right, Fluttershy—oh goodness!"

Fluttershy's pupils had shrunken to pinpricks. She shivered all over and her wings drooped. "Uhm... girls...?"

Rainbow stared at her, heart skipping. "What's the matter, Fluttershy?"

"I... I think I'm sensing something all of a sudden..."

"What?" Pinkie leaned forward. "A flock of midnighters?"

"Chaos varmints stampedin' our way?" Applejack asked.

Rainbow gulped. "Is... is it Discord?"

Fluttershy shook her head, trembling some more. "I... I'm not sure what it is. But... but this is now lit up and so bright and active..." She grimaced, glancing at Rainbow. "... ... ...something hidden deep in Darkreach has awoken."

Something in the Basement

"Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnnn!"

Rainbow, Rarity, and Twilight winced hard.

Pinkie Pie hovered in place, her hooves still cupped around her muzzle. A blink or two after the massive outburst, she shrugged and said, "What?! Somepony had to do it—Whoah!"

Applejack shoved her out of the way and floated in Fluttershy's face. "What in tarnation do ya mean 'somethin' deep in Darkreach has awoken?'"

"You didn't sense anything before, darling!" Rarity exclaimed. "Why are you suddenly sensing it now?!"

"I... I-I don't know..." Fluttershy trembled, receding from the group.

"Fluttershy..." Applejack rested a gentle hoof on her ghostly shoulder. "We ain't mad at you. We're... well... we're just tryin' to understand..."

"Did something climb up from underneath us?" Twilight remarked, eyes wide. "Perhaps... a hidden tunnel system? Lying beneath the Darkreach that the Emeraldinians carved?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "This life that I'm sensing has always been here. And it's somewhere beneath us. It always has been. Unless..." She cast a worried look towards Rarity. "...there's another way into the colony than through the top of the mesa?"

Rarity shook her head, muzzle agape.

"Just how far away is it?" Applejack asked.

"Mrmmmm..." Fluttershy's ears folded. "About six stories? Nearly seven?" She looked at Rainbow. "It's at the very bottom chambers of the facility."

Wildcard had noticed Rainbow's pale reaction to the news. He craned his neck with intense concern.

"Rainbow...?" Ariel stammered. "Is everything alright over there?"

Rainbow held a hoof up without looking. "I'll get back to you in a sec!"

"Huh???" Ariel blinked.

"The Hell is going on?" Logan asked.

"Fluttershy..." Rainbow's brow furrowed. "Are you sure it's not Discord?"

"Is what Discord?" Logan burped. Flynn lightly smacked him to be quiet.

"If he's anchored to you, Rainbow, then he wouldn't be able to go that far of a distance," Fluttershy said. "None of us can."

"Well, he's the lord of chaos!" Applejack spoke with a shrug. "Who knows what he'd be capable of doing!"

"For that matter, Applejack..." Twilight drifted closer. "Who knows what anything on this side of the Plane can be capable of doing." She looked at Fluttershy. "Maybe Fluttershy can't sense any living thing on the Dark Side unless it gets within a certain proximity?"

"I... I don't think it's that," Fluttershy said, shaking her head. "I'm telling you, it's... it's as if something has woken up." She gulped. "And it's moving... very very slowly..."

"How big is it?" Pinkie asked.

"I don't know."

"Is it alone?"

"I... I think so..."

"Is it bad? Is it a meanie head?"

Fluttershy bit her lip.

"I don't think that's Fluttershy's department," Twilight said. She looked at Applejack. "AJ?"

"I... I'm plum flabbergasted, Twilight. Reckon I dun feel a thang." She looked back at the ghostly unicorn. "How about you?"

Twilight sighed. "I'm not sensing anything new on the magical scale."

"What if we got closer to whatever it is?" Pinkie suggested.

"Eeeugh!" Rarity shivered all over. "Heaven forbid! Whatever's sleeping down there—best to let it lie!"

"Rarity..." Twilight made a face. "It's closed off. The only way for it to go out is through us."

"Sooner or later, we're gonna have to bump uglies!" Pinkie said. A beat. "Heads! Ugly heads is wh-what I meant!" She smiled, blushing.

"Whatever it is... it's not very strong," Fluttershy said. "I don't know if we should be that concerned—"

"Fluttershy, until just a few seconds ago, you couldn't even sense the thing's existence," Twilight said. "If it's a creature born on the Dark Side, it's quite possible that chaos has been masking it from you. Who knows just how strong it could possibly be?"

Fluttershy gulped.

"Flutters..." Rainbow clenched her teeth. "Are we sure...?"

Fluttershy nodded her head. "You're the best Discord-detector we have, Rainbow. Not me."

Silence.

"Rrainbow One?" Kepler craned his neck. "Some clarrification would be parramount."

Rainbow took a deep breath. She spun to face the Herald. "Fluttershy senses something beneath us... inside Darkreach."

Ariel's voice cracked. "What?!"

"Like what kind of 'something?'" Logan raised an eyebrow. "An animal? A monster? Soap scum? What?"

"She isn't certain," Rainbow said. "She only knows that it's... 'woken up' just now and it's slowly wandering about the corridors about seven stories beneath us."

Ariel jerked away from the ground. With squirming hooves, she flapped her wings and hovered in the center of the common room.

"This place has been closed up forr untold yearrs," Kepler murmured. "If something's down therre... still alive... then it must have a most peculiarr metabolism."

"Could..." Ariel turned to look at the others. "...could it be one of the surviving Emeraldinians?"

"Pffft. I doubt it. But perhaps..." Flynn's eye-lense rotated as he said, "...whatever is responsible for the colonists having disappeared?"

A cold shudder ran through the group. The manalights flickered as Onyxxus kept speaking to the walls.

"Do you truly... honestly believe this mare...?"

The group turned towards the cold voice.

Seraphimus sat with as much dignity as she could muster while manacled to the pipework at the far end of the chamber. "She speaks to shadows and empty air. Her mind is a fractured mess that she shares with unseen phantoms." Her hawkeyes narrowed. "And you put your trust in her wild delusions?"

"You shut up," Logan said, pointing. "If Rainbow says there's something down below us, lurking about—"

"—you will be consumed," Seraphimus hissed. "And not by her."

"You don't know anything," Ariel grumbled.

"I know that each and every one of us is dead," Seraphimus calmly replied. She glared. "And following her lead will only quicken such doom."

"And I'd bet you'd sign up for that, huh?!" Ariel frowned, planting her hooves on her hips. "You think you're so smart—how about we toss you down seven stories and see if whatever's down there thinks you're such a deliciously funny chicken!"

"Ariel, shut up," Rainbow said.

"Yes, Dash," Ariel squeaked, hugging herself.

Rainbow marched firmly through the group. "Whatever's down there, it's something we gotta deal with. I'm not about to play it off. Let's root it out now. Get it over with." She looked across the way. "Flynn?"

"Yo."

"You spent all of eternity getting the manabatteries of this place to sing again. Stay here and look after the leylines. Go no deeper than the generator room one floor below. We're going to need the lights on if we're gonna flush this hobbling crudsicle out."

"Uhhhhhhhh—sure!" Flynn gulped and nodded. "Sure thing!"

Rainbow swiveled about. "Kepler."

"Sisterr?"

"Stay here with Flynn. But—more importantly—I want you guarding her." Rainbow turned to point at Seraphimus. "Can't afford to keep our eyes on the true prize."

"Arre you cerrtain you do not wish me to venturre downstairrs?" Kepler gestured with his wings. "I've got claws!"

"Yeah, but your brain bone's sharper. Stay here with Flynn and the chicken."

"Ach! Rright you arre."

"Now for the rest of us..." Rainbow turned to face the remainder. "Let's form up. Mmmmmmm... two pairs."

With a scraaaaaaaaaaaping sound, Wildcard siftly strafed until he stood resolutely at Rainbow's side.

"... ... ..." Rainbow blinked. "Whelp. That's decided."

Chiiiiiiing! Logan was already brandishing his axe as he stood next to Ariel. "Didn't you say that there were at least three sets of descending stairwells?"

"True. We'll take the opposite ones." Rainbow looked at Flynn. "Can you and Keps keep an eye on the center path?"

"Totally."

"Good. We could descend in three groups, but I sure as heck aren't about to split us up individually."

Logan shrugged. "Might be the only way track this bugger down."

"Not unless we absolutely have to." Rainbow pointed at Ariel and Logan. "Stay. Together." She looked over her shoulder. "Double-yoo?"

Wildcard nodded. Cl-Clakkka! With Bard's staff extended, he made swiftly for the furthest stairwell.

"How... uh..." Ariel called out as Rainbow and the Desperado scampered off. "...how will we communicate?"

"Very very stupidly!" Rainbow hollered back. "Or not at all!"

Ariel nodded back. "Okay. Okay, good!" She grimaced as she looked to Logan. "Sooooooooooo... 'we made it alive as far as Darkreach,' huh?"

"Girl, if you're keeping tabs of this shit, you won't last another second."

"Jee, thanks for the confidence, partner."

"Anytime." Logan marched down the nearby steps. "Now keep your girly butt behind me."

Ping(!) Ping(!) Ping(!) Ping(!)

With scuffling hooves, Rainbow Dash slid onto the top platform of a steep, winding stairwell. She pressed a hoof to her pendant and shone a ruby spotlight diagonally donward. Within half-a-second, Wildcard posed beside her, brandishing the staff.

The crimson light illuminated empty space... pale steps and dead gray walls. An ambiant hush echoed up the vertical chamber, and desolate fuzziness ate at the black edges of the spotlight's penumbra.

Wildcard stared and stared. He cocked his gaze slightly to the side as his goggles devoured all the hidden details from the sparsely-lit environment. Then—when the Desperado felt it was "safe"—he motioned forward with his staff. Talons scraping, he descended the stairs before Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow held her breath. With flapping wings, she slowly followed the griffin's tail. Together, the two descended the winding stairwell and took their time turning around the ninety-degree corners.

Grunting.

Sweating and straining.

At long last, Logan shoved a rusted metal door all the way open. He used the blunt portion of his axe to push the lid deeply into its frame. As he took the moment to exhale, Ariel threaded through the lower corridor entrance. She held a magically-charged crystal that had essentially been tied to the end of a rusted stick. Wielding the makeshift torch, she waved it around until the light outlined a narrow hallway flanked by randomly open doors.

Half of the dozen-or-so lights were flickering. The voice of Onyxxus was a dull bass hum emanating from the floor above. The power wasn't completely reaching this place, and it kept the environment mostly dim.

Ariel got as good a survey of the landscape as she could manage. Exchanging glances with Logan, she then gestured down the corridor.

Logan heaved his axe and took point. He marched down the hallway... stopping at each door to collect his breath and then dash in front of the frame, his axe held high.

There was no sign of life—even as Ariel caught up and shone the light in. They tried chamber after chamber, prying open doors to small utility closets. The enchanted crystal illuminated metal tools, piles of junk, magical reagents, and partially disassembled weapons—but nothing alive and breathing.

So—with cautious breaths—Logan and Ariel shuffled along their way... eventually following a set of stairs leading down into the next underground story of the facility.

Wildcard and Rainbow Dash entered a large chamber. As they did so, Rainbow had to squint. The manacircuitry here was undamaged, and the leylines delivered full illumination to the ceiling lamps suspended above. As the subterranean world came back into focus, she and Wildcard found themselves shuffling down a wide-spaced storage compartment full of lockers, cages, and partially-damaged glass cases.

There was more than one dais projecting the hologram of Onyxxus here. The alicorn patriarch continued his recorded monologue, sincerely entreating generations of dead or lost souls. His voice echoed against dead walls as Wildcard and Rainbow Dash crept along.

Twilight Sparkle and the others stared at every piece of equipment. The room was full of storage devices in various states of disrepair. Applejack floated past a metal locker overflowing with a colony of mushrooms. Rarity gawked at a dull pile of strange red crystals. Pinkie Pie cocked her head at the sight of a glass cage filled with thick, white, fibrous strands—like ancient silk.

Rainbow Dash blinked. She approached a cage in the center of the room. It contained the cartileginous skeleton of a large creature. Judging from the triangular wingflaps and elongated tail, it resembled a stingray... but it also possessed a skull with gaping fangs and multiple eyeholes.

The next cage was stranger. Even Wildcard was possessed with the urge of staring at it: a large spiraling conkle shell resting on a dusty pile of organic refuse.

All of the ghostly mares looked at Fluttershy.

She stared straight back, her face full of mixed surprised and guilt. She could only shrug and tremble.

Applejack patted her shoulder while Pinkie Pie floated close to nuzzle the pegasus.

Composing herself, Fluttershy took a deep breath and gestured towards the next stairwell.

Rainbow Dash signaled Wildcard, and the two approached the distant chamber... passing under the translucent gaze of an extinct alicorn.

A distorted projection of Onyxxus shone sideways, flickering in and out of existence from where its dais had fallen over to the side along with an assorted pile of scattered junk. Logan and Ariel trotted straight through the image... and they emerged to find a dimly-lit room full of desks, cabinets, and mold-strewn tomes.

The two Heraldites froze in place. Ariel shone her light around while Logan's gaze danced across multiple exits on the far side.

At last, it was Ariel who took the initiative. She slowly flew forward, checking every corner and obstruction. When she determined the coast was clear, she made her way to a round-shaped desk situated towards the distant corner of the room. She saw dozens upon dozens of scattered notes. Most of the papers had withered to pulp over time... but a few of the documents were still intact. What's more, she discovered etched slabs of metal evidently used to preserve information for future use.

Logan shuffled up and watched over the pegasus. His presence gave her license to peruse some of the material.

Ariel's fetlocks ran through sheets of paper. She held up what appeared to be a map of Darkreach, the mesa, and the environment surrounding. One side of the map was marked by the "Alpha" signal and another labeled with "Omega." Towards the "Omega" side, she saw a broad area outlined with a circle. There were words—neatly written in archaic font—but they clearly read: "Once a forest. Now gone."

Her brow furrowed. There was a rustling sound. She and Logan jolted in place—only to realize it was a glitch in the holographic projection. Onyxxus would occasionally flicker and re-orient himself to continue the recorded message throughout the colony.

Catching her breath, Ariel rummaged through a few more papers. She found another map—wider this time—and towards the "Omega" side there was the illustration of a crescent moon. This symbol was accompanied by a frantically written word in all capital letters: "BLOODWINGS."

Chewing on her lip, Ariel flipped to another sheet. It was an illustration—of what, she couldn't initially determined. Logan looked over his shoulder. With a breathy whistle, he reached in and re-oriented the paper in Ariel's hooves until it became clear. They were looking at a skyline. Tall spires, jagged steeples, and spacious balconies formed a pale silhouette against black charcoal scrapings. Then—beneath the illustration—there was the alpha symbol along with a calmly-etched word: "Spindlers."

Logan and Ariel could have searched more, but now wasn't the time. With dutiful breaths, they abandoned the archives... then made for the far end of the chamber. After much deliberating, they chose one of the multiple stairwells... and descended to the next lower floor.

Minutes passed.

Rainbow and Wildcard didn't know it, but they were making faster time than the other group. It also helped that the deeper they went, the smaller and sparser the rooms and corridors of Darkreach were.

Until they got to the very bottom floor. Here... they encountered the largest chamber of the colony yet. The lights were miniscule here—spread out in such a way that their pale glow scarcely illuminated the black industrial mechanisms that loomed everywhere. Rainbow knew it wasn't the generator room, and yet there was a bevy of moving parts, dangling chains, and rotating fans. The place had a neverending bass hum to it that drowned out the now-indiscernible words of Onyxxus' projection.

"I think I'm starting to understand," Twilight Sparkle blurted out, startling the other girls. "Why aren't we suffocating or dying of heatstroke right now?"

"Twilight, darlin'?" Applejack tilted her hat back as she gazed nervously at the looming bulwarks of the chamber. "Reckon this ain't a good time for riddles."

Twilight shook her head and smiled at the rest. "This is the ventilation system. See those pipes?" She pointed up at a series of metal tubes and elongated vents that stretched across the ceiling. "I'm willing to bet that they run through the mesa and open to spots along the lateral sides of the outer mesa. This whole room at the base of Darkreach is for filtering air throughout the facility and cooling its inhabitants!"

"Yes, Twilight, I do concur," Rarity muttered. "But Applejack has a point."

"We checked all the other rooms!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "What we're looking for has got to be in here!"

Rainbow Dash merely looked at Fluttershy. Unlike Rainbow's friends, the petite pegasus didn't have the luxury of vocalizing.

Fluttershy looked back. "It's... it's definitely in here... somewhere..."

"Can ya pinpoint it, sugarcube?"

Fluttershy gulped. "I'm sorry..." Her eyes teared up slightly. "No more than I could pinpoint the organic fossils we found a few stories above us. I d-don't know what's wrong with me on the Dark Side! It's... it's like I'm so useless—"

"Shhhhhh..." Applejack comforted her. "You ain't useless, Fluttershy."

"You just have a new set of challenges!" Twilight said hoarsely. "We all do!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie nodded. "I haven't had an explosion of Pinkie sense since we left the Light Side!" Right as she said that, her tail curled up—as did her ears. "Whoaaaaaaaah..."

"!!!" Rainbow Dash tensed up. This startled Wildcard, who held Bard's staff up high and overshadowed her, protectively.

"Pinkie...?" Twilight exhaled as she and the mares gaped at her.

"I... I-I've never felt that one before!" Pinkie blinked back at Twilight. "Although... somehow it seems like I was supposed to..."

"Can you describe the sensation?"

"It's... it's like I'm looking at a shattered mirror... and a thousand pinkie eyes are all looking back. But—like—none of them are meeting my gaze exactly..."

Fluttershy merely shivered.

"Twilight?" Rarity looked over. "Are you sensing anything?"

"If Fluttershy can't and Pinkie Pie can't, then—"

"Just concentrate, darling. There must be more to this for you as well as for them!"

Twilight Sparkle clenched her eyes shut. Her horn shimmered as she focused... focused...

Wildcard looked anxiously in Rainbow's direction. The mare held a gentle hoof up for him to "be patient."

"Mmmmmm..." Twilight's eyes darted and rotated under her ghostly lenses. "Mmmmmm... a candle... beneath a veil..." Her ears folded back. "... ... ...smoke descending... going backwards into a blaze..."

"Ooooooh..." Pinkie grinned from ear to ear. "Spoopy!"

"Twilight..." Applejack floated closer. "T'ain't like you to speak like a soothsayer. Is what we're dealin' with magical or not?"

Twilight reopened her eyes. "Definitely... definitely so..." She looked at Rainbow. "Just like Pinkie, I feel like I'm familiar with it too."

Rainbow was silent.

"Mmmm... the Vanilla Zone?" Fluttershy spoke up.

The other mares looked at her.

She looked back. "Maybe we've sensed this before... but from the Vanilla Zone?"

Applejack scratched her head. She looked at Rainbow.

Rainbow sighed. She lowered her head—as well as her voice—and spoke barely above a whisper: "Can all of you... with your muddied senses combined... give me a general direction for finding this thing...?"

The mares huddled close together.

"We can certainly try," Twilight said. She looked over. "Pinkie? Fluttershy?"

"I think it'sssssssss..." Pinkie's tail uncurled as she nodded with her head. "Thattaways!"

"I... I'm not so sure..." Fluttershy murmured. "I think Pinkie's off..."

"How about..." Twilight held her hoof up. "...we all point to where each of us sense it?"

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie reluctantly nodded. Then—with nervous motions—they pointed their fetlocks out.

Twilight cleared her throat and did the same.

Rainbow watched her three friends' hooves. Indeed, each was pointing in a different direction... but she could ascertain a vague angle to take the next step. She patted Wildcard on the shoulder. When the Desperado looked her way, she gestured... then trotted slowly ahead.

Wildcard followed suit... silent as a shadow.

Together, the pair passed by rows and rows of humming metal machinery. The rotating shadows of large rusted fans broke the dim lights above. Moisture dripped from multiple suspended pipes, and the recently reactivated manacircuitry heated up a few portions of the ventilation system... so that steam vented in random spots, making portions of the chamber more obscured than the rest.

Rainbow didn't bother looking at the industrial nonsense in front and above her. She didn't have to. Her eyes remained locked on her friends... and she studied the changing angles of Twilight's, Fluttershy's, and Pinkie's forelimbs.

Before long, the fetlocks of all three mares converged into one specific direction.

Rainbow Dash stopped in place—as did Wildcard. Both looked straight ahead.

That spot of the chamber was divided by rows of massive rusted shelves—storing countless metal crates full of supplies and tools for maintaining the ventilation system and equipment in the floors above. It was like gazing into a pitch black metal forest.

"Twilight... Pinkie..." Rainbow gulped, leaning aside as she whispered: "Fluttershy, is it there...?"

"Yes, Rainbow," Fluttershy coldly murmured.

Rainbow's eyes darted to her.

She looked back. "This time I am sure of it."

"There's... some magical phenomenon situated in fr-front of us," Twilight managed. "I wish I could explain it."

"Never mind explaining!" Pinkie's teeth chattered as her tail and ears curled again. "Let's go and squash this thingy already!"

"Or—maybe—not squash?" Applejack said with a frown. She looked at Rainbow. "Darlin', I'm not sure what I'm sensin' myself... but whatever's lurkin' there sure as hay ain't malicious."

"How can we be sure of that?" Twilight hissed.

Silence.

Wildcard looked at Rainbow, then back into the shadows.

"Rarity..." Rainbow whispered aside. "Is... is it cornered?"

"No, Rainbow," Rarity said, shaking her head. "I was about to say—there's an out." She pointed. "The shelves end about four meters from the furthest wall."

"Maybe... uhm..." Fluttershy stroked her bangs aside. "...if you and Wildcard surround it—"

"Right." Rainbow nodded. She gave a breathy whistle and gestured Wildcard closer. "Dude..." She murmured, pointing down the aisle. "It's right in front of us. Between these two shelves. If one of us goes around and comes up the backside..."

Wildcard was already nodding. He shouldered Bard's staff, held his breath...

...and darted off into the shadows without a sound.

Rainbow Dash blinked.

"Whelp!" Pinkie shrugged. "So much for picking straws!"

"He's going around to the opposite side!" Fluttershy squeaked. "Rainbow, it's now or never."

"Be careful, Rainbow...!" Twilight insisted.

"Uh huh..." Rainbow took a deep breath. One hoof after another, she approached the dark throat of the metal aisle in front of her. Tall, looming shelves full of discarded equipment lingered on every side. The air was dense, misty, and filled with a pungent odor that grew even thicker as Rainbow drew herself forward. "Psssst! Hey!"

Her marefriends winced.

Nevertheless, Rainbow bravely continued: "Whoever you are..." Rainbow approached the darkness. She spoke louder to be heard above the hum of rotating fans high above. "...we know you're there. We're..." She gulped. "...we're not going to hurt you."

Silence.

Darkness.

Odor.

Rainbow slowed her trot, shuffling forward on three limbs as she raised a fourth to her pendant. "Show yourself..." The ruby glow in front of her intensified, piercing the steam. "...you're not helping anything by hiding. I dunno how long you've been in this place, but if you need somepony to talk to—"

The crimson light glinted off a pair of mechanical lenses.

"...!" Rainbow Dash jerked to a stop. She ceased moving... breathing...

"Dashie?" Pinkie asked.

"Guh...!" Twilight grimaced. "A surge!"

"Rainbow..."

Rarity and Applejack gasped upon hearing a deep, female voice emanating from the shadows.

"Rainbow Dash..."

Shuffling hooves.

Rattling metal ringlets.

Rainbow Dash stood dead still... even as her ears tickled with the approaching hoofsteps.

The first thing to materialize was a swath of crimson braids... followed by a series of metal plugs... glinting like birthed stars. "Rainbow Dash... I waited so... so long for you since you left..." The mechanical lenses pistoned inward as the mare's ears drooped. Her muzzle formed a bittersweet smile as a mechanical tail twisted and curled behind her. "At last... nothing can ever hold us apart..."

A whimper escpaed Rainbow's lips, sincere and vulnerable: "Roarke...?"

Familiar Change of Pace

"Please... don't be sad..." The metal mare murmured, lingering in the aisle. She tried to stand up straight, but a strange tick rippled through her features. Her scarlet braids danced as she teetered to the left... then to the right. "Even though we both know... you secretly enjoy the release..." A tender smile. Her eye-lenses whurred. "...I would give anything... anything just to hear you laugh again."

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Applejack squinted.

"Who in blazes is this?" Rarity stammered.

"Did she say 'Roarke?'" Twilight remarked.

Rainbow said nothing. She remained locked in place, her heart thudding within her petite chest.

The mare came closer—growing in both size and proximity. "Did you find what you were looking for beyond the Grand Choke?" She murmured. She wheezed. "Belle... Kera... Pilate... they are all waiting to see you..."

"'Roarke?'" Pinkie raised an eyebrow. "Who's 'Roarke'...?"

"If..." The metal mare extended a trembling hoof. "...you would just come with me..." Roarke's smile grew wider. More tender. The ringlets of her mane added heavenly percussion to her gentle voice: "...we can just... lie together... and share our thoughts and fears... in the hammock. Like we used to..."

Fluttershy knowingly glanced towards her anchor. "Rainbow Dash..."

But Rainbow was already shivering. With a frown. "You... you are not Roarke..."

"What's goin' on?" Applejack stammered. "I'm... I'm so confused—"

"Rainbow, she's getting closerrrrr," Twilight droned.

Rainbow's eyes fell. Beyond the metal mare's legs, she saw residue lining the metal floor... a viscous, slimy material that spread up the rusted shelf looming above them. Like a web.

"I... know I never cared much for the breeders and their faith in the 'Spark,'" the mare said. She teetered again. Her head ducked into shadows, and when it came back the metal lenses were gone... replaced by ice-blue eyes brimming with tears. "But I would give anything, Rainbow, to be called your 'beloved.' Just once..."

"Stop it..." Rainbow snarled.

"Just once, Rainbow, please..." She stumbled closer, nearly sobbing. "Please."

"I said..." Rainbow leaned back, clenching her teeth. "Back off! You are not who you say you are—!"

"Y'know, does it really matter?"

Deep chuckles.

Goat hair.

Breathless, Rainbow glanced to her right.

A shiny pile of brass pipes reflected dragon skin and eagle claws.

"This is likely your last chance at happiness, Sparky. So why not give in?"

Rainbow's blood ran cold as the world around her went silent—all but his voice.

A pair of red-on-yellow eyes peered back at her from the reflection. "And just what are you going to tell the freckled goddess now, hmmmm? Heh heh heh..."

His chuckles dissipated, replaced by the frantic shrieks of her friends.

"Dashie! Move!"

"Look out, sugarcube!"

"!!!" Rainbow Dash jerked her head forward to see the metal mare outright charging her. She flinched—too late to dodge.

Thwoooosh! A metal bo-staff caught the figure beneath Roarke's chin. She gasped for breath... being jerked back in the vice-grip of a griffin from behind. Wildcard held the metal mare at bay, throwing his weight against her flank.

"Wildcard!" Rainbow stumbled, catching her breath. She pointed with her hoof. "Wait—"

"Mrmmmff..." The mare in the Desperado's grip looked over her shoulder. "Dubya?"

Wildcard's goggles rattled in surprise.

A blink. Roarke's voice deepened. "You dun goofed, mofo." In a green flash, Bard materialized backwards with a savage uppercut to the griffin's beak. WHAM!

Wildcard flew back—only to be jerked in place by the stallion's grip of the other end of the staff.

"Dayum chatterbox," Bard spat. He stomped his hoof down over his end of the staff, knocking it out of Wildcard's grip. "Takes two hooves to hold it." WHUD! He slammed the opposite end between Wildcard's legs. "And two of somethin' else to use it!"

Wildcard fell over in a meaty slump.

Bard loomed over him, twirling the staff with his forelimbs and wings. "You enjoyin' the grind without me?!" He hissed, frothing with anger. "Lemme learn ya the proper thang to do now you've cast off the dead weight!" Growling, he raised the staff to slam down over Wildcard's midsection—

WHUMP! Rainbow barrel into him. "Mrmmmf!"

"Guh!" Bard dropped the staff altogether as he rolled across the floor. Hard crusted slime and the remnants of a hollow egg shattered to bits as Rainbow's spotlight revealed the rest of the aisle. "Grnnngh..." Bard pushed himself up off the floor, his limbs bending at unnatural angles. "Dammit... rrrrnkkg—Rainbow..." He shrank to an orange shadow, hissing. Sobbing. "Always thinking with your skull!" Scootaloo shrieked, then enlarged once again into a Searonese phantom. "Never with your heart!" Roarke charged her at full force.

"Rainbow, get away from it—!" Rarity shouted.

"No!" Rainbow charged Roarke head-on. "Don't you—"

Fwooooosh! Feathered wings spread. Gilda glided clearly over Rainbow Dash's reach. She landed on yellow hooves. With a breath, Bellesmith galloped swiftly into the shadows of Darkreach.

"Dang it!" Rainbow hissed. "Dang it dang it dang it!"

"Rainbow, I don't understand!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Who in the hay was that pony?!" Applejack stammered.

"That's no pony!" Rainbow rushed over to Wildcard and helped him up to his talons. "Mrmmff... it's a changeling!"

Twilight did a double-take. "That's a changeling!"

"Uh... duh," Pinkie Pie belched.

"Why is it running away from us?" Fluttershy stammered.

"Because it just gathered strength, and now it's drawn to its mother!" Rainbow gnashed her teeth. "Tchern!" She forced Wildcard to move with her, picking up Bard's staff along the way. "And if it gets close enough to her, the entire Hive will know that we're here! In Darkreach!"

"Ohhhhhhhhhh poop," Pinkie squeaked.

"Come on!" Rainbow and Wildcard picked up speed, galloping into the shadows. "We gotta catch that bug!"

Who Doesn't Like Change?

Ariel scuffled to a stop. She turned around, shining her torch on Logan and the dimly-lit storage room behind him.

"Did you hear that?" she stammered.

"Hear what?"

"It..." Ariel's brow furrowed. "It sounded like somepony's voice..."

Logan gestured at the flickering, static image of Onyxxus in the corner of the room. "You sure it wasn't this exhilarating motherbucker?"

"Hmmmmmmfff..." Ariel's nostrils flared. "I dunno. This one sounded more desperate... high pitched..." She pivoted once again, waving her torch towards the opposite end of the room. "...more adorable—"

"Ariel!"" Rainbow Dash hollered in her face.

"Gaaaaaaaa-beeeee-cheeeeee!" Ariel flailed wildly, dropping the torch. Before she could recover, a pair of blue forelimbs wrapped tighter around her.

"H-help me, Ariel!" Rainbow Dash sobbed, clinging to the mare. She buried her face in Ariel's fuzzy chest and stammered: "It's loose! It's after me!"

"Whoah...!" Logan flinched with his grip of the axe. "The Hell did you come from, Rainbow?" He craned his neck to look across the dimly-lit chamber. "Where's Double-Yoo?"

"Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh..." Rainbow Dash whimpered, hugging Ariel tighter. "I'm so scared. So friggin' scared. Ariel... Ariel y-you gotta save me..."

"It's... it's..." Ariel was short on breath. She reached a shaky hoof out and patted Rainbow's back. "It's going to be okay! I promise! What's the matter?" Despite her trembles, she narrowed her eyes and spoke firmly. "Is it Discord? Have your friends vanished again?"

"We have to get out of here." Rainbow gulped, grasping Ariel's shoulders as she gazed deeply into her eyes. "Just you and me."

"Wh-what?"

"Rainbow..." Logan squinted at her. "...the Hell is going on—?"

"Shut up! Just sh-shut up!" Rainbow hissed, tail flicking. She brought her muzzle so close to Ariel's face that they were practically nuzzling. "You love me, don't you?!"

Ariel's ears instantly folded as her eyes went wide. "I... I-I-I..."

"Then you'll do this for me! Please! Forget the others!"

"Okay..." Logan marched towards the pair. "Now I know that something's—"

"Get away from her!" a voice cracked from the distance.

Ariel and Logan instantly looked over.

Standing limply in the entrance to a stairwell were two figures. A thoroughly bruised Wildcard... and Rainbow Dash. The Desperado brandished Bard's staff while Rainbow pointed at Ariel and the doppelganger.

"It's a changeling! One of Tchern's! I... I-I think it just freshly hatched!"

Logan's face distorted into a grimace. "'Hatched?'"

"Hrshhhhhhhhhh..." Fangs protruded from the doppelganger's muzzle. She lifted a blue forelimb and—within seconds—it morphed into a bulbous husk of black chitin. Bright green flame billowed from within as she aimed the body part at Logan and—

POW!

—launched it at the stallion with a burst of emerald gas.

THOKKK! "Aaaugh!" Logan fell one way and his axe rattled in another.

"Big Show!" Ariel shrieked. At that very moment, the lopped-off limb of the creature narrowed into a tentacle that surrounded her neck three times. "Grkkkk!"

"No—!" Rainbow shouted from afar, wings flexing.

The doppelganger spun and morphed until she was positioned directly behind Ariel. With a tentacle wrapped around the mare's neck, the rest of her turned into an athletic old mare with a gray-streaked red mane. "Back off, creeps!" she spoke in a booming voice, dragging Ariel backwards. "You cannot have her!"

Ariel sputtered her breath. The pegasus' eyes teared up as she managed a mewling breath: "M-Mom...?"

"Dammit, Ariel..." Logan hissed. He struggled to get up as his body steamed in multiple places from the gaseous impact. "That freaky thing ain't your mom!"

Schiiing! Wildcard made to charge the creature from afar.

"Wait!" Rainbow anchored him in place by his tail. Swallowing, she slowly approached the metamorph from afar. "Don't do this, please..." She trotted underneath flickering lights and past the translucent mess that was Onyxxus' hologram. "I know what you are." She took a calm breath. "You're tired. You're hungry. You need emotions to sustain you—"

"You've put my daughter in danger," the mare seethed, her eyes changing color each time she glanced at a different Heraldite. Dragging Ariel with her, the creature made its way for a stairwell leading up the neck of Darkreach. "I'm taking her someplace where we'll be safe. Where we will be warm and secure!"

"Just minutes ago, you wanted to take me back to the hammock to cuddle forever."

The mare trembled at that. Her mane turned fully red for a moment, metal ringlets forming and dissolving.

Ariel glanced at the phenomenon through the corners of her twitching eyes. "Oh Goddess. What's happening—?"

"Stay calm, girl..." Rainbow looked at the metamorph's face again. "It's not me this is about... or your 'daughter.'" She shuffled to a stop, gesturing. "This is about your Mother, isn't it?"

The mare's muzzle grew black fangs for a fraction of a second. "Mother..."

"She left you here, didn't she?" Rainbow stared firmly at the creature. "Abandoned you. Planted commands in your head. Left you starving in a strange and unfamiliar place." She shook her head. "It wouldn't be the first time. It's... okay to be scared. But you don't have to be doing what you're doing right now."

"I... I must get my daughter somewhere safe..." The creature's face became an old mare's again. It leaned in to nuzzle Ariel's shoulder. "Mortuana should never have touched her. I never agreed to this..."

Ariel almost wretched.

"She... is not... your daughter..." Rainbow growled.

"Rnnnnngh..." Metal lenses flickered into place, pistoning savagely towards Rainbow as Roarke hissed, "And what do you know about family?! You could have died in peace! Loved and cared for! But you abandoned me!"

"Stop... grnnngh..." Logan hobbled onto all fours. "Trying to reason with the little crud!"

Rainbow's eyes darted from Logan back to Roarke. She frowned. "You...? You're going to lecture me on abandonment?" Rainbow gnashed her teeth as her voice took on a melodramatic tone: "Just like you talked Bellesmith into abandoning Kera at Lerris?!"

There was a masculine gasp. Stripes formed along Roarke's face, followed by a mohawk and skull plate. "Kera..." Milk-white eyes twitched as Pilate stammered, "Beloved, I-I never meant to..."

"Now, Wildcard!" Rainbow hollered. "It's blind—!"

With a breathy grunt, Wildcard flung his staff like a javelin.

Thwifffffffffft—!

Bard's weapon sang through the air, missed Ariel's skull by millimeters, and skewered Pilate's face straight through his jaw.

"Grkkkk!" The changeling flew back into the wall behind it, pinned to a mana-console by the staff. The leyline array was completely shattered by the impact.

"Ooomf!" Ariel fell to the ground, trembling all over.

In the meantime, Onyxxus' hologram completely vanished as multiple light fixtures sparked and ruptured.

Lights shorted out across the common room of Darkreach.

Kepler and Flynn spun about, eyeing the sudden energy shortage.

"Harrk!" Kepler gasped through his tusks. "What is trranspirring?!"

Sparks fell from mana consoles, littering the Verdestone mosaic and surrounding floorspace.

Seraphimus flinched from where she was chained to the pipework.

"Manafeedback!" Flynn stammered. "I think a leyline junction was damaged somewhere in the colony!"

"Does that mean a powerr rrupturre?!"

"Not if I can stop it!" Flynn galloped out of the flickering room. "I gotta get to the generator room!"

"I'll help you—!" Kepler rushed after him.

"No!" Flynn paused just long enough to point at Seraphimus. "Stay here! Guard her!"

"But—"

"Let me handle this! We can't leave her alone!"

As Flynn left, the wyvern shuffled nervously by himself in the center of the room.

Seraphimus' eyes narrowed as the environment around her grew dimmer and dimmer.

"Ariel!" Rainbow rushed to the pegasus' side. "Are you okay?"

"I... I..." Ariel grasped for her. She trembled in Rainbow's protective grip. Tears poured from her twitching eyes. "I feel..."

Rainbow squeezed her shoulders. "It was feeding on you. Don't worry. You're safe now—"

"Look!" Logan shouted.

Everyone spun to see...

...the changling's head splitting in two obsidian-colored lumps of chitin. With liquid grace, it slithered away from where the staff had impaled its skull to the mana array.

"That's..." Ariel's muzzle hung open, twisted. "...way goopier than I remembered."

"Mgrnnnghlllghhh..." The changeling rippled upwards, took on a quadruped form, and materialized just long enough to hiss at Rainbow with Gold Petals' face. "Hresssssssssh!"

"Oh buck you..." Rainbow sneered.

But instead of charging Rainbow, the creature morphed so that it was facing the opposite direction. In a blonde blur, Gold Petals galloped towards the nearest stairwell.

"Dammit!" Logan charged after the thing, dragging his axe.

"Big Show, wait!" Rainbow reached after him in vain. "Let's at least keep it alive so we can—"

Before she could finish that speech, the exiting changeling flung off its tail. The limb fell on the ground in the shape of a black husk and—PFFFFFFFT!—expelled noxious fumes throughout the room.

"Guh!" Logan scampered to a stop then frantically backtrotted. "Holy shit!"

"Poison g-gas!" Ariel stammered, clinging to Rainbow.

"Everypony..." Rainbow Dash dragged the two of them away. "Find an exit—!"

A shrill whistle.

Everyone looked over.

Wildcard was picking up Bard's staff beside the sparkling console. He pointed the weapon at the stairwell beside him. Just then, there was a bright red flash of overloading mana. With a mechanical groan, the door to the stairwell slid swiftly shut.

"Hurry!" Logan charged meatedly towards the closing exit. He slammed into Rainbow and Ariel, shoving them towards the door.

Wildcard ducked under. With the space available, he reached the staff out.

Rainbow dove forward. She gripped Ariel with one forelimb and reached for the staff with the other.

Wildcard yanked the two mares safely into the stairwell. However...

"Big Show!" Ariel's voice could be heard shrieking, then—THUDDD!

The door shut completely, locking the stallion inside the room with the spreading green gas.

"Rrrrrgh!" Logan kicked and punched and bucked at the door, but it wouldn't budge. He heard the two mares shouting his name from the other side. Gritting his teeth, he turned to look at the rest of the room.

Sparks flew as the other doors slammed shut. The noxious gas spread, making the chamber even dimmer... darker.

"Grnnngh... kaffff..." Logan coughed and sputtered. His angry eyes teared. "Oh yeah... kofff... this is hella sexy..."

Where's a Good Vacuum?

"Oh gosh! Oh gosh!" Ariel danced in place, her panicked muzzle illuminated by the glare of Rainbow's Element of Loyalty. "Big Show!" She bucked and kicked at the door. "Logan! Can you hear us?!"

"That room's filled with a poisonous fume," Rainbow stammered. She panted as she shone her light on the sealed edges of the doorframe. "The mana console shorting out must have triggered something in the wiring."

"Rainbow, darling, all of the doors on the other side are sealed!" Rarity exclaimed. "He truly is trapped in there!"

"H-he's still alive, though," Fluttershy exclaimed. "The gas hasn't gotten to him yet."

"But he is a mite bit panicky," Applejack added.

"There's got to be a way to get him out!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Think..." Rainbow gnashed her teeth, looking at the walls of the corridor, the doorframe, the walls again. "I just have to think..."

"Big Show! Wait up!" Pinkie Pie hollered, sticking her head through the doorframe. "Rainbow is thinking! We're gonna get you out of there!"

"He can't hear you, Pinkie!" Twilight growled.

"Well, it's the thought that counts!"

"Not unless your thoughts can outrun the poison trying to get into his lungs!"

Clankkk! Wildcard pressed the edge of Bard's staff to the bottom right corner of the door. Hissing under his beak, he strained and struggled to pry the thing open. Ariel frantically clutched a length of the metal bar and tried to assist the Desperado.

"Hmmmmm... uhmmmmm..." Rainbow's eyes twitched. "Rarity!"

"Gah!" The fashionista flinched in mid-air. "What?!"

"The ventilation system!" Rainbow gestured with a hoof. "Does it connect to that room?"

"Why... yes! At least three chutes' worth—"

"Okay. Okay! Idea time!" Rainbow sputtered.

"Talk to us, Rainbow!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Just a sec!" Rainbow twirled to face Wildcard and yanked the staff away. "Cut it out! That's not going to help!"

Wildcard merely gawked at Rainbow, goggles rattling.

"Wildcard, go after that changeling."

"What?!?" Ariel's voice cracked.

Rainbow ignored her. "I want you to fly up there and cut the shape-shifter off before it can reach Flynn, Kepler or—even worse—an exit." She punched the wall for emphasis. "We cannot let that thing get strong enough to fly back to its nest or this whole journey's flushed straight down Tchern's toilet!"

"But... but..." Ariel squirmed visibly. "What about Big Show—?"

"We're gonna help him out!" Rainbow kicked off the ground, spread her wings, and glided down the stairs of the descending corridor. "Follow me, girl! Wildcard—you've got your orders!"

Ariel and Wildcard exchanged glances.

"But... but..." Ariel spun and flew after the prismatic mare. "Rainbow—!"

"No butts!" Rainbow spat back. "Unless you intend to move it! Now follow me! Wildcard—!"

Swoooosh! The griffin was already ascending the stairwell in the opposite direction of the two ponies.

"Kaff! Koff! Grnnngh..."

Eyes tearing...

Teeth gnashing...

Logan fumbled his way towards the end of the chamber opposite of the source of the spreading fumes. Lights flickered overhead as he grabbed a metal shelf in his meaty fetlock and yanked the hulking thing over.

"Grnnnnnghhh!"

Th-Thud!

Boxes of equipment and tools scattered loudly across the floor.

Logan leaned over and rummaged through the mess of random materials. He had to squint to see through the surmounting green smoke.

"Grffff... unnngh..." He hissed and wheezed. "Goddess help me... kaff-kaff... get me through this and I'll never fart again..."

At last, he found something close to what he was looking for. At the bottom of a rusted container was a length of rags.

He yanked them off the floor, sliced them smaller with the edge of his axe, then fitted what was left over his muzzle. Tying the fabric behind his head, he fabricated a makeshift mask. Then—with slow and controlled breaths—he marched further away from the spreading fumes and approached a door.

Schiiiing!

He lifted his axe up high, held his breath, and—

CLANG!

Struck the door.

CLANG!

Again.

CL-CLAKKK!

And again.

Sparks flew and hot slivers of flint littered the floor.

The door refused to budge.

As the smoke around him grew denser and more pungent, Logan persisted in punishing the seal to his way out.

CLANG! THWACK! WHAM!

Ariel flapped her wings with greater and greater intensity to catch up with Rainbow Dash. Together, the two zipped in and around bulkheads and barreled down stairwells.

At last, they entered the largest room Ariel had seen in Darkreach.

"Whoah..." Ariel's eyes darted around. "Where are we?"

"The lowest room in Darkreach!" Rainbow exclaimed above the hum of twirling fans. "And the source of Darkreach's ventilation system!"

Ariel gasped. "Are you thinking we might be able to blow the poison out of the room he's in?"

"Yeah. Or suck. Whichever gives the gods of fate their jollies first." Rainbow hovered in place, staring at the widespread industrial mess. "Rarity! Can you sense the where the central power core of the ventilation system is?"

"Uhhhh..." Rarity gestured wildly at the grime and grease, barking: "Do any of these look like ballgowns to you?!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Twilight!" She spun to face the ghostly mare in question. "Help me out here!"

"Rainbow, I..." Twilight grimaced. "I-I've never seen Darkstinian tech before... much less ancient Cylindrimanian tech! I wouldn't even know where to begin—"

"Yeah you do!" Rainbow floated closer to her. "You're our resident egghead! So hatch up something! I know you can come up with something! You've got... like... brain smarts!"

"Seems to be the best strategy we've got, sugarcube," Applejack said, also floating closer.

Twilight took a deep, deep breath. "... .... ...okay. Help me look for a singular spot where all of the ventilation pipes funnel to."

"I can do that!" Rarity said, her horn glowing.

"Meanwhile, I'll sense where the leylines are most densely interconnected..."

"Rainbow...?" Ariel mewled.

"Just hold up, girl!" Rainbow exclaimed. "The girls are doing their work!"

"I-I'm not sure Logan can hold up," Ariel said.

Rainbow bit her lip. Above her, the lights flickered...

Poison Party in Darkreach

Sw-Sw-Swoosh!

Wildcard flew up every ascending stairwell he could find. It was far from a straightforward journey. For a colony carved by alicorns, the interior of Darkreach was far from simple in design. There was no single stairwell leading up the entire depth of the facility. Wildcard found himself having to make lateral detours across storage compartments and living quarters in order to find the next shaft that would take him further upwards.

It occurred to him that he could be checking every room he sped through for the changeling. However, Rainbow Dash had given him one specific task. If he had any hope of blocking the changeling's exit, he had to reach the exit first. Speed was more important than scrutiny, and the Desperado sliced through the wind like it was butter.

The entire time, the lights of the colony were flickering. Wildcard's lenses reflected a dimmer and dimmer environment as the power grid of the place suffered rippling bands of manafeedback. Clenching his beak, he crossed another threshhold and ascended the next stairwell within sight.

"Rrrrngh... come on..."

Flynn scampered back and forth across the generator room far above Logan, Ariel, and Rainbow Dash. He was levitating fresh crystals and inserting them one after another into the power core looming above. However—for every shard that he slid in—a previously placed one burnt out as the leylines continued overloading throughout the facility.

"Buck me sideway!" Flynn hissed. His glowing horn glinted off the metal surfaces of the place as he snatched yet another half-dozen shards from their containment. "Like playing tic-tac-toe with melting ice!" He shoved the crystal array up into the core and delicately rotated them in a desperate attempt to redirect the sparkling manabursts. "Why couldn't we come to the Dark Side to salvage a refrigerator full of cold ones?! Goddess..."

Around that moment, Flynn's ear twitched to the sound of a loud buzzing sound emanating from a nearby console. He looked over to see the lower portion of a crude map of Darkreach flashing bright red.

"... ... ...what the Hell is going on down in ventilation?"

"Rainbow!" Twilight hissed. "For the last time! Stop yanking random levers!"

"Grnngh!" Rainbow yanked a random lever. The pipework and fans above her rattled and groaned. "I-I figured that if we both worked at the same time, then our brain bones could meet in the center—!"

"You're not helping things!" Twilight's voice cracked as she frowned. "I'm trying to concentrate on where the central power station is and you're not—"

"Over there!" Rarity exclaimed, pointing a dainty hoof.

Rainbow spun. Her and her friends' eyes fell on a circular arrangement of metal podiums lingering beneath a giant brass knot of conjoined pipes.

"That's it!" Rarity said. "I'm sure of it!"

"Well, Twilight?" Applejack asked. "Do them leyline thingamajiggers coincide with that hot metal mess?"

Twilight's eyes narrowed. Her horn glowed brighter... and at last she blurted: "Yes! That must be it!"

"Wowie..." Pinkie blinked at the six podiums forming a circle. "Kinda obvious when you look at it, huh?"

"Whatever!" Rainbow zipped over to the consoles in a blue blur. "Step one complete!"

"Huh?" Ariel rushed to join her. "Did they find it?"

"I hope so. This makes for a lousy vomitorium." Rainbow hovered in place while grasping a console. "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." She blinked at no less than thirty buttons and levers on her podium alone. "... ... ... ..." She looked at Twilight. "Help?"

"Okay okay..." Twilight rubbed her two hooves nervously together. "I'm thinking..."

"Well think faster!" Rainbow barked. "Logan's been in there long enough!"

"Speaking of which..." Applejack woefully glanced at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy gulped. "He's not doing well..."

"RRRRRRRRGH!" Logan slammed the door with his axe.

CLANNNNNG!!!

"Hrrnnnghhhh!" He spat into his mask-rag and swung again.

THUDDDDD!!!

The door was scratched, marred, and thoroughly dinted. But it wouldn't budge from its frame.

"Come onnnnn!"

WHAMMMMMM!

"Damn... stupid—koff—door!"

CL-CLANNNG!

"Who's your daddy?!?"

THUDDD!

"Kaff-Kaff... Monkey wants the star banana of happiness!"

WHUDDD!

Poisonous green mists rose around him... collecting over his skull as he swung and swung his axe—

"Rainbow...!" Ariel waved her hoof from the podium opposite the mare.

"Not right now!" Rainbow hunched under flickering lights, her eyes scrambling over the array of instruments beneath her. "Which buttons control the ventilation speed... the fans... anything?!"

"But Rainbow—"

"Just gimme a sec!"

"Ungh..." Ariel pointed at an orange button lit-up on the corner of her podium. "This thing looks important!"

"I-I don't think just one button is going to help us vent the gas in Logan's room—"

"No, I swear I saw these in all the other stories above us!" Ariel slapped her hoof over the instrument in question. A crackling noise lit up the air around them.

Rainbow flinched. "... ... ...the buck did you do?"

"SCRKKKKK—the buck did you do?"

Flynn did a double-take. Sweating, he paused in levitating manacrystals and looked over his shoulder.

A small orange button was flashing on a console in the far corner of the generator room. A porous black panel was vibrating, generating speech: "Rainbow, if I could bet my bits on it, I'd say this was an intercom system of sorts—"

Flynn rushed over, floating the crystals along with him. He practically dove, slapping his hoof over the orange button. "It is! It is! This is Flynn! What in Goddess' name is going on down there, you two?!"

"Scrkkk—The leylines of Darkreach are going haywire!"

Ariel and Rainbow mutually gasped, sharing shocked expressions.

"... ... ...I could kiss you," Rainbow droned.

Ariel's ears twitched. "Could you really—?"

Fwooosh! Rainbow shot over and levitated right beside Ariel, lowering her muzzle to the console where Ariel's hoof was still pressed to the lit orange button. "Flynn! Logan's in trouble! We need to vent the room he's in! How do I power the ventilation system!"

"Wait... Big Show's what?! Did you find the creature down there—?"

"Yes! We found the changeling! It's heading upstairs! I sent Wildcard after it—"

"Scrkkk! Huh?! Changeling?!?"

"Dang it, Flynn! I need your help!" Rainbow frowned. "We need to juice up the fans down here! Pronto!"

"Okay... okay... uhm..."

"Do you have any idea whatsoever how we can churn up the air flow—?"

"Red and yellow levers!"

"Huh?!"

"Red and yellow levers! They're all over the place here in the generator room. Yanking them one after another seems to activate power flow!"

Rainbow and Ariel looked at the six metal podiums situated in a circle. Indeed, there were matching levers glinting in the sporadic manalight from above.

"But I've been having a Hell of a time trying to get the entire place from losing power! There's some manafeedback going on and I'm afraid—"

"Just keep the juice going long enough for us to crank up the air!"

"But that might overload the core entirely! We'll go dark!"

"For Logan's sake, it's a risk we're going to have to take! Now walk us through it!"

"Hurry up, Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy exclaimed, wringing her fetlocks. "He hasn't much time left!"

"What about the changeling?" Pinkie Pie asked, glancing at everypony else. "Am I the only crazy mare wondering where it went off to?!"

Flickering Eyes Like Smaragdines

Clang!!! CL-CLAKK!

Sparks showered in the center of a dark hallway, revealing a pair of identical, sweat-stained beaks. Not-so-identical limbs slashed and swung and parried with a pair of like-metallic staves. Some of the sparks fell on a collection of rags spilling out of an abandoned storage compartment. The dry material erupted in flames immediately, bathing the nearby bulkheads in amber firelight.

Wildcard's goggles glinted with the miniature blaze. Taking short and swift breaths, he backstepped, propping his staff horizontally over the stub of his left limb. Cuts and scrapes along his body glowed faintly in the chaotic dimness. Wildcard's headcrest lowered as he tightened his muscles in anticipation of his doppelganger's next attack.

Seething, the mimic Desperado approached. His lion's tail twitched, belying his next movement.

Wildcard readied himself. He lifted his staff at the last second, knocked the enemy's weapon down, then slammed his feline limbs down across the length of the metallic extension with all his weight.

The air rang with a sickening CRACK! Green blood poured out of the hollow of the fake bo-staff.

"Aaaaaaaaugh!" a pegasus mare's head erupted out of the fake griffin's neck. In a blood-curdling second, the changeling switched to Ariel, cradling her bleeding forelimb as her pained body banged against one wall, the next, and back again.

Panting, Wildcard leaned against Bard's staff, watching his crazed opponent with somber patience.

"Mmmmm—Mommmmma!" Ariel shrieked, then shook her head to the other side, forming tusks, hair, and spectacles. "Brrotherrssss!!!" Eyes flickered green, then turned magenta. "Celestia..." Rainbow Dash whimpered. "Why does it h-hurt so much?!"

Wildcard gulped. He steadied himself in the penumbra of the flames' warmth.

Seething, the creature looked up, glaring through the rising smoke. "Bloodwings."

Wildcard raised an eyecrest.

"You must be... hrkkkk..." The changeling's eyes flickered green once again. "A horrible name for horrible creatures... snkkkkt... she wrote them... mother etched them..." She choked on a sob. "...black scratches against the bone white surface of my dr-dreams..." Green bile dribbled out of the creature's muzzle. "I will... tell find her... tell her where you are..." She seethed as her eyes narrowed to hawkish slits. "...kill... every... one..."

It was then that the Desperado finally chose to charge his opponent. But just as he reached her, staff swinging—

"Raaaaaaaaaaaaugh!!!" With an explosion of wings and feathers, a bleeding Seraphimus leapt straight into his charge.

"!!!!!" Wildcard could scarcely raise the staff in time to defend himself. The doppelganger pounced him, swinging merciless talons and stabbing with the Talon Commander's beak.

The flames flickered brighter as a streak of glowing blood littered the bulkhead beside the blaze.

"Rainbow..." Fluttershy squirmed with sudden fright. "Rainbow, we have to go up to the top floors! Now!"

"Yeah, I get it, Flutters," Rainbow said, already gliding along with Ariel for the nearest stairwell. She illuminated the path ahead of them with her ruby pendant. "If we hurry, we might just meet up with Logan and check—"

"Logan's fine!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "It's Wildcard!"

Rainbow did a double-take in midflight. "Wildcard?"

"Wildcard?!" Ariel stammered.

"I... I'm afraid he's hurt!" Fluttershy's voice cracked. "He must be in battle with the changeling."

"And what?" Applejack craned her neck. "The changeling's winnin'?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Pinkie Pie winced as her body vibrated in two alternating places. "Fluttershy's right. We should hurry."

"What does that twitch mean, Pinkie?" Rarity asked.

"Well, back home, it usually meant that I was burning brownies in the oven!"

"There's... no bakery for thousands of miles!"

Rainbow clenched her teeth. "A fire..."

"Rainbow...?" Ariel murmured.

"Move your wings!" Rainbow Dash flapped harder as she shot her body up the stairwell. "The situated just shifted from 'holy crud' to 'holy mega super crud!'"

"Cr-crud!" Ariel wheezed, struggling to keep up.

"Thattagirl!" Rainbow sped vertically through the heart of Darkreach. "Keep it brief!"

For the fifth time in a row, Kepler struck a match.

He slowly waved the meager light about, squinting through his glasses to make out any possible detail in the pitch-black common room. All he caught was the glint of firelight against the tile of the Verdestone Mosaic.

Somewhere in the distance, growing faint and fainter, a series of metallic impacts echoed.

"Could... it be the powerr going back on?" Kepler stammered.

"Don't be so foolish, wyvern," droned a cold voice from the shadows. Kepler turned around, and the matchlight illuminated Seraphimus pale feathers. "There's combat going on deep in these halls," Seraphimus said, her voice tense. Cautious. "The longer we wait here, the more we delay the inevitable."

Kepler took a deep breath. "My frriends have things underr contrrol."

"Only a Blighted fool could believe that," Seraphimus muttered. "But if you believe in what the Rainbow Rogue says, then that's not a grand surprise."

"Shhhh!" Kepler waved her off while craning his hairy neck towards the distant echoes. "I must ascerrtain what is going on!"

"What's to figure out?" Seraphimus glared. "Judging from the ferocity of that noise, it can only belong to one griffin." Her crest feathers raised on end. "Let me go."

"Bite yourr tongue!" Kepler snapped. "You know verry well I cannot do that!"

"You can and you should!" Seraphimus snarled. "Jordan is in trouble! And if you're too weak to help him—"

"I have my station, just as he has his."

"Wyvern..." Seraphimus stared solidly at him. "I do not care for the Rainbow Rogue or your foolish brothers-in-arms... but if there's any scrap of respectful spirit left in Jordan's beleaugered body, then I would be remiss to let him perish at the hands of whatever goddess-forsaken monstrosity dwells here."

Kepler turned to smirk at her. "Currious... that cerrtainly does not like the thoughtless crretin who attacked us on the Gondola..."

Seraphimus clenched her beak shut. She sat silent where she was handcuffed to the pipework.

"Arre you rready to embrrace exactly wherre you arre?"

Silence.

Eerie silence.

"Shhhhhh...!" Kepler craned his neck. "Do you hearr that? The sounds of combat have stopped."

Seraphimus fumed. "I swear... if he's dead, wyvern, you will have to own up for—"

"Silence! Please, fickle one!" Kepler insisted. As his match went out, he lit another one and hobbled towards the nearest hallway. "Wildcarrd?"

There was no response.

"Brrotherr...?"

Sill dead silence.

Seraphimus and Kepler held their breaths.

Then... a light... flickering.

Bzzzzzt!

The manalights lining the ceiling of the common room lit up with a pale glow.

"Ha-hah!" Kepler beamed through his tusks as the room traded pitch black for a comfortable dimness. "Flynn, you brrilliant crreaturre!"

Worst Time to Thaw

Flynn exhaled heavily.

"Sweet raisins!"

He smiled at his hoofwork. Instrument panels around him lit up while the suspended power core up above glimmered across its array of crystal shards. The electrified hum of power echoed through the halls and corridors of Darkreach once again.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" He swiped his bald brow and relaxed his muscles. "Now if only I could reinvent hair."

A satisfied sigh. He swiveled about and reached for the intercom button.

A beaked face stared him down.

"Gah!" Flynn hopped back, pupils shrinking. His horn glowed in surprise, and he eventually slumped with a ragged breath. "Unnngh... Wildcard... cheese and crackers..." His tail flicked as he gestured at the humming generator room surrounding them. "Gotta work on your entrances, buddy."

"... ... ..." Wildcard merely stared at him.

"Anyways, I got things up and running again," Flynn said, brushing aside crystals and a few tools from the nearby counter. "You don't have to thank me. However, you might wanna go back downstairs and check up on Rainbow and... Ariel... ... ..." Flynn's good eye blinked. "Wait a minute..." He pivoted about, his mechanical lense zeroing in on Wildcard's lower body. "... ... ...how the hell did you grow back your left arm—?"

WHAM! The limb in question uppercutted Flynn across the chin.

Flynn stumbled backwards. Before he could react, a lion's tail wrapped around his neck and—swoooosh—WHAM—slammed his skull into a sparkling instrument panel.

"Grnnfhfhggh..." Flynn's eye rolled back and he collapsed like a pile of meat. Thwump.

Fuming, the griffin loomed above Flynn. He flicked his talon to the side, morphing it into a razor sharp organic scythe. He raised the blade above Flynn's skull, preparing to decapitate him in one fatal swing—

"Aaaaaugh!" the creature spontaneously shrieked, instantly shrinking into a chitinous quadruped under a sickly plume of green light. FLASH! Gangly, malnourished, and bleeding from a dozen spots, the metamorph clutched its skull with porous fetlocks and stumbled backwards. Th-Thump! It collapsed over a tool bench, shivering and weeping. "Mrmmmff... Momma..." Tears bled from its compound eye sockets, evaporating as soon as they came into contact with the scalding wounds seeping through the creature's ruptured exoskeleton.

The air was pierced by an infantile squeal.

The creature shook, writhed, and thrashed about. The work bench was knocked over and tools scattered all around Flynn's unconscious body.

The changeling fell to its knees, clutching its head and fighting the urge to weep. Hissing breaths of pain fountained in and out of its fanged muzzle. Quivering, the metamorph slowly looked up... staring out into the adjacent hallways of Darkreach.

Webbed ears perked up.

As a dull light pulsed beneath the surface of its eyes, the creature licked its mandibles... and slowly got up. Wings buzzed... then relaxed limply as it shuffled a slow, zig-zagged lurch towards the exit... leaking green blood in random puddles the entire way.

"... ... ..." Kepler's eyes narrowed. He looked towards one exit of the common room... then the next. "... ... ...something is amiss."

"Did they teach you to meditate on the obvious in Wyvern Point?" Seraphimus asked.

"Shhhhhh!" He held a claw up while gazing across the chamber. Light flickered, glinting off the tile mosaic of Verdestone. "... ... ...we should have hearrd worrd frrom the otherrs by now." He swallowed. "Flynn, at the verry least."

Seraphimus opened her beak to say something else in protest... but chose to be silent instead. Soon, she too was craning her neck and listening intently from where she had been chained. The feathers of her headcrest were still ruffling to a stop from the gust of artificial wind that had been forced through the nearby ducts. Now all was eerily still, with only the buzz of flickering manalights interrupting the deadness.

Kepler's scorpion tail curled up defensively. He clenched his jaw shut beneath his tusks as he turned about, gazing.

Seraphimus' hawkeyes narrowed. She held her breath, craning her neck left... right... left again...

A rustling sound.

"???" Seraphimus jerked her head to the left. Her gaze fell on a dark stairwell in the distance. A shadow shifted amidst the darkness. "... ... ...wyvern..."

"I hearrd it too," Kepler said. On nimble claws, the Heraldite crept towards the corridor. His hairs bristled on end as he squatted low. His tail uncurled as he summoned a courageous breath: "Flynn? Rrainbow One?" A beat. "Wildcarrd? Is that you, brrotherr?"

A voice came from the shadows, stately and feminine: "Come to me, Kepler."

He froze in place, every limb locked.

"There is no reason for alarm, good servant," the voice practically purred. "Let us meditate like old times, child."

"You..." Kepler's claws tightened against the floor. His voice took on a hissing, beastly tone. "You arre not the Mountain Matrron..."

"Please... child..." Shadows. Shifting. A near-weeping. "I've been so lonely without my faithful Herald. I... mrmmmfff... h-hunger..."

"Therre is no hungerr forr herr in the Harrmonic Plains." Schiiiing! Kepler picked up an ancient lance from the floor and aimed it towards the stairwell. "You arre something else. Now show yourrself—"

Th-THWPPP! A narrow black tentacle flew out of the darkness and wrapped three times around Kepler's neck.

"Grkkkk!" He jerked in place, breathless.

With a solid yank, the prehensile limb flung Kepler off his feet. Swoooosh! WHAM! His body was slammed against the doorframe. He tumbled in one way while his spectacles slid in the other. The wyvern lay silent, twitching.

Seraphimus clenched her beak. Her talons worked on the chains, attempting in futility to yank the manacles free. "Mrmfff... damnation..." Hissing, she fought and struggled to get loose.

While the former Talon Leader fussed with her restraints, a piece of the shadow slithered out... crouching low to the floor as it examined Kepler closely. The blackness summoned strength, growing larger... more distinct. A pair of flickering green eyes loomed over Kepler, and fangs glistened in the dim manalight.

Then it froze...

"... ... ..." Seraphimus locked her limbs, remaining still as stone.

Silence.

The green eyes lifted, peering across the common room at the griffin.

Seraphimus held her breath.

"... ... ...mmmm..." The green eyes vanished into the blackness. The onyx shape crawled slowly... sickly towards Seraphimus. "Mmmmm-mmmm..." The inkness rolled back, revealing pale feathers... a tan hide... talons and paws and a playfully twirling lion's tail. "...mmmmm-mommy...?"

Seraphimus' slitted pupils shrank. Her beak hung open. "... ... ...Verlaxion."

"Mommy?" A pair of eyes flickered to life. Hazel and glossy and beautiful. "Is that you?"

"Verlaxion, take me..." Seraphimus yanked and yanked at the manacles.

"Mommy, it's been so long..."

"Verlaxion—!" Seraphimus shook and fought. Her wrists bled raw.

With a mewling sound, the griffin child crossed the distance between them. "What's wrong, Mommy?"

"Get away..." Seraphimus was hyperventilating now. She seethed with a final bastion of contempt. "Blighted Demon! You're not... you are not—!"

"Please, Mommy..." It crawled up her legs. "...don't be mad..." Cold paw pads on her chest. A vaporous breath. Iced tears. "Don't you see?" A smiling face. Claws running through neck feathers.

"No!" Seraphimus shouted. She sobbed. "Get away—!"

"We're together again..." It closed its eyes and nuzzled the former Talon Commander. "I love you, Mommy—"

"Get aw—Get away from me!" Seraphimus' voice cracked as she struggled and thrashed in vain to throw the toddler off. "Get away from me!!!" She bellowed.

"I love you—" The child cooed, its eyes flickering green as it opened its beak wide, hissing—

Swoooooosh! A prismatic blur sliced through the room. Rainbow's hoof caught the infant under its neck.

"Nrkkk!" The creature flailed in surprise. "Mommy—!"

"Rrrrrgh!" Rainbow Dash spun around, violently slamming the little body through a nearby table.

SMASH!

The changeling enlarged to its chitinous nude self.

Chunks of wood and loose junk rattled across the room, sliding to a stop before the stairwell where Ariel stood with a bleeding, wincing Wildcard leaning against her figure.

Fighting tears, Seraphimus squinted one eye open to witness the event.

"Rnnngh—hresssssssh!" The changeling rippled into a gilatinous pile of black glue then rose back up in a quadrupedal shape.

"Party's over!" Rainbow shouted, staring the metamorph down. "Give it up while you still have the strength!" She faced off against the creature, limbs locked and muscles tightening. "We don't have to do this the hard way!"

"The... srnkkkt... harrrrd way..." The creature shook its head, then snarled at Rainbow Dash with a freckled muzzle. "But yer always doin' thangs the hard way, sugarcube!" Applejack hissed.

"Awwwwwwwwwww Luna Poop." Rainbow's ears folded. "This is gonna suck."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!" the farm mare galloped straight for her in a death charge.

Rainbow closed her eyes tight as she delivered the beast a savage right hook. WHUD!!!

End With a Bang

"Ooomf!" The changeling fell back against a stack of tools. The common room echoed from clattering metal as it snarled, tossed its blonde mane, and came running straight back for Rainbow with a blood-curdling drawl: "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!"

"Look out, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack phased through the nearby wall as she hovered above her anchor. "I'm comin' in for another charge—I mean... the changeling's comin' in—"

"I got it, AJ!" Rainbow Dash jumped high, flapped her wings, and flew over the creature's charge—or so she thought.

"Hressssh!" The farm mare's eyes turned compound in a green flash as its hat disappeares. Milliseconds later, its shoulder sprouted a tentacle that grabbed Rainbow by the lower fetlock. THWPPP!

"Rainbow!" Rarity exclaimed, floating close. "That spare limb is very brittle—!"

"Right." Rainbow simply spun about and swung her hoof through the appendage, instantly snapping it.

Green blood splattered across the stone floor of Darkreach.

"Mrnnghhhh!" The changeling backtrotted, its body rippling through orange, white, lavender, and pink coats. It finally settled for Fluttershy—or at least a Fluttershy with scorpion tails emerging from its shoulders. "Hresssssh!" It soared into Rainbow Dash, slashing and stabbing with its stingers.

Rainbow flew backwards, wrestling with the creature and dodging its tail-stabs with deft movements of her neck.

"Oh goodness!" The real Fluttershy covered her ghostly eyes. "Oh goodness it's too much!"

"Quick, Dashie!" Pinkie hollered. "Find a giant napkin to squash it!"

"It's a lot weaker than it looks!" Rainbow snarled back, being pressed against a table.

"Rainbow!" Ariel flinched, moving to lean Wildcard against a table. "Hold on! I'll help—!"

"No!" Rainbow sneered, dodging more stinger attacks. "Stay put!"

"But I can kick its butt! Honest—!"

"I know!" Rainbow spat, struggling. "But the moment you stop guarding Wildcard, he'll rush in on his lonesome and get hurt even more! And I'm not having that!"

With a frown, the last Desperado moved forward...

...only to be yanked back in place by Ariel. "You heard the mare." Ariel nevertheless gulped, staring wide-eyed at the fight. "She's got this."

"Rrrrrrrrrr—" Rainbow Dash pressed her rear hooves against the table behind her and shoved the metamorph backwards with her forelimbs. "Haaaaaaaugh—!" She then kicked against the furniture and performed a backwards bicycle kick, knocking the creature flat on its back.

WHUD!

Within a blink, Rainbow had finished her midair cartwheel and dove at the creature. Swoooooosh! She flew into it with beating wings, shoving the beast across the room.

Seraphimus' tear-stained eyes reflected the two bodies surging by.

WHAM! At last, Rainbow shoved the changeling into the wall on the opposite side. She pressed her weight against the squirming, bleeding thing and gnashed her teeth. "Give up!" she hollered. "You can't win against all of us! You're starving. You're weak. And you're confused! That's okay! We can friggin' help you!"

"Mrnnngh... Bloodwings..." The creature shrieked in Twilight's voice, and then in Bellesmith's. "Bloodwings!" As it hyperventilated, its pupils rotated through multiple ponies' colors. "Must... k-kill you all..." A whimper, and then Roarke's cold tone: "She will find you. I will show her."

"Don't trust her. Do you hear me?!" Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "You think she loves you. But Tchern left you here to be nothing more than a weapon. Well, you deserve more! Please, stop fighting! Let us show you there's another way!" Rainbow gulped. "This doesn't have to end in bloodshed!"

"Bloodshed...?" At long last, the panting changeling looked straight at her opponent. It swallowed, and an eerily smug voice rolled out its mandibles. "But Sparky..." Red on yellow eyes. Goat hair solidified beneath asymmetrical horns. "...if you did not like bloodshed, how would you have even made it this far?" A fanged smile.

Rainbow froze in place.

From across the room, Seraphimus sneered: "Fool!" She rattled in her chains. "It's baiting you—!"

It was far too late, the dragonequus skull headbutted Rainbow Dash savagely while she was transfixed.

"Ooomf!" Rainbow rolled backwards through a puddle of green changeling blood.

"Rainbow!" Ariel yelped and flew to her side.

"Mrmmmf... Mommy..." The creature shook, shivered, then bounded up the nearest stairwell. "Must... f-find..." Claws and chitin and buzzing wings. It was gone in a green blur. "Reveal..."

Goggles rattling, Wildcard hobbled after it.

"Mrmmfff..." Rainbow struggled to get up, bleeding from the head. "Wildcard... friggin'..."

Cold laughter.

"...?" Rainbow squinted at the nearby puddle of green liquid.

There was a flash of scales, and then a fanged grin formed against the surface of the changeling's fluid. "You know, the little bugger makes a good point..."

Before Rainbow could respond, she felt Ariel's hooves lifting her up. "Rainbow—!" She stammered. "Wildcard's giving chase! Want me to stop him—?"

"Never mind Wildcard, stop the changeling!" Rainbow shook Ariel off and stumbled after the Desperado. "It's heading upstairs! That can only mean one thing!"

"Hurry, Rainbow!" Fluttershy insisted.

"It's headed towards the loading area!" Rarity added.

"If Flynn got this place buzzing again..." Pinkie began.

"Everypony!" Rainbow hollered, her voice echoing through the colony as Kepler stirred to his feet way behind them. "Don't... let it... escape...!"

Panting...

Bleeding... ...

Stumbling... ... ...

The changeling changed bodies ten times per minute. It never once lost its pace as it galloped desperately for the upstairs loading area.

At last, it approached the concrete ramp leading towards the flat metal door.

Its head flickered—possessing Flynn's scalp for a brief moment. Wisened eyes wandered to the left, where it found a dimly-lit instrument panel. The changeling reached over, slapping a button with Seraphimus' palm.

Whurrrrrrrrrrrr!

The ramp opened up to hazy twilight and stars.

The top of the mesa was exposed in a silver line.

"Oh mother..." The changeling whimpered. A smiling muzzle... beak... tusks. It rose on leather and feather wings, flying limply up the ramp, empowered by tears. "Oh mother, I'm coming. We'll be together once again."

It rose higher and higher, almost clearing the door, gaining speed.

"We'll be—"

Thw-Thw-Thw-Thw-THW-THWOOOSH!

A heavy axe flew up the ramp and—

CHTUNKK!!!

—embedded itself deep in the metamorph's thorax, almost cleaving the ceature in two.

"Grkkkkk!" The changeling spat a fountain of green slime out its mandibles. It lurched in midair, its wings buzzing in agonized desperation.

Far behind, down the ramp, a side door had slid open to reveal a vertical crawlspace. There Logan stood, covered in sweat and soot. He panted while squinting at his mortal blow from a distance.

"Mrmmmffg... grnnnghhhlll..." The creature let out a whimper, then slumped down hard on the concrete. It slid down the ramp, quickened by the pool of its own blood. Eventually, the friction caused by the axe impaling it caused the body to grind to a halt.

Taking deep breaths, Logan bore a somber expression as he marched towards the thing.

Meanwhile, Wildcard, Ariel, and Rainbow Dash emerged from the stairwell below. They scuffled to a stop, gawking at the bloody scene.

"Whoah...!" Ariel grimaced. "Big Show..."

Rainbow's ears drooped. "Awwwwww for frig's sake..." A heavy exhale. "Was that really necessary?"

"Jeez, you're welcome," Logan grunted as he retrieved his axe with a wet sound. "Better it than us... or the entire journey for that matter—"

"D-Daddy...?"

Logan's pupils instantly shrank. He peered beyond the dripping lengths of his axe.

The changeling had rolled over onto its back. Chitinous skin unfurled above the wound, turning into a soft, rose-peach color. An earth pony foal with a gold mane and blue eyes looked up at him, eyes tearing.

"Daddy... it hurts, Daddy..."

Ariel and Rainbow blinked in confusion.

Wildcard's headcrest lifted.

Logan, meanwhile, was struggling to catch his breath again. "...come on, you bastard freak..." He gulped. "Don't friggin' do this..."

"You said that it wouldn't hurt," the foalish half of the changeling sobbed as its eyes burned green. "You s-said it would be like going to sleep..."

Ariel stammered. "Big Show...?"

"Shut up..." Logan hissed. He clenched his eyes shut as his ears flattened. "Everypony... just shut up—"

"Logan..." The foal's bleeding gums took on a vicious frown. "Logan, you no-good son of a bitch..." The creature heaved forward, its skull enlarging into that of an adult mare, red-coated and howling: "I should have murdered you before I even foaled her!" Her eyes were literally smoking and her body hissed like a steam kettle. Fumes rose from every bleeding orifice of the changeling as the air filled with a pungent odor.

Rainbow coughed, her ears tearing. "Twilight—Kaff! Koff!—what is that?!"

"A chemical reaction!" Twilight gasped. "Oh Celestia—!"

"Quii-ii-iick!" Pinkie quivered all over. "Jump for cover—!"

Rainbow grabbed Ariel and dove aside. "Wildcard!"

Wildcard threw himself forward by his wings. He caught Logan by the shoulders and flung their combined weight backwards just as—

POWWWWW! The changeling's corpse erupted in an acidic bubble of flames that branched outward in every direction, filling the entire chamber with flesh-searing plasma.

When the Smoke Clears

As soon as they had erupted, the flames cleared up. The air of the upper storage chamber returned to a dim twilight, tinged with smoke.

Rainbow Dash and Ariel crawled out from behind a pile of junk that had shielded them from the changeling's self-destruction. Breathless, they gazed across the room.

They saw Wildcard with a few of his wingfeathers burning like candles. He twisted and shook and writhed in a desperate attempt to put them out. Suddenly, a large figure loomed over him.

"Let me, Double-Yoo. I've got it—" Logan gnashed his teeth and slapped the sparks out with his heavy hoof. "I've got it!"

"Holy shit..." Ariel exhaled, trembling all over. "I mean... j-just..." She ran a hoof through her frazzled mane. "Holy shit."

"Okay, everypony remain calm," Rainbow insisted, gesturing with both hooves. "Are we all in one piece?"

Wildcard grimaced, examining his glowing wounds. With a jolt, he frantically looked all over... then was relieved to find Bard's staff lying un-damaged on the ground beside him. He picked it up and collapsed the thing with a contented sigh.

Rainbow gulped. "Fluttershy," she spoke aside. "Tell me. Is everypony in one piece?"

"Yes, Rainbow," the ghostly pegasus said with a nod. "They might be slightly bruised up, but I assure you... Flynn, Kepler, and Seraphimus are fine as well."

Applejack cleared her throat. "Ya might wanna think twice about Seraphimus." She looked at Rainbow. "Reckon you should go visit her, sugarcube."

Rainbow was about to reply to that—

"Dashie!" Pinkie Pie pointed. "Look!"

Rainbow and her ghostly friends turned around. Along the crest of the concrete ramp leading out to the exterior of the mesa, there was an unmistakable burn mark. Green blood boiled to a stand still and a few chitinous pieces of flesh lingered along the edges of the point of explosion. However, that wasn't precisely what Rainbow and her companions were staring at. Lifting up from the singed epicenter was a misty cloud of ruby light. It lingered in spot, harboring far too much purpose for any normal, mindless patch of fog.

Twilight's muzzle hung agape. "It's happening again, Rainbow..."

"Then..." Rainbow gulped. "...that must mean—"

Just as they spoke, the ruby aura moved. At first, it looked like it was shifting directly out of the entrance to Darkrreach. But as the ponies witnessed, it sank as well... descending through the ramp and—presumably—through the mesa altogether.

"Where's it headed?" Pinkie asked.

"Judging from the way the entrance is facing..." Twilight swallowed. "...the same direction Axan's... erm..."

Rainbow merely bit her lip. She heard the scraping of metal and looked over to Logan.

The large stallion was picking his axe up in tense silence. Smoke and slimy green blood clung to the blade's edges. He sighed with a shrug of his shoulders.

Rainbow trotted limply towards him. "Logan..."

"Look, Rainbow..." He grumbled. "The lil' bug-eyed shit was tearing us all a new asshole, and—like you said—it was just a bee's harvest away from warning the whole hive about us. Take it or leave it, but we just can't afford to make friends with every dayum thing that moves on this side of the plane!"

Rainbow grimaced. "I-I wasn't even going to go on about that." She cleared her throat. "I... I was only wondering—"

"What the Hell was that just now?!" Ariel stammered.

Rainbow sighed. "Ariel..."

"Who were those ponies, Big Show?" Ariel exclaimed. "I know that bugger was only trying to mess with our heads, but... but..." She shuddered. "Shit... that last one was so friggin' mad at you. Is there something you're not telling us—?"

"And what if there was?!"" Logan spun to snarl at Ariel, startling her. "I don't remember a rule about volunteering information when we all signed up for the God Squad!"

Ariel jumped back, shivering. "I-I'm only concerned about you, Big Show—"

"Well, stuff it!" he spat, shouldering his dirtied axe. "I'm the same big idiot you've always known, just a bit more pissed off! So back off!" His nostrils flared as he turned towards Rainbow. "Are Keps and that bald bastard okay downstairs?!"

"Logan, we're your friends. You can tell us—"

"Ask your spooky friends!"" Logan stomped a hoof. "Are they okay or not?!"

Rainbow nodded nervously. "Fluttershy says they're fine!"

"Good. I'm going to go check on them." Fuming, Logan marched towards the nearest stairwell. "Somepony remember to close the goddess-damn door, okay?!" And he was gone.

"Logan, wait—!" Ariel darted after him, only to have Bard's staff block her way.

Wildcard stood in somber silence, looking after the stallion's exit. Despite his fresh wounds and bruises, he remained the calmest of the three.

"Friggin'..." Flynn sat at an overturned bench in the common room, holding a rag to his bleeding gums. "...damn freak took me by surprise. Who'd think we'd run into a changeling this soon?"

"Ach...!" Kepler sat beside him, bandaging the stallion's right forelimb. The thin materialy barely contained the lively glow as the wounds were patched up. "It wouldn't be called the 'Darrk Side' if it wasn't full of unpleasant surrprrises, brrotherr..."

"I was so busy trying to get Darkrreach operational." Flynn spat on the concrete floor and frowned. "Feel like a damned fool."

"You arre not alone, forr what it is worrth..." Kepler sighed, adjusting crooked bifocals. The frame had been bent when he took a fall, and they needed to be repaired. "But—live and learrn! It'll be that much harrderr forr the childrren of Tcherrn to drrop the prroverrbial anvil on us! Ha-Hah!"

"Heh..." Flynn rolled his one good eye. "'Kerrrrsplat.'"

"Well put, frriend."

Heavy hoofsteps.

They both looked up amidst the flicker of manalights.

Logan gave them one glance. His body was covered in soot and slime.

"... ... ... ... ....had a bad date?" Flynn suggested.

Logan merely snorted. He trotted clear across the room.

Kepler and Flynn watched him pass by. "Okay then," muttered the latter.

But before Logan exited completely, he glanced towards the far end of the chamber. His eyes fell on the griffin tied to the pipework.

Seraphimus shook and trembled. Tears ran down her face as she stared into the corner of the room. For a brief moment, her gaze lifted and she looked at Logan.

Logan looked back.

Amidst the tense silence, their vision was severred... and Logan made his way into the adjacent corridor.

And Seraphimus...

Seraphimus went nowhere.

Earn Some Down Time

"Blast it, brrotherr!" With a grunt, Kepler used his meager strength to shove Wildcard back down onto a cot along the edge of the common room. "Forr Goddess' sake! Stay put!" He huffed and continued applying bandages to the stubborn Desperado's arm. "As much as you wish to, you simply cannot be everrywherre at once!"

Wildcard sighed heavily, frowning beneath his beak. He laid on the cot in protest, holding his right arm out for the wyvern to mend. His goggles reflected a prismatic shape trotting into focus.

"Listen to Keps, dude," Rainbow Dash said. "You're on mandatory R&R for the next foreseeable future."

The griffin's tail flicked in protest.

"I mean it!" Rainbow pointed with a frown. "You've taken the bullet for the Herald enough as it is! Heck, you're still recovering from the freakin' slobberknocker back in the Gondola! If you wanna make yourself—and Bard—proud, then take five... or more like five thousand." She huffed. "You'll be of waaaaay more use to me and the rest alive, don't you agree?" She cocked her head to the side. "So—barring the appearance of more random bug-ponies—you're out of the fight until Flynn fixes you a new arm or something. No arguing."

Wildcard sighed again... but eventually nodded.

"Good," Rainbow grumbled. "Lie down. Eat some bleakweed. Sleep and... erm... dream of sexy cat birds... or something."

The Desperado chuckled breathily, his tail flicking with a soft curl this time.

"Now that is one way to lay down the hammerr!" Kepler remarked. "Ha-hah!"

"Yeah..." Rainbow slumped against an overturned bench and rubbed her forehead. "Now if only I could do something about the hammer laid down on my skull."

"You took a solid thrrashing as well, I suspect," Kepler said.

"We all did," Rainbow said. "I feel like it's my fault somehow."

"You did all you could, Rainbow," Ariel said, flying over to the scene.

"Yeah..." Flynn arrived next, rubbing his bruised body and nodding with a wince. "The creatures on this edge of the plane aren't anything like the Light Side." He shrugged. "It's no big surprise that your ghost-buds couldn't sense it."

"Well, to be honest, it's the first time they've been consciously 'with me' during a changeling encounter period," Rainbow muttered. "For all I know—they would have had trouble with the ones back in Val Roa and Stratopolis."

"Soooooooo..." Ariel fidgeted in mid-hover. "Were all the shapeshifters you met back west so... uhhh..."

"Broken?" Flynn spat.

"For your information, no," Rainbow said with a slight glow. "I'm not kidding, guys. This..." She shook her head with a weary breath. "This was something new." A gulp. "Even for me."

"What were the changelings you encountered before like?" Ariel asked. "I mean... assuming they ever dropped their diguise—"

"Oh, they did," Rainbow said. "And they... they had a lot of tricks of their sleeves for sure." She cleared her throat, gazing across the dimly-lit room. "They could imitate almost any quadruped. Just like their Queen, they were all mind-readers... which means they could dig into your head and drum up faces from past memories... and emotions." A shuddering sigh. "It's how they feed, y'know."

"So that's why..." Ariel grimaced. "...I-I heard my mother's voice..."

"It's more complicated than that," Rainbow said. "For all intents and purposes, the changeling who grappled was your mother. By that, I mean your mother as put together by your collective memories and feelings." She shrugged. "Heck, it might even go deeper than that. Something spiritual, perhaps... like detecting the 'soul'-residue of past ponies on your spirit or some crap. I dunno. The changeling queens were once alicorns themselves, so the sky's the limit."

"Yes, but..." Flynn squinted his one good eye. "Could any of the changelings you met split into two or mimic elements—?"

"Or friggin' explode?!" Ariel's voice cracked.

Wildcard sat up, gazing at Rainbow curiously.

Rainbow gulped. "Not any of the ones I met," she explained. "Once, a whole bunch of changelings in Stratopolis formed together like a nest and morphed into a giant fascimile of Queen Chrysalis' face in order to help her communicate with me from... like... an entire continent away."

Kepler whistled. "That's quite the imprressive feat."

"Yes. But none of the changelings could do any of that crazy stuff on their own," Rainbow said. "Oh! In Val Roa!" She sat up straight, gesturing. "There were three high-ranking leaders of the government: Sharp Quill, Fishberry, and... and... erm..." Her eyes crossed and she shook her head. "Ugh! I forget. Too many fight scenes ago. Anyways." She looked at the Heraldites again. "Basically, the Noble Jury and I found out that all three of them were split portions of the same Changeling Queen—Chrysalis—split into separate doppelgangers, each subconsciously following her will in self-contained fugue states."

"Whoah..." Ariel blinked.

"That is... alarrming," Kepler said. Wildcard nodded.

"It took a crazy-coordinated effort on our part to... like... gather the three doppelgangers and throw 'em together in order for Chrysalis to be made manifest," Rainbow said. "But when it happened, she had nowhere left to run. She was sapped of power and at the end of her rope. So she gave up and Val Roa was saved."

"Way to go, Rainbow," Flynn said.

"Heh... yeah..." Rainbow smiled lazily. "If only all of my adventures went that well."

"When you faced the drreaded Queen Chrrysalis in herr final forrm, she didn't put up a grreaterr fight?" Kepler asked.

"Like I said, Keps, she couldn't," Rainbow said. "She was divvying up her power to mind-control an entire army of defenders that she intended to turn on the Val Roan populous. It was her last ditch gambit to take over the continent of Alafreo." She shook her head. "Didn't work. The Noble Jury made sure of that—with a lot of help, of course. Couldn't have done it without Arcanista or Seclorum."

"Wow..." Ariel smiled. "You've met a ton of ponies!"

Rainbow sighed. "Yeah..."

"It appearrs as though the changelings of the Light Side rrelegated all of theirr powerr to theirr brrood motherr," Kepler said. "Perrhaps the crreaturre we stumbled upon herre was one of Tcherrn's morre loyal guarrds."

"No." Rainbow shook her head. "I don't think so." She gestured. "This thing was like an infant. A baby. Ariel and I found where it had hatched in here."

"Yeah..." Ariel squinted. "About that. How did it even get inside Darkreach?"

"Maybe it's rresponsible for the expulsion of the Emerraldinians?" Kepler suggested.

"Or... ... ..." Flynn stroked his stubbled chin. He glanced at the others. "...the vents."

"You mean the ones attached to the air system in here?" Rainbow asked, ears twitching. "What about them?"

"Well, the changeling we ran into has a lot of tricks up its sleeves," Flynn said. "Maybe whoever... uh... 'laid' it found a way to shift into a pure gaseous element and breach the vents built into the side of the mesa."

Ariel raised an eyebrow. "Tchern?"

"Beats the Hell out of me," Flynn said. "I'm just saying—now that we've got a taste of what these creatures are capable of, then maybe it explains how they were able to get into Darkreach with it sealed off to normal ponies like us."

"I was just thinking of something," Rainbow muttered.

"Wanna fill us in?" Ariel asked.

"Chrysalis returned to the Light Side because she felt that her and her sister were getting their thoraxes kicked in the Trinary War," Rainbow muttered. "The sheer effort it must have taken to cross over—avoiding Verlax in Rohbredden and eventually finding her way into Xona—probably involved centuries of struggle and planning."

"In other words..." Flynn cocked his head to the side. "Chrysalis was distracted."

"Right. But Tchern wasn't." Rainbow's brow furrowed. "She's had hundreds of years of putting her mandibles to the grindstone of the Trinary War to hone her talents... and—by proxy—the talents of her hatchlings."

"Yeesh!" Ariel grimaced. "Are you saying that every single changeling on this side of the plane can split into halves, turn into elements, and explode?!"

"Just think back to what we've witnessed," Rainbow said in a tired tone. "Even without all of its faculties together, this single bug-horse could take us all on." She looked at the wounded griffin beside them. "Sure, Wildcard wore it down some... but it still wasn't enough."

Wildcard gestured with his good talon.

Flynn looked at him. "Well, yeah. It's a good thing it's blood isn't made of acid."

"Hrrrrm..." Kepler rubbed his hairy chin.

Ariel looked over. "What are you 'Hrrrrm-ing' about, Kepler?"

"I am currious..." He adjusted his spectacles as he asked, "Did any of you obserrve this crreaturre's blood glowing?"

The room fell into silence.

"Not even in the least?" he added.

Ariel, Flynn, and Rainbow shook their heads.

"And yet..." Kepler pointed at Wildcard's bandages that still had faint luminescence. "Ourrs burrn like gold underr a spotlight."

"That's... really fascinating," Flynn murmured. He looked at Rainbow. "Got any theories?"

"Changelings'... farts glow?"

Ariel shook her head. "Never change, Rainbow."

"Dudes... I've got no clue," Rainbow said with a shrug. "But... y'know... that poor thing was hatched here on the Dark Side."

"Could that be the difference, then?" Ariel asked. "Those who were born under the blessing of Harmony and those that weren't?"

"It would make forr keen study," Kepler said. "Given the cirrcumstances wherre we could afforrd such."

"And we can't." Rainbow stood up and began pacing. "Right now, we've cleared Darkreach of all its crazy explodey spiders."

"Here's hoping—" Ariel began.

Rainbow held a hoof in her face. "And..." She looked at the others. "I think it's time for a rest." She pointed about. "Get this place powered up. Patch up our wounds. Make Wildcard a new friggin' arm. Catch our bearings."

"We should keep things at half-power for a while to rest the leylines from the ventilation overload earlier," Flynn said. "But we'll be able to juice the place to full capacity later when the time's right."

"Flynn and I shall worrk swiftly on fashioning a new prrosthetic forr ourr most gifted fighterr."

"Right."

"Oh!" Ariel brightened. "Downstairs, Big Show and I found a bunch of leftover files and manuscripts from the Emeraldinian expedition! It might shed some light on what the ponies here discovered before they cleared out!"

"Yeah... Wildcard and I found some stuff too that needs explaining." Rainbow blinked. "... ... ...where is Logan, anyways?"

"He went to the HQ," Flynn said. "The upstairs room with the map. I think he... needed to cool off."

"That's fine," Rainbow said. She then squinted at the group. "You guys have been with him through thick and thin. Have any clue what the heck happened right before the changeling went kablooey? Like—just who were those ponies who appeared before him?"

"I... I-I haven't gotten a clue," Ariel said.

Both Wildcard and Flynn shook their heads.

"I'm afrraid he's neverr taken the opporrtunity to explain to me his past life," Kepler said. "He cerrtainly had many a converrsation with the Mountain Mattron. Alas..." A soft sigh, and he smiled limply through his tusks. "Morrtuana took countless secrrets with herr to the Harrmonic Plains."

"I get it," Rainbow said with a nod. "Still... I sure hope there's no unwritten rule of the Job Squad that says you've gotta keep secrets from each other—" She jolted slightly, looking perturbed. "What is it, Applejack?" She looked to her right, blinking for a few seconds. "Huh?" Another few seconds passed, and Rainbow looked sharply in Flynn's direction.

Flynn avoided her gaze, looking deadpan towards the floor of the room.

Rainbow looked at him for a prolonged period, even squinting. Eventually, she sighed. "Whatever. Break time. Let's all get some rest. Get some food. Get some..." She looked into the far end of the room.

Seraphimus lay limply on the floor, handcuffed to the pipework.

"... ... ...some sanity," Rainbow muttered, then trotted off on her lonesome.

Lost Talon of Verlaxion

Hoofsteps.

A dimly glowing horn.

Flynn marched up the steps leading to the HQ of Darkreach. When he entered the lofty room in the heart of the mesa, his hornlight glinted off the metal surface of the map-table and surrounding instrument panels. The "briefcase" that Rainbow had brought up from the lower living quarters lay limply on the floor. Not thinking—or caring—Flynn gave the metal thing a meager kick and entered the room proper.

He jolted to a stop upon seeing a thick figure standing beside the table with several strips of edible bleakweed laid out.

Flynn blinked. "... ... ...recovering with a full stomach."

"Stuff it, Baldy," Logan muttered, laying out equal portions of the food. "Been a while since the group ate. Figured I'd prepare rations now that all of the habitual ass-kicking is done."

"Uh huh..." Flynn licked the inside of his mouth. "... ... ...why by yourself?"

"Because I want to feel useful."

"But you are useful, dude. Hell... you're stallion of the hour! If you hadn't caught that freak before it flew away—"

"Did I ask you to bring your annoying ass up here?" Logan grumbled.

Flynn rolled his good eye and sighed. "No, you didn't. But... since I'm here... and since kicking my face in would jeopardize this mission's one and only technology expert..." He leaned against the center table and focused his metal lens on the obese earth pony. "...the least we can do is talk."

"Hrmmmf..." Logan wrapped each portion of bleakweed into linen mats. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Nothing my shiny dome!" Flynn smirked with effort. "Ya hear that? I'm doing the bald jokes for you."

Logan was silent.

"What next? Do I have to sit on my own horn and rotate? Will that put us on the level with each other?"

Logan was even more silent.

Flynn gulped. When he spoke next, it was in a soft tone. Warm and endearing. "You did the right thing, Logan. Back in Storm Prefecture."

Logan froze in place. He gazed blankly beyond the stack of rations he had prepared.

"She's living a good life now, thanks to you," Flynn said. "Hell... they both are." His ears drooped. "Even... even with the Wendigoes roaming about... I just know they're safe. Plenty of holds that the communities can hide in. And—besides—Theanim and Keris and the rest will make sure that the Prefectures are unified as one in harmony, even if it takes decades..."

"Told you never to talk about that shit, Flynn," Logan said in a cold tone.

"Well, I wasn't the one who brought it up, was I?"

Silence.

"You know it was only messing with you, right?" Flynn remarked. "The changeling, I mean. It was using what was in your head and then twisting their voices to try and make you feel bad."

"Yeah? Well..." Logan scooped up the rations in one fetlock and marched towards the exit. "It did a damn good job."

"Well, nice of you to admit that," Flynn said, pivoting to face him the entire way. "Now be a smart stallion and ignore it."

"I already am."

"I mean recognize it for the mind games that it is, don't simply brush the real memories off—"

"Remind me, baldy. Are you an expert in mana-electrical engineering or psychiatry?"

"Uhhhhhhhhh—"

Logan's brown eyes stabbed in Flynn's direction. "So stop buckin' around with a shit science you know nothing about."

"Logan..." Flynn frowned. "...at one point or another, Rainbow is going to ask questions."

"And at one point or another, she's going to have to drop a stinkin' load. What's your point?"

Flynn sighed, face-hoofing. "Can we finally lose the 'Job Squad' pride, Logan? I mean... Hell... Bard's gone. Wildcard's falling apart. How many more lives and limbs do we gotta lose before we level with each other? Rainbow's depending on us and—"

"And she's got us. Look at me!" Logan gestured at the rations. "I'm doing the job of nourishing the whole circus!" He turned to face the stairwell again and exited, nostrils flaring. "Even those of us who don't deserve it."

Thwap!

A linen-wrapped stack of bleakweed landed on the floor of the common room.

Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes opened. She tiredly looked at the food, then up at the shadow looming over her.

"Eat." Logan glared.

"... ... ..." Seraphimus' muscles stirred. Tiredly—melancholically—she slowly shifted away from the rations.

"You will eat," Logan grunted, tail flicking. Kepler and Wildcard dined in the dim background. "That's not a request." He exhaled angrily. "I'll be doing the rounds... helping Rainbow and Ariel explore the rest of this alicorn-forsaken colony. And when I get back... and if I find you haven't eaten..." He gestured. "You'll be eating my axe instead, got it?"

"Your crazed leader wouldn't approve of such barbarism," Seraphimus hoarsely managed.

"Rainbow Dash is finishing her damned quest whether you live or not!" Logan spat, pointing an angry hoof. "Hell—I've a good mind to fashion your bones into a crude cannon and launch her to the Midnight Armory from here! Don't matter how she gets there so long as she gets there—over your dead body, even!"

"Then what are you waiting for?" Seraphimus wheezed. Her face was still crusty from tears. "What in Verlaxion's name anypony still waiting for?"

"Save the philosophy for somepony who cares," Logan grumbled, turning around. "Hell, Goddess knows I don't." He marched off. "Shoulda chopped your head off in the damn Gondola."

As he walked away, Seraphimus spoke—and it had a sharp edge to it: "You're not nearly as tough as you pretend, mercenary," she said. "I heard the others talking in your absence. The shapeshifting demon... it mimicked someone you used to know... ... ...undoubtedly some unfortunate soul you betrayed."

"You think you're the only soul on the Light Side who lost something?!" Logan spun about, hissing through his teeth. "You think that just because your family croaked and your continent imploded that it somehow makes you special? Friggin' grow up."

"I'm the Right Talon of Verlaxion," Seraphimus said, glaring. "The one entrusted to—"

"You're a punk. And a coward," Logan said. "Always have been and always will be. Don't matter how many friggin' throats you've slashed or crooks you've tossed over cliffsides. All these years you spent hiding behind the name of a Goddess you could have instead spent time trying to improve the lives of those around you... and the so-called life you yourself lived." He shook his head. "I don't care how many medals that the Council of Verlaxion hung on your name. It ain't worth shit." He pointed. "Take what you've got and learn to live with what you haven't. It's what I've always aimed to do. And—you know what? I'm pretty damned proud of it. What do you have left to be proud of?"

Seraphimus said nothing.

"Eat the bleakweed," Logan muttered, trotting off. "It's a lot tastier than your own bullshit."

But... before he exited the common room entirely.

"Y'know... I've been listening around myself..." He looked over his shoulder. "...the changeling came to you too... and the freak could have appeared as any of the souls in your life that loved and respected you. And yet... it didn't choose to be Verlaxion, did it?"

Seraphimus glanced up at him.

"Maybe... just maybe... it friggin' couldn't." With that said, he walked away.

Just as he was in the adjacent corridor, he heard a subtle rustling sound. He stopped briefly, craning his ear.

It was the unmistakable sound of a linen-wrapped bundle of bleakweed slowly... reluctantly being unwrapped...

...and eaten.

Logan said nothing... and shuffled off into the shadowed depths of Darkreach.

Exit, Stage Vanilla Zone

"I am certain, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said, fighting the urge to yawn. "There are no more changelings hidden inside Darkreach." A tired blink. "At least, I think I'm sure of it."

"Well are you or aren't you?" Pinkie asked.

"I... uhm... I-I believe that I got a feel for the creature about halfway through hunting it down," Fluttershy said. "Now that I know..."

"We get it, Fluttershy," Twilight said, rubbing her eyes. "You'll be able to sense them from now on."

"I... wouldn't count on that so quickly," Applejack said. She waved a hoof at Fluttershy, smiling. "No offense, sugarcube. But them creatures are hatched for the sole purpose of outsmartin' other ponyfolk. I wouldn't be surprised if there's more to them that we have yet to witness."

"Good heavens!" Rarity dramatically remarked. "Something more to them than taking on the entire Herald single-hoofedly and then exploding?! I shudder to think!"

"Don't freak out, Rarity," Rainbow Dash said. She sat in a stairwell beneath a flickering light. The mare was alone with her phantom friends. "The last thing I want to do is take us and the Herald purposefully into any lands or nests owned by Tchern." She fiddled with her saddlebag, eventually disrobing the regal violet material. Some of the straps were starting to fray. She made a mental note of getting Kepler's assistance in stitching the trusty old pack whole again. "The key to this journey is getting to the Midnight Armory in one piece. That won't be doable if we pick fights with creatures we can't handle. Trust me... we're already better prepared now thanks to what we went through."

"A run-in with Tchern is inevitable, Rainbow," Twilight said. "Don't you think? I mean... after all... we're far from the only group of ponies trying to get into the Midnight Armory."

"What gets me is that after all this time..." Pinkie Pie gazed about, her muzzle scrunched. "...how come nopony's gotten inside and grabbed the Harmonic Prism already?"

"Because they're all fighting for it, Pinkie," Twilight said. "The three factions of the Trinary War, remember?"

"Soooooooooooo literally not a single one of those big bad armies have been able to control the point where the Armory's located?" Pinkie remarked. "I've had pillow fights before but—no matter how many slumber party ponies are involved—there's always a queen of the hill!"

"That..." Twilight blinked, teetering blearily. "I have no explanation for that."

"Maybe an army has control of the Armory, but they haven't been able to get inside?" Fluttershy said. "You remember Celestia's and Luna's warning about the 'trial' left by the alicorns to even lay eyes on the Harmonic Prism within."

"In any case, it's still the one and only target we need to be concerned with," Rainbow said. "And one thing's for certain..." She narrowed her eyes. "You guys need to get some rest."

"But Rainbow..." Twilight fumbled through a yawn. "...Discord..."

"It's okay so long as one of you girls sticks with me—"

"ME!" Pinkie Pie jumped up, hovering in place with a grin and a hoof raised. "I'll be on Dashie Watch first!"

"Whelp..." Applejack smiled. "Reckon you've got yer first volunteer."

"Way to bring your A-Game, Pinkie." Rainbow shuddered. "I can't promise it'll be very exciting. I'll likely be spending the next few hours—"

"Resting?" Rarity asked.

"... ... ...scavenging through Darkreach for clues about the Emeraldinians and then resting," Rainbow Dash said. "I owe the Herald that much after all they've gone through."

"Darling, you owe the Herald a centeredness of being," Rarity said. "Get some rest. Let Pinkie watch over you. By the time we're all done in the Vanilla Zone, Pinkie can take her turn and sooner than we know it—we'll all be fully recharged and synched with each other."

"Heeheeeeee!" Pinkie twirled in midair. "'Synch' rhymes with 'pink!'"

"Uh huh..." Fluttershy blinked... blinked again... then gazed at Rainbow with a liquid smile. "You're certain you will be okay with only one of us guarding you?"

"I can definitely count on Pinkie," Rainbow said, winking back. "You get some rest."

"I just... can't get over how sad that poor changeling's final moments were," Fluttershy said. "In fact, its whole life in general! Abandoned by its own mother—the Queen—to thirst for love and then commit nothing but atrocities."

"The faster you go to sleep the more you'll be able to forget about it," Rainbow said.

"That might work for you, Rainbow, but not for me." Fluttershy winced instantly. "Oh... I-I'm sorry..." She rubbed her eyes. "That wasn't a nice thing to say."

"It's okay, Fluttershy," Rainbow said. "If it helps you to know, there were tons of changeling sob stories just like this one's back on the Light Side... but I was ultimately able to help out most of them. Chrysalis too."

"Do you think there's such a hope for Tchern and her hive?"

Rainbow had no response.

"Come on, darlin'..." Applejack gave Fluttershy a gentle push. "Time to count sheep hoppin' over the edge of the world."

"Mmmmmmm... sheep..." Fluttershy happily drifted into a ruby portal and vanished. "Nini..."

"I would love to say something sweet, charismatic, and inspiring, but..." Rarity yawned. "I haven't any."

"Jee, thanks Rarity," Rainbow droned with a smug grin.

"You're welcome, darling." And she vanished. Twilight hovered after her.

"If you find anything out about Darkreach while we're away, you'll tell us first thing we wake..." The lavender unicorn raised an eyebrow. "Right?"

"You betcha, egghead. Now don't get cracked."

"Hmmm... I won't." Twilight drifted backwards into ruby oblivion. "Take care, Rainbow... Pinkie..."

Applejack drifted after her. "Funny..."

"Hmmm?" Rainbow craned her neck.

"... ... ...that the changeling would choose to attack you as me at one point."

Rainbow froze in place. Her muzzle paled slightly.

Applejack tilted her hat back. "Reckon them bug-horses have many different ways of messin' with ya."

"Yeah." Rainbow gulped. "They do."

"Heh... yer somethin' else, Rainbow." Applejack tipped her hat one last time and vanished. "Keep up the good work."

"You bet, AJ." Rainbow exhaled with relief. "So..." Her ears perked as she looked at Pinkie. "Just you and me for a while, Pinks. Like old times."

"Soooooooooo who's Miss Clunk-a-Junk?" Pinkie asked, eyebrows wagging.

"Buh?"

"Y'knowwwwwwwww..." Pinkie giggle-snorted. "The pony with the metal eyes and red braids that the changeling turned into?"

Rainbow's ears drooped. "Buh."

Twinkle Like Much Stars

"Was she your maid? Mailmare? Bodyguard?" Pinkie Pie bounced on invisible ghost platforms as she kept alongside Rainbow Dash. "Godmare? Buckball partner?"

"Pinkie! Shhh!" Rainbow finished gliding into an office room filled with a jumble of discarded junk and paperwork. "Okay, Ariel. What have you got for me?"

The mare in question turned around, holding a manacrystal lantern. "Rainbow!" She placed the light source down and proudly held out a stack of ancient, yellowed manuscripts. "Take a look for yourself!"

Rainbow trotted closer while Pinkie Pie hovered just behind her. "Are these the maps you were talking about?"

"Yup yup yup!" Ariel pointed at one sheet in particular. "See? There's the mesa that houses Darkreach. Over here—scribbled with wavy lines—is the remains of a forest that was once destroyed. Then beyond that—"

"'Alpha' and 'Omega'..." Rainbow Dash squinted at the symbols. "I wonder what those mean?"

"Well... uh... they're letters, Rainbow."

"But what do they stand for?"

"I know I'm no Kepler, but..." Ariel pointed. "This side is the edge of the world, and it's perpendicular to both sides labeled by the letters, right?"

"Sure..."

"Well, I think the Emeraldinians made up their own 'north' and 'south'," Ariel said. "Or perhaps East and West. I dunno."

"So..." Rainbow Dash gestured with one hoof while she held the paper up in the other. "If we had our backs to the Edge of the World and were facing the curve..."

"'Alpha' would be on the left side," Ariel said.

"And 'Omega' would be on the right," Rainbow muttered. "Our predecessors made practical names for the lengthy edges of the plane."

"Coolies!" Pinkie Pie beamed. "Must have made pizza-delivery a whole lot easier!" She grinned at Rainbow and let her tongue hang out. "Was Roarke a pizza-delivery pony?"

"Pinkie, hush." Rainbow pointed at the map. "Who or what are 'Bloodwings?'"

"I dunno," Ariel said. "Only they're located closer towards the 'Omega' side and they're past the area where a forest was cut down."

"I wonder if we can see the ruins of that forest," Rainbow thought out loud."

"It was hundreds of years ago, Rainbow. I doubt anything's left."

"Still, it would be good to get a survey of the landscape before we attempted to go further in our journey."

"Wassssssssssssssssss..." Pinkie rubbed her nose and brightened. "...she a forest ranger?"

Rainbow ignored her, pointing at another word on the page. "'Spindlers'... name of a mountain range, perhaps?"

"That looks like a sketch of a city to me."

Rainbow did a double-take. "A city? On the Dark side?"

Ariel shrugged. "A lot of time has passed on this side of the plane as well. Who knows what those living here could be capable of?"

"Well, sure, but..." Rainbow fidgeted. "...I didn't expect any faction of the Trinary War to be capable of making an entire friggin' city."

"Maybe she was a mayor!" Pinkie exclaimed. "'Mayor Roarke or Roarketown!'"

"What makes you think there are only three factions living on the Dark Side?" Ariel remarked.

Rainbow stared at her blankly.

"I dunno..." Ariel shrugged. "It's just a thought that occurred to me. This used to be a piece of Urohringr, right? You think only ponies and griffins lived on that thing?"

"Yeah, but to survive eons and eons without the sun and moon..."

"The Divines are as old as this plane, and they've lived nearly as long."

"True." Rainbow nodded. "But all of them but Endrax have dwelled on the Light Side."

"Dragon Tamer!" Pinkie grinned wide. "Maybe Roarke was a dragon tamer!" A sly grin. "So that was your secret for kicking Nevlamas' teeth in."

Rainbow grunted, turning around. "Dang it, Pinkie—" She froze in place, blinking.

"What?" Pinkie shrugged. "Is there something in my ghost teeth?"

Rainbow marched straight through the phantom mare. She approached a cabinet where a framed sketch lay crooked against the wall. She rubbed her pendant so she could cast ruby light directly on the illustration.

"What do you see?" Ariel trotted slowly behind her. "Looks... almost like a monkey?"

Rainbow's eyes traced the edges of a gangly bipedal figure wearing a loin cloth and possessing leafy, pointy ears. Fanged teeth protruded from an noticeable overbite. The skin was rough and leathery.

"It's a goblin," Rainbow exhaled.

"A what?"

"Bunch of freaky two-legged imps who hail from Alafreo," Rainbow said. "At least... I thought they did." Her ears drooped slightly. "Not a very pleasant bunch, those guys. And that was just the Light Side."

"Well, there you have it!" Ariel gestured with a smile. "Maybe they came from this place!"

"That's... a long distance for them to have traveled," Rainbow muttered. "And despite their love of technology, they're not always... consistent with the quality of what they build." A cold shudder. "The naga, on the other hoof..."

"What are those things next to it?"

"Huh?" Rainbow asked.

"Here..." Ariel reached over with her feathertips and leaned another framed picture into view. "See?"

Rainbow squinted at a sketch made obviously by the same artist as the first. This time, however, the illustration showed two other bipedal creatures that were significantly different than the first. One was hunched over and pale with long claws and pronounced vertebrae. The other one stood upright at a scale nearly ten times the size of the "goblin," only it was heavy-set with a pudgy belly and a single round eye in the center of its skull.

Rainbow gulped. "I don't think I wanna know..."

"All Hail Roarke the Beast Mistress!" Pinkie Pie bellowed.

"Rnnnngh!" Rainbow gnashed her teeth. "Pinkie, for crying out loud—"

Just then, the intercom system crackled, frightening both pegasi.

"Hey! Ariel! Is Rainbow Dash down there with you?"

"Guhhh..." Ariel rubbed one of her ears, wincing. "Yes she is, Flynn. You don't have yell."

"Whoops! Sorry!" A whining hiss, followed by: "I still haven't gotten the volume settings quite calibrated—"

"Just get to the point!" Rainbow's voice cracked.

"Why don't you hop up here to the HQ, Rainbow? Kepler's made a significant discovery."

"Uhhhhhhhhh... what's the 'HQ?' again?"

"... ... ...the cramped, super-important room with the snazzy map made out of metal pins."

"Oh! Right! Got it!" Rainbow turned to nod at Ariel. "Sorry to cut this short."

"I feel like we've only just begun to scrape the surface of this place," Ariel said.

"Well, you keep on scraping," Rainbow said, flapping her wings. "I've got a wyvern to humor."

"Dashiiiiiiiiiiiiie." Pinkie Pie pouted. "You're ignoring meeeeeee."

"I'm not ignoring you, Pinkie," Rainbow said, swiftly and smoothely gliding up the corridors and stairwells of Darkreach.

"Then why won't you tell me more about this 'Roarke' pony?"

"Mrmmmfff... it's all in the past."

"Yeah? So? It's your past!" Pinkie grinned. "That makes it super duper special!"

"Not as important as the future," Rainbow said. Her brow furrowed as she continued ascending the interior of the mesa. "The future of Equestria... Urohringr... you and the girls—"

"None of which would be made possible if it weren't for all of your awesome adventuring!"

"Meh."

"Dashieeeeee?" Pinkie pouted some more. "What's with you? You weren't always so glum in the tum-tum!"

"I've got a lot on my shoulders, Pinkie."

"Well, they're on our shoulders too!"

"No. They're not."

"Pffft!" Pinkie stuck her tongue out. "They are too!"

"Not like they are on mine!" Rainbow growled. She felt the echo her tone of voice made, and she slowed her ascent. With a defeated sigh, she landed on all fours and resumed her pace at a lethargic trot. "I'm sorry, Pinkie. I wish I could be like the Rainbow Dash you used to know, but—"

"You left it behind...?" Pinkie blinked—bright blue innocent eyes. "In Ponyville?"

Rainbow clenched her jaw.

Pinkie glanced at the walls... at the ceiling... then straight at Rainbow. "You left it with Roarke."

"Mrmmmm..." Rainbow's ears folded. "....yyyyyyyyyyyyeahhhhhh..."

Pinkie smiled. "She must have been very important to you."

"The importantest."

"Heeheehee..." Pinkie bore a warm grin. "Did you love her?"

Rainbow Dash scuffled to a stop.

Pinkie simply stared. And waited.

"There was a time when I lived in the moment," Rainbow Dash muttered. "Because the moment was all I had. You... Twilight... Fluttershy... you all were gone. I made do with those around me... and I found a family." Rainbow's tail flicked happily at the thought. "I thought I had lost my opportunity to be happy. But then I found it again. And for a while there... happiness was something I could fold around me like a blanket." A heavy exhale. "Then I had to leave it all... I had to leave her."

Pinkie floated around to face her. "You can still live in the moment, Dashie."

"No..." Rainbow shook her head. "I can't." A gulp. "The moment you girls came back from the dead, it all changed. Now I have a future to save. I have harmony to restore. Before, I didn't even think I'd make it to the Edge of the World—much less the Midnight Armory. Now that I've come so far and there's so much to lose, I just can't afford to be silly about it anymore. And..." She clenched her teeth, shivering. "...now that there's Discord—"

"But you're awesome, Dashie!" Pinkie said. "I know you can do both at once! Be adventurous and be happy!"

Rainbow blinked moisture out of her eyes. "... ... ...I'm not sure I remember how, Pinkie."

"Hmmmm..." Pinkie floated within a hug's reach. "You've got us, now. We can help remind you."

"I... I don't know..."

"Heehee... it's okay... baby steps!" Pinkie stuck her tongue out. "Like what Fluttershy said!"

"Uh huh..."

"Maybe the first baby step is talking to all of us about Roarke!" Pinkie giggle-snorted. "Heck, the whole Noble Jury!"

Rainbow sighed slowly. "Maybe." She trotted up the stairwell again. "Once I get things done here first."

"Awwwwwwww, Dashieeeeeeeee..."

"Can't have fought the changeling for nothing, Pinkie."

"But you can't keep telling yourself that!" Pinkie hovered briskly after her. "You never know when you'll run out of time to put off!"

Rainbow had nothing to respond with other than a cold, exhausted: "Yeah..."

You Princes of Cylindrimane

"Hey!" Pinkie Pie chimed, floating alongside Rainbow Dash with a smile. "Wanna bet that the moment we get up there, Flynn will be shocking himself and cussing?"

"Huh?" Rainbow glanced aside at her.

Just then, she entered the lofty compartment that made up Darkreach's HQ.

Bzzzzt! "Gaah!" Flynn jolted backwards from an instrument panel he and Kepler were working on. "Goddess damn ass nuggets!"

"Heeheehee!" Pinkie giggle-snorted. "Soooooooo predictable!"

Rainbow shook her head. "Why can't you... like... hone in on that sense and make it more practical?"

"Make what morre prractical, Rrainbow One?" Kepler asked.

"Never mind." Rainbow cleared her throat and approached the two stallions. "Just talking to Pinkie Pie."

"Ah!" Kepler nodded, adjusting his spectacles. "That's the lavender one, yes?"

Rainbow glared at Kepler.

"Ahem!" Flynn butted into the conversation, suckling on the edge of his burnt fetlock. "Mmmfff..." He spat his limb out and stood beside the wyvern. "So nice of you to join us, Rainbow."

"Uh huh." Rainbow arched an eyebrow. "Am I too early for the funeral?"

"I wasn't trying to kill myself, honest!" Flynn frowned at the instrument panel where several frayed wires had been pulled out. "It's just this damnable old leyline array that's pissing me off to no end!"

"Say, guys..." Rainbow pointed at the loose wiring. "I thought the whole idea was to settle here in Darkreach for a bit... not pull it apart by the seams."

"I assurre you, ourr good brrotherr Flynn has no interrest in dismantling this wonderrful base," Kepler said.

"Then why is he dismantling this wonderful base?"

"I needed extra juice to power up the device you discovered yesterday."

"Device?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "What device?"

"What yesterday?" Pinkie chirped.

"I do believe he is rreferring to this!" Kepler raised a metal slab with several wires connected to it.

"Oh!" Rainbow smirked. "The briefcase! I remember that thing!"

"Uh huh..." Flynn's good eye narrowed accusatorily. "Probably because you kicked it halfway across Darkreach like a piece of junk."

"Because it is a piece of junk!" Rainbow roughly slapped the side of the metal slab. Clang! A blink. "... ... ...isn't it?"

Flynn sighed.

"Not... entirrely, Rrainbow One," Kepler said. "You see, it began a few hourrs ago when Flynn and I kept coming acrross these peculiarrly shaped crrystals that refused to channel enerrgy into the colony's centrral corre."

"Okay..."

Flynn continued for Kepler, "The material of these crystals were designed for permanent mana imprints. Within the inner structure are layers and layers of finely etched fissures—like microscopic runes—that either impede or allow the flow of magical energy."

"Yeesh..." Rainbow's ears folded. "That sounds complicated..."

"And cool!" Pinkie said.

Rainbow waved her off. "So... what... are these crystals meant to be some sort of... storage device?"

"Prrecisely what we thought!" Kepler said. He held one crystal up and displayed its triangular shape. "And so we starrted looking forr a housing unit that might storre these sharrds and allow forr mana-data trransferrence!"

"And one of us tripped over your damn briefcase thingy and that's when we noticed a perfectly-fitting chamber," Flynn said. "So... we stuck one of the crystals in and tried powering the thing up."

"Turrns out that it's enerrgy corre is badly corrroded."

"So we're using the mana-node here in the HQ as an external power supply. I was just now tweaking the powerflow so as not to overload this thing—"

"Wait wait wait wait..." Rainbow waved her hooves. "... ... ...so exactly what is this thing?"

"We... uh..." Flynn looked at Kepler, then back at Rainbow. "We believe that it might be a recorder of some sort."

"Recorder of what?" Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "... ... ...journals of the Emeraldinians?"

"That is what we're hoping."

"Okay, well..." Rainbow took a breath. "What are we waiting for?"

"You! Ha-hah!" Kepler smiled. He smiled some more.

"... ... ...soooooo." Rainbow fidgeted.

"Ahem..." Kepler cleared his throat. "A thousand apologies."

"Just needed to get it out of his system!" Pinkie said, giggling.

"Now, then..." Kepler fished around through a pile of crystals and found one. "Let us see..."

"Does it matter what order you put them in?" Rainbow asked, pointing.

"Forr a simple demo, I highly doubt it!" Kepler nodded aside. "Brrotherr Flynn! Prrovide a stable enerrgy flow!"

"On it!" Flynn cranked a lever attached to the open instrument panel. The walls of the HQ hummed as the lights above flickered.

Kepler placed a triangular crystal into the heart of the "briefcase." He then pressed two buttons with his claws and turned a dial.

Bzzzzt! Sparks flew from a nearby console.

"Whoah—!" Rainbow flinched.

"It's alright!" Flynn exclaimed, reaching in with a electrode of sorts to fix the power surge. "Bound to happen!"

"Well, could you make it bound less?!"

"There's nothing to be concerned about—"

"Shhhhh!" Kepler hissed. "Please, frriends!" He leaned forward, staring into the dim shadows of the room. "I am getting audio!"

Everypony froze in place, including Pinkie Pie.

A whining sound came from the slab propped against Kepler's figure. The triangular crystal strobed and fluctuated.

"Uhm..." Rainbow bit her bottom lip. "Should I put some tinfoil on my skull and do ballet?"

Pinkie giggle.

"I do believe..." Kepler pricked his hairy earlobes towards the ceiling. "...I am getting some inforrmation..."

"It sounds... like singing," Flynn murmured.

"It's the playback," Rainbow remarked. "It's at too fast a speed!"

"A noble obserrvation, Rrainbow One!" Kepler adjusted his glasses and studied the dials and buttons on the metal slab in his grasp. "Let's see, now... ... ...something to adjust tempo..."

"I see what looks like a slider," Rainbow said.

"Good catch," Flynn said, smiling. "You certainly know your way around advanced technology!"

"Forever and a day in Ledomare will do that," Rainbow droned. "I can't count how many managliders I struggled to outfly."

"Mana... gliders...?" Flynn rolled his good eye. "Pffft. Sounds stupid." Bzzzt! "Ow! Dammit!"

"I have something!" Kepler triumphantly boomed.

"Bbbbbbbbbbb-crkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk-ttttttttttttt—" the speakers of the slab crackled.

"Can you get it to... unbuck itself?" Rainbow muttered.

"Adjusting..." Kepler licked at his tusks.

At last, the "briefcase" made a far more discernible sound: "Pppppppppppp-p-p-p-p-please-please-please-please input requiredddddddd command into that which woulddddddddd be the Crystalline Auditoryyyyyyyyyyy Informational Neural Emitterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr—"

"Crystalline... Auditory..." Rainbow grimaced. "...what-now?"

"Holy crud..." Flynn nearly danced in place. "I live for this shit!" He swatted Kepler with his tail. "Quick, Keps! Adjust that lateral knob!"

"What forr?"

"Just do it!"

"Ach!" Kepler's claws went to work. "Discoverry is a brrothel and you arre the most impatient virrgin!"

"Damn proud, too."

Meanwhile, the briefcase: "Bbbbbbbbbbbbbb-bringing more supplies frommmmmmmmmm Heaven's Landinggggggg—" Static. "Cccccccccccc-coming backkkkkkk from Omega with the expeditionnnnnnnnn of he who wouldddddddddddddd be Lieutenant Warholllllllllll—" Static. "Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-required to avoiddddddddd the lunar sights of the Bloodwinggggggggggggggggg colonyyyyyyyyyyy—"

"Uh... guys?" Rainbow fidgeted.

"I cannot seem to find a stationarry point in the inforrmational feed!" Kepler said. "The leylines have no focus!"

"Could it be interference from the rest of Darkreach?" Flynn asked.

"Unlikely," Kepler muttered, still fiddling with the device. "It was built inside this place, yes?"

"Well, as far as we know."

"I think that the innerr worrkings arre jostled."

"So... unjostle them!" Rainbow said.

Kepler gulped. "I do not know how."

"It's simple!" Rainbow looked at Flynn. "Just smack it around like I did in the first place!"

"Yes—" Flynn flinched. "No—!"

"Zoop!" Rainbow gave the device one heavy swat of her fetlock. WHAP!

Bzzzzt! The crystal stopped fluctuating. It took on a steady glow as the speakers smoothely poured forth: "Achievement unlocked: successful startup of the Crystalline Auditory Informational Neural Emitter. Imperative introduction: this is the voice of he who would be Chief Engineer Ranort of that which would be Cylindrimane. You, who would be the listening audience, shall bear witness to the audio log of the Verdestonian Expedition that would be called Darkreach."

Flynn and Kepler listened, dumbstruck.

"Woo! Achievements!" Pinkie pumped a hoof. "What kind of trophies do we get?!"

They Who Would Be

"Achievement unlocked: interior supplementation of core engineering units. We who would be the Cylindrimanian division of they who would be the Verdestonian Expedition have completed the addition of mechanical enhancements to the spaces afforded by alicorn excavation. Optimistic metaphor: the heart of Darkreach beats soundly, ready to support those who would sustain harmony on the Dark Side."

"Mmmmmmkay..." Flynn tongued the inside of his muzzle. He leaned back, gazing at the talking "briefacse." A breath, and he hummed: "Sooooooooo... should I be the one to ask first or will it be Keps?"

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. "Right. So... the Darkstinians—"

"Cylindrrimanians?" Kepler suggested.

Rainbow rolled on through: "Same difference. They have this... uh... psychological need to detach themselves from their own egos—at least for show—in order to profess their undying love for technological progression or some such..."

"Wowie, Dashie!" Pinkie grinned. "You really made a smartie!"

"Eh... not really," Rainbow said, waving.

"Not really, what?" Flynn asked.

Rainbow stared at him. "Invisible friends, remember?"

"Oh, right, my bad."

"How verry fascinating," Kepler exhaled. "It is almost as if they have a rreligious impetus forr theirr scientific purrsuits!"

"It makes for really stiff dinner conversation," Rainbow said. "Not that... I-I've eaten much with Darkstinians."

"Still, it must have sustained theirr culturre quite well to have rresulted in a trraditional prractice that spanned hundrreds of yearrs!" Kepler said, adjusting his spectacles. "It would appearr that the Darrkstinians of the prresent and the Cylindrrimanians of the past have a grreat deal in common!"

"I wouldn't book too much on that," Rainbow said. "At least, I hope I wouldn't have to. The Darkstinians of today have been known to stoop to foal-murder."

"Yeesh..." Flynn grimaced slightly. He pointed at the ancient recorder. "Glad we're dealing with a completely different pony here."

"Sounds like a stallion," Rainbow Dash said. "What did he say his name was, again?"

"Chief Engineer Ranort!" Pinkie Pie said. She then stuck her tongue out. "Oop! My badsies! Ah-Ahem... 'He who would be Chief Engineer Ranort!' Heeheehee!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes with a small smile. "Thanks for listening, Pinks."

"You're welcome, Dinks!"

"Hmmmm... 'Chief Engineer,'" Kepler remarked. "Would it be safe to assume this Cylindrrimanian stallion is rresponsible for building the powerr corre and ventilation system of facility?"

"Seems like it," Rainbow said. "Also seems she was smart enough to write a journal about it. Erm... record a journal about it."

"Lucky us," Flynn droned.

"How glorriously exciting!" Kepler said, beaming. "I suspect we can only benefit frrom listening to these entrries in theirr entirrety!"

"Yeah, uh..." Rainbow looked at the dozens and dozens of triangular crystals lying around. "Just how long would that take?"

"Well, with all due respect," Flynn said. "If we want to get anywhere in one piece, we're probably going to have to stick around here for a while."

"Yeah, about that..." Rainbow paced about, breathing firmly. "I figure that we all gotta be on the same page about what's next on the menu."

"What did you have in mind?" Flynn asked.

"A pep talk," Rainbow said. "Or... maybe... a lecture." She glanced at Pinkie Pie. "I should probably wait until the egghead wakes up."

"Don't forget to tell them about the need to find food!" Twilight Sparkle said.

"Uh huh." Rainbow Dash nodded.

"Oh!" Twilight hovered closer, almost phasing through the pegasus. "And updating the maps of the mesa and its surrounding areas! That's important too—"

"I've got it, Twilight," Rainbow said, facing the lengths of the common room, filled with Heraldites.

"Oops! Eheh..." Twilight drifted back, hovering alongside the rest of the ghostly mares. "Go ahead, Rainbow!"

"Ahem." Rainbow stood before the group. "So, believe it or not, we're making progress."

Ariel, Flynn, and Kepler stood front and center. Wildcard sat up on his cot, watching with steady goggles.

"Ariel's uncovered a whole bunch of useful notes and documents," Rainbow Dash said. "And Keps and Flynn unlocked this sexy talking briefcase that's bound to give us some insight on the inner workings of ye olde Darkreache." She smiled slightly. "Believe it or not, the old settlers of this facility have done most of the gruntwork for us. Now it's our turn to capitalize on it all."

Logan stood in the corner, absent-mindedly sharpening his axe. He craned his neck to listen when he needed to. Across the way, Seraphimus sat—slumped—beside the pipework. A roll of mats had been positioned beneath her, and—curiously enough—she didn't refuse the meager comfort. The former Talon Commander listened in on the briefing in brooding silence.

"Here's what we know so far..." Rainbow Dash stretched one wing out and "counted off" feathertips. "There was a ruined forest 'North' of Darkreach—a direction that the Emeraldinians called 'Omega.' Somewhere vaguely in that same area are... or were a 'colony' of things called 'Bloodwings.'"

"Who may have been in possession of lunarr rrocks," Kepler added. "So I think we all know what that means—"

"Let her do the boss thing, Keps," Flynn droned.

"Ahem..." Kepler smiled bashfully. "A thousand parrdons."

Rainbow merely smiled at him and continued: "Somewhere towards the curved end of the Plane is what was once illustrated to be a... city of sorts."

Logan looked up. Seraphimus narrowed her eyes.

"But that's taking the discovered documents purely at face-value," Rainbow said. "There's also another name floating around... something called 'Spindlers.'" She took a breath. "I would very much like to know more about this stuff before we set out from Darkreach for good. So..."

She paced before the Herald while her ghostly friends look on.

"...I think the best thing to do is scouting expeditions," Rainbow said. "I'm talking short, day-long or half-day flights into the Dark—both Alpha and Omega directions—to catch our bearings and see if any of the stuff sketched about are still there."

"Whoah..." Logan stood up straight. "Who are we talking about?"

"Well..." Rainbow gestured at the bandaged Desperado. "Wildcard's out of the game for now. Plus, he needs his arm." He looked at the wyvern. "Kepler, I love ya, but you're more a glider than a sky-piercer."

"Ha-hah!" Kepler smiled through his tusks. "No offense taken, Rrainbow One. The only thing I desirre to pierrce is books."

"Mmmm..." Twilight bit her lip, cheeks rosy.

Rarity and Fluttershy exchanged glances.

"Hmmmm..." Pinkie Pie tapped her fuzzy chin. "'Twikeps... Keplight...'" A brown stetson smacked the back of her ghostly skull. "Fappo!"

"Ahem..." Applejack placed her hat back on and looked at Rainbow. "Go ahead, sugarcube."

"The choice is simple," Rainbow said. "Ariel and I are the fastest souls here. So... it'll be up to us to survey the landscape." She looked over at the pegasus. "I'm thinking six hour flights at first... then maybe scale up to twelve once we begin to discover things... if we discover things."

"Hell..." Ariel shrugged with a smile. "I'm game!"

Flynn muttered aside to Kepler. "She's game-and-a-half."

"Ach!"

"Just hold on a second," Logan grunted, raising a hoof. "Rainbow, you're the most valuable piece of this entire friggin' mission."

"Jee, thanks, Big Show," Ariel exhaled.

"Shush, pixie. This is important." Logan's eyes narrowed. "Where's the damn logic in sending you out into the great dark unknown?"

"Listen, I'm not some priceless golden egg that the Job Squad has to keep on a lone, hidden pedestal!" Rainbow Dash said. "I've got weight to throw around too, y'know! Besides..." She folded her forelimbs. "If I'm headed to the Midnight Armory—the very frickin' heart of the Trinary War—then I can't afford to go soft, ya dig?"

"She has a point, Logan," Flynn said. "You wanna file it down to a dull edge?"

Logan's nostrils flared. "I still think it's hella stupid. But..." He slumped back with a sigh. "Guess there's no point in arguing with her."

"You think I'm gonna do stupid stuff while on these scouting missions?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes."

Rainbow raised a hoof and opened her muzzle. Nothing came out. She leaned back, caught her breath, and finally said: "Well... we'll be okay. These are only fact-finding flights. Let's not forget, I've been doing this adventure stuff for a long time, now. Plus... I'll have Ariel with me."

"Uh huh..." Logan nodded, returning to sharpening his axe. "Guess the wasteland surrounding the mesa won't remain dry for long."

Ariel gulped.

"In the meantime," Rainbow began—

"In the meantime..." Logan looked up, brow furrowed. "I'll be salvaging all I can from this dump to make a mobile arsenal." He glanced at the others. "If that one single changeling is any indication, we're gonna need some real good skull-crackers on this journey."

"Coolie crispies, Big Show," Rainbow said with a nod. "You get on that." She looked at Flynn. "Flynn? You've already got this place purring like an electromana kitten. Think you can throw your back into getting Wildcard a new arm?"

"Absolutely!"

"Good. And while Wildcard recovers..." She looked at Kepler. "You've got some homework to do."

"Indeed I do!" Kepler stood up straight, smirking. "Endeavorring to unlock all of the knowledge from the Crystalline Auditory Informational Neural Emitter!"

"Gawd..." Logan grimaced. "Did the Emeraldinians really name shit like that?"

"Not the Emerraldinians," Kepler said. "They who would be ancient Cylindrrimanians, my frriend."

"Buh?"

"I'll explain later, dude," Rainbow said.

"Hehehe..." Pinkie smiled at the other girls. "The bigger they are, the harder their muzzles scrunch!"

"And what of the metamorphic threat?" a calm, cold voice said.

Rainbow and the Herald turned about, blinking.

"... ... ..." Seraphimus stared back at them.

Rainbow glanced at Ariel, then back at the former Talon Commander. "We... uh..." She cleared her throat. "...we take turns holding sentry posts at the large storage entrance to Darrkeach. Keep our eyes to the sky and search for incoming intruders."

Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. "Has the beast not proven to avoid ordinary mortal senses?" Her bound talons twisted in their manacles. "This facility possesses the technology to send out mana-poweres spheres that act as sentries. Undoubtedly they can be employed to patrol the perimeter and alert the HQ about encroaching threats—regardless of form or element."

Silence.

"Is..." Rainbow slowly turned about to look at Flynn. "...is that—like—a thing?"

"I... could definitely look into commandeering the Cylindrimanian tech," Flynn said, rubbing his bald head. "I can't promise it'll work... but it wouldn't hurt to try."

Seraphimus nodded, exhaled, and rested against the pipework once again.

More silence.

"Great!" Rainbow smiled awkwardly. "Uhhh..." A wave of the hoof. "What she said!"

"Uhm..." Fluttershy leaned into Rarity. "What's happening here?"

"I don't know," Rarity said, shaking her head. "But I suspect it can only be a good thing."

"Alright, my little partners!" Rainbow saluted, then briskly trotted off with purpose. "Let's get to work!"

"Woohoo!" Pinkie pumped a hoof. "Montage time!"

Twilight blinked at her. "Huh?"

"Heehee! Just watch!"

Darkreach Chronicles, Part One

Whurrrrrrrrrrrr! Chtung!

The hatch to the top of the mesa slid open, revealing stars and twilight.

Kepler calmly shuffled towards the entrance. He dragged a chair with him in one talon while balancing the briefcase atop his curled scorpion tail.

The wyvern hummed calmly to himself as he sat down, facing the starlight. He balanced the briefcase on his lap, stuck a triangular crystal in, and cranked the recorder to life.

Bzzzzt!

Fluctuating lights.

Managlow.

Then...

"Brzzzzzzzttt—Achievement unlocked: access to expedition logs. This is the voice of he who would be Chief Engineer Ranort."

"Hmmmmmm..." Kepler took a calm sip from his canteen and smiled into the twilight as he listened. "Speak to me, ancient brrotherr."

"Expository statistic: It has been thirty blanketed solar rotations since we who would be the Verdestonian Expedition first settled here in the caves carved by he who would be Onyxxus. While alicorn magic has run out, the spiritual cogworks of Ring City have made themselves manifest to fill in the industrial gap. Emotional aside: I who would be called Ranort am satisfied so far with the work of my fellow brethren. Whether or not it will be enough to sustain us remains to be seen, for a candle must burn at full fuel to make even smallest spark in this forsaken wasteland."

Wildcard sat on the edge of his cot in the common room. He held his left limb out—or at least what remained of it.

Flynn, in the meantime, sat on an overturned bucket facing the griffin. With careful magical ministrations of his telekinesis, he attached numerous experimental metal bits and rings to the end of the Desperado's stub. The unicorn licked his lips, concentrating hard on his work as he sized up one structural piece after another. His mechanical lense went into overtime, rotating in and out as he attempted to concoct a mental blueprint of the new prosthetic-to-be.

Meanwhile, Logan marched up a nearby stairwell, hauling a metal crate full of rusted axes, spears, and hammers. He slapped the box down onto a table and pulled up a chair. With use of multiple sharpening stones, he inspected each weapon—one after another—and prepared to salvage what he could from the allotment. His deadpan gaze scoured the rest of the room until finally falling on the pipework opposite of the Verdestone mosaic.

Seraphimus sat calmly, munching on bleakweed as she looked at a series of parchments that had been laid on the floor before her mat. With her talons bound, she had to use her lion's tail like a prehensile limb, turning maps and ancient documents over so she could better ascertain the contents written therein.

Logan huffed and returned to his work with somber dedication.

"Labored observations: those who would be our scouts have found nothing remaining of the abandoned lunar colonies on Omega Side. It has been seven blanketed solar rotations since the last encounter with those who would be called Bloodwings.

"Prevailing theory: something of dire importance has made it more beneficial for those who would be called Bloodwings to relocate themselves elsewhere rather than perform counter-reconnaissance on that which would be the Verdestonian Expedition. Those who would be scouts believe the evidence discovered at abandoned sites suggest a swift migration Far Side.

"Personal observation: Nevertheless, she who would be Commander Gwen has taken it upon herself to issue her next few commands with more than a modicum of caution.

"Declarative statement: The latest briefing indicates that she who would be Commander Gwen has decided to send he who would be Lieutenant Warhol towards the Alpha Side to seek out more information on they who would be called the Spindlers."

Rainbow rubbed her pendant.

A ruby glow illuminated the old, rustling sheet of paper in Ariel's grasp.

Both mares hovered in place, studying the yellow'd map between them. They rotated it until the 'Omega' symbol was positioned in front of them.

Then, with calm breaths, they peered up from the parchment.

Below them stretched a sloping valley bathed in starlight. The cold earth was peppered with organic material: hundreds of thousands of overturned structures.

Rainbow looked to her side.

Fluttershy and the rest of the ghostly mares levitated nearby. The dainty pegasus looked back at Rainbow and gave a gentle nod.

Rainbow whistled, gestured to Ariel, and dove swiftly towards the ruined landscape. Ariel flew closely behind.

Soon, the two were within spitting distance of the earth. What they saw took their breaths away. The landscape was littered with the husks of tree trunks. The inner dense wood had been carved away with miraculous precision. All that remained was the bark, some of them still preserved in cylindrical fashion. Most of the husks had collapsed with time and age... and a thick sea of wood chips and mulch covered the stone floor beneath the ancient ruined forest.

Rainbow took a look at Twilight.

Twilight nodded back, confirming the sign of magical intervention from a time far-gone. Fluttershy—in the meantime—kept peering about for a hint of life that was still living.

Rarity gasped and gestured at Rainbow.

Rainbow jerked to look at her. Following the unicorn's motions, Rainbow flew over a mound of crumpled tree trunks... until she came upon the hints of a wooden shack.

Ariel's muzzle dropped. She looked on with intense fascination.

Rainbow was far calmer. With cautious steps, she approached the crooked one-story structure. Her pendant illuminated a doorframe bent under the weight of time. Peering in, she caught crates full of charred black stones. It didn't take long for Rainbow to figure out that they were ancient lunar rocks—their runes spent countless ages ago.

She pivoted about, her light illuminating a tattered velvet banner hanging from a wall above a set of rusted tools. She raised a hoof, lifting a torn length of the tapestry. Her pendant revealed the crest of Nightmare Moon, faded with time.

It was around this point that Fluttershy squeaked in a sound that was more curious than alarmed. Rainbow turned around, and her ruby eyes reflected something cold, blue, and glowing. Intrigued, she held a hoof directly over the lightning bolt of her pendant, blocking out the ruby light.

Indeed, there was a cluster of luminescent material situated in the very corner of the shack. While Rainbow looked on, Ariel crept closer. The pegasus reached a hoof out and tapped the bio-luminescent structures... which turned out to be nothing less than mushrooms. Toadstools. Concentration of fungae. The material dotting the mushrooms was alarmingly bright, and Ariel could see the sheen of her own mane in the glow. She turned to smile victoriously at Rainbow.

Rainbow exhaled warmly.

The first sign of life on the Dark Side.

It wasn't long before Ariel opened her saddlebag and began stuffing samples of the fungus into the pockets.

Darkreach Chronicles, Part Two

"Research observations: Samples taken from the wooden wreckage presumably left behind by they who would be Bloodwings would suggest that the leather-winged ponies were attempting to construct crude vehicles for transportation. He who would be Lieutenant Warhold believes they might be weapons: perhaps some form of catapults.

"Personal hypothesis: I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort suspect that they who would be Bloodwings were in fact building airships. This is based on the light-weight paneling of the discovered wreckage and the aerodynamic shape of the materials found mostly intact.

"Scientific conjecture: It remains to be seen precisely what form of fuel propulsion they who would be Bloodwings would find for use in the implementation of zeppelins. Until more discoveries are made by the patrols of he who would be Lieutenant Warhol, the hypothesis remains fellacious and unsubstantiated."

"Methane," Kepler said.

"Pfffft..." Flynn looked over from where he squatted beside Wildcard in the common room, piecing together more and more metal digits to construct a prosthetic. "Are you for real?"

Kepler nodded. "While listening to the Crrystalline Auditorry Inforrmational Neurral Emitterr, I've been glancing thrrough the Emerraldinians' sketchworrk." He held up a sheet in question. "Therre arre apparrently larrge beasts that fly overr the mountains and plains of the Darrk Side. They resemble strrange, alien manta rrays." He pointed down through the floor. "I do believe Rrainbow discoverred the fossil of such a crreaturre in one of the rresearrch chamberrs below. Although I do suspect it was an infant."

"If these things are supposed to be flying around..." Flynn narrowed his good eye. "How come we haven't seen any flocks of them?"

Wildcard mutually nodded.

"Well, accorrding to Chief Engineerr Ranorrt's logs, therre's rreason to suspect that equine crreaturres known as 'Bloodwings' werre hunting and clearring down forrests towarrds the Omega side frrom here when Darrkrreach was firrst settled."

"Bloodwings, huh?" Flynn cocked his head aside. "The Dark Vigil?"

"Indeed. They cerrtainly fit the descrription of sarrosians," Kepler said. "Anyhow, I suspect that they found the forrest and wiped it clean forr all of its wood. Then—judging from Ranorrt's hypothesis—they fashioned airr ships from the materrial. I'm talking dozens of them. Now..." He gestured with his claw. "If they herrded togetherr enough of these crreaturres, I could imagine they milked and harrvested them of whateverr naturral propulsion they possessed."

"And you think they sucked methane out of these creatures in order to propel these unseen zeppelins?" Flynn sighed. "Gotta hand it to you, Keps. Either the lack of sunlight is making you crazier or the universe stopped giving a damn countless days ago."

"Ha-hah!" Kepler grinned. "Have we not seen enough strrange things to imagine even crrazier feats?"

"Do you have any idea how concentrated those methane samples have to be in order to propel wooden skycraft?" Flynn grimaced. "I'm surprised—hundreds of years later—we all didn't blow up from lighting a torch."

"It boggles the mind, my frriend," Kepler said. "Perrhaps the Bloodw—er... sarrosians used the compound in conjunction with lunarr magic?"

"So the Trinary War was literally waged via moon farts?"

"Prrecisely."

"Now I'm really scared."

Wingflaps.

Rushing bodies.

Kepler, Wildcard, and Flynn looked over to see two mares arriving.

"Hey, guys," Ariel said, sweating under the weight of a bulging backpack. "We come bearing gifts... or curse."

Kepler's nostrils flared. "My starrs and garrterrs... what a currious smell."

"I hope you didn't bring back any packaged farts," Flynn muttered.

"Even better." Rainbow Dash opened Ariel's saddlebag, and the dim room was flooded with pale blue light.

Flynn's lense instantly retracted. "Great orgasming ostriches... the Hell is that?"

"Mushrooms," Rainbow Dash said. "About forty samples."

"You picked glowing fungae off the wasteland floor and carried it on your person?"

"No." Rainbow pouted. "I carried it on Ariel's person."

"Eh heh heh..." Ariel sweated some more.

"So... uhm..." Flynn craned his neck. "What's the big idea? Are they poisonous—?"

"I was hoping you'd tell us, smarty pants," Rainbow said. "Cuz if they are... we're in it big." She smirked. "There's an entire ravine filled with this stuff north of—er... I mean towards Omega." She looked at the others. "If we close off one of the chambers of Dark Reach, we might be able to cultivage some of our own."

"Difficult to do without rrecrreating the envirronment in which you found them, Rrainbow One."

"Well, they were mostly growing off the dead wood and mulch we discovered in the remains of the ancient forest." Rainbow patted a second saddlebag strapped to her flank. "So... I brought a bunch of samples of them too."

"Ha-hah!" Kepler grinned. "Good thinking!"

"Besides that..." Rainbow fidgeted. "There isn't much to write home about. We found a few shacks that might be remnants of an old, old lumber mill." She sighed. "But nothing's grown since the forests were cleared."

"Do you think we'll ever find out how the trees grew there to begin with?" Ariel remarked.

"Perrhaps if I can study Rrainbow's samples, I might be able to come up with a hypothesis," Kepler said.

"If you're able to, dude." Rainbow nodded. "I don't want to distract you too much from listening to the old Cylindrimanian reports."

"Harrdly a deterrrant! I am positively enrrapturred by those old jourrnals! I can scarrcely keep away!" Kepler gestured. "I simply needed to rrest my earrs and talk theorries with ourr good brrotherrs here."

"In the meantime, Flynn..." Rainbow gestured at the mushrooms. "Could you check out the shrooms here?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

"Flynn... ... ..."

"Hrmmm..." The stallion tapped his chin. "I hate to say this, Rainbow, but I don't know if I have the proper tools to give this a full alchemic test. By 'tools' I mean a frame of reference for specifically what kind of fungus we're dealing with here." He waved a fetlock. "After all, this species is completely unknown to us. It's been growing on its own in the abandoned nooks and crannies of the Dark Side for Goddess-knows-how-long. I'm not certain any pony—sarosian or otherwise—has had a chance to study it before. Finding out whether or not it's poisonous may legitimately be a crapshoot—"

A single talon reached out, snatched one mushroom, and stuffed it into a hungry beak.

Rainbow, Flynn, and Ariel sucked in their breaths—muscles tensing.

Wildcard munched, munched, munched, and swallowed. "... ... ... ... ..." After thirty seconds of staring into abject nothingness, he turned towards Rainbow and smiled with a thumb's up.

"Luna Poop..." Rainbow shook her head, voice hoarse. "Wildcard, if you weren't so suicidal, I'd kill you."

"Well... uh..." Ariel fidgeted. "Does that answer the question then?"

Flynn huffed. "It could several hours from now when our favorite griffon may or may not start hallucinating and experience a diarrheic episode."

Wildcard shrugged and laid back casually on his cot.

"Meh... whatever..." Flynn returned to fixing the metal arm. "If Bard was the one who survived, he would have poured gravy on the shroom first."

Kepler leaned in towards Wildcard. "If worrse comest to worrst, frriend, could I trrouble you forr a methane sample?" A lion's tail whapped him in the spectacles. "... ... ...alrrighty!"

Darkreach Chronicles, Part Four

"Engineer's assessment: After multiple applications of mana leylines to the rocks retrieved from Curveside by the expedition of he who would be Lieutenant Warhold, I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort have determined that a triply-entwined leyline at maximum mana application is capable of recreating the hovering properties of the Darkside materials that have been scavenged.

"Modest proposal: Once a constant levitation has been achieved, affixing the stones to a wagon might allow for ease of transportation. With the permission of she who would be Commander Gwen, I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort shall set about on constructing such a vehicle as soon as possible."

"Wagon?" Flynn's muzzle scrunched as he followed Rainbow Dash up a stairwell. "I'm afraid I haven't seen such a thing."

Rainbow flew ahead of him. "You've spent all this time maintaining the colony's energy core—"

"And working on Wildcard's new arm," Flynn added. "Which is almost done, by the way."

"Right." Rainbow emerged onto the large loading chamber of Darkreach. The hatch to the mesa's top was still open, and programmed Darkstinian spheres flitted in and out, returning/embarking upon their automated patrols. "So, you haven't had time to explore every room of this place."

"I... uh... figured that was Ariel's and Big Show's job," Flynn said. He gulped. "Maybe yours too."

"Well, I need your help with this one particular thing."

Flynn came to a stop, shrugging. "What one particular thing?"

Rainbow rummaged about the room, squinting in the twilight pouring in from the great Dark outside. "According to Kepler, the latest log of Chief Engineer Ranort talks about a 'hovercraft' that they were working on."

"A hovercraft?" Flynn made a face, his metal lens retracting. "We're talking about stuff built hundreds of years ago!"

"Dude. The ancient Cylindrimanians built programmable robot spheres, talking briefcases, and a real kickin' a/c unit."

Flynn sighed, nodding. "You make a good point." He brushed back invisible bangs, looking across the chamber. "I guess I've found it all a bit overwhelming ever since we arrived on the Dark Side."

"Really?" Rainbow overturned metal crates and dusty toolboxes. "I figured you would be overjoyed."

"I'd be much happier if all this junk was still working perfectly."

"Seems working well enough to me." Rainbow threw him a brief smile. "Thanks to you."

"Right. All work. No observation."

"Well, I'm really sorry, Flynn," Rainbow said. "Maybe once we get a breather, I'll let you have a squat with the Crystalline Audio... uh... Internet Butler... thingy."

"Hmmmm..." Flynn smiled to himself. "I must admit, I've envied Kepler's calm journey of Cylindrimanian education as of late. Not that I don't mind tinkering on the Desperado's new limb, but still." A breath. "This 'Chief Engineer' Ranort fellow seems pretty dedicated to his craft. Still..." His good eye narrowed. "The Hell is this 'hovercraft' shit all about?"

"According to Kepler, he explained it without so much as snickering or hiccuping," Rainbow said, continuing to rummage. "So far, Ranort's logs have proven pretty straight-forward and to the point. I don't think a Darkstinian forefather would be capable of exagerrating."

"Did he give any sort of visual description at all?" Flynn asked, shrugging. "Anything that could help us in our search?"

"He just... described it as a simple pre-built vehicle. Y'know... like a normal wagon that the Emeraldinians would have taken with them to cart stuff from the edge to the mesa." She paused for a breath, peering around. "Something wide... flat... plain..." She scratched her chin—just above her Element. "Probably covered with a huge tarp."

"You mean... like this?"

"...???" Rainbow turned around.

Flynn gestured at a massive blue sheet covering what looked to be a table in the corner. With a savage tug of telekinesis, the stallion lifted the tarp off. In a flurry of dust, a wide metal wagon was revealed, resting on a series of metal crossbeams. Its wheels were replaced with clusters of dull blue rocks all bound together in rusted chains.

"Huh..." Rainbow blinked. "Looks like it hasn't got a lot of mileage lately."

"There's a problem, Rainbow," Flynn said.

"Yeah?"

"It... uh... doesn't have any wheels."

"Ohhhhhh..." Rainbow's eyes crossed. "...you don't say."

"What..." Flynn leaned down, peering closely at the chained rocks. "...are these stones?"

"That's another thing Kepler mentioned." Rainbow strolled closer. "Chief Engineer Ranort talks about some rocks 'scavenged from Curveside.'"

"Around the area you and Ariel visited the other day?"

"I'd venture to say further," Rainbow said. "Maybe those crazy killer kelp things weren't there hundreds of years ago." Rainbow gulped. "Anyways... these rocks that were found were apparently capable of 'levitating.'"

"Levitating rocks???" Flynn made a face.

Rainbow shrugged. "Dark Side, remember?"

"Yeah..." Flynn scratched his scuffy chin. "I guess." He gave the pebbly mass a meager zap of magic. Nothing happened. "Still... do you have any idea what it takes to rev up half-a-thousand-year-old floating rocks? Cuz I sure don't."

Rainbow's muzzle scrunched. "Kepler quoted Ranort as saying... 'triply-entwined leyline at maximum mana application.'"

"Oye."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Is that a good or a bad 'oye'?"

"Just a costly one," Flynn said. "The Cylindrimanians certainly didn't mind using a lot of juice."

"Do... we have the proper enchantment materials to do something like that?" Rainbow asked. "I don't want us to accidentally end up in the dark here... literally."

"Nah. We're overflowing," Flynn said. "I mean... it'd royally sucked if we had any intention of bunking here in Darkreach permanently. But we should be gone long before we've fully eaten into the mana reserves here."

"Well, good. You've got a new project, Flynn! Bet you're jazzed."

"And that is...?"

Rainbow pointed. "Do... uh... a 'rock analysis' on those... erm... rocks." She cleared her throat. "Then try and find more of them. There's gotta be a spare cluster somewhere in one of the chambers below."

"You want me to tune up this... floaty-wagon?"

"That's the idea."

"To what end?"

"We're going to need tools and resources for the journey ahead," Rainbow Dash said. "It'd be really nice if we had something to ease our passage. If the Emeraldinian Expedition discovered something... it'd be outright criminal for us to not utilize it."

"Right."

"Cool. Good to know we're on the same page."

"Oh, same page for sure!" Flynn bit his lip, staring at the dull rocks beneath the wagon. "Just a big-ass novel, is all."

"Lemme know if you need a bookmark." Rainbow Dash trotted back towards the stairwell. "I got more Dark Siding to do."

"Any idea where Ranort got these freaky-ass rocks?"

"That's something I'm hoping to learn myself."

"Theoretical statement: The levitating rocks are just a small product of an even greater phenomenon that is yet to be discovered. It is more than evident from the reports given by he who would be Lieutenant Warhol that magic operates differently on this edge of the plane. From an observational statement, one can take a survey of the rest of the Curve and note several anomalous occurrences at a distance. It is the hypothesis of I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort that there is an otherworldly form of seismic activity that bridges the ancient foundations of the earth with the chaotic elements of the realms beyond the firmaments. If this is even remotely close to the truth, then it will present an immeasurable challenge to that which would be called the Verdestonian Expedition once she who would be Commander Gwen finally issues the command to venture forth towards the Midnight Armory."

"So..." Ariel slapped a button on the map-table of the HQ room.

The pins rose and fell, illustrating a dense "forest" between the mesa and curveside.

"Right between us and the Midnight Armory is this big 'forest' of horribad tentacle thingies." Ariel weathered a shudder, sighed, and continued. "Towards Omega—where Rainbow and I have flown—are the abandoned lumberyards... presumably left by the Bloodwings before they retreated Curveside."

"That's also where you found the shrooms," Logan said, standing beside Rainbow.

"Right... and those are growing nicely downstairs, by the way!" Ariel said with a proud grin.

"And the Desperado hasn't keeled over yet," Logan added. "Soooo—"

Rainbow waved a hoof. "Let's stay on point, everypony."

"Right." Ariel tapped the button again. The pins on the table shifted to exposed a wide swath of undiscovered topography. "Alpha side. We've yet to explore that area."

"Considering where we left the Light Side," Logan remarked. "So far north... parallel to Rohbredden..."

"I see where you're going," Ariel said with a nod. "There should be waaaaay more Alpha than Omega to explore."

"And just how much of it are you going to explore?" Logan remarked. "If this killer grass flows all the way from horizon to horizon, we're pretty screwed."

"Well, we obviously don't have the time or resources to do a lateral scaling of the Plane and make it to and from the Midnight Armory," Ariel said. "But... I do suggest we fly a little further than normal." She exhaled, glancing at Rainbow. "Just to see if there's a break—any break—in the dense forest."

"And once you find a break..."

"...we find our path to Curveside, the Armory, and beyond."

Logan glanced over. "Guess you know what your next field trip's gonna be about, Rainbow."

Rainbow sighed. "Wish I brought some gum with me." A tail flick, and she casually exited the room. "Pack your saddlebags, Ariel. We're flying high for the weekend."

Darkreach Chronicles, Part Five

"Empathetic statement: There has been an awful lot of pressure placed on the shoulders of he who would be Lieutenant Warhol. While I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort have no doubt that he who would be Lieutenant Warhol posssesses the fortitude and courage to accomplish the tasks given by she who would be Commander Gwen, I fear that his strength will be sapped long before that which would be called the Verdestonian Expedition requires his services in traversing Curveside and the perils beyond.

"Pessimistic aside: I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort have no concerns about accomplishing the tasks that are before me. However, I do not believe that he who would be Lieutenant Warhol or any other potential leaders assigned by that which would be the Twin City Councils can feasibly establish a firm hoofhold beyond the mesa where that which would be called Darkreach has been situated.

"Practical assessment: The task ahead of us requires the utilization of complete armies. A mere expedition simply is not enough to carve a path through the chaos and alien wilderness. I do not believe that I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort is alone in this assessment. I can see it in the face of she who would be Commander Gwen. We who would be the Verdestonian Expedition is severely lacking the sheer numbers necessary to scale that which would be called the Dark Side. This is especially true since they who would be the potential nemeses of this landscape have no less than three armies at their disposal."

"You... uh... you seem distracted," Ariel remarked.

"... ... ..." Rainbow blinked. She gazed aside through Scootaloo's goggles. "Hmmm?" Another blink. "Oh. Sorry, girl."

The two mares flew side by side, following the line of waving, living stalks that dwelled just beyond the drop of the razor-sharp cliffside.

Ariel flew closer. "Wanna share?"

"Not much to share," Rainbow muttered. "For every bit of information Kepler relays to me about Ranort's log... the old engineer's entries just come across as... more and more obscure." He gulped. "The only good thing I gain from it all—if you could call it 'good'—is that the ancient Cylindrimanian tinkerer didn't have high hopes for reaching the Midnight Armory."

"Well, they never did, right?" Ariel smirked slightly. "That's not exactly a spoiler."

"Still. If the Darkside Expedition was such an abject failure, you'd think they would spot it from hundreds of miles away," Rainbow muttered as the two drifted up and down in the cold winds. Twilight and nebulaic colors glinted off their sweat-stained feathers. "I mean... they weren't exactly idiots."

"From what Kepler says, they were sorta underfunded," Ariel said.

"More like undersupplied," Rainbow corrected. "Seems that they all had a go-to guy named 'Lieutenant Warhol.' He was responsible for all of the patrols and mini-expeditions."

Ariel grinned. "Sorta like what we're doing right now!"

"Right. Only a lot more perilous. They had no clue what they were dealing with. Us? We're cheating, really."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We're running on all of my long-winded conversations with Luna, Whitemane, Chrysalis, and Mortuana." Rainbow gulped. "And now we've got Ranort to use as a foundation."

"Maybe he expected this?" Ariel remarked.

"Hmmm?"

"Maybe he knew failure was at hoof," Ariel clarified. "It might explain why he was so densely recording log entries while he was in Darkreach."

"That or he was in a super sappy mood."

"Huh?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Never mind."

"I'd love to see you in a sappy mood," Ariel said, winking.

"Heh. I bet you would."

"Still. No reason to be so glum. Not yet, at least."

"You think?" Rainbow gazed lethargically at the living forest to their right as they flew ever-Alpha. "Sure, we've got a few dozen advantages that the Darkside Expedition didn't. But..." Her brow furrowed. "Is the journey ahead any less impossible?"

"You've faced worse, Rainbow," Ariel said. "Don't you think?"

"Well, I'd like to think," Rainbow replied. "But someday that simplified sort of thinking is going to screw me over. Maybe things can be easy... but pretending it is all the time has messed up with my progress before." She clenched her teeth. "Sometime... I dunno when... but I learned to get serious about being serious."

"That's not entirely true," Ariel said. She stuck her tongue out. "'Zoop.'"

Rainbow rolled her eyes.

Ariel giggled.

A slight smirk crossed Rainbow's fuzzy muzzle. "Still... I keep looking and looking for the obstacle..."

"What obstacle?"

"The obstacle... the one that the Emeraldinians couldn't surpass..." Rainbow gulped. "The sort of obstacle that... that Verlax saw... that she supposedly put me to the test over."

Ariel squinted. "You certain you didn't face that on the way over here?"

"I don't think I have. And even if I did... it wasn't legit."

"How so?"

Rainbow gulped. "Bard and Axan bit it so I didn't have to. It's not the same."

"Oh Rainbow..."

"It's okay..." Rainbow shuddered in mid-flight. "I'm not trying to downplay the sacrifices they made. But... at some point or another... I'm gonna have to face a tough decision... and I can already feel Verlax snickering from beyond the grave."

"I thought you were past her."

"There are some things you are never past." Rainbow looked at a glossy stretch of polished stone beneath her. For a moment she saw—or thought she saw—a reflection of goat hair and grinning teeth. "No matter how far you fly."

"Well, do what you've always done," Ariel said. "Eyes front..."

"...and wings out." Rainbow nodded. "Believe me, girl, I try."

"And no matter how much you whine and moan in your own subtle way..." Ariel winked. "I know you're not a pessimist deep down."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, you've never kept a journal, have you?" Ariel suppressed a giggle. "You're a lonnnnng stone's throw from Ranort in that case."

Silence.

"Yeah..." Rainbow chuckled breathily. "I guess I am."

"Uhhhhhh... Rainbow?"

"Hmmm?" Rainbow looked behind her shoulder. "You're not gonna suggest I make Flynn build a trapper-keeper, are you?"

Ariel pointed a fetlock towards the right. "Look at that."

"Look at what?" Rainbow craned her neck. Far below them—just beyond the edge of the cliff—there was a section of the living forest that was empty. In the place of the living stalks was a stretch of what looked like impossibly huge plates of glass. They glinted immaculately in the starlight above. "Okay... what the buck...?"

Darkreach Chronicles, Part Six

"Alarming update: He who would be Lieutenant Warhol has spotted something.

"Fragmentary assessment: Those who would make up the expedition of he who would be Lieutenant Warhol discovered what appeared to have been a non-organic floating object towards Alpha. The construct was described as artificial in nature. It is not to be confused with wooden zeppelins theorized to have been constructed by they who would be Bloodwings, last evidenced towards Omega. It is also not to be confused with the levitating rocks observed towards Curveside. Instead—from the statements given by he who would be Lieutenant Warhol—the object resembled a geometrically perfect series of glass planes forming a rectangular solid that floated under its own unknown propulsion over the wasteland of the Dark Side. The planes possessed a singular glow, emitting a bright crimson light visible to all who would make up the expedition of he who would be Lieutenant Warhol.

"Personal reflection: I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort do believe that we are now dealing with an unknown faction of sapient entities in possession of remarkable magic. It is a shame that those who would be the expedition of he who would be Lieutenant Warhol were not capable of approaching the curious phenomenon any closer. No doubt the technology that empowers this object is a level of perfection that those who would be the divine purveyors of progress in that which would be Cylindrimane have only dreamt of in all their years of dedication to their craft.

"Concluding thought: We who would be the Verdestonian Expedition set out upon the Dark Side in expectation of chaos. I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort now believe that we have discovered a new definition of order. It is difficult to put into words the emotions that I am currently feeling. There has been so very little to hope for. And yet now—in the bleakness—a sense of wonder draws me Curveside. I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort can do nothing more in that which would be called Darkreach but waste away, and yet I must not share these unprofessional feelings with she who would be Commander Gwen."

Rainbow Dash descended.. hovered... but didn't quite touch down. She stared down at her own reflection... glinting off an immaculate plate of ruby-tinted glass. Stars and nebulae hung like a canvas behind her own image.

"Twilight...?" Rainbow gulped. "Rarity...?" Her eyes searched her own reflection and beyond. "Front and center."

Ariel nervously hovered behind her. The dimensions of the collapsed plate of glass afforded them a teensy bit of space where they could fly free of the living stalks on all sides. A solid path of open air swam up the mountain side from which they descended. It was quieter than a library upon the fringes of the living forest of flesh-eating kelp.

"You... uh... you going to touch the stuff or what?" Ariel asked.

"Just a sec," Rainbow muttered as familiar colors hovered parallel with her. "Consulting my friends."

"Whew-wee..." Ariel shook her head with a smile. "What I wouldn't give to have a cabal of handy mares to float tightly around me at a simple beck and call." She blushed slightly. "Erm... you know what I mean."

"Uh huh." Rainbow looked aside at Rarity. "What is it made of, Rares?"

"Hmmmmm..." Rarity tapped her pale muzzle, squinting hard at the reflective material. She remained silently contemplative like that for a while.

"Oooookay. I'll get back to you." Rainbow turned towards Twilight. "Is it gonna zap me if I touch it?"

"Not even remotely," Twilight said. "Whatever it is—it can most definitely channel mana-energy, but right now it's inert." She looked up, blinking. "It's been that way for a long time."

"Yeah? How long?"

Twilight shook her head. "Unclear."

"I wouldn't suggest we stay here too long, Rainbow," Fluttershy said, nervously eyeing the quivering stalks on all sides of the fallen plate. "I somehow feel that these things might be able to sense our proximity. It'd be awful if they snatched up you or even Ariel for dinner."

"Yeah, I'm with Fluttershy on that," Applejack said. "I've seen enough bad dreams to know where this is going."

"It's okay. We won't be long." Rainbow looked aside once again. "Rarity...?"

"It's... glass," the fashionista said.

Rainbow face-hoofed. "Jee. Thanks."

"But don't get me wrong!" Rarity looked up with bright eyes. "It's not the same as the kind of glass you'd get in a mirror! Or set upon a vanity! Or manufacture a window with!"

"So... what? It's super chaos glass?" Rainbow looked up the mountainside. "How the heck did it form? Not like there's something that would have spilled it out of the rock."

"Oh, it's definitely artificial," Rarity said. "At least... I-I think it is."

"Huh?"

"Just... t-touch it," Rarity insisted.

Rainbow looked at Twilight once more.

Twilight nodded.

Exhaling gently, Rainbow stopped flapping her wings. She landed nimbly in the middle of the ruby sheet.

Pl-Plonk!

"Oooh!" Pinkie smiled at the others. "Makes a nice sound effect!"

Ariel also touched down. Plonk! Breathing calmly, she and Rainbow exchanged looks.

"It feels..." Rainbow blinked. "...dull."

"And yet it's glossy," Rarity said. "Polished, even. No sign of dirt. Not even a speck of dust."

"Maybe it's built out of somethang that resists impurities?" Applejack suggested.

"It's... built out of something, alright..." Rarity sighed. "The... the closest I can come up with is... is..." She looked squarely at Rainbow. "... ... ...the shards we found in Darkreach."

Rainbow's brow furrowed. "You mean the stuff Flynn's using to power up the core?"

"I-I think what Rarity's trying to say..." Twilight's lips pursed as she thought aloud: "...is that it's less like glass and more like crystal?"

"Precisely!" Rarity gasped, phasing chest-deep through the polished floor so she could examine the material even closer. For as solid and unbreakable as it was, the material was no more than three or four inches thick. "It's almost as if the entire thing is made out of the same substance as that which powers up Darkreach! But... perhaps... a slightly different composition. More..." Her ears drooped as she searched for the word: "Concentrated."

"Imagine if you could attach leylines to this," Fluttershy said.

"You could power up Darkreach forever!" Applejack said with a smile.

"That's... not likely how it would work," Twilight remarked, shaking her head. "I think we're dealing with something we've never seen before."

"Maybe we haven't!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "But what about Dashie?"

The mares looked at her.

"I've... never seen anything like this," Rainbow said, shifting her weight across the panel. "I mean... well..."

"What?" Twilight asked.

"There's skystone," Rainbow said. "The Noble Jury was powered by a huge friggin' chunk of the stuff. But it was like a literal turd of glowing red crystal. Also, I've taken glimpses of the skystard fields to the north of where I've flown... not to mention the stuff that the Naga used to power their own airships." She shook her head. "I've never seen it carved up into a perfectly flat plate of glass."

"What marvelous engineer," Rarity cooed. "It couldn't have been the brutish Dark Vigil! Or could sarosians somehow have progressed far enough to carve something like this?"

"Can skystone form on the Dark Side?" Applejack said.

"I don't see why not," Rainbow said. "It just likes to form along the horizontal edges of the plane. I've always assumed it has something to do with how Urohringr was once connected... and then savagely broken off by the Sundering."

Twilight looked at Rarity. "Are you detecting more pieces of this kind of material nearby... or in the distance?"

"Funny you should ask, darling," Rarity said, rubbing her skull in concentration. "I'm already attempting to search for it."

Pinkie grinned. "Who wants to vote for Rare-Rare as ghost-pony-mvp?"

Fluttershy smiled. "She gets my vote."

"Silly Flutters. We might need you yet when something tries to eat us."

"Oh. Uhm..."

"Ahem..." Ariel trotted closer to Rainbow. "Sorry to interrupt, but..." She arched an eyebrow. "Any revelations?"

Rainbow glanced at her. "It's made out of crystal. Not glass."

"Crystal?" Ariel made a face. She gawked at the transparent material beneath them, spotting nothing but solid black grit and grime beyond the sheet. "Who the heck built it?"

"No clue," Rainbow said. "We're dealing with new, freaky stuff."

"Oh, joy."

"I've got it!" Rarity exclaimed triumphantly. "I sense... I-I sense other sheets!"

"You do?" Twilight grinned. "How many?"

"Five! At least... yes. Definitely five." She turned around, pointing at various spots along the Alpha, Omega, and Curveside "horizons." "There... there and there... and there and there." A shuddering breath. "They're... so randomly placed. It's a bit hard to judge, but one of them—Curveside—appears to be located in an 'epicenter' so to speak."

"Five plus one," Twilight said. "Six plates... six sides."

"Huh?" Rainbow turned to face her.

"I... I think we're dealing with some sort of cube," Twilight said. "Or a rectangular solid."

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow squinted. "Powered by what?"

Twilight merely stared at her. Ultimately, she shrugged.

"Uhm... if I might add something?" Fluttershy spoke up.

"Out with it, girl."

"I'm sensing five things too," Fluttershy said. "Or—more specifically—five absences of things."

"What?"

"Ahem..." Applejack floated closer. "I think she means wherever these other five plates landed, there's nothin' growin' on them or beneath them."

"It's just like with where we are right now, Rainbow," Fluttershy said. "Whatever happened with this sheet, it landed here a long time ago and crushed all the ground beneath it." She shook her head. "None of the stalks around us can grow beneath us."

"Well, lucky for us," Rainbow said. "I... uh..." She scratched her chin, gazing west to where the sheet ended before a wall of stalks. "...I don't suppose they can help us leapfrog our way across this gunky forest of willies."

"Perish the thought!" Rarity clenched her teeth, shivering. "There's simply too much perilous distance between the plates."

"Still..." Rainbow scratched her chin as she looked at the steep mountainside cascading down into the glass plate. It was almost a perfect slope—free of crags and shoals. "...we just might have the next best thing."

"What?" Ariel caught Rainbow's gaze. "What's the next best thing?"

"Wuh oh..." Pinkie Pie clutched her curling tail. "I detect something stupiddddd!"

"Heh. Maybe the king of all stupidz." Rainbow flapped her wings and flew safely away from the flanking stalks. "Time to finish our patrol. Come, Ariel."

"Heh..." The Heraldite gladly flew after her. "You know the magic word."

Darkreach Chronicles, Part Seven

"Journalistic update: She who would be Commander Gwen arranged a meeting between herself and they who would be the executive officials of that which would be called the Verdestonian Expedition. During said conference, she who would be Commander Gwen addressed the unexplained decline in supplies from the Light Side.

"Current imperative: Until we know more information concerning the cutoff of the supply line from the Edge, we who would be the Verdestonian Expedition must focus on the mission that has been given to us. To that end, she who would be Commander Gwen has taken it upon herself to accompany he who would be Commander Warhol on the latest trip Curveside. This will be the longest and furthest-reaching journey to date, and the intended result is to finally reveal a navigable path to the Harmonic Prism.

"Somber reflection: If some unforeseen circumstances have cut off our connection with they who would be the Council of Two Cities, then we who would be the Verdestonian Expedition must come to grips with our function here on the Dark Side. There is a goal to accomplish, and it may very well entail abandoning that which would be called the Colony of Darkreach."

"Now..." Flynn clasped a metal tray in his hooves. The bottom was bejeweled with tiny glowing pebbles that he further enchanted with a brief zap of telekinesis. "...observe."

That said, the stallion placed the tray flatly atop a long table in the common room and lightly shoved it towards the edge.

Rainbow Dash and Ariel's heads turned as they observed the metal panel gently drifting across the table. As it reached the far end, it coasted out into thin air. Its fall to the floor was lengthy and sluggish, like a feather with some divine purpose. Rainbow Dash mentally clocked the duration of five seconds before the enchanted metal tray finally made contact with the common room floor. It did so gracefully, and still it didn't lose its momentum... eventually coasting to a limp drift against the limbs of a disinterested Seraphimus shackled to the pipework.

"Fillies and gentlecolts..." Flynn stood up with a proud smile. "It would seem that the Darkreach Expedition achieved levitation."

"Uhhhhhh..." Ariel squinted. "Didn't the Cylindrimanians already achieve that with their weird floating sphere thingies?"

Flynn rolled his eye. "This is different, Ariel."

"Yeah, girl." Rainbow nodded. "I instructed Flynn to start working on this days ago." She nodded in the stallion's direction. "Give us the lecture, dude."

"So..." He paced over towards where the tray landed. "...I followed some notes that I found in one of the research chambers down below. Turns out the Emeraldinians... Cylindrimanians... whoever had a specific way for 'triply entwining leylines.' It took some practice, but I was able to copy their work... albeit on a small scale." He hesitantly approached Seraphimus and ultimately lifted the tray back up with his telekinesis. "Ahem..." Approaching the two mares, he randomly juggled the tray in one hoof—which floated and twirled a few extra seconds longer than it was naturally supposed to. "As you can see, I've managed to get this tray to defy gravity a bit... so to speak. It's not quite so reality-breaking as it looks. The leyline entanglement simply magnifies the levitation properties of the rock samples we've salvaged... which—in and of itself—is probably some crazy ass side effect of chaos energy. Anyways... back in their ancient hayday, the ponies of Darkreach applied the same mechanic to large-scale objects."

"Like big metal wagons," Rainbow droned."

"However." Flynn gestured. "I'm far from being able to mimic that." He tossed the tray across the room like a slowly whirling discus. "That will take me Goddess-knows how long to master. Weeks, maybe. I'm not sure we can even afford that time."

Seconds later, Rainbow smoothely caught the spinning tray in her wing. "It'll be worth it if it'll help us."

"Help us do what, Rainbow Dash?" Flynn shrugged. "No offense, but you haven't exactly been up front with me."

Ariel looked at Rainbow.

"Tell me, Flynn, dude..." Rainbow juggled the tray in her wing. "What are the chances that a wagon fitted with these rocks—just like this tray—will land upright?"

Flynn pointed. "Look for yourself."

Holding her breath, Rainbow tossed the tray wildly towards the ceiling. It pinballed off the walls twice... ... ... but landed miraculously with the bejeweled part facing down.

"Huh..." Rainbow blinked.

"I've tossed it around over two dozen times like you did and recorded my results," Flynn said. "There's about a ninety-percent chance of it landing upright. I could explain the math about how the leyline entanglement works in messing with the enchanted object's center of gravity... but... I know you'd just burp through it."

Rainbow lurched, holding a hoof over her bulging cheeks. She swallowed before wheezing: "Point taken."

"Something tells me..." A cool voice exhaled, accompanied by a cool set of manacled talons that picked up the tray once again bumping into her. Seraphimus gazed lethargically at the tray and its glowing pebbles. "...that your illustrious leader is planning to blow something grossly out of proportion."

"Pffft... get off it," Flynn said, frowning. "Rainbow knows better than to throw the entire party into jeopardy over some stupid stunt!"

Ariel coughed and fidgeted.

"... ... ...?" Flynn looked at Ariel, then at Rainbow Dash. His muzzle hung agape in abject confusion.

"Flynn... buddy..." Rainbow winced through a cheesy smile. "If we were to... oh, I dunno... magnify the scale of your little table tray experiment by a factor of ten and... let's say... push it violently down a mountainside so that it launches off a ramp down below made of pure crystal..." Her eyes narrowed. "...for how many miles do you think it and its entire supply of equipment could glide before touching the ground again?"

Dead silence.

Flynn's metal lenses retracted. "Are you high?"

"It's just a hypothetical question, Flynn—" Ariel began.

"Don't you start!" Flynn pointed at her with a frown. "I know you're always defending her but... buck me sideways!" He stomped a hoof. "Can't we just find a normal path over the wasteland like normal equine beings?!" He gawked. "... ... ...normal equine beings who want to live?!"

"Flynn, Ariel and I have been all over Alpha and Omega!" Rainbow groaned. "There's no way past this friggin' forest of death-weed! Now, Ariel and Wildcard and I and maybe Kepler could try gliding over that mess, but then we'd be leaving three others behind and we can't carry all of the equipment we'll sorely need on our own!"

"Well, can't we just burn the stupid stalks or slice through them with Logan's axe?!" Flynn scowled. "Or are you subscribing to the Equestrian School of 'defend all sentient weed-monsters' thought?"

"Dude—there's like... too much of them!" Rainbow shrugged wildly. "Ariel and I found something that—I believe—could actually work out!"

"Work out?! How?! Where?!" Flynn gestured wildly. "In a cartoon?!" The stallion flailed his forelimbs at the lengths of Darkreach around them. "Rainbow Dash—tell me—does this all look like a cartoon to you?!"

"At last, a lick of sense..." Seraphimus droned, turning the tray over her in her bound claws. "Somewhat belated, but still..."

"You shut up!" Rainbow frowned at her, then turned to Flynn once more. "Flynn... I had you work on this project for a reason. If there is a way... any way... that we can afford even an ounce of flight with all of the ponies and equipment and sound effects at our disposal, shouldn't we leap upon that?" She smiled genuinely. "You've got the resources! You've got the data! Just keep working on this idea and I know you'll come up with a solution! I have faith in you!"

"Rainbow Dash, this has nothing to do with 'faith,'" Flynn growled. "It's about ascertaining the gravity of the world around us and treating it with an ounce of realism! This is the Dark Side! It's nothing like you've ever stupidly brute-forced your way through before! You have to think progressively!"

"I'm just trying to provide us a solution here—"

"Dammit, Rainbow, you gotta stop trying to recreate the Noble Jury!"

"Flynn!" Ariel hissed.

Silence.

Seraphimus' charcoal eyes darted between the mare and the stallion.

Rainbow took a deep breath. "I know what I've left behind, Flynn. And as for my 'stupid brute force'... it's worked more times for me than anything has ever worked out for you and your amazing Job Squad. And—who knows—maybe the reason the Emeraldinians vanished is because they never thought to think outside the box themselves?"

"There's thinking outside the box..." Flynn gnashed his teeth. "And then there's bucking crazy—" He winced at the end of saying those words. As his ears drooped, his one good eye glanced in Seraphimus direction.

The former Talon Commander was quiet. Calm.

Before anypony else could say anything...

...Logan galloped into the room. "Hey. Guys." He motioned with his head. "Up to HQ. On the double. Keps has something important to show us."

Flynn and Rainbow hesitated for a moment, neither of them looking too proud of themselves. Awkwardly, they threw themselves into a trot, scaling the stairwell beyond as Ariel followed limply behind.

Logan blinked curiously at them. He then looked at Seraphimus, his eyes narrowing. "The Hell are you lookin' so smug about?"

Seraphimus shrugged without saying a word.

Sighing, Logan followed the others.

Alone, Seraphimus threw the tray into the air. She watched for several seconds, her eyes following the slowly-descending arc of the metal object. At last, it landed... and it did so gracefully with the top-up.

She didn't say a word... merely sat and stared in contemplation.

Chief Engineer Ranort's voice was already echoing across the table when Rainbow, Flynn, and Ariel arrived.

Wildcard looked up from where he sat next to Kepler. His left prosthetic was a metal branch with digits partially constructed. He nevertheless waved with a mute smile at the arriving group.

"Alright, Keps." Rainbow stood front and center. "What's the scoop?"

"Shhhh!" Kepler insisted.

The group craned their necks, listening in as the ancient words crackled from the "briefcase" resting between them.

"Initial assessment: these strange equines are likely non-aligned. Their allegiance seemingly belongs to no members of the three-fold war. Instead, they dwell within the nooks and crannies of the battlefield, shying away from the dominating armies. Favoring darkness for the sake of survival..."

Logan marched into the room. "So, did you tell them, Keps?"

"Tell us what?" Ariel asked.

"This is from a late entrry," Kepler explained, adjusting his spectackles. "Long afterr the rreturrn of a lengthy expedition led by Commanderr Gwen and Lieutenant Warrhol." His eyes narrowed as he spoke over Ranort's voice. "It would appearr that the Emerraldinians discoverred ponies..."

Rainbow's lips pursed. "What kind of ponies?"

"Rregularr ponies," Kepler clarified. "Unicorrn... earrth... pegasi..." He took a breath. "Frragmented and living in a neutrral civilization... lost herre on the Darrk Side..."

Darkreach Chronicles, Part Eight

"Anthropological reflection: The details concerrning they who would be the neutral denizens of the Dark Side as provided by he would be Lieutenant Warhol are quite astounding. It would appear that these lost equines have lived in the shadow of obscurity for multiple centuries. They predate they who would be Bloodwings and it is the suspicion of she who would be Commander Gwen that they might be as old if not older than they who would be armies of the three-sided war.

"Keen observations: 'Neutral' is indeed the best way to describe these ponies. Upon meeting they who would be the Verdestonian Expedition, the lost equines displayed nothing short of emotional indifference. It has been said that they refused to look at the agents of she who would be Commander Gwen in the eye, constantly speaking to the earth and the shadows around them—not even registering the presence of each other. According to he who would be Lieutenant Warhol, there is no member of the lost tribes over the age of thirty. Many of them are malnourished and they evidently endure an existence of much pain, struggle, and suffering. She who would be Commander Gwen graciously offered a portion of the expedition's supplies to the ill-fated equines, but they refused her gift. They didn't even acknowledge the gesture at all. When asked about their habitat or cultural proclivities, every answer given is taciturn and obscure. They excel at evading answers and appear to thrive on diminishing their own sense of identity or individualistic ego.

"Current hypothesis: It is the prevailing theory of she who would be Commander Gwen that these recently-discovered equines are the distant descendants of ponies who were taken over to the Dark Side against their will. In other words, these ponies originated on the Light Side just like they who would be the Verdestonian Expedition. The question—then—is who imprisoned them and brought them over in the first place? It is highly doubtful that the blame can be placed on they who would be Bloodwings, for the sarosian migration happened within the last few hundred years and these lost ponies and their total and complete disentigration of culture suggests a far longer imprisonment. It is thus the current hypothesis that one of the other two militant factions of the war here on the Dark Side is responsible for the mass exodus that brought these pitiable victims over.

"Personal reflection: I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort of that which would be called Darkreach deeply empathizes with these ponies. Their lack of identity makes it difficult to describe them, and I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort greatly suspects that they have been long bereft of any insight into the liberating spirit of technological progress. And yet they distance themselves from any sort of prevailing ego—a curious coincidence that makes me pine for the days of dwelling in that which would be called Ring City, communing with those who would be called Cylindrimanian neighbors. I who would be called Chief Engineer Ranort would very much like to leave the confines of that which would be called Darkreach and meet them in person, but—alas—my duty prevents me from doing so. It is with meager hope that I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort look forward to the command decisions of she who would be Commander Gwen and how they might involve future relations with these ponies—as least in regards to assisting that which would be the Verdestonian Expedition in making a heroic attempt to access the Midnight Armory."

"His next two entrries go on to descrribe morre details concerrning he who would be Lieute—" Kepler caught himself. He cleared his throat. "A thousand parrdons, frriends. Chief Ranorrt descrribes Lieutenant Warrhol's morre detailed obserrvations concerrning the indigenous equines. It would seem that everry pony local to the Darrk Side prractices a cerrtain sense of... emotional detachment. They exprress neutrral feelings and possess currious speech patterrns. For instance, they don't use prroperr nouns. None of them even adopts a name!"

Logan scratched his scruffy chin and looked across the HQ. "No wonder it was so damn difficult to determine where they lived."

"They arre always mobile, it would seem," Kepler added. "Warrhol and Gwen firrst rran into them while the locals werre galloping thrrough the wilderrness, hunting varrious sorrts of beastly, chaotic game. It would appearr as though they employed tools indicative of a prre-industrrial civlization: spearrs, slingshots, bows and arrrows..."

"True survivalists to the core." Ariel gulped. "Just how long have they been living like this?"

"An even better question," Flynn suggested. "Are they still around today?"

Kepler folded his forelimbs and sighed. "I'm afrraid I haven't gotten to any entrries that explain the fate of these equines." He raised an eyebrow. "Orr the fate of the Darrkreach colonists, forr that matterr."

"How much of the data crystals are left?" Ariel asked.

"Ach!" Kepler shrugged. "Farr morre than can be counted, my frriend!" He smiled calmly. "I am both dismayed and rrelieved! I desirre morre and morre knowledge, but I know that we cannot stay herre in Darrkrreach forrever."

"Well, if worse comes to worst, you can bring the talking briefcase and the crystals with us, right?" Rainbow Dash suggested.

"By all means! Although I would rregrret being so tied up durring the jourrney prroperr!"

"Don't fret, Kepler," Rainbow Dash said. "I'm sure we'll find the downtime for you to continue your research." She sighed, glancing around the room. "Somehow... there's always downtime."

"Does that mean we're pulling out soon?" Logan suggested. "Because I'm almost done setting up an arsenal."

"Not... quite yet," Rainbow Dash said. "I've got Flynn working on a couple of projects still..."

Flynn clenched his jaw shut. He avoided Rainbow's gaze.

"Aaaaaaaand..." Rainbow's eyes lingered on him. "...I want to reconsider some of the options we have at the moment." She looked in Wildcard's direction. "I also wanted him rested up and fixed up."

Wildcard signaled with his good talons to protest—

"I mean it!" Rainbow pointed, frowning. "I want you in one piece. When it's time to pack it up and take this crazy show on the road, we're going to need our ace in the hole. We may just never know what we're going to face and how badly we'll need to put our last Desperado into ass-kicking mode."

"Pffft..." Logan folded his forelimbs with a pout. "You want a fighting edge? I'm standing right here, y'know."

"Good point." Rainbow Dash nodded. She made for the nearest stairwell. "When the time comes, we'll toss your axe into Wildcard's hands."

Ariel laughed.

Flynn managed a slight grin.

"Keep it up, Keps... the rest of you guys." And Rainbow ducked out of the room entirely.

As she navigated the stairs of Darkreach alone, Twilight and Fluttershy hovered in her peripheral.

"An entire civilization of lost ponies?" Twilight stammered. "I... I can't believe I never even suspected it!"

"Still..." Rainbow's nostrils flared. "...they don't exactly sound very epic."

"They've been living on the Dark Side for centuries... surviving on the go..." Fluttershy sniffled. "Those poor... poor ponies. It's enough having to deal with the craziness of the Dark Side for a few weeks... much less countless lifetimes."

Rainbow stumbled to a stop, blinking. "Is that how long we've been here?" she muttered. "A 'few weeks?'"

Twilight ignored her. "Maybe Chief Engineer Ranort was wrong. Maybe the Dark Vigil did bring them here."

"Ya really reckon so?" Applejack hovered into view. "From what we've seen of the sarosians, them batfolk seem awfully zoophonic."

"It's xenophobic, darling," Rarity purred, floating closer. "And I happen to agree. Considering all that the Lunar Remnants have been through, it doesn't seem quite like them to take prisoners of the same Equestrian races who cast them out."

"There's certainly no record in the royal archives of the sarosians taking prisoners—before or after their exodus," Twilight Sparkle said. "At least not from what I've read."

"Then if the sarosians aren't responsible for the local equine populace, who is?" Fluttershy asked.

"The Night Shard?" Pinkie Pie suggested.

"Pinkie, we dun know a single dang thang about them Night Sharders," Applejack said.

"I know! But they already seem so mysterious and spooooky! Isn't abduction a total 'spook' thing?"

"The answer's obvious, guys," Rainbow said.

"It is?" Rarity looked over.

Rainbow nodded somberly. "It's the changelings. Tchern's and Chrysalis' hives."

Fluttershy grimaced. "Oh. Oh no..."

"Abducting ponies and taking their place...?" Rainbow gestured. "It's Changelingism 101. And considering the fact that Tchern and Chrysalis were both once ancient alicorns who mutated deep in the mountains of Equestria..."

"They would have needed 'fuel' for the exodus that they made," Twilight Sparkle thought aloud. "Both in terms of sustenance and... emotion." She gulped. "They must have abducted hundreds... thousands of ponies between Equestria and the plane's edge."

"It makes sense that they would have brought them over to the Dark Side," Rainbow said. "This place is a virtual wasteland of chaos. Until the hives found a way to settle, they would have needed 'food' to sustain them... like animals storing for a long winter."

"Goddess..." Fluttershy whimpered. "Then... then that means these ponies—"

"Are the remnants of those who escaped," Applejack said.

"Or worse," Rainbow said.

"How?" Pinkie grimaced. "How could it possibly be worse?"

Rainbow shrugged. "The changelings could have... let the poor motals go. Kept track of them at a distance. Allowed them to hide away, settle, repopulate..." She produced a shuddering sigh. "...then later 'harvested' them en masse when the opportunity served."

"Good heavens..." Rarity shook all over. "What kind of a Hell have we stumbled into?!"

"Remember, Dashie knows the changelings best." Pinkie's ears drooped sadly. "Poor, poor ponies. They could really use a party."

"They could really use a pick-me-up for sure!" Applejack stammered. "If Rainbow's idea is true and they were really brought over here like livestock, then no wonder this Ranort fella describes them as bein' unemotional."

"They've been preyed upon for generations by carniverous empaths," Twilight said. "That takes a certain degree of tenacity that... no civilization on the Light Side could conceivably compare to."

"Well, maybe there's hope then," Rainbow said.

"Hope?" Fluttershy blinked. "Hope for what?"

"They could still be alive," Rainbow stated. "Even after all these centuries... following Darkreach's abandonment and everything. And if they're alive... and if we can run into them..." She trotted the rest of the way down the stairwell. "...then maybe they can give us some much-needed answers."

Darkreach Chronicles, Part Nine

"Social observations: I who would be called Chief Engineer Ranort have found it difficult to gauge the emtions of they who would be the ponies of that which would be called the Verdestonian Expedition, but suffice it to say that the overall mood of that which would be called Darkreach has become anxious—even melancholic. This is not so suggest that those who would be the faithful servants to she who would be called Commander Gwen have lost faith in the mission or the wisdom of their superior. But—rather—the optimism has almost completely faded, especially now that we who would be the Verdestonian Expedition have come to grips with the immensity of the harrowing path to the Midnight Armory ahead of us.

"Personal assessment: He who would be Lieutenant Warhol continues to be a source of inspiration and unfaltering dedication. However, I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort cannot expect even he who would be Lieutenant Warhol to maintain such stamina and enthusiasm forever. The Dark Side consumes the light from us all, and when we who would be the Verdestonian Expedition witness the jaded and lifeless complexion of those who would be the indigenous equines of this realm, it spells an ill-fate for all mortals who attempt to venture into such chaotic emptiness.

"Statement of commitment: I who would be called Chief Engineer Ranort am determined to preserve every bit of this campaign as is possible. Even if it takes another hundred crystalline batteries to compose my thoughts, it must be done. This is because I who would be called Chief Engineer Ranort greatly suspect that this journey of that which would be called the Verdestonian Expedition will not be completed in a single equine timeline. Even she who would be called Commander Gwen must sense the reality of this, though a statement to the fact would never escape her lips.

"Conclusion: I who would be called Chief Engineer Ranort record this journal not for myself or for that which would be called the Verdestonian Expedition of present day. Rather, this journal exists for all future ponies who would be the supplements of the Twin City Council. If we who would be called the Verdestonian Expedition under the command of she who would be called Commander Gwen cannot find a way to the source of harmony that eludes us, then maybe somepony else can."

Logan's strong forelimbs cocked a crossbow and slapped it down onto a table beside several more.

"There." He exhaled, pointing at the arrangement of weapons inside a Darkreach storage room. "I found a total of forty of these things lying about in disarray."

"They don't look like normal crossbows to me," Rainbow Dash said. "At least... not like the ones I saw in Rohbredden."

"That's because they don't house arrows," Logan said. He pointed at a short, triangular housing chamber above the stock of the weapon. "Looks like a spot to shove in a manacrystal."

"Jeesh..." Rainbow's wings drooped. "Crystals. Crystals. Crystals."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, and?"

"I dunno. Just..." She grumbled breathily. "I feel like I missed the boat somewhere and I just don't care." She blew out the side of her muzzle. "Felt like I got enough of this sort of crud in Ledomare."

"Yeah, well, we could use all the 'crud' we can get," Logan said. "There are more enchanted reagents lying around this place than you can shake a dead cat at. With your permission, I'd like to test out some of the ammo above ground—atop the mesa." He shrugged. "Just a little target practice."

"Sounds fine to me." Rainbow squinted. "What about our boomsticks, though?"

"Hmmm?"

"Didn't we bring a few of Bleak's Plummet's finest armaments with us from the Light Side?" Rainbow remarked. "With lunar ammo to boot?"

"Yes we did," Logan said, nodding. "I'm almost wondering if we can somehow combine the runestones with the tech we've found here."

"Well, I don't think we can afford too much experimentation," Rainbow Dash muttered. "Just how much ammo do we have anyways?"

"Plenty," Logan said. "It's the biggest contributor to the weight we've hauled from the crashed Gondola."

"I did not know that."

"Wasn't your job to pay attention," the stallion said with a shrug. "Besides... I thought we would have spent all the ammo by now."

"Seems like most of the dangerous crud is Curveside from us," Rainbow said. "Random changeling hatchling aside..."

"Right."

"My chief concern, Big Show, is that each and every pony will be able to defend themselves." Rainbow took a deep breath. "According to Kepler, Ranort's and Gwen's crew didn't have a whole lot to hope about. They knew their future was grim."

"Has he finished listening to all that crap, by the way?"

"I'm afraid not." Rainbow clenched her jaw. "Seems like Ranort was anything but brief in describing ancient Darkreach."

"You really think we can stick around for him to finish listening to it all?"

"Nope." Rainbow shook her head. "So I'm suggesting he take the briefcase thingy with us. He can listen to more along the way."

"Awfully optimistic of you," Logan said. "Assuming we'll have free time beyond the stalks."

"A girl can dream, I guess," Rainbow said. "Now—about the chaotic wilderness ahead. It's one thing to have firepower. But what about basic defenses?"

"Glad you asked." Logan shuffled over to another table—this one covered with a tarp. "I've got that covered and a half."

"How do you mean?"

"See for yourself." And he whipped the tarp off, revealing multiple breastplates, fetlock guards, helmets, and shields.

Rainbow Dash whistled. As the dust settled, she noted the eerily pristine quality of the armor pieces. They had a copper-green tint to them, and there were artistically ornate insignias of tree branches and leaves woven into every outer surface. "These... are not Cylindrimanian."

"Emeraldine is primarily a bigass farming community, right?"

"From what I could tell, yeah."

"Well there you go." Logan waved with his hoof. "Verdestone's finest right here." He pointed at the polished round helmets. "Notice on the crown—it's the crest of Onyxxus on the front..."

"...and a silhouette of Verdestone on the back." Rainbow Dash nodded, her eyes darting about the green metals. "Seems like they had their priorities straight."

"They're built for ponies who are... slightly smaller than present company," Logan remarked. "My guess is that equines didn't grow to be as stocky as modern ponies today."

"Or they didn't live long enough..."

"Grim. Cute." Logan cleared his throat. "But... I think Flynn and I can augment them with a few added plates to fit our figures. Even mine." He looked over at Rainbow Dash. "Once Wildcard's got his new arm, he can help out as well. That Desperado knows a thing or two about armor."

"He used to be a member of the Talon, right?"

"Mmmmhmmm."

"Y'know..." Rainbow Dash fidgeted where she stood. "There's probably an even better qualified soul who can help us out with that."

Silence.

Rainbow arched an eyebrow. "You don't believe me?"

"Mrmmmfff..." Logan's nostrils flared. "It's probably just a trick."

"You believe she's faking her calmness at this point?"

"On one hoof, she could be bored as all get-out," Logan said. "Or—as history would suggest—she's just waiting for the opportune moment to spring." His eyes narrowed. "And rip your throat out from under your chin."

Rainbow shuddered. "I... I'd rather not get close enough to her to find out."

"I've noticed."

Rainbow bit her tongue.

"Anyways..." Logan turned to face the armor once again. "It'd be stupid not to wear any of this stuff for the duration."

"Uhhh..." Rainbow nodded. "Agreed."

"I suggest you and Ariel practice flying with some weighted shit in your saddlebags. Prepare for being heavier in the long haul."

"Not a bad idea." Rainbow managed a slight smile. "Thanks for setting all of this up, Logan. We haven't even gotten to the melee weapons you've found. I caught a few glimpses between flights. Looks like we'll be armed to the teeth."

"Yeah, maybe so. Even still..." Logan folded his forelimbs. "I'm not too thrilled by this discovery."

"Oh?"

"If nothing else, I'm kinda worried."

"About what?"

Logan huffed. "I mean... hell..." He gestured at the tables that comprised of his "armory." "Why? Y'know? Why did they leave all of this stuff behind? This could sustain a small army, much less the entire Herald."

Rainbow was silent in contemplation.

"Whatever cleared them out..." Logan's brow furrowed. "...for them to have friggin' ditched so many priceless weapons, ammo, manacrystals behind..." He slowly shook his head. "It couldn't have been a good thing." He looked squarely at Rainbow. "The soonest Kepler gets to the last recording by that 'Ranort' bastard, the better."

"Yeah..." Rainbow nodded limply. "I'm starting to agree with you."

"Good." Logan turned towards the table and threw the tarp back over it. "About time somepony did."

Rainbow blinked at him. She shifted on one set of legs... then the other. "Ahem..." She leaned pensively in Loga's direction. "Logan, I... I really do appreciate it."

"Uh huh."

"All of it. Everything. Everything that you've done," Rainbow said. "Even when you bite my head off and get angry. I know it's because you're concerned with what's best for me... and what's best for the journey."

"We ain't here to pick daisies. That's for damn sure."

"And... concern works both ways. We're nothing without you, Big Show. And... y'know..." She waved a hoof from side to side. "...if you want to share some of the stuff that's been bothering you, that would be perfectly okay—"

"Nothing bothers me," Logan grunted. "Not anymore."

Rainbow's brow furrowed. "Dude, I saw what the changeling became. What it said when you—"

Logan spun about, snarling. "That was just a chaotic freak with nothing better to do than mess with my head!"

Rainbow leaned back, wincing. "I'm just saying that—"

"Don't let it mess with your head either! I'm fine, Rainbow!" Logan grunted, then let loose a dull sigh. "I've been fine for years. What you see with me is what you get. Let's leave it at that."

"But... I can't leave it at that," Rainbow stammered. She gulped. "It's taken me some time to realize this, but you—the Herald: you're all my friends. It's high time I treated you like such."

"Hrmmmff..." Logan tossed his mane and trotted angrily past her. "Don't make your dumbest mistake yet, Rainbow."

"Logan—"

"I've got some materials to gather if I'm gonna be altering these armor pieces. Please... don't interrupt me as I do my job."

Rainbow was left alone in the chamber... alone with her sighs.

Five Weeks in Darkreach

The perfectly polished stone rippled with dim crimson light... occasionally flickering with brighter ruby strobes.

Rainbow Dash cradled the dragonstone in her petite hooves. She sat on the outer lip to the hatched entrance to Darkreach. The ramp behind and beneath her was still scorched from the ill-fated changeling untold weeks ago. Above and around the mare, the lengths of the mesa rested dull and sleepy beneath restless constellations and looming nebulae.

"It's all so very beautiful, actually," spoke Rarity, the only ghostly mare present at that moment. She hovered a few feet away from Rainbow, gazing up at the stars with sleepy eyes and an even sleepier smile. "So long as you forget where you are and what's transpired here and all of the perilous hazards that lie ahead of us."

"Heh..." Rainbow's ears twitched. She continued turning the dragonstone about lazily in her grasp.

"In all seriousness, this would have been a lovely place to get away. A perpetually twilight retreat, as t'were." Rarity stifled a yawn. "Just... throw a few tapestries here... a few garlands there... and carpeting. Oh, how the lower chambers would absolutely sing with a touch of royal velvet upholstery." A melodic sigh. "At least those bits of armor were quite fabulous-looking... from what Fluttershy described to me, at least. A shame that I was in the Vanilla Zone at the time."

"Speaking of which," Rainbow Dash muttered. "You should get some rest."

"Perish the thought!" Rarity frowned despite her drowsiness. "All the other girls are sleeping at the moment! I shan't leave you alone to the discordant wolves if I can help it!"

"You really should have let Applejack take your shift."

"What? You don't like my company, Rainbow Dash?"

"I didn't say that," Rainbow grumbled. She rested the dragonstone in her lap and sighed. "It's just that this is—like—your third volunteer shift in a row. You're being too generous."

"You're not the only one who gets to live up to your element, darling."

"Well, my element is telling me that you should get some sleep, Rarity. It's not just the health of the Herald that I'm worried about."

"Right now, it's your health that is paramount, Rainbow," Rarity argued. "If the Dark Side doesn't do something to try and claim you, far grimmer forces might." The fashionista gulped, fidgeting suddenly. "Have... have you seen h-him as of late?"

Rainbow Dash looked towards the ground to her right. Her saddlebag lay limp, its pouches open. Scootaloo's goggles were spilling out, and in one of the lenses Rainbow could see the faint hint of a fanged smile. A lion's paw and an eagle's talon twiddled each other's "thumbs."

"He's... keeping his distance," Rainbow muttered. She looked back at the dragonstone and began turning it over and over in her hooves once again, summoning the minute strobes. "I kinda think he's doing it on purpose."

"As a taunt?"

"Mrmffff... yeah."

"Does he ever speak to you?"

"You'd think marshmallows would be less predictable," a deep voice rolled. "But I suppose some ponies were just born limp and squishy."

Rainbow clenched her jaw tight. "Unfortunately..."

"Heh heh heh..."

"Oh darling..." Rarity cooed. "That must be so terribly taxing."

Rainbow shrugged. "I've lived for over two years with a huge portion of the punk inside of me. 'Terrible' is a word that operates on its own scale, I guess."

"Yes. Funny how we've managed to get along so fine on our road trip of brooding and explosions."

Rainbow sneered through her teeth. "So does the word 'lived.'"

Rarity pouted. "Well, we—your friends—shall not leave you alone with that blasted ruffian for even a millisecond!"

"Maybe..." Rainbow exhaled. "...maybe it won't be so bad."

Rarity blanched. "I beg your pardon?!?!"

"I mean, we've been here in Darkreach for Goddess-knows-how-long."

"Weeks... a month?"

"I'm no softy, Rarity. Maybe..." She shrugged. "I can handle him, y'know?"

"Oh, I'm certain we can handle each other just fine, Sparky."

"After all..." The dragonstone flickered again, reflecting redness off of Rainbow's yellow'd eyes. In the next blink, she was frowning. "...I've kicked his butt before."

"Ughhh... Rainbow, Rainbow, Rainbow... as much as we've become endeared to your brutish side, you know as well as we do that it's a poor decision to rely solely on that and not on the wisdom you've gained throughout your journey."

"... ... ...the buck is that supposed to mean?"

Rarity tossed her hooves. "Oh, if only Twilight were here to explain it better!"

A flash of lavender light. A limp unicorn floated into existence, yawning and stretching. "Eeeeyyyyyyuhhhhh..." Twilight's voice adorably squeaked. "Whew... that was refreshing."

"Speak of the devil!" Rarity turned to smile at her ghostly friend. "Twilight! Tell Rainbow Dash here how much she needs us here to protect her!"

"Uhhhhh... that's precisely why I woke up." Twilight squinted blearily. "I'm here to relieve you, Rarity."

"But... but..." Rarity teetered in place. "... Discord! And... and velvet upholstery and cat birds..."

"Nighty niiiiiight, Rarity," Rainbow droned.

"Heehee..." Twilight, waking up rapidly, placed her hooves gently on Rarity's shoulders and shoved her in a random direction. "You've done more than your fair share of keeping watch, Rarity. I'd suggest you collapse for the long haul. I'll get Pinkie to wake you up or something twenty-four hours from now."

"Mmmmmm..." Rarity curled up into a fuzzy white ball, her eyelids fluttering closed over a dainty smile. "Pink... slumber... phweeeeeeeeee..." She gradually vanished in a lavender cloud.

"Yum yum! Marshmallows floating in the black coco of oblivion! Should be all the rage at your local Tim Hortrot's!"

"Awwwwwww shuddup," Rainbow rasped.

Twilight did a double-take. "What?"

Rainbow sighed. "Not you."

Twilight Sparkle hovered over and "sat down" beside her anchor. "He still won't leave, huh?"

A lion's paw gave a thumb's up in Scootaloo's goggles.

Rainbow's ears flattened. "Like a cockroach doing stand-up."

"Well, let's keep your mind off him, then," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's been a while, I'm sure. What's the Herald up to?"

"You mean 'down to?'"

Twilight stuck her tongue out. "You know what I mean."

"I'unno." Rainbow shrugged, rotating the luminescent stone around in her hooves. "Logan's fitting the armor together that he found. Kepler's still taking forever to go through Ranort's audio journal. Ariel was... sleeping. Flynn's working on the hover-cart thingy. Wildcard's got a few metal fingers left before he's got a fully-functioning arm."

"Heh..." Twilight smiled goofily. "...I bet he can't wait to use his middle one!"

"... ... ... ... ..."

"Ahem..." Twilight coughed adorably into her fetlock. "That... uh... that was a joke."

"I know what it was trying to be," Rainbow's voice cracked. "Just a bit surprised that you of all ponies attempted to say it!"

Twilight shrugged. "It's been a long time in Darkreach. I'm... uh... branching out."

"Well, don't. Stick to the trees that you're used to."

"Can we all afford to do that anymore?"

Silence.

The air flickered with the occasional ruby strobes.

Twilight craned her neck and nodded towards the object in Rainbow's hooves. "That the dragonstone?"

"Eeeyup." Rainbow nodded. "Still as stupid and mystifying as it was when it first rolled out of Axan's gullet."

"How long have you been holding it?"

"Long enough to find a pattern."

"A pattern?" Twilight's voice lifted. She scooted closer to Rainbow, nearly phasing through her shoulder. "Show me!"

"Okay. Check it..." Rainbow Dash lifted the dragonstone high in the air. She swung it left, towards Alpha.

The stone flickered ruby once, then was a dull crimson again.

"And... slowly now..." Rainbow swung it back right, towards Omega.

As the stone passed the Curveside angle, it flickered. Then it was dull for the next few seconds... until it was aimed approximatetly thirty and twenty degrees off Omega. Then it flickered twice before becoming dull again. Rainbow slowly waved the dragonstone back towards Alpha, and the same three flickers happened in the exact same order.

"It's... flickering..." Twilight breathed. She blinked. "At three specific intervals."

"I think it's responding to something," Rainbow said.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. But... odds are..." Rainbow squinted at the curved horizon looming darkly above them, marked with sporadic dim patches of ethereal light. "...it's three things. Located farrrrrrr away from where we are now."

"One towards Curveside... and two more towards Omega."

Rainbow nodded. "Right."

"But..." Twilight fidgeted where she sat. "What could be responding to Axan's dragonstone?"

"I don't know. But..." Rainbow took a deep breath. "I don't think it's something that belongs to the Dark Side."

Twilight's ears twitched. "... ... ..Endrax?"

"Maybe."

"Why... would she be in three places at once?"

"Beats me." Rainbow looked up... up. Her eyes settled on the harmonic gold glow that belied the distant location of the Midnight Armory in the dead-center of the curved plane. "The words I've heard about 'pieces' have a more concrete meaning now."

"If you're implying what I think you're implying..." Twilight murmured. "...then something horrible must have happened to her."

"I wouldn't doubt it," Rainbow muttered.

"Poor unfortunate dragons." Goat hair rolled in Scootaloo's goggles. "They have the most rotten luck."

"If Axan had lived long enough, I wonder if she could have communicated with her sister," Twilight said.

"Death. Dictatorship. Insanity..."

"Of course, the fact that the dragonstone is here on this side of the plane and we haven't heard a word from anyone must mean something."

"...if you ask me, if dragons were made of sterner stuff—like ponies—then maybe they wouldn't have ended up as space charcoal."

Rainbow Dash sat dead still. Her gaze was locked on the golden speck that was the Midnight Armory.

Even Twilight noticed how transfixed she was. "Rainbow? What's—?"

"Hold up, egghead." Rainbow stuffed the dragonstone into her saddlebags. She reached out, picked up Scootaloo's goggles, and placed them over her head. "I wanna try something..."

"Huh?" Twilight squinted. "Rainbow, what are you—?"

SWOOOSH! Without another word, Rainbow Dash flew straight up, gaining as much altitude as she could.

Not a Clever Pony

"Rainbow...???" Twilight Sparkle gnashed her teeth as the lavender forcefield pulled her after Rainbow Dash's rapidly ascending figure. The mesa containing Dark Reach became a distant speck against the slate gray blankness below them. "Rainbow Dash?! What are you doing?!"

"I'm not doing," Rainbow grumbled. "I'm flying!"

"Okay! Why are you flying?!" Twilight squinted into the whipping winds and starlight. "Where are you flying to?!"

"Hold on!" Rainbow's wings blurred faster and faster. "I gotta pick up some speed!"

"What for?" Twilight strained, concentrated, and finally "glided" alongside her anchor. "Rainbow," she spoke firmer, and sterner, once she was adjacent to Rainbow's curved ears. "Rainbow, if you were planning on making a long-distance flight, you really really should have alerted the rest of the Herald."

"Uh huh."

"Don't 'uh huh' me! This is serious! They're all you've got! Besides the girls and me, of course... but... you know what I mean—!"

"I can sense where they are at any time," Rainbow said calmly amidst her speeding ascent. The air grew colder and colder as she gained more and more altitude, nonstop. "If I get lost..." A shrug. "...I'll just wait until Fluttershy wakes up and find my way back to them!"

"You call that a plan?!" Twilight grimaced. She fidgeted even more. "Rainbow, tell me! Where are you going?!"

"I'm just testing something."

"Testing what?"

"The fastest way to a destination is a straight line." Rainbow struggled to speak firmly against the beating winds. Fog formed against Scootaloo's goggles and she had to wipe them clean every once in a while with an agile fetlock so she could see. "We all might be slaves to the curve, but that doesn't mean we've gotta live by it."

"Huh?"

"In other words, buck the circle." Rainbow's body angled Curveside as she repositioned her beating wings. "If there's a way to avoid all of the struggle and crud that Gwen's company went through, then I'd best darn well find it."

Twilight blinked curiously. She looked at where Rainbow's body was now angled.

Rainbow Dash kept the faint golden glow of the Midnight Armory dead-center in her sights. And even though she was flying straight towards it now, the curved landscape bent and fell away. Dead ahead was a monumentally large space that filled the void of the bent plane. It was continents in size, and it cast just as thick a shadow.

"Rainbow..." Twilight gulped. "Rainbow, you can't do this."

"Why not?"

"Look, I don't have time to explain the physics to you!" Twilight frowned. "The world isn't the only thing that's bent. The atmosphere is too!"

"You don't know that," Rainbow said, flying straight into the void that separated her from her golden goal. "This is a realm of chaos!" Something flicked. The goggles glinted with brief red and yellow "So long as we don't know what makes it all work, then what's to stop us from working things out ourselves?!"

"Rainbow, don't be stupid!" Twilight sputtered. "As awesome as you are, there are some things you just can't do!"

"And where has believing in that gotten me, huh?!" Rainbow frowned as she pushed herself against the freezing altitudes. The air grew thinner and thinner; she had to wheeze to produce her words. "Verlax tried to strip me of all I'm good for. Well screw that. Maybe what I need to do here is take control!"

"Rainbow, Verlax tried to do exactly what you're doing right now!" Twilight exclaimed, flailing her forelimb. "And it drove her crazy!"

"Verlax was never crazy." Rainbow clenched her teeth. Frost was starting to form on her mane and eyelashes. She fought the urge to shiver. "Just pathetic."

"Rainbow, even if you can make it far enough to pierce the heavens—you'll still have countless tens of thousands of miles to fly alone in deep space! Don't you get it?! You'd starve to death before you were done!"

"I just need to know... th-that I can..." Rainbow's teeth was chattering. Her coat had turned two shades bluer. "...that... th-that I didn't push us all against the meat grinder d-down below for nothing..."

"Remember, Sparky... the foundations of home will crumble without you."

Rainbow's eyes twitched.

"Rainbow!"

"A right selection or a big mistake..."

"Rainbow!" Twilight's face flickered beyond the fog. "Don't listen to him!"

Rainbow gnashed her teeth. She swung a numb fetlock up and wiped the fog away.

Fangs. Antlers. A mischievous grin. "What a nuisance. How about tossing the Element off?" A glinting smile. "You'll never have to hear her nag you again."

"Grnnngh!" Rainbow Dash flipped a few times, "punching" and "bucking" the air. "Get away from me! Go! Leave!" She hyperventilated and shrieked. All the while the heavens spun, freezing and bone chilling. "I'm never going to... listen..." She coughed. "...to you... a-again..." She wheezed.

It was impossible to breathe.

"Rainbow—!" Twilight cried.

Rainbow's eyes rolled back in her head. Her body went limp, and so did her wings.

A great black crescent twirled beneath her...

...and soon she was plunging towards it. Cold... numb...

And unconscious.

Can't Hang Without Cliffs

Peanuts.

Honey roasted peanuts.

Rainbow Dash couldn't remember the last time she ate any of those. They were definitely tasty. Pegasi salesponies used to serve them out in the open atop a floating cloud vendor that orbited the lateral residential beds of Cloudsdale. The salty/sugary taste reminded Rainbow Dash of early days at Flight Camp. Hanging out by the bleachers and giggling the hours away with Gilda. In the afternoon, she'd spare a few of the peanuts and slip them secretly into Fluttershy's saddlebag when the dainty pegasus wasn't looking. She was always so thin and gangly; she always looked like she could use more food in her. Of course, Rainbow Dash wouldn't ever admit to that.

Perhaps she could go shopping for some honey roasted peanuts. Her taste buds could use the nostalgia trip. Also—there was no telling how the Noble Jury would react. Belle and Kera would appreciate it for certain. Josho, no doubt. Pilate and Roarke—that was anypony's guess. Ebon would want to make some new recipe out of it and Eagle Eye would undoubtedly humor him over how good it tasted.

Rainbow Dash wondered who would be able to help her procure some. She thought of Booster Spice—he knew the Alafreon countryside well enough. If nothing else, he might be able to procure some peanuts from the western fringes of Val Roa, presuming there weren't any naga or Cartel members encroaching upon the farmland.

Now as for the honey...

"... ... ..." Rainbow's brow furrowed.

A lot of time had passed between Flight Camp and Alafreo. Months? Years? Something about clouds and continents. Explosions. A big violet dragon and a bloodied wing.

"Rainbow Dash..."

Rainbow didn't have time to go searching for honey roasted peanuts. She had to take down Chrysalis... or was it Revan... or was it Verlax—

"Rainbow Dash!!!"

Her eyelids fluttered open. The air was wind and turbulence. A screaming unicorn fell beside her in a lavender streak.

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight Sparkle shrieked. "Pull up!""

Ground.

Rainbow's ruby lightning bolt illuminated a shrinking spotlight across a patch of arid rock.

Definitely ground.

"Nuts!" Rainbow Dash shouted. She pivoted her wings, finally redirecting the dive of her limp body.

SWOOOOOOOOOSH! She pulled up at the very last second. Her fuzzy belly burned from the frictious contact it made with the platateu below. But—within the next breath—she had flapped her wings and thrown herself high enough to avoid a cleft of rocks.

Barely.

"Ooomf!"

She plowed through an erratic pocket of air, barreled sideways, and grinded to a dusty halt against the surface of the wasteland.

As her body came to a stop, she felt wet all over. Her mind went into overdrive, and she rationalized that it was frost from her high-altitude climb melting across her fuzzy features.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." She groaned, allowing her battered muscles to lay limp. "...ho ho ho ho ho hohhhhhhhhhhh-boyoooooo..." She coughed, sputtered, and rolled over. "Whelp... so much for the Rainbow Space Program."

Her head fell back...

...and an upside down lavender frown came into view.

Rainbow waved a limp hoof. "Hiya, toots," her voice cracked.

"Stay right where you are, Rainbow," Twilight Sparkle grumbled.

Rainbow blinked. "... ... ...consider it done."

"Rrrrngh!" Twilight dashed forward and began swinging her hooves violently. They phased through Rainbow's skull with constant lavender bursts of ghostly light.

Rainbow squinted into the unicorn barrage. "What are you doing?"

"Pretending to hit you!" Twilight snarled, not letting loose.

"Ah. Cool." Rainbow wheezed. "Could you pretend to go get me a grilled cheese sandwich while you're at it?!"

"Do you have a single serious bone in your body?!"

"Totally!" Rainbow rasped. "It just so happens that my body is hungry!"

"Rrrrgh... Rainbow..."

"I'm not kidding. I came to dreaming of honey roasted peanuts."

Twilight grunted and pretended to kick and buck Rainbow's spine.

Rainbow sighed, eyes rolling. "Twilight, you're an egghead. Not an eggbeater, will you knock it off?!"

"Well, will you stop doing stupid things and try to be serious about your well-being for once?!" Twilight yelped, nearly hyperventilating.

"Okay... hold the sound stone." Rainbow sat up with a glaring frown. "I found you guys again, and I was super friggin' serious. Then the Quade happened."

"Rainbow—"

"So I tried to let loose a bit! Then Verlax happened!" She waved one hoof. "I get half of my ghost friends telling me I need to relax." She waved the other hoof. "I get the others telling me I gotta put on my war face..."

"Being relaxed doesn't mean being stupid!"

"Stupid's gotten me to a lot of places!"

"That's not stupidity! That's luck!"

"Easy for you to say!" Rainbow Dash hobbled up to her hooves and shouted in the middle of the darkness. "I could have stayed in Val Roa and thrown allllllll of this behind me! But no! I did the stupid thing! And I didn't get through to the other side of the Choke to embrace your nerdiness again just through sheer luck! There's a purpose to all of this! To me! I'm the Austraeoh! Sometimes... I-I just gotta push, Twilight! Things come together when they need to come together!"

"Did Commander Hurricane think the same thing?!" Twilight frowned. "How far did she get?!"

Rainbow blinked at her. Another eye roll, and she slumped down onto her haunches with an adolescent pouch. "Just what does everypony friggin' want from me, anyways?"

"You've gotta find a middle ground, Rainbow!" Twilight said, her voice becoming slightly softer. She trotted around the mare and stared with eyes full of concern. "Every time you get too serious, you do something crazy. And every time you get too sure of yourself, you go full monster."

"Jee, thanks."

"Rainbow, what I'm trying to tell you is that you have to find a balance! Discover what works for you on the whole and not test the waters so wildly!"

"Twilight, what balance is there to find?!" Rainbow gestured wildly. "I was on my own for over a year before I discovered you and the other girls could come back. And now I'm on the Dark Side, accompanied by a group a badasses whom I didn't even know about months ago. Don't you see?! It's always changing! I just..." She hugged herself, staring off across the star-lit plains. "...I just want to be ahead of the curve for once." She gulped. "I'm sick and tired of regretting everything in hindsight."

"Well, you pick the dumbest ways to try and solve it."

"Yeah." Rainbow exhaled. "I do."

Twilight stared in silence.

Rainbow sat, unmoving.

"... ... ...you need a break," Twilight said.

"Hmrfff..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Celestia knows I can't afford one—"

"You need a break," Twilight reinforced with a frown. "Take a few days to just rest and relax inside of Darkreach."

"Ha!"

"Do it!" Twilight frowned. "Relax. Stop stressing yourself over the fate of your journey or the fate of the Herald. Sit down and rest your mind and center yourself. Or—I swear to Luna—the girls and I are going to go on strike."

Rainbow gave her a curious squint. "You can actually do that?"

Twilight smiled devilishly. "It'll just be you, Discord, and the walls of Darkreach. Think you can manage on your own?"

"... ... ...that's unbelievably evil and cruel. Even for you."

"I can do stupid things too."

"No you can't." Wincing, Rainbow Dash stumbled up to her aching hooves and turned about. "Won't give you the satisfaction."

"Does that mean you'll take it easy for the next few days?"

"No. It just means that I won't give you the satisfaction."

"Rainbow..."

"Ah. There." Rainbow Dash pointed. "Found the mesa."

"That's not the mesa."

"Then help me find the mesa."

"Not until you promise never to do something stupid like that again."

"Twilight—"

"I mean it!"

Rainbow groaned. "Twilight Sparkle, I—Rainbow Danger Dash—promise never to fly so high into the sky that I almost pierce the heavens and lose consciousness and fall to my death ever again."

"Mrmmmmmm..."

"Good enough?"

"Will you say it again with the Herald present?"

"Oh you've gotta be—"

"Will you?!"

"Yes! I'll say it with them present!" Rainbow's tail flicked. "I'll confess my sins and let Logan sit me in the corner."

"Good. Now that's better."

"So... where's the mesa?"

"Uhm..." Twilight pointed nervously. "You're looking at it."

Rainbow groaned and began flying limply in the structure's direction. "I think I'd much prefer you beating my face to a pulp."

"Once we're back in Equestria, we can talk it over."

"Yeah, if I make it that far."

"That's the point."

Just a Little Ingenuity

Hoofsteps.

Ariel looked up from where she sat in the middle of the common room, polishing a Cylindrimanian reconaissance sphere.

Rainbow Dash trotted into view, her mane evidently wind-blown. She glanced at Ariel.

Ariel glanced back.

"... ... ...got the local surveys back from the ancient probes?" Rainbow asked.

Ariel nodded. "Yes."

"Logan almost finished with his arsenal?"

Ariel nodded. "Yes."

"Flynn fixing up the wagon with hover-rock-thingies?"

Ariel nodded. "Yes."

"Kepler uncovered more notes from Ranort?"

Ariel nodded. "Yes."

"Wildcard's nearly got his left arm back?"

Ariel nodded. "Yes."

"Seraphimus kill anyone while I was away?"

Ariel shook her head. "No."

Rainbow exhaled. She looked across the room to where the former Commander lay shackled to pipework. She glanced at Ariel again. "Awesome. I'm going to go." She trotted for the nearest stairwell.

Ariel craned her neck. "Go where?"

"Go chillax," Rainbow muttered. "I made a promise not to kill myself."

"Okay! Cool!" Ariel smiled. She fidgeted. "... ... ...can I join you?"

"How did you ultimately decide to compensate forr the grravitational centerr?" Kepler asked.

"Well, that's the thing." Flynn pointed across the storage compartment to where the wide, flat metal cart hovered—anchored to the corner of the place. Several chunks of ancient manacrystals glowed across its undercarriage. "The piece of shit was just flopping about real willy-nilly. Hours ago, if you so much as sneezed on the thing, it would flip over like a motherbucker."

"Ach..." Kepler shook his head. "Most drreadful indeed."

"Maybe if we were a bunch of ancient Cylindrimanians nerds accustomed to the leylines, we'd be able to 'steady' it with a burst of telekinesis. But... we've got no luck in that area," Flynn explained. "They're all dead or gone or both and none of Ranort's notes are even helping with this crud."

Kepler smirked. "Not yet, brrotherr."

"Yeah, well, I can't afford to hold out," Flynn said. "So... I decided to modernize it a bit."

"How so?"

"I was remembering Rainbow Dash's notes on the technology that the Ledomaritans used. That stuff is leaps and bounds above the propulsion we can afford east of the Blight, right?"

"Rright..."

"So, I asked her to simply sketch what the stuff they used over there looked like. No details beyond that. Just draw how the glowing undercarriage of... uhhhhh... a Ledomaritan 'managlider' appeared."

"And did she?"

"She provided me a diagram. And I think I figured something out. But I didn't have any of the materials that the Ledomaritans do. And—come to think of it—neither did the Cylindrimanians back in their hayday. So I had to improvise."

"Let me guess. With Lunarr rrocks."

Flynn gestured with a smile. "Behold..." He galloped over to the edge of the room. There, he untethered the cart and stepped away from it.

The air vibrated with minor turbulence as the vehicle floated freely... levitating gradually upwards. Eventually, it ascended high enough to the ceiling that Kepler could see a "grid" of geometrically arranged lunar rocks. Spread between them in almost perfect homogeny was a thin layer of crystalline material.

"My starrs and garrterrs..." Kepler adjusted his spectacles. "You grround the crrystals into a fine dust!"

"And it's all enchanted!" Flynn remarked. "The same triply-entwined entanglement is being utilized, but I'm using the lunar rocks to control the distribution of the field. Observe." He cleared his throat, then hoarsely spoke: "M'shrynmh L'fynym!"

The vibration in the air intensified. A wave of mana flowed forward across the bed of the cart. Within a second, it was lurching forward towards the two Heraldites.

Flynn briskly said: "M'shrynmh L'vynyk!"

The cart stopped in mid-air, wobbled, then glided backwards.

"M'shrynmh Thymmk."

At last, the cart stopped dead in its tracks. Flynn gave the tether a tug and it slowly lowered like a giant balloon so he could tie it to the wall again.

"My worrd!" Kepler marveled. "You cerrtainly masterred yourr moonwhinny!"

"I took notes." Flynn winked his good eye. "I can move the hovercraft around by command. Navigating the wasteland of the Dark Side might just be as easy as yawning." He took a proud breath. "I gotta admit... Rainbow Dash's stupidity is as inspiring as it is contagious."

"How do you intend to contrrol the accelerration?" Kepler asked, raising a hairy eyebrow. "Whinny louder?"

"I'm... still working on that," Flynn said. "Rainbow's gonna need us to roll out sooner than later. But I'm almost close to a solution for carrying the bulk of our supplies."

"Fine and well done, my frriend!"

"You're telling me! I only wish I could operate it by manual controls like the Ledomaritans. Alas..." Flynn shrugged. "Maybe once we get back to the Light Side, I can work on studying abroad... adopting technology from all the civilizations that Rainbow's visited and then some."

"But, for now, we have ourr prropulsion."

"I can't wait to apply this to other stuff," Flynn said. "Toolboxes. Shields. Even spears? Hell... we could hunt game from a hundred yards away!" He smirked. "So long as we can speak."

"So, it'll be useful to everrypony but Wildcarrd."

"Exactly. But—pffft... the dude's overpowered enough as it is. What's it gonna change anyways?"

"Speaking of which." Kepler squinted through his spectacles. "How is the griffin doing?"

Hand That Feeds You

"Okay..." Flynn leaned back from the Desperado. "Now... try making a fist."

Wildcard sat up on his cot. His upper muscles tensed around his beak.

Between them, a rickety skeleton of metal digits and hydraulic activators wobbled, pointed towards the ceiling. The joint below the prototype prosthetic glowed with mana power. Hissing sounds filled the common room, and slowly... gradually...

...five talons closed tightly together. The gesture was slow, but it was still a gesture.

Wildcard relaxed his muscles, exhaling heavily. He turned with a surprised expression, his goggles reflecting Flynn's smiling face.

"Pretty boss, right?" Flynn slicked back a mane that wasn't there. "Whew! I am on a roll!"

Wildcard nodded back.

"Now..." Flynn leaned in again. "Spread all your fingers out and put your palm flat." His eye narrow. "Pretend that you're... playing that weird, mystical game griffin kids are obsessed with. What's the name...?"

"'Rocks, papers, scissors?'"

Flynn blinked. He looked over his shoulder at Seraphimus in a distance. "Right... pffft, griffins..." He turned to look at Wildcard again. "Can you do that?"

Wildcard licked his beak. His shoulder shifted.

With a rattling noise, the prosthetic twisted. The levers and digits attached to them rotated. Soon he had flattened all of his talons into a straight plane. A cloud of manasteam spontaneously vented from the lower joints.

"Whoops! Excuse you!" Flynn chuckled, reaching over to pat Wildcard's shoulder. "I know it's pretty cruddy and slow now, but that's because I've yet to power it all the way. I just wanted you to get a feel for it. I mean... errr... y-you know what I mean."

Wildcard slowly nodded.

"Double-yoo, I don't have the tools here to make it nearly as awesome as the one you had back on the Light Side," Flynn said. "More specifically, you're probably going to lack the same spatial recognition system that used to grace your senses. But... you're skilled enough to make a calculated guess about your limb placement, right?"

Wildcard used the new skeletal hand to wave from side-to-side.

"Right. But I promise you that it'll be articulate enough for you to fully 'speak' again," Flynn said. "What's more, I just might be able to add a few new bells and whistles to it." He smiled, pointing at a narrow thread of pulsing conduits running the length of the forelimb. "You see this cable?"

The Desperado nodded warily.

"It extends from the prosthetic's mana core. With the right discharge of pent-up leyline energy... well..." Flynn grinned wildly. "It just might be able to give your fist some extra punch."

Wildcard nodded. He curiously gestured with his right hand, drawing a "compass" with his fingers against the cot.

"Sorry, bud..." Flynn shook his head. "That badass magnetic core is gone for good." He shrugged. "I just don't have the proper equipment to recreate it here. But... I'm hoping to give you some better improvements anyway."

A sigh escaped the griffon's beak. He nevertheless gave a thankful nod.

"Once you're fully back on your feet, I'll let you give the limb real practice at full juice. How does that sound?"

Slowly, the metal digits turned, pivoted, and formed a shivering thumb's up.

"There we go!" Flynn grinned wide. "That's the spirit!"

"I don't see why Jordan has to have his hand back," a contemptuous voice droned from the opposite end of the Common Room. "A blighted traitor like that should live with a constant reminder of what he's given up."

Wildcard clenched his beak. His left limb clicked and clacked as the inner parts struggled, grinded, and eventually—with much effort—shot a lone middle finger towards the ceiling. The Desperado raised it high and proud.

"Hrmmmfff..." And Seraphimus was silent.

"Heeeeeeeeeeey..." Flynn patted Wildcard's shoulder again. "That's some even better spirit!" He got up with a mild groan. "Ooooookay. You starving?"

"Ta-daaaaaaa..." Logan droned, lethargically gazing into the glowing blue compartment.

Ariel stood in place, blinking blankly. Her eyes reflected rows upon rows of otherworldly mushrooms.

"Well?" Logan scratched his stubbled chin and looked at her. "What do you think?"

"Uhhhhhh..." Ariel smiled crookedly. "Wow, Big Show! It all looks so..." A gulp. "...edible?"

"Hrmmmffff... we already know that it's edible," Logan muttered. "The stuff ain't poisonous."

"Right. Wildcard hasn't keeled over." Ariel gulped. "I think."

"The problem here is that there isn't enough of it," Logan said.

"Are you sure?" Ariel pointed into the illuminated half of the dim compartment. "It's covering the entire wall, corner, and part of the ceiling!"

"This is a month's worth of cultivating," Logan grumbled. "And not a single one of us has been eating from it." He turned about and trotted out the room with a sigh. "Let's face reality. This shit's ain't gonna sustain us."

"Yeah? So?" Ariel pivoted and followed the large stallion into the room where he had assembled his arsenal. "Once Rainbow's done resting her flank, the two of us will fly Omega again and grab some more! There's a whole field of the stuff!"

"Yeah? And what about when that crud runs out during our inevitable trip Curveside?" Logan snorted reaching over to a table to continue polishing a sword and shield. "There's no telling if these little buggers grow out beyond the parallel."

"From the sound of things, there's lots of flora out there..."

"You call that carniverous stuff 'flora?'"

"Well... organic stuff." Ariel stuck her tongue out. "Stuff not affected by the impact of the Sundering. We're just bound to find something to forage! Or hunt!"

"Uh huh. Did the old Cylindrimanian spheres find any living game out there beyond the mesa?"

"Errr... no. But then again, everything within five kilometers of the mesa is wasteland."

"Then we'll have to do our hunting while dodging living death grass for our lives," Logan muttered.

"I'm certain we can find some meat to sustain us."

"Don't you see the problem?" Logan sighed. "Rainbow Dash."

"What about her?"

"The damned girl would rather eat her own mane hair than dine on a roast beef sandwich. The rest of the Herald? We're just fine and dandy. But our illustrious leader has to be a vegetarian!" Logan dropped the weapons angrily to the table.

Ariel winced. "I... I'm sure we can eventually convince her to do what's right to survive."

"Oh yeah? And who's going to convince her to take the first bite? You?" Logan glared before brushing past the mare. "You've been hitting on the Austraeoh since she first fluttered past your gaze, and she hasn't given you the friggin' time of day."

Ariel squirmed, running one forelimb across the other. "That's got nothing to do with anything..."

"Doesn't it?"

"No!" She frowned. "It doesn't!" Ariel stomped a hoof, angrily. "Sure, maybe it's obvious to everypony that I have feelings for the mare, but I'm an adult, Logan! I can set them aside when I know there's something far more important at hoof!" She exhaled slowly, her ears folding somewhat. "Just how... she's learned to do... s-some time ago..."

Silence.

Logan shifted awkwardly. His voice was low, but still apologetic: "That sucks balls, Ariel. I... I shouldn't have said that." A cough. "Sorry."

"And you're forgiven. But I wish you wouldn't let it come out like that." Ariel trotted over and rested a hoof on her shoulder. "Something's been bothering you. I know it. Instead of being full of farts and comebacks, you've been nothing but glum and grim."

"It's the Dark Side, Ariel," Logan grumbled. "It's hard to be sunny over here."

"You don't think I know that?" Ariel shook her head. "It's something else. Something's been eating at you since we first came into Darkreach and encountered the changeling."

"It's not friggin' important, alright?"

"It obviously is to you." Ariel bit her lip. "Okay... so I never got as chummy with you as Flynn has. And maybe your old adventures with my mom have made it really awkward to level with me. But over here, Big Show, we're all that we have! And... and if we're gonna trust each other while in combat... can't we trust each other out of it? I wanna get to the Light Side and put all this behind us as much as you do, but... but what if we don't make it? What are we gonna do to resolve all our problems beforehand?"

Logan stared into the distance of the room. Eventually, he droned: "I already put things behind me, Ariel. That's what I'm trying to say." He glanced down at her, eyes narrowing. "I'm good to go. Honest."

Ariel bit her lip. At last, she nodded. "You are, aren't you?"

Silence.

"How... how much of the Bleakweed do we have left?"

"Another week if we ration it," Logan said. "Between that and the 'shrooms, we'll last through the trip to the parallel. But beyond? When we're gonna need the energy to sweat and fight the most? We'll have to come up with something new."

"How long will Rainbow Dash last if we ration the vegetarian food exclusively to her?"

Logan brushed his bangs aside, exhaling slowly. At last, he shrugged. "Four weeks? A month? She's a light pony, after all."

"Then maybe that should be the plan?"

"We can't survive on meat alone... heh... as much as I'd love to." Logan turned to look at Ariel again. "You'll need to work some charm on her. Get her to change her ways for her own good."

"Uh huh..."

"Don't 'uh huh' me, kid. This is super friggin' important."

"I know! I know!" Ariel tossed her forelimbs and groaned. "I'll see what I can do." A bitter smirk. "Heh... what irony."

"Yeah? What?"

"Out here... flying and adventuring with the hottest mare under the starlight... and I'm having to talk her into taking meat."

"See, there we have it. You can handle all the farts and comebacks for us."

"Heeheehee..."

"Hrmmm..." Logan resumed examining his weaponry. "One of these days, we'll get the musical lilt back in your giggles."

"Not exactly the top of our list."

"Nope. It isn't."

Ariel cleared her throat. "Speaking of rations..."

"It's about time, isn't it?"

"You've been hard at work on the arsenal." Ariel trotted off. "I'll do the rounds."

"No you're not." Logan held her back.

"Huh?"

"Feeding everyone means you're going to have to to feed her," Logan said. He trotted off in the same direction with a determined look on his face. "I don't want anyone near the bitch."

"And just why not?"

"Because it takes one to know one."

For Shame, For Shame

Thap!

Seraphimus' charcoal eyes opened. Before her on the stone floor lay a single strip of edible Bleakweed.

"There ya go," Logan grunted. He shuffled towards the side of the common room and sat at a rickety old bench. "I know it's not as much as last time, but we have to conserve rations." He bit into his own small morsel and muttered out the side of his muzzle. "Not that you'd give a shit, anyways. But that's just the way it is."

Seraphimus took a deep breath. She reached her manacled wrists outwards and grasped the food. "I appreciate it."

"Hrrmmff..." Logan's nostrils flared as he munched away. "Yeah, sure you do."

"You have been consistent in two things during my imprisonment," Seraphimus spoke quietly. "Providing both sustenance and unmitigated opinion."

"You're still a worthless piece of crap and a waste of the mission's resources, if that's what you mean."

"Precisely." Seraphimus took a few calm bites of her morsel. Halfway through the meal, she looked up from where she lay next to the pipework. "For what it is worth, it brings me an ounce of contentment."

"Hrmmffff..." He chewed and chewed, eyeing her. "What does?"

"Giving you something other than yourself to detest," she said calmly. "It allows you to be more proactive."

"Pfffft..." He nearly choked on his morsel. A bitter smirk flashed between them. "Go buck yourself, okay? What—are you trying to get chummy with me now, ya dayum buzzard?"

"Simply stating an observation," Seraphimus said. She took another bite, swallowed, and added: "I appreciate an organized system of work."

"Uh huh..."

"...even if that work is bringing you ever so swiftly to your doom."

"Yeah. See?" Logan finished his food and pointed at her while munching on the last bit. "Mmmmfff... that's where you come full idiot circle. This whole 'everything is doomed' crud. It's the same attitude that made you nearly sabotage all we've worked for to get here."

"Far simpler, then, to have your past completely sabotaged," Seraphimus said. "With nothing to live for, there's nothing to look forward to. You can do your job for the sake of doing the job."

"Is that your newly-discovered outlook on life?"

"Hasn't it been yours?"

Silence.

"Maybe I should tighten those handcuffs on you," Logan exhaled.

"Who were they?" Seraphimus asked.

"Grfff..." Logan stood up in a huff. "Enough of this crud."

Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. "They were family, weren't they? A wife and a child?"

"You're right about one thing. I do have shit to do." Logan stormed off. "Enjoy the rest of your introspection on your own."

Seraphimus said nothing as he left. She ripped the length of bleakweed into smaller, more manageable strips. Slowly—methodically—she dropped them down her avian gullet and swallowed.

A minute passed.

Two.

Three...

Then the heavy hoofsteps returned.

Eyecrest raised, Seraphimus looked up.

Logan marched over to the table with a stack of shields and amored plates. CLANK! He slapped them onto the table top and pulled a chair over. Then, with a flick of the hoof, he produced a rag and began cleaning the materials.

Seraphimus took a breath. "I thought you had 'shit' to do."

"And I do," he grunted. "But you're getting uppity."

"... ... ...am I, now?"

"Figured I'd polish the stuff in here. Keep an eye on ya." Logan frowned into his work. "Make sure you don't try busting out with that smarmy attitude of yours."

"Attitude is one thing," Seraphimus droned. She rattled her cuffs. "With the bare minimum sustenance I've received, I doubt I'd possess the strength to put up much of a fight."

"Still, can't be too safe," Logan muttered. "We've suffered for underestimating you in the past."

"Have you?" Seraphimus squinted. "Have you really?"

"Keep moving that buzzard beak of you. See where it gets you."

Both were silent.

Logan polished one shield, and then the other. He worked on them until the ancient metals glinted in the dim manalight.

Seraphimus leaned back against a stretch of wall besides the pipework. She weathered a heavy sigh, then stared lethargically past the stallion. "I'm guessing the older one was your spouse... either that or your sister."

Logan tensed up, but he said nothing. He continued working on the armor pieces.

"And the child was—most likely—your daughter," Seraphimus breathed. "Perhaps a niece." Silence. Her charcoal eyes darted towards him. "You abandoned them, I'm guessing?"

"I did not abandon them!" Logan snapped, glaring at her.

"... ... ..." Seraphimus looked back.

With a fuming breath, Logan turned his shield over and gave it a good rub-down. "So stop playing detective. I'm not wrestling with the guilt of some horrible, terrible sin. Believe it or not, the Herald's not a gaggle of foal-murdering criminals and 'Blighted' traitors." His nostrils flared. "I almost wish it was that way. Then I'd have something to identify... something simple that I could name." His ears drooped. "At least if I had a reason to hate myself... then maybe there'd be some sense in it all. Instead...?" His words trailed off, as did his breath.

Seraphimus calmly gazed at him. "I do have a reason to detest myself," she said. "I failed Verlaxion. And because of my failure, my husband and child are both dead. Their blood is on my talons because I could not properly defend my goddess." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I can name the reason for my shame, and I'm telling you... it is not any easier than whatever it is that you have to deal with."

Logan merely bit his lip amidst his work.

"... ... ...do you follow Rainbow Dash into oblivion because you wish to be free from your memories?"

"I'm protecting Rainbow Dash to assure the harmonious fate of this world," Logan said, frowning. "And worlds beyond, potentially."

"Mmmmm..." Seraphimus nodded. "A reasonable excuse... until you pick it apart—"

"It doesn't matter how you pick it apart."

"Or perhaps it doesn't matter to you," Seraphimus said. "How is protecting Rainbow Dash going to protect my family?"

"It'll protect my daughter," Logan said.

Seraphimus nodded again. "I see." She blinked. "And how long will believing in that sustain you?"

"Belief has nothing to do with it. She's real." Logan finally looked up, eyes piercing. "Her name is Luram."

Seraphimus listened quietly.

"Although... she doesn't know it..." Logan's eyes softened noticeably as he gazed off into the lengths of Darkreach. "...nor does she know that I'm alive."

Short and Not Sweet

"I've tried to put her behind me," Logan said, staring vacantly into the stone floor of the common room between himself and Seraphimus. "Whenever Flynn or Ariel ask how I'm doing. I tell them that I'm 'carrying on just fine.' That the past is behind me. That I've left all of my business back in Rohbredden long before we ever crossed paths with the Austraeoh."

He took a deep breath, slouching back in his seat.

"But not a day goes by when I don't think of Sariah..." He gulped. "Of Luram." His ears drooped. "Of the life we almost had together. But... then again..." A bitter smirk, cast sideways. "What kind of a friggin' life would that have been? Cowering in the caves and alcoves of Storm Prefecture? Hiding from Wendigoes?"

Seraphimus stared at him in silence.

"Bergen's no idiot," Logan muttered aside. "He'll drag his family out of their padded rooms and take them someplace safe. Someplace closer to Frostknife." He inhaled slowly. "And those Wendigoes aren't the end of the world. Rohbredden will move on. They're down one foppish fascist anyways."

The room was quiet for a while.

At last, Seraphimus spoke: "Verlaxion is no longer around to protect them."

"Yeah, well..." Logan squinted at her sideways. A glinting eye. "When the Hell did she ever protect anypony?"

The former Talon Commander had no response.

"You've spent all your life defending and worshipping a Goddess you've never even seen," Logan murmured. His brow furrowed. "Did you ever once stop to question if you should?"

Seraphimus' response was swift. "No."

"Hmmmm..." Logan slowly nodded. "I've killed countless ponies in my life. I irresponsibly banged up a mentally-challenged young mare. I brought an innocent foal into this world then ditched her far away in a country plagued by frozen horse ghosts. All of those horrible accomplishments under my name... and yet still... I pity you."

Seraphimus blinked.

"Because—even if I'm some horrible goddess-damned monster..." Logan stood up from the table. "I still found some beautiful moments to live. And I don't regret them one bit."

"I loved my family," Seraphimus hissed. "I've 'lived' no less than you, cretin."

"And if by some dayum miracle they were to come back today, they'd pity you all the same."

Seraphimus opened her beak... but she had nothing to say.

"It doesn't matter how we live when things are all nice and peachy," Logan droned. "What truly counts is how we carry on when shit sucks." He picked up the armor in one hoof and pointed at her with the other. "And you—lady—have proven to be nothing more than a real shit-sucker."

That said, he turned tail and trotted out of the common room.

With a breath, Seraphimus craned her neck and spoke: "Wait..."

Logan shuffled to a limp stop.

The griffon's brow furrowed. "Why... did you tell me all of this?" Her headcrest drooped halfway. "Your veritable life's story..."

Logan's shoulders hunched slightly. "I dunno. Kinda figured there was a spark hidden under all that dullness of yours. I've carried that same color before. Hell, I'm still carrying it now."

"Do you honestly believe that?"

Logan glanced calmly over his shoulder. "You're asking me, aren't you?"

"... ... ..."

Logan left.

Seraphimus sat alone, staring at the stillness all around. The chains around her hung limp. Weightless. She didn't say a word.

Dark Reach and Chill

Rainbow Dash lay on her side in the dark.

A cramped chamber enveloped her—a bunk built for an ancient pony. The place was still filled with ancient junk... junk left behind hastily by ancient hooves. And yet—in each dim-lit blink that the restless mare made—she could have sworn it looked like somepony had lived in there just one month ago. Rainbow only chose that particular chamber to rest in because the cushions were angled in such a way that they mimicked a curved hammock.

It still wasn't enough to put her to sleep.

The mare's nostrils flared. She stared at the ceiling... at the random nick-nacks, tools, and patchwork pieces of paper lingering from an expedition long gone.

Rainbow Dash wasn't alone. One of her friends was "keeping watch" during her rest. She knew this because—

"Rainbow, darling?"

Rainbow's nostrils flared yet again. "What is it, Rarity?"

A little fashion horse ghost phased through the wall flanking her bed. "Are you asleep?"

Rainbow's ears twitched. "I dunno. You tell me."

"Oh! Uhm... terribly sorry." Rarity smiled nervously. "I won't bother you." And she sank slowly like a marshmallow in rusted tar.

Rainbow clenched her eyes shut. With a droning voice, she said, "Go ahead, Rarity."

That squishy, pale phase emerged just beyond the wall. "No. It's not important. Return to your slumbers."

"Rarity, there are no slumbers."

"But...!" Rarity half-emerged once again, muzzle agape. "You've been lying still all this lengthy time!"

"Believe me. I know."

"But you really should get some—"

"Rarity, I'm awake. Just talk to me, already." Rainbow gulped. "And thanks—y'know—for k-keeping watch all this time."

"Don't mention it, darling." Rarity floated above the mare. She waved a dainty fetlock. "I'm more than happy to."

"So..." Rainbow breathed. "What's on your mind?"

"Does mane conditioner extend permanently beyond the afterlife?" the unicorn melodically squeaked, fluffing her mane as she muttered aloud. "If only I had this gift back when I was not a weightless eidolon."

"Mrnnnnghhh..." Rainbow's brow furrowed. "Is that really what you wanted to talk about?"

"Hmm?" Rarity's eyelashes fluttered. "What?! No! Of course not!" She cleared her throat and "sank" down until she was floating parallel to Rainbow. "Much rather, I was wondering about the fate of the Darkreach Expedition."

"Uh huh..."

"You don't suppose that they..." Rarity bit her bottom lip.

"That they what, Rarity?"

"That... that they returned to the Light Side?" Rarity gulped. "All of them?"

At that, Rainbow sat up halfway. She arched an eyebrow. "You mean you think they gave up?"

"Well, think about it, darling," Rarity said. "They came over here—all mortals—and they found themselves tasked with having to fill this dreadful place with cumbersome equipment. Then they had to map the landscape, deal with the local wildlife, find horrid ways to subsist on the unforgiving, arid earth..."

"They were tasked by royal authority, Rarity," Rainbow Dash said. "Alicorn Royal Authority. Emeraldine and Equestria aren't all that different from one another. Ponies are super-duper dedicated to the ones in charge. Do you think that Twilight's brother and sister-in-law are gonna turn tail and head back to Equestria along with their whole expedition just 'cuz they've been waiting in Ward for so friggin' long?"

"I certainly wouldn't blame them!"

"Rrnnngh..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her forehead. "Rarity..."

"Alright, maybe not Shining Armor and Princess Cadance," Rarity said. "No doubt Sturke is treating them with absolute respect and an abundance of luxuries."

"Uh huh..."

"But who would fault the Emeraldinians? Especially since we don't know precisely how long they struggled here inside this mesa?"

"We know bits and pieces," Rainbow quietly said. "Kepler estimates from the recorded entries that they were holding out for at least seven recorded years."

"Seven years, Rainbow Dash?!" Rarity blanched. "For a mission of such importance, that's an awfully short time for them to commit!"

Rainbow shrugged. "Maybe something drove them out. We had a changeling hatch here, remember?"

"Wouldn't you think this place would be in greater disarray?" Rarity remarked. "And all of the equipment that Flynn and Logan found! I mean... why did they leave so many useful tools behind?"

Rainbow tiredly rubbed her head again. "You've got me there, Rares..."

"So..." Rarity folded her fetlocks as she thought out loud: "I would venture to guess that dread and bitter spirits overwhelmed them... and they simply retreated."

"Just like that..."

"Well, m-maybe there was a coup!"

"There's no evidence of that kind of unrest in Ranort's logs."

"But Kepler hasn't listened to every single entry yet!"

"Well, true..." Rainbow nodded. "But that makes it just as stupid to assume anything, then."

"I personally believe a spontaneous retreat makes sense."

"Uh huh..."

"Because..." Rarity gestured with her fetlocks. "...the guilt and shame of doing so would likely explain why they left all of their materials and notes behind. If they abandoned Darkreach, they would have done so completely! Both in reality as well as in concept!"

"I have a hard time imagining that Commander Gwen would have let them just... up and leave," Rainbow said. "She and Warhol sounded awfully committed."

"No doubt a few hung back," Rarity said. "They likely would have made the journey to the Midnight Armory alone... with less-than-stellar results."

"Well, that's grim," Rainbow droned.

"One cannot help but think that way, darling," Rarity said.

"I don't think that way."

"Well..." Rarity fluffed her mane with a slight smile. "Perhaps there's hope for you yet. I don't know whether to feel saddened or envious."

"But what of Rohbredden?" Rainbow Dash remarked. "Onyxxus was preparing to give up the ghost right when Darkreach was founded," she said. "Those who ditched this place wouldn't have had alicorn assistance in sneaking past Verlax, much less getting back through the Grand Choke."

"Do you really think they'd live with themselves if they made it all the way back to Emeraldine?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow Dash laid back with a sigh. She gazed lethargically at the ceiling. "No, I suppose they wouldn't."

"I'd venture to say they landed in the Twilight Lands east of Frostknife... found a quiet patch of farmland and... disappeared into the populace."

"What of the Gondola?"

"Isn't it obvious? They sent it back to the Dark Side... and then they sunk the Light Side's end of it—just as you and the Herald first found it after you gained your sights from Utaan."

"Mmmmm..." Rainbow blinked. "It's certainly a theory, alright."

"Not one that I enjoy coming up with, I assure you."

"Have you run it by Twilight?"

"Why should I?"

"Because... she's smart?"

Rarity floated over to look her anchor squarely in the face. "I'm bringing it by you, Rainbow Dash."

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Rarity swallowed. "You're our leader, darling."

Rainbow looked at her.

"You're the leader of the whole pack. Fluttershy... Applejack... Pinkie Pie... all of us. We answer to you and we go where you go. We believe in you."

Rainbow muttered, "Only because you have no choice."

"Rainbow..." Rarity floated closer, her expression stern and unwavering. "Do you honestly... truly believe that we are all with you on this journey because there simply is no other option?"

"Rarity..."

"Do you not remember the stubborn lengths we went to avoid you back in... mmmm... b-back in Red Barge?"

"... ... ..."

"It certainly hasn't been a perfect adventure... or entirely pleasant by any means... but you inspire us, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said. She floated proud and upright. "In your courage and your tenacity and your learned experience—you've given us all something to hope for. There's more to just acquiring the Harmonic Prism and bringing it back to Ponyville. There's retribution for you, darling. For all of us."

"I... don't know about all of that..."

"Well, I do." Rarity nodded. "And way back when—in the innocent days of Equestrian sunsets—Twilight may have been calling most of the shots. But she wasn't the one who taught us bravery... or the simple, redeeming qualities of action."

Rainbow said nothing.

With a smug smile, Rarity leaned in and whispered in Rainbow's ear. "Need I also remind you whose sonic rainboom united usssssss?" She leaned back, eyelashes fluttering. "It's destiny, darling!"

"Destiny could stand to be less of a dick," Rainbow said.

"Unh! Rainbow, darling!" Rarity fanned herself, laughing airily. "Ohhhhh how I wish I could just slap you at times!"

"Mrmmmff..." Rainbow exhaled. "Save it for a time when you'll be less proud of me."

"How do you figure?"

"We're not the Darkreach Expedition," Rainbow said firmly. "We're not the past or the future... we're now." Rainbow's eyes darted towards her. "Like somepony very awesome once said, 'There's no stopping this train we're on.'"

"I very much appreciate the sentiment, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said. "But I am... currently suffering any attempts to make out your specific meaning."

"Namely this." Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "We are not returning to Equestria without the Harmonic Prism."

Rarity nodded in gentle silence.

"I mean it. Either we get what's inside the Midnight Armory..." Rainbow gulped. "Or we don't come back at all. It's do or die. Literally. It's... always been."

Silence.

"Do you understand that, Rarity?" Rainbow asked. "That is where the courage's at. Not in me—it's in the journey."

"Oh Rainbow, darling..." Rarity reached a hoof over in an affection gesture. Although it phased through Rainbow's shoulder, the fashionista's expression was solid enough for the two of them. "It's so very insulting to assume that I haven't known that. Always."

Giving Catbird the Bird

Hoofsteps echoed across the common room.

Seraphimus looked up from a lonesome stupor. Her charcoal brown eyes adjusted to an approaching figure.

Flynn trotted briskly towards her side of the room. At last, the balding stallion approached the pipework she was handcuffed to. Levitating a wrench or two, he proceeded to tighten the rivets of the brass array above the griffon.

Seraphimus watched in contemplative silence.

Flynn continued working... working...

At last, it was Seraphimus who cleared her throat and said something. "Is there a purpose to this?"

"Uh huh..." he said, kept working, albeit with a subtle frown.

More silence.

"Would I benefit in any way from knowing?" Seraphimus droned.

Flynn's nostrils flared. "I'm attempting to adjust the air filtration of the facility in order to ease up on the power supply. We'll need all the crystals we can preserve for the inevitable trip ahead."

"I'm chained to these pipes," Seraphimus said. "Does this have a chance of scalding me to a roasted death?"

"The Hell do I care?" Flynn groaned.

Seraphimus calmly nodded. "Indeed."

And—just like that—silence returned.

Seraphimus grew noticeably restless, and it wasn't because of the work Flynn was doing to the pipes. "Your friend was in here earlier," she stated. "The one they call 'Big Show.'"

Flynn's jaw muscles tightened. Her grumbled inwardly. "Mmmmmmhmmmm..."

"He is... a creature of remarkable depth," Seraphimus said, her tone of voice faltering slightly. The griffon's hawkeyes fell to the stone floor of the common room. "Suffered through many hardships... many conflicts—both physical and otherwise."

Flynn twisted and grinded with the wrench harder.

Seraphimus continued. "He was... simply telling me earlier how he had—"

"Yeah, look." Flynn stopped dead in his works to glare down at the griffon with one angry eye. "I know he told you things. Why? I haven't the faintest goddess-damned clue. Guess trusting in his friends just doesn't cut it anymore. Damn bitter bastard feels like he has to consort with a putrid, homicidal bum instead. Makes you wonder where we went wrong..."

"He values h-his friendship with you." Seraphimus found herself stammering. "I simply find it... remarkable that a pony of such principles could—"

"Could what?!" Flynn's metal lens extended like a knife. He spat, "Risk his fat hide for a psychopath like you?! Cuz then—yeah—me too! Hell, I'm still shocked he hasn't friggin' pissed down your neck by now."

Seraphimus took a fuming breath. "You underestimate the pony's ethical restraint—"

"No! I know all about it!" Flynn gnashed his teeth. "That's just the whole point! Where was your moral insight when you chased us to the edges of the earth, threatening to murder every single damn thing in your path?!" He hissed, "Isn't it awfully convenient to throw reason and respect out the window? Thinking of us as nothing but 'blighted meatbags' must have made the whole ruthless attack on the Gondola way the Hell easier. We almost lost more than one 'remarkable' soul thanks to you."

Seraphimus tried to frown, but her headcrest had drooped noticeably. " You misunderstand me—"

"No, I know all that you're about," Flynn said. "So you lost your whole family to the Great Thaw after Verlaxion bit it. So what? We've all lost something before joining the Herald. Thing is—we've all chosen to put our strengths into improving this world... as well as worlds beyond. But you? Just because Verlaxion took everything precious away from you, that somehow gives you license to be a murderous, selfish bucktard. Selfish enough that you're willing to throw away your own life just to make other ponies miserable. Well, if you're suddenly and inexplicably feeling guilty now, you can just go sit on my forhead and rotate, you sorry sack of self-righteous shit."

Seraphimus took a long, concentrated breath. Her eyes narrowed. "Are you quite finished?"

"No! I'm not!" Flynn shook in place, attempting—in vain—to temper the anger. "Y'know... none of us set out to murder the Frost Queen of Rohbredden. If anything, we just wanted to expose her... to open everypony's eyes to the web and lies she had weaved throughout the ages. Turns out the whole 'roll over and die' thing was her idea... a cruel stunt pre-planned at everypony's expense. So it's no damn surprise that a pitiful griffon like you would worship to her. What irony that you can't see beyond your own sorrow to understand the real tragedy here." Flynn leaned back, exhaling. "You were as much a pawn of this whole mess as Rainbow Dash was. Difference is... Rainbow's got a shred of decency."

"In what way?"

"Because she's keeping us all from slitting your damned throat!" Flynn grumbled. "Even after all the crud you've done! She still has hope for you! Goddess knows why!" At long last, he gathered the semblance of a normal breath. "So—to reiterate—no... my tweaking these pipes isn't going to scaled you to death." Frowning, he returned to the pipework with his wrench. "Besides, you're doing burns enough to yourself to last a lifetime..."

Seraphimus blinked up at him. Her beak opened to say something, but a shiny gray shape reflected off her eyes. She looked across the common room.

Flynn noticed it. He turned to glance behind him.

Ariel hovered beside a stairwell, squinting at the two. "... ... ...having a little moment?"

Flynn's brow furrowed. "What's it to you?"

Ariel rolled her ocean blue eyes. "Whatever." She motioned with her hoof. "Come quick. Kepler's discovered the last log."

"...!" Flynn instantly dropped his wrench and galloped out of the room.

"What...?" Seraphimus craned her neck. "What has he discovered?" She called out louder. "What happened to the ancient ponies of this place?"

Ariel and Flynn were gone.

Seraphimus slumped back against the pipes. For some reason... she was short of breath. Her shackled talons wrung each other anxiously as her mind reeled with the stallion's words.

The End of Line

"Surprising development: According to he who would be Lieutenant Warhol, they who would be the indigenous ponies of the Dark Side have only used one proper noun in all of their conversations. It is a very curious word: 'Spindlers.' This word has come up multiple times in the fleeting conversations carried between those who would be indigenous and those who would be the scouts of the Verdestonian Expedition."

The Herald gathered in the HQ room of Darkreach, huddled around Kepler and the "talking" briefcase. Ariel squatted on the metal table. Flynn and Wildcard leaned in, craning their necks. Rainbow Dash hovered close to the ceiling while Logan stood with folded forelimbs before the stairwell.

The ancient voice of Chief Engineer Ranort continued:

"Informational analysis: The weight of the word 'Spindlers' in the otherwise passive speech of they who would be indigenous suggests attributed purpose—even sapience. The pluralization of the word suggests a possible faction in some sort of psychological or political faculty. Why they who would be indigenous would make an exception out of their vocabulary to label this group—it cannot be explained. He who would be Lieutenant Warhol has hypothesized that they who would be called 'Spindlers' may be a faction older than any observed in the totality of the Dark Side. It is possible that there is a certain degree of innate psychological respect to be had for they who would be called 'Spindlers,' which might explain why they who would be indigenous do not treat they who would be called 'Bloodwings' with the same grammatical respect.

"Observational thoughts: They who would be indigenous have been mostly taciturn in responding to questions posed by we who would be the Verdestonian Expedition. However, when inquired about the location of they who would be called 'Spindlers,' they who would be indigenous were actually quick to indicate an approximate geographical location of this nebulous faction. He who would be Lieutenant Warhol states that the locals described 'large, towering structures' when explaining the location of they who would be 'Spindlers'. I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort finds this curious, in that they who would be indigenous appear to be describing a 'city' of some sort, which sounds completely inexplicable given the nature of the Dark Side. Nevertheless, this geographical location has been added to the map, and the information has been supplied to she who would be Commander Gwen.

"Personal assessment: I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort am pleased to know that she who would be Commander Gwen has agreed to send a band of scouts to the location of this fabled allotment of 'towering structures' situated Curveside—the purpose of which is to ascertain the nature of those who would be called 'Spindlers' in hope that deeper information regarding the Dark Side may be supplied. So whole-heartedly does she who would be Commander Gwen believe in this mission that she has agreed to accompany he who would be Lieutenant Warhol in the matter.

"Enthusiastic development: What's more, she who would be Commander Gwen has finally agreed to bring I who would be called Chief Engineer Ranort along for the venture. It is believe that I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort would be of better use in the field, ascertaining the structural integrity of these 'towers' expected to be situated in the location of those who would be called 'Spindlers.' If their name serves any deeper purpose than mere mystique, I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort greatly suspect that any knowledge that can be attained by such a faction can greatly improve the survivability of that which would be called the Darkreach Colony.

"Somber aside: One thing is for certain—if that which would be called the Verdestonian Expedition does not make any headway soon, then all the work put in by he who would be called King Onyxxus as supplied by they who would be the Twin City Council will be for nothing. Supplies are low and we who would be the Verdestonian Expedition simply do not possess enough crystals to power us through another year. It is with great courage that she who would be called Commander Gwen leads this latest venture, and I who would be called Chief Engineer Ranort am deeply proud to assist her in a mission of priceless fact-finding.

"Temporary conclusion: A lengthy journey awaits. I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort must suspend this journal until future tasks in maintaining the energy core of that which would be called the Darkreach Colony can be resumed. Until then, I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort leave the facility in the capable hands of they who would be my Cylindrimanian brothers and sisters. The heart of technology beats harder and harder, and I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort carries its pulse. End of line."

With that, the crackling voice ended. A dull electrical hum died out, and the briefcase was eerily silent.

Ariel blinked. Her muzzle hung agape. "That's it?!"

Kepler nodded. "The last jourrnal of Chief Engineerr Rranorrt ends therre."

Wildcard scratched his feathery chin with his partially-finished prosthetic.

"Well... shit..." Logan exhaled. "There's gotta be more."

"I'm afrraid therre is not, frriend." Kepler looked across the room, adjusting his spectacles. "I rrealized we werre rrunning thin on time and rresourrces," the wyvern said. "So... I parrsed thrrough what was left of the crrystals... listening just farr enough into the opening entrries to ascerrtain the date of rrecorrding." He pointed his claw at the briefcase. "That which have just listened to is the verry last entrry by ourr ancient engineerr inforrmant."

"Well... uh..." Logan scratched his chin, fidgeting. A shrug. "Listen to the other ones in between! Maybe one of the older entries will—"

"Will what?" Flynn squinted. "Shed any further light on a later, all-conclusive journal entry?"

"You call that 'conclusive?'" Logan cackled.

"Look!" Rainbow spoke loudly. "It doesn't matter. What we've got is what we've got." She looked over at Kepler. "Keps—thanks for doing the homework. You're awesome."

"A pleasurre, Rrainbow One." Kepler sighed. "I only wish I had found that entrry farr soonerr."

"What's it matter, though?" Ariel shrugged. She pivoted about on the table and shrugged. "It's not giving us much to go on!"

"It's given us enough." Rainbow looked at the group as a whole. "'Spindlers.' We've all caught wind of this term before, haven't we?"

Wildcard attempted to gesture something. He winced, having to use his other hand to move two metal fingers and "force" a final word into completion.

Flynn nevertheless read him. "Yeah. The maps are labeled with it."

"Do you remember precisely where?" Rainbow asked.

"Sure." Flynn stepped forward to the table. He whistled at Ariel. "Yo. Off."

"Mrmmmff..." Ariel reluctantly took wing like an exacerbated cat.

"Good girl." Flynn slapped a button, and the rusted pins and needles rose out of the table in topographical coordination. The unicorn pushed a slider, and the map "zoomed out" to display the mesa of Darkreach in relation to the solid parallel cutting the wasteland off from the overgrown Curveside.

"Where's the spot that Ariel and I found the living forest partially cleared out by the glass sheet?" Rainbow asked.

"That would be... ... ..." Flynn turned a few dials.

The pins and needles shifted, revealing more of Alpha. A geometrically rigid set of pins lowered in a tiny rectangle, standing out from the rest of the map.

"There." Flynn pointed. "About seven and a half kilometers in a straight line between Darkreach and Alpha."

"'Kay..." Rainbow "paced about" in midair. She hovered above Flynn and the table. "Let's assume that's our best point of entrance."

"Entrance?" Logan breathed.

Rainbow nodded. "For piercing the chaotic wilderness beyond the sundered parallel."

"Riiiiiiight..." Logan folded his forelimbs again, jaw clenched. "That's gonna be a lotttt of weed whacking."

"Not unless Flynn's genius hoverrocks can help us scale most of them."

Flynn grumbled inwardly.

"Save your grumbles for another time," Rainbow said. "Now... can this table triangulate the spot where the ancient maps had 'Spindlers' labeled?"

"Errrrr..." Flynn nodded, his one good eye squinting. "Maybe."

"Maybe is good enough." Rainbow looked at the crowd. "Anyone wanna lend our genius a hand?"

A slight whistle. Wildcard marched over. He placed his good hand on Flynn's shoulder, then gestured at the table with a few sharp claws.

"Right. I-I forgot the coordinates for a second there." Flynn took a deep breath, twisting and turning knobs. "Mmmmmmmmm... adjusting for the plane's curve... Alpha and Omega variations..."

"Just... how far out are we talking about?" Ariel stammered.

"Oh you're not going to like this." With that, Flynn took one last look at Wildcard, then slapped the central button on his console.

The rusted pins rattled as they dropped rapidly, then rose up at a much sparser rate. The mesa of Darkreach had become nothing more than three rusted needles at the very end of the table. About two-thirds of the way across the map, a series of pins nebulously rose, framed by a geometric rectangle.

"There isn't enough data to ascertain the topography, but..." Flynn pointed. "There you have it. 'Spindler' territory... or whatever."

Ariel's ears instantly drooped. "You're right. I don't like it."

"That has to be overr five hundrred kilometerrs..." Kepler murmured. "Perrhaps morre..."

"Buck me sideways..." Logan gawked at the others. "How are we expected to hack and slash our way through all of that?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but..." Rainbow's eyes narrowed at the group. "...how are we expected to hack and slash our way to the Midnight Armory?"

The room fell dead silent.

Wildcard eventually gestured something.

"Hmmmm..." Flynn sighed. "He's got a point."

"Care to share with me?" Rainbow hummed.

Flynn looked at the others. "At least it's a destination. A fixed point in all this chaos is better than no point at all."

"Do we really believe that these 'Spindlers' are somehow a solution to getting closer to our destination?" Logan remarked.

"Rranorrt has forrged a rremarrkable path forr us all," Kepler said. "I think it would be folly not to take advantage of that."

"But... we just listened to his last entry, right?" Ariel remarked. "It's safe to say that this is what ended him altogether! Heck... all of Darkreach!" She gestured. "You heard him! Both Warhol and the Commander herself took him on this trip to snoop out these 'Spindlers.' It looks to me like they never came back!"

"The rest of the colony must have gone into disarray as soon as they realized that all their leaders weren't coming back," Logan droned. "They probably fled the place in a panic. Became Bloodwing food or worse."

"We still don't know what happened to the ponies who stayed here," Rainbow Dash said. "All we know is that their head haunchos had one heck of a hunch and they followed it."

"Yeah." Ariel nodded. "To their end."

"Or... maybe they made progress," Rainbow said. "So much progress that they simply couldn't afford coming back to Darkreach."

Flynn looked up. "Do you honestly believe that? I mean... look at what we're dealing with here."

"We only half-know what we're dealing with here," Rainbow Dash said. "But if we retrace the steps of our predecessors... the last known steps they ever took... maybe we can learn just enough to help us get to the same destination." She gulped. "And how stupid would we be not to pursue every single shred of information that's out there waiting for us?"

Once again, silence.

"You're the Austraeoh, Rainbow," Logan said. "What you say, we do. Where you go, the Herald goes."

Wildcard nodded adamantly.

"Look..." Rainbow touched down, wings coiling at her side. "I know you and Mortuana made this super-awesome pledge to be my new Eljunbyro and whatnot..." Her eyes narrowed. "But if we're going to do this, then we're going to have to do this as a team. Even me at my awesomest ain't worth a drop of cider without the help of all my friends anchored to me. So... what about a vote?"

"A vote?"

"Yes. Democratic crud." Rainbow gestured at the group. "Should we pursue this one last lead? Or should we venture blindly into Curveside? Either way, I can assure you..." A solid breath. "...it won't be no friggin' walk in the park."

Silently, each member of the Herald looked at one another. The room was awash in tense breaths and glazed expressions...

Nothing to Fidget About

"Yo Baldy!" Logan's hoofsteps echoed across the common room as the large stallion hauled a heavy load of armor and weapons. "I'll need your horn if I'm gonna pack all this crap onto your thingamabob!"

"It's called the 'Hover Plank 5000!'" Flynn stammered, trotting briskly towards him.

Logan's sweaty muzzle scrunched. "Why the Hell is it called that?"

"Because buck you!" Flynn concentrated, and his horn pulsed with telekinetic energy. "Lemme cut that load in half. How many trips can we make?"

"Four," Logan replied. "Maybe three." He motioned with his head. "If our favorite robo-turkey lends a metal hand."

Wildcard nodded and scurried downstairs to where the rest of the armory lay.

"Hey! Hey!" Flynn called out after the Desperado. "Don't pull a metal muscle! I just slapped that thing together, y'know!"

"Oh give it a rest," Logan muttered. He grunted as he carried his weight up the nearest stairwell, accompanied by the fellow Heraldite. "If nothing else, it'll give him a chance to test your shit out."

"There'll come a time when we can't stress-test everything, Big Show."

"Oh shuddup. You love my tactics as much as you love me, ya chromey bastard."

"Meh..."

As the two stallions ascended, Ariel and Kepler glided by.

"I'd say we leave just a few of the mushrooms behind!" Ariel said, smiling at the wyvern. "You never know! Maybe—a thousand years from now—another group of ponies will come visit this place from the Light Side!"

"A most optimistic idea, my frriend!" Kepler nodded back. "Let us cultivate that which we can. I do believe I've prrocurred an apprroprriate containerr forr our mobile sustenance."

"Then again..." Ariel chewed the corner of her lip. "What I just said heavily implies that we're gonna fail at our mission and another Austraeoh-Eljunbyro combination is gonna have to pick up the slack just like we're picking up Ranort's and—"

"Shhhhhh!" Kepler insisted, adjusting his spectacles. "Think positive, sisterr! Forr ourr jourrney, we shall rrequirre everry speck of light that we can musterr!"

"You got that right..." Ariel smiled again. "Good thing the mushrooms glow!"

"Ha-hah! We must endeavorr to burry ourr excrrement!"

"Oh gosh... heeheehee... you're a hoot, Keps."

"Let no otherr wyverrn tell you differrent!"

All the while, Seraphimus observed the movement with a blank expression. She took a breath and looked across the common room.

Rainbow Dash hovered before the mosaic of Verdestone against the wall. After observing Kepler and Ariel descend to the lower levels, she folded her arms and took a long breath. "Well... that went better than expected."

"Did it, sugarcube?" Applejack floated around the mare. "Did it really?"

Pinkie Pie giggle and floated over as well. "Anypony could have seen that your friends were gonna vote sonambulist for you!"

"That's unanimous," Twilight Sparkle corrected. "And she's right, Rainbow. Just relax."

"Your friends have your back," Fluttershy added. "Just like we do."

"And if you ask me..." Rarity tossed her ghostly mane. "A change of scenery will be splendid for a change! Although..." She shuddered. "...I would have much preferred a far less dreadful destination."

"That's just it." Rainbow gulped. "This whole 'Spindler' business is total cray-cray. I've no clue what our destination is." She bit her lip, gazing across the room. "And neither does the Herald."

"Well, just think about it, darlin'." Applejack winked. "Have you ever known what yer destination is?"

"Pfffft. No."

"Well, alrighty then!" Applejack tilted her hat forward. "Let's just treat this like an old stroll through town!"

"Indeed." Rarity nodded. "Albeit a stroll that is encumbered by darkness and lack of proper food and the ever-looming threat of living pony-eating vines—mrmmmffmmmf!"

Twilight's hoof was covering the fashionista's ghostly muzzle. "Err... what Applejack said!" She smiled crookedly. "A good ol' stroll!"

"Hrmmmmmmmmmmmffff..." A muted Rarity folded her forelimbs in a pout.

"You're right, guys..." Rainbow sighed, smiling slightly. "I guess I've gotten too used to worrying as of late." She rolled her ruby eyes. "I'm starting to become Twilight."

"Heeheehee!" Fluttershy giggled. "You certainly a-are!"

"Jee..." Twilight droned. "Thanks."

"Just chillax and go with the flow, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie winked. "Whoever these Spindlers are, I'm sure it's no reason to get all fidgety!"

There was a deep, breathy cackle.

"...?" Rainbow Dash looked towards a nearby table.

A muzzle grinned in the shiny surface of a shield, lined with a fang and a tuft of goat hair. The chuckles trailed off.

"Lame joke is lame, Pinkie," Rainbow droned.

"It is?" Pinkie made a sad face. "Since when?"

"Pick a year." Rainbow flew off. "Any year."

Eve of the Exit

"I'm tellin' ya, Baldy!" Logan growled as he heaved another load of armor onto the edge of the metal platform. "It's too much!"

"It's not too much," Flynn retorted, levitating another cluster of metal tools into place.

As if to prove his point, Logan gave the edge of the flat cart a kick or two. "See? Not budging! We gotta rethink this... drop a few supplies..."

Flynn's nostrils flared. He looked across the loading chamber beneath the closed hatch to the exterior of the mesa. "It's anchored, ya fat tub of ass. Observe..." A flicker of telekinesis, and Flynn swiftly undid the chains latching the cart to the wall. He gave the platform the tiniest of pats with his fetlock.

The enchanted stones along the bottom of the cart rippled with a purple aura. Immediately, the platform shoved so hard into Logan's chest that it nearly barreled the large stallion over.

"Wh-whoah!" Logan winced. His hooves scuffled for friction and finally he was able to stable himself by pushing back and holding the loosely-gliding cart in place. He shuddered, marveling at the ease of control the simplest touch had on the flat platform. "Okay. I stand corrected... and maybe something else that rhymes with that." He tilted his neck down to gaze at the glowing arrangement of rocks and lunar dust. "Dayum sexy shiet..."

"Hold it in, dude." Flynn arranged more bundles of supplies in the air and levitated it onto the bed of the cart. "Did you study the schematics I hoofed ya?"

"Kinda sorta."

"Well, stick to it. It is carefully prepared to accomodate for the leyline drift. Too much variation from the plan might cause this thing to flip over once we go down a sharp incline."

"The hell?! Maybe we would be better off with wheels!"

"Dude, I'm telling you!" Flynn slapped a crate in place and smirked. "Don't you dare doubt the Hover Plank 5000!"

"Now I just know we're gonna die," Logan grumbled. "Cuz you're actually sticking to that."

"You're doubtiiiiiiiing...!"

"Mrmmmfff..." Logan huffed, hauling more bits of armor. "Sniff it."

"Is that the last of 'em?" Rainbow Dash asked. Four bags full of glowing mushrooms hung over her flanks.

Ariel flew ahead of her, cradling two bags to her chest. "Yup! At least..." She turned to look over her shoulder. "All that we're choosing to take!"

"Gonna leave some to cultivate down below?"

"Believe me." Ariel gulped. "It's hoping for the best... even if it might seem like we're hoping for the worst."

"Nah. I get it." Rainbow nodded. "Good job, girl. I know it mustn't have been easy in between all of the recon trips you made with me."

"Hey! Easy peasy!" Ariel smiled pleasantly. "I knew from the very moment Wildcard taste-tested the stuff that we were onto something super awesome!"

Rainbow squinted ahead at her. "Has... any pony tried digesting the stuff, though?"

"Oh. Uh..." Ariel bit the bottom of her lip. "I nibbled on a few of them about a week ago."

"Arielllll..."

"Don't worry! It didn't poison me!" Ariel smiled ahead. "I mean... I only had the runs the first two times. But the third and fourth? No big deal!" She shrugged. "Anypony can deal with some indigestion."

Rainbow sighed.

"You'll be okaaaaaay..." Ariel waited for her before scaling a stairwell. "Although—quite frankly—I dunno why you won't consider the alternative."

"You know how most carnivores state that everything 'tastes like chicken?'"

"Uhhhhhhh... sure...?"

"Well, I can't even bring myself to eat a chicken," Rainbow droned. "So buck everything else."

"Oh Rainbow..."

"I can deal with the runs if I have to," Rainbow droned. Her wings flexed. "I could use the exercise."

"I'll try and sit upwind of you."

"You certainly know how to charm a mare."

"Heeheehee..."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaand... close yourr fingerrs!" Kepler said.

Wildcard clenched his beak shut. He concentrated... focused...

...and finally was able to clasp the edge of the auditory emitter and take it from Kepler. The Desperado now cradled Ranort's "briefcase," holding it safely and securely. He took a deep breath, then smirked proudly at the wyvern.

"Glorrious!" Kepler shouldered a bag of things and walked with Wildcard out of the HQ room and down the winding stairwell. "Until you arre back into prrime fighting condition, I grreatly suspect we shall rrely on you as a bag boy!"

Wildcard exhaled with a limp nod as they scaled the stairs.

"But all jocularrity aside, my frriend..." Kepler winked through his spectacles. "I cannot think of a betterr brrotherr to have by ourr side forr the perrils to come."

The two entered the common room—which was growing more and more sparse. Most of the supplies had been moved out, and the pair spotted Flynn and Logan marching up the stairs in the distance with even more belongings.

"Think of it this way!" Kepler smiled through his tusks at the griffon. "Even Barrd—rrest his soul—couldn't have convinced you to enjoy the sorrt of vacation you werre forrced to have just now! I cerrtainly cannot think of something morre timely!"

"... ... ..." Wildcard was staring across the common room.

Kepler followed his goggled vision.

Seraphimus sat against the pipework, looking more than a little bit bored. She squinted back at Wildcard. "So... I guess this is where we part ways, Jordan." The former Talon Commander took a breath. "I won't pretend to have any meaningful words to give you. All that should have been seen has been."

Wildcard kept staring.

Seraphimus blinked. "I don't understand. Why are you just looking at me like that?" She blinked again, then looked at Kepler. "This is the opportunity you've always waited for. I can be buried here for good. For ever."

"Sometimes, Serraphimus..." Kepler stood back, folding his forelimbs. "I wonderr who you intend to insult morre? Yourrself? Orr ourr intelligence?"

Seraphimus' charcoal eyes narrowed. "I actually... honestly do not understand."

"I am quite awarre of that." Kepler nodded. "Currrently, I am having a most invigorrating exerrcise in my head—attempting to balance my pity with my amusement." He smiled aside at Wildcard. "Brrotherr? Perrhaps you would know best how to proceed with this...?"

Wildcard nodded. He handed Kepler the "briefcase," then walked straight for Seraphimus.

Cl-Clackk!

Seraphimus' bound talons were handcuffed to the outer lip of the hovering cart.

She scowled at the corners of the loading chamber. "This is stupid." She looked up at Wildcard and the other Heraldites. "You are stupid."

"Whew!" Flynn brushed back the bangs he didn't have, smirking down at her. "She got us there, folks! Primary School levels of dissing!" He telekinetically checked her bindings, licking his lips. "Give it another month and the High and Mighty Commander of the Right Talon of Verlaxion will be calling us all poopy-heads!"

"Current excrement notwithstanding," Seraphimus droned.

"I rest my case."

Seraphimus snorted. "This makes no tactical sense." She craned her feathery neck and scowled at Logan in particular. "On an expedition as dangerous as this long-distance undertaking, I am only a liability to the entire team you have assembled! It is only logical to leave me behind."

Logan merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey! Dumbass!" Flynn scowled once again. "We leave you here and you'll die!"

"I go with you and I'll die even faster. We all will."

"So...!" Flynn tossed his forelimbs, chuckling. "Why are you bitching?"

"Let her be, baldy..." Logan droned.

"What for?"

Logan flashed him a frown. "Cuz I said so!"

"Sor-rryy!" Flynn stepped backwards, holding up a hoof. "Yeesh. Didn't know the two of you were pitching a tent together."

"We're not." Logan's teeth gritted. "I just don't wanna be listening to this adolescent bullshit the entire damn ride!"

"Ahem..." Kepler adjusted his spectacles from where he stood beside the cart. "I sharre in ourr good frriend's statement... albeit with less vulgar hyperrbole."

"Are we ready to set out or aren't we?!" Logan grunted.

"I think we're just waiting on Rainbow and Ariel."

"Pffft. Mares." Logan looked at Wildcard. "Where are they?"

The Desperado merely pointed down with a metal finger.

Don't Forget Your Toothbrush

Whurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr—Chtung! The hatch along the top of the mesa opened up.

A blue-and-red glow flickered from within, accompanied by Flynn's authoritative voice: "M'shrynhmh L'fynym!"

The air filled with a dull vibration. Slowly—bobbing slightly from the weight of multiple supplies and bodies—the magically adjusted cart glided up the incline and out into the dim twilight of the mesa.

"Aaaaaaand..." Ariel flew aside the lunar-enchanged wagon. She eyed the mouth of Darkreach and flung her hoof. "...you're clear!"

"Put 'er into neutral, Flynn," Rainbow Dash said, seated between the unicorn and question and Logan.

Flynn cleared his throat and said: "M'shrynmh Thymmk!"

The cart stopped accelerating. It slowly glided to a stop, drifting a lazy meter or two after the process.

"Hrmmmm..." Logan clenched his jaw. "Not exactly a swift stop."

"It's a neutral command, Big Show," Flynn grunted. "This thing has no brakes."

"Surely there's gotta be some second word that'll make it come to a dead stop."

"I'm afraid not." Flynn cleared his throat. "I only have a limited vocabulary to choose from, and with all the verbage that the Bleakweed Midnighters gave us, only one word comes close." His mechanical lense retracted. "It's quite likely it would make the entire undercarriage of this thing explode."

Wildcard's goggles rattled.

"Aye-ay-ay..." Ariel winced.

"Alright. On second thought." Logan smiled awkwardly. "Just stick with moonwhinny for 'neutral.'"

"Capital idea, frriend!" Kepler remarked. Sandwiched between crates full of supplies, the wyvern hugged the "briefcase" to his furry chest. In one claw was a bag full of spare crystals: the journal entries of Ranort that he had yet to listen to. "Shall we make surre that we arre capable of carrrying an entirre load?"

"What do you mean?" Ariel asked.

"He means get your fuzzy butt down here, girl," Rainbow droned. "We gotta see if this can handle all of us."

"Hmmph!" Ariel folded her forelimbs, nevertheless descending towards the hovering vehicle. "I swear. If I make it break, I'm fasting from the bleakweed."

"We ain't got much of it left anyhow," Logan said.

"Well, I'll be the last pony we cannibalize on, then."

"Cute. Sit your ass down."

Ariel did as she was told...

...and there was no noticeable change to the even hover of the wagon.

"Purring like a kitten!" Flynn said with a grin. "See?" He winked his good eye over his shoulder. "What did I tell you?"

"Foolish optimism," Seraphimus groaned. She sat at the very back, shackled to the corner of the wagon. Despite how cramped it look, it was a considerably more comfortable position than she had been forced to endure for an entire month in Darkreach's common room. It didn't improve her countenance any. "This is a disaster waiting to happen."

"Hate to say it..." Logan nevertheless spoke: "But I'm with murder bird."

"Oh stuff it, Big Show," Flynn moaned. "Don't tell me you're both on the same side now..."

"I'm just saying it helps to be a bit cautious. Expect the worse." Logan's eyes narrowed. "We've still yet to see how this thing handles over the long distance."

"Well, no time like the present." Flynn looked back. "Rainbow Dash?"

"Hmm? What?" Rainbow glanced at the "driver."

Flynn smiled. "Aren't you going to say 'engage?'"

Rainbow's muzzle scrunched. "Why should I?"

Kepler chuckled while Wildcard smirked.

"Friggin' dork." Logan slapped Flynn's flank. "Get her moving already."

"Euuuughhh..." Flynn groaned, nevertheless facing forward and bracing the front of the craft with a stabilizing field of telekinesis. "Would it kill us to have a single shred of poetic nuance?"

"Yes."

Flynn cleared his throat and commanded: "M'shrynmh L'fynym."

Instantly, the vessel drifted forward, ultimately picking up a brisk speed.

"Heeheehee..." Ariel tilted her head back and allowed her dark mane to ripple like a windsock. "Weeeeeee!"

"Excelsiorr!" Kepler added jubilantly.

"See? Keps gets to do it!" Flynn whined.

"Awww shuddup, Baldy." Logan looked towards the rear of the cart. His eyes reflected a pale feathered figure. "Now that we're out in the open, I've got both eyes on you. No funny business, got it?"

"I wouldn't dare dream of it," Seraphimus droned. Her charcoal brown eyes darted towards Wildcard, then towards Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash sat comfortably beside Logan and Flynn. The wagon coasted along the top of the mesa so swiftly that it was generating a cool breeze. Rainbow squinted, observing the summits of nearby rock formations glinting in the cosmic light shining down from above. Otherwise, the landscape was an obsidian sea of confusion, eventually sloping upwards into the dark curve of the plane.

Her friends—in the meantime—were gliding along the edges of the wagon like multicolored geese in formation.

"Wooo-hooo-hooo!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "This is the besssssst!"

"I must admit..." Rarity sighed through a smile. "It does feel good to stretch one's legs for once."

"Rarity, we're ghostly essences," Twilight Sparkle reminded her. "All things considered, we don't have any legs."

"Well, Twilight, I don't have eyes but even I can tell when there's a sourpuss right in front of me!" Rarity retorted. A brief frown, and she batted her eyelashes. "...darling."

"Mmmgh..." Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Are we really gonna be leavin' it like that?" Applejack remarked staring back behind the wagon.

"Hmmm?" Rainbow blinked, then looked over her shoulder. "Leavin' what?"

"Huh?" Logan did a double-take.

"Talking to the girllllls," Rainbow melodically sighed.

"Oh. Right." Logan nodded, facing forward again. "Gotta be honest, sometimes I friggin' forget about them."

"Lucky you."

Applejack continued: "I know I was raised in a barn and all, but it seems awfully strange to be leavin' the door to Darkreach open like that."

"It could come in useful, Applejack," Fluttershy gently said.

"For what?" Applejack squinted. "Ya mean if we gotta make a hasty retreat?"

"Well, I was thinking for other ponies who need to take shelter there." Fluttershy looked at Rainbow. "Right, Rainbow?"

Rainbow shrugged. "No point in having it closed. What was left to history—we've already discovered. Now... it's time for us to make history."

"Hehe..." Twilight Sparkle smiled. "Now that's the spirit."

"One thing is for certain, guys..." Rainbow looked at her friends as a whole. "We are not going back to Darkreach. We're done with that place."

"I heard ya," Ariel said.

"Wasn't talking to you."

"I know." Ariel sighed. "But I heard you anyways."

"It's all forward from here," Rainbow Dash said. "We can't afford to make any more steps backwards." She caught the reflection of goat hair in the surface of a nearby plank of armor. "Not any longer."

"So lonnnnnnng, Darkreaaaaaaach!" Pinkie Pie "flew" backwards as she waved her hoof at the distant entrance. The hatch disappeared under the haze of darkness. "Thanks for all the shelter and mushrooms and changeling scrapes..." She winced slightly. "Well... maybe not the last part! But the rest of it was pretty neato-keano!"

"If I may give a piece of advice..." Rarity stared solidly at the other girls. "The less time we spend growing fond of our surroundings here on the Dark Side, the better."

"Reckon I agree," Applejack said. "Let's get our business here done with and return home."

"Applejack..." Twilight Sparkle looked over. "All things considered, Rainbow's journey could take years at this rate."

"That's why we can't stop moving," Rainbow said. She gestured ahead of Flynn and the cart. "No matter what we face from now on, we cannot afford to cease our momentum... not even once."

Talk About Cliff Hangin'

The enchanted cart hovered at a full stop.

A dreadfully steep precipice lingered directly in front of the group, indicating where the top plateau of the mesa dropped off into complete darkness.

"Well..." Logan leaned back in his spot atop the wagon, rubbing his head. "I suppose this shit was inevitable."

Seraphimus muttered: "If I may remind you cretins what I said a few moments ago—"

"You may not," Rainbow Dash took wing and flew towards the dark air just ahead of the cart. "Wildcard—if your former boss says another word, hit her."

Wildcard saluted, then raised his metal prosthetic within breathing distance of Seraphimus.

"... ... ..." Seraphimus merely glared.

"Everypony, relax," Rainbow Dash said, hovering just above the cliff's edge. She squinted into the permeating shadows of the ravine and valley below. "We knew the bridges spanning the canyon were gone the moment we got to Darkreach."

"Right," Flynn said.

"We knew that we'd reach the edge of the mesa at some point or another."

"Right."

"So this wasn't some sort of epic failure of planning on my part," Rainbow said. Dead silence. Arching an eyebrow, she turned tail to glare at Flynn.

The stallion shrugged. "What? Nopony said anything remotely like that."

"I did," Seraphimus droned.

"Wildcard—"

Thwack! Seraphimus' head jolted forward from a metal palm to the back of the skull. She shook in her shackles and murmured under her breath: "'Infidel' is too gentle of a word... even if I did use it like vomit."

"Flynn, we went over this before," Rainbow Dash said. "You know what the plan is..."

"Absolutely!" Flynn nodded with a grin. "And I couldn't be more ready!"

Rainbow blinked at him. "Really?"

"Uhhhh... yeah...?"

"Because days ago you were telling me how stupid and crazy the idea was."

"No... see..." Flynn gestured. "That was referring to the glass ramp in the sea of living stalks beyond the parallel. Jury's still out on that."

"Well, better get into session sooner than later. Cuz we're so totally doing it."

"Yuh huh..." Flynn nodded, tonguing the inside of his muzzle as he avoided her gaze. "I was afraid of that..."

"Now's as good a time as ever to see just how much air this baby of yours can get," Rainbow Dash said.

"Huh?" Logan cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean by that?"

Kepler cleared his throat. "I do believe that the Rrainbow One intends to prropel this crraft swiftly off the mesa's edge and employ it's enchanted carrriage in achieving a slow glide to the valley below."

Ariel blinked.

"Well, what the Hell..." Logan shrugged. "I could use some air anyways. Clear my head." He blew out the side of his muzzle. "Not to mention my stomach."

"If we survive this, I'm sitting upwind of you," Ariel muttered.

"Flynn..." Rainbow looked at the driver. "Did you compensate for... uhm..." He looked aside at Twilight. "...super gravitational karma?"

Twilight Sparkle facehoofed with a ghostly groan.

"If by that you mean 'Did you make sure the whole dayum Hover Plank 5000 won't flip over and crush the Herald to a pulp on its landing,' then... yes..." Flynn nodded. "I made the necessary leyline configurations."

"Cool beans."

"But..." Flynn gestured with his fetlock. "It's still untested. Until I know just what kind of telekinetic oomf I can give this thing, we're gonna need to stabilize it through more conventional means."

"Lemme guess." Ariel craned her neck. "Winged 'oomf.'"

Flynn nodded. "Precisely."

"It'll be like rowin' a canoe!" Applejack remarked. "Only in the air!"

"Right." Rainbow Dash nodded. "Ariel, Wildcard—I'm gonna need your guys' help."

"Sure thing, Rainbow!"

A metal thumb's up.

"Keps... no offense dude..." Rainbow smiled nervously in his direction. "But you're gonna have to sit this one out."

"No offense taken, frriend." Kepler smiled through his tusks. "A naturral borrn gliderr assissting an unnaturral borrn gliderr is the epitome of redundancy."

"That's one way of putting it." Rainbow Dash gestured. "Ariel. You take starboard—"

"Huh?"

"Right side. Sorry." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Forgot this wasn't an airship."

"I'm flattered," Flynn belched.

"I'll take the left side." Rainbow descended onto the edge of the cart in question. "That leaves you, Wildcard." She looked at him with sharp eyes. "I trust your wingpower... your experience... and your overall badflankery. Think you can act as our main rudder?"

Wildcard took a look at the cart, at the edge of the mesa, then took a deep breath. He nodded and positioned himself next to Seraphimus—at the very rear of the wagon.

"How can the rrest of us be of assistance, Rrainbow One?"

"We need this thing to not tip over," Rainbow said. "So we gotta distribute the weight evenly."

"Big Show goes in the center," Twilight said.

"Right. Big Show?" Rainbow looked over. "You're in the dead center."

"Ooooooh joy." The stallion nevertheless positioned himself.

"Kepler behind him. Flynn in front." Rainbow craned her neck. "How's the supplies positioned?"

"Evenly spaced out!" Ariel said. "From what I can tell!"

"Okay..." Rainbow stretched out her left wing. "We're going to have to time this perfectly. I'd say Wildcard gives us a boost... then Flynn gives the lunar command to accelerate. From then on, Ariel—as we glide through the air—you and I are going to have to compensate for any drift. When I shout a direction, that means we're going to have to provide extra lift there."

"So, basically, if you're shouting 'right,' I flap my wing like crazy?"

"Right. And when I shout 'left,' you give slack and I'll take over. You got it?"

"Totally."

"Wow, Rainbow..." Flynn smirked. "You make it sound like you've done this before."

"Not quite this exactly..." Rainbow took a breath. "But a million gazillion other things just as stupid if not stupider."

"A miracle the Blight didn't claim her," Seraphimus said. Thwack! "Gah! Damnation, Jordan—!"

"Uhm..." Fluttershy drifted in and spoke firmly. "Shouldn't we know where we'd be gliding to?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow blinked. "Good point." She looked to her side. "Rarity?"

"I'm already taking a survey, Rainbow..." Rarity squinted into the blackness, her horn glowing. "I... do believe I have a fix..."

Ariel craned her neck. "Are your friends helping out?"

"Just about." Rainbow held her hoof up. "Rarity, don't rush it. Just take it nice and easy—"

"About thirty degrees to the left," Rarity said, pointing. "Er... I-I mean... towards Alpha."

"Is that our ticket?"

Rarity looked back at her anchor. "It's the furthest stretch of flat land at the bottom of the valley... unobscured by the canyon walls."

Applejack nodded. "Sounds dang near perfect to me."

"Yes, Rainbow, I'd trust Rarity on this," Twilight said.

"Okay..." Rainbow looked at the rest of the Herald. "Rarity says we should pivot the wagon about thirty degrees towards Alpha."

"From this position?" Flynn asked.

"Exactly."

"Wildcard?" Ariel spoke, already flapping her right wing.

With a swift whistle, the Desperado dove out the back. His lower limbs landed on the mesa's top. Gripping the back of the wagon in flesh-and-metal talons, he pivoted the entire wagon slightly.

"That's it!" Rarity exclaimed. "Stop it right there!"

Rainbow flapped her left wing to stabilize. "Okay! Hold!"

Wildcard's rear legs dug into the stone. He stopped pivoting and held the wagon in place.

"So this is the direction, huh?" Logan asked.

"Seems about right," Rainbow said.

"Alright. Let's get this shit over with." Logan gestured for Wildcard to hop back in.

The Desperado jumped into place, flatting his body back against the rear of the wagon and stretching both wings out. He tightened his goggles and gave the rest of the wagon a nod.

"Okay..." Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "Remember—no matter what happens—save your body first. We'll worry about the supplies second."

"And Seraphimus third," Flynn said.

The griffin merely grunted... although her charcoal brown eyes darted about with slightly noticeable tension.

"Nothing's a-twitchin'!" Pinkie Pie said. She smiled. "I'd say you're okay to go, Dashie!"

"That's good enough for me..." Rainbow Dash spoke over her shoulder. "Okay, Wildcard. Give us a boost!"

Clenching his beak, Wildcard flapped and flapped and flapped his wings in steadily faster motions.

The wagon drifted forward, gaining speed.

"Keep flapping..." Rainbow stuck her left wing out. "Keep flapping..." She craned her neck to watch for the drop of the cliff. "... ... ...now, Flynn!"

"M'shrynmh L'fynym!" Flynn shouted, his horn glowing.

Already boosted by Wildcard, the undercarriage's lunar dust burned to life and shot the wagon forward. The speed was just shy of a cannon, and it caught most of the Herald off guard. Kepler nearly flew off into the twilight—except that Logan's swift fetlock yanked him back onto the cart as the entire group bulleted ahead.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh—" Fluttershy squealed, barreling after her anchor with a ripple of lavender force fields. "—sssssssssssssssssssssshoot!"

Easy... Easy Does It

"So..." Rainbow Dash caught her breath. She and Ariel were flying Curveside up the slow incline of the receding canyon. Below her, the rest of the Herald glided along gently atop the hovering wagon. "...what did we learn today?"

"Don't be a dumbass," Logan grumbled.

"No, Big Show..." Flynn smirked, telekinetically empowering the vehicle. "She asked what did we learn."

"Hah!"

"Heheheh..."

"Ha ha ha ha..."

"Rrrrgh!" Ariel spun about. Hovering backwards, she frowned at her comrades below. "Will you cut her some slack?! We lived through it, didn't we? Besides, it was her quick thinking that got us out of a perilous situation!'

"Ourr sisterr is rright," Kepler said. He adjusted his glasses and spoke further: "Wherre would we be without ourr leaderr's courrageous initiative?"

"Under the warm protection of the Right Talon of Verlaxion," Seraphimus droned. "Without the threat of windigoes."

"I do not rrecall asking forr yourr input."

"You're welcome, by the way," Seraphimus muttered.

"Double-yoo—" Logan began.

Seraphimus frowned. "You throw far too much caution to the wind!" she said sternly. "You only go forward, paying no attention to your peripheral. You're just asking to be flanked by some horrible circumstance. If not today, then tomorrow."

"That's some tough talk coming from a stool pigeon," Flynn said. "Emphasis on stool."

"If it weren't for my advice, we'd be dashed to bits several meters behind us right now!" Seraphimus snarled.

"And what are you expecting? A parade?" Ariel tilted her nose up. "I thought you didn't give a crap about yourself! Must have sucked helping us to help you live a bit longer!"

Seraphimus let loose a prolonged sigh. "My only hope is that you'll finally wake up to see the danger in following this chaotic cretin into the darkness ahead."

"Sister... you don't know chaos," Ariel said. She suddenly winced, then smiled innocently in Rainbow's direction. "N-no that you do—of course! Erm... I-I mean of c-course you do, but it's not necessarily a horribad thing! In fact! It's kinda useful in a pinch—"

"Ariel?"

"Yes, Rainbow?"

"At ease, girl."

Ariel hung her head, flying limply forward. "Yes, Rainbow."

"Idiotic echo chambers notwithstanding, I only wish to provide a sense of lucid reason in this banal scenario," Seraphimus said.

"Yeah, cuz it was sooooooooo reasonable how you flew in and tried to wreck our shit back in the Gondola," Flynn grumbled.

Seraphimus glared in the unicorn's direction. "And if I had succeeded, you wouldn't have lived to deal with the sting of shame that's swiftly catching up to you."

Wildcard raised his metal hoof towards her head... exhaled... then dropped the prosthetic in question. After a dreary sigh, the Desperado resumed flapping his wings with occasional bursts of energy, assisting Flynn in the uphill glide.

Rainbow Dash glanced forlornly back at the group. She looked ahead, gaining more altitude while Ariel kept parallel at a distance.

"Well... loon on the bright side!" Pinkie Pie grinned nervously. "We're gonna be out of the deep, dark canyon soon!"

"Right you are, Pinkie." Applejack tilted her hat back and muttered: "Now onto the deep, dark valley beyond."

Fluttershy fidgeted in midair. "You would think they would be more jubilant about having lived through a frightening situation."

"I suppose that's just the thing, Fluttershy," Twilight Sparkle said. "The more crazy situations you live through, the less sting they tend to have in the long run."

"Or perhaps they're just too embarrassed to say we need better navigation!" Rarity looked guiltily in Rainbow's direction. "Rainbow, I'm so terribly sorry, darling. I should have noticed that the unexpected acceleration pushed us off course. I almost led you and your dearest companions into a dreadful demise!"

"Don't blame yourself, Rarity," Rainbow spoke softly. "We've been out of action for a while. Even then—I can't expect all of you guys to be nearly as fast-twitch on the dial as me."

"Hey!" Pinkie Pie suddenly chirped, flying towards their anchor. "Girls! Check this out! It's a boy! It's a girl! No—" She phased through Rainbow's body so that her fluffy head "emerged" between Rainbow's dangling legs. "—it's a baby Pinkie Pie! Hee-hee-hee-hee!"

Rainbow sighed. "I rest my case."

Fluttershy giggled lightly.

"I wouldn't be too worried about the group," Twilight said. "They're only moody because... because... well... look around us."

Fluttershy gulped. "I'm trying not to."

"You know, this might sound strange, but we have it lucky," Twilight said. "None of us are quite as vulnerable as Rainbow's other friends. So long as she stays safe—and we all know how versatile Rainbow is—we're virtually untouched!" She winced slightly. "It can't be easy being flesh and blood in a place like this."

"Yeah, well..." Rainbow squinted ahead. The horizon foretold the changing landscape with the hint of starlight glinting across a sea of wild wilderness beyond the final parallel. "...it's about to get a whole lot less easy."

Who's There? Discord Who?

Who's There? Discord Who?

The wagon ride after that was uneventful, which made the entire thing rather agonizing. Rainbow Dash and Ariel had traveled the same route before—but that was by air. They had covered the same landscape in a span of hours, and now Rainbow and the Herald were having to traverse the same topography at a snail's pace. The wagon hovered smoothly, but it was far from swift. What's more, every errant fissure and rock structure had to be navigated with extreme caution for fear of jostling the supplies that they were carrying. Rainbow Dash kept in mind that there was at least one stunt ahead of them that they were all waiting to pull off. It made her disproportionately tense just to think about it.

Following the map that Rainbow and Ariel had adjusted, they scaled the edge of the canyon and pivoted their path towards Alpha. The landscape was ever so gradually rising—like the world's longest and most subtle slope. The constant grade put a decent amount of strain on Flynn and Wildcard who were the ones predominantly steering the wagon, so the group took multiple occasions to rest. When they could, the winged members of the group switched places with Wildcard so that they could more properly give a "boost" to the drifting vehicle.

The further up they rose, the more alive the Dark Side became. They could look back and see the entire plateau lit up by the gloss of starlight. Up ahead—the horizon before the curve was a great deal more obscured. They knew that the arid landscape would come to a dead stop along a solid parallel, but there still wasn't very much information about what—or who—may lie beyond it. Kepler tried his best to catch up with the remaining recorded journals. Aside from Ranort's crackling voice, the air was eerily silent. Everyone was focused heartily on the uphill journey they were enduring.

Their "vacation" in Darkreach had ended.

The group had stopped yet again. Flynn rested his horn while Logan did a count of the supplies. Wildcard shuffled about, stretching his legs while Ariel flew up high to do a survey of the land.

"How many kilometerrs ahead of us?" Kepler asked, pausing between journal entries. "I do not wish to sound impatient..."

"Don't stress it, Keps." Ariel was squinting towards Alpha. "I think I recognize that ridged formation off in the distance. Do you see it, Rainbow?"

"Mrmmmfff..." Rainbow munched on a narrow strip of bleakweed. She sat a few feet away from Seraphimus atop the wagon. "I trust you, girl."

Ariel looked down at Kepler. "I'd say we're about a kilometer and a half off! But we'll have to take a slight detour in the direction of the Edge to go around the ridge. Then we should be able to come about Curveside and find it."

"The spot with the glass strructurre, you mean?"

"Eeyup!" Ariel smirked from above. "Rainbow's Ramp!"

"Ha-Hah! A most fitting name forr it!" Kepler winked through his glasses. "Perrhaps the firrst of many featurres we shall have the forrtune of naming!"

"Sounds cool..." Flynn lay flat on his back, breathing in and out as his horn flickered dimly. "Let it be known in the record books that we just glided out of Big Show's Crack."

"Hardy har har..." The stallion in question continued sorting through the armor pieces.

"Such a predictable bunch of prattling nincompoops," rolled a mischievous voice.

Nopony flinched. Nopony but Rainbow Dash.

With bored eyes, she looked up from the meal she was eating.

A strip of armor lay before her, and in its ancient, reflective surface she saw a hint of horns and goat hair.

"Honestly, are these who you choose to call your friends these days?" A grin. A glinting fang. Discord continued, playfully: "What dull cut-outs. I bet even stealing their cutie marks wouldn't be half-as-entertaining as the others." Red-on-yellow eyes squinted in the metal. "Just what are their cutie marks, anyway? Damned if I can't even be bothered to recall..."

Rainbow Dash swallowed her morsel of food and muttered: "Lay off. You're not even remotely funny..."

Seraphimus' charcoal-brown eyes darted over.

"My little pony," Discord's voice rolled as his paw and talon twiddled in the reflection. "The only thing that's laughable here is you. You're living history's biggest knock-knock joke and I'm absolutely thrilled to be there to see the punch-line." A blur, and he appeared be "hanging" from a noose formed by his own tail. "I bet it'll just knock 'em all dead."

Rainbow grumbled without looking at him. "Well, prepare to have that door slammed in your face."

"Pfffft! Is that your best comeback?! This—coming from you, the mare willing to go into a boxing match with yours truly inside a hedge maze?" Again, that glinting fang. "By stars, Sparky! I suppose you'll be mincing words about sticks and stones, next."

"Nopony cares what you think."

"And you were a lot cooler before the two times you died. Oh... wait..." A talon scratched the reflected goatee. "Was it three times? Four? I've lost track of all your Mary Sue-isms."

The hairs along Rainbow's neck bristled. Before she could growl a response—

"What's his name?" a cold voice asked.

Blinking, Rainbow looked across the wagon. "Huh?"

Seraphimus stared squarely at her. "I've observed you quite closely over the past month," she said. "You speak to five separate personalities—all lodged in your head. They each have a name." Her hawkeyes narrowed. "But there's a sixth whom you refuse to talk to. I know because you talk about him all the time with the other five."

Rainbow Dash's brow furrowed. She clenched her jaw, attempting—in vain—to remain calm. She forced herself to look away.

Seraphimus persisted: "So what's his name? What's the identity of this sixth ghost that pesters you so?"

Rainbow muttered out the side of her mouth: "If I'm just a 'mad pony,' what's it matter?"

"Because you're leading this team of yours to ruin."

Rainbow squinted at her. "Since when did you care about them?"

Seraphiumus took a breath. "I don't. I happen to be imprisoned by them." Her limb shifted within her manacles. "I want to know what kind of an insane spiral you're leading me into."

Rainbow took a long, hard breath. When she finally spoke, it came out in an exasperated tone. "I'm not leading the team to ruin."

"You've told me many lies, creature," Seraphimus said. "Some are more convincing than others. But this time—I sense—you're lying to yourself at the same time you're lying to me."

Rainbow flashed her an angry look.

Seraphimus calmly stared back.

All was silent... until Rainbow heard a taunting voice echoing all around her.

"Knock knock..."

As the voice turned to chuckles, Rainbow angrily flapped her wings and soared skyward. "That's it. Going for a walk."

Flynn yawned. "How can you walk in the sky—"

"SKY WALK!" Rainbow shouted, startling Ariel, and she zipped off in a prismatic blur.

A few glaring eyes stabbed in Flynn's direction.

"What?" The stallion shrugged. "Ah. Perfect." He rolled his good eye. "Blame the handsome one."

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.

Lots of Potential Energy

"Ohhhhhhh boy," Flynn stood on the stone ridge's summit, gnawing on his fetlock.

Kepler, Logan, and Wildcard stood in a solid line, craning their necks as they gazed down at the waving parallel of wild wilderness and living stalks.

"Is..." Logan motioned with his head. "...is that really it?"

All eyes rested on a rectangular swath of cleared landscape—courtesy of a slab of crystalline glass that stretched dormant into the forest of carniverous weed.

"That's it, alright," said Rainbow Dash, hovering overhead next to Ariel.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh boy..." Flynn squirmed and fidgeted.

"My starrs and garrterrs..." Kepler shuddered. "Therre cerrtainly... is a lot of the currious plant."

"Well, duh," Ariel droned. "What part of 'the flesh-eating death grass populates an entire valley beyond the crest of the parallel' didn't you understand?"

Kepler adjusted his spectacles. "I suppose a petrrified parrt of me had hoped you werre speaking frrom a position of hyperrbole."

"I'm afraid not, buddy," Rainbow Dash said. She gestured with her hoof. "And that little slab there is the only thing for miles and miles that comes close to cutting into the mess."

Wildcard let loose a wheezing exhale.

"So..." Logan shifted where he stood. "...our next order of business is to turn that measely plank of glass into a measely ramp of glass?"

"Ohhhhhhhhh boy..." Flynn whimpered.

"Shut it!" Logan frowned at him. He turned towards Rainbow Dash again. "Did you and Ariel drum up a plan?"

"Yeah." Ariel nodded. "Not get eaten."

"Hardy har." Logan snorted. "All that shit looks like soggy bamboo." He squinted. "Just... how dangerous is it, really?"

"Wanna test it out?" Rainbow's voice cracked.

"Kinda, yeah."

Rainbow looked around. She found a loose rock the size of her pendant. Picking it up, she glanced at the rest of the Herald. "Who here has the best throwing arm?"

Wildcard immediately saluted.

"Here ya go, buddy..." Rainbow hoofed him the rock.

"Ach!" Kepler nodded excitedly. "A perrfect time to test Flynn's miniaturre manacorre!"

Wildcard took a breath. A mechanical whurring sound could be heard as he pivoted his body, rotated his metal prosthetic, then flung the rock forward with a slight burst of manasteam. Thrommm!

Heads turned, following the long descending arc of the rock as it flew into the waving field below. The mechanical boost to Wildcard's prosthetic proved fruitful, and soon the projectile was clearing the summit of the waving stalks.

Then suddenly—

Th-THWKKK! A throng of bright red probisci extended from the tips of the stalks. The whole forest shifted in the direction of the rock, fighting and fussing over it. There was a splash of pebbles—glinting like dust in the twilight—and soon all was still once again.

A low thunder rolled uphill, reaching the ears of all who gazed down at the mess.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh boy." Flynn sweated.

"Them's hungry trees," Logan burped. "I'm not sure we're gonna be very safe trotting near it."

"It's doable," Ariel said.

"Oh yeah?"

Ariel nodded, looking down at Logan. "Rainbow and I were able to stand on the glass plate."

"We kept our distance from the stalks, though," Rainbow said. "Something tells me that they only sense what's above them. Not what's to the side."

Wildcard hand-signed.

Kepler interpreted: "'Would you willing to bet yourr life on that?'"

Ariel and Rainbow Dash exchanged glances.

A cold voice echoed downhill from the plateau behind them: "You seriously intend to glide over that?"

The group turned to look.

Seraphimus was craning her neack from where she sat in the back of the wagon. "Because you will need to gain an awful lot of air." She gestured behind them—Edgeside—with her head. "Judging from the journey that got us here, this wagon isn't exactly equipped for altitude."

"Ah...!" Kepler pointed with his claw, smiling through tusks. "Our little experiment in exiting the mesa of Darkreach proved that maintaining altitude is quite possible."

"Yes, but look below you." Seraphimus' eyes narrowed on the sloping mountainside in question. "It descends directly into the deathly forest."

"No..." Rainbow Dash shook her head. "It descends into a glass ramp."

"... ... ..." Seraphimus blinked. "I fail to see a ramp."

"That's because we've yet to push it up to become one." Rainbow gestured. "We've brought the supplies, the strength, and the unicorn." A bold smirk. "Now all that's left to do is begin the gruntwork, and then we'll give the wagon a little push."

"... ... ..." Seraphimus slumped back in her seat. "I regret even opening my beak."

"Well, she obviously believes we can't do it," Ariel said. She turned to look at Rainbow Dash. "You happy now?"

"Ecstatic." Rainbow punched her fetlocks together. "That's just the good sign we need!"

"Ha-Hah!"

Wildcard gestured something.

"Hell yeah." Logan nodded, responding. "I totally agree."

"Hmmm?" Rainbow looked over.

"If we're gonna do this—like for real—then we've got to suit up." Logan pointed towards the wagon. "I pulled countless muscles pulling all that shit out of Darkreach. It's high time we got used to wearing it."

"Indeed." Kepler nodded. "This brrave leap is only the starrt. Therre arre untold trribulations to weatherr ahead of us. Best that we girrd ourrselves in Emerraldine's finest so that we can be prreparred."

"Ohhhhhhhh boy—" Flynn received a metal slap to the head. "Ow!"

"Thanks, Double-Yoo," Logan said. He was already turning around to march towards the wagon. "Come on, boys and girls! Move your butts and then guard your butts! Time to get all sexy'n'metal'n'shit!"

"Well..." Ariel smiled crookedly, descending softly towards the plateau. "I can dig at least one of those three."

Full Armor of Dash

"Heeheehee!" Pinkie Pie giggled, floating around Rainbow Dash like a halo of bubbles. "It's like she's putting on a bunch of frozen leaves!"

"Come one, Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash droned, slapping on another plate of armor over her fetlock and tightening the leather straps. "It's a lot more awesome than that." Her eyes narrowed. "Although... heh... I guess it is pretty autumnal."

"'Vernal' is more like it," Twilight Sparkle said, smiling in admiration. "The armor is green, after all."

"In any case, it is the most delightful ensemble," Rarity said, cooing. "The Emeraldinians certainly had an eye for honor and beauty."

"Plus, it looks very... safe." Fluttershy gestured with her fetlocks. "Must feel snug too. How heavy is it, Rainbow Dash?"

"Well..." Rainbow squatted awkwardly aside the hovering wagon. The rest of the Herald fumbled around her, slipping into their own armored suits. "I gotta admit—it feels a bit loose on me." She gave her flank a slight shake. The leaf-motif plates of emerald armor rattled around her features, but they didn't shift too much. "But maybe that's a good thing. I don't wanna feel suffocated."

"Something tells me you're a bit smaller than the average Emeraldinian," Twilight said.

"Duhhhh!" Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes. "She's a bit smaller than the average anypony."

"Pinkie, darling!" Rarity frowned. "Do not rub it in!"

"Heh... guess I should be feeling lucky." Rainbow Dash strapped on the last plate in her possession. Soon, she was garbed head to tail in lightweight strips of armor—all bearing flora intaglio. Narrow bands of branch-like lines swam elaborate curves across the verdant sheets of metal, matching her every joint and ligament. Princess Luna's saddlebag was worn a bit tightly under the backpiece, but Rainbow managed. Thankfully there was enough room for the bulk of her pendant to dangle freely above the collar of the chestplate. "Logan must have taken forever to come up with an outfit that could fit me."

"Can you fly with that on?"

"I dunno. Lemme see." Rainbow Took a deep breath. She flapped her wings. Sure enough, she gained lift—hovering above the wagon. After a few seconds, she touched back down.

"Well?" Pinkie Pie blinked.

"It's... manageable..." Rainbow nevertheless could be heard wheezing slightly. "Wouldn't be my first choice to wear on a long flight."

"Oh, darling, I'm sure you've worn heavier," Rarity said with a hoof-wave.

"Maybe. I... kinda feel out of practice." Rainbow coughed. "Maybe I should have flown more laps around the corridors of Darkreach. Kept my muscle mass up."

"To what end?" Fluttershy blinked. "You haven't been eating a whole lot."

"Errrrr..." Rainbow nervously looked towards the supply crates of the wagon. "...yeah."

"You've been quiet all this time, Applejack," Twilight Sparkle said, looking over. "What do you think of Rainbow's new get-up?"

"Hmmm?" Applejack looked up. "Oh! Well done, sugarcube!" She smiled awkwardly. "You sure do look... er... handsome!"

Rainbow Dash blinked. "I do?"

"Applejack!" Rarity hissed through her teeth. "You never... ever refer to a lady as handsome!"

"Well, what else can I say?" Applejack shrugged. "It's a strappin' set of sporty-lookin' armor!"

"Practical and pretty!" Fluttershy said.

"Errr... more like somewhere in between," Applejack said. "Shucks, I dunno. I wouldn't mind wearin' some if it made me all protected-like."

"Handsome... ... ..." Rainbow Dash smiled dumbly into the twilight.

"Honestly!" Rarity folded her forelimbs. "When all of this mess is done, I'm teaching you all a grand lesson in ladylike etiquette!"

"Oh, go blow your nose, Rare-Rare!" Pinkie Pie squeaked. "If a knight in shining armor was showing up to save you from a dragon, would you pause to tell him how bad his breath stinks?"

"Depends on how bad that breath is!"

Twilight Sparkle giggled.

"Stop laughing!"

Rainbow Dash smiled.

"Your friends telling a sweet joke?" Ariel's voice asked.

Rainbow looked over. "Oh... uh... it's nothing."

Ariel smiled, peering out of a narrow helmet. "You're allowed to smile at nothing."

Rainbow just cleared her throat. "So... uh... what do you think?" She struck a pose in her armor.

"Looks pretty sweet!" Ariel grinned. "How's it feel?"

"Not too bad."

"Really?" Ariel's features drooped under her helmet's visor. "Because this stuff is weighing on me like a ton! I'm surprised it's not killing you."

"I... uh..." Rainbow shrugged, glancing at the various members of the Herald in their armor. "I guess I'm just lucky."

"Damn straight, you are." Heavy metallic hoofsteps preluded the arrival of Logan. The large stallion stood in even larger armor, towering over the two mares. "Mrmmffff..." He struggled just to raise his helmet's visor and peered down at them. "Took me for friggin' ever to find the right pieces that would fit you. Emeraldine was short on pipsqueaks, I think."

"Hey!" Ariel frowned.

"It's okay, girl," Rainbow Dash patted her armored shoulder with a rattling sound. "Just smile sweetly and remember that you're a groin-kick level."

"Hmmmm..." Logan's smile was bland. "Very cute."

"Mrmmfff..." Flynn stumbled towards the group. His mechanical lense peered out of his helmet's visor. "Stuffy as hell, in here."

"Suck it up, Baldy," Logan grunted. "You've got less hair. You'll sweat less."

"A shame that therre werren't any wyverrns in Emerraldine," Kepler said. His armor barely fitted him, and he was reduced to wearing loosely-strapped plates of metal across random parts of his hairy figure. "I suppose I will have to do my combat at a safe distance."

"That won't really change anything," Flynn said with a smile.

"No, I suppose not. How about you, Wildcarrd? Farre well in yourr metals?"

The griffion in question had his left arm exposed—which was fine. The prosthetic—although not matching the green leaf motifs—was sturdy enough on its own. He lifted his visor, exposed his beak, and hand-signed briskly.

"Rright." Kepler nodded. "The next orrderr of business is to deal with those pesky vines."

"Stalks," Ariel corrected.

"Same differrence. Ha-hah!"

"Yeah..." Rainbow looked at Wildcard and Logan. "Just how are we going to do that anyway?"

"Well..." Schiiiiiing! Logan sweatily heaved his axe into view. "...guess it's time for some good old fashion lawnwork."

Out! Out! Damn Stalk!

Out! Out! Damn Stalk!

Seraphimus sat alone in the wagon atop the mountainous ridge.

The Herald shuffled briskly downhill in a solid train. Garbed in plates of green-tinted armor that reflected the twilight, they approached the edge of the parallel—right where the glass plate lay dormant.

The griffin took a deep breath. Despite the obvious consternation forming feathered lines in her face, she nevertheless craned her neck left and right... squinting to make out what precisely was transpiring far below at the end of the cliff's slope.

"Guh..." Flynn grimaced, shaking his rear legs a few extra times between every other step. The armor rattled around his thin figure, and the visor of his helmet kept sliding down. "Goddess dammit! Rrggh...!" With a telekintic burst, he snapped the ancient visor off his helmet completely, giving him an unobstructed view of the wild landscape ahead. "Ahhh... much better."

Behind him, Logan grunted: "Don't be pissing away all my hard work, now."

"Relax, Big Show," Flynn grumbled, approaching the glass plane. "Wouldn't be right to use the old Emeraldinians' stuff if I didn't truly appreciate it."

"You're telling me to relax?" Logan's brow furrowed. "You're the one squirming all around like you've got soggy pancakes down your pants."

"Forgive me if I'm not exactly... used to cold metal chaffing."

"How do you think I feel?" Logan spat. "I'm weighing like a friggin' tank in this thing!"

"Dude, you're always a tank."

"What does that make you? A sling-shot?"

"Very funny."

"Actually, no, not funny," Ariel rasped from overhead. She flew limply with a frown, putting extra-effort into lifting her armored body. "Could you cut it out? We've got some serious business to do here."

"Everypony relax," Rainbow Dash said, trotting in the center of the group. "We've only got a thick sea of squirming death tentacles to tame and fly over. Let's not snap at each other's necks, okay? Besides, we'd crack a tooth on account of the armor."

Wildcard gestured something.

"Hrmmmmfff..." Logan responded with a heated breath. He reached the edge of the "forest" and leaned against his heavy axe. "Straight lines aren't as easy as they used to be, Double-Yoo. But... we just might be able to afford the next best thing here."

"My starrs and garrterrs..." Kepler had been hunched over this entire time, but upon reaching the clearing in the sea of stalks, he practically crawled on his thinly-plated belly. The armor around his figure rattled as he studied the glass plate up close. "It is just as Rranorrt had spoken about!" The wyvern adjusted his spectacles and tapped the edge of the glass plate with his claws. "Positively immaculate! Afterr all of these yearrs, too!"

"Well, what do you guys think now that you're seeing it up close?" Ariel asked. "Can it be enchanted?"

"Once upon a time, maybe it could have been," Flynn said. The tip of his horn was glowing outside his helmet as he scanned the environment before him. "But that was a long... long time ago, and who knows who actually manufactured this thing."

"Or if they're still hanging about somewhere," Logan added.

Flynn gave a nod. "Right."

"Rranorrt speaks of unidentified flying objects spotted by Warrhol's team," Kepler said. "Vessels of geometrrical simplicity... constrructed out of trranslucent materrial, much like this one. I'm afrraid that none of Gwen's forrces werre capable of meeting the trrue pilots of these airrcrrafts face to face."

"But..." Rainbow Dash looked at the glass plate, then up at Kepler. "...it was an aircraft."

"I honestly cannot fathom just what else this thing could have belonged to," the wyvern said. "If it was simply deposited herre as a means of clearring this unsightly wilderrness, I cannot say that it is doing that fine of a job!"

"So... it was dropped here," Ariel said. "But—lucky for us—it might give the wagon the boost it needs."

Wildcard gestured.

"Wildcard wants to know how we're gonna pull this shit off," Logan grunted. "And while we're at it—so do I."

"Sure thing." Rainbow nodded, then looked at Flynn. "Flynn?"

"Grnnngh... right..." Flynn took off his helmet so he could breathe better. Sweat lined his bald forehead under the twilight. "So... I've brought with me some extra rocks for hover-enchanting."

"Huh?"

"The same thing we did to the Hover Plank 5000 we're going to do to this right here." Flynn gave the top of the glass plate a hoof-tap for emphasis.

"Soooooooo..." Ariel squinted. "...we're going to have an even bigger wagon?"

"No no no no no..." Flynn shook his head. "I don't even remotely have enough to make that happen. Instead..." He turned and pointed at the Curveside edge of the plate. "...if we apply just enough of the rocks to the furthest foundation of the plate and enchant its leylines, then we can get that half of the glass plane to levitate up off the ground. The rest of it will stay dormant. I'm expecting us to end up with a ramp that's tilted no less than fifty-five degrees off the earth."

Wildcard nodded, then gestured.

"Sounds simple enough, eh?" Flynn shook his head. "Sorry to break it to you, buddy. This thing looks like it weighs a ton. Even still..." He took a deep breath. "...I should be able to lift just the corners of it. It'll take all of my mental concentration to manipulate something this large with my telekinesis. The rest will be up to you."

"We'll be slapping the enchanted rocks and dust in place, right?" Rainbow Dash said.

"Uh huh. Then—once we've applied it to both corners and sporadic spots along the Curveside edge, I can enchant the leylines. The ramp should then lift up on its own, propelled by the "hover" spell."

"How long will it be tilted up like that?" Ariel asked.

"Not for long," Flynn said with a sigh. "We'll only have a window of... ten minutes at best. That should be long enough for us to give the Hoverplank a shove and ride it down to glory."

"In other words..." Logan's eyes narrowed. "We only get one shot."

"Right." Flynn nodded. "Better not buck it up."

Awkward silence.

"Well!" Kepler slapped his talons together and smiled at the group. "All the morre incentive to do ourr best! Ha-Hah!"

Rainbow gulped. "We're forgetting one thing..."

"Right. The hard part," Flynn remarked.

Logan glanced aside. "These damned death vines."

Flynn's natural eye reflected the gently waving sea of stalks that densely flanked three sides of the flat plate. "To apply the enchanted rocks to the underside of this plate, we're going to have to get uncomfortably close to these buggers."

"Well, at least we're wearing armor!" Ariel remarked.

"The armor won't do shit if more than one of these things grab you," Flynn exclaimed, hissing. "I've seen some of the biological journals sketched in the heart of Darkreach. The probisci of these creatures are stronger than whale bone. If you get lasso'd by one of them, it'll be a struggle just to keep your limbs in tact. Goddess knows how shitty it'd be if you become dinner to multiple stalks at once."

"None of that matters," Logan grunted. "Only one thing does."

"What is that, frriend?" Kepler asked.

Schiiiing! Logan raised his axe and approached the edge of the forest. "Can we kill 'em?"

"Ach! But of courrse."

"Hold it right there, Big Show." Rainbow Dash blocked his way. "Don't go charging into the death weed. That'd make for a lame obituary."

"What am I, stupid?" Logan smirked, then nodded his head at the organic mess. "I'm not about to commit salad seppuku. I just need to see what these things are made of."

"And how do you plan to do that?!" Ariel exclaimed.

"Hmmmmm..." Kepler stroked his hairy chin. "Perrhaps if he werre to test the strrength of just one of these inferrnal living vines."

"Sooooooooooooo... what, then?" Rainbow Dash blinked. "We thread one out from the rest of the group?"

"Sounds good to me," Logan said.

"But how?"

Logan looked over at Wildcard. "Double-Yoo? Got something to throw at these shits?"

Wildcard nodded, producing a few daggers that he had gathered from Darkreach.

"If you plan on tossing that into the wilderness, it's not going to have the desired effect," Flynn said. "You saw how these things acted earlier. They just lash out at whatever's thrown at them."

"So, we just have to figure out how to annoy only one," Logan said. "Since you're about to put your brain to extra epileptic use, what say we exercise your telekinesis a bit?"

Flynn sighed. He reached magically for one of Wildcard's daggers and levitated it high in the air. "Where do you want me to kite it?"

"Towards me, duh." Logan slapped the visor of his helmet down and tightened his grip of the axe. "And you'd better lure just one of those things down here!"

"I wouldn't dream of doing otherwise," Flynn droned.

"The rest of you back off!" Logan hollered, his armor rattling from the authority in his voice. "This is my time to work!"

"You... uh..." Rainbow hesistantly backtrotted along with Ariel. "...you sure you know what you're doing, guys?"

"Probably not." Flynn squinted his one good eye as he floated the dagger outward... upward... and towards the very edge of the living forest. "Okay... okay... getting there..."

"Have you spotted one of them yet or not?" Logan asked.

"Just hold onto your butt!" Flynn took a deep breath. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand... antagonize!"

He jabbed the dagger forward from long-distance, poking savagely at a single vine along the fringes of the sea of stalks. Despite how many times he poked and prodded, the wavering structure refused to budge.

"Come onnnnnn..." Flynn licked his lips as his horn glowed brighter with the effort. "Tickle tickle! Tickle tickle—"

Thw-THWPP! At last, the vine shot out a long red "tongue" that looped three times around the dagger.

"Got it!" Flynn gnashed his teeth as he pulled and yanked down at the object with all his mental might. "Rnnnnnngh!"

"Don't slice it!" Logan barked, gripping his axe as he eyed the stalk being "reeled in" from a distance. "Don't slice it or we might lose it—!"

"It's okay..." Flynn hissed. Snorted. "It's... grnnngh... grabbing the hilt!" As the telekinetic energy reached a boiling point, Flynn felt himself sliding forward on scuffed hooves. "Hoooboy—"

"Wildcard!" Rainbow barked.

Thwooosh! Wildcard flew forward. Wrapping a metal arm around the stallion's armored body, he successfully anchored Flynn in place.

"You should have it now, brrotherr!" Kepler proclaimed.

"Here it comes!" Rainbow Dash pointed as the long stalk shook, thrashed, but was eventually dragged down to head-level like a wriggling fish out of water. "It's getting within reach!"

"It's now or never, Big Show!" Ariel hollered.

"Happy New Year—!" And Big Show swung his axe down savagely.

CHTIIIIINK! The stalk snapped in an instant from the slicing blow. Almost immediately, a hot curtain of crimson juices splattered across Ariel's, Kepler's, and Rainbow Dash's gasping faces.

Flynn and Wildcard grimaced.

"Hey!" Logan lifted his visor up, revealing a smirk. "It even bleeds! Cool!"

Rainbow and her two fellow Heraldites stood awkwardly in place, thoroughly strained. Before them, the severed stalk flipped and flopped around before finally curling up into a hardening coil of dead organic matter.

"Okay... on second thought..." Ariel whimpered. "Go ahead and feed me to the forest. I just lost my appetite. Forever."

"A most educating experrience," Kepler remarked, beginning to wipe the blood from his glasses.

"Well..." Rainbow Dash shuddered, observing her soaked armor. "...at least we know we can kill 'em. Logan? Proceed with Operation Weed Whacker." A few seconds later, Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. She looked towards the space at her right. "No, Fluttershy, I don't actually believe that the 'poor thing' felt that. An if it did... then jee-jee... cuz I don't want to live in a universe where something like THAT has feelings..."

Intensely Reaping Malevolent Arborea

Author's Note

https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/759539/brb-again

Intensely Reaping Malevolent Arborea

THWACK!

At the end of his latest axe-swing, Logan leaned back and shouted through his helmet. "Timberrr!"

"Stand back, everypony!" Flynn exclaimed, situated in the center of the glass plate as he gathered his enchanted materials.

In the meantime, no less than four cleaved stalks fell over—thrashing wildly the entire way. They landed in a wet splash, further staining the glass plane where the Herald were assembled.

"Eughhh—huu—huu—huu!" Rarity shivered all over. The hairs on the back of her ghostly neck raised noticeably as she huddled behind Applejack's figure. "Must this sort of an exercise be so... grotesquely moist?"

"It's the only way they can clear enough room to plant them magic rocks, Rarity," Applejack said. "If you dun like it so much, you can just look away—y'know."

"It's so difficult not to watch." Rarity swallowed her nonexistent lunch down. "It is like a carriage crash in slow motion! With a putrid abundance of tomato sauce!"

"Come to think of it..." Pinkie Pie drooled slightly as she watched the tendrils thrashing about after being lopped clean. "...it is starting to resemble a large glass plate of spaghetti."

"Pinkie Pie!" Rarity rolled her eyes. "Honestly!"

"Would itttttttt..." Pinkie squinted. "...would it count as meat-eating just to have a tiny little bite?"

"Reckon t'ain't our problem to worry about," Applejack said. She fidgeted slightly, then looked over at their anchor. "Well... almost."

"Some plants in Equestria are known to metabolize on living insects," Twilight Sparkle said. "Eating them still wouldn't count as being carniverous... even if they are carnivores."

"You hearing all of this, Dashie?" Pinkie Pie looked over, smiling. "Maybe it's a possible way to put din-din on the table!"

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "Say..." She spoke without taking her eyes off the stalks wriggling in their own juices. "...Keps."

Kepler was busy fumbling with a satchel of chemical compounds.

Rainbow's eyes darted his way. "Yoohoo. Dark Side to Kepler."

"Hmmmm?" He looked up swiftly—having to straighten his rattled glasses. "Yes, Rrainbow One?"

"These thingies..." Rainbow pointed. "...you suppose they're edible?"

"Y'know, she makes a fine point," Logan said, wiping his axe clean and preparing for the next swing at the waving forest. "Seems like an awful waste, otherwise. Plus—who knows how many more of these damned things we're going to run into."

"Well, I am cerrtainly not against the idea of taking samples!" Kepler said enthusiastically. "Although—until I perrforrm a close examination—the jurry's still out on whetherr orr not we can considerr these things plants orr animals."

"So what?" Flynn shrugged, sorting through his ingredients. "If we can digest them—we can digest them."

"A prractical attitude, no doubt, brrotherr... but it is not you whom I am chiefly concerrned forr."

Rainbow Dash sighed. "I don't want to put us through any more stress as it is..."

"Nonsense!" Kepler smiled through his tusks. "It would be my pleasure to study these crreaturres up close! Cerrtainly—if nothing else—it shall give me something to do durring the long rride in Flynn's Hoverrplank! Ha-hah!"

"That's Hover Plank Five Thousand," Flynn grumbled.

"Whatever, baldy." Logan looked across the glass plane. "How's it lookin', girl?"

Ariel pointed. "The things stopped wriggling!"

"What's the time?"

"I counted two minutes. Round about." Ariel nodded. "Seems to be the average time it takes."

"Good." Logan turned around and approached the line of living stalks with his axe. "Let's settle on 'two minutes' and get a system started. Clear the area!"

At his prompt, Ariel and Wildcard flew over to the dormant, severed vines. They bundled them together, grabbed opposite ends, and flapped their wings harder as they carried the organic detritus towards a slowly growing pile at the base of the mountain overlooking the living forest.

Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath. "I should be lending them a hoof..."

"Naaaaaah..." Pinkie Pie waved a hoof. "Take five for once, Dashie!"

"Yes! I agree with Pinkie Pie!" Rarity floated closer. "Besides... you've stained your hoof on your fair share of gruesome things. It's more than fitting that you take a vacation, as t'were."

"I'd rather we just get it all over with," Rainbow said. She glanced at Logan as he readied his axe. "The longer we stay here, the more Fluttershy has to suffer."

"Oh, but I'm not suffering, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said.

Rainbow gave her a double-take.

"You're not?" Twilight Sparkle remarked.

"Mmm-mmm." Fluttershy shook her head. "In fact, I'm more than fine."

"But..." Applejack squinted, pointing at the organic fluids drying along the translucent plane's glossy surface. "...them livin' snake-plant-thingies are bein' executed left and right."

"Don't tell us that's not sending your flutter soul into flutter turmoil!" Pinkie Pie stammered.

"It's not," Fluttershy said. She then gulped. "And... that worries me."

"Why's that?" Rainbow Dash asked, staring directly at her.

"Well..." Fluttershy bit her lip. "Ever since Red Barge, I've been able to sense when animals and ponies and griffons pass away. But here? It's... it's not happening. Not with these..." She gestured at the waving forest wall. "...things."

"Don't you feel bad for them, at least?" Pinkie asked.

"Pinkie, don't push it," Rarity said.

"No, it's okay," Fluttershy said gently. "I... can't explain it. But I feel a numbness about us..."

"A 'numbness?'" Twilight Sparkle repeated.

Fluttershy nodded. "Almost like we're being... suffocated by something. Submerged, even. It's... it's making it next to impossible to sense these creatures... or plants... or whatever they would be classified as."

"Do you still sense the Herald and Seraphimus up on the mountain?" Twilight asked.

"Oh! Definitely!" Fluttershy nodded again. "Clear as day!"

"Just not these weird varmints," Applejack droned.

"I'm afraid not. No."

"Come to think of it..." Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin in thought. "...that red floaty farty light isn't coming out of them."

"Huh?"

"Y'know..." Pinkie Pie blinked widedly at the others. "...the lights we saw coming out of Axan and the changeling down in Darkreach? None of that is being released by the demon death weed here. Soooooooooo... how come?"

Rainbow Dash's brow furrowed upon contemplating that. She took a deep breath. "Fluttershy, do me a favor and... I dunno... meditate on all this. Tell me the first moment you actually sense something."

"Absolutely, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said. "You can count on me."

THWACK!

"Timberrrr!"

"Dammit, Big Show." Flynn looked up with a frown. "Do you have to shout that every time you—?!"

Spluttt! The dead cluster of vines landed very close to the stallion, bathing half his face in red juices. His mechanical lens rotated in and out as he sat wet and deadpan.

"Ahem..." Logan leaned on his axe and waited for the latest batch of vines to stop squirming. He smirked at Flynn. "You were saying...?"

Oh Boy Let's Go!

"Okay..." Flynn took a deep breath. He stood on the freshly-cleared swath of land between the edge of the glass plane and the new line of the living vine-forest. "Okay..." He squatted up and down, flexing his legs. "...let's do this."

"You don't need to do calisthenics for a friggin' telekinetic feat, Baldy," Logan groaned, standing next to him with a pile of enchanted rocks balanced across his flank.

"Says you!" Flynn frowned, his lensed eye rotating in and out. "I'm not exactly flipping pancakes here." He pointed at the immense glass plate with his hoof. "Have you any idea... any idea how much this friggin' thing weighs?"

"If it's too much for you, Flynn," Rainbow Dash spoke, standing beside Logan and Ariel with a batch of stones of her own. "I'm certain we can find another way to turn this friggin' thing into a ramp."

"No. I've got this." Flynn took another deep breath. "Could just use less fat-ass antagonizing."

"Meh," Logan meh'd.

"We whole hearrtedly believe in your, brrother," Kepler said with a smile. "You saved Logan and Wildcarrd back at the Gondola—against all odds."

Wildcard nodded vehemently.

"Always appreciated, Keps," Flynn said. He squatted low and narrowed his good eye on the edge of the glass plate. "But sometime's the task is tougher when you know it's lying ahead of you." He inhaled and exhaled, heavily. "Just... be the glass." His horn started glowing. "Don't think about its alien make-up or inexplicable existence here... just be it."

"In other words, less thinking and more lifting." Logan snorted. "We ain't got all day, buddy."

"Take your time, Flynn," Rainbow said, her voice growling a bit so that Logan could hear it.

"Everypony know their places?" Ariel asked.

"Yeah," Logan exhaled.

Wildcard gave a metal thumb's up.

"Okay..." Flynn exercised his lungs yet again. "Here goes." His horn glowed brighter and brighter.

Twilight hovered beside Rainbow Dash. "What the poor fellow needs is some sort of mantra."

Rarity looked over. "To concentrate better?"

Twilight nodded. "I know it sound silly, but doing that used to help me when I was just starting at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns."

"'Azure Metrosexual Synthetic Oats!'" Pinkie Pie chanted.

Fluttershy giggled.

"Mrngggggggggrh—!" Flynn clenched his teeth and—

Flaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaash!

Bright blue light emanated outward in every direction. After a blinding strobe, Rainbow and the rest saw the Curveside end of the glass plate lifting dramatically.

"Whoah nelly!" Applejack visibly flinched in mid-hover. "That's a heck of a lot faster than I expected!"

"Impressive!" Twilight Sparkle grinned wide.

"Scary!" Fluttershy grimaced. "His poor head!"

"Let's not put it to waste!" Rainbow Dash gestured to Ariel and Wildcard. "Okay—move it, ponies!"

Sw-Sw-Swoosh! Three bodies swiftly flew in, hovering beside Flynn. They watched as the glass plane tilted higher and higher. Flecks of dirt and stone pebbles rattled in a dusty cascade all across the belly of the raised object. An arid earth that hadn't been exposed for years suddenly presented itself—unhindered—along the fringes of a forest of waving stalks. Rainbow half-expected a colony of spiders, pill bugs, and worms to go scrawling in every direction. Inevitably, the landscape of the Dark Side was just as dead beneath the plate of glass as it was above.

"Okay..." Flynn gnashed his teeth as sparks flew from his horn. "There... there!" His knees locked in place. At that very same moment, the plate stopped lifting up. The glass structure stood in place at a forty-five degree angle. The strain of the effort was visible on the stallion's sweating features. "Better hurry..."

"Don't need to tell us twice!" Ariel exclaimed, already slapping the stones against the underside of the lifted plate. A carefully administered adhesive worked to keep them locked in place. "We got your back, Flynn! This won't take long!"

"Careful!" Rainbow hissed, glancing aside at Ariel and Wildcard as she placed her own rocks along the underside. "Place them equally apart! Along the lip! Along the lip!"

Wildcard nodded, continuing to place his own allotment of glowing stones across the glossy surface.

"Whew..." Flynn grunted out the sides of his muzzle. Little by little, his limbs began to wobble. "...whewwwwww boy... gonna be feeling this up and down my spine for days."

"Just hold it in like a stallion, Baldy," Logan belched. "You've got this."

"You know..." Kepler shuffled to a stop beside the large stallion and peered at the work being done. He rubbed his hairy chin. "...I still have my alchemic materrials. If need be, I could still utilize a jarr of fierry concoction to clearr the edges of this most alien forrest."

"We've cleared enough, Keps, thank you."

"It's only that the stalks appearr awfully close to the edges of the would-be rramp, and should the situation unfold undesirrably—"

"Could you save it for a time when our only magic macguffin with legs isn't about to suffer a brain hernia?"

"Ahem." With a nervous smile, Kepler backed up. "Duly noted, brrotherr!"

"Hey...!" Logan spoke loudly. "Could you three buttholes hurry it up?! Kepler's having to fill for time!"

"First batch applied!" Ariel shouted.

"Good!" Rainbow placed the last of her rocks and threw a glance at Wildcard. "Second batch!"

With a joined breath, all three skirted out from underneath the lifted plate and over to Logan. They grabbed equal shares of the rocks balanced on the large earth pony's flank, then zipped back to the plate's underside to finish the application.

"Rrrrrrrrgh..." Flynn was sweating profusely at this point. Every joint in his body quivered as more and more sparks flew from his horn. "...st-starting to see st-stars here!"

"He's gonna poppppppp!" Pinkie squeaked.

"Oh goodness—!" Fluttershy covered her ghostly eyes.

"Get 'er done, Rainbow!" Applejack barked.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaand..." Rainbow slapped in the last of the faintly-glowing rocks. "There!"

"Me too!" Ariel wheezed.

Wildcard scurried to place two more stones in place. He flew backwards from the plate, exhaling.

"We're good, Flynn!" Rainbow shouted as the three hovered above him. "Let 'er go!"

"But are you sure that—?!" Flynn began to whimper.

"The rocks are in place! We're all clear! Drop it!"

"Here goes!" Flynn spat as he released everything.

The entire Herald winced, expecting a thunderous clap or something. They were rewarded with glorious silence, followed by a low-pitched hum. All eyes locked on the plate—which loomed above them, pointing gloriously towards the heavens at a forty-five degree angle.

It remained in place.

"Woohooo!" Pinkie Pie cheered.

"It worked!" Twilight Sparkle hopped multiple times in place. "It worked it worked it worked!"

"Did..." Flynn slumped down on his belly. "...did it work?"

"Relax your tits, dude." Logan marched over with a lazy smirk. "It worked."

Flynn squinted his one good eye open. Upon seeing the magical accomplishment, he slumped back onto his chin. "Praise the succulent science goddesses..."

"Yeah yeah..." Logan heaved the unicorn's limp body over his flank and steadied him in place. "At least you're not a hairy puddle." He turned to look at the others. "Well...?"

Wildcard hand-signed.

"I'm afrraid we haven't verry long, now," Kepler said. "As Flynn explained it to me, therre's prrecious little time until the enchantment in the rrocks fades completely."

"In other words, we gotta use the ramp now while we can," Rainbow said.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Ariel flew up the mountain from which they came in a gray blur.

"Get me back to the Hover Plank Five Thousand..." Flynn gulped. "...I gotta pilot the thing before I pass out."

"Don't be such a panty-waist," Logan grumbled, marching up the rocks. "Think of this day as something you can boast proudly about to your kids."

"You... actually think... I'm capable... of offspring..." Flynn sweated and panted as he lay across Logan's back. A weak smile graced his muzzle. "...ya sentimental bastard..."

"I didn't say they'd be mine." Logan sighed long and hard. "You compliment a nerd once and the next thing you know you're buying curtains..."

Seraphimus sat quietly in the back of the wagon. Dispassionately, she eyed a bundle of deceased stalks that had been roped together—salvaged from the last few hours of the Herald's "deforestation" of the alien landscape below. As she heard wingflaps and hoofsteps, she glanced up.

Ariel reached the wagon first, followed soon after by Rainbow Dash.

"Alright! I've got starboard side!"

"Good girl." Rainbow squatted on the left edge of the wagon overlooking the mountain slope and glass plate below. "Port side for me." Rainbow hollered into the air. "Wildcard?! You good with the stern once again?!"

Swooooosh! Wildcard landed next to Seraphimus. The Desperado gave Rainbow his trademark thumb's up.

"You know, you're a lot easier to understand when you've got two arms," Rainbow said with a smirk.

Wildcard smiled back and then settled into place.

Seraphimus—in the meantime—looked lethargically from the slope back to Rainbow. "I see that you got your illustrious 'ramp' lifted."

"Eeyup." Rainbow nodded. "No thanks to you."

"... ... ...how could I have helped? I've been sitting up here on this Goddess-forsaken carriage, limbs bound like they have been for the past untold weeks."

"Hah!" Ariel scoffed. "Like you actually would have helped us if we removed those shackles!"

Seraphimus exhaled. "I would not have been opposed to assisting in this latest endeavor."

Twilight Sparkle and Rarity exchanged glances.

Rainbow glanced at Ariel, then squinted over at Seraphimus. "What are you trying to say...?"

"Wait for it..." Applejack droned.

Seraphimus calmly spoke: "It is abundantly clear that this will only lead to everypony's swift and catastrophic demise. If I could actually lend a talon... then it would make this interminable existence cease all the more swiftly."

Applejack smiled bittery. "And there ya have it."

Rainbow sighed heavily. "Was there ever a day when you weren't a emo death penguin with broken knees?"

"Your hyperbole eludes me."

"Everything eludes you!" Rainbow Dash spat. "Hope! Courage! Sincerity! Joy! The simple instinct to survive!" She gnashed her teeth. "Heck, I bet back in Rohbredden the friggin' sunlight did backflips to avoid touching your glacially unfeeling neckfeathers!"

"Any hope for grasping the light of righteous existence faded long before we entered this dreaded domain," Seraphimus grumbled. "The least you can do is admit it—for yourself and for your companions."

"Whew, boy!" Rainbow shook her head with a limp smile. "Y'know, Sera, sometimes I wish you were around back when I was with the Jury. Your attitude would have made those cold, dreary days following Lerris rosy and sparkling by comparison!"

"I... have no idea what any of that means!" Ariel said, nevertheless frowning. "But Rainbow's totally right!"

Seraphimus was too busy frowning in a sea of rising crestfeathers. "Do not call me 'Sera.'"

"What's this?" Logan marched up to the wagon with a smirk. "Did Rainbow finally find a Right Button of Verlaxion to push?" A dull chuckle. "And after all the work I did to find out on my own."

"Ignore her, Big Show," Rainbow muttered. "She's being the usual stick in the mud."

"Morre akin to a cedarr trrunk if you ask me!" Kepler smiled as he mounted the carriage. "Ha-hah!"

Wildcard sighed and gestured.

"Yeah yeah... we're ready to go," Logan said. "Just need the ignition key." That said, he unceremoniously threw Flynn onto the wagon.

Whump!

"Ooof!" Flynn winced all over, rubbing his sparkling horn. "Dammit... B-Big Show..."

"Strap in, Baldy." Logan hopped into the middle of the vehicle, making the whole plank sag on its levitation field. "Time for the World's Craziest Downhill Derby."

"Left my friggin' soap box at home..." Flynn sat in place, took a deep breath, then spoke over his shoulder. "All good to go, Rainbow Dash. The ramp's only going to last for a few more minutes. Waiting on your signal."

"It's now or never, Rainbow," Twilight said.

"Twi... please..." Rainbow took up her position yet again on the left side of the wagon, parallel to Ariel. "It's times like these when we take a moment to soak up the awesomeness of the heroics to come."

"You are going to fail epically and it will cost the lives of everypony you care about," Seraphimus droned.

"Oh boy!" Rainbow smiled crookedly, throwing her hoof forward. "Let's go!"

Flight of the Plank

"Have we all learned from last time?" Logan droned.

"Right." Flynn rubbed his skull, preparing for the extra strain ahead. The stallion's mechanical eye rotated in and out as he focused on the looming drop ahead... and the partially lifted "ramp" of glass below. "Channel 'forward' with the lunar command. Descend. Hit the ramp. Gain air. Then shout it back into 'neutral' once we're airborne."

"And rride it out!" Kepler interjected.

"Precisely."

Twilight Sparkle nodded, looking at her anchor. "Sounds about right."

"Good on us for having a plan." Rainbow Dash looked towards the rear of the cart. "Wildcard? You ready, buddy?"

The Desperado nodded.

"Just shout the side and we'll flap our wings accordingly!" Ariel said.

"Hopefully we won't have to do too much of that," Rainbow said. "This is going to be—like—ten times the momentum of our trip off Darkreach's mesa."

"In theorry..." Kepler said.

Rainbow exhaled slowly. "Uh huh..."

"Wow..." Fluttershy blinked. "When Kepler sounds pessimistic, maybe we should be worried."

"Nawww..." Applejack shook her head. "The wyvern's just bein' careful."

"But he is scared?"

"I didn't say he was scared," Applejack said.

Fluttershy gulped. "Am I scared?"

Applejack blinked. "... ... ...I didn't say you were scared."

"Shut send it already!" Pinkie Pie squawked.

Rainbow threw her hoof forward. "Let 'er rip, Flynn!"

The balding unicorn took a deep breath. "This one's called the juicy-lucy." With that stated, he tightened his limbs, aimed his horn downhill, and shouted: "M'shrynmh L'fynym!"

Vrmmmmmmm...

The Hover Plank drifted forward. The mountain's edge had a slight cleft to it, meaning the vehicle had to clear a tiny ridge before the ultimate plunge.

"Woohoooo!" Pinkie Pie flailed her forelimbs. "Here we goooo!"

"Ohhhhhh...!" Rarity flew sideways until she was snuggly her grimacing expression deep into Fluffershy's chest. "Oh how I do hate roller coasters!"

"It'll be over before you know it!" Rainbow said.

"I'm not scared!" Ariel bounced back.

"Talking to my friends!"

"They're ghosts!" Ariel's voice cracked. "What do they have to be freaked out about?"

"I thought you weren't freaked out!"

"I'm not!"

"Shhhhhh!" Logan hissed, eyes locked on the drop ahead. "Will ya save your rowdy make-out session for later, girls?! We've got some crazy business to attend to here!"

Just as he said this, the hovercraft hit the final crest of the cliffside. Dirt and dust flew under the hum of burning leylines.

"Descending—!" Flynn shouted.

The drop was far more savage than even Rainbow Dash had expected. As soon as the vehicle rounded the crest, it sped up by a factor of ten. The steep slope combined with the forward acceleration of the enchanted lunar stones made for a positively exhilirating plummet. If it weren't for the weight distribution and the counterbalancing stones that Flynn had installed in all the right places, Rainbow was certain the entire wagon would have flipped over.

"Are we sliding or falling?!?" Ariel could be heard yelping.

"It rremains to be deterrmined!" Kepler barked to the whipping winds. "In eitherr case, we arre achieving positive momentum!"

"Flynn!" Rainbow leaned forward against the painful breeze. "Do you see the ramp?!"

"We're headed straight for it!" the pony at the head of the wagon shouted.

"Are we even or do we have to compensate—?!"

"We're good!" Flynn shouted. "We're good we're good we're—"

Logan's dark brown eyes reflected the starlight glinting off the raised plate. As they rushed straight for the ramp, his ears drooped noticeably. "Awwwwwwwwww shit—"

Wildcard whistled shrilly.

"Lean back!" Kepler hollered, doing just that in the process. "This shall be most intense!"

"Here it comes!" Twilight shouted—for the sake of shouting.

Rocks and pebbles flew into the air in mirroring waves on either side of the wagon as it cleared the last length of the slope. At long last, the vehicle hit ground level. A heartbeat later, it struck the glass ramp. The moment was startling—a violent jerk for the ages. The only thing more frightening than the sheer force of impact was the absolute lack of sound as the enchanted stones along the bottom of the craft stopped spraying debris everywhere. For half-a-blink, there was nothing but mana and glass. Then—everything was air. Followed by starlight.

FWOOOOOOOSH!

The blood returned back to Rainbow's ears. She squinted, eyes tearing from the sheer force of their ascent. The launch was hauntingly efficient, so that she felt that herself and the entire Herald had been reduced to a single, weightless cannonball.

The reality—of course—was far more harrowing. Rainbow needed a few breaths to regain her wits. By the time she saw the sloping horizon disappearing beyond the edges of the wagon, her ears filled with the shrieks of Fluttershy and Rarity.

"Dang it!" Rainbow spat. "AJ! Calm 'em down!"

"Shhhh!" Applejack wrapped her forelimbs around the other two ghostly mares. "Simmer down, y'all! Rainbow needs to concentrate—" She winced as a burning friction emanated from below the wagon. "Whoah nelly!"

"Rainbow!" Twilight Sparkle shouted. "The lunar rocks!"

Rainbow threw her voice to the front of the wagon. "Flynn—!"

But the unicorn was already shouting to the glowing materials below them. "M'shrynmh Thymmk!"

The rising heat swiftly cooled off. Already, the wagon jerked with violent turbulence, threatening to stall.

"We need to maintain momentum!" Logan shouted.

"Wildcard!" Rainbow hollered over her shoulder.

The Desperado took a deep breath. Gripping the back of the wagon, he extended both wings and began flapping violently.

"Ariel!" Rainbow stretched her left wing out. "Right and left sides! Glide!"

"Got it!" Ariel extended her right wing feathers.

The vehicle was saved from a full-on stall. The turbulence dwindled, and suddenly it felt like they were neither falling or flying. For a brief moment, everything but Curveside was full of stars. Rainbow knew that the wagon was sailing somewhere, but she could no longer account for a horizon to properly judge.

"Verlaxion's sleet..." A certain griffin stammered from the back.

"Ha-hah!" Kepler smiled through his tusks. "Quite imprroperr to use herr name in vain, yes?"

"We are going to perish," Seraphimus wheezed.

"Oh get off your butt spurs," Logan grunted. "We are not going to die." The large stallion took one pale look over the side of the wagon. "... ... ...holy shit, she's right."

"Sit in the center!" Flynn growled over his shoulder.

"Baldy! Look! We're sailing straight for the ground—"

"Sit your fat ass in the center!" Flynn bellowed louder. After Logan actually acquiesced, the unicorn calmly spoke: "What you think is the ground is actually Curveside. We're sailing out over the ground just as Rainbow and I predicted."

"You mean..." Seraphimus squinted. "...this chaotic plan actually worked?"

"That's right." Flynn huffed. "So stuff that in your beak and huff it."

"Woohoo!" Pinkie Pie spun ghostly circles in the air. "A chaotic plan for a chaotic plane!"

"We..." Fluttershy and Rarity peaked up from beneath Applejack's forelimbs. "We did it?"

"See?" Applejack smiled. "Now why do y'all have to go and doubt Rainbow like that?"

"I'll be damned," Logan said with a grizzled smirk. "It's like flying a fart into the heavens."

Rainbow nodded. "Couldn't put it more poetically myself." She took the time to look over the port side of the wagon. The forest of living stalks resembled seaweed beneath deep bay water. "Luna Poop... will you look at that...?" She looked behind her shoulder and past Wildcard. The mountain they had used to slide down was growing into a dark silhouette. "Ha! Will you look at that?! Hah hah hah!"

"Excelsiorr!" Kepler cheered.

"Heeeeeeeeeey..." Ariel grinned wide. "You gotta love it when everything works out perfectly for once!" Just as she said this, a swift and sharp object flew wildly past her head, scarcely piercing the winds. The pegasus wouldn't have noticed—had it not been for the billowing of her mane and wingfeathers. She blinked. Hard.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Twilight Sparkle peered.

"What was that?" Logan exhaled.

Ariel looked wildly into the heavens. Sure enough, something was blotting out a patch of starlight. Seconds later, it was falling just as swiftly as it had flown skyward.

"Is... is something out here trying to intercept us?" Rainbow Dash remarked. She looked at Fluttershy. "Some sort of flying creature? A chaotic bird of prey?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "No, Rainbow! All I'm sensing out here is the stalks beneath us!"

Just as she said this, another object flew up—far closer this time.

FWOOOOOOOSH!

"Guh!" Flynn stammered as the entire vehicle wobbled in mid-glide from the disrupted air.

Wildcard winced, struggling to maintain momentum at the rear.

"Counterbalance!" Ariel shrieked.

"You're good! You're good!" Rainbow's voice cracked, flapping her wing. "It's my side!"

"Okay!"

Within seconds, the two pegasi had compensated for the turbulence, easing Wildcard's task.

"The Hell is going on?!" Logan exclaimed.

"Something is being launched towards us," Seraphimus droned. "From below."

"No... no..." Rainbow Dash shook her head. "It's gotta be some freaky monster crap."

"I'm telling you, Rainbow!" Fluttershy squeaked. "Whatever it is—it's not alive!"

"They're rocks, darling," Rarity said.

Applejack and Twilight gave her a double-take.

"Rocks?!?" Applejack burped.

"Mmmm..." Rarity hugged Fluttershy close, trembling. "...mmm-hmmm."

"But... but how...?" Twilight gazed straight down. Her pupils instantly shrank.

Rainbow looked too... and that was when she spotted three dozen stalks twirling around to become one tentacle. With otherworldly coordination, the tendrils grasped a random boulder lying in the valley far below, coiled up, and whipped skyward, unfurling—

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh!" Pinkie cooed, casually gazing upside down from where she hovered above Rainbow. "So that explains the flutter in my pancreas!" She cupped her muzzle and shouted. "IT'S A LONG DRIVE TO CENTER FIELD!"

Seraphimus squinted coldly across the wagon. "...you were saying about your 'plan?'"

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

"Right side!" Rainbow hollered, leaning into Logan and Kepler. "Right side!!!"

"Gaaaaaaaah!" Ariel yelped as she flapped her wings.

The wagon tilted sharply in a desperate attempt to dodge the incoming boulder...

Goddess Damn It, Girl...

Literal thunder rocked the air as the speed of the boulder threw the wagon off-course.

Flynn hissed into the effort he took to steady the veering craft. Inevitably—from Rainbow's and Ariel's evasive wing-flapping—the entire wagon took a sharp turn, sailing violently towards Alpha.

"Steady it!" Logan shouted. "Steady it towards Curveside, dammit!"

"We're... tr-trying...!" Ariel squeaked.

"Deep brreaths!" Kepler shouted, flexing his wings to help evenly distribute his own weight atop the rocking craft. The hair blew at his shaggy neck hairs. "Deep brreaths and concentrrate, frriends!"

"Easy... easy!" Rainbow Dash snarled, flapping her left feathers hard. After much effort, she and Ariel were finally able to angle the wagon evenly towards the bent horizon. "Level it out! Wildcard?!?"

The Desperado in the back exhaled heavily, then gave a metal thumb's up as he regained forward thrust with his wings.

"But now we're aimed towards Alpha!" Ariel exclaimed.

"It's okay!" Rainbow panted, eyes darting about as she surveyed the increasingly chaotic situation. "We can pivot it! Just... just... g-give me a second to think—!"

FWOOOOOOOOOOSH! Another boulder flew violently close.

"That one nearly hit us!" Rarity yelped.

"Cheese and crackers!" Flynn wheezed. "Are they getting closer?!"

"The vines are compensating," Seraphimus droned. Her manacles rattled as she calmly eyed the waving forest beneath the rapidly gliding carriage. "They're using more and more stalks to get better shots at the craft."

"But friggin' how?!?" Rainbow Dash barked. "Since when could these stupid things pull a collaborative chess game on our flanks?!"

"It doesn't matter." Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. "Fact is—the rocks are sailing closer. In a matter of time, we'll be struck. The wagon will be dashed to pieces and half of us will fall to a gory death."

"I'm not on board the whole 'falling-to-a-gory-death' part!" Ariel exclaimed.

"Girl, you've got wings," Logan grunted.

"At this rate I'll have half of one!" Ariel shrieked, struggling to keep the vessel gliding forward with her feathers stretched out. "Rrrrrrrrngh!"

"Okay... okay!" Rainbow Dash wheezed. "Everypony calm down!" She looked towards the front of the vessel, squinting into the whipping winds. "Do you see the edge of the forest?!?"

Flynn's mechanical eye whirred in place. "I believe so...!"

"How long until we've passed over it?"

"It'd be a lot better if we were still facing Curveside!" Flynn shouted. "There's less of it than there is towards Alpha!"

"Then we gotta swing this dayum thing back towards the right!" Logan hollered. "P.D.Q! Pussies Don't Quit!"

"Negative," Seraphimus grunted, struggling to stay upright across the rattling wagon. "Altering our trajectory will only slow the wagon's descent even further. We'll never make it to the forest's edge."

"Oh horse hockey!" Rainbow spat. "You're just trying to put a damper in this like always—"

"She's not wrong, Rainbow!" Flynn's voice cracked.

"Buh?"

"We lost a lot of air with those last few dodges!" Flynn exclaimed. "I'm afraid the murder chicken's right! If we mess with the current trajectory too much—"

"Well we can't just give in to the plunge!" Logan snarled. "Not after all we've been through!"

"Actually, you can and you should," Seraphimus said.

"Huh?!"

Her charcoal eyes focused on the next boulder being prepped below. "If we struggle to re-orient the craft, we'll only be smashed to bits by the projectiles and lose all on board. However... if we accept the situation and allow the vessel to descend into the stalks—the wagon will be consumed while those of us with wings can still make a flying leap for the outer edge of the forest."

"Yeah?!" Logan frowned. "And what about those of us who can't fly?!"

Seraphimus merely shrugged. "May Verlaxion have mercy on your blighted souls."

"I don't like the sound of that," Pinkie mewled. "And not just because it's unsexy!"

"Sera..." Rainbow gnashed her teeth. "If for one second you think I'm gonna sacrifice the lives of my friends just so a few of us can make it free—"

"I do not see how you have a choice," Seraphimus said.

"Sugarcube!" Applejack's voice warbled through the turbulent air. "You'd better pay attention to—"

Wildcard whistled shrilly.

"Incoming!" Rarity shrieked.

Rainbow's ears already whistled with the next incoming projectile.

"Quick! Quick!" Rainbow flapped her left wing in desperation. "We gotta dodge!"

"Dodge where?!" Ariel's voice cracked.

"Starrboarrd side!" Kepler hollered. "It's flying towarrds ourr rright side—!"

No sooner could the Wyvern finish when—

CLANK!

The next tossed boulder clipped the right side of the craft. Miraculously, the wagon remained in one piece. Not so miraculously, however—

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaauughhh!" Ariel was jolted savagely. With a burst of air, the pegasus was knocked cleanly off the craft. She could be seen plunging like a gray brick towards the ravenous stalks below.

"Oh no!" Fluttershy shrieked.

"Ariel!" Flynn hollered, horn strobing. "Ariel's in danger!"

Logan spat: "What, again?!?"

Whip It Real Good

"Blast!" Kepler hissed through his tusks. The wyvern had to grip a strapped crate in the middle of the wagon to keep from being flung violently off the careening hovercraft. "Arriel!" He threw a worried look over his shoulder. "Wherre in heaven's name did she get thrrown to?!"

"I-I can't see!" Flynn stammered, struggling to reorient the craft. The thrown boulder fell back down from its arch, landing in a thunderous slam against a random rock formation below. Channeling magic, the unicorn stallion struggled to maintain forward momentum. "She was spinning like crazy, though! I dunno if she can catch air in time to avoid the stalks below!"

"Now Rainbow..." Logan grunted, being thrown left and right. "I know you care for every member of the Herald, but stay level-headed! Whatever you do, don't go flying blindly off in some ill-farted attempt to save—"

"Hold on, Ariel!" Rainbow Dash dove clear off the starboard side, wings spread. "I'm coming!" Fwoooooooooosh! She glided into the twirling madness below.

"Oh goddess damn it!" Logan hollered as the vessels pun even more crazily. "Rrrrnngh—Wildcard?!?"

Naturally, the Desperado didn't respond. He struggled to balance the craft, throwing both wings into the act. The strain was evident on his feathered face, and bulbs of sweat ran wildly past the straps of his dark goggles. He flexed both wings from the back of the wagon as the craft spun and spun and spun and—

Swoooooooooooooooosh! Rainbow Dash plunged into the great dark. As her eyes twitched to make sense of the vomitous dive, a sea of deathly waving stalks came into focus directly below. They grew closer with alarming speed.

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight Sparkle's voice cracked as she and her fellow friends barreled after their anchor. "Don't you ever listen?!"

"Just drop it, Twilight!" Rarity's voice cracked. "We have a pegasus to rescue!"

"Ohhhhhhhhhh boyoooooooooooooo!" Pinkie's voice warbled as her entire body vibrated.

"The stalks!" Twilight flashed Pinkie a look. "They're attacking, aren't they?! From what angle?"

Pinkie pointed... with all four limbs... in every direction.

Thw-Thw-Thw-Thw-Thwpppppp! An explosive briar patch of red tendrils flew hungrily straight for Rainbow's plunging body.

"Look out!" Rarity shouted—

"Htttt—!" Rainbow Dash was already pulling up. She twirled upside down and re-angled her wings for good measure. She ascended just inches above the lashing plant tongues.

Th-th-th-th-th-thapppp! The living whips struck nothing but air. A few of Rainbow's tail hairs sacrificed themselves to the claps of thunder, and soon she was ascending again, outflying the collective aim of the hive-minded probisci.

The omega horizon straightened out—as curved as it was—and Rainbow found a diarrheic assortment of limestone rocks winding and curving above the living forest ahead of her. Several chunks of the porous formations had been ripped clean, bouncing and flouncing in the grip of the forest's summit.

"Well..." Twilight Sparkle wheezed. "...now we know where they got the boulders from!"

"Who cares?!" Applejack looked all around. "Where in the hay is Ariel?!"

"Fluttershy—?" Rarity looked over.

"Shhhhhh..." Fluttershy's eyes were clenched shut. "I'm searching..."

Ahead of Rainbow's flight, a veritable river of tentacles converged on a large boulder, ripped it to a dozen pieces, and armed themselves with an artillery line of skull-crushing stones.

"Coulllllllld you search faster, darling?" Rarity purred intensely.

Almost immediately, Fluttershy's turquoise eyes flew open. She pointed a yellow hoof upwards. "There!"

"... ... ...!" Rainbow tilted her gaze up.

A dizzy pegasus with a tell-tale gray coat sat—perched limply—atop a distant cleft of limestone overlooking the waving forest. Her eyes rocked from obvious disorientation, and her wings hung limply at her sides.

"Flighty femme at nine o'clock!" Pinkie Pie squawked.

"I'm there," Rainbow grunted, and—THWOOOOOOOOOSH! She sailed thunderously forward, ascending towards the loop of limestone.

"Rainbow! Look out!" Twilight shrieked. "The boulders—"

"Incomin'!" Applejack shouted, for the vines were already tossing their murderous ammo.

Thw-Thw-Thw-Thw-Thw-Thwooosh!

Fluttershy and Rarity shrieked.

Rainbow didn't. With a determined scowl, she weaved up and down, left and right, spiraling past air-burning arcs of stone and granite. One grazed her shoulder. She spun blurriedly from the impact—all of her friends gasping—but then she evened herself back out. With a massive flap of her wings, she roared ahead, outflying the next bevvy of rocks being thrown her way.

Swoooooooosh!

Ariel scarcely had a time to take one dizzied look from where she lay draped. Rainbow Dash was already upon her. Thwummmp! She scooped the mare up in both forelimbs and ascended rapidly. Milliseconds later—

SMASSSSSSH! No less than six clusters of tentacles slammed into the perch from opposite sides, rendering it to pebbles and dust beneath the two fleeing pegasi.

"Whoah nelly!" Applejack stammered.

"It... was a tr-trap!" Fluttershy yelped.

"It's like—somehow—they all knew Rainbow would be drawn in!" Applejack exclaimed. "They was waitin' for her! They didn't want only Ariel!"

The moment wasn't lost to the Heraldite in question. She took one squinting glance down and clung even tighter to Rainbow Dash. "Holy sh-shit!"

"Yeah." Rainbow nodded, wheezing in spite of her stern expression. The petite mare carried Ariel effortlessly skyward, into the starlight. "Doesn't get much holier."

"Oh jeez..." Ariel clenched her eyes shut and hissed through her teeth. "Dammit!"

"What?"

"I sw-swear..." The mare in Rainbow's arms pouted. "I'm not doing this on purpose! I'm not trying to be the damsel-in-distress all the time! It frickin' sucks!"

"Don't worry, girl." Rainbow managed a sweaty grin. "It's not your fault."

Ariel blinked at her. "Then whose is it?"

Rainbow stumbled for a reply.

Just then...

"Daa-aa-aashiiiie!" Pinkie Pie squealed.

"???" Rainbow Dash looked below her... and instantly regretted it.

A fine red mist juicily lit the air above the forest. At first, it was difficult to tell why... until Rainbow realized that several of the stalks were outright ripping their twitching siblings out from the roots. Working together, the stalks formed a solid chain of detached vines... and then flung them upwards like an elongated whip.

"Uhhhh..." Pinkie went stone-faced. "Move?!?!?"

"Rainbow—!" Ariel started to shriek.

"Fly!" Rainbow tossed the pegasus clear from her grip and flapped her wings, sailing backwards. "Split up before—!"

It was too late. The elongated coil of dead stalks ripped its way through the air between both mares...

...and wrapped around Rainbow's lower left leg.

"Guhhh!" Rainbow yelped as she was dragged back towards the hungry earth below.

Trust and Dash Distress

As Rainbow Dash's body plunged in the distance, roped by vines...

...Flynn was starting to hyperventilate from where he piloted the doomed wagon.

"I c-can't... c-can't keep her even!" The unicorn yelped, his mechanical eye whurring as he telekinetically fought with the aircraft.

"Dude, calm down!" Logan barked. "Are we falling?!"

"We haven't stopped falling, fatass!"

"Don't you yell at me!"

"We've got no god to yell at! So you'll have to do!" Flynn nervously glanced at the curved horizon bowing past his vision. The death stalks were coming so close that he could almost hear their chitinous orifices snapping. "Wildcard! For buck's sake! You gotta steady us!"

The Desperado in question was a sweating mess of molting feathers at this point.

"He's doing his best!" Kepler shouted. "Maybe if I lent a wing—?!"

"With those leathery scraps?!" Logan hissed, struggling to stay upright as the wagon spun and spun. "Sorry, bro, but you'd snap in half!"

"Then does anypony have a betterr plan?"

Seraphimus leaned forward, facing Logan. "Break my bindings!"

Logan blinked.

Flynn barked over his shoulder, "Are you friggin' crazy, lady?!"

Seraphimus huffed, frowning. "Just my wings! Never mind my talons!"

"Not on your life!" Flynn wheezed. "We'd be better off tossing you to the vines for distraction—"

"Baldy, shut up!" Logan squinted at Seraphimus. "Can you balance this bitch out?"

"Dude!" Flynn fussed and struggled with the craft, horn strobing. "You'd have to uncuff her from the craft too! Don't do it!"

Seraphimus snorted. "After all the absurd scrapes you fools have been through, do you really wish to perish from pride?"

Logan took a deep breath. He looked towards the back of the wagon. "Double-yoo?"

Wildcard looked back. Panting, the Desperado clenched his beak... ... ...and nodded.

"Big Show..." Flynn droned.

The large stallion in the center inhaled thoughtfully. Then—with a grip of his axe—

Cl-Clakkkk!

The manacles binding Seraphimus' wings flew into the spiraling air.

Clank!

Followed by the hoofcuffs anchoring her to the wagon.

"There—!" Logan shouted. "Now just—"

Seraphimus immediately took off, going airborne.

Logan's eyes twitched.

"Dammit to Hell—!" Flynn cursed.

Th-Thwppp! Seraphimus stretched her wings out, took a breath, and threw herself downward in a silver streak. Thwooooooosh! She made a perfect landing on the wagon's port side. Cl-Clankkk! Her bound claws stuck into the metal rim with an iron grip. Tail-lashing, she threw a look over her shoulder. "Jordan! Time is of the essence!"

Wildcard nodded. With much relief, he abandoned the rear of the craft and scurried up to starboard side.

Flynn shook. "This is the stupidest idea in the history of stupid ideas—"

"We have farr morre prressing concerrns at the moment, brrotherr!" Wyvern interjected. He looked at the two griffins. "Forr Goddess' sake, frriends, flap those wings!"

The two former Talon members shared one mutual look. Then—with precise mental timing—they stretched their wings out and flapped their feathers strongly. It took several cases of minute adjustment, but they were ultimately able to stop the wagon's maddening plunge.

Flynn breathed easier and easier, his mechanical eye adjusting on the dark curve ahead as it finally stayed in place.

"Baldy..." Logan growled. "Get us moving or I'm gonna strangle your neck."

"I-I think I have a path!" Flynn stammered. Several looping and curved limestone formations came into place. He gulped. "But not for long!"

"Regain momentum!" Seraphimus shouted. Her charcoal brown eyes focused on the obstacles ahead. "Pick up speed! We will adjust course when necessary!"

Wildcard breathed and breathed. As the wagon coasted over the waving stalks, he cast a brief, forlorn look to where he last saw Rainbow...

...who was now currently being dragged earthward by a tether of dead stalks.

Her eyes rolled from the bloodrush of the maddening plunge. When she finally collected herself, she threw her gaze sideways—seeing the living summit of a ravenous forest sailing into her peripheral.

"Awwwwwwwwww Luna Poop."

It was the least graceful thing to say upon a chaotic death—Rainbow thought. Soon, he wasn't thinking about much else... for the rest of the stalks greeted her plunge with a bevy of scarlet tongues lashing skyward... and wrapping around her fuzzy limbs.

Thw-Thw-Thw-Thw-Thwppp!

"Grnnnngh!" Rainbow Dash hissed, straining and sweating. She was being tugged apart in every direction by a dense mess of tentacles. The most horrifying thought was that the pressure hadn't yet been applied, and any second she would be ripped to shreds.

To say the least, her friends were hysterical.

"Rainbow!"

"No!"

"Dashie!"

"Rainbow, darling, you must fight it!"

"Fly, Rainbow, fly!"

"Dun let these varmints take you, sugarcube!"

"Please, Rainbow! You have to get out of their grip!"

Rainbow's eyes narrowed to the sight of ghostly colors swimming a frightened orbit around her. She fought and struggled—but the tendrils only tugged harder. "Grkkkkk... mrmmffff..." Tears formed along her muzzle. In their saline reflection, a pair of red-on-yellow eyes flickered... accompanied by cackling grin.

"You're too small, Sparky. Maybe they'll toss you back in?"

"Ohhhhhhhh go buck yourself already," Rainbow hissed.

She regretted saying that instantly, for Fluttershy's pained voice responded: "R-Rainbow...?"

Rainbow gulped, struggling for a far less caustic pair of "final words" to impart. At long last, she wheezed: "Grilled... cheese...?"

Then, from the heavens—

"Let. Her. Go!!!"

"Awwwwwwwwwwww buck..." Applejack slurred.

Rainbow squinted one eye open.

A winged shadow blotted out the sky, sailing downwards like a gray missile. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!" Ariel sailed at the stalks holding Rainbow with a murderous drop kick.

"Yes!" Rarity cheered. "Of course! A smashing rescue!"

Swoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh! Ariel flew straight into the tentacles...

...and bounced right off. THUMP!

"... ... ..." Rarity blinked. "...bollocks."

"Grghhgghghghhhhgghhh!" Ariel wobbled in mid-air, eyes rattling.

Thw-Thw-Thwppp! An entertwining loop of vines snaked around each other and flanked the Heraldite.

Muscles straining, Rainbow wheezed loudly: "Girl—!"

Ariel saw it. She dodged the whipping stalks, spun around, and flew underneath Rainbow. Hovering in place, she angrily kicked and bucked and punched the necks of the tentacles savagely. "Hah! Yah! Graah! Mraah! Hiyaa!"

Thud-Thud-Thud-Thud-Thud-Thud!

The tendrils wobbled—but maintained their grip of Rainbow Dash.

"Well..." Pinkie smiled at the others. "...at least she's persistent! You gotta give her that!"

Twilight glared daggers at the mare. "Could you not?"

"Ariel... girl..." Rainbow sputtered, feeling her limbs pulling at their sockets. "...just... s-save yourse—"

"Httt!" Ariel flew away.

"Oh no..." Fluttershy whimpered.

"Shhhh!" Applejack waved a hoof, silencing the others as their combined gaze fell on the mare. "Wait for it!"

Almost as swiftly as shew ascended, Ariel came barreling back—ten times as fast. "Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh! She sailed violently past the converging tentacles, arced about, then flew past again. She did this repeatedly, and cyclonically, becoming a circular blur that spun-spun-spun-spun around the vines grasping Rainbow Dash.

The air picked up, howling at one point or another. Caught up in the pegasus' tornado, the tentacles ensnaring Rainbow Dash spun as well. Soon they wrapped around themselves halfway down the base... forming a dense focal point that buckled and bled from the weight.

And it was precisely at such a vulnerable target that Ariel new flung her angry weight.

"HAAAAAAAUGH!"

SNAPPPPPP! In a wet splash of scarlet, the combined tentacles exploded... falling to the limestone earth below in wet, shriveled strands. The "tongues" wrapped around Rainbow's limbs went slack, and soon the petite pegasus was falling too.

But her plunge landed her in Ariel's arms.

"Got ya!" Swooooooooosh! Ariel carried the two of them away from the floral massacre. Soon they were coasting over the chaotic landscape.

"Wooohooo!" Pinkie Pie cheered.

"She did it!"

"Yeeeeeeha!"

"Yaaaaaay..." Fluttershy added.

Coaxed to consciousness by her friends' warm cheers, Rainbow breathed normally again. She looked up at the pegasus carrying her. "Heh... who's the damsel now, huh?"

Ariel managed a heroic wink. "I won't say anything if you won't."

Rainbow smiled.

"Hmmmff..." A fang glinted, reflected off Ariel's blue eyes. "Fake neighs. Gotta love it."

Rainbow instantly frowned. "Don't you start."

"Huh?" Ariel remarked.

The air thundered with whipping tentacles.

Both mares looked behind.

Thw-Thw-Thwiiiish! A mass of stalks sailed straight towards them in a forested wave.

"Shit nuggets!" Ariel's voice cracked. She flapped her wings. "Skyward—!"

"NO!" Rainbow shouted. "We won't outfly them in time!"

"Guhhhhhhhhh—!" Ariel sweated as the tentacles caught up with their peripheral vision. "What, then—?"

"The rocks!" Rainbow pointed at the limestone formations dead ahead. "We'll lose 'em in that!"

"Ah jeez...!" Ariel whimpered as she flew straight for the curved, looping stone. A mess of stalks thrashed at their whipping tails. "Ah jeez ah jeez ah jeez!!!"

The Death of Vine(s)

Thwiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish!

The whipping vines closed in on Ariel's tail as she carried Rainbow Dash.

"We'll never make it!" Ariel's voice cracked as the deadly stalks rippled after them.

"You mean you will never make it!" Rainbow said.

"H-huh?"

Swooosh! Rainbow forward-flipped out of Ariel's grip, flapped her wings, and glided parallel to her. "We... on the other hoof..." She held her hoof out. "Grab ahold!"

"Uhhhhhh—"

"Just do it, girl!"

Ariel slapped her fetlock over, joining it with Rainbow's.

"Flap your wings!" Rainbow hollered, squinting against the beating winds. The rock formations came within spitting range. "Time it together!"

"Okay!"

"Aaaaaaaand thrust!" Rainbow's wings blurred.

Ariel gnashed her teeth as she beat her feathers in time with Rainbow.

With their forelimbs hooked together, the two mares acted as one. They utilized their combined thrust to outfly the multiple lashing vines. As they came upon the rock formations, they ducked underneath the first arch, scaled a second ridge, then barrel-rolled around a third chunk of stone.

SMASH!

Th-Th-Thud!

The air behind them filled with pebbles as the ravenous probisci struck the exposed formations.

"That was close!" Ariel stammered.

"About to get a lot closer!" Rainbow hollered—for ahead of them was a line of living forest already preparing a new volley of earthen chunks. "We gotta dodge 'em!"

"But where?!" Ariel shouted.

"To the left, Rainbow!" Rarity exclaimed. "Lose them through the porous arrangement of limestone and granite!"

Pinkie Pie glided upside down, dropping her head. "You know, Rare-Rare, those are two different things."

"Huh?!"

"Limestone and granite don't even belong in the same geological category—"

"Do you even think I can be feathered to care right now, Pinkie?!" Rarity shouted, her ghostly eyes bulging.

"Rainbow! Through the rocks!" Twilight exclaimed. "Like Rarity said!"

"Hard to port!" Rainbow wheezed, barreling left and dragging Ariel with her.

"Rainbow, no!" Ariel yelped.

"Rainbow, yes!"

The two pegasi awkwardly threaded their way through a hole in the looping structures just as a fresh wave of stones flew their way.

"Wooohooo!" Pinkie Pie pumped a hoof as she trailed behind them. "More sound effects!"

SMASH!

SM-SM-SMASH!

TH-THUNK!!!

Rainbow and Ariel flew low to the ground, navigating the craggy hollow of limestone. The multiple impacts of the thrown rocks outside had an appropriately disastorous effect. The "ceiling" cracked in multiple places. A shower of dust and pebbles announced an inevitable cave-in.

"Quick! Fast as farts!" Rainbow's voice cracked. She continued holding onto Ariel's hoof, practically dragging her through the dim, claustrophobic echo chamber. "Go go go go go—!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!" Ariel clenched her eyes shut, beating her wings blindly.

Crkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!

The overhanging stone split in twain, revealing twilight. Milliseconds after, the weight of the limestone took over, and a wave of collapsing rubble chased the tails of the two mares. They came upon a solid wall—solid, save for two narrow holes that could only fit a single pony each.

Rainbow wordlessly shoved Ariel to her right, all with a wave of debris cascading behind her frayed tail-hairs. The two mares held their breaths, flattened their bodies, and sailed through the two tiny holes. A single breath following that stunt, and the entire wall was pummeled by the collapsing structures behind it. Soon a mess of mortar followed them at the speed of screams.

"Up!" Rarity hollered. "Straight up!"

"It's an exit, Dashie!" Pinkie hollered.

"Got it!" Rainbow grabbed Ariel by the waist.

"Aaaack!" Ariel summoned the breath to shriek. "What now—?!"

FWOOOSH! Rainbow sailed the two of them straight up into a patch of twilight. The hollow earth below them exploded from the blast wave of impacting limestone. By the time they exited into the starry air, a cloud of ash and soot billowed up behind them. Soon, the two were sailing outward from a veritable crater of collapsing rock.

"We're... we're alive..." Ariel stammered, muzzle agape. She smiled. "Holy shit!"

Rainbow Dash opened her muzzle to say something—

"ROCKKK!" Pinkie shouted, left ear curling.

"!!!" Rainbow plowed into Ariel, sending the two of them earthward yet again.

Ariel grimaced. "Holy shit—!"

THWOOOOOOSH! The biggest boulder yet flew past them. This one slammed into the earth, bounced a few times, then broke up into hundreds of smaller pieces. Within a blink, surviving stalks emerged from the ground, wrapped around each shard, and then tossed their fresh ammo a the two pegasi.

"Back!" Rainbow hollered, turning tail. "Back!"

"Okay!" Ariel huffed, zipping after her. "Just don't tackle me this time—"

"No promises!" Rainbow panted, sweating profusely as she looked skyward. "We just gotta make a break for higher altitude before they throw their rocks over—!"

Just as she said this, the starlight was blotted out by a wave of projectiles... slowly hurdling down from their murderous arc.

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww penguin lips," Rainbow cursed.

"Rainbow, you'll never outfly them in time!" Rarity said.

"Hate to say it, sugarcube, but t'ain't no easy way out of this'un!" Applejack added.

"Oh gosh..." Ariel winced as the ominous shadow fell over her. "...ah jeez! What do we do?"

Rainbow looked straight ahead.

A waving line of stalks rippled hungrily upon their arrival.

Rainbow's eyes fell to their bases.

Tiny pony-shaped spaces loomed around the vines' narrow trunks, right at ground level.

"No, Rainbow..." Twilight shook her head. "Don't do it!"

"We're doing it!" Rainbow shouted.

"Doing what?!" Ariel squeaked.

"Follow my tail!" Rainbow dove low.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh for the love of goddess!" Snarling, Ariel nevertheless followed her.

"Faster! Faster!" Rainbow grunted, flying so low her chestplate nearly scraped the arid stone of the ground. "Don't slow down for nothing—!"

"But—!"

"Stay close!" And just as Rainbow said this, she hurled her body straight into the living forest.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISSSSH! The dull, dark trunks of the vines zipped past. Almost instantly, they quivered and flexed and waved in order to throw the two pegasi off their daring track.

Compensating, the two mares bobbed and weaved their way through the living forest. Their serpentine motion paid out, because several hundred of the vines were curling over and stabbing down into their own numbers, lashing with scarlet tongues in a desperate attempt to lasso the pair. Within seconds, the stone shards thrown by the stalks' Edgeside cousins slammed into that very patch of the forest, smashing several vines and rendering their fleshy bodies to wet patches of scarlet-stained pulp.

THUD!

THUNK!

WH-WH-WHUD!!!

"Rainbow!" Rarity's voice rippled through the dense madness.

"Kinda..." Rainbow panted. "...busy..." Rainbow sweated. "...Rarity!" Rainbow flew.

A pale ghostly muzzle phased through the blurring trunks. "Pull a hard left and fly into the nearest opening!"

"What?!" Rainbow stammered. She winced as her body narrowly grazed a collapsing stalk. "What for?!"

Fluttershy's face materialized next. "Just do it, Rainbow!" She stared at her anchor. "Trust us!"

"Ughhhhhhhh—" Rainbow shouted over her shoulder. "Veer left!"

"What, again?!" Ariel sputtered in mid-dodge.

"Just follow me!"

"Okaaaaaaaaaay—!" Ariel shrieked as more and more juice-stained stones landed closer and closer.

Rainbow jerked to the left—a difficult task in such a dense environment. Nevertheless, after pinballing off a vine's base or two, she found a narrow space to navigate. She flapped her wings, spiraling through with Ariel close behind. A swath of starlight glimmered through the trunks, and the two mares flew straight for the space beyond.

It was then that they heard a queer thunder—like cedar trees ripping out from their roots. One glance behind them was all it took to see a conjoined spiral of several dozen vines ripping through the thick forest and trailing after them like an enormous octopus limb. The reaching tendrils ripped a maddening path towards them.

"Go go go go—!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaa—!"

At last, the two burst through the living forest's edge...

...and straight into a glinting axe.

"SPLIT!" Logan shouted, swinging his blade from the back of Flynn's wagon.

With a grunt, Rainbow kicked Ariel away. The two flew in opposite directions—just in time to avoid Logan hurling his weapon straight into the forest.

"SUCK ITTTTT!!!" He bellowed eloquently.

The sharp edge of his sword met the incoming "arm" of tentacles. They faired just as well as butter would to his blade. With a prolonged, satisfying splorrrrrrrrrrrch, the mass of tentacles ripped in twain, showering scarlet juices high into the air.

Rainbow and Ariel flew towards the opposite side of the strategically hovering wagon. They pressed their panting bodies to the rim, wincing from the hot rain splattering on all sides.

Kepler and Flynn likewise winced, watching as the attacking vines were rendered to meaty strings.

By the time Logan was done with his savage swing, the entire attack of the conjoined vines had met its end. The remaining tendrils slinked back into the bloodied forest, and a very unsubtle shrieking sound rippled across the chaotic landscape.

"Hrmmmfff..." Logan leaned back, drenched in his armor from head to tail. He spat a dollop of warm plant juices out of his muzzle. "You want fries with that?"

"Ha-Hah!" Kepler grinned, then motioned with his claw. "Flynn! Wildcarrd! Take us out, brrothers!"

"M'shrynmh L'fynym!"

And the hovering wagon glided swiftly away under the assistance of griffin wings.

The Mountains of Dashness

"Are th-they gone?!" Ariel panted and shivered. With limp limbs, she threw herself into the back of the wagon between Logan and Kepler. Trembling. "Are we in the clear?!"

"Almost!" Flynn managed, steering the craft.

"We just landed in this open patch!" Logan exclaimed, wiping his axe clean. "There's a rough stretch of rocky terrain in front of us, but past that is open season to Curveside!"

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Ariel's voice cracked.

"We must be cautious!" Kepler said, gripping tight as the vessel veered. "If we foolharrdily crrash the vessel now, we'll be picked clean by the edge of the forrest!"

Rainbow Dash got situated in the middle of the wagon. "Whatever! Just gun it!" She looked over her shoulder. "Wildcard, can you boost us clear of those things' reach?"

"Yes, we most certainly can," answered a cold voice.

"Good. Then flap those wings—" Rainbow Dash did a double-take. She looked towards the port side of the craft.

A pair of charcoal-brown eyes peered back.

Rainbow raised a hoof... lingered... then blew out the side of her muzzle. "You know what? Buck it. We'll talk about it later."

"Good," Flynn grunted, his horn glowing. "Because I'm not a big fan of it myself."

"Baldy..." Logan grunted.

"It's a miracle we haven't been abandoned by now!"

"You wanna keep humping the bedsheets of redundancy or what?"

Before Rainbow could interrupt the arguing stallions—

"WhoooOOooOoooOoooahh!" Pinkie convulsed all over.

"More dreadful boulders!" Rarity pointed into the twilight. "From Omega!"

"We've got incoming!" Rainbow shouted.

"We see it!" Kepler barked. "They'rre aimed forr ourr Alpha route!"

"We must take evasive maneuvers!" Seraphimus boldly shouted. She flashed a cold look to the starboard side. "Jordan!"

Wildcard was already nodding... already pivoting his wings.

Seraphimus followed suit, and soon the two former Talon members helped Flynn steer the craft to the right and deeper into Curveside.

In so doing, they rushed towards a mess of craggy landscape.

"Hold on!" Flynn shouted.

"Guhhhhhhh!" Ariel buried her face into Logan's side.

Th-Thumppp! The hovering wagon ramped over a jutting cluster of rocks. The vehicle gained air—and speed—hurling itself towards a narrow patch of earth nestled between clefts of limestone.

And that's when the rocks came.

THUD!

TH-THUD!

They struck both sides of the trench looming above the wagon. Chunks of debris rained down, and the group was pelted by a barrage of pebbles and loose hail.

"Come on! Come on!" Rainbow jumped backwards, landed on the rear of the wagon, and gave the vessel extra boost with her blurring wings. "Let's clear this dang thing!"

"Easier said than d-done!" Flynn snarled, struggling to navigate the serpentine path between limestone ridges.

"You are almost through!" Seraphimus exclaimed. "There's a patch of open twilight just beyond!"

Wildcard whistled, pointing towards an overhanging cleft of rock towards the right.

"I see it!" Seraphimus pivoted her wings.

Both griffins steered the vessel sharply towards the left. In doing so, it grinded against the left side of the trench, nearly flipping the wagon over.

"Grnnnnghhh—!" Flynn sweated, his horn fluctuating.

"Keep it up! Keep it up!" Rainbow stammered, flapping her wings as the wagon sped at a forty-five degree angle through the narrow stretch. "We're almost through!"

TH-TH-THUD!!! The last bevy of boulders landed above them. Rocks splattered, but they landed far behind the speeding craft. There was a blast of hot and cold air, and at last they were free from the range of the bombardment... and the trench proper. Open starlight and the dark curve of the plane appeared to them in a gloriously empty sky.

"Hold on!" Logan shouted as—

Th-Thwump! The wagon awkwardly landed even along the open plateau. It veered and spun wildly from the motion.

"Decelerrate!" Kepler hollered as he and the rest of the Herald spun. "Declerrate, brrotherr!"

"Guh!" Flynn gathered his wits, and—"M'shrynmh Thymmk!"

The light in the wagon's undercarriage dimmed as all of the stones lost a bulk of their enchantment. Nevertheless, the wagon spun over a half-dozen times, finally griding to a stop. Steam rose from the lunar dust lining the base of the vehicle... and soon it was drifting slowly backwards towards curveside.

Ariel clung to Logan, trying to hold onto her lunch.

Wildcard and Kepler slumped back, wheezing for breath.

Flynn rested limply, clutching his red-hot horn.

And Rainbow Dash...

She gazed at the waving sea of stalks—now a distant gray patch against the grim blackness of the Dark Side behind them...

...and she hollered. "Haaaaaaaah!"

Ariel, Flynn, and Kepler winced.

Nevertheless, Rainbow Dash hovered a few feet above the stalled wagon and beat her chest, screaming at the landscape through a devilish smirk. "Haaaa-Haaah!" Her ears folded back as she snarled. "Chew on that, you wet pile of poop spaghetti!"

"Woohooo!" Pinkie Pie cheered beside her dizzied ghost friends. "You tell them tentacles who's boss, Dashie!"

Seraphimus glared up at Rainbow, droning: "Must you?"

"Think you're all that?!" Rainbow spat into the Edgeside horizon. "Well I've slept in forests even tougher than you! Burning forests! You're nothing! All you've got over crud like Everfree or Foxtaur is that you're flank-ugly as Tartarus! Haah!"

"A most eloquent statement, Rrainbow One," Kepler wheezed, trying not to vomit.

"You're dang right it's—" Rainbow spoke.

RUMMMMMMMMMMMMMBLE!!!

Rainbow's smirk faded.

A loud, echoing groan rolled through the shaking plane.

The Herald froze in place.

Wildcard looked all around, his goggles rattling nervously.

"Uhmmmmm..." Logan blinked.

"What n-now?" Ariel's ears twitched. "An earthquake?"

"Something..." Fluttershy spoke up meekly. "Something is happening."

"What do you mean, darling?" Rarity asked.

"Something is..." Fluttershy's eyes narrowed. "...shifting."

RUMMMMMMMMMMMBLE!!!

Rainbow's blue muzzle scrunched. "What in the fuzz...?"

Applejack's pupils narrowed as she pointed a wild hoof. "Look, y'all!"

"Oh my goodness!" Twilight Sparkle gasped.

Before everypony's eyes, the entire forest of waving stalks lifted up. It was a cataclysmic event, accompanied by deafening salvos of exploding stone and soil. As the twilight from above settled on the shifting landscape, it became apparent that the chunk of earth wasn't actually earth at all... but instead an enormous wriggling entity—lengthy and narrow like an enlarged flatworm. A "cranial" portion of it reared towards the sky, blotting out galactic swirls and cosmos. The starlight caught a glint of impenetrable chitin, and the Herald could see an unfathomably huge set of mandibles opening and closing, accompanied by pinchers so large they could skewer islands and swallow entire villages whole.

And if that wasn't enough, this thing could scream.

"BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMGHHHHHH!!!"

"It's..." Twilight Sparkle curled into a floating fetal position. "...it's alive!"

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh..." Fluttershy smiled in momentary wonder. Her turquoise eyes reflected the waving sea of flagella along the contintental entity's backside. "...that explains everything!"

Seraphimus glared over at Rainbow Dash. "Do you wish to scoff at it now?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow winced so hard she nearly drooled.

The sky quivered from several ear-splitting shrieks. The entity swung its massive head, overshadowing the Herald and their tiny wagon. As the horizon was swallowed up in blackness, it became abundantly clear that the creature was lunging its mandibles straight for them. The air heated up to a boiling point as thunder cascaded from all sides.

Applejack drifted sideways, whispering into Rainbow's ear. "Run, sugarcube—"

"Run! Move! GUN IT!" Rainbow shrieked.

Flynn fumbled for a breath—

Seraphimus shoved him over. "M'shrynmh L'fynym!"

Everypony fell over in surprise as the former Talon Commander forced the wagon forward. Rainbow took her place as she and Wildcard accelerated the craft. In desperation, they sped the vehicle Curveside, attempting to outrun the ominous shadow.

Within seconds, their frantic shouts were drowned out by the catastrophic noise of the creature landing all over them.

THUDDDDDDDDD!!!

Out Flying the Eldritch

Rummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmble!

More columns of cloud and debris rose from the earth in thick bursts. Rainbow Dash only had to glance towards her right in mid-flight to see a continental chunk of the Omega horizon shifting with each of the creature's sluggish movements.

"Wow-weee!" Pinkie Pie exhaled, gliding alongside her anchor. "Look at it go!"

"Geeeughhh..." Rarity shivered all over. "I'd rather not."

"But... it's so incomprehensibly big," Twilight Sparkle murmured. "Nothing in any of the books I've ever read even mentions something this large existing!"

"Reckon it's cuz this here creature's Dark Side folk," Applejack said.

Rarity spoke: "Or—here's a dreadful thought—maybe there is a creature such as this living on the Light Side, only none of the ponies living above its dormant figure know a single thing about it."

"What do you suppose it eats?" Pinkie Pie chirped. "Ponies?"

"Don't be silly, Pinkie," Twilight said. "They'd be too tiny for its frame."

"... ... ..." Pinkie blinked. "Fat ponies?"

"It seemed to enjoy chasing after us all the same," Rarity said. "When its... tentacle-back-hair failed to work, that is."

"Yeah..." Pinkie's muzzle scrunched. "What was up with those things anyways?"

"I think each of the flagellates are equipped with a separate digestive system," Fluttershy postulated. She gawked at the shifting earthscape beyond while Rainbow flew. "They grab their prey, suck the nutrients out of their body, and then ferry them through the creature's greater bloodstream."

"So..." Twilight Sparkle tapped her chin in thought. "...it's like a symbiotic relationship between separately functioning parts?"

"Yes! Exactly! But the small tentacles function under an autonomous nervous system." Fluttershy smiled, tilting her chin up. "Nature is so fasci—"

"Could we please focus less on the creatures and more on finding my friends?" Rainbow growled.

"Erm..." Fluttershy squirmed. "I was only commentati—"

"I know what you were doing!" Rainbow Dash growled. "And we've got no friggin' time for it!" She flashed a frown at Twilight. "Do you sense the wagon or do you not?"

"Uhm..." Twilight nervously pointed Curveside, just ahead of the shifting earth. "There's a mana signature up ahead... down low."

"Good." Rainbow dove swiftly. The wind whipped around her figure as she approached curvaceous assortments of rock and limestone. "Keep your ghost-horn peeled."

Fluttershy wilted in mid-glide. "I'm so sorry, Rainbow Dash. It wasn't my intent to be disrespectful to your friends—"

"Just forget about it," Rainbow grunted, eyes narrowing on the erratic topography ahead. "It's over and done."

"No it ain't," Applejack said. Her brow furrowed. "Somethin' happened just now."

"AJ..." Rainbow sighed, gaining speed. "I don't have time—"

"It was Discord, wasn't it?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. "He appeared to ya when you was goin' all beastly."

Rainbow Dash did not reply. And yet, in such a manner, she did.

"He appeared to you?!" Twilight Sparkle stammered. "When you were separated from the pendant?"

A dull groan echoed up Rainbow's throat. "The full nine cruddy yards..."

"Yeesh!" Pinkie shook all over. "Freaky deaky!"

"I wonder if that has anything to do with your state of being, darling!" Rarity remarked. "If Discord's presence is somehow related to the cessation of your fainting spells—"

"He's got nothing on me," Rainbow grunted.

Rarity shook her head. "I'm only saying that if we understood more—"

"Just drop it, okay?!?" Rainbow's teeth showed.

Rarity folded her forelimbs with a frown. But before she could say anything—

"Let us find Rainbow's friends," Fluttershy spoke up, calm and gentle. She looked at everyone as a whole. "I'm sure that Rainbow isn't the only one concerned about them."

"Well, shucks..." Applejack shrugged.

"The Herald's tough!" Pinkie Pie grinned. "If anyone could bounce back from the headbutt of an eldritch horror, it's them!"

"Twilight...?" Fluttershy looked over, warm eyes entreating. "We've crossed quite a distance. Do you now sense where the wagon is?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Twilight Sparkle pointed slightly to the right. "In that little alcove over there. You're going to have to go low."

"Thanks, egghead." Rainbow flattened her wings and dropped until her belly was a few feet above the rolling earth. "On it."

Sw-Sw-Swooosh!

The petite pegasus threaded her way through a series of limestone loops. The rock formations blocked the starlight overhead, making the entire environment eerily dark.

"Mrmmmffff..." Rainbow rubbed a hoof over her pendant, shining a ruby spotlight ahead of her blurred flight. "Can never ever be simple..."

"Whew-wee..." Applejack dusted off her ghost-hat. "Must have taken quite a tumble to have landed here."

"How, though?" Twilight remarked. "There's constant cover—"

"No, there isn't!" Rarity insisted, pointing up ahead. "There's a break in the rock!"

Pinkie said, "Who wants to place bets that it's Hover Plank Five Thousand sized?!"

Sure enough, as Rainbow rounded a cleft of rocks, she discovered the hoverplank lying precariously on its side beneath a broken chunk of rock. A halo of starlight illuminated some rattled crates and an assortment of supplies scattered all over the place. Miraculously, the wagon itself was in one piece—although banged and scuffed up in innumerable spots. Only one or two of the straps holding the supplies in place had broken, so Rainbow guessed only one of the containers had shattered loose.

"Wow... Flynn really built that thing to bang around!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"I could care less about the dang wagon," Rainbow Dash grumbled. "Where's the Herald?"

"What..." Rarity grimaced as she and her friends still felt the rumbling earth growing closer and closer. "...what if that terrible beast ate them?"

"Not a chance," Twilight Sparkle exhaled. "If that was the case, then what would it be searching around for?"

Applejack looked at Fluttershy. "Anythang, sugarcube?"

"Mrmmmfff..." Fluttershy clutched her skull, concentrating hard. "I'm working on it."

"Okay..." Rainbow took a deep breath. "Well, it's a start." She flew up to the wagon and pushed against it in an effort to shove it back onto its hovering end. "Grnnngh... next order of business is to hide this thing somewhere safe... and go searching for our missing buddies."

"Guhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Pinkie winced as her tail twitched and twitched.

"Achhh!" A rolling tongue sounded off from above.

"...?" Rainbow looked up into the patch of starlight. With swift ease, she flung her hooves out in time to catch a disheveled wyvern. Thwump!

"Ooomf!" Kepler jolted in place. With a shaking claw, he swung his glasses completely around and plopped them crookedly on his snout. "Grreetings, sisterr..."

Fluttershy exhaled with relief. "There's one."

To Track Your Herald

"One moment, I was rreaching out to my alchemic equipment—to steady it!" Kepler shivered as he perched on the edge of the wagon. "A forrce of habit. You must forrgive me..."

"It's okay, dude," Rainbow grumbled. She scooped heaps of supplies into her forelimbs and dumped them unceremoniously into the space of a missing crate atop the wagon. "What next?"

"Well... that verry following moment..." Kepler gulped, brushing his hairs back. "...something strruck. It strruck! The beast was upon us! But—mirraculously—its deathly girrth did not end all of ourr lives."

"So... you remember the moment of impact?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking at him directly. "You saw what happened when the thing landed on top of us?"

"Do you not, Rrainbow One?"

"I..." Rainbow fidgeted in place. "...I-I had my pendant knocked off..."

"My starrs and garrterrs!" Kepler was visibly surprised. "What a calamity! Did you managed to rretrrieve it?!?"

"Uhhhhh..." Rainbow leaned back, pointing to the Element in question. "I'm standing here in front of you, am I not?"

Kepler winced. "A thousand parrdons, frriend. It's just that... such an orrdeal must have been verry taxing to you."

"Yeah. It was." Rainbow cleared her throat. "So... the moment of impact—"

"Rright!" Kepler leaned back, adjusting his glasses. "That's just the thing. Therre was no impact."

"Uhhhhh—"

"Something that immense...?" He exhaled, shaking his head. "It displaced a thunderrous pocket of airr that pushed us out of harrm's way beforre the final hammerr would fall—as t'werre."

"Then it must have thrown us all every which way," Rainbow said.

"Prrecisely!" Kepler cleared his throat, then gazed across the hidden alcove. "As you can see, I managed to keep ahold of the vehicle. Well... almost." He managed a weak, breathy: "Ha-Hah!"

"You should be proud, Keps," Rainbow said. She gave Twilight Sparkle a glance. "Being so close to the wagon is how I found you."

"Do yourr ghostly frriends know wherre the rrest of the Herrald are?"

"That's..." Rainbow looked at Fluttershy—who was shaking her head. "...is proving to be a lot suckier a prospect than we had hoped."

"Allow me to guess," Kepler remarked. "The crreaturre's immensity is thrrowing yourr extrra senses off."

"Something like that."

"Then perrhaps we should be looking forr something else," Kepler remarked. "You were able to hone in on the wagon, yes?"

"Uh huh."

"Then maybe the next best thing is—"

"Flynn!" Twilight said.

"Flynn. Got it." Rainbow nodded. "But we're not going to get a bead on him by staying down in here." She looked at her friend again. "Are we, Twilight?"

She shook her head. "We need to get out in the open. Way out."

"That'll get you exposed to the most... uh... leylines, right?"

"Close enough."

"Good."

"Then it is settled!" Kepler began sorting through the supplies Rainbow had dumped back into the wagon. "You shall go forrwarrd with yourr searrch. In the meantime, I will see about steadying what rremains of ourr possessions."

"Nope."

Kepler looked up, glasses rattling. "Buh?"

Swooosh! Rainbow flew onto the rear of the wagon and began pushing it. "Grnnnngh!" She slowly shoved the thing back the way she had initially entered the alcove. "If I'm going to rescue all our friends, I'm going to need this thing."

"Would you not do a morre efficient job flying out therre and rrescuing the Herrald, one by one?"

"Not really. I don't even know if I can make my way back here," Rainbow said. "Also... that beast is rolling through this crud like a mole cricket through a giant litter box. There may not even be a hiding place for long."

"Uhhhhhh..."

"Also Big Show."

"Ha-hah!" Kepler nodded. "No, I suppose you would not be able to carry him back herre on yourr lonesome."

"I could bring you to help me carry the load, but..." Rainbow smirked sweatily as she shoved the wagon into a swifter glide. "...I don't suppose wyverns are supposed to split in two, asexual or not."

"A fine soul indeed who can make with the jocularr phrrases while facing utterr oblivion."

"I wouldn't speak so flippantly about oblivion yet, bud." Rainbow winced, for the thunder and tremors were getting closer. Dust and pebbles fell all around them. "It's out there... going for a stroll."

"Then I suspect we must find a way to strroll arround it."

"Yeah..." Rainbow shuddered, aiming the wagon for a cave exit, and the starlight beyond. "...this will be fun-and-a-half."

"How can I be of assistance to you in this venturre, Rrainbow one?"

"Does Flynn's wagon have a record player?"

"Uhm... sadly, no."

"Then you're just gonna have to hum some Radiohay while I push this thing on the open road." Another tremor shook, and Rainbow had to shake the limestone sediment out of her mane. "Ohhhhhhhhhhh how I hate sunday drives."

Breathe In the Air

"Y'know, Dashie..." Pinkie Pie rubbed her nose, smiling as she trailed after her anchor. The landscape shook and quivered over the next limestone ridge behind them. "I've noticed something! When everything's dull and quiet, you're a real sour flower. But when things get back to being crazy and dangerous, you return to the normal witty bitty that we all love!"

"Can it, Pinkie," Rainbow grunted amidst her sweat.

"Whoops!" Pinkie backflipped, performing a "zipping" motion with her hoof across her muzzle.

Rainbow threw a look over her shoulder. "Twilight..." She strained to push the wagon evenly over the craggy landscape. "Please tell me we're getting closer to a signal. Any signal."

"Nnngh..." Twilight clenched her teeth as her ghostly horn flickered. "I almost got a lead for a second there, Rainbow. All can tell you is that Flynn's probably located somewhere directly Omega."

"Twilight..." Rainbow gnashed her teeth. She nearly tripped—then flapped her wings harder to stay positioned behind the enchanted wagon. "Take a look! There's nothing towards Omega!" She pointed at the clouds of rising dust and debris that devoured the immediate horizon. The immense entity's shifting figure could be heard thundering amidst the fresh rubble. "If Flynn's over there, then he's dead! Can a dead unicorn still give out a signal?!"

"No." Rarity frowned, muttering out the side of her muzzle. "But a living unicorn can be dead to gratitude."

"Shhhh!" Fluttershy insisted.

"I'm sorry, Rainbow. There's just so much to t-take in." Twilight rubbed her aching skull. "I'm trying my best to scan in that general direction—"

"Then scan harder!" Rainbow growled.

"Now Rainbow," Applejack spoke sternly. "We're just as concerned for yer friends as you are. Just because we're headless dun give you no excuse to nip at our necks all ya like."

Rainbow sighed heavily. "It's been nearly half an hour! Shouldn't we be picking up—guh! She nearly slipped from her grip of the wagon. With wings blurred, she resumed her pace. "Shouldn't we be picking up something b-by now?!"

"You must have faith in the rresilience of yourr everr trrusty Herrald, Rrainbow One," Kepler said, staying balanced atop the wagon.

"But—"

"And the intuition of yourr spirritual companions!" The wyvern calmly gestured in her direction. "You've surrvived this long on morre than merre platitudes. Shouldn't you be a example of calm and centerredness of mind?"

Rainbow's voice cracked. "I don't do calm, Keps!"

"Ach...!" He winked through his spectacles. "But who arre you to back down frrom a challenge?"

Rainbow slowed ever so slightly. She closed her eyes... inhaled... exhaled... and breathed just as deeply once again.

"Verry good." Kepler nodded, fumbling with a series of vials and chemicals. "That's the Austrraeoh we all believe in!"

Rainbow's eyes reopened. She pushed the wagon along at a far more controlled pace. "I won't be much of an Austraeoh if I can't pull Eljunbyro out of this mess."

"Would it help you morre if I werre to take turrns pushing the wagon?"

"No, Kepler. I need you in the wagon, doing... doing..." Rainbow's eyes crossed briefly. She blinked up at the center of the vehicle she was pushing. "Just what are you doing, anyways?"

"Attempting to concoct a special mixturre," Kepler said. He mixed two compounds and swirled a vial before his glasses. "I'm prroducing a brrightly colorrful gaseous marrkerr. If I combine it with an enchanted rrune frrom the rremaining arrsenal gifted us by Bleak's Plummet, I might be able to crreate a lunarr spell capable of—"

"In shortclaw, Keps, please," Rainbow insisted. Fluttershy giggled in the background.

"Ahem..." Kepler pointed at the open vial. "I should be able to enchant the powderr herre to take to the airr and seek out the heat signaturres of ourr lost companions."

"Killer!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Her friends frowned at her. "Erm... I-I mean, Drop Dead Stupendous!" Harder glares. "Errrr... I-I-I m-mean—"

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Rainbow found an easy breath amidst her labors. She pushed the wagon towards the crest of a steep embankment. "Fire it up!"

"It will take a few morre minutes of prreparration, I'm afrraid," Kepler said, mixing two containers' worth yet again. "But, frret not, dearr frriend. I should be able to accomplish this task unimpeded so long as therre isn't a—" FWOOOSH! A gust of air blew at the embankment, taking along with it the entire powdery contents of his open vial. "... ... ...brrisk wind." He blinked. "My starrs and garrterrs..."

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow grimaced. Her mane and tail rippled like a windsock towards Omega. "...Kepssss?" She struggled to steady herself as the downdraft continued to pelt the two mortals clinging to the arid earth. "What gives?"

"I too am alarrrmed, Rrainbow One." Kepler glanced all over. Twilight glinted off of his spectacles as he spoke past the tufts of his billowing mane. "This is no naturral wind."

"Then, what—" Rainbow blinked, for the air turned deathly still midway through her sentence. "—gives?"

The rumbling stopped. The columns of rising sediment stopped. The Omega horizon fell dead silent.

"... ... ...where did that breeze come from?" Rarity stammered.

"That was no natural wind," Rainbow muttered.

"She's right!" Fluttershy squeaked. "Any pegasus worth her merit in star stickers would have learned that from Cloud Kindergarten!"

"It's... it's almost the air was forced past us," Rainbow muttered.

"Orr inhaled," Kepler postulated.

Rainbow flung him a look.

He glanced back.

In putrid silence, both souls looked at the empty chemical vials in the wyvern's grasp.

"Kepler..." Rainbow gulped. "A creature that friggin' huge... could it even detect the scent of things as small as us?"

"No. But..." Kepler likewise swallowed a lump down his throat. "...alchemic chemicals..."

"Just how pungent is that crap?"

"Compared to pony and wyvern flesh? About... one hundred times more..."

Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuumbbbbbbbble!

"Oh goodness!" Fluttershy yelped.

Rarity pointed at a suddenly rising column of smoke and debris. "The earth is being split straight towards us!"

Pinkie Pie flopped all over, quivering from head to tail. "Whaaa-aaa-aaat waaa-aaa-aaas yooo-ooo-ooourrr firrrrrrst cluuu-uuueeeee?!?!"

Twilight Sparkle steadied the ghostly pony and flew a worried look over her shoulder. "Rainbow?!"

"Gotta go fast!" Rainbow shoved against the wagon with all her might, rushing it back towards Alpha. "Hold on, Keps!"

"Ach!" The wyvern nearly fell off. Flapping his wings, he glided backwards and pressed his claws to the back of the wagon besides her. "I think I shall prrevail to help you now!"

"Not gonna argue!" Rainbow wheezed as the two gained a smidgen of speed with the wyvern's help.

"Y'all better hurry!" Applejack pointed towards the exploding horizon as it exploded closer. "A big bad un-mountain of mean is amblin' towards us!"

"Hmmmm..." Pinkie Pie found the time to scrunch her nose. "Somehow the cataclysm arrival of a death wyrm loses its menace when you put it that twang—whoah!"

Twilight was practically sprawling over Pinkie Pie to shove her face into Rainbow's view. "Rainbow, what are you doing?!"

"Trying... to... get... away... from the death turd... Twi!" Rainbow hissed as she and Kepler pushed the wagon.

"But you're going uphill!"

"Going back the way we came will take us too close to Omega!" Rainbow sputtered, pushing the vehicle towards a painfully distant goal. "We gotta crest this ridge and then it'll be smooth sailing!"

"She's right, Twilight!" Rarity exclaimed. "This is the only way to make it through with the wagon—!"

"Then ditch the wagon!" Twilight exclaimed. "It's not worth you and Kepler losing your tails to—"

"But Twi!" Pinkie bit her lip. "What about all the kablammo runes and tools they've got?!"

"Without them, they're dead out here!" Rarity said.

"With them, they'll be even deader in less than a minute!" Twilight pointed at the entity's violent approach, spitting up more smoke and rubble. "It's coming, Rainbow! Do something!"

RUMMMMMMMMMMBLE

Rainbow and Wyvern looked worriedly behind them. "Gotta..." Rainbow panted. Sweat dribbled across the breastplate of her rattling armor. "Gotta do this. No other way. Luna, please—"

Fluttershy gasped breathily. "Rainbow—!"

A streak of silver. Glinting claws.

"...?!?!" Rainbow looked up.

Swooooooooooosh! Seraphimus sailed in like a missile and—Cl-Clank!—clamped her claws over the rear of the wagon between Kepler and Rainbow. "You push forward and I'll provide lift!"

"My st-starrs!" Kepler spat.

Rainbow blinked. A deep breath. "If we can just clear the ridge—"

"Yes, damn it!" Seraphimus flashed her an angry, charcoal glare. "I saw from above! Now flap!"

"Uhhhh..." Twilight grimaced, eyeing the former Talon Commander nervously. "Rainbow?"

"Better do it, sugarcube," Applejack said.

That was all Rainbow needed. "On three."

Seraphimus nodded. "One."

"Two..."

"Thrree!"

And all three flapped their wings as once. While Kepler and Rainbow pushed upwards, Seraphimus applied downward pressure. With a combined boost, the two rapidly ascended the hilly crest, approaching the ridge—just as the thunderous wave of destruction devoured the brittle stone behind them.

"Clearing it—!" Seraphimus hollered.

Rainbow was already leaping forward. "Hop on!" She yanked Kepler after him as Seraphimus joined suit. "Quick—!"

"Ooh, a cliff!" Pinkie grinned stupidly as the wagon shot past the earthen ramp. "You know what that means—"

THUDDDD! A wall of rocks exploded over her, followed by a monumental wall of shifting, chitinous flesh.

The Gift Cat Bird

Somewhere...

On a curved plane floating in expansive darkness...

...a ghostly little pegasus hovered in a yellow ball, clenching her eyes shut and trembling wildly. At some point, a lavender hoof reached over and shook her shoulder.

"You can open your eyes now, Fluttershy," Twilight Sparkle said. "The moment has passed."

With a tiny ghost squeak, Fluttershy opened one eye... and then the other.

She saw a descending wall of ashen dust and debris blotting out the horizon. Chunks of rock and loose pebbles rained down at random. Somewhere beyond the obscured atmosphere, a mammoth mass of muscle and chitin rolled through the sundered earth. In the immediate vicinity, however...

Kepler and Rainbow Dash slumped against the edge of a hovering wagon. The two were panting, sweating, and wheezing for breath.

Fluttershy blinked. She sensed something and immediately threw her gaze towards the left.

Seraphimus hovered above the surviving plateau of rock. Her rear legs and claws were still bound in manacles, and the chains rattled with each wingflap. Charcoal brown eyes narrowed on the shifting flesh beyond the debris wall, and as more and more of the dust settled, she turned around and looked Curveside.

"We may still have time," the former Talon Commander finally broke the tense silence. "I see a gradually descending grade. Gravity will be on our side if we push the wagon further."

"I... could swearr..." Kepler coughed and stammered. "...that... she was... rrelating something... to us, frriend."

Rainbow Dash gulped and squinted past a wall of sweat. "What are you on about, Seraphimus?"

"I am simply saying that if we wish to escape the mandibles of this wretched creature, then we must make haste for the horizon immediately." Seraphimus pointed towards the starlit distance. "If we combine our wing power, we may even be able to mask our own steps and leave soundlessly."

Rainbow took a deep breath. She pointed with a hoof. "Now you hold on just a second—"

"There is no time to savor the victory. If we must move, we must move now."

"Not without my friends," Rainbow Dash snarled.

Seraphimus retorted: "It is best to assume that the rest have perished under—"

"Not without my friends!" Rainbow Dash shouted. The blue hairs on her back bristled.

A massive groan rumbled across the broken stonescape. The creature beyond the settling clouds shifted and shook. Kepler trembled at each bass salvo.

As the noise settled, Fluttershy and the others could see Seraphimus and Rainbow exchanging death-stares.

"I will admit..." Seraphimus fumed, attempting to keep calm. "...your loyalty—albeit misguided—can objectively be seen as 'admirable.' But it is poorly missplaced, and it will be the death of you—"

"And saying one more dang word will be the death of you!" Rainbow Dash flew into her face, hissing. "So help me, Luna!"

Seraphimus merely stared.

"Yeah. Uh huh. Sure." Rainbow drifted backwards, her eyes rolling. "Ohhhhh... jeeee... wowwwwwww... We 'sure had a moment there,' didn't we, Sera?"

"Do not call me—"

"And while I'm glad you helped us, I don't owe you a frickin' thing!" Rainbow spat. "Something you've forgotten long ago—pal—is that real courage isn't about surviving by the skin of your teeth! You, Keps and I are alive and breathing, and so we owe it to ourselves to do something heroic in the face of super deadly crap! And that means helping our friends who are out there and need us! Yes, you might think of it as stupid and 'blighted' and suicidal, but that is what true courage is about!"

"I only meant—"

"And you're going to help me find the rest of them and carry them to safety or I swear to Celestia I will toss you into the dang beast's jaws—manacles and all!" Rainbow shook in place, frowning. "Now, do we have a problem?!?"

Seraphimus stared at her.

Kepler glanced back and forth, nervously.

Rainbow gnashed her teeth. "Well?!?!"

A deep breath. The griffin's handcuffs rattled as she drifted past the wagon and towards the debris cloud. "I suggest that one of us fly high to get a survey of the creature's movements."

Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie did double-takes.

Rainbow blinked as she followed the griffin's movements. "Uhhhhhh..."

"There..." Seraphimus hovered above a freshly-shattered cliffside and pointed into the demolished valley. "...I do believe it is turning about and slithering back towards Omega." She turned to look back at the pegasus. "That is the term you and your so-called friends are labeling it, yes?"

"You... uh..." Rainbow cleared her throat. "You're back on board? Just like that?"

Seraphimus huffed. "Is it even as though I have a choice?" She waved her bound limbs. "There are a dozen ways I could ultimately die right now. Might as well go into that dark night with some dignity... even if I'm perishing for a fool's errand."

Kepler scratched his head.

"Wowie..." Pinkie blinked. "...is it just me, or is that the cheeriest thing Sera's ever said?"

"Rainbow..." Applejack leaned in. "...best not to look a gift bird in the mouth here, if you catch my drift."

Rainbow took a deep breath. "Alright..." She flapped her wings. "I'll survey the situation. Keps?" She glanced down. "You think you can keep an eye on her? Make sure she doesn't fly away like a true blue turd?"

"Erhm..." Kepler smiled awkwardly through his tusks. "I shall endeavorr not to brruise herr too badly with my fists!"

"Right. Cool. I guess." Swoooosh! With a worried gaze lingering on Seraphimus, Rainbow nevertheless glided upwards. "Girls? Let's combine our wits here. Fluttershy? I'm going to need you to—"

"I-I already found them, Rainbow," Fluttershy said.

Rainbow threw her a double-take.

"Well... two of them." She pointed down into the depths of the shifting debris. "Down there. Along the newborn canyon's edge. I suggest you be quick."

"I suggest you continue to be beautiful." And Rainbow descended upon the destination like a comet.

Battle of the Wyrm

"I can't be the only who thinks this is a terrible idea!" Rarity stammered. Even for a ghost mare, it was difficult to be heard over the rumbling tumult below. Nevertheless, she followed Rainbow closely as the girls' anchor flew lower and lower circles over the edge of the entity's destruction. "Believing—even for once—that there's a shred of respect to be had in that Seraphimus creature!" Her voice squeaked delicately. "Leaving her with the eloquent Kepler, no less!"

"I'm tellin' y'all, I ain't sensin' anythang to be concerned with!" Applejack exclaimed. "At least, not at the moment!"

"Are you meaning to say that she's made a complete turnaround?" Rarity remarked.

"Well... no..." Applejack took a deep breath. "But, for the time bein', she's totally on board with helpin' the Herald out."

"Hmmpf!" Rarity tilted her chin up. "Forgive me if I find that hard to believe, given her psychotic past."

"Ain't 'bout believin', Rarity," Applejack said. "My senses haven't let me down when they've been this on point. Besides, we're in no situation to pick and choose acts of generosity. No offense..."

"Point being...?" Rarity squinted.

"Shhhhh!" Twilight Sparkle frowned. "Everypony, please! Rainbow needs our help right now!"

"Actually, I just need Fluttershy's," Rainbow muttered, concentrating her narrow gaze on the fractured valley below. "How about it, Flutters? Am I getting warm?"

"I hate to say it, Rainbow, but you're going to have to fly lower," Fluttershy said in a trembling voice. "The two bodies aren't in the creature's path, but it will be uncomfortably close."

"I can do 'uncomfortable.'"

"I was afraid of that." Gulping, Fluttershy pointed. "Follow that path... through the rising mists."

"I think I see them!" Rainbow's voice cracked.

"You must get closer," Fluttershy insisted. "One of them—I sense—is faint."

"As in dying?"

"I don't know. That's why you must get closer."

"On it." Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Rainbow dove in the direction of Fluttershy's pointing limb.

Pinkie Pie trailed at the end of the ghostly train. Her body shook as he looked in the direction of the massive wyrm. "Better hurry up, Dashie! I think it's getting restless!"

Kepler paced and paced around the stationary wagon. His scorpion tail curled and uncurled. Every now and then—as the earth shook—he flashed a worried look towards the debris clouds rising from the sundered valley below the nearest cliff.

"Would you please stop that incessant shuffling?" Seraphimus droned, staring calmly into the same abyss.

Kepler gulped. "It cannot be helped. My frriends arre in perril at the tentacles of a continental god-beast and the only thing I can do is polish my glasses and rroll my Rr's..." The wyvern sighed heavily. "A rratherr unflinching porrtrrait of my existence, I fearr..."

"Preserve your strength for a moment when you can utilize it far more efficently."

Kepler glanced at her. "I suppose you shall next prrevail upon telling me not to give up hope..."

"We all will die at some point," Seraphimus said coldly. "Thanks to your impulsive leader, perishing will happen far... far quicker here in this blighted realm."

"A fate you look forrwarrd to with grreat anticipation, I imagine."

"Don't attempt to be sarcastic and bitter. It doesn't suit you, wyvern."

Kepler squinted at her from a distance. He adjusted his spectacles and murmured: "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"What... arre you gaining frrom this, all of a sudden?" He tilted his hairy head aside. "How do you, a wounded nihilist if therre everr was one, benefit frrom spontaneously assisting us?"

"Do you see my talons?"

"Yes. They arre bound."

"I can't very well do much on my own in this hellscape," Seraphimus droned. "And it profits no one to be useless in times of conflict."

"Only those with a cerrtifiable futurre stand to profit."

Seraphimus frowned into the ashen valley. "Do not pretend to know what my future holds."

"Emptiness? Oblivion? A slow and melancholic death?"

Seraphimus was silent.

Kepler bore a bittersweet smile. "Back on the Light Side, my brrotherrs and I know that ourr days arre numberred. Wyverrns perrish farr fasterr than naturre allows them to prrocrreate. Death surrrounds us in a shrroud, and therre is no escape frrom extinction. This is why the Mountain Matrron took us underr herr wing, I suspect. And when she did so, she taught us to make the best out of the meagerr time we have left... to purrsue peace, enlightenment, and the betterrment of all brrotherrs and sisterrs everrywherre."

"An insipid, futile philosophy."

"Oh, quite. Which makes me wonderr how a crreaturre so insistent on having lost everrything can still find the strrength to combat impossible adverrsity."

Seraphimus took a deep breath. "I was trained to be a defender of Verlaxion. Even in the Goddess' tragic absence, the instinct remains."

"Orr... perrhaps... therre is something farr deeperr." Kepler smiled. "Something that was innately strrong and fearrless in you long beforre Verrlaxion arrrived to stake a claim."

"You're misguided and self-absorbed," Seraphimus muttered. "This conversation is pointless. This whole damnable situation is pointless."

"Ach... and yet herre we both arre." Kepler waved a claw towards the shifting terrain in the distance. "An endangerred fourr-eyed wyverrn and a widowed grriffin in chains. Based on yourr perrspective, the two of us should have perrished about five or six similarr cataclysms ago..."

"... ... ..." Seraphimus stood still. Her charcoal-brown eyes followed a trace of color as it dove deep into the valley.

"I see them!" Pinkie Pie squeaked. She floated over Rainbow's diving figure. "Look! It's Flynn and Ariel!"

"Oh, how delightful!" Rarity craned her neck to look at the two ponies nestled on the edge of a craggy chunk of earth. "I... I think one of them is injured?"

"It's Flynn," Fluttershy said.

"Whew!" Rainbow exhaled, descending. "Thank Celestia!"

"Rainbow!" Twilight Sparkle scowled.

Rainbow flinched. "S-sorry." She squinted. "Flutters, how bad off is he?"

"He's just knocked out. Unconscious." Fluttershy exhaled. "The poor thing..."

"Ariel ain't feelin' too good," Applejack said, eyes shut as she relied on her senses. "Somethin' tells me she's at her wit's end."

Swooooosh!

"H-hey..." Rainbow wheezed, touching down beside the two. "...did somepony order Chineighs?"

"Rainbow Dash!" Ariel let go of Flynn and rushed towards her, scooping the petite pegasus up in a deep hug. "Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh—!" She clenched her eyelids shut, squeezing tears away. "I n-never thought I'd see you again!"

Rainbow wheezed. "Y-you might not... if you k-keep squeezing..."

Wincing, Ariel floated backwards. "Sorry..."

The earth rumbled. Rainbow flew a nervous glance over her shoulder, then back at the two Heraldites. "How's Flynn?"

"The very definition of 'pooped.'" Ariel shook nervously in place. She rubbed her fetlocks together as wary eyes traveled in the direction of the slithering beast. "After all he's been through today, I-I'm afraid the poor dude won't be able to use his magic for a week."

"Well..." Rainbow touched down and felt the unconscious unicorn's forehead. She winced from the burning fever. "...he owes a lot to you for saving his skin."

"Are you k-kidding?!" Ariel's muzzle hung agape. "I'm alive because of him!"

"Oh yeah?"

Ariel nodded fervently, flying down to grasp the stallion's shoulders. "After the monster knocked us sky-high, I blacked out. Next thing I knew, I was pinned beneath a boulder. My tail was stuck. I struggled to get out... and the thing was slithering closer. Then—out of nowhere—Flynn here charged up and used his telekinesis to push the boulder away. It must have shorted out his horn or something, cuz I had to fly him out of there. We would have been devoured... h-hadn't the beast suddenly shifted towards Alpha."

"Yeah." Rainbow exhaled. "It was coming after Keps and I."

"Kepler's okay?!" Ariel's eyes widened. "What about the wagon?"

"It's all in one piece," Rainbow said. "Thanks to Seraphimus."

Ariel did a double-take. "I'm sorry. Thanks to who?"

"Look, we can talk about it later." Rainbow shifted Flynn's figure. "Right now, we gotta fly Flynn to safety. Then I'm going to need your help in finding Big Show and Wildcard—"

"Better do it fast, Rainbow!" Twilight Sparkle suddenly yelped.

"What?" Rainbow craned her neck. "What's the matter?"

"The landscape is breaking apart in our direction!" Rarity squeaked.

"They're both right." Fluttershy gulped. "The beast is headed this way."

"Awwwwwwwwwww Luna poop," Rainbow grunted.

"What?" Ariel flinched in place. "What's the Girl-Alarm say?"

"We'd better move." Rainbow started picking Flynn's limp body up. "Now."

Rummmmmmmmmmmmmmmble!

A shadow fell over the two pegasi in the starlight. Ariel looked up to see the left flank of the beast slithering closer towards them. As its chitinous body tilted, a sea of tentacles rolled over and lunged in their direction.

"Oh shit!" Ariel's ears drooped as she trembled all over. "Oh shit shit shit shit shit—!"

"Quick!" Rainbow shoved Flynn into Ariel's grasp. "Take him to higher ground!"

"But—"

"You're bigger than me, girl! You can carry him further!" Rainbow took a deep breath and charged the tentacles head on. "I'll buy you some time!"

"Rainbow!" Ariel practically shrieked. "Are you kidding?! You can't take that thing on—"

"I've got no choice!" Rainbow huffed, her ruby eyes reflecting a deathly wave of tendrils inbound. "Go—"

SWOOOSH! A dark figure murked in front of her, blocking protectively.

The ghostly mares gasped.

"Wildcard!" Rarity chirped jubilantly.

Cl-Cl-Clakkka! Bard's bo-staff kissed the starlight. With a savage glint to his goggles, a bruised Desperado stood his ground in midair. He twirled the weapon just as the probisci of the stalks lashed at them. Thunk! Th-Thunk! Cl-Cl-Clank!

Wincing, Ariel took that opportunity to fly towards Alpha with Flynn dangling in her grasp.

Sparks flew as Wildcard deflected more and more of the ravenous stalks.

Hovering behind him, Rainbow's eyes wandered to the griffin's armored side. She spotted the hilt of an ancient Emeraldinian sword. "Wildcard!" her voice cracked. "Pass it!"

Reading her mind, the griffin spared a metal talon—Schiiiiiing!—unsheathed the blade and flipped it behind him.

Rainbow nimbly caught it in her teeth, then flew in to slice the multiple tentacles being warded off by Wildcard's twirling staff. Sch-Sch-Schliiiiink!

Red mists kissed the air. A groan echoed from deep within the beast's mammoth girth. A rolling length of the creature shifted in the two mortals direction. As a result, a fresh wave of stalks lunged all at once. Swiiiiiiiish!

Wildcard clenched his beak tight and held the staff up at full length. Th-Thwkkkk! No less than twenty tendrils wrapped around Bard's weapon. The Desperado shook and struggled, but it was obvious that he was about to loose the staff altogether.

"Mrmmmfff... hold it—!" Rainbow Dash did a backflip, twirled about, and flew lengthwise across the row of grappling tentacles. Sl-Sl-Sl-Sl-Sl-Sliiiink! She lopped them all off, reducing the tendrils to meaty chunks.

Another groan. The beast only slithered closer, promising yet another onslaught of countless tentacles.

"This isn't working!" Twilight exclaimed. "We're only tickling the monster!"

"We gotta give it some real hurt somehow!" Applejack stammered.

"Rainbow, look!" Rarity pointed.

Recovering at Wildcard's side, Rainbow followed the fashionista's gesture. She saw a long crease... an ancient fissure grown into the side of the entity's chitinous flesh.

"A weak point?" Pinkie wheezed.

"As weak as it's gonna get!" Rarity said.

"Wildcard!" Rainbow pointed at the spot in question. "Do you see—?"

Wildcard nodded. Whistling, he lifted up a bit and attracted the next wave of tentacles, fending them off as best as he could with Bard's staff.

Rainbow, in the meantime, spat her sword out and clasped it between two fetlocks. "Rrrrrrrrrrrgh...!" Wings at full-blur, she threw herself at the visible seam in the monster's natural armor. She struck it blade-first, and the old Emeraldinian weapon sank halfway to the hilt. Chttttuunnk!

The creature barely budged. Then again, the Heraldites weren't done yet.

"Draw back, Rainbow!" Applejack shouted. "Wildcard's about to do his thang!"

Sure enough, as Rainbow Dash flew back from the embedded weapon, the Desperado dove down. He reared his metal arm back, and glowing mana emanated brilliantly from the leyline core of the prosthetic, accompanied by a deep bass hum. Vrmmmmmmmmmm! At last—with a shower of sparks—the limb overloaded, and Wildcard threw his metallic fist forward with the mother of all punches, landing squarely against the hilt of the embedded blade.

THUNKKKK!

A wild spray of red juices fountained in every direction from the fresh gash. This was followed by an immense, deaffening groan, and the creature stopped slithering altogether. The tentacles across the wyrm's back all retracted at once in some epic "wincing" gesture.

"Ohhhhhhhh it felt that alright!" Pinkie Pie belched.

"Good enough!" Rainbow panted for breath and motioned Wildcard to follow her as she ascended. "Let's get the heck out of here and regroup with Ariel and—"

"Look out!" Fluttershy shrieked.

"Huh?" Rainbow gasped as Wildcard's arm wrapped protectively around her and dragged her to a higher altitude. "Whoah!"

At that very moment, the creature's body was lunging skyward. Patches of cosmic light was instantly blotted out as the front half of the beast reared towards the heavens, stretching for hundreds and hundreds of meters. Squinting, Rainbow and her companions could see giant, barbed mandibles stabbing at the sky. Ear-piercing shrieks rippled outwards in every direction, and the earth shook as its rear half rose and fell with catastrophic thrashing motions.

"Hmmmpff!" Pinkie folded her forelimbs and rolled her eyes. "What a big baby!"

"Wow..." Twilight blinked. "I didn't think we hurt it that much."

"I think... something else is happening to it," Fluttershy said.

Rainbow sputtered for breath, dangling from Wildcard's clutches. "Like what?"

"I don't know..." Fluttershy pointed. "Just look at how its mandibles are biting at the air. It's almost as if it's struggling to breathe."

"Yeah!" Pinkie also pointed. "And just look at that big fat pony perched on its giant mandibles! I mean... talk about annoying!"

Twilight did a double-take. "Wait... what?!"

"What big fat pony?" Applejack wheezed.

From a distance, both Rainbow Dash and Wildcard could hear a guttural war-cry, accompanied by the distant glint of a swinging axe. The war shouts acted as savage punctuation to each of the monster's prolonged groans.

"Ya like that?!" A voice could be faintly heard echoing. "Take it, ya big fat rolling bitch turd! Take ittt! Raaaaaaaaugh!"

Wildcard's goggles rattled.

"Buck me sideways..." Rainbow grimaced. "...is... is that actually...?"

Fluttershy's forelimbs curled up as she nervously eyed the pony perched suicidally atop the creature's thrashing face. "Oh... my..."

Big Bad Show, Tonight

"Big Show?!?!" Ariel called out. Hovering with an unconscious Flynn in her grasp, she tilted her head up to gawk at the ridiculous stunt transpiring over a hundred meters above the group. The unmistakable glint of the stallion's axe kissed the air as he flailed precariously atop the writhing cranium of the massive beast. "What the Hell does he think he's doing?!"

"Preparing to become the Little Turd!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "That friggin' thing's going to eat him!"

"Now, dun give up faith yet, RD," Applejack said, pointing at the distant Heraldite's epic battle. "For all we know, maybe he just can take 'em!"

"Applejack..." Rainbow's glare could slice clouds. She gestured at the sprawling length of waving stalks worming its way towards the curved horizon. "I don't know if you've noticed, but this is a teensy bit bigger than the cattle stampedes you used to wrangle back home!"

"Yeah, well... he has an axe."

"Eugh..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Dang it. We gotta save him."

Wildcard nodded. And—SWOOOOOOOOSH! The Desperado sailed like a black comet towards the lofty stallion's struggle.

"Wait—WILDCARD?!?!" Rainbow Dash gnashed her teeth. "Don't! Stop! What are you—?!" She shook in place. "Rrrrrrrgh!"

"Is everypony east of Equestria insane?!" Rarity stammered.

Pinkie Pie shrugged. "Boys will be boys."

Fluttershy looked over. "You don't see Kepler or Flynn acting so brashly."

Pinkie shrugged again. "Bird boys."

"Just what is he hoping to accomplish?!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

"I'm going after him!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, flapping her wings hard.

Twilight Sparkle flung her a look of shock. "What are you hoping to accomplish?!"

"I dunno! Something awesome!"

"Rainbow, doing 'something awesome' here could kill you!"

"Then I'll settle for Diet Bodacious!" In mid-ascent, Rainbow threw a stern look back down at Ariel. "You! Carry Flynn back towards Alpha and rejoin Keps and Miss Grumpy Beak!"

"But—!" Ariel trembled.

"And—for the love of hash browns—try and get somepony to think up a way we can shake loose this oversized death caterpillar!"

Ariel bit her lip, holding Flynn closer. "Dang it... why can't 'epic' be a different four letter word?"

The unicorn in her grasp stirred. With a wincing expression, Flynn whimpered breathily: "Did I hear somepony s-say 'hash browns?'"

"Gnnnghhhh..." Ariel turned tail and flew towards Alpha—away from the thrashing creature. "Let's go, egghead. Before you crack."

"Mmmmmm..." Flynn mewled. "...I want bacon."

Meanwhile—

"YAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!" Eyes bulging... his body and muzzle stained with red juices... Logan dug his axe deep into the chitinous flesh of the wyrm and held on for dear life. "RRRRRRRRRRR-AAAAA-AAAAAUGH!!!" He paused in screaming only to spit. "What's the matter, shit snake?!? Woke up on the wrong side of the world's ass crack this morning?!?"

For the briefest of moments, the labored creature's thrashing paused, and Logan took the opportunity to dislodged his axe, swing it again, and pierce another layer of the monster's exoskeleton—eliciting a deep bass groan, accompanied by a spray of red juices.

"HAH! HAAAAAH! THAT'S RIGHT! Who's dinglberrying who now, MOTHERBUCKER?!" He dug his blade even deeper, hissing into the scarlet fountain. "Swallow me! Go ahead! SWALLOW ME! I'm gonna stick to your uvula for a thousand throat-scratching years, ya gluttonous string of ass splooge! FIGHT MEEEE!!!"

The creature's mandibles shook and wobbled on either side of the confrontation, blotting the starlight out from Logan's peripheral vision. All he could make out was a steady trickle of dirt, rubble, and debris—shaking loose from the multidunous barbs of the beast's long-scarred pedipalps. Just a deathly lunge ahead of Logan's miraculous perch, a softy gummy maw of vascular tissue rolled open and shut with each breath, revealing countless layers of barbed esophagul lining laced with bile. A dreadful heat emanated from the unfathomable core of the beast, making the hairs of Logan's mane curl.

"What?! WHAT?!? You think you've got what it takes to intimidate me?! I'M THE REIGNING GOD KING OF GARBAGE FARTS!!! Eat me and we'll melt straight through the earth and end up back in Rohbredden to make you Windigo food! So BRING IT!!!"

The beast groaned. Logan wasn't sure whether or not it was responding to him, but he didn't care. As the thrashing head evened out again, he raised his axe once more to take a savage slice out of the monster's oral cavity.

Swoooooosh! Wildcard flew up from behind and grabbed him. Clenching his beak, the Desperado kicked off the chitin of the monster and allowed the weight of Logan and the stallion's axe to pull them earthward. He spread his griffin wings to expertly control the descent.

"Hey?! HEY!!" Logan shook and writhed in the griffin's grasp. "What gives?! Dammit, Double-Yoo! Take me back! I had him up against the ropes, ya lousy Turkey-in-the-mud!"

Fwoooosh! Rainbow Dash flew up to join them. "Stupid melon fudge." She wriggled her hooves in, joining Wildcard in steadying the obese earth pony. Together, they drifted speedily towards the fractured landscape below. "If you wanna be heroic, wait until it's something you can actually cleave in half with your blade—not with a supernova!"

"I don't want to cleave it in half!" Logan kicked his hooves and bellowed into the sporadic starlight. "I want to grind it into dust and force its worm children to piss on it and make paste!"

"Dude!" Rainbow gawked at the stallion. "You know you're practically fighting a continent, right?!"

"Pffft! That's no continent!" Logan spat. "That's a pussified isthmus at best! And—anyways..." He gestured at the two winged companions. "I would have had the bastard beat if it weren't for you and Deus Ex Mockingbird here!"

"Wildcard..." Rainbow gave the Desperado a lethargic look. "Could you please punch Big Show in a place where it'll make him shut the buck up?!"

"HAH!" Logan grinned, covered in sweat and glory. "If you think smacking me in the nads will get me to calm down, I've been there before! You're gonna have to think of something—"

Wildcard punched Logan's gut with his metal fist. WHUMP!

"Httttt!" The fat stallion's eyes bulged. "M-my st-st-stomachhh—!"

Rainbow exhaled with relief. "Way to go, buddy." She scanned the landscape below for any specks of manalight that might indicate the location of the wagon. "Now, let's get on board the Hoverplank and fart ourselves Curveside—"

Wildcard let out a shrill whistle.

"What?" Rainbow looked at him. She saw lunging mandibles reflected off the griffin's goggles. "DROP!"

She and Wildcard dropped Logan immediately. The three of them fell as one, with Rainbow and Wildcard retracting their wings.

SNAPPPPP! Gigantic pinchers slammed together above them, producing thunder.

After the vaporous ripples of air had dissipated, Rainbow reoriented herself with the curved horizon of Alpha. "It doesn't get much closer than that!" She reached out for Logan's left legs. "Grab—!"

Wildcard reached for Logan's right legs.

"Sptttt..." Tearing up, Logan wheezed. "My axe—!"

Wildcard's lion's tail wrapped around the weapon in question. He and Rainbow clutched Logan's weight and—Swiiiiiiiiiiiiiish!—lifted up in time to avoid becoming paste againt the rubble-strewn earth. They flew speedily with their friend in tow.

All the while...

THUDDDDDDDDDD!

...the upper length of the beast cascaded behind them, crushing and pulverizing the stone earth as it awkwardly pursued the two with its wriggling girth.

Equivalent Exchange and Explosions

Kepler lowered a spyglass from his eye.

"My starrs and garrterrs..."

He placed his spectacles back on and blinked heavily at the upper twilight. Off in the distance, three conjoined specks were struggling to outfly a giant, belly-flopping behemoth.

"I do believe they have angerred it."

Seraphimus was likewise squinting at the scene from where they both stood at the wagon. "I cannot help but wonder, wyvern, if your penchant for stating the obvious is some poorly-constructed defense mechanism."

"Ha-HAH!" Kepler nodded without looking. "That you should choose to give psychiatrric advice!"

Seraphimus pointed with two bound wrists. "They're almost here."

"Surrely, you jest!" Kepler looked over at her. "They arre a good thrree minutes away—at least—even at top speed!"

SWOOOOSH! A heavily-sweating Ariel touched down clumsily with a limp Flynn. "At last!"

"Gaaah!" Kepler hopped in place, nearly losing his spectacles.

Seraphimus calmly glanced his way. "I was referring to them."

Ariel threw Seraphimus a look of surprise. "So you did survive."

A dull sigh escaped the former Commander's throat. "A pity to disappoint you."

Ariel frowned. Clenched her teeth. Shook. "... ... ...Whatever." She twirled to face Kepler. "What do we have left to work with?"

"Mirraculously, most everrything!" Kepler gestured at the wagon. "Only one crrate was lost, and we've scavenged most of the materrials!"

"Cool." Thwump! Ariel unceremoniously threw Flynn's groaning body into the wagon and began rummaging about. "Any narrow blades? Swords?"

"What forr?" Kepler craned his neck. "Does ourr unicorrn frriend need a tracheotomy?"

"No!" Ariel spat, searching frantically. "To stab that friggin' wyrm, ya sky monkey!"

"Have you gone mad, frriend?!" Kepler grimaced through his tusks. He waved a nervous claw towards the interrupted horizon as the rumbling drew closer. "Even the entirre arrsenal of Rrohbredden's finest couldn't pierrce that abominable manifestation's hide!"

"I beg to differ," Seraphimus grunted.

Ariel rolled her eyes, then looked at Kepler. "I just saw—with my own eyes—Rainbow and Wildcard making the damned thing bleed with just a sword and a metal fist!"

"Ach..." Kepler nodded nervously. His glasses reflected a fresh column of debris and ash rising in a line towards their general vicinity. "...and quite a fine job it did of slowing the crretin down, too."

"Yeah... well..." Ariel gulped, donating the distorted horizon a worried look. "...have you any bright ideas?"

"Indeed." Kepler coughed. "We could outrrun it on the wagon..."

"Uh huh—"

"...for apprroximately half a minute beforre it crrushes us to a pulp underr it's monumental weight."

Ariel cringed. "Any... brighter ideas?"

"Absolutely!" Kepler gestured. "We glide towarrds it so that the suspense won't last as long."

"Keps!" Ariel's voice cracked. "What gives?! You're supposed to be the optimistic one!"

Kepler bore a bittersweet smile. "All things must eventually rrun out, my dearr."

"Cheese and bacon," Flynn slurred, eyes shut. Ariel's tail swatted him in the face. "Pffffft!"

"Well... guh..." Ariel looked again, wincing. Her twitching blue eyes caught sight of Rainbow, Wildcard, and Logan in the far, far distance. "We c-can't just give up! Not after all we've accomplished to get out of that stupid thing's clutches!"

Seraphimus cocked her head to the side. "Do you not possess an ample supply of alchemic materials?"

Kepler blinked. He looked at the crate.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Ariel fidgeted.

Seraphimus breathed in deeply, frowning slightly. "Such concoctions did wonders to my fellow soldiers back at the Edge..."

"It... simply isn't enough to thwarrt a monsterr of this magnitude," Kepler said in a sober tone. "I doubt it could even singe the crreaturre's outerr shell."

"Then perhaps if you had some blighted tool to magnify the chemicals' effect?" Seraphimus suggested. "You all pretend to be soldiers... warriors, yes?" She cocked an eyecrest. "Such tenacity requires a certain degree of... improvisation in the field. But I can't expect you to know that."

"Kepler..." Ariel whispered, as if to hide the fact from Seraphimus. She leaned towards the wyvern. "...the lunar runes."

"...!" Kepler looked at the crate chock-full of heavy moonstones.

"Could a Midnighter spell amplify some of your alchemy?" Ariel hissed.

"I... think therre might be a rrelevant command orr two that could be employed," Kepler thought aloud. "But... it could rrisk immolating all fourr of us and ourr arrriving companions in the prrocess."

Ariel bit her lip.

The earth rumbled.

The stars quivered as the beast approached.

"I'm all for that," Seraphimus droned.

"Hrmmmmm..." Flynn smiled and drooled. "...buttered toast."

My Lord and Shepherd

Rummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmble!!!

The gigantic wyrm—or at least what could be comprehensibly seen of it—finished its forward collapse. With a cataclysmic jet of ash and soot in every direction, the beast landed fully on its belly. An earthquake and a half later, and the beast had transformed the momentum of its fall into a savage slither... raking forward through the earth as swiftly as its unbelievably large muscles could push it.

Somehow, this only helped the beast increase its ravenous velocity—a fact that was not lost to the three Heraldites struggling to outrun it.

"Faster... faster!" Logan wheezed, still struggling for breath after the last blow to the gut from Wildcard's metal fist. "Must go faster!"

"What... do you think... we're doing!" Rainbow Dash gnashed her teeth as she carried half of the stallion's limbs. "Rnnnngh... why couldn't you just have a fat ego like most stallions?!"

Wildcard's goggles rattled. The Desperado took one glance behind them—immediately wished that he hadn't—and threw his scrutinous gaze forward once again.

Smoke and debris burned hotly at the three mortals' tails.

"I know I tend to be the melodramatic one, but it stands being said," Rarity muttered. "Have any of us actually considered a viable solution for the moving wall of impenetrable death that is currently trailing Rainbow's fragile hooves?!?"

"Evasive maneuvers!" Pinkie Pie barked, panting slightly as she gauged the horrifying sight pulling up on their anchor. "Hard to port! Even harder to non-port! Quick, Dashie! Make a sharp turn and throw this party pooper off!"

"NO!" Fluttershy trembled. "This isn't any ordinary creature! Its gigantic muscles are tensing up! No matter which direction Rainbow might spontaneously go, I-I'm convince it'll outlunge her and her friends!"

"I'm afraid Fluttershy is right!" Applejack exclaimed. "This ain't this creature's first rodeo! I reckon its got Rainbow and her friends on the menu!"

"Well, we must be able to help Rainbow do something!" Rarity trembled amidst the thick malaise of surmounting dust phasing through her as the beast gained speed. "Come on, girls! Think!"

"And fast!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. "We're headed straight for a brilliant burst of mana!"

"Wait, wh-what???" Pinkie's eyes crossed.

Applejack squinted. "Come again?"

"What do you mean, Twilight?" Fluttershy craned her neck. "What's happening up ahead?!"

Twilight blinked, then aimed her fluctuating horn at the speck of a wagon up ahead. A bright pale glow was emanating from the cliffside where Rainbow's friends awaited her and Wildcard's apocalyptic return.

"It's..." Twilight's jaw hung agape. "...it's a lunar spell!"

"Lunar spell?!" Rainbow sputtered.

Wildcard flashed her a look.

Logan managed to squint feebly at their twinkling destination. "... ... ...what in the blue Hell are they up to?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhh... Keps?" Ariel struggled to gaze at the blindingly bright assortment of rocks he had tethered to the Midnighter rifle. "Do you think you've got enough runes enchanted there?"

"Shhhhhh!" Kepler's eyes narrowed on his work. With carefully adept clawtips, he poured the last of multiple solutions into a pair of bottles he had fastened with hard twine to an elongated barb. This conjoined projectile was fitted into the barrel of a long rifle gifted by Bleak's Plummet. "This 'ammunition' is farr... farr frrom aerrodynamic. It will need an exceeding amount of prropulsion if it is expected to fly any distance whatsoeverr."

"But what if you overload it and the thing explodes?!"

"I simply do not have the time to account forr two outcomes at once!" Kepler's hairy brow furrowed. "Potency and trrajectorry?! Alas... I must settle for something that can actually make an impact on the apprroaching foe!"

"Uh huh..." Ariel gnashed her teeth as the earth shook and trembled with greater intensity around them. She looked towards where a mountain of death lurched in their direction, with three tiny specks in between. "So... what's the plan?"

"We must rrely on ourr tarrget forr prroximity," Kepler said. "That should allow forr maximum exposurre to this experrimental concoction."

"You mean we've gotta wait for that thing to charge up to us?!"

"Prrecisely..."

Ariel threw Seraphimus a wild look. "Your idea is starting to suck harder and harder by the second!"

Seraphimus calmly shook her head. "It's hardly 'my idea' any longer." Her charcoal brown eyes reflected the wall of incoming mayhem. She had to raise her voice to be heard above the tumult. "I fear it has evolved into something far more... stupid."

"Thus, my faith forr this worrking! Ha Hah!" Kepler nevertheless sighed as he capped off the last of the fastened bottles. "Ohhhhhhh how I do wish I can afforrd morre of those in the not-too-distant-futurre."

"How's it going to work?" Ariel asked.

"Well, the bottles arre fastened in such a way that shatterring them will expose theirr contents to one anotherr, thus prroducing a densely compacted patch of flammable gases that—when prropelled forrward and exposed to enchanted lunarr frriction—"

"Scratch that!" Ariel grasped Kepler as the tremors grew deafening. "How do we work it?!"

"Errrrr..." Kepler adjusted his spectacles. "It will take verry, verry prrecise aiming. I will need help."

"What kind of help?!"

"I am cerrtainly no sniperr," Kepler said. "And I will need some special means of aiming this most imporrtant shot!"

The two Heraldites stared at each other. Hesitantly, Ariel bit her lip and looked across the wagon.

Seraphimus blinked back at her.

"It's gaining..." Pinkie squealed, teeth rattling. "It's gaiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiing!"

"Fart, you fools!" Logan stammered, danglingly helplessly in the two speedster's grasp as the monster closed in on them. "Come on! Frickin'—"

Wildcard whistled shrilly, a confused look on his windblow expression.

"I see it, Wildcard..." Rainbow managed as utter death roared behind her. She squinted at the bodies gathered before the wagon. "...but what is even...?"

Light flickered.

Metal glinted...

Seraphimus squatted low on all fours.

Kepler and Ariel knelt behind her, cradling the stock and trigger of the Midnighter rifle. The barrel itself was resting over Seraphimus' straight shoulders as the Heraldites struggled to aim neatly at the incoming creature.

"How's this...?" Ariel remarked.

"Closerr!" Kepler licked his tusks as he scrunched right in, lying cheek-to-cheek with the pegasus. The two of them were uncomfortably close to Seraphimus, but nevertheless relied on her to steady the barrel. "That's it! Yes—rremain still, please. You must."

"Indeed." Seraphimus breathed slowly. Steadily. "If you honestly believe this will stop the creature's charge..."

"It is ourr only hope at this venturre..." Kepler squinted... squinted... then yanked off his spectacles altogether. "Spirrit of the Mountain Matrron, grrant me strrength." He exhaled heavily, lining the sights up one degree at a time. "Therre... that's it..."

"Have you adjusted for the wind?" Seraphimus calmly asked.

"Attempting to."

"Keps, what do you need from me?" Ariel asked.

"Yourr voice, sisterr..." Kepler inhaled. Exhaled. "When I tell you to, shout the two commands that I scribbled down."

"This will trigger the runes to propel your compound?"

"Absolutely."

"The wind is shifting," Seraphimus said. She cocked her head aside, glancing at the incoming beast. "If you're aiming for the mouth..."

"I've yet to see it!"

"Anticipate it," Seraphimus coached. "Judging from its muscular structure, I suspect the thing's maw will be opening any... moment... now..." Her words trailed off as her headcrest lowered.

Even from a long distance, Seraphimus could make out the prismatic speck that was Rainbow Dash. The shape drew closer and closer. The glint of the mare's pendant became more distinct. She saw Rainbow's approach vector—how she was anchored by her and Wildcard's grip to Logan. With expert calculations, Seraphimus realized that the pegasus' approach would bring Rainbow Dash to that exact spot seconds before the monster's churning mass arrived. If they maintained their speed, they would inevitably fly directly above the group.

Seraphimus glanced up at her backside. Her wingfeathers flexed. With just one swift stretch of her muscles, the rifle's barrel would be pointed upwards...

"Adjusting..." Kepler droned. "Adjusting... ... ..."

"Kepssssss..." Ariel whined.

Seraphimus took a deep breath. Her manacles rattled around her wrists as she looked at Rainbow's approach again. "Aim slightly lower," she said. Her wing muscles coiled tightly to her sides. Unmoving. "I suspect the frictious draft from the creature's approach will raise the projectile high enough to impact its orifice."

"Agrreed!" Kepler swallowed. "Alrright... arre you rready, frriend?"

Ariel nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Everypony, exhale!"

Seraphimus's lungs tightened.

"... ... ... ..." Kepler's spectacled eyes twinkled. "Now!"

Ariel shouted into the runes of the rifle: "H'rhnum!"

POW! The barb flew free from the gun, carrying the bottles with it. It sailed clear past Rainbow, Wildcard, and Logan—whizzing past their heads.

Seraphimus watched. Still. Silent.

Ariel timed it perfectly: "Y'hnyrr!!!"

Their three Heraldite friends became black sihlouettes against a blinding plume of flame erupting in front of the creature's face. Everyone flinched—including Seraphimus—as an infernal cloud fountained towards Omega, broiling over every chitinous surface it could find for hundreds of meters.

PHWOOOOOOOOOOOMB!

And somewhere in the process...

...Rainbow Dash landed. Gravity followed shortly afterwards... along with Logan's butt.

THUDDD!

"Guhhh!"

"Aaaaaugh!"

"!!!"

Waiting For the Wyrm

Smoke rolled heavily over the clifface.

Every Heraldite was sprawled out across the floor in various states of dizzying shock. One by one, they crawled up on all fours, coughing and sputtering.

"Oomfff..."

"Kaff! Kaff!"

"Grkkktt... guhhhhhhh..."

Ariel shook dust and ash loose from her mane. "Blblblblblb..." She squinted nervously at the hazy twilight above. "Are we dead? Cuz if so, this afterlike sucks."

"The Flatulife," Logan managed.

Ariel blinked. "Okay... after hearing a joke like that I wish I was dead."

Wildcard perched on the wagon and flapped his wings heavily. In so doing, he cleared the immediate air in that vicinity. Kepler could be seen, sprawled out besides a collapsed sniper rifle and an unconscious Flynn.

"Keps!" Rainbow Dash hopped up and crawled over to him. "Are you alright?"

"And so it is the worrld began," Kepler slurred, rubbing the dust out of his eyes with a hairy wrist. "And so it is the worrld shall end."

"Hey!" Pinkie Pie grinned. "Catchy!"

"Looks like everypony's accounted for, Rainbow," Twilight Sparkle said, floating closer to her anchor. "And that magical burst upon our arrival was Kepler's doing."

Rainbow looked at the wyvern again. "Keps? Did you save us just now with that rifle? Or did you suddenly evolve the ability to breathe fire?"

"If only I werre that verrsatile..." He squinted up at her with a tired smile. "Alas, Rrainbow One, I assissted you with mostly prredictable means."

"Sooooooooooo..." Rarity squirmed uncomfortably. "What became of the beast?"

"Rainbow!" Fluttershy floated over and pointed up towards Omega. "Look!"

Briskly, Rainbow spun around to gaze. Wildcard, Ariel, Logan and the rest also looked.

As the haze cleared, a shifting wall of chitinous flesh could be seen... looming above them. By the casual manner in which the wyrm lingered, it appeared as though it only did so by choice. Scarcely a burn mark marred its cranial features. The thing shifted again, let loose a dull bass groan... then retreated slowly back into the earthen depths. Rainbow and the Herald watched as—once again—a seemingly innocuous forest of waving stalks lowered until it was an even extension of the plateau around them. The rumbling persisted... trailed off... then dwindled completely. All was still as the creature found its deep burrow to retire in.

"Did..." Ariel's muzzle twisted. "Did we hurt it?"

Wildcard shook his head.

"If you ask me, sisterr..." Kepler rummaged around, then found his spectacles. "I simply suspect we managed to..." He placed the glasses on, gazing casually at the new alien landscape. "...make it borred of us."

Logan exhaled. "Well, that's a boredom we could live with."

"I'd say," Rainbow stammered.

"Can I cheer now?" Pinkie asked, trembling.

"Ennnghh..." Applejack rolled her eyes, then smiled gently at her. "Eeyup, Pinkie. You can cheer now."

"Wooohooo!" Pinkie pumped a hoof in the air. "We were boring! Go us!"

"Smashing!" Rarity exclaimed. "Or... unsmashing, in this case!" A nervous, ladylike laugh.

"It's sleeping soundly." Fluttershy exhaled with a happy shimmy to her feathers. "All in all, I'd say that's a good thing."

"Way to go, Keps," Rainbow said, turning around. "You totally saved the day on this one."

"Ach! I did not do so on my own!" Kepler waved a talon about. "Arriel and Serraphimus assisted mightily."

Rainbow squinted in the surly griffin's direction. "Is that so...?"

"Don't act as though you're surprised," Seraphimus droned as a shadow loomed behind her. "I simply assisted in what assured momentary survival at the time. You're still a pathetically inept leader, and this entire party is doomed to—" THWACKKK!!! The hilt of a massive axe clobbered her skull from behind.

Seraphimus jolted. A blink... and she actually summoned the strength to throw an accusatory glare behind her shoulder before—

"Gnnnngh..."

Thwump!

She fell out cold with a rattle of her manacles.

"Big Show?!?!" Rainbow Dash gnashed her teeth. "What the buck?!?"

"Her wings still are unbound," Logan said, resting his axe behind him as he stood over the victim. "She could have flown off at any second."

"But she didn't, dude!"

"So?" Logan frowned. "What's stopping her?! You heard the lady. She's still pissed as hell at you—at all of us!"

"And you think this helps?!"

"Bind her wings back together," Logan belched. "You can thank me later."

Rainbow pouted. "I think you're still high on testosterone after wrestling the wyrm."

"You're welcome."

"Ehhhh..." Ariel crawled over to Seraphimus' unconscious body with a length of chains. "For what it's worth, I'm not complaining."

"Herr motives still arren't entirrely clearr," Kepler admitted.

Wildcard nodded.

"Grnnnnghhh..." Rainbow face-hoofed. "Whatever. Let's just get as much distance between us and Lowly Worm as we can." She glanced tiredly at Seraphimus' figure. "Hoooo boy... she won't be fun to deal with when she comes to."

"Cheese omelette," Flynn slurred, drooling.

Axe Me a Question

"Grnnngh..."

Seraphimus stirred.

"Mrmmffnngh..."

Seraphimus winced.

The wagon wobbled around her, accompanied by the low buzz of active manastones.

The griffin's beak muscles clenched and unclenched. She tried to sit up—only to feel a wave of dizziness and nausea.

"Grnnnnghhhh... Verlaxionnnn..."

"Yeahhhhhhh..." A feminine voice breathily squeaked. Seraphimus felt an ice-cold cloth being pressed to her feathery crown. "You might wanna lie still. That bump's starting to look like a second beak at this point."

Undoubtedly the soul in question meant to soothe the former Talon Commander with the icy press. To Seraphimus, however, it felt like a wave of hot needles being pressed into her sensitive skin.

"Rrrrgh!" She sat up with a thrashing moment, only to be yanked into a permanent squatting position thanks to an array of heavy chains binding her to the wagon. "Leave itttt!" She hissed.

Ariel jerked back, nearly pratfalling off the wagon. She blinked at the griffin. "Fine. Yeesh." She wrung the moisture out of the cloth and placed it back in a sopping wet barrel before slapping the lid back in place. "Guess that'll be the last time I try doing you any favors."

"The only favor I need from you is a crossbolt to the skull!" Seraphimus sneered, wincing from the throbbing pain.

"Nnnghhh..." Ariel sighed, folding her forelimbs. "Y'know... as far as I can see... there are no crackers to feed you here on the Dark Side. So how come you're still repeating yourself?"

"Undo these chains and I will teach you a new language," Seraphimus droned. "I shall teach all of you."

Ariel snorted. "Yeah. That's not happening." She gulped. "At least... not at this point."

"Hrmmmmmmmmfff..."

"Er... for what it's worth..." Ariel drew a bang of mane hair over her left ear. "I wasn't the one who royally whalloped you."

"I know who hit me," Seraphimus grunted. A pair of charcoal brown eyes sliced across the wagon.

A fat figure sat beside Kepler and Wildcard. As Kepler guided the cart along and Wildcard provided extra steering with his wings, Logan continued to scrape the edge of his axe with a sharpening stone. Tiny showers of spark danced in the twilight. As Seraphimus' eyes dug into Logan, the stallion's neck hairs rose on edge. He looked lethargically over his shoulder.

"Morning, sunshine," he murmured. "Dream well?"

"The dead don't dream," Seraphimus slurred.

"Spoken like a true cadaver." Logan scraped and scraped his stone. "Were you always so stiff? I bet your late husband just needed something to help iron his shirts."

"You can insult me as much as you wound me," Seraphimus said. "Your daughter is still a lowly bastard."

"Hmmmmff..." Logan's lips curved ever so slightly. "Good to know I didn't lobotomize you."

Silence.

"Okay...!" Ariel clapped her hooves together. "Now that that's been addressed, I'm going to... uh... go and help Rainbow Dash with reconaissance!" She blinked. "...because Rainbow!" FWOOOOSH! She soared skyward, heading Curveside.

Logan's gaze craned to follow her. "I wonder if her mother would smile or cry to know that she's begotten a one-trick-pegasus?"

Seraphimus wasn't finished staring daggers into his skull. "You could have permanently damaged my skull."

Logan shrugged. "So I had to get a few hits in. Y'know... for practice. Hate to do it wrong when the real moment comes."

"I had assumed that you and I had developed a degree of common respect."

"The word you're looking for is 'familiarity.'" Logan shook his head. "Oh no, lady. You don't ever get that mixed up with respect. One is a life-bond between brothers and sisters foaled in battle. The other is a horribly smelly neighbor you invite over to a feast just because it's Unification Day."

"I was instrumental in getting your foolish leader and this putrid wagon to safety," Seraphimus insisted. "If you did not respect the extent of my contribution, then why did you and Jordan release my wings to begin with?"

"You had exhausted your usefulness for the time being," Logan said, calmly examining the sharp edge of his blade. "I couldn't risk jeopardizing the team."

Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. "I was not prepared to do so. A life-threatening event had just come to a conclusion. What would I have had to gain from betraying your trust then and there?"

Logan gave her a tired look. "Now what experience have we all gone through to make me believe that you're completely full of shit?" His nostrils flared. "Would you not have done the same if you were in my position?"

Silence.

Wildcard glanced nervously over his shoulder. A pair of dark goggles reflected Seraphimus' blank face.

At last, she exhaled through her beak. "Alright. You make a fair point." Seraphimus rested on all fours, wincing as she felt the weight of the chains over her wings once again. "Although... my method of silencing would have been—"

"Lemme guess, 'more efficient.'"

She hummed. "Fatal."

"Heh..." Logan returned to sharpening his blade. "Good thing we still know each other."

Seraphimus winced as another throb of pain rolled through her avian skull. "Of that—I am not entirely certain."

"We dragged you from the edge—screaming and drooling and threatening to eviscerate the Austraeoh."

"To be fair, she's given me plenty of valid reasons."

"Uh huh..."

"But that was not the imminent necessity when you insisted on bludgeoning me from behind like a coward."

"There was no telling what you wanted."

"No. There wasn't. You didn't give me a chance."

Logan's sharp eyes flashed to her. "Then just what do you want?"

She frowned. "Respect." She raised her bound limbs and rattled the chains where he could see them. "Does this look like respect? Has it ever even remotely looked like respect since we arrived here?"

"Rrespect worrks both ways, my frriend."

Seraphimus glanced at the front of the wagon.

Kepler calmly guided the craft through a narrow canyon of erratic limestone formations. He continued without looking: "Therre arre farr grreaterr lengths to trravel than the extent of the plane." His scorpion tail flexed and unflexed. "Much larrgerr hurrdles, as well."

Seraphimus took a fuming breath. She glared back at Logan. "You really... really should have given me the benefit of a doubt."

"Yeah? Why?"

She was silent.

Logan scratched his scruffy chin. "You wanna know why I really hit you?" He shook his head. "Because I still don't trust you."

Her response was quieter than even she expected. "I was beginning to think you and I had something in common."

"Me too." Logan nodded warily. "Which is precisely the point."

She exhaled in a huff. "Then we are back to the beginning."

"Maybe." Logan stretched his crackling joints. "Grnnngh... maybe not. Either way..." He leaned back, sighing. A beat. "... ... ...I'm still not the reason why you're with us."

"... ... ..."

"She's mad at me, y'know." Logan smiled crookedly. "Over the clobbering. She understands why it had to be done, of course, but... she gets mad over you more than she gets mad at you." Logan raised an eyebrow. "Now when was the last time you experienced that? Huh?" A narrow stare. "Before your family was frozen?"

Seraphimus stared past him.

"Hmmm... you're lucky, in a way. Y'know that?" Logan finally placed his axe away and reclined against a crate of supplies as the wagon glided along. "That 'bastard' you talked about? She's blissfully ignorant of my fat ass... and I hardly know her either. The day I finally die, I'll barely have had a taste of what I'm fighting for. But you? You had that groundwork laid out. Sure, it might be gone now... but at least you had a foundation. For all your feathers and claws you've familiarized yourself with the shoreline. Too bad you've got to flail like a rabid puppy when everything sinks."

Seraphimus took a shuddering breath. "That 'taste' you envy is quite bitter."

"Then spit it out already," Logan grunted. "And maybe next time—just maybe—I won't have to smack you over the head like the psychopathic parrot you've proven to us all to be."

"... ... ..."

"And—by the way..." Logan tilted his head lazily towards her. "...snazzy job saving the wagon."

She snorted. "Hollow praise."

"For a hollow head."

Seraphimus nodded with her skull towards the landscape ahead. "Where in blazes are we even going, pray tell?"

"Toots, are you seriously asking me? Hell, I don't even know." Logan then proceeded to wave a limp hoof towards the bent, dark horizon. "Curveside..."

Seraphimus looked up... and up and up and up and...

You Must Go Serpentine

For the next twelve hours, the journey of the Herald was delightfully uneventful. This didn't necessarily count as "easy."

Gone were the living stalks of carnivorous tentacles. If there were any further signs of the immense wyrm, none were to be found for miles and miles in all directions. It appeared as though the collossal beast occupied a length of the plane's territory safely behind them, between the group and and Edgeside. If the burrowing entity had any brothers or sisters—the Herald thankfully didn't run into them.

Instead, Rainbow and her friends had a vomitous topographical mess of sporadic rock formations, uneven plateaus, and random fissures to scale. It was as though a forest of living membranes had been immediately replaced by a forest of petrified stone structures. Some of the earthen barbs stretched so long and so thin that they resembled gigantic needles—fallen from a great height and fused at random angles to the arid floor (and to each other). Rainbow Dash and Ariel could fly over these formations with the greatest of ease. Ferrying the hover craft through the mess—however—turned a simple glide into a perilous journey that took ten times as long for each kilometer traversed.

More than once, the group contemplated how feasible it would be to simply ditch the "Hover Plank" and go about the rest of the trip on hoof. But then there would be occasions where the ponies found a miraculously flat stretch of land that the vehicle could cross at great speed, unimpeded. In addition, there was the constant reminder that Rainbow Dash got—when glancing towards the harmonically highlighted objective in the distant center of the plane—that the Herald as a whole had a terribly, unimaginably, depressingly long way to go before even remotely arriving at the fringes of the Midnight Armory. After swift and poignant consideration, the group decided—once again—to ease their travels as feasibly as possible. In short, they protected the wagon with their very livelihoods. They would deal with each detour as they arrived.

And deal with them, the Herald did. The earthen terrain would constantly dip up and down—sometime opening up to a dead flat drop into an incalculably deep ravine. Three hours alone were consumed with the annoying process of backtracking, for Rainbow and her other airborne companions were at a loss to find a more efficient way to cross the inexplicable dips in the landscape. Thankfully, Ariel discovered what she assumed to be an ancient, dried-up river bed, and once the group aligned the wagon with that they were able to continue a great length of the trip without mishap—although it was a wild, serpentine, winding trip at best.

Needless to say, the shamelessly alien topography gave Rarity a virtual migraine. She was brooding and quiet for most of the trip, squinting her eyes into the uneven horizon, concentrating hard on the next length of rock, stone, and peaks—so as to provide her anchor the best navigation possible. Even that had to change on the fly, as she became aware of weak fractures in the stone and signs of dangerous subsidence. Twilight Sparkle broke into a lecture—no doubt addressed to the naked stars above—in which she speculated the cause for such wildly dense rock formations. In her mind, the Light Side—being the harmonic half of the plane—was undoubtedly shaped by predictable physical elements and persistent climate. Here, this wasn't even remotely the case, so the landscape was left as jagged and "broken" as it must have originally been right after the Sundering.

The ghostly earth ponies among the group—however—disagreed. Pinkie Pie, in a moment of logical clarity, suggested that they had barely seen a "cake slice" of the Dark Side. As a result, it was ill-advised to think that what they were presently witnessing was indicative of the entire Plane as a whole.

Then it was Applejack who stated that she was observing an abject difference in the landscape compared to what they had witnessed around the Darkreach mesa. Here—amongst all of the rock shapes and jagged stalagmites—there was an obvious presence of dust, even sand. This—Applejack surmised—was an obvious sign of the presence of soil somewhere nearby. And where there was soil, there was undoubtedly going to be vegetation of some sort.

When Twilight Sparkle found herself having a hard time agreeing with this hypothesis, it was Fluttershy who reminded the group that—according to Chief Engineer Ranort's records—the "Bloodwings" had once planted a "natural" forest along the Omega Side from Darkreach. That meant that transplanted vegetation could have once grown on the Edgeside section of the immense wyrm that they had all just encountered. There was no telling how much of the soil the wyrm had forcefully relocated in its countless eons of burrowing, but it was quite likely that wind and erosion simply pushed the available soil closer Curveside over the ages.

The fact of the matter was that the group could only make wild postulations. Discovering the truth would take an immense amount of time and miles traveled—and Rainbow and the Herald were forced to crawl along their route with all of the detours that the uneven terrain forced them down. Their frustration—to say the least—was thick as blood.

If there was any single constant to the rough uphill/downhill trip, it was the reliable manapower of the rocks that empowered the hovering vehicle. Flynn had done his job immeasurably well, and the Herald rewarded the stallion by tending to his aching skull, giving him lots of water, and allowing him to rest for the extent of the journey. He spent most of the time resting his brain (and the horn attached to it); all waking moments were blissfully spent staring up at the stars.

With each mile that Rainbow and her friends traversed into the great curved unknown, the cosmos overhead remained as bright and glimmering as ever. No veil was cast over the distant, galactic swirls. No shadow stretched over them or obscured the infinite expanse. Rainbow had almost expected the sky above to grow dimmer and the darkness around them to become something impenetrable. Thankfully, despite her fears, they never ran out of light to see with... although it was a faint light. Twilight Sparkle reminded the rest that it was likely because the Alicorns did not construct a Firmament to protect that half of the Plane from otherworldly elements. Besides, there was no Sun and Moon to raise or lower. Thus, there was no Harmonic system for controlling light and temperature on a repetitive basis. All the Dark Side knew was the perpetual squint of illumination from beyond. Rainbow, on the other hoof, had the constant outline of the Midnight Armory taunting her from the distance. Aside from that, there was the occasional flicker of light from the dragon stone she had recovered from Axan. But—even still—it was next to impossible to find a pattern to it. Perhaps if Rainbow had been granted the luxury of flying in a straight line once again...

Alas, that was not the case. Rainbow—along with all of her companions—were forced into threading an ever-evolving labyrinth of stone and rock. As they pressed forward, the quantity of dust increased in the sporadic wind. There was a stale smell to the air—not rotten or gross—but resembling rust and old metals. Rainbow had the gnawing sense that they were perpetually on the cusp of discovering something, but Rarity's senses couldn't wrap around it, and every bend in the narrow path revealed yet another needle-eye leading into more and more chaos. It became so mindlessly random that the group found themselves staring upwards so that they could actually achieve solace from the sight of the far end of the plane jutting rigidly into the cosmos above.

It boggled the mind that anything could possibly live out there. It mesmerized them even more to think that someone—anyone—would actually go to war over it.

What Were You Expecting?

"Just how would you fight over a landscape such as this?" Flynn murmured, wincing as the tip of his horn pulsed.

"Hush, Baldy," Logan grunted. It was his turn to guide the vehicle, and he did so dutifully—sounding out the fitting Moonwhinny command or two when the need arose. He glanced occasionally at Wildcard as the griffin provided propulsion for the uphill glides. "You just rest your nerdy ass until we get to a camping spot."

"But... I really wish to understand it..." Flynn's mechanical eye lay dormant while his natural eye darted about. "There's not enough even foundation to build a fort." He gulped. "And who in the Hell can dig a trench through this?"

"Me. Right now. With your damned head." Logan flashed him an expression that flickered between a smirk and a frown. "Shut your egghole, dude. The sooner you get better, the sooner we can figure out how to... I dunno... put stone-melting flame throwers on the front of this stupid thing."

"It can't—grnnngh—" Flynn winced again. Kepler reached in and placed another cold cloth on his skull. Flynn winked thankfully, then continued: "It can't house stone-melting flame throwers, Big Show. Hell... I wouldn't even have the materials to build such things." A breathy sigh. "We're just going to have to keep on keeping on." He gulped. "Navigating our way through this geological diarrhea."

"Easy for you to say," Ariel muttered, flying low overhead. "You haven't seen this crap from above."

"How far does it stretch?"

"Dude. How far does 'far' stretch?! This shit is enormous! It's horizon to horizon!"

"To be fairr, we said that about the insufferrable wyrrm," Kepler said with a scholarly smirk. "And yet we've managed to elude it, yes?"

"Yeah, what was up with that?" Ariel murmured. "It put up such a fight... and then just gave up!"

"I scared it," Logan belched.

"Hah!" Flynn laughed so hard he grimaced in pain. "Fat chance, fat ass."

"You didn't see me, douchetard," Logan retorted. "I was doing the tango with its mandibles. I was this close from making it choke on my axe."

A dull whistle. Half of the group looked back at Wildcard.

Smirking, the Desperado shook his beak.

"Wildcard doesn't believe you," Flynn droned.

"Yeah, well, Wildcard can go lay an egg," Logan said. "We can use your burning head to fry it."

"Please..." Rainbow Dash moaned. Her belly growled. "Don't... t-talk about eggs right now."

Kepler looked over. "Carre to parrtake in the mushrrom supply, Rrainbow One?"

"Nah, dude..." Rainbow exhaled with drooped ears. "Gotta ration."

"We're not exactly stumbling across a marketplace here, Rainbow." Logan gestured at the waves and waves of stone formations ahead. "If you need your energy—"

"I have my energy," Rainbow said. "What I need is to think about the journey right now. Not the fuel." Her brow furrowed. "As for the wyrm, my gal-pals altogether believe it just... lost interest in us."

"Maybe it got tired?" Ariel suggested.

"Or perhaps it realized how small and insignificant we all are," Seraphimus said from the back of the wagon, shackled beside Wildcard. "A pity that not all creatures we're bound to encounter will be large enough to bless us with indifference."

Ariel's muzzle scrunched. "Since when did we invite the death ostrich into the conversation?"

"Since I invited her face into my axe's handle," Logan grumbled. "Face it. She's entitled."

Ariel folded her forelimbs in mid-flight. "I don't remember signing up to be the friend of your friends!"

"She's not my friend."

"Yeah..." Ariel smirked. "And I'm straight."

"Straight set on a whooping is more like it."

"Careful, Big Show. My mandibles know where your nads are."

"Eh... I've been bitten by worse."

Flynn chuckled—only to wince again.

Clearing his throat, Kepler spoke up: "I'm morreoverr interrested in the fact that ourr surrly grriffin antagonist herre holds an expectation for beasts to come!" He smirked, adjusting his spectacles. "Orr expectations of anything else, forr that matterr."

Seraphimus exhaled. "It's obvious by now that you're not going to kill me—but instead torture me with bludgeoning attacks from behind and banal conversations."

"She knows us too well," Logan burped.

"As for the road ahead that we're so foolishly treading, I doubt you're even remotely prepared for it." Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes glinted in the starlight. "Even the bulk of Rohbredden's army would be ill-equipped to handle whatever's likely ahead."

"So you do admit that we arre in anotherr half of the worrld entirrely?" Kepler remarked. "Someplace hitherrto unrrevealed to the likes of Verrlaxion's foals?"

Seraphimus looked his way. "It stands to reason that there are many wicked things in existence in the Blight—far beyond her benevolent blessings."

Kepler scratched his hairy chin as he murmured: "I wonderr... just what else do you stand to learrn about? What otherr truths exist that you've been hitherrto deprrived of?"

Seraphimus said nothing at that. She stared off into the cold, distant glint of stars.

Wildcard looked from her to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow flew above the cart in silence.

Ariel leaned in. "Uhhhh..." She cupped a hoof around her muzzle and whispered: "That might have been a real swell time to have dropped in... dishing out some truth bombs about Equestria and Harmony and the Austraeoh..."

"I want to do that, believe me," Rainbow Dash murmured back. "But... now's not the time."

"When is the time, then?"

Rainbow sighed. "Long after the sting of Logan's axe-swing wears off from her skull." Her eyes narrowed as she spoke hushedly: "I still can't believe he did that."

"I can." Ariel nodded. "If he didn't, I would have."

"Yeah—and in making my job one tick easier, it's also three ticks harder."

"... ... ..." Ariel blinked. "... ... ...what the hell is a 'tick?'"

"Besides..." Rainbow shook her head. "I need time."

"Time?"

"Time and space... to sit her down and just... try it all again." Rainbow's nostrils flared. "It didn't go so well on the last occasion. I'm not sure I've got any greater leverage now."

"Well..." Ariel fidgeted with her forelimbs. "As much as I hate to admit it, she did help us."

"Uh huh."

"Sooooooooooo something must be clicking with her for whatever reason."

"Uh huh."

"Orrrrrrr... y'know..." Ariel shrugged. "It could just be an elaborate ruse to throw you off track and then stab you square in the back the first moment you pretend to trust her."

"Uh huh... ... ..."

Ariel bit her lip. "... ... ...I'm only making you feel more confused, aren't I?"

"Uh huh."

Ariel coughed. "My bad." She looked towards the back of the wagon. "Still... Wildcard hasn't killed her yet." A sly smirk. "That should be a good sign there's still hope... r-right?"

Rainbow smiled slightly at that.

"Uhm..." Fluttershy floated up, materializing in Rainbow's view. "Rainbow Dash?"

"What is it, Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked.

"Whoops!" Ariel politely drew backwards, flying slower. "Ghosty-gal-pal time!"

"I'm sorry." Fluttershy remarked. "I didn't mean to push her away."

"Nah, it's all good, Fluttershy." Rainbow looked at her friend. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, you know how Rarity's been struggling to... uhm... provide all of us with a 'mental map' of the landscape ahead?"

"Yeah...?" Rainbow gestured at the stalagmites they were passing. "Quite frankly, I don't blame the girl."

"Well, she may not be sensing something... but I do."

Rainbow blinked. "You do?"

"It's not a giant wyrm this time. Of that—at least—I'm certain." Fluttershy squirmed again. "At least... I think I am."

Rainbow cleared her throat. "Soooooo... what? Are you detecting—?"

"Life, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said. "Or... if nothing else... something close to it."

"Yeah?" Rainbow craned her neck, as if she could already see something. "Where at?"

"About a mile up ahead, going straight. It's..." Fluttershy shuddered. "...it's a lot more than I was expecting."

Directed By That Jerk

Rainbow Dash was expecting many wild things when she and the Herald finally rounded the penultimate crest of jagged rock. What she didn't expect to see were the lights.

There was no mistaking it. Upon first glance through a parting array of stalagmites, Rainbow and her ghostly companions collectively observed shimmering shapes and figures—all of which projected a strange and almost hypnotizing bioluminescence.

They came in various patterns, colors, and arrangements. From a distance, Rainbow spotted what looked like parallel ribbons of alternating strobes—and the moment her wings so much as made a single wing-flap within the bowed niche of rock, she saw the ribbons turning a dull blue as multiple arachnid limbs carried it scurrying to a hidden alcove. A collection of bright pinpricks were far, far slower in their retreat. As Rainbow and Ariel flew closer, they saw what looked like an enormous snail: a creature possessing a large round shell and conveyed on centipede legs so densely packed together that they might as well have been the flagella of a mollusk's hide. Then there were flying... possibly floating things—wispy and threadbare in nature—that shimmered with pale green light as they rotated up and down. When Ariel flew by a pair of them, the wind from her wings sent them spiraling towards the rock walls as they pulsed a bright, alarmed red. Once they made contact with the wall, they flattened and camouflaged themselves with translucent skin.

The further beneath the overhang of rock that the Herald traversed, they found more and more curious wildlife—almost all of them invertebrate in nature and possessing completely random luminescent abilities. Logan slowed the hover craft's drift to a mere crawl, and even Seraphimus was drawn towards looking at the various creatures shifting and scurrying around them.

There was a high-pitched hissing sound. Shadows darted low overhead. Ariel and Kepler visibly flinched. Within seconds, the shadows strobed with bright pulses of light, and the group looked up to see what appeared like reptilian bats gliding swiftly above their ears. Their wingtips flickered with red firelight, and they exited the niche in tight formation as soon as they had entered. If the group squinted, they could spot occasional spots of light streaking in the distance, navigating the troposphere between the ground, the Curve, and the cosmos.

Needless to say, Fluttershy was beside herself with wonderment. Her ghostly wings fluttered faster and faster as her turquoise eyes darted about to observe every insanely new detail.

Rarity looked at her with a delicate smile. "Surely, this must have been worth the entire journey so far, for you, darling."

Fluttershy's response was far less enthusiastic than any of her friends expected. "There must be a lot of carnivores here," she said matter-of-factly.

Applejack glanced over. "How do ya figure?"

"If these creatures were never preyed upon, they wouldn't be scurrying away from us like they are," Fluttershy said. "Also... look at the ones on the ground." She pointed. "Their shells are so thick. So jagged." She gulped. "They've evolved for added protection. I do believe this place is more savage than even the Everfree Forest."

Pinkie Pie nodded. "Coulda told you that! And the only animal I've ever known is a talkative baby alligator!"

"I think we sh—" Twilight Sparkle did a double-take. She squinted at Pinkie Pie for a few seconds, shrugged, then resumed. "I think we should be careful, Rainbow Dash. There's no telling how dangerous these creatures might be. Or venomous."

"Right." Rainbow looked at the rest of the Herald. "Hey, everypony, let's not... y'know... go off petting or nuzzling any of these flickering things."

"Awwwwwww..." Ariel pouted, pointing at a swarm of what could best be described as three headed slugs slithering along the sloped stone beneath them. "But they look so cute and glowy—"

Exactly as she said this, a trio of jagged pinchers suddenly erupted from a narrow fissure in the earth and enclosed around one of the harmlessly slithering slugs. SNAP! The chitinous jaws retreated with its wriggling prey. Seconds later, a faint cloud of ruby-colored energy floated up through the rock formation before being sucked back down into the earth.

"Errrr..." Ariel rubbed her fetlocks, shivering. "Then again..."

"Did you see that?" Logan remarked.

Wildcard nodded.

"Just like with Axan," Kepler murmured. "How currious."

"Alright then." Rainbow cleared her throat. "Note to self. Avoid any large collections of red clouds."

Kepler looked up. "Then that must surrely mean prroximity to feasting, carrnivorrous crreaturres."

"Exactly."

"What about us?" Logan remarked. Everypony could hear an audible growl from the large stallion's stomach. "I'm game for being a feasting, carnivorous creature."

"One thing at a time, Big Show..." Flynn murmured from where he lay across the cart. His mechanical eye reflected the alternating pulses of light. "There's no telling how many of these things will be poisonous to consume." He sighed, wincing again from his aching head. "Or h-how many of them might eat us from the inside."

"Goddess..." Ariel shivered. "That's a nightmarish idea."

"This is the Dark Side, girl." Rainbow looked at the flittering forms of life all around them. Their spectral colors produced a glittery light show against the dull gray surfaces of the entombing rock formations "Let's not let all this stuff dazzle us too hard. It's all brutal beneath the shimmer."

"I wonder..." Rarity was practically purring. Her bright blue eyes deliciously took in the sights. "...what could be the purpose of such beautiful... fabulous display?"

"Well, they're likely used for social cues," Fluttershy said. "Swarming creatures communicate with each other through the lights. Mates find each other to reproduce. On the other hoof..." She sighed. "Carnivores likely use this bioluminescence to lure all the others."

"Well, I can't say I'm a fan of the latter, but seeing all of this right now?" Rarity sighed through a tired smile. "It's a welcome sight."

"I just wonder if there's any plants or fungae around here," Twilight said.

"Reckon so." Applejack was hovering low, closely observing a fine layer of sediment. "The soil's just startin' to get rich. What's more..." The tilted her hat back, looking up. "The food chain's gotta start somewhere, ya reckon?"

Right about then, Wildcard's goggles began reflecting a dull blue glow from up ahead. He sat up straight from the rear of the wagon and waved his talon dramatically.

"I think Turbo Turkey's trying to get your attention, Dashie!" Pinkie said.

"Hmmmm?" Rainbow looked in the Desperado's direction. "What is it, boy?"

Wildcard gestured to his goggles, then to Rainbow's eyes, then pointed dead ahead.

Rainbow flew up high—avoiding a few wispy, glowy things along the way. Likewise, her eyes began reflecting a swath of electric blue energy.

"Whoahhhhhh..." Pinkie Pie cooed. "Shiny!"

"Oh lawd..." Applejack grimaced. "Forgive me, sugarcube, but..." She looked worriedly at her anchor. "...ain't grass supposed to glow green?"

Rainbow took a shuddering breath. "Beggers can't be choosers." She motioned with her hoof. "Come on, dudes. I think we've found our place to camp for the time being..."

The Joke's On Us

It was a woolly glen: complete with springy blades of vegetation, patches of mold, vines that clung to the bordering walls of rock, and the pungent scent of mildew. The only thing different than what Rainbow Dash remembered from Light Side pastures was that everything was tinted a pale blue... and it all glowed.

The source of the bioluminescence came across as sub-magical, and Rainbow could have sworn she heard a low, bass hum that shifted in pitch with each squishy step she took over the paper thin growth along the floor of the alcove. She and her ghostly companions watched as each square-foot of alien "grass" rippled from light-blue to a dull purple and back again upon pressurized contact. The pungent smell in the air shifted as well, and Rainbow could only guess that countless invisible spores were being released in a panic as she and her trailing companions on the hovercraft invaded the otherwise tranquil sanctuary.

"Uhm..." Fluttershy gazed left and right. "Forgive me, Rainbow Dash. But I'm not entirely certain that this will be safe for grazing."

"I don't even think it's safe for breathing!" Twilight Sparkle remarked. "Rainbow, are you feeling alright? You're not inhaling anything unhealthy, are you?"

"So far, so good," Rainbow muttered, gazing with a dispassionate expression at the shifting colors of the "lawn" all around her. "Although, if I passed gas right about now, I'm not sure the others could even tell in this place."

"We heard you," Logan said, gliding the hovercraft to a stop. "And no, I don't think we can."

"You arrived on the Dark Side a champion, fatso," Flynn wheezed.

"Shut up. You're supposed to be recuperating—not smart-assing."

"Forr the time being..." Kepler gently gestured, smiling. "What say we simply rrest ourrselves in this delightfully quiet location?"

"That's just it, Keps..." Ariel hovered in mid-air, wringing her fetlocks. "Just how 'quiet' can we expect this place to be?"

"This place is small," Logan said. "Remote." He hopped off the wagon and began unpacking some supplies. "If anything hunts around here, I can think of a gazillion better places for it to stage an ambush. Besides..." He glanced at the three plausible entrances to the place: the way they came, an outlet ahead of them, and a patch of twilight straight above. "...we've got clear positions to keep our eyes on. Better here than in that stupid rock maze of stalagmites behind. Anything could attack us from anywhere back there."

"Coulda picked a slightly darker place," Flynn said. He rubbed his one good eye and winced. "Nnnnngh... didn't friggin' expect the Dark Side to have a night market district."

"I know I should be rresting, but I cannot help myself." Kepler dismounted from the wagon and began shuffling across the luminescent alcove. His glasses reflected a bevy of uncategorized plant life. "Surrely I can collect some samples and figurre out what use they can be to us!"

"I dunno, Keps..." Ariel hovered down to ground level. "If it glows blue... odds are it's gonna come outta ya an even worse color."

"Heh..." Logan smirked.

"That is prrecisely why I must run it thrrough my alchemy kit!" Kepler smiled back. "The soonerr I know, the soonerr we can ascerrtain the edible naturre of the wildlife arround us!" He looked at Rainbow Dash. "Surrely the Austrraeoh would benefit the most frrom this."

Rainbow nodded. "Get to work, Keps. Just... try and get some rest at some point or another. Something tells me we won't get a lot of opportunities to chill like this."

Kepler bowed. "Duly noted."

It was finally Seraphimus' turn to say something: "Assuming we are safe for any single stretch of time in this domain is folly." She glanced over, and her voice took on a brief, curiously worrisome tone: "Don't be idiotic, Jordan."

"Hmmm?" Rainbow Dash looked over.

Wildcard had dismounted from the back of the wagon. His goggles shone like two bright blue headlights. This was because the lenses reflected a curious patch of luminescent blue weeds... weeds that he was presently aiming a flesh talon towards to touch.

Rainbow's eyes darted all over the flouncing shape of the leaves. The long stems. The solid, thick clusters of seeds. "Luna Poop!" Swoooooosh! She rushed over and yanked on Wildcard's lion's tail. "Wildcard, don't—!"

"!!!" Wildcard nervously leapt back before his claw could so much as graze the plant.

"Whoah!" Ariel remarked.

Logan craned his neck. "What gives? You guys okay?"

"Don't touch that thing!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "Whatever you do! Keep your distance!"

"Rainbow Dash?" Rarity floated closer. "What's the matter?"

Applejack was already pointing. "Take a look for yerselves, y'all..."

"Huh?" Twilight Sparkle phased through and took a look at the weeds. "Whoah! That's... that's incredible!"

"Holy cauliflower!" Pinkie Pie pulled at her ghostly mane. "I can't believe it!" A beat. She blinked innocently at the other mares. "What is it that I can't believe, girls?"

"Pinkie, it's Poison Joke!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

"Without a doubt!" Applejack nodded.

"But..." Fluttershy was wincing. "...what's an Equestrian plant doing here?"

Rainbow gulped. "Maybe it's not an Equestria plant after all..."

Kepler and Logan had wandered over to Rainbow's side.

"Rrainbow One?" Kepler brushed against her. "Perrhaps—forr curriosity's sake—an explanation is in orrderr?"

"I... I know this plant," Rainbow said, pointing at the thing with a trembling hoof. "It's called 'Poison Joke'... at least that's the name a zebra shaman friend of ours gave it back in Equestria."

"Back in Equestria???" Ariel remarked from above.

"That's a dayum crazy coincidence, don't you think?" Logan belched.

"I know it sounds stupid... but believe me..." Rainbow gestured at the tell-tale plant. "Even after all the epic adventures I've had flying east, there's no way in Tartarus I would forget this thing. It screwed up my friends and I super bad. If it wasn't for Zecora—the zebra shaman who brewed a miracle cure—then we'd never return to normal after what the plant did to us."

"Aaaaaaaaaand..." Ariel glanced at Wildcard, then back at Rainbow Dash. "...what did the plant do to you girls, exactly?"

"You guess it, you've named it." Rainbow gulped. "It messed with our bodies big time—wild, dumb effects. It was completely random with each of us, too. Rarity's coat hair grew super long. Twilight lost the use of her horn. I went stupidly dizzy. Fluttershy sounded like a dude..."

"Mmmmm...!" Fluttershy squeaked, cowering behind Rarity. The fashionista lovingly patted her head.

"Applejack shrunk to—like—one hundredth her normal size. And Pinkie Pie started drooling... at least more than usual."

"Hey!" Pinkie Pie folded her forelimbs, pouting. "I drool with purpose! I like to think of it as artistically salivating."

"Pinkie, darling, could you artistically go mute for a brief moment?" Rarity insisted.

"It begs the question!" Kepler remarked. "What is a poisonous blue weed indigenous to the Dark Side doing all the way across the Plane in your homeland of Equestria???"

"I've no friggin' clue," Rainbow Dash remarked. "It... it grows in the Everfree Forest, and nowhere else."

"Lots of strange plants grow in the Everfree Forest, Rainbow Dash," Twilight said. "Beside Poison Joke, that is."

"Mmmhmmm." Fluttershy nodded. "And creatures live there that don't live in other forests."

"My friends are reminding me that a lot of stuff exists in the Everfree Forest that can't be found elsewhere," Rainbow Dash said. She squinted slightly. "On the top of my head, I can think of Ursa Majors, Star Spiders, manticores..."

"Ach!" Kepler did a double-take. "You've encounterred ourr big brrotherrs outside the mountain sanctuarry?!?"

Rainbow blinked. "Jee... did we never talk about it, Keps?"

Wildcard hand-signed.

Ariel translated: "'A lot of crap has happened since then.'" She smiled. "Must have slipped the mind, if you did discuss it."

"How currious..." Kepler stroked his hairy chin. "I would verry much like to know morre about this 'Everrfrree Forrest' of yourrs, Rrainbow One."

"Yeah. Sure."

"What I wanna know..." Flynn murmured from the wagon, rubbing his aching skull. "...is how did this Poison Joke thing get transplanted across the Plane—or the Edge of the World for that matter?"

"Maybe..." Rainbow shrugged. "...it happened naturally? Before the Sundering?"

"Nah..." Logan shook his head. "That shit had to have been transplanted. I bet something like this could be easily weaponized."

"Yeah, but who would have transplanted it?" Ariel remarked. "Midnighters?"

"Midnighterrs came this way, good sisterr," Kepler said. "As farr as we know, it's a one way trrip."

"Changelings?" Ariel looked at Rainbow.

Rainbow nodded. "Chrysalis pretty much confirmed that there are changelings living—in small numbers—in Equestria today. But... I dunno. Just... doesn't seem very changelingy for them to pack stuff with them."

"They stowed away living victims in Stratopolis, did they not?"

"Yeah, but they weren't plants. Guh..." Rainbow rubbed her head. "I've just got no clue."

"Or perhaps there is no pattern to be connected whatsoever," Seraphimus droned. "And—with the usual mindless optimism—you're attempting to draw conclusions without any merit."

Ariel rolled her eyes.

Wildcard shrugged. He looked at the others and gestured.

"Right." Logan nodded back. "From now on, we stay clear of any weird looking plants. Kepler? If you wanna sample that stuff, you gotta figure out a way to do it without touching the shit."

"Ehhhhm..." Kepler rubbed his scalp. "Forr the time being, perrhaps, it will be wisest simply to rrest."

"Agreed." Flynn wheezed.

"Right. Roll out the tents." Rainbow gestured, flapping her wings and zipping about the wagon to help unpack it. "We need to plan guard shifts. I'll go first."

Ariel sighed. "Rainbow..." She began to protest.

"I know. I'll get my rest. But—first—I really should go on patrol first," she said. "With my friends' help, I can at least get a mental lay of the land and then pass it on to the next pony on shift. Ya feel me?"

"Yeah..." Ariel smiled tiredly. "I get you."

"Cool. Get to work." Rainbow grasped a supply crate and carried it over to a patch of blue vegetation. Setting it down, she began stripping her limbs of the Emeraldinian armor. "Whew... can't wait to be light as a feather again."

"You sure you don't wanna keep some of that metal stuff on, Dashie?" Pinkie asked. "I know we all feel safe, but it could come in handy in a pinch!"

"Pinkie, honestly!" Rarity waved a hoof. "Let her relax a bit!"

"Guh!" Pinkie rolled her eyes and folded her forelimbs in a pout. "Somepony promote me to Chief of Security already—with how often my ideas get shot down!"

"Pinkie, you're incredibly useful when we least expect it," Twilight said with a reassuring smile. "Until then, just relax a bit." She looked at their anchor. "Celestia knows, Rainbow needs to."

"Yeah..." Rainbow blinked tiredly as she stripped more and more plates of armor off. "Although—at this rate—I fear I'm gonna start to forget how."

You And I, Dominoes

"Is... grnngh..." Flynn's good eye squinted as he fought another wave of migraines. Thick hooves laid him gently over the base fabric of a freshly-erected tent. "Is the Hover Plank in one p-piece?"

"It's fine," Logan grunted.

"But is it damaged in some fashion?" Flynn gulped. He lay on his back with legs curled above him like a fuzzy cockroach. "Because the first thing I wake up, I can go and examine the manastones under the carriage—"

"I said it's A-okay! Dayum!" Logan blew out the side of his muzzle. "Give it a rest, will ya?"

"How can I?" Flynn shuddered. Sweat gathered along his brow as the tip of his horn continued to fluctuate. "This whole damn voyage depends on me right now."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I figured it all depends on the Austraeoh."

"You know what I mean." Flynn's muzzle tightened. "That hover cart is the only thing keeping us mobile. Without it, and we're reduced to a snail's crawl."

"I'm sure you could build us all sexy shells."

"Big Show..."

"Stop fretting and just get some shuteye, idiot," Logan said. "Your lousy horn ain't no use to us if you keep shortening it out with your needless sissy anxiety."

"Wow. Spoken like a true blue turd." Flynn managed to close his eye. "Where'd you learn psychiatry, anyways?"

"In the few seconds I could spare between crushing skulls." Logan shuffled a few supplies around, then laid his axe against a crate. "Precisely when did you graduate from the Rohbredden School of Uptight Nerdy Losers?"

"Some of us are born to be geniuses," Flynn exhaled. "Others to fart."

"Funny how they both lead to bold experiments in internal combustion."

Flynn squinted one eye open. "Is the Hover Plank at least balanced evenly?"

"Baldy, dude, you're one word away from me shoving that horn straight down through your neck."

"Then how will you make it to the Midnight Armory?"

"We'll fill your head with hot air and float there."

"Heh..." Flynn took a deep breath. His ears drooped. "Logan...?"

"Yeah, dude?"

"... ... ...did you really go hoof-to-hoof with the giant wyrm?"

"Did everything but headbutt the bastard. You want my opinion on how we escaped with our lives in tact? I embarrassed 'em to death."

"Hmmmmf..." Flynn closed his eye again, relaxing. "Wish I saw that shit."

"Yeah, I wish you saw it too." Logan drew a blanket over the stallion. "Now go the Hell to sleep."

"Mrmmfff..." Flynn's sweaty brow furrowed beneath his horn. "You kiss 'good night' and I'll turn you inside out."

"You can't turn me inside out."

"All unicorns can turn ponies inside out."

"Bullshit."

"It's true. We went to school for it."

"When?"

"In the womb."

"Pfffft... probably poked the doctor's eye out when you came out."

"Not too far from the truth. Do you know I used to be a midwife?"

"Heheheheheh..."

"Hmmmmm..." And finally... Flynn fell into blissful unconsciousness.

Flesh and metal talons blurred through the blue-tinted air.

"Wait! Shhhh!" Ariel winced, floundering to unpack a crate atop the hover wagon. "Slow down! I can't read you that quickly!"

Wildcard sighed. He looked up from where he stood—hunched—over a pile of Emeraldinian armor. With far slower and more deliberate motions, he "spoke" to the mare across the glen from him.

"Ah. Gotcha." With a knowing nod, Ariel reached deep into a crate and pulled out a bottle of ancient polish. "Gotta hoof it to the curators of this stuff. Goddess-knows how many centuries, and it hasn't turned to bland paste!" She tossed the bottle across the air.

Of course, Wildcard nimbly caught it. With a twirl of metal claws, he unclasped the cap and began squirting the substance over a breastplate. Squatting down, the griffon proceeded the polish the recently-disrobed armor.

"Y'know..." Ariel drifted over on softly-flapping wings. "...it's cool that you wanna re-live your old Talon days of looking pristine and all..." She smiled crookedly. "...but I think that stuff's time to shine came and went ages ago." She gestured nebulously towards the Curve of the plane. "The first opportunity we get to move quickly towards the Midnight Armory, we'll likely be ditching that stuff. Doesn't matter how awesomely it was crafted."

Wildcard exhaled. He gave the pegasus a tired look.

Ariel merely shrugged. "Sorries." She touched down beside him. "Not trying to hush your buzz. We all need a hobby, and... heh..." A bittersweet smirk. "Guess there simply isn't enough wood on this side of the plane to whittle into toothpicks."

A snorted breath escaped Wildcard's beak. He smirked as he polished the armor.

"Flynn did a fantastic job on your arm." Ariel gulped. "It's super cool having you whole again, Wildcard."

The griffin nodded.

Biting her lip, Ariel looked at him. "You... you are whole again... aren't you, Wildcard?"

The Desperado merely breathed and continued with his polishing job on the armor.

Exhaling, Ariel leaned over and rested her head softly against his shoulder. She drew her wings in as she murmured melancholically: "I totally miss him too..."

Wordlessly, Wildcard drew a wing out and softly enveloped her. She curled her forelimbs up and trembled slightly in his friendly embrace. His wingtips dried the tears forming on her cheek; all the while he treated the Emeraldinian metal until it shone again in the twilight.

"Bandages," Kepler said. He stood over a badly-damaged crate and examined its contents through his spectacles. "Overr half of them."

"Luna dang it!" Rainbow Dash kicked at a few blue blades of flora beneath her. Pacing about, she came around to frown at the wyvern. "Are you sure?"

"Positively, Rrainbow One." Kepler raised a few strips of fabric in his talons. "We have some materrials to sparre, but I'm absolutely cerrtain that the bulk of the shatterred crrate ended up in the frreshly burrrowed trrenches of that collossal beast."

"Grnnnngmmghhl..." Rainbow Dash face-hoofed. After a prolonged sigh, she muttered: "I guess I shouldn't be too buzzkilled. We did manage to keep most of the supplies in one piece."

"Indeed!" Kepler smiled. "And as we discoverr morre and morre varriety of orrganic materrial, I have everry bit of confidence we can crraft newerr and morre useful devices of firrst aid!"

"It's a dang miracle that we got out of that scrap without getting crushed, pulverised, or eviscerated." Rainbow Dash paced about the edge of the glen. The blue bioluminescence glinted off her wingtips as she gazed across the campsite. "I mean... one headachey unicorn and a slightly bruised griffin." She spat out the side of her muzzle. "Ehhh... she's been through worse too."

Kepler's eyes darted about. He took a deep breath. "Rrainbow, dearr sisterr..." Reaching a claw up, he took his glasses off. "I do believe I have a confession to make."

"Pffft. You?" Rainbow looked over with a tired expression. "Since when did the Kepsmeister keep any naughty secrets?"

"You stand to be terrribly surrprrised with that attitude. Neverrtheless, I must be open with you..."

"This is the Dark Side, dude." Rainbow smirked tiredly. "It must have gotten super hard for you to wear mare's clothing since we crossed the edge. About as hard as it would be for me to give a crap."

"Ha Ha!" Kepler barked. "Jocularr to the last." He gulped. "No, Rrainbow, this deals with ourr unwilling companion."

Brow furrowing, Rainbow turned to face Kepler directly. "I... did leave you alone with her for a long time." She winced slightly. "That... must have been a lot of pressure on you, buddy. I'm sorry."

"Do not worrry overr that," Kepler said. "I only wished I hadn't allowed my optimism to get the best of me, forr—now as I look back at the matterr—I fearr I may have come terrribly close to failing the corre of this entirre mission altogetherr."

"What do you mean, Kepler?"

"Do you know how we finally managed to deterr the detestably larrge inverretebrrate that purrsued us farr back?"

"Uhhhhhhh..." Rainbow blinked, fidgeting in place. "You... like... cooked up a snazzy fire rune thingy to choke the beast as it lunged at all of us."

"I was able to utilize lunarr magic to ignite an alchemic solution of flammable quality."

"Right. That." Rainbow bore a proud smirk. "Good job with that, dude."

"I only wish I could take full crredit forr the solution."

She raised an eyebrow. "Seraphimus?"

"She made the suggestion. I was mostly rresponsible forr the execution... all save forr one parrt."

"Do tell."

"Concocting the chemical arrmament was quite simple," Kepler said. "As was prreparring the necessarry rrunic enchantment. However, Rrainbow, I am... sadly berreft of the skills rrequirred to prroperrly aim and firre a rrifle, much less hitting a distant tarrget. When the time came to prress the triggerr, I needed assistance in aiming steadily."

"Sooooo you had Ariel help, right?" Rainbow asked, tilting her head aside.

Kepler shook her head. "Not just herr."

Rainbow blinked. "Seraphimus."

"With herr insistence—as she was quite helpful at the time—we utilized the forrmer Commanderr's hide in prropping up the rrifle and aiming at the beast upon its final charrge."

"I'm guessing that's the most she was able to contribute," Rainbow said. "I mean, her arms and legs were bound."

"Ach. But not herr wings."

"... ... ..."

"It took an awfully long time to get a good shot, so to speak," Kepler explained. "All the while, the rrifle was rresting overr the grriffin's backside. Now that I look back, the tiniest shift in herr shoulderrs... the smallest flap of herr wings... and the barrrel would have lifted. The rrunic prrojectile would have flown higherr and..." Kepler winced. "Well... we may not be having this converrsation, frriend... for we might not have had the Austrraeoh any longer..."

Rainbow sat back, stroking her chin in thought. Her eyes darted across five different spots, sharing eyes with phantoms whom Kepler couldn't see.

Kepler gulped. "So, as you can see, my good faith was without a firrm foundation, and it nearrly cost us everrything."

"Yeah. Only—it didn't, Keps."

"I fearr that you do not underrstand the grravity of my actions—"

"Oh, but I totally do." Rainbow thought aloud, her eyes reflecting more and more blue light. "Whether you meant to or not, you gave Seraphimus the opportunity to prove something about herself." She looked across the way to where a feathery figure sat slumped against a rock wall. "And it seems as though she took it."

Kepler gulped. "What do you suppose it means, Rrainbow One?"

"Everything. Nothing." Rainbow shrugged slowly. "Fact of the matter... I'm not dead."

"Do you have it in yourr hearrt to forrgive me?"

"Pffft. Of course, Kepler. Now..." Rainbow pivoted about, facing the distant figure. "...to ascertain whether or not she still does."

Kepler placed his glasses back on, squinting at her. "Do you suppose it could actually be that simple?"

"With that chick, nothing is simple."

"Hmmm. Agrreed."

"But one thing is for sure."

"What is that?"

Rainbow slowly trotted away. "Now is as good a time as any... to try talking to her again."

Destiny of a Madman

The blue glow of the glen had dimmed to a soft azure flicker.

Hours had passed. Rainbow Dash was no longer on patrol. She lay curled up on a stretch of canvas, struggling to get some slumber. She was only half-successful.

Across the clearing, other members of Herald fared better. Logan snored loudly while Ariel lay on her back, kicking randomly at dreamly clouds in the air. Flynn's slumber was a remarkably peaceful thing, and all traces of migraines had left his otherwise relaxed complexion. Kepler had evidently attempted reading one of the books he had miraculously smuggled all the way from Wyvern Point. The seal of Mortuana lingered on its bindings, but the wyvern had fallen asleep in the midst of perusing the tome's contents. His spectacles dangled crookedly off his hairy snout as he lay against a bag of supplies.

The only shifting body—and gentle and slow at that—was Wildcard. The Desperado slowly flew a vigilant circle around the clearing. He paused at each earthen corridor leading Edgeside and Curveside. Looking to see if the coast was clear, he dutifully resumed his circular motion, drifting close by Rainbow Dash with a flick of his lion's tail. He lingered a bit—examining her from above—before fluttering on ahead.

A few ghostly breaths away, the figures of Fluttershy and Rarity lingered. The other three spirits had retreated into their invisible domain, undoubtedly to "rest up" for the next leg of their anchor's journey. The two mares talked amicably—but also quietly. It was more than obvious that they didn't want to wake up their petite friend, so they kept a respectful distance, hovering at half the allowable anchorage of their binding to the Element of Loyalty.

Every so often, Rainbow's eyelids would flutter open. She'd observe the slumbering Herald, the gentle drift of Wildcard, and the glowing pair of mares a few steps away... and then Rainbow's eyes would close once again as she teased the dark fabric of unconsciousness.

The "night"-within-a-night proceeded in such an anticlimactic fashion, quiet and unassuming, peaceful yet mildly tense.

And—at last—a mischievous voice broke that tension:

"Do you ever get tinnitus?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow's eyes slowly fluttered open.

A hairy figure hovered sideways, ninety-degrees to the earth. His antlers pointed perfectly "upwards" in Rainbow's vision. There was a fan of paper-thin objects levitating directly in front of him. Rainbow watched as he sporadically reached a lion's paw to his hairy muzzle, plucking teeth out that morphed comically into playing cards. Discord proceeded to play solitaire in the tranquil silence of the glen.

"I suppose I already know the answer to that question, Sparky. Considering all of the grotesquely capitalized explosions and sound effects you've encountered, you've undboutedly got the darnedest-ringiest ears in this quadrant of the galaxy."

Rainbow Dash fidgeted. She was too damnably exhausted to produce so much as a growl. She rubbed her eyes and blinked at the casually levitating dragonequus.

"Still, such a thing must annoy a mortal beyond measure. I mean, how can one relax with all of that... pent-up mayhem just banging on the poor fleshy ear drums in your petite little skull? I can say 'petite', right? It's not too terribly overused?"

Rainbow Dash's lips tightened.

"Anyhorse—tinnitus. Constant ringing. Such an alarmingly sad condition. At least it won't follow you into sleep... or death. I mean, that's what you mortals expect, right?" He continued to lay down more "teeth" cards. An ace of spades graced the blue glow of the glen. "If nothing else, death is the ultimate escape from all of life's troubles... all of the mayhem... all of the chaos."

Rainbow blinked. She looked at Wildcard gliding a distant circle... at the soul-esque manes of Rarity and Fluttershy blowing in an unseen wind.

"But..."

Rainbow's eyes silently darted back towards the speaker.

"...what if I was to tell you... that in the absence of light, matter, consciousness... in the absence of everything... the ringing only intensifies? That is to say, in a state of oblivion, one enters the repository of all the spent-up physical, spiritual, and otherworldly detritus you could or couldn't imagine. Just... an infinitely deep pocket of all this unnameable bric-a-brac jumbling and banging and rustling around... with nowhere to go but deeper, tighter, and louder. Could you imagine a far more cacophonous fate for all things that have ever lived and died?"

Rainbow Dash bit her lip.

"Oh... but don't you fret, Sparky." A final teeth glinted before two talons plucked it free. With a flick of the scaled wrist, it turned into the Queen of Hearts. Discord turned his head to smirk at her. "You've got your ever-precious Harmonic Plains to escape to... or..." His eyes traced the Curve of the Plane. "...or maybe you don't." A beat. A shrug. "Either way... you've got an out. Because you're harmonic. Way to go."

Rainbow Dash gulped. Her lips parted ways—

"Me?" Discord shrugged. "I know where I'm headed... because I've been there. I was there for only a blink—mind you. But a blink for me was several, several months for you. And yet—in all that time... all that wonderfully jumbling, rattling, noisy time... I had glimpses of the winged maverick above the pit... the possessor of that endlessly entropic pocket. And... I must say... I'm half-tempted to thank you."

There was no response.

He wasn't expecting any. "And yet... here I am. Even I couldn't expect something so unpredictable... and that's what makes me so excited. But—sooner than later—the thrill of discovery must wear off. And I must come to terms with the fact that I can't be in that perfect place forever. I'm here for a reason—and I absolutely loathe 'reasons.' Much the same way you don't particularly care for the delicious ambrosia that is spontaneity... or at least you pretend not to."

Rainbow's brow furrowed.

"Eh... lecturing isn't my forte either. That's one thing we have in common. Besides something else..." He laid the last of the cards down and looked at her. "We both want to share what's best with this world. It's just that... every time I give, you take. And every time you take, I give." He picked the cards up and fanned them out in front of her. "We both have the same deck... but you can't have two dealers, can you?"

"... ... ..."

"I heard you talking to the death bird. Nice strides you're making." He flipped the cards from one paw to another. "Of course, it won't work. Not with her. That's because she understands what I do... but that you don't... or refuse to." Red-on-yellow eyes flickered, but they weren't his. "Until you embrace all that you are... and all that we both can be... then you're as stubborn a liar as her... and there's really nothing left to believe in, now is there?"

Rainbow Dash winced. She rubbed her eyes and shuddered through a cold spell.

"Hmmmm... it really is a pity that you can't understand. It's much like a swing band down there. Hmmmm... I suppose some of us must wait for paradise." As Rainbow's vision went foggy, he slapped the cards back into his mouth and clapped them back into teeth. "Get some shuteye, Sparky. No need to tell your horse friends—especially the pink-haired one. I can tell she's quite the sensitive type."

Rainbow deflated back to the canvas, her eyelids falling heavy and heavier.

"But... sooner than later... you will have to talk to me." Eyes flickered in the cascading darkness. A trace of venom. "You will..."

And Rainbow embraced the blissful silence.

Return to Hunter's Dream?

Later...

Rainbow Dash and the Herald drifted through one of countless serpentine corridors, making their gradual way Curveside. Vibrant vines of fungal growth draped over the looming precipices above them, casting a kaleidoscopic glow in all directions. All the while, various creatures of hitherto inconceivable configuration flitted and scurried about the path of the mana-powered caravan.

Fluttershy's vision darted every which way, and the ghostly pegasus' lips pursed as she observed specimen after mysterious specimen with bright, enthusiastic eyes. Once or twice, an insectoid lifeform with luminescent blue wings flitted by, and Fluttershy drifted steadily after it—mesmerized—only to collide muzzle-first with a translucent lavender forcefield. The mare hovered in place, rubbing her fuzzy nose while the rest of her companions caught up, giggling and nuzzling her sweetly.

Rainbow Dash watched from afar. Occasionally she would throw a look over her shoulder, taking note of Seraphimus.

The griffin in question sat silently where she was chained-up in the back of the wagon. She looked lethargic—yes—but alert. There was no question that Seraphimus had taken the necessary step in... sustaining herself.

Rainbow took a deep breath—but it wasn't in pride.

"It's for the best, Rainbow," Twilight said.

Rainbow looked at her.

Twilight explained: "Keeping her restrained. Seraphimus is simply too much of a liability—even now. We can't risk what might happen to you or your friends if she were to be let go."

"I just can't seem to get to her," Rainbow Dash muttered.

Twilight gave a supportive smile. "Just give her time."

"Is that enough? I mean, really?" Rainbow glared ahead of them, nostrils flaring slightly. "What did Princess Celestia do to get you to value the magic of friendship?"

"Ehhhh..." Twilight Sparkle fidgeted in mid-hover. "She... gently prodded me into visiting Ponyville... so that you and I and the rest of us would be in the right place and time to help out her sister, Princess Luna escape the clutches of Nightmare Moon. But..." She cleared her throat. "... ... ...what precisely are you getting at?"

"I dunno, Twi." Rainbow sighed. "It just feels as though I'm practically beating Seraphimus over the head with 'harmony' and crud. Like... 'Hey! Guess what! I'm going to chain you down for months and months until you accept Harmony into your heart as your personal, magical savior!'"

"Seraphimus has tried multiple times to kill you and your friends, Rainbow Dash," Twilight said. "All things considered, you've shown waaaay more than ample mercy."

"I'm not talking about 'mercy,' Twi. Besides, we're beyond that." Rainbow exhaled heavily. "I just feel that... if Princess Celestia were here, she'd have figured out a method that's far wiser and... kinder by now."

"Princess Celestia isn't here, Rainbow Dash. And—besides—hasn't the likes of Mortuana taught us that not all things this far from Equestria can be solved by the usual methods of the Royal Sisters? Or even Whitemane?"

"Even still, I wish I could make things easier for Seraphimus."

"But you can't. So you've gotta resort to this... for her safety as much as for your own." Twilight smiled. "It's going to work, Rainbow. It just takes time."

Rainbow squinted at her in mid-glide. "Y'know... the Twilight Sparkle who joined me in Kihutaja would have been appalled at me chaining up anyone."

Twilight looked back with a stern expression. "Well, I've come a long way from the Twilight Sparkle who stumbled back to life in Kihutaja... or abandoned you in the Quade." She gulped. "And you've come an even longer way than the rest of us, Rainbow. Only... it's taken a greater toll on you, I fear."

Rainbow stared ahead, wings flapping limply. "I'm alright, Twilight. Trust me."

"I do." Twilight nodded. "That's what worries."

Rainbow glanced back at her.

Twilight bit her lip. "I just hope... when all of this is said and done and we've finally returned to Equestria... that you can be alright with returning to who you once were."

"And just who says that that's what I'm going to earn, Twilight?" Rainbow asked. "Or even that I deserve it?"

Twilight fumbled for a response.

In the meantime...

Logan and Flynn were eyeing a scurrying reptilian creature with a pulsating blue tail. It ran up the side of a wall, then clung to a patch of rock hanging over the canyon path as the Hover Plank shifted beneath it.

"Hey... Baldy..." Logan nodded his head towards the small animal. "You see that thing?"

"Mmmhmmm." Flynn responded in a knowing tone. "Same specimen we've been seeing all throughout this leg of the trek."

"What's the count, you think? Two dozen? Three?"

"I've been keeping a thorrough count!" Kepler spoke up. "It's well overr forrty in the past thrree hourrs alone!"

"That's a large enough number to me." Schiiing! Logan pulled out his axe and spoke over his shoulder. "Double-yoo?"

Without hesitation, the Desperado at the rear of the craft picked up an Emeraldinian dagger from the back of the wagon, twirled it once, and—thwisssssssssssssssssh!—flung it in a blur at the creature.

Thunk! Glowing blue blood splattered across the rock as the ancient blade pinned the alien reptile in place. Before it could so much as squirm—

"Hnnngh!" Logan swung up with his blade as the craft passed under. SCHLIIIINK! He instantly decapitated the specimen.

Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack winced. While staring with beaded eyes, Rarity reached a fetlock over and belatedly covered Fluttershy's dumbstruck face.

Rainbow barely flinched. She looked over with an exasperated sigh. "Really? Must you?"

"Yeah." Logan reached over and grasped the creature's still-twitching torso. "We must."

"Clean swing, Big Show," Flynn said. "Let's hope all game goes down that quick."

"Hold onto that thought." Logan turned and tossed the bloody source of meat towards Kepler. "Here ya go, Keps. Take a closer look and see if our stomachs an handle it."

Kepler grasped the creature and prepared his alchemic equipment. "Will do, frriend. And—might I suggest—we shouldn't land any morre kills until I have prresented a scientific opinion."

Seraphimus droned: "You'll want to spread the kills out across the environment—so as not to disastorously alter the local food chain." Her manacles rattled as the wagon navigated bumpy terrain. "There's not telling if your group will need to perform a strategic retreat and camp out in previously-tread locations."

"Indubitably!" Kepler proceeded with his dissection.

Twilight Sparkle struggled to keep her nonexistent lunch in. She looked away from the gore—only to find herself staring in the face of Rainbow Dash.

"Are you still so sure that I should reconsider traditional Equestrian dieting customs?"

Twilight gulped. "To b-be fair, Rainbow Dash, I never told you I was ever 'sure.'"

Rainbow contemplated that with a sullen breath, then resumed her steadfast glide.

As Kepler carved into the meat, the reptilian muscles of the thing finally stopped twitching. A translucent cloud of ruby energy rose up from the creature, waving back and forth like a leaf caught in the breeze.

Ariel passed by—and as she did so, she reached her hoof out and watched as the stream of ruby light phased through her fetlock. She exhaled with an undeniable shudder. "Not so easy to have a sandwich when the lunch meat does that."

"Then keep your eyes shut," Logan grunted.

"Easy for you to say."

"Don't be an asshole. It's never been easy." Logan's nostrils flared. "But—then again—that's why we all made it this far. We've known that since day one."

Wildcard hand-signed something.

Flynn interpreted: "'And the ones who haven't?'"

"Well, now they know more than the rest of us combined," Logan said.

Rainbow bit her lip.

Seraphimus looked thoughtfully at Logan. She leaned back in her restraints, resting.

The Herald continued through the ravines in somber silence.

The Things Wildcard Says

"You're not gonna be making much smoke, are ya, Keps?" Logan asked, squinting cross the campsite.

"Negatorry, frriend." Kepler stoked the freshly-prepared flames. He had fashioned a crude spit utilizing old Emeraldinian metals. With the turn of a makeshift crank, he rotated the slain creature from hours ago, cooking it from all angles. "I've used a rreagent frrom my alchemy kit. The fumes should not be too grreat. If I turrn out to be wrrong, we can simply use a lunarr rrune to quickly extinguish it."

"Well, okay..." Logan exhaled. He resumed erecting a tent across the clearing. A series of rock formations flanked the campsite, dripping with luminescent vines. The Herald nestled themselves safely within the penumbra of the alien fungae's glow. "You just give us a tongue-rolling shout as soon as you need anything."

"Someone's itching to do a taste-test," Flynn droned.

"I suspected that it was my place to endurre such," Kepler said.

"Don't worry, Keps." Ariel flew back and forth between the wagon with supplies. "We'll make sure that Big Show doesn't eat our only chance in testing the quality of meat around here."

"It's not about that!" Logan grunted.

"Point well taken." Flynn smirked in the middle of setting up a tent. "If Kepler's experiment proves helpful, Big Show can just run off and inhale his own meat."

"Ha-Hah!"

Logan snorted. "Shitbags, the whole lot of you."

"You know you love ussssss," Ariel said melodically.

"Bite me."

"Not until Kepler tests you first."

"Heheheheh..."

In the meantime, Rainbow Dash sat down, sipping from a canteen. She sat across from Wildcard who was setting up another fire—this one closer to the camp. The petite pegasus delighted in the warmth from the freshly-lit flame. Her friends gathered close by, mellow and quiet.

"Mmmmm..." Rainbow took a last drink of water and screwed her container shut. "Not that I'm complaining... but I expected a tad bit less mundanity from a place forever labeled 'the Dark Side.'"

"Rainbow Dash?" Rarity's eyelashes fluttered. "Darling?" Her dainty expression hardened into an iron scowl. "Do kindly close your trap."

"Heeheehee!" Pinkie Pie giggled.

"Girls, please..." Fluttershy interjected. "She didn't mean anything stupid by it." The mare sighed out the side of her muzzle. "Even if it was a stupid thing to say."

Rainbow Dash winced. "Yeahhhhhhhhh... I do have a habit of inviting the worst." She looked across the fire at Wildcard. "Good thing I'm with friends who are used to the worst, eh, Wildcard?"

Wildcard looked back at her. He smiled under his dark goggles. The lenses reflected Rainbow's earnest smile in the firelight.

Rainbow sighed. "How are you holding up?"

Wildcard gave a thumb's up. With an Emeraldinian rapier, he stoked the flames. He breathed in... breathed out. After a silent pause, the griffin looked at Rainbow again.

Rainbow looked back.

Wildcard glanced over at the group. His headcrest drooped... as if in contemplation. He readjusted his metal grip of the rapier, then looked back at Rainbow Dash. Shuffling sideways—away from the flame—he squatted closer to her. The stone floor of the campsite had a thin layer of dirt and ash covering it. With slow movement of his limbs, he drew the tip of the blade across the sediment.

Rainbow Dash watched with silent attention.

Gradually, the Desperado formed legible words in the dirt. He did so with surprisingly good handwriting, positioned so that the pegasus could read.

Rainbow's friends all floated closer. They craned their ghostly necks to see over her shoulder.

At long last, the griffin finished. When he was done, the word "WILDCARD" rested between them in all capital letters. He paused when he was done, looking up at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow's eyes met his goggles.

He held up a metal finger... then reached down to underline the first word "WILD." When he was done, he placed the sword down and sat up straight. He then proceeded to make complex motion with his right talon. Multiple fingers stretched out in various directions morphed into just one talon pointing straight up. He repeated the motion, all the while rotating the talon in question clockwise.

Rainbow blinked.

After half-a-minute, Wildcard picked up the sword again. He circled the "CARD" part, then placed the weapon back down. Facing Rainbow directly, he cradled both hands together, then charaded "dealing cards" across the table. It wasn't until the third repetition of this that Rainbow realized he was moving his beak with each signal so as to convey the phrase.

"Is this time for Go Fish?" Pinkie squeaked. An orange hoof slapped across her head. "Owie!"

"Land's sakes, Pinkie!" Applejack leaned back. "Dun you see what's goin' on?"

"It's his name," Twilight Sparkle murmured. She looked directly at their anchor. "He's teaching you how to say his name."

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash looked at her stubby hooves. With a crooked smile, she looked at Wildcard and shrugged.

Wildcard waved his metal hand from side to side. He smiled placatingly under his beak.

"He's not teaching us how to say it, darling," Rarity calmly reassured. "Simply how to 'read' it."

"Ohhhhhhhh." Twilight nodded. "That would make sense."

Next, Wildcard held a finger up.

Rainbow watched intently.

Using the broad side of the Emeraldinian sword, Wildcard smoothed the dust and dirt between them. Using his metal finger this time, he produced new letters.

Rainbow sensed a silver-feathered figure atop the wagon craning her neck and looking at the scene with sudden interest. The mare ignored Seraphimus for the time being, staring intently at the Desperado the entire time.

Wildcard finished writing the two words in the dirt. He underlined "RAINBOW." Then—facing the pegasus—he spread the fingers of both talons partially, with his left hand pointed up and his right hand stretched over so that it was facing down toward's the left. Then, while mouthing the word, he pulled his right hand from right to left before Rainbow Dash in a curved arc. He repeated this multiple times, with Rainbow watching intently.

"Hey!" Pinkie grinned. "It's Dashie!"

"Half of her, anyway," Applejack said.

"This is so... so fascinating," Twilight Sparkle cooed. "Back in Equestria, there's a system for wordless communicating via the levitation of small sticks—but only unicorns can do it." She blinked. "Looks like—in Wyvern Point—they invented a robust vocabulary for just their natural-born digits!"

Rainbow leaned forward. "What about 'Dash?'"

Wildcard circled the second half of Rainbow's name. However, his metal finger stalled in the dirt. Goggles rattled as he stared blankly forward for a few seconds.

"Awwwwwww..." Fluttershy pouted. "You stumped him!"

"I suppose wyverns are simply slow-moving," Rarity droned, causing Pinkie to giggle again.

The Desperado fumed silently for a second. Then—after smacking the back of his feathered skull—he faced Rainbow directly. He held his right hand up with two fingers pointing up and his thumb out. Then—quickly—he brought both fingers together in almost a "snapping" motion while dragging his hand swiftly towards the center of his torso. He repeated this—preceding it with the "RAINBOW" signal this time. In the end, he smiled beneath his beak.

"Awesome..." Rainbow evaluated. Her wingtips fluttered. "Do your name again."

Wildcard did so—far faster this time.

Rainbow's ruby eyes darted, but she found that she was recognizing it.

"Cool," she said. The mare looked over her shoulder. Blue cheeks turned a bit rosy. "Uhhh..." She leaned towards Wildcard with a devilish smirk. "Do 'Ariel.'"

"... ... ..." Wildcard sat perfectly still.

"Wuh oh..." Applejack winced.

Wildcard sighed... albeit with a soft smile. He rubbed the sediment smooth once again. Then—grabbing Rainbow's attention—he drew simply the letter "A." Immediately afterwards, he held his flesh talon up in a fist with the shiny wrist facing Rainbow. Shortly after, he drew an "R," then raised two fingers up—with his pointing finger crossing slightly in front of the middle.

"Hoo boy..." Rainbow Dash stifled a chuckle.

"This... might take a while," Twilight Sparkle said.

Are You Watching Closely?

Shortly after waking...

Under the endless twilight...

The Herald trudged uphill. A stone plateau stretched over two lengths of glowing, fungal forests. The Hovercraft ascended with help of the lunar enchantment powering through its lower carriage manastones.

Logan and Ariel scouted ahead while Flynn operated the craft. Kepler was hunched over, examining the leftover remains of the cooked creature. He seemed pleased with his results, and he jotted notes down while smiling through his tusks. Seraphimus sat in the back, squirming visibly. Charcoal brown eyes squinted across the lengths of the wagon to where Wildcard and Rainbow Dash sat.

Wildcard was pointing straight at the sky.

Rainbow watched.

The Desperado placed both palms up and rotated them outward from the center while moving his beak. He repeated this a few times.

"'Sky,'" Twilight Sparkle murmured.

Fumbling, Rainbow attempted adorably to imitate this with her hooves—

Shaking his head, Wildcard placed a metal palm on Rainbow's shoulders to stop her. Next, he held a talon up... then stretched his metal palm out. He caught the glint of the luminescent heavens.

Rainbow looked at it, then at his goggles. "Starlight...?"

Wildcard simply cocked his head to the side.

"... ... ..." Rainbow Dash's ears twitched. "Stars."

Wildcard held a finger up. Then, he raised both hands with the pointing fingers aimed straight up and "stabbed" it a few times in quick succession.

"Well, there ya go," Applejack commented.

Wildcard grabbed Rainbow's attention again. He held one finger up, then repeated the last signal he had taught her. Right after, he counted off all the fingers of his hand, then repeated the signal... this time in a more prolonged manner and moving both hands from the right to left.

Rainbow's brow furrowed.

"I think the first example was singular," Twilight explained. "'Star.' But the last one he just did is plural. 'Stars.'"

"Cooly crispies!" Pinkie stated.

"I get it." Rainbow nodded. Her eyes narrowed. "What's 'moon?'"

Wildcard swiftly hooked his right hand up, formed a crescent with his thumb and pointing finger, and wobbled it just above the right side of his head.

"Nifty," Rainbow said, giggling slightly.

With Rainbow watching, Wildcard then moved the right hand lower while forming a somewhat parallel signal with his metal hand. After this, he returned to performing the original signal, but rotated the hand downward, pivoting, then closing the fingers. At one point, he formed a "C" with his right hand, then brought his left hand up to the other with the same signal in reverse and "wrung" them both shut.

"The hay is he doin' now?" Applejack remarked.

"I believe he's doing the lunar cycle," Twilight murmured.

"Dude... Wildcard..." Rainbow fought the urge to giggle again. She smiled wide. "I know we've got some time on our hooves, but t-take it a bit slow... will ya?"

Sometime that evening...

The Herald roasted two spits worth of meat. Logan had slain four more reptilian creatures—enough to feed the camp. This allowed Rainbow Dash a heartier helping of non-meat rations for the evening. This was a good thing, for she was hungry—not just for mushrooms.

The petite pegasus sat on a rock, munching and munching. Her eyes were locked on Wildcard, seated across from her in the fire-lit camp site.

The Desperado pointed at the morsels in Rainbow's possession. He closed his right talons together and tapped them multiple times to his beak.

"Mrmmmfff..." Rainbow swallowed. "'Food?'"

Wildcard nodded. He pointed at the reptilian samples being roasted over open flame. He then held his metal hand out in a fan, all fingers pointed out. With his right talon, he clamped two fingers over the spot between his left thumb and left fingers. He shook both appendages slightly while mouthing with his beak.

Rainbow glanced at the cooked flesh... then back at Wildcard. "... ... ...'meat?'"

The Desperado nodded again. His goggles reflected Rainbow's muzzle as it scarfed down food. Holding a finger up, he smiled. Next, he hooked his right hand slightly and lowered it swiftly from his chest-feathers to the top of his gut. He did this with a raised eyecrest.

Rainbow giggled. "Yeah." She gulped. "I guess I am."

Another day...

Another trek...

Wildcard and Rainbow Dash were "scouting." In truth, they were just hovering leasurely above the Hovercraft and the rest of the Herald. Wildcard flew backwards, holding up his right talon in various positions.

"'S'," Rainbow Dash said, squinting at the locations of the griffin's claws. She glided slowly, taking in both the Desperado and the landscape surrounding. "'Q.'" A blink. "J.'" She concentrated. "'F.'"

Wildcard shook his head.

"Grnnngh..." Rainbow gnashed her teeth. "I mean 'B.'"

Wildcard nodded. He then did five symbols in quick succession.

Rainbow leaned forward, her muzzle agape as she concentrated. "'A'... 'R'... 'I'..." With a tiny pony gasp, her ears perked up. "'Ariel!' That's 'Ariel!'"

Wildcard nodded briskly.

"Woohoo!" Rainbow shouted down towards the arid landscape below. "Hey Ariel! I can spell you now!"

"That's great, Rainbow!" a voice hollered up. "Hey Wildcard! How about teaching her transitive verbs next?"

Twilight Sparkle snorted.

Rainbow tossed her a look. "What?"

"Nothing." Twilight shook a hoof, smiling. "Carry on."

Rainbow looked at her teacher. "What else you got?"

Wildcard began sounding off more letters.

"I think he's spelling 'KEPLER'—" Twilight began.

"Let me read it!" Rainbow snarled.

Another evening...

Another campsite...

Rainbow Dash was lying chest-first across a mat. She was attacked by yawns, and her eyelids hung heavy.

Nevertheless...

She watched as Wildcard circled the word "GRIFFIN" in the sand. He then produced a certifiably complex motion with both talons.

"Yowsers..." Rainbow yawned again. "...that's a tough one."

Wildcard shrugged... ultimately nodding.

"How about I just point at you when the time comes?"

Another shrug. Wildcard gestured across the way to where Seraphimus lay asleep.

"Jee... I dunno..." Rainbow smirked slightly. "Am I advanced enough to learn 'psychopath?'"

Wildcard snickered breathily. He slapped his two talons together in what Rainbow could only guess were three separate, swift retorts.

"Careful now, Rainbow," Applejack said. "Remember, they was once friends."

"Ehhh..." Rainbow rubbed the back of her head, fighting another yawn. "Sorry, dude. I doubt we'll be running into any griffins out here besides the two of you."

Wildcard ultimately nodded.

"... ... ..." Rainbow Dash squirmed where she lay. She tongued the inside of her muzzle. "... ... ...Wildcard?" She looked up, ears drooping slightly. "What's... the word for 'Bard?'"

Fluttershy and Rarity bit their lips.

Wildcard sat still. After a deep breath, he slowly shook his head.

"Awwwww..." Pinkie sulked. "He doesn't want to share."

"Not the case, Pinkie," Applejack corrected.

Rainbow looked at her, then at Wildcard. "Lemme guess... there's no word for it?"

Sadly, Wildcard nodded.

"Well... what did you used to use, anyways?" She smirked. "Aside from the middle finger, of course."

Wildcard smirked. However, after a contemplative breath, he turned deadpan and then held his left hand out, pointing one finger to the left. He held his right hand up in a fist at about head-level, then rotated it down towards the other hand. When both wrists made contact, his right finger stuck out and his thumb stuck up, almost resembling a "pistol."

"Huh..." Rarity tapped her chin in thought.

"Looks almost like a revolver." Twilight looked at the others. "Bard was sort of the gunslinger type, after all."

"Nah..." Applejack shook her head. "Ain't that simple. This one's closer to the heart."

Rainbow's eyes searched the firelight. Her hooves kneaded the sleeping mat as she looked up and breathed: "'Brother.'"

The ghostly mares looked on.

Wildcard slowly... slowly nodded.

Rainbow took a breath. She lay her chin against the mat and murmured. "What's 'sister?'"

Without hesitation, Wildcard spelled out two words.

Rainbow blinked. "Hmmmmm..." She curled up slightly against the mat, afflicted with a rosy smile. "Yeah, okay..."

Bird in the Hoof...

The Herald trudged through a wide-stretching valley filled with dense, knee-high glowing mushrooms. Kepler picked several for samples. Ariel flew wide circles in the air, surveying the landscape ahead.

Rainbow Dash and Wildcard sat facing each other in the wagon.

The Desperado flashed his natural hand in multiple formations.

Rainbow watched... watched... watched—"'Austraeoh','" she blurted. "That spells out 'Austraeoh.'"

Wildcard nodded. He signed again.

Rainbow's eyes darted left and right, following the talons. "'Urohringr.'"

A smirk beneath his beak, and Wildcard gestured again.

Rainbow's ghostly companions watched intently. They looked at the griffin's claws, then back at Rainbow Dash.

She took a deep breath, then stammered: "'Rohbredden.' Wow. That's how you spell it?"

"Ha-hah!" Kepler laughed from where he scampered alongside the wagon, picking mushrooms.

"Whew-boy..." Rainbow stroked her bangs back. "These are getting long."

The wagon skirted the edge of a precarious canyon wall. Logan was drawing the wagon this time. Kepler and Flynn sat close to one another, examining a map left by the Darkreach Expedition.

"Okaaay..." Rainbow Dash squinted. She was trotting behind the wagon, looking at Wildcard who sat on the very back. "That one means... means..." She blinked hard. "Could you repeat it again?"

Wildcard nodded. He patiently complied.

"Eugh... I wanna say 'whale,' but..."

"It's 'sea serpent,'" Twilight Sparkle said.

"Shhhh!" Rainbow hissed at her. "I got this!"

"But don't you remember? He taught it to you six days ago—?"

"Twilight! Girl!" Rainbow frowned. "I can do this! How else am I gonna learn?!"

"Ohhhhhhhh..." Twilight sighed and hovered in a slumped position. "What I wouldn't give for some ghostly flash cards."

Beside them, a lavender portal of translucent energy opened up. Pinkie and Rarity stuck their heads out, yawning.

"Are they still learning Wyvern Wind Speech?" Rarity whined.

"Mmmmmhmmmm." Twilight nodded.

"Awwwwwwwww candy corn!" Pinkie cursed. "Whelp!" She and Rarity limped back into the comfortable folds of limbo. "Call us when there's a fight scene or something!"

"Nyeeeeuuu..." Rarity held a dainty hoof over her yawning muzzle as she disappeared. "What she said..."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Not everypony respects lesson time."

"Hey Wildcard!" Rainbow's voice cracked as she smirked at the griffin. "Can you combine 'egg' and 'head?'"

A lavender hoof motioned to punch the petite pegasus, instead phasing through her skull.

Rainbow merely winked into the dim starlight. "What about adding 'cracked' as an adjective?"

The group huddled under a smooth, curved swath of pale stone overlooking a luminescent valley. The air was filled with reptilian creatures darting after one another in sporadic formation.

Kepler squatted over a pot of meat stew. As he stirred, he looked over to where Rainbow Dash was tightly huddled with Wildcard.

But he wasn't the only one looking.

A pair of charcoal brown eyes reflected the pair. Seraphimus sat in the dead center of the camp. Several chains anchored her to the wagon.

After a prolonged period of staring, she shifted upon hearing a set of heavy hoofsteps marching closer. She made way for Logan, who squatted perpendicular to the griffin.

"Alright..." He placed an Emeraldinian bowl of broth down before her. "Got ya some of the stew. Extra meaty. And not in the sexy way." Schiiiing! He propped up his axe so she could see it. "You know the drill. I'll free one talon during the meal—but no funny stuff."

Seraphimus sighed, but nevertheless stood obediently still as the stallion undid one half of her forward shackles. "By now, Logan, you should know that I'm not capable of 'funny.'"

"Hrmmmff..." He released her front right limb and leaned back next to his axe. "What does any of us know?"

She raised the bowl to her beak, all the while squinting at the two. "It's a very bad idea."

"Like Hell it is," Logan grasped a sample of reptilian meat himself and took a hearty bite. "Mrmmmfff... you're a tactician... hrmmmfff..." He swallowed. "If you expect a team like us to do well, then it's super friggin' important for our leader to be able to speak to anyone. That includes your old buddy over there."

"She's already infected his blighted mind enough," Seraphimus droned. "Opening communication is just..." She fidgeted. "...allowing her to funnel more nonsense into Jordan's consciousness."

"Well..." Logan chewed and shrugged. "If his mind is so 'blighted' already than what's the worst she can do to him at this point?"

"I shudder to find out."

Logan paused for a moment. He squinted at Seraphimus. "... ... ...maybe you've already found out."

She took a sip and looked at him. "Hmmm?"

Logan smirked ever so slightly. "You're jealous at the attention Wildcard is getting, aren't you?"

The former Talon Commander nearly spat out her stew. She placed the bowl down and wiped off her beak. "That is preposterous."

"Hey, I get it. You're passionate about the dude. We all are. In your case—it showed the first time you tried to rip his heart out over Bleak's Plummet."

"Jordan drew a line in the sand a long... long time ago, Logan," Seraphimus grumbled. "Even he knows he is without honor. I have no feelings about him whatsoever. No feelings about anything."

"Heh... sure thing, Sera." Logan sat back casually and nibbled on his dinner. "Mrmmmfff... For a hardass who no longer feels, you've gotten pretty darn used to my name."

Seraphimus blinked.

"Hell..." He shrugged, glancing off into the valley below. "...makes one wonder just how much else you're capable of feeling."

"I am not jealous."

"Okay."

"... ... ...I am not."

"Friggin' eat your stew already, ya buzzard."

Seraphimus fumed. Glancing back at Rainbow and Wildcard, she very quietly... very angrily raised the bowl back to her beak.

A few bubbles formed in the broth.

Somepony Done Broke Wind

Gliding over a plateau strewn with glowing fungae...

Rainbow and Wildcard sat on the hovercraft, facing each other.

Wildcard gestured.

"Uhm..." Rainbow watched, squinting. "...'mountain top.'"

Wilcard nodded. He gestured again.

Rainbow blinked. "'Tree.'"

The Desperado performed yet another hand-signal.

"'Weather!'"

The griffin's beak tightened.

"Errrrrr...." Rainbow squirmed in place. Her muzzle opened wide with an exhale. "'Storm cloud!'"

Wildcard gave a metal thumb's up. He proceeded to flash more words between them.

"'Gate.'" Rainbow Dash said, pacing.

Wildcard sat in place on the edge of the camp site. He munched on his meaty dinner in the starlight, then hand-gestured casually to the pegasus in between bites.

Rainbow tried "reading" her friend from obtuse angles. "'Gate keeper.'" A beat. "'Gate smasher.'" Another beat. "... ... ...'Broken gate.'"

"'Mana,'" Rainbow Dash said.

Wildcard nodded. The two glided ahead of the convoy, scouring the sporadic topography of the Dark Side. The two tested Rainbow's ability to "read" from nearly parallel to the Desperado.

The griffin made another signal.

Rainbow craned her neck. "Uhhhhhhhh..." She grimaced. "'Mana stone?'"

Wildcard shook his head. He briskly gestured the same signal again.

"Mana charge" Rainbow Dash gnashed her teeth. "Dang it, this is hard."

"It's worth practicing this way, Rainbow," Twilight Sparkle said. "You can't always have the convenience of looking at Wildcard dead-on every time."

"But... that's asking a lot out of her, isn't it?" Fluttershy remarked.

"Remember how smoothely Bard could understand our friend here?" Rarity said. She squeaked in a gentle "Rest his soul" before clearing her throat. "They only got to that moment of mental clarity through an abundance of practice."

Fluttershy nodded. "I guess so. Still... I don't know how Rainbow Dash manages to do it. I can phase through the griffin and even I'm having difficulty..."

Rainbow shrugged. "I do my best memorizing when I'm flying."

Wildcard looked at her curiously.

"Not talking to you." She smirked. "The gals."

He gave a knowing nod.

"Anyways..." She motioned to him. "Continue."

Rainbow leaned forward from the back of the wagon. Her eyes followed Wildcard's slow hand movements.

"... ... ..." The petite pegasus' brow furrowed. "'Ignore... the... flying alligator—' Errrrrr... 'Dragon'." Rainbow Dash coughed. "Ignore the dragon and... save the world through... harmony!'" She grinned wide. "Did I get it right?"

Wildcard nodded briskly, smirking beneath his beak.

"Woohoo!" Rainbow pumped her hoof.

Sitting—shackled—a few spaces away, Seraphimus rolled her eyes.

"Sounds like somepony's making progress down there!" Ariel exclaimed from high above.

"Well... pffttchyeaahh..." Rainbow nodded. "It's only been..." She squinted into the starlight. "...how many weeks?"

"Yes..." Rarity rubbed her tired, ghostly eyes. "Just how long has it been since Darkreach?"

"I've been keeping count," Twilight droned.

"Yes, darling, and...?"

"You don't want to know."

Rarity pouted.

Kepler spoke up. "Ach! Rrainbow One! You will be a rregularr Herraldite in no time!"

"She's the single reason we're even here," Ariel remarked, raising an eyebrow. "What's the difference?"

"Now I get to listen in on all the nasty gossip Wildcard's been sharing behind my back!" Rainbow stuck her tongue out. "That's the difference!"

"I speak in jest, of courrse," Kepler said, smirking. He turned to look at her from across the wagon. "But I'm simply excited to have anotherr educated soul in ourr midst!"

"Uh..." Rainbow shrugged. "You're welcome?"

"Oh, let me congrratulate you morre prroperrly!" Kepler then proceeded to execute a blazing mix of claw-based hand signals.

Wildcard winced.

"Uhhhhhhh..." Rainbow's ears drooped as she blushed. "A little... slower... please?"

Ariel giggled.

"FAIL," Logan burped.

"Be easy on her," Flynn said, guiding the hovercraft over a craggy landscape. "She only now began learning."

"Well, I cannot think of a morre prroperr envirronment!" Kepler remarked with a shrug. "This half of the plane is like a verritable blank slate in everry dirrection!"

"It is for now..." Logan muttered.

"Shhhh!" Ariel slapped him upside the scalp. "Be positive!"

"Meh."

"I trrust..." Kepler winked in Rainbow's direction. "...that you shall have a full grrasp of Wind Speak in no time."

"Well..." Rainbow smirked aside at Wildcard. "It's pretty sweet and all... but I kinda sorta wish I could... y'know... speak back."

"Yeah." Ariel sighed. "There's a toughie."

"I mean, I totally would... but..." Rainbow held her stubby fetlocks up. "Y'know..."

Wildcard hand-signed, and Rainbow Dash managed to catch: "'You. Could. Always. Break. The. Wind. Talk.'" He finished this with a smirk.

"... ... ..." Rainbow Dash snorted. "Snrkkk..." She hugged herself and doubled over, kicking her lower hooves in the twilight. "Hee hee hee hee!"

Flynn smirked while his horn glowed. "Now that's some progress."

As Rainbow's laughter died down...

"... ... ...There's always Cloud Swiping."

Rainbow sat up straight, blinking.

Ariel looked over to who had just spoken. "What...?"

Seraphimus looked back. "Cloud Swiping," she reiterated in an emotionless tone. "The Talon utilized it to great effect."

Ariel's lips pursed as she struggled to understand...

Seraphimus sighed. "I know for a fact that Jordan is quite efficent at the communication system." She leaned back, resting her limbs in their fetters. "So was the Lieutenant."

Rainbow looked at Wildcard. "Sooooooooo... what are we talking about?"

Wildcard glanced sideways at Seraphimus, then proceeded to gesture briskly across the wagon.

Rainbow was at a loss to read him that quickly, until she realized Wildcard wasn't "talking" to her at all.

Kepler responded: "Apparrently, it's a small collection of imperrative commands conveyed thrrough overr thrree dozen physical arrrangements of grriffin wings." He looked at Rainbow directly, adjusting his spectacles. "Quite efficient at conveying simple messages while stalling in mid-flight."

"Huh..." Rainbow Dash blinked. "Well, no wonder the Talon got so close to nipping me in the bud multiple times."

"Not efficient enough," Seraphimus grumbled.

"Now..." Logan threw a smirk over his shoulder. "Why oh why would anyone bother to tell us that now?"

She merely glared back at him.

"Say, Wildcard..." Rainbow looked at the Desperado. "...you think we could use Cloud Swiping for me to talk back to you?"

He briskly shook his head.

Rainbow's ears drooped. "Awwwwww..."

But Wildcard held up a talon. He glanced at Seraphimus, then gestured slowly to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow only caught a few words, she interpeted them as: "...Will... Help... Us... In Addition..."

"Heh..." Rainbow smirked. "Well, whatever works, bud."

Wildcard nodded back. He gestured another word: "'Toothpaste.'"

Rainbow's eyes crossed. She leaned over and rubbed her head. "Butttttttttt... let's just practice teaching me your words first and foremost, 'kay?"

Fun and Games, Until...

"Dear Goddess..." Flynn said, smirking as he drew the wagon up a slow incline of rock. Patches of glowing fungus pockmarked the hillside, illuminating the group sporadically from below. "...I remember feeling so lost the first time the Job Squad ever formed up. What—with Bard and Wildcard leading the charge so often. The way they'd 'talk to each other' in the midst of battle... friggin' threw me for a loop."

"Damn skippy." Logan took a sip from a canteen and looked over at the unicorn. "Didn't Ariel's mom have to take them aside for some coaching?"

"No way..." Ariel did a double-take, glancing down from where she hovered over the vehicle. "Mommy bent their ear?"

Wildcard nodded. His hands flicked in the air. Rainbow Dash looked over in time to catch: "...threaten... off... heads..."

"Ouch." Ariel winced. "Sounds like Mother, alright."

"Of course, she understood every word they said to each other," Logan remarked. "What—with her learning wyvern finger-talk since day one." He paused to burp. "But the two going full Desperado wasn't exactly helping the rest of the group."

"Wow..." Ariel blinked. "She really kept the group straight, didn't she?"

"Ach. That she did." Kepler nodded. "Most cerrtainly filled the disciplinarry rrole in Rremna's absence."

Seraphimus glanced over. Her charcoal brown eyes narrowed.

"The big pony whose skin Axan was magically borrowing," Flynn clarified.

"Hrmmmm..." Seraphimus' headcrest drooped as she stared back down at the top of the wagon. "I wasn't all that curious..."

Logan smirked.

"Hey Wildcard." Flynn looked back. "Remember when you and Bard went ham on those smugglers holed up in the mountains of Dust Prefecture?"

Wildcard gestured. Rainbow caught "Food" and "Manticores" and "Scared."

"Well, served them right," Ariel muttered. "Preying on the wyverns' 'big brothers?' It's a miracle they didn't get carved out of the mountain by an entire damn herd."

"Bard had the dumbest idea ever," Flynn said, trying not to laugh. "He marched into the cave and began growling at the top of his lungs. He expected that the acoustics would amplify his voice... make him sound like a growling manticore."

"That would work in scaring the poachers out!" Logan exclaimed. "If they were—maybe—six years old!"

"Hahaha—well..." Flynn smirked. "...they all rushed his ass. And of course Wildcard wasn't gonna let his buddy duke it out alone. So he broke formation and rushed the group back. Suddenly, it was the two of them fighting an entire band of criminals. By the time the rest of us came to the rescue, they had already slammed five of the crooks to the cave walls."

"The Desperados were always efficient," Logan said. "Sloppy as Hell, but I suppose that's the point."

"Heh..." Rainbow Dash nodded with a smirk. "I saw that first-hoof back in Rust."

"Oh, that's right!" Ariel beamed. "You butted heads with the Desperadoes when you first met, didn't you?"

"Yup!" Rainbow's ears perked above a proud expression. "Totally schooled them too!"

Wildcard exhaled and waved his metal hand from side to side.

"Ariel's mom chewed the Desperadoes out something awful," Flynn said. "From the sound of things, Rainbow, they didn't exactly learn their lesson. Heh..."

"How did they know they picking a fight with the Austraeoh over a coral-huffing sarosian?"

"Ha-hah!" Kepler chuckled.

Ariel floated down low enough to nudge Rainbow's shoulder. "You go girl."

Rainbow rubbed her limb. "You're just looking for excuses to say that."

"So arrest me."

"Nuh uh. The hoofcuffs are for Seraphimus at the moment."

"There was a time..." A certain voice spoke in a cold tone. "...when Jordan wasn't 'sloppy.'"

Wildcard's goggles rattled; Rainbow imagined him rolling his eyes beneath them.

"If you ask me..." Flynn took one glance back. "...his 'sloppifying' was an improvement."

"Hrmmmmff..." Seraphimus' headcrest tightened. "I find that highly unlikely."

"You should have seen him against the Midnighters at Bleak's Plummet," Flynn said. "One griffon army, I swear to Goddess..."

"He and Keris once held off a leviathan attacking the southern coastal villages of Kelp Prefecture," Seraphimus said. "The beast would have devoured dozens of fisherponies if it weren't for their expert coordination."

Ariel squinted at her. "How do you know all of this...?"

"I taught both Keris and Jordan everything I know."

"I mean... about the leviathan part."

Seraphimus calmly blinked at her. "I came in at the last second and slashed the creature's carotid artery. It died within minutes."

Flynn exhaled. "Uh huh..."

"It had to be done. Ponies were in trouble. What's more..." Seraphimus calmly sat back in her manacles. "...the flesh and blubber gave the local populace ample meat to sell into the next winter."

Ariel leaned towards Rainbow Dash, whispering: "Just when I think it's okay to stop being scared of her..."

"Really?" Rainbow blinked back at her. "I never stopped."

"Bullshit. You're just saying that—"

Th-Thudddd! The hovercraft suddenly struck dead rock.

The group jolted, blinking in surprise.

Scrkkkkkkkkkkkk! The vehicle grinded against the edge of the mountaintop, coming to a jagged stop.

"... ... ..." Flynn's natural eye blinked. "Oh no."

The glow of the stones beneath the carriage flickered.

"Oh no oh no...!" Flynn hopped off the wagon and squatted low to examine the chassis. "Dammit dammit dammit!"

"What's the matter, baldy?" Logan asked, craning his neck.

"It would appear your mana-charge has dwindled," Seraphimus began.

"Shut up!" Flynn gnashed his teeth. He aimed his horn at the base of the craft. "Grnnngh... come on! Don't lose the entanglement! Don't lose it!"

"Flynn, for realsies..." Rainbow Dash took off and hovered above him along with Ariel and Wildcard. "Are we out of juice?"

"It... it makes no sense!" Flynn stammered, sweat running visibly down his scalp. He fired multiple bursts of bright energy into the carriage. Nothing happened. "There should have been months of charge left in the thing! We could be going on for half-a-year! But now... now it's—"

"Could something have triggerred a magical cascade failurre?" Kepler remarked. "Perrhaps a sourrce of localized leylines? Naturrally occurring?!"

"Do you honestly think I would have steered us into shit like that?!?" Flynn hollered.

"Calm the buck down, dude," Logan grunted. "Nopony's blaming you... even if you did totally screw things up."

"Big Show, will you shove it?!" Flynn stamped his hoof, frowning. "Don't you realize what this means?! The stones are completely dead! I can't reenchant it unless I replace the entire damn array!" He spun and flung his hoof towards the dark curve looming forever above them. "We're stuck here!"

Tense silence fell over the group.

"This does not surprise me," Seraphimus droned.

"Rrnrnnngh!" Flynn rushed towards her, having to be held back by Wildcard and Ariel. "I'm gonna kill her! I mean it! Skin her alive and turn her beak into a codpiece!"

"Hoooooooo boyo..." Rainbow Dash turned and squinted up the rest of the rocky hillside. "Road trips, am I right...?"

Magic Sucks, She Said

Ariel bit her lip, squatting with wings tightly coiled at her sides. Not that far from her, Wildcard stood—keeping watch over Seraphimus who had been made to dismount form the wagon. The group collectively watched as Flynn paced angrily back and forth around the circumference of the vehicle.

Logan sat in a slump, sharpening his axe casually. He glanced every now and then at his bald compatriot.

Kepler fidgeted with his claws. After enough time had transpired, the wyvern nervously approached Flynn, clearing his throat. "Ahem..." He craned his neck. "Well, brrotherr? Yourr thoughts?"

Flynn scuffled to a stop. Huffing, the unicorn faced the dead hovercraft resting against the dead rock of the dead mountain. "... ... ...we're bucked sideways till dawn and back."

Ariel sighed. "I was afraid of that."

"I can't figure out for the life of me how this damned thing lost its enchantment."

"Uhm..." Logan raised a hoof. "It's called the Hoverplan—"

"I know what it's called!"

"Stop yelling, dude."

"I'm not yelling!"

"Then stop talking 'un-quietly.' You're making it sound like you're mad." Logan grunted. "Damn."

"I'm only talking loudly so that you'll get the bright idea not to say something that might make me actually mad!"

"Well, answer us this..." Ariel raised both forelimbs, squinting at the stallion. "Are we actually screwed?"

"Is water wet?!"

Ariel smiled nervously, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, this is the Dark Side, so who knows?"

"Of course we're bucking screwed!" Flynn gestured wildly. "Two of us can't fly! One of us isn't allowed to fly! Kepler is Kepler..."

"I beg yourr parrdon—"

"We needed this stupid thing to get us all around! Without it, we're left to playing hopscotch with Wildcard, Ariel, and Rainbow Dash doing all the gruntwork!"

"We can ditch the supplies and survive," Logan muttered.

"Big Show, it's not as easy as y—"

"We can survive," Logan boomed, glaring. He sliced his sharpening stone across the axe blade for emphasis. "We've lived off far less shit before. Let's not pretend we've permanently gone soft."

"But this isn't Rohbredden! Or the Seven Seas! Or—hell—any of the feuding nations that Rainbow Dash has barreled through before! This is unknown, chaotic territory!" Flynn stamped his hoof. "Without the proper resources, we haven't got a prayer to protect us from what's out there!" He punctuated his exclamation by pointing nebulously towards the looming Curve.

Ariel looked up, her blue eyes reflecting the dark silhouette of the plane against the stars. "Well..." She looked down at the rest of the Herald. "...unless we can somehow carve perfectly round wheels out of the rock and attach them to the wagon, we've got to ditch the Hoverplank."

"You'll have much more success digging your way to your infernal goal," Seraphimus droned.

Ariel tensed up. An artery pulsed visibly above her frown. "Thanks for the input, genius."

"Arre you cerrtain therre is no way to reenchant the materrial?" Kepler asked.

"Dude... Keps..." Flynn turned to face him. The tip of his horn pulsed with each angry word. "Whatever sucked the energy out of those rocks left the leylines dead and barren. I'd have to replace all the crystalline material plus the lunar dust!"

"Where would that leave us when it comes to armaments?" Logan asked.

"Let me put it this way: we won't have the luxury of firing experimental explosives at giant terrestrial wyrms any more."

"Ach." Kepler slumped, his ears drooping. "How atrrocious..."

Seraphimus cocked her head to the side. "In your area of expertise, what precisely could have 'sucked' the mana-charge dry from the bed of your carriage?"

Flynn sat on his hindquarters. His forelimbs were folded and he frowned in silence.

Logan's scowl was lacerating. "Egghead... answer her..."

Flynn huffed. At last, he grumbled over his shoulder: "I have many theories, but none of them truly matter over here on the Dark Side. There's no telling what lurks around here... potentially feeding on the most complicated of spells."

"Oh jeez..." Ariel shook with shivers.

"Would..." Seraphimus squinted. "...it help your cause to hypothesize anyway?"

Wildcard glanced at their prisoner, then over at Flynn.

Flynn sighed into a hoof. After a few seconds, he glanced sideways across the mountainside. "I don't think I'm the prime pony we should be consulting here. After all, my horn's senses aren't as sharp as the unheard detectors at our disposal..."

The entire Herald plus Seraphimus looked in the same direction.

Rainbow Dash looked back. She hovered in place, petite and patient. After an inward sigh, she said, "Alright, I'll ask the girls."

Pivoting about, Rainbow faced her ghostly companions.

"So... everypony... any ideas as to who or what sucked the manacharge away?" A blink. "And by 'everypony' I mean just you, Twilight."

"Oh!" Twilight Sparkle fidgeted in place. "Uhm..." She tapped her fuzzy ghost-nose. "Uhhhhhhhhh..."

"Twiiii..." Rainbow Dash leaned in, eyes narrow. "A little less 'Uhhhhhh-ing' and a bit more 'Eureka-ing,' please."

"Give her a moment, darling!" Rarity leaned in and protectively squeezed Twilight's shoulders while frowning at their anchor. "She's no alicorn, you know!"

"It's okay..." Twilight Sparkle exhaled. Her horn glowed slightly as she spoke: "I've been scanning the local landscape this entire time, attempting to make sense of what happened."

"And...?"

Twilight blinked into the dim cosmos. "I'm not sensing any magic at the moment. In fact, Flynn's right to describe the wagon as completely 'barren' and 'sterile' of manacharge."

"So we're right where his angry lecture left off," Rainbow muttered aside. "Great."

"But... what he doesn't understand is that can be said of this entire area," Twilight said.

Applejack leaned in. "What do you mean?"

"Well..." Twilight gestured towards the mountainside while talking to the girls. "...the same absence of magic in the wagon is also true of the mountain... the air... the fungae growing all around..."

"Even the shiny ones?" Fluttershy blurted.

Twilight merely nodded. "I'm rather surprised that Flynn can conjure up anything with that horn of his. Everytime he taps into a natural leyline in his body, it's like someone's shining a torch up the throat of a deep, dark well."

"Is that significant or somethin'?" Applejack shrugged. "I'm an earth pony, and I don't know manadust from mud... but magic's supposed to be something special, ain't it? I mean... it's not like the stuff is just twinkling in every darn thang."

"It is in some places more than others," Twilight said.

"Twilight's right," Rarity remarked, nodding. "The Everfree Forest for example? That place is teeming with all sorts of unbridled magic. Some of it dangerous!"

"But this is like the exact opposite of that," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'm not sensing anything at all on this mountainside."

"You mean..." Rainbow grimaced. "We're in the Dark Side's version of the Grand Choke?"

Ariel leaned towards Wildcard. "Remind me. What's the 'Grand Choke' again?"

Wildcard stealthily gestured: "'The Blight.'"

"Ah." Ariel nodded.

With an arching headcrest, Seraphimus silently glanced Wildcard's way.

"No, Rainbow." Twilight was shaking her head as she looked at their anchor. "This isn't like the Grand Choke."

"But you just said—"

"I wasn't in the Grand Choke long enough to get an idea of what that felt like. But what's happening here isn't the same as anti-magic. It's... more like the magic's being drawn towards some place and being hidden behind a veil." She pointed at their anchor. "Besides, if this was just like the Choke, you wouldn't be able to fly right now."

"... ... ..." Rainbow looked stupidly at her flapping wings. With a slighty blush, she settled down onto the ground. "G-good point."

"But you can't tell where the magic went to, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well..." Twilight clenched her eyes shut as her horn pulsed. "...looking back in my mind, I get the vague sensation of the magic flying somewhere... like leaves being blown off a front porch by a swift breeze."

"But what on earth could have done that to a magic spell?!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Aliens!" Pinkie Pie cried.

"Pinkie..." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Please... we know enough about Urohringr by now to guess that we're the only 'aliens' here." Just then, the mare's eyes crossed. "Whoah." Her ears drooped. "Now if that isn't a thought and a half..."

"Twilight..." Rainbow growled.

"Ahem..." Applejack smiled gently in her direction. "Focus on the situation at hoof, sugarcube."

"Errrr... right." Twilight floated closer to Rainbow Dash. "I suggest you ask Flynn how much in control he is of his own magic."

"What for?" Rainbow asked.

"Just do it, Dashie!" Pinkie spontaneously shouted.

"Okay! Fine! Jeez!" Rainbow turned around and cleared her throat. "Yo, Flynn."

"Yes, Rainbow Dash?"

"Do you... feel any weaker right now... in the magic department?"

"How so?"

"Like... are you able to use magic like normal?"

"... ... ..." Flynn turned, aimed his horn, and fired at a random boulder. POW!!! Bioluminescent crustaceans fled in every direction as the chunk of rock was propelled violently downhill. After a while, it made a loud, echoing thud, during which the stallion pivoted to look back at Rainbow. "Seems normal to me."

"Show off," Logan grunted.

"Interesting..." Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. "So it sucked the magic out of the wagon, but not out of Flynn."

"Wait..." Flynn blinked. "The wagon lost magic... but I didn't."

Rainbow smirked. "Looks like the eggheads have rolled out of the carton."

"Eugh..." Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Just humor her, Twilight," Fluttershy said with a smile.

"'Humor,' you say," the mare grumbled back.

"What's the deal with that?" Ariel asked. "Is there a reason a contrived spell went bye-bye but Flynn can still use his horn?"

Wildcard waved his metal hoof.

Kepler pointed. "Wildcarrd's prrosthetic is still in full effect!"

"So... personal magic is still working," Twilight muttered.

"So that's why I can still fly," Rainbow said.

"Precisely."

"Shouldn't we be more concerned with where the wagon's magic went off to?" Rarity remarked. "I mean... assuming there is even a residual chance of somehow restoring it."

"Reckon we need to figure out for sure just where it zipped off to," Applejack said. She looked over. "Twilight?"

"I... I'm trying to remember..." Twilight clutched her skull in two fetlocks. "We were ascending up the mountaintop. The wagon's undercarriage fluctuated. The magic flew out..."

"Is ittttttttttttttt..." Pinkie Pie pointed through the rock of the hill as her eyelashes fluttered. "...right on the other side of the mountain?"

Silence.

"Actually..." Twilight blinked. "Yeah. I think she's got it."

"Are you sensing something, Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked.

"Hmmm?" Pinkie could barely see from how rapidly her eyelashes were fluctuating. "Sensing what?"

"Hmmmm..." Applejack tilted her ghostly hat back. "Seems to me we've got ourselves a compass."

"Cool beans." Rainbow looked at Rarity. "Care to tell us what kind of landscape's on the other side of the mountain, Rares?"

"Most certainly! Why, there's... ... ... ... ..." Rarity stopped dead in mid-sentence. She stared off for a thousand miles. "... ... ... ...why... ... ...that's funny."

"Hmmm?" Fluttershy looked over. "What is?"

"I..." Rarity grimaced. "I-I suddenly can't fathom..." She looked apologetically at Rainbow Dash. "For the life of me... I can no longer tell what's over there."

A beat.

"So!" Rainbow Dash clapped her hooves together and looked at the Herald. "Who's for a friendly hike?!"

Grumpy Old Horse Men

"This is dumb," Flynn grumbled, sitting with a scowl on the front end of the dormant wagon. "This is dumber than dumb."

"Save your breath, pal," Logan grumbled back. Both Heraldites sat, looking up at the steeper heights of the mountain. From their lower vantage point, Rainbow Dash and Ariel and Wildcard could be seen ascending swiftly to scale the peak of the natural formation. "The decision's already been made."

"Well, it's a dumb decision," Flynn exhaled. He looked back at where Kepler kept an eye on a bound Seraphimus. "Made on a dumb impulse by idiots... idiots who are dumb."

"Rainbow and Ariel have performed recon hundreds of times before. You never busted their chops then. Why now?"

"Because we don't have the means of catching up with them!"

"You mean you don't have the means."

"Dude..."

"Double dude on you!" Logan spat. He turned towards the balding stallion with a dull smirk. "Trust me—I know a thing or two about what it means to be blueballed by fate. Don't sweat, baldy. You'll get your magic mojo back. Until then, could you kindly stop bitching about every little thing?"

"What he said," Seraphimus droned.

"Ha-hah!" Kepler added.

Flynn folded his forelimbs and scrunched down. "Hrmmmmmmmmmmmmnnngh..." His mechanical eye rotated and locked loudly in place.

Logan sighed. "What now?"

Flynn spoke beneath his breath. "I don't like how chummy this gang's gotten with our prisoner," he mumbled. "Especially you."

"I smacked her in the back of the head over a month ago," Logan said. "How is that 'chummy?'"

"Yeah, and you let her survive," Flynn spat. "You know what that means, right? I'm damned surprise you haven't slept together."

"Is a certain egghead jealous?"

"Cram it, Big Show!"

"Hahahahahaha..."

Flynn exhaled in a huff. "This is how shit starts turning into a cesspool... the moment we let our guard down."

"You'll notice she's still in chains."

"You know what I mean." Flynn's natural eye gave the stallion a sideways glance. "She damned well nearly killed us all off at the World's Edge. Doesn't matter how well you can teach a parrot to sting. A vendetta's a vendetta... and that shit doesn't die."

"It does for some of us."

Flynn groaned. "Don't project, Logan. You suck at that. Your big fat ass always gets in the way."

"At least there's a sexy intermission."

"I'm serious, dude..." Flynn squinted at him. "What ever happened to the Big Show from months ago who was ready and willing to chop the griffin's skull off so Rainbow could stop shouldering the burden?"

"Ehhhh..." Logan leaned against the frame of his axe. "I dunno. Maybe there's some sense to what the Austraeoh says. Maybe the show ain't over for the Commander of the Talon."

"Now who's getting soft?"

"You think about all the nasty things we've done—waiting to serve as Eljunbyro with the power of Odrsjot..." Logan glanced over. "...and you tell me that you don't believe in 'second chances.'"

Flynn avoided his gaze momentarily, but ultimately returned with: "Not every other soul you meet is your daughter, Logan."

Logan clenched his jaw.

"Or that crazy mate of yours either—"

"You don't think I know that?" Logan grunted.

Flynn bit his lip. "S-sorry, Big Show. I was just—"

"Nah... I get it." Logan stared up at the mountainside. "In the end... the only ponies we can look after is ourselves. And I—for one—wanna make the best out of every chance I get. It'd royally suck if we all just stumbled into karma... ... ...like Bard did."

"What more can you expect of us here, Big Show?" Flynn gave the larger stallion a somber look. "I mean... really?"

Silence.

"We can only do right by following the Austraeoh," Logan said. "So far... that hasn't led us astray." He sat up straight. "So... for what it's friggin' worth... I'm giving what Rainbow Dash wants the benefit of a doubt."

"You think the stupid buzzard in chains will follow suit?"

"Hell... I dunno. I don't really care. If she knows what's good for her, she would."

"If we all knew what was good for us we'd never have left Wyvern Point."

"Heh... yeah..."

"Heheh..."

The two stallions watched as the distant specks ascended the mountainside. The dark speck flew closer to the prismatic figure.

"One thing's for sure." Logan nodded with his head. "The Austraeoh's got the best damn protection she could ask for."

Viva La Dash Mania

Metal and flesh fingers raked the air.

"Do not... they stare... not knowing..." Wildcard gestured, among other things.

Ariel instantly responded in mid-glide. "Logan and Flynn are just trying to look after us, is all."

Wildcard's fingers sliced through the twilight once again. The words "Gaze" and "buttocks" graced the spectrum.

Ariel giggled. "Yeah, well, I think that's physically impossible, Wildcard. Heeheehee..."

"... ... ..." Rainbow stared blankly at the two.

Ariel's ears perked up. "What?"

"Nothing. Just..." Rainbow fidgeted in mid-flight. She continued ascending the mountain at a casual speed. "Not used to catching up one hundred percent of the conversation. Well... more like sixty-six percent."

Wildcard gestured again, slower this time: "I. Thought. You. Stayed. At. Only. Twenty. Percent."

Twilight Sparkle giggled. The other ghostly mares looked confused.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand he's got a sense of humor, apparently." Rainbow bore a dull smirk as she gazed ahead. "Terrific."

Ariel stifled another chuckle. "What? All this time you just thought he was an edgy silent badass in dark shades?"

"Well, isn't he?"

Wildcard's talons interrupted the two mares. "The mountain side."

"Right." Rainbow nodded. "Let's get this over with. Rarity???"

"Com-iiiing!" The pale fashionista zipped into view.

"Sense anything yet?"

"I'm... afraid not, Rainbow, darling," Rarity replied. "It's still a vacant space of unknown... erm... sp-space."

Rainbow looked at Twilight Sparkle. "And you, Twilight? Likewise blank?"

"Yes. Although..." Twilight rubbed her two fetlocks nervously together. "...I'm pretty sure that the other side of the mountain is where the magic went."

"What if..." Fluttershy bit her lip. "...some mysterious creature is responsible for swallowing all of the magical enchantments?"

"Well, that depends?" Applejack looked at her. "Are ya sensin' any life out there, Sugarcube?"

"Yes. But... no less than what's behind us."

"Okay..." Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "Sooooooooo... we're flying straight into an unknown space where both Rarity and Twilight sense nothing and Fluttershy senses nothing special." She shrugged. "I hate to say it, but I don't miss the days of flying before I 'foaled yesterday.'"

"What's the matter, Rainbow?" Twilight waggled her eyebrows. "You don't like a challenge?"

"Not when the Herald's safety is involved."

"Well..." Applejack gestured aside. "We've still got Pinkie Pie! Her eyelashes haven't stopped square-dancin' across her head."

"Willllll someponyyyyy stoppppp alllllll thhhhhhe strobinggggg?!" Pinkie begged, blinking rapidly against her will.

"Is it intensifying, Pinkie?" Twilight asked.

Pinkie tilted her head in Twilight's direction. "Is what intensifying?"

"Your eye-twitch!"

"My eyes are twitching???"

"Yes! They're... guh...."

"Twilight, is that you? I hear my lavender unicorn friend but I can'ttttttt seeeeee herrrrrrrr!"

"Pinkie, honestly!" Rarity frowned. "This simply isn't the time for horsing around—"

Then—with an audible pop(!), Pinkie's eyes flashed wide open. "Oh, hey! There's the sky!" Her blue pupils reflected a dark object high above them. "Oh! Look! A meteorite?"

"Huh?" Rainbow looked up, and she saw the intense shadow too. "Whoah—!"

"Look out!" Ariel shrieked.

Swooooosh! Wildcard instantly flew up above the mares. Spreading his wings, he shoved the three of them onto the mountain-top below. There, he shielded them with their bodies, staring up with his goggles.

Seconds passed...

One quarter of a minute... ...

Slowly, the two mares peeked out from underneath their Desperado protector. The three souls observed the rock looming above them. More in particular—they observed how it wasn't falling.

"That... that's a cloud?" Applejack stammered.

"It most certainly is not," Rarity said. "That's pure stone!"

"Rarity, stone can't float," Twilight droned.

"I may not be able to sense what's above us with my ghostly powers, but I know a rock when I see one! That—up there—is none other than a levitating solid!"

"But..." Applejack grimaced. "How is that possible?"

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow leaned her head closer to Ariel and Wildcard. "You two see what I'm seeing?"

"I... was about to ask if you and your friends were doing the same," Ariel stammered.

"They're both freaked out and clueless right now. That's why I asked you."

"Wildcard?" Ariel breathed. "What do you make out of this?"

Wildcard—gulping—performed a gesture Rainbow didn't recognize.

Ariel retorted, "That only floats in a toilet!"

"Is... it being carried by a creature?" Twilight asked.

"It sure as hay is purdy dang still up there," Applejack said, craning her neck until her freckles disappeared. "When have you ever seen a bird carryin' something that graceful like?"

"And in one place!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Okay..." Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed on the object above as it blocked out more and more of the starlight. "Everypony just stay calm. There's gotta be a perfectly good explanation for—" She took a step forward—and slipped on loose gravel.

Wildcard caught her. Both froze in each other's forelimbs—though—for their gazes were locked on the pebbles that Rainbow's clumsy fetlocks had unearthed. Instead of rattling to a stop, they lifted off with a noticeable bounce and hovered half-a-foot up the ground, rotating slightly.

"Wat," Ariel wat'd.

"Whewwww..." Pinkie Pie rubbed her aching skull. "This is too random. Even for me!"

"Something..." Twilight's eyes narrowed. "Some force is making them resist gravity. But what?"

"Uhm... girls?"

Rainbow and her companions craned their necks.

Fluttershy was floating ahead of them—just above the mountain's peak. The arid surface bent down into a steep slope just beyond her ghostly wings.

"You may wish to come see this," she said.

Twilight and the rest looked at Rainbow.

Unhooking herself from Wildcard, Rainbow Dash bravely flapped her wings and drifted ahead. As she did so, the faint twilight of the cosmos above illuminated multiple sporadic mountain peaks—only they weren't mountain peaks at all. Instead, they were the round, globular summits of dozens... scores... hundreds of levitating rock formations. Boulders, shards, chunks of solid earth formed a floating array before and below them. The more they gazed at the phenomenon, the more and more levitating structures they saw... until they realize that they weren't standing on a mountain at all. The only mountain that ever existed in that part of the plane had evidently shattered epochs ago, and in its place there was left a levitating mess of shrapnel... forever falling... stuck in frozen time. One in every three piece rotated or drifted to some degree, but—for the most part—it was a frigid work of art with no motion or even punctuation.

"Ooooooookay, Dark Side," Ariel wheezed, ears and wingtips drooping. "I'm so not in the mood for this."

Wildcard gestured something, but Rainbow Dash was a bit too distracted to read him.

Ariel responded: "Pffft. Don't pretend you're not pissing your downfeathers right now."

"Just..." Rainbow clenched her teeth. "...how many...?" Sucking her breath in, she raised a hoof up to her lightning bolt pendant and rubbed it slightly. A harmonic glow shone through the air above them.

Wildcard and Ariel watched as a lightning-shaped spotlight materialized against an enormous rock-face straight before them. Rainbow pivoted slightly, and the rippling light illuminated a boulder that stretched over fifty feet across. She pivoted even more, revealing curved natural monoliths, L-shaped chunks of earth, and hundreds if not thousands of infinitesimal pebbles hovering in between.

"This... this can't even be possible!" Twilight Sparkle's voice cracked. Her muzzle didn't stop dropping. "What's making them float?!"

"Twi..." Pinkie began.

"Something must be making them float!" Twilight practically snarled.

"I don't think this is anything you can just look up in an Equestrian Floating Rock Encyclopedia!" Pinkie squawked.

"But... it must mean somethin'," Applejack said, rubbing her chin. "Reckon it's somehow connected to what happened to Flynn's wagon?"

"That's what I was thinking!" Fluttershy said.

"I... I don't know..." Rainbow shivered slightly, shining her beacon around. "I'm pretty sure this is all beyond us. Ariel? Wildcard? Maybe we should consider going around all—"

FLASH! The ruby glow was sucked straight out of her pendant.

"What—?" Twilight began, but said nothing else, for she had vanished.

"Whoah nelly—!"

"Oh my—!"

"Dashie—!"

Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie all vanished.

Rainbow blinked. "Girls?"

"Rainbow!" Rarity yelped, flying backwards. "The Vanilla Zone! It's—" And she was gone in a lavender blip.

"Girls!" Rainbow shouted, spinning about with frenzied eyes. "So not cool! Where'd you go?"

"What's happening?" Ariel exclaimed while Wildcard jerked in surprise. "What's the matter?"

"The girls!" Rainbow hyperventilated. "They're... gone?" She looked down at her dull, cold pendant. "I can't see them! Oh Luna—!"

"For some reason I can't explaaaaaain..." A voice sang like he meant it. "I know Celestia's spell's innnnn vain."

Wildcard and Ariel didn't flinch. Rainbow, meanwhile—

"!!!" She spun to face the singing figure.

Discord hovered in place, fully visible—bright as day. "And I'll retuuuuuuurn once more, and then I'll ruuuule the worrrrrld." He noticed the petite pegasus looking at him. "Oh! You actually wanted to speak to me? Well, that's a smexy turn of events." He took one look at the rocks floating above him. "Saaaaaaaaaaaaay..." He pointed a talon at the phenomenon with a goofy grin. "I simply love what you've done with the place!"

We Your Prey Alone

"Bring them back, Discord!!!" Rainbow howled, teeth barred.

Wildcard jolted, looking all around.

"Wait, what?!" Ariel glanced left and right. "Discord? He's responsible for—?"

"Now!" Rainbow stomped a hoof. "I mean it!"

"Well, okay then!" Discord wriggled with suddenly existing sleeves. "Let me just pull out my magic chaos wand and bibbity bobbity boo until I understand exactly what in the blue fudge you are talking about!" He planted his ghostly knuckles on his hips, frowning at her. "Honestly! After all Mommy and Daddy did to raise a prim and proper east horse, this is the attitude you have to give me?!"

"Discord, I'm not joking around!"

"And, for once—which makes me perfectly nauseated to confess—neither am I, Sparky." Discord stifled a yawn. He examined his talon's claws as he muttered on: "Not that I wish to understand any better, mind you. It would eliminate the suspense, and eliminating the suspense would eliminate the thrill and eliminating the thrill would—"

"Rrrrrrrrgh!" Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and hovered directly in front of him. "You wanted me to talk to you?! Well, here I am! But if we're gonna chat, then you're going to have to level with me!" Her eyes flickered red-on-yellow. "Where. Are. They?!"

He blinked at her. "Huh..." His matching eyes squinted back at the mare. "Almost like looking in a mirror." He pinched two paw pads together. "You might wanna dial back the edge. Just a tad bit. All I ever did in my 'angry' phase was listen to yaks banging their heads against stones. Such a talented group... that is until they sold out with 'Woolywall.'"

"Rainbow..." Ariel nervously hovered up towards the mare, reaching a hoof out. "Please. Calm down and just talk to us—"

Rainbow batted her fetlock away without looking. "Where did you send them, Discord?" Her eyes flickered again, and a monsterous hiss filled her words. "Are they gone forever?"

"Okay." He folded his forelimbs. "I'll tell you what I know. But only because you look sooooooooo adorable right now." He plucked his tooth out, turned it into a pipe, and proceeded to blow bubbles. "It was a dark and stormy twilight..."

"DISCORD!!!"

He shrugged. "They just... fallopian tube'd to wherever it is they like to go when it's beddy-bye time."

"The Vanilla Zone?" Rainbow blinked. "Is that where they are?"

"Pfffft! Hah!" Discord grinned maniacally. "Is that what you prancing ponies call it? What's next? 'Blue Sphere?!?'"

"The Vanilla Zone?" Ariel remarked.

Wildcard gestured something.

Ariel responded, "If that's the case... then th-they should be perfectly fine!"

"I can't believe that," Rainbow stammered, shaking her head. "Not for one second." She scowled at Discord again. "After all, he's obliterated them before. What's stopping him from doing it again?"

"What's stopping your friends from turning me to stone again?" Discord belched. "Ghost stone, that is? Harmony or Chaos—the deus ex mallot swings both ways, Sparky. Or at least, it once did. Alas..." He yanked a chunk of his chest meat away, dissolving it into ectoplasmic strands. "We're both mutually busted, methinks. Gone are the days of rainbow zaparooni. No offense to your bloodline, of course."

"Then..." Rainbow panted, her ears drooping. She looked helplessly up at the floating rocks and levitating debris. "...you h-had..." A gulp. "...nothing to do with this...?"

Discord spread his arms wide. "Do I wear a pink diaper?!" A beat. "Hmmm... sounds rather nice, actually..."

"Rainbow..." Ariel shrugged. "Maybe it wasn't Discord. Whatever happened to your friends—maybe it has something to do with what's happening around us."

"Wowwwwwwwww..." Discord split into four copies of himself for group applause. "How very astute!" He pointed at the Heraldite. "You should listen to side-waifu here. She speaks truth. Also, she's fuzzy."

"But... what?" Rainbow panted, sweating visibly. She pivoted about, and her eyes flickered again and again. "If not you... then what could have caused them to vanish?" A beat. She squinted at the dragonequus. "And for you to appear so vividly...?"

"I know, right?" Discord gestured at his brightly-lit self, as if he was standing on an invisible stage. "Front and center! I belong on the cover of a magazine that middle-aged mares everywhere would read!" He winked. "For articles, of course."

Wildcard's hands lit the air. Rainbow only caught enough to read "chaos" and "unleashed."

"H-huh?" she stammered, short on breath.

Ariel cleared her throat, drifting closer. "Wildcard brings up a good point. What's going on around us... what if we're in an area of pure chaos?"

"Pure... ch-chaos...?"

"Y'know... cuz of the Dark Side and all?" Ariel bit her lip. "It happened before, didn't it? In Verlaxion's lairs? Where she sprung chaotic traps for you? Your friends vanished! Now... it's happening here. Only there's no harmonic filter..."

"Hah! I knew I stayed around for something!" Discord shrunk back into just oneself and grinned. "Good thing I didn't see my own shadow on the Light Side! I would have hibernated for another book, at least. Maybe two!"

"Then... that..." Rainbow panted, hyperventilated. "Th-that means..."

Wildcard's goggles rattled with concern.

"Rainbow?" Ariel floated closer. "You're not looking too good. What's...?"

Before the Heraldite could finish that question, Rainbow Dash looked down. She gazed beyond the heart of the slowly swirling maelstrom of mountainous debris. Far below—past the floating rocks and drifting chunks of earth—she saw a cluster of reflective pale material. Like silver. Glossy, pallid, unearthly. The largest collection of chaos metals she had ever seen lingered far beneath her, drowning, engulfing.

Poisoning.

"Hrmmfff..." Her eyes flickered again. Two fangs protruded from her muzzle as her ruby pendant dimmed even more. "...Luna Poop."

She fainted.

And...

"Rainbow!" Ariel shrieked.

It was too late. The mare fell... plunged. She fell faster than gravity could allow—as if something was purposefully pulling her fragile body towards the nexus of metal.

Ariel flew after her.

Wildcard flew faster.

Sw-Sw-Sw-Swiiiiiish!

Wildcard skirted past rocks and boulders and floating minerals. For a brief moment, Rainbow Dash spotted him... saw the silver glint in his goggles as he pursued her into the heart of discordant energies.

And then she saw nothing. Her eyelids rolled over—hairier—and all she gave the crushing earth below was a guttural growl.

The blackness was her only respite.

Flutters In Your Cup

It was a singing voice. Soft and serene. Rainbow Dash's mind was tickled by memories she didn't even know she had. Something from foalhood, or perhaps before. It was melodic, soothing, healing...

Harmonic.

"Mrmmmfff..." Rainbow Dash stirred. She was lying on a mess of blankets. Opening her eyes, she spotted a tent looming above her head. A yellow shape drifted beside her. "Grnngh... Flutters...?"

"Shhhhhhhh..." Fluttershy leaned in, resting a hoof close to where Rainbow's shoulder was. Her warm smile came into focus. "Just don't move too quickly. Twilight's guessing that you probably have—"

"Aaaaaaaugh..." Rainbow hissed through her teeth as she raised two hooves to clutch her aching skull. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh skunk holes..."

Fluttershy sighed. "—a very, very bad headache."

"'Bad' is putting it softly, girl," Rainbow wheezed. Her eyes nearly teared from the pain. "This is like the cancerous mother-in-law of 'bad.' This is bad bombin'."

"I will... pretend to know what you mean by that."

"Grnnngh..." Rainbow continued clutching her skull with both fetlocks. One eye remained open, squinting. "... ... ...the girls?"

"They're safe. Just resting."

"Vanilla... Zone...?"

"Mmmmhmmm." Fluttershy nodded. "They're not stuck there, though. They're there by choice at the moment. Resting.."

"But... before...?"

"Oh! Right. I guess you wouldn't know, would you?" Fluttershy daintily cleared her throat. "We were all forced into the Vanilla Zone the moment you came within close proximity of the Crater."

"Crater?"

"It's... what the Herald is calling the place with all the chaos metals. We heard Kepler estimating that there must be tons of it."

"Yeah, no kidding." Rainbow gulped. Her eyes fluttered slightly. "This... where...?"

"Wildcard picked you up and dragged you to safety," Fluttershy said. "The Herald made camp on a plateau somewhere. We've been here ever since."

"How... long...?"

"Uhm..." Fluttershy tapped her chin in thought. She squinted towards the faint slivers of twilight peeking in through the fabric of the tent's entrance. "That's a good question. Twilight would be better at guestimating. But... uh... well... the Herald have cooked themselves dinner at least five times since you fell—"

"Five days?!?" Rainbow immediately winced. She clutched her head again. "Princess Celestia on a bike. I've been conked out by chaos metals before but not that hard!"

"It..." Fluttershy winced. "...was a lot of chaos metals."

"How did I even...?" Rainbow brushed her chin—feeling the dried residue of soup broth hardened to her muzzle. "Food?" She glanced forlornly at her buttocks. "Un-Food...?"

"Not very easily," Fluttershy said, giggling nervously. "But, don't be worried, you were taken care of very nicely by—"

"Stop! Quiet!" Rainbow hissed. "I... don't really wanna know who."

Fluttershy blinked. "... ... ...it wasn't Ariel."

"Okay. Whew." Rainbow laid back, exhaling. "I have enough reasons to see a shrink back in Equestria as it is."

"It's so very nice seeing you awake, Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah, well... I'm sorry I blacked out on you gals."

"And we're so very sorry we vanished like we did!"

"Mrmmfff... couldn't be blamed for that. It was the chaos metals."

"Well—as you like to say—'back at ya.'" Fluttershy smiled proudly.

Rainbow squinted at her. "You're not half as worried as I'd expect you to be."

Fluttershy shrugged. "You've pulled yourself out of worse straits—and without us around to even fret about it. Besides..." Fluttershy looked at the pile of blankets. "You were more or less here. Just... a bit furrier."

"Furrier?"

"Your... erm..." Fluttershy gulped. "...dragonequine features didn't go away quite so quickly."

"For real?" Wincing, Rainbow nevertheless fought her migraine to stretch her neck. She looked into the corner of the tent to where an Emeralidinian helmet was being utilized as a bucket. The container housed severed antlers and tufts of pale blue hair.

"Some parts even grew in the others' places before eventually coming off..."

"Guh..." Rainbow clenched her teeth. "Super not good." She looked nervously at Fluttershy. "It's never been like this before. Remember Red Barge?"

Fluttershy shuddered visibly. "I try not to."

"... ... ..." Rainbow looked left. She looked right. Then—with an explosive gasp—she shot straight up. "DISCORD—!" She immediately regretted the swift motion and clutched her pulsating temple with both hooves. "Unnnnngh—!"

"Rainbow Dash...!" Fluttershy reached in vain for the petite pegasus. She frowned. "You must calm down! Discord isn't here!"

"Yes... he... is..."

Fluttershy grimaced slightly. "You kn-know what I mean. He's gone. We are back. I promise you."

"He was there, Fluttershy..." Rainbow Dash gradually recovered from her motion and sat weakly in place. "Clear as day. Brightest and... most visible I've ever seen him." She gulped. "I was so freaked out. I thought that... th-that maybe he had replaced you girls completely."

"As soon as you were away from the crater, the girls and I returned," Fluttershy insisted. "We've been watching after you ever since. Waiting for you to wake up. Trying to... make sense out of the Herald's dialogue over what happened."

Rainbow sighed. "Fluttershy, I'm so... so sorry that this happened to you. If I had known that the 'null' magic that Twilight was sensing was the chaos metals..."

"You couldn't have known. And don't be sorry. Live and learn." Fluttershy smiled. "It's okay. You're in the company of friends. You do more than just travel together. You adapt together. Even on the Dark Side you must make baby steps."

"Yeah..." Rainbow nodded. "I guess." She gulped. "Well... it's a good thing we put as much distance between ourselves and that chaos crud as possible."

Fluttershy's posture immediately wilted. She bit her lip and avoided Rainbow's gaze.

Rainbow saw it in an instant. "Flutters..." She cocked her head to the side, fighting dizziness. "...where's the Herald?"

"Erm... Ariel's nearby... helping Logan with the latest meat they've caught. Seraphimus is seated on the wagon."

"And Wildcard...?"

"He's... watching after Flynn and Kepler as they... uhm... study the chaos metals up close."

"But... how...?"

Fluttershy smiled nervously. Ghost sweat. "We haven't left the outer edge of the Crater since you went under..."

That Relevant Chaos Metal

"Rainbow Dash," Logan grunted, marching awkardly after her up the arid embankment. "You really should go back and rest."

"I've been a dead fuzzball for days, Big Show," Rainbow grunted back. On flapping wings, she swiftly—and angrily—scaled the steep hillside, approaching the edge of the crater. The first of several floating boulders peeked into view beyond the ridge. "I need to check out what's going on."

"Yeah?" Logan's jaw muscles tensed as he struggled to keep up with her. "And then what?"

"Then I'm going to kick the crap out of Flynn and Kepler until they tell me what in Celestia's name they think they're actually trying to accomplish down there in that inside-out crudhole."

"Hell, I can make that easier for you," Logan said. He nodded his head towards the rocks floating beyond the crest of the hill. "See how all that shit's floating around?"

"Lemme guess," Rainbow grumbled. "They wanna do the same thing to the wagon, somehow?"

"None of manashards are good enough anymore. Seems like the silvery stuff down below is the ticket."

"Big Show—I've seen what chaos metal is capable of doing." Rainbow gritted her teeth, frowning. "It wasn't safe then and it's sure as heck not safe now."

"No kidding...?" Logan squinted warily at her. "When and where, pray tell?"

"Back in Wintergate. The Quade. Rohbredden. Nevlamas' stronghold..."

"All on the Light Side, huh?"

Rainbow "skidded" to a stop in mid-air. She turned to squint down at the sweating, panting stallion. "What point are you trying to make?"

Logan slumped in place. "Just that..." He wheezed. "Cheese and crackers, I hate hillsides..."

"You think that just because we're on the Dark Side, we can somehow magically rely on the same kind of crap that has caused nothing but death and misery where the sun shines!"

"Rainbow—"

"You think that after all the sacrifices made by Mortuana, Bard, and Axan we can just put harmony aside and dabble in... in..." Rainbow shrugged wildly. "...evil chaos smegma garbage!"

Logan finally caught his breath in time to say: "When was the last time your chaos half knocked you out of the air?"

"Dude! I was in a coma for—"

"I'm not talking about the crater. When was the last time you needed to touch the ruby flame to stay alive?"

Rainbow bit her lip.

"Things are different here, Rainbow Dash," Logan said. He pointed. "Hate this place all you want, but it seems pretty on point to believe this chaos shit all around us is sustaining you. It stands to reason that maybe—just maybe—it can sustain other stuff as well." His brow furrowed. "Stuff that can benefit the Herald as well as you."

"I've risked life and limb to stave off the influence of this crud, Big Show," Rainbow said, nearly growling. "I've seen what the corrupt metal can do to ponies, places—entire cultures!"

"Then maybe the big bad problem is not the metal itself, but those specific A-holes on the Light Side who chose to use it," Logan said.

"And that... is the start of the problem right there," Rainbow said. "That flavor of arrogance."

"Rainbow Dash, we're the Herald. We're on your side." Logan leaned back, blinking. "Don't you trust us?" he asked in a noticeably gentle tone.

Rainbow Dash fumed. She looked down the hill, past the vestiges of the crater. She saw the campsite, saw where Seraphimus was sitting, and saw the scraps of bones left over from the killed game that her friends had slaughtered, cooked, and eaten.

She bit her lip.

Swooooosh! Ariel flew in, frazzled and panting. "I'm here!" she wheezed. "Sorry! I was... uh..." She gave one rear leg a little shake. "...using the Dark Water Closet."

"Kinda late to the game, girl," Logan muttered.

"What did I miss?"

"Rainbow Dash is being a thick-headed turkey and I'm trying to talk her out of it."

"What? Is this about what Flynn and Keps are doing with the silver deposit?" Ariel asked.

"Chaos metals," Rainbow grunted. "And I'm not a turkey." She pointed at the crest of the hill before them. "The moment I pass the event horizon of that crud's influence, my friends disappear and he takes their place. Permanently."

Ariel blinked wide. "You mean Discord?!"

"No, 'Stu Leaves.' Who do you think?!?!" Rainbow Dash cackled.

"I..." Logan blinked. "...was not aware of this."

"Of course you weren't! But did you take the opportunity to believe me that this chaos stuff is bad news bears? Noooooooooo..." Rainbow spun and continued ascending the crater's edge. "'Rainbow Dash couldn't possibly be an expert on the stuff! Not like she single-hoofedly wrestled a chaos dragon to the Xonan countryside or nothing!'"

"Rainbow!" Ariel flew desperately after her while Logan scampered to catch up below. "Okay, so the Discord thing totally sucks! But maybe we can work a way around it!"

"Ah jeez, not you too—"

"We're out of options and we gotta preserve our supplies somehow! Plus, if we're ever to get to the Midnight Armory—"

"Here's a new idea!" Rainbow barked into the air while approaching the crater's edge. "How about you guys just go back to Darkreach and chill while I break into the Midnight Armory on my own?!?"

"Oh for crying out loud, Rainbow—"

"Don't give me those puppy dog eyes, girl! I'm serious! If all of us going after the Harmonic Prism means we gotta saddle up to the Church of Chaos, then maybe I'm better off on my own! Maybe we're all better off with me on my own!"

"Just let's talk to Flynn and Keps about it, huh?! Hear them out! There can still be a way to make this work! Rainbow?! Rainbow!!" Ariel struggled in mid-air to catch up to her.

By this time, Logan had reduced his gallop to a lethargic uphill stroll. "Geeeeeeeughhhh..." He sighed, pausing to rub his forehead. "...thousands upon thousands of years past the Sundering, and our only savior is a scampy bag of sour fruit candy..."

Down below, along the fringes of the crater...

...Seraphimus sat alone, shackled to the dormant cart, as always.

Kepler had laid out a few books preserved from Wyvern Point. Over the past few "days," the Heraldite had donated them to the former Talon Commander to help her pass the time. She never bothered opening a single tome while the Heraldites were around to see, of course.

But now that she found herself gloriously alone, she had reached forward with her shackled claws and taken more than a little peek into one of the books. Her charcoal brown eyes leisurely swept over the pages of ancient wyvern writing. She breathed in and out with calm repose.

Then... off in the distance...

...a high-pitched wailing sound. Faint, yet piercing. Like a banshee cry.

"... ... ...?" Slowly, Seraphimus looked up. She glanced Curveside, towards the crater.

The dots of Rainbow Dash, Ariel, and Logan grew distant... disappearing amidst the dimness of the Twilight.

Seraphimus blinked. Her headcrest slowly raised in curiosity.

Another shriek, this time slightly more pronounced.

"... ... ...!" Seraphimus' head jerked in the opposite direction. She looked Edgeside, downhill.

Luminescent biomatter twinkled in random splotches. The floating insects and reptiles grew more and more sparse. Then—one by one, like the shutters to houses closing—the natural light sources flickered to black. The sloping plateau enveloped itself in a tense shadow, and off in the distance—as far as her trained eyes could observe—she saw the shifting of limbs. Pale limbs. And even whiter swaths of calcified material.

Claws.

Seraphimus' beak parted slightly...

There's Always Worse Evil

Rainbow reached the top of the crater's rim. And...

...several bright colors flickered in her peripheral.

"!!!" Startled, she braked in midair and looked aside.

Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and the others looked back—slightly breathless.

"This is about as—" Twilight flickered again and rematerialized. "—far as you can go, Rainbow."

"Yeah!" Pinkie nodded. "Or else Dicklord will show up!"

"Don't you mean Discord, darling?" Rarity leaned in.

Pinkie pouted with angry puffy cheeks. "I know what I said!"

"Oh dear..." Rarity held a hoof towards her faint forehead. "...what are we becomiiiiing?"

"I can't go any further," Rainbow muttered.

Ariel caught up, panting. "You can't?"

"If I do..." Rainbow glared at the sea of floating rocks before them. "...my friends will vanish and Discord will reappear in their place."

"Oh... good..." Ariel wheezed.

Rainbow's glance was slicing. "'Good'???"

"It means you're finally gonna stop trudging forward." Ariel took a lasting breath and frowned. "Maybe even listen to reason."

"Ariel, girl, there is no 'reason' when it comes to chaos metal!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "There's just... just... I mean look at this!" She gestured wildly at the floating mess. "It's nothing but diarrhea and death!"

"Rainbow..."

"Death diarrhea! On a cosmic level!"

"Rainbow, listen!" Ariel barked in a tone that actually made Rainbow flinch. "What happened to you the other day totally sucked. What happened to the ponies on the Light Side who were exposed to material chaos also sucked."

"Don't forget all the traps Verlaxion laid with the crud," Rainbow muttered.

"Point being..." Ariel folded her forelimbs and glared Rainbow's way. "That was then. This is now. If there's anything I've learned from my time with the Herald—and anything my mother taught me before she passed—is that you've gotta learn to change. To adapt... if you wanna stay alive."

"Ariel, I don't wanna just stay alive," Rainbow grumbled. "I've mastered that by now. What I want..." She pointed at her Element. "...is to come back to Equestria as a pony, not a monster."

"Have you ever considered that maybe you're neither?" Ariel asked.

Rainbow blinked.

"Harmony makes you into one thing. Chaos makes you into another." Ariel gestured with her left hoof, then the right. "But you're different, Rainbow. You're the Austraeoh. You're not exactly both of them... but you're not you without them either. You're more like something in between."

"Meaning I should know a thing or two about how bad chaos is."

"No, meaning you should know a thing or two or three about how you can use shit like chaos for good."

"She ain't wrong, sugarcube," Applejack said.

Rainbow Dash slowly pivoted her head to glare at her. The pegasus' eyes were like daggers.

Applejack folded her forelimbs, unfazed. "You've been holdin' out on murderin' the angry folks who've been chasin' ya to the Edge of the World. That's mighty noble-like. You've also been stickin' to eatin' non-meat. If I was in yer place, I'd likely do the same. But... take a gander, RD..." She pointed at the massive Curve looming over them, the crater, and the floating array of rocks.

Rainbow sighed.

Applejack continued. "There is just... so much left to scale. I shudder to think how yer stomach will survive it. Never mind yer conscience; that's dang near immortal by now, I reckon, from the beating it's taken all these past months. But maybe it's high time to smell the fertilizer." Her ghostly green eyes narrowed. "Discord ain't here. At least... not in the flesh. Not like the Herald's fixin' on enslavin' an entire culture with nasty devices, like Chrysalis or Verlaxion. We're just talkin' about gettin' a wagon to float again... and maybe findin' new and more proper ways to defend ourselves!"

"Meanwhile..." Twilight Sparkle floated closer. "We will continue to make our way to the Midnight Armory where we can find something that will help us restore harmony to the entire plane, Rainbow!" She shrugged wildly. "Maybe even all of Urohringr as well!"

"It's the big picture, darling!" Rarity tried to smile, but ultimately grimaced. "Something that... we sh-should have realized long ago..." Her ears drooped. "...b-before we abandoned you at the Quade."

Rainbow's eyes closed. She took deep breaths.

"Rarity's simply trying to apologize, Rainbow," Fluttershy said. "She mentioned the Quade. But this isn't the same thing."

"But the same thing may still happen," Rainbow muttered.

"Huh?" Pinkie blinked.

"You weren't around when he appeared. Bright as day. Right in my face." Rainbow's eyes reopened, misty. "Every step closer to chaos that I take, you girls vanish... and Discord takes center stage. All this time, he's been trying to get to me."

"Get to you how?"

"First with threats... intimidation..." Rainbow gulped, trembling in mid-hover. "...then with bargaining. False promises. He..." Rainbow grimaced. "...I'm afraid that one of these days, I-I'm going to make the stupid mistake of actually listening to him." She turned to look up... up... up at the vertigo-inducing Curve. "Applejack's right. There's so much distance left to go... so much to fall back from. When I finally land back in Ponyville... can I even survive it? Can we all survive?"

Fluttershy and Pinkie nervously exchanged glances.

"You've got what it takes to resist him, darlin'," Applejack said.

"She's right, Rainbow." Twilight Sparkle floated closest. She smiled. "You've overcome worse evil before. We've even had the pleasure of witnessing it once or twice!"

"Even if Discord were to somehow wrestle you into a corner, we know that you would mightily thrash him!" Rarity winked. "That ruffian stands no chance!"

"Nevlamas slaughtered hundreds of Ledomaritan soldiers," Rainbow droned. "Chrysalis infiltrated a nation. Verlaxion indoctrinated an entire continent for millennia. But Discord?" She looked squarely at her companions. "Discord took away my friends."

The mares stared back. Silent.

Rainbow's teeth clenched. "There is no evil worse than him..."

Pinkie Pie arched an eyebrow. Swiftly, she planted a hoof over half of her face like an eyepatch and opened her muzzle to produce a single syllable—

Rarity swatted her on the back of the head.

Pinkie jolted, frowned, but then shrugged.

Around this time, Logan caught up. "Whew... humina..." He looked up at the pair of hovering pegasi, sweating. "Is Rainbow Dash still being an angsty butt?"

"Mmmhmmm." Ariel nodded.

"Ah. Cool." Logan turned and looked down the lengthy edge of the crater, back down towards the camp. "Awwwwwwww buck me." He slumped down onto his haunches and groaned. "Why can't we ever have an ethical debate inside a liquor store?"

"Rainbow, look at me..." Ariel said gently.

Rainbow did so.

"At least..." She smiled. "...let me fetch Wildcard. Get us to talk to Flynn and Kepler. Figure out their plans. Maybe it's not as bad as you think."

"Hrmmmfff..." Rainbow grumbled out the side of her muzzle. "Probably not as bad as I think..."

"Right!" Ariel nodded. "Do you actually think the Herald—as Eljunbyro—would do something that would harm the Austraeoh in the long run?"

"But my friends..." Rainbow glanced at Twilight and the rest. "...if I get anywhere near the chaos crap, they disappear. And..." She shivered. "And Discord—"

Ariel rested a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "You think Flynn and Keps haven't thought of that? They're on your side! We're all on your side! Please... just trust us..."

Rainbow sighed long and hard. "... ... ... ... ...fine."

"Good! Wait right here. Go no further towards the... er... diarrhea darkness." She winked. "I'll play messenger."

"I can think of sexier roles."

"You can, can't you?" Ariel smirked, then—FWOOOSH!—she rocketed down towards the heart of the crater in a gray blur.

"Woohooo!" Pinkie pumped a forelimb.

Fluttershy blinked at her. "What are you cheering for?"

"I dunno!" Pinkie grinned. "Just feels good to get our thumbs out of our butts!"

"What's a thumb, darling?" Rarity asked.

"Rnnnnnghhhh..." Rainbow descended until she was slumped against the crater's edge next to Logan. "...I think I was better off in a coma."

"I think you were too," Logan muttered.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Look, about our conversation earlier, I'm sorry."

"I know you are."

Rainbow growled slightly. "Would it kill you to acknowledge the reason why I'm so freaked out about this chaos stuff?"

"I could." Logan yawned. "But I just don't give a shit."

"Mrmmmffff... forgot who I was talking to."

Logan smirked. "Yeah, you did."

Rainbow looked down into the crater. Her eyes flickered red-on-yellow momentarily. "I really wish that Ariel would hurry up."

"Just calm your crotchtits," Logan said with a shrug. "After all, what's the hurry?"

Seraphimus was breathing rapidly. Stuck in her chains, she nevertheless craned her neck to get a better look Edgeside.

From her vantage point on the wagon, she could spot a shifting line of limbs... muscle... beady eyes.

Pale bodies...

Undulating...

Scampering...

Charging.

The air rang with a shrill high-pitched whine. Shrieks combined to form a cacophonous wave of noise, rolling in from the distance, rushing up the hill with the occasional spark of claws against dead stone.

"Verlaxion's sleet," Seraphimus exhaled.

Pause For Dramatic Effect

"Alrright..." Kepler took a deep breath, stepping backwards across a large boulder. "The rrunes have been firrmly attached."

"You triple secured them and everything?" Flynn asked.

"Affirrmative!"

"Good." Flynn's horn glowed as he focused on a bent rod of silver metal with multiple lunar rocks chained to it. "Stand back."

"Ach!" Kepler's hairy brow furrowed. "You say that as if this might explode, brrotherr!"

"Don't jinx it!" Flynn frowned. "The last experiment went flying into the stratosphere!"

"You have the rright amount of rrocks this time!" Kepler said, pumping a clawed fist into the air. "I just know it!"

"We'll see. Okay..." Flynn took a deep breath, concentrated, and—"H'lmynhr!"

The two watched as—Flash!—the runes shackled to the silver rod strobed as one. Then, with curious grace, the rod levitated completely off the boulder. It twirled slowly in the air, but kept a stable position without deviating too much in altitude.

"Hah!" Flynn hopped in place, his mechanical eye rotating in and out. "Haaaah-hahahahah!"

"Excelsiorr!" Kepler cheered.

"What did I tell ya?!" Flynn grinned stupidly, gesturing at the levitating cylinder. "It answers oppositely to the runic command!" His gaze narrowed on the illuminated lunar rocks. "I tell the runes to 'Pull,' and instead—"

"They push!" Kepler remarked. "Defying grravity!"

"It's a bit different from that, Keps," Flynn said. "I think it's more like... they 'release.'"

"Then what will the 'release' command do?"

"Let's find out." Flynn took another bold breath. "Y'hnyrr!"

The runes dimmed. And the cylinder—clank!—fell harmlessly back to the surface of the boulder.

"Ha-hah!" Kepler smiled through his tusks. "Congrratulations, frriend! You've just tamed chaos!"

"It's a start!" Flynn stood tall and proud. "A certifiably sexy start! Hell, at this rate, it will only take half the lunar dust to make this shit work on the wagon! Makes the rocks we salvaged back in Darkreach look like rabbit poop!"

"But can you rrepeat yourr success?"

"Hell yeah, I can! Just watch!" Flynn focused on the cylinder again. "H'lmynhr!"

The rod of chaos metal rose once again from the boulder.

"And arre you able to give it lift?" Kepler asked.

"Way ahead of ya." Flynn glanced aside at a parchment of written commands. "I'd say... the opposite of 'forwards.'"

"Be cerrtain to channel it."

"No. Chaos, remember? I'd have better luck if I canceled it."

"You trruly think that would worrk?"

"There's one way to find out." Flynn said. He glanced at the parchment one last time, cleared his throat, and bravely grunted: "M'shrykkym L'vynyk!"

The cylinder rotated around. Then—with an ethereal humming noise—it lifted off the boulder and zoomed outward from that location.

Within seconds, it collided with a fuzzy gray skull. Bonk! "Ouchies!" Ariel squeaked, rubbing her head.

"Shit!" Flynn grimaced.

"Cancel it!" Kepler stammered. "Errrr... I mean channel it—"

"Uhhhhhhh—" Flynn flashed a look at the parchment and belched: "M'shrynmh L'fynym! Y'hnyrr!"

The rod spun a few times... then fell limply with dim runes.

"Httt!" Ariel inadvertently caught the thing. She grimaced, holding the metal substance out at arm's length. "Uhhhhh... uhhhhh... this stuff isn't gonna make me sprout horns and red eyes, is it?"

"Not unless you're already sexy and prismatic and got a raspy voice," Flynn droned.

"Very funny—" Ariel looked up, then did a double-take. She pivoted her head sideways. "You guys are... upside down."

In truth, Flynn and Kepler were standing on the underside of a large floating boulder just above the very bottom of the chaotic crater. Their notes, equipment, and supply of lunar rocks rested harmlessly on the lower surface of the boulder, likewise defying gravity.

"Yeah?" Flynn muttered out the side of his muzzle. "What of it?"

"Is that safe?"

"... ... ...probably not."

"Uh huh." Ariel shrugged. "Whatever. So long as you're making progress, I guess."

"We totally are," Flynn said, gesturing to the collected supply of metal fragments. "Turns out with just a few lunar runes and knowing the right commands to say..." He smirked confidently. "...we can totally channel the antigravity properties of this shit. I have every reason to think we can control the wagon even better than before."

"Well, about that..." Ariel floated over... fidgeted... then rotated herself until she was upside down. She "landed" on the underside of the boulder, fought the urge to vomit, then continued. "Rainbow Dash sent me to ask about—"

"The Rrainbow One is awake?" Kepler gasped with joy. "Oh, how glorrious!"

"Yeah, well..." Ariel leaned against the cylinder like a cane. "She's not exactly in a good mood."

"Well, considering the coma she endured, I wouldn't blame her," Flynn said.

"It's... more along the lines of totally not digging what you guys are doing here," Ariel said.

Flynn sighed. "I was afraid of that..."

"She's afraid of this stuff. Like... super concerned," Ariel said. "I don't think she's gonna be cool with us using any of it."

"You mean she's not cool with us doing what it takes to salvage our supplies and protect our best interests," Flynn grumbled.

"Flynnnn..." Ariel moaned.

"Give hearrt, brrotherr," Kepler warned, waving a claw. "Chaos—and all it entails—essentially brrought a calamitous end to herr companionship and way of life back in Equestria."

"Yeah... and it set her on the destined path of the Austraeoh, without which we'd all be screwed in the end, wouldn't we?" Flynn further spat.

"She is still the Austrraeoh," Kepler said. "The Mountain Matrron was mindful of that. So should we be."

Flynn sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I know... I know. But... like... what else does she expect us do to?!" He shrugged dramatically. "Most of our standard magic reserves are almost completely sapped. But here? Within the sphere of chaotic influence, I can cast a magic spell without it being dissolved."

"How does that work?" Ariel asked.

"From what I can hypothesize..." Flynn gestured. "The metal casts an aura, and within this environment there's a stable magic field. It dissipates the soonest the chaotic reagent is removed."

"Soooooooooooooooo..." Ariel fidgeted. "...you can't cast any spells outside the range of this aura?"

"Not unless we put a lot of distance between ourselves and the metal. But the spells I've discovered that I can cast while inside the field take far less energy. Just... there's a tad bit of a workaround when it comes to channeling the spells."

"Only a smidgen," Kepler said with a sarcastic smirk.

"Yeah, well..." Flynn rolled his one good eye. "It's taken me all this time to figure it out. I can make this shit work. You gotta go tell Rainbow that."

"How about you come back up to the edge of the crater with me and tell her yourself?"

Kepler and Flynn exchanged glances.

Ariel blinked at the two of them. "What? What's the matter?"

Just then—

Fwoooooosh! Wildcard flew in upside-down... or right-side up in comparison to the rest. He had an extra supply of carry-sized strips of chaos metal in his grasp. After gathering them, he tossed them into the air between the boulder and the bottom of the crater. The materials floated for a bit, reoriented, and fell up before landing alongside the rest of Flynn's supplies.

"Thanks, Double-Yoo," Flynn said.

The Desperado saluted.

"Flynn, don't ignore what I just asked you." Ariel looked past him and at Wildcard. "What's the problem? There's a problem with this whole experiment, isn't there?" Her brow furrowed. "Something that Rainbow's not going to like?"

Wildcard took a deep breath. He flew in, rotated, and landed upside-down on the boulder next to his companions. He gestured directly at Ariel.

The mare blinked. "Well... crud... then the wagon's gonna be completely off limits to her, isn't it?"

"This place is a friggin' gold mine," Flynn said. "If we leave too much of this stuff behind, it'll be like shooting ourselves in the hoof."

"What ourr brrotherr herre is essentially trrying to say..." Kepler clarified. "...is that for us to fully empowerr the hoverrcrraft, then we will need to brring an exceptionally larrge quantity of this materrial along with us." He took a deep breath. "Undoubtedly, it will be farr too much of the materrial forr the Austrraeoh to withstand—considerring what she's alrready been thrrough afterr the slightest of exposurre to this substance's aurra."

"Sooooooooo... what does that mean, exactly?" Ariel blanched. "Rainbow... has to split up with the Herald?"

"No no no no," Flynn grunted. "She's just gotta... keep her distance. Maybe scout ahead... trail behind."

"Eughhh..." Ariel facehoofed.

"Then—when we make camp—we'll create a tertiary camp to place the wagon and the chaos metals so that we won't have to split with her. We coullllllld... uhhhhh... trade shifts for those who would volunteer to look after the wagon while—"

"Stop. Just stop." Ariel waved a hoof. "This is getting waaaaaaaaaaay too complicated."

"Well, it's the best idea we've got!"

"Then think of a better idea!" Ariel frowned. "I can already tell you that Rainbow Dash is not gonna let it fly!"

"If we don't do it this way, then the rest of us won't be able to fly!"

"Can't you—like—dilute the chaos metals or something? Turn it into dust or—uhhh—mix it up with the lunar rock like you did with the crystalline stuff we found in Darkreach?"

"We don't understand it that well, Ariel! We'd need more time to study it, and if Rainbow's getting as uppity about the subject matter as you're making her sound like she is then I'm not sure we can afford to—"

Just then—with a brisk motion—Wildcard raised his metal talon. This instantly silenced the conversation completely.

"... ... ..." Flynn and Kepler looked around.

Ariel floated closer to Wildcard. "What... what do you hear?"

"... ... ..." Wildcard tilted his head to the side. Goggles reflected floating silver and twilight. "... ... ...!" His headcrest rose.

Logan sat on the edge of the crater while Rainbow paced and paced.

"Idea." Logan looked up from where he gripped his axe. "Let me eat a whole bunch of lizard meat."

"... ... ...?" Rainbow scuffled to a stop. She squinted at him. "I know I'm gonna regret this... but... why?"

Logan smirked crookedly. "Propulsive flatulence. That'll get us to the Midnight Armory real damn quick."

Rainbow sighed... and sighed and sighed. "You need to get some sleep."

Logan groaned inwardly. "I need to get laid."

"That too."

Swooooosh! Wildcard rocketed up from the heart of the crater in a murky blur.

"Finally!" Rainbow spun to greet him. "Hey, Wildcard. Can you tell me what's—?"

THWISSSSSH! The Desperado shot past them and descended Edgeside, towards camp.

"... ... ..." Rainbow blinked. "—up?"

Twilight Sparkle materialized beside the petite pegasus. "Hoo-wee..." She squinted after Wildcard's distant figure. "Where's he off to in such a hurry?"

"... ... ...!" Logan was already standing up, gripping his axe with a dead-serious expression.

"Big Show...?" Rainbow muttered out the side of her muzzle.

"Stay here." Logan galloped, slid, and continued galloping down the hillside. "Haven't seen the feathery bastard this serious since our fight on the Edge."

Rainbow paled at that. Before she could shout out a response to the obese stallion...

...Ariel flew up, breathless. "Rainbow...!"

Rainbow spun to face her. "Ariel! What's going on, girl?"

"It's Wildcard..." Ariel gulped, sweating. "He swears he could hear the Commander—I mean Seraphimus screaming."

"Screaming?!" Rainbow immediately grimaced. "I-I didn't hear anything! And I was up here with Logan the entire time!"

Ariel shrugged. "He used to fight alongside her. I guess if she shouted in dismay, he'd be the first to hear."

Rainbow was already looking at her friends. "Pinkie? Fluttershy? You sense anything?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Pinkie's left ear was flopping. "Yeah???"

"But I don't!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "I sense nothing!"

"Nothing?" Rarity asked.

"That's right!" Fluttershy nodded. "No life. No bodies. Just... everything directly Edgeside of the camp has... gone... bl-blank..." Her pupils shrank as she said that. She looked at Rainbow and her friends with a horrified expression.

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww shoot," Applejack exclaimed.

The Back and Forth

"Mrrrmmmgnngh... guh..." Flynn heaved a final pair of chaos rocks onto a pile resting against the underside of the floating boulder that he and Kepler were perched on. "Whew!" He wiped his balding brow, smirking. "That should be enough samples to start out with. Don't you think so?"

"Indubitably, brrotherr."

"Now to get this shiet back to camp..." Flynn started gathering the rest of his materials.

Kepler, in the meantime, threw a cautious glanced towards the edge of the crater above them and the floating rocks. "What... prray tell... was the purrpose of Serraphimus' distrress?"

"I dunno. Maybe she friggin' layed an egg or something."

"Ha-hah!"

Swoooooooooooooooosh! Ariel flew in, hovering parallel to their upside-down figures. "How long until you're ready to fit that shit to the wagon?"

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Flynn squinted his one good eye. "Provided Miss Austraeoh changes her mind, I'd say in about an hour."

"Cool. You've got five minutes."

Flynn's metal lens rotated inward. "Wat."

"Surrely you jest, frriend!" Kepler coughed. "We've barrely crracked the code of this chaos materrial as it is! It will take severral in-depth experriments attempting to make it function with the wagon—"

"There's a big army of pale-skinned Goddess-knows-what charging this way and if we don't get the wagon flying immediately then we're all buying a ticket to a permanent ashes-to-ashes vacation!" Ariel growled.

"You... have got to be shitting me," Flynn wheezed.

Ariel bit her lip. "I... k-kinda took care of that along the way here."

"How big of an arrmy arre we talking about?" Kepler asked.

Ariel swiveled to face him. "About as big as your palm."

"... ... ...?" The wyvern looked at his palm—

Whappp! Ariel shoved his own hand into his face. She then leaned forward and growled: "Doofuses! This is no time for thinking! It's time for moving!" She held her breath, flipped upside down, and landed on the boulder beside them. "Hurry!" She grabbed as many chaos metals as she could. "Grab as much as you can carry and heave them to the top of the crater! Logan's inbound—we can use his muscle!"

"Ahem...!" Kepler straightened his spectacles and scrambled to assist her. "Right!" He scooped up as many metals as he could with his arms, wings, and even his scorpion tail. "Hurrry, brrotherr!"

"Once..." Flynn grumbled, packaging up his equipment and strapping them to his back. "Just once..." He joined the others in grabbing chaos samples. "...I want to survive by the skin of my teeth without having to survive by the skin of my teeth!"

"Save it for the victory orgy when all this crud is said and done!" Ariel barked.

"Wait..." Kepler looked up, blinking. "Afterr the Midnight Arrmorry, we arre to engage in a victorry bachanalia?"

"Will you just pick up the dumb rocks already?!?"

"Ach! Verrily!"

"Hressssssssh!"

"Hresssssssshaaaa!"

"Hrssssh-Shkkkkk!"

"Oh goodness...!" Fluttershy covered her ears as she and her friends glided along with Rainbow Dash. "Oh goodness! Gracious!" Eyes tearing, she looked back at the advancing mass of angry creatures charging after Rainbow and Wildcard. "Do th-they have to make s-such frightening noises?"

"I doubt those pipes of theirs were designed for opera, darling!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Dashie!" Pinkie yelped, her forelimbs quivering.

"!!!" Rainbow hollered aside. "Wildcard! Up—!"

Wordlessly, he obeyed her. The two ascended rapidly as—

"Hressssssssh!!! Two monsters leapt upwards with dual banshee shrieks. They raked the twilight with their foreclaws, missing Rainbow and her Desperado friend by mere inches before plunging back to the charging mass below.

With the proximity of their lunge, Rainbow's friends vanished momentarily. Discord flickered in and out of existence, and then the five mares rematerialized.

Rainbow gulped. "Every t-time they get close..."

Sweating, Wildcard flashed her a nervous look.

"Them varmints are gettin' even closer with them leaps of theirs!" Applejack exclaimed. "How's that even possible?"

"They appear to be leaping off each other's putrid hides!" Rarity whimpered. "Teamwork, no doubt."

"Maybe..." Twilight panted, watching below as the beasts climbed over each other and attempted once again to leap at the pair above. "...a hive mind?"

"Dun seem like it," Applejack said, shaking her head. "These creeps are just really really Tartarus-bent on endin' Rainbow and her feathery friend here!"

"Hrmmmmm..." Twilight stroked her chin, eyes narrowing. "...'Tartarus-bent...'"

"Get your egg head in the game, Twi!" Rainbow's voice cracked as she and Wildcard ascended even more. They sped their wave Curveside, barely flying ahead of the chaotic army below. "We gotta rendezvous with the others and hope that they get the wagon airborne... in... ... ... time..." Her words trailed off.

Gazing ahead, Rainbow saw Seraphimus sitting alone on the dormant hovercraft. Logan's obese figure was bounding up the crater's edge. There was no sign of Flynn or Kepler or Ariel... or any of the situation-saving chaos rocks.

Rainbow bit her lip. "... ... ...we'll never make it in time." She gazed straight down, and it numbed her to see that—even at her breakneck speed—the voracious line of creatures was rushing past them. They'd be at the wagon within a minute. "Crud. CRUD!"

Wildcard's goggles rattled as he too anxiously pondered the current situation.

"Not looking good, Dashie..." Pinkie looked at their anchor. "Time to fire up the ker-stupid, ya think?"

"Ah jeez..." Twilight was already grabbing at her ears.

Rainbow gulped. "We gotta buy 'em some time." She looked over. "Wildcard?"

He was already nodding. Th-Th-Thwisssh! He twirled Bard's staff into a striking position.

"Careful!" Rainbow hollered, descending swiftly. "Only get close enough to tick them off!" She pointed. "Don't lose your head!"

He saluted, then spiraled into the pale-skinned madness.

"Rainbowwwwwwwwwww..." Twilight moaned into her forelimbs, refusing to watch. "...I hope you know what you're doingggggggg."

"Do I ever?" Then, with a cracking voice, she dropped like an anvil towards the crowd. "Ohboy."

A few beady-eyes looked up as Rainbow got the closest ever look at the creatures. Barred teeth. Hollow nose holes. Leafy airs and straw-thin scalps of loose, gray hair.

"Hiya handsome!" Rainbow slammed her rear hooves into one's gullet and trampolined off, hurdling herself back into the twilight. "Put your faces to good use—"

"HRESSSSSSSSSHAAAAA!!!" No less than six beasts leapt violently up towards her at once.

"Ahhhhh sh—!" Rainbow began, but didn't finish.

Cl-Cl-Cl-Clankkk! Bard's staff flew against several skulls at once. The monsters' bodies plummeted, and twice as many leapt up to take their place. Wildcard held his breath, holding the staff up to deflect their attack. Thankfully, Rainbow had grabbed his lion's tail and she yanked the Desperado up to a safe altitude before the jumping cretins could lacerate his jugular.

More and more creatures leapt. Rainbow and Wildcard dipped low on sporadic occasions, with the former hollering every now and then to egg the beasts on. Slowly—as the elusive pair grew more and more daring—the pale army of bodies stopped their Curveside advance completely, choosing instead to congregate in a muscular pile of ravenous limbs... jumping, reaching, and lunging hungrily for their prey.

Seraphimus blinked.

Charcoal brown eyes reflected the two tiny specks of Wildcard and Rainbow Dash bobbing and weaving above the pale sea of claws. Every now and then, a light-gray shape would streak through the air in a violent arc, attempting to intercept the Heraldites in mid-air. The duo merely repeated their taunts, escaping their attackers with narrower and narrower margins of error.

The former Commander's beak tightened. She clenched her talons in their manacles.

"Dammit, Jordan..."

There was a slight twitch to Seraphimus' muscles. A shiver, even.

Turning her feathery neck, she looked towards the edge of the crater along the opposite horizon.

Huffing...

Puffing...

Logan forced himself up to the summit of the broken hill.

As soon as the sweating, slumped stallion reached the cliff...

Swoooosh! Ariel and Kepler glided up and landed on the precipice.

Grunting, they dropped their loot of chaos stones and turned back around.

"Whoah...!" Gnashing his teeth, Logan waved a hoof at them. "Whoah whoah whoah! What gives?! Where are you going?!"

"We must empowerr the wagon with these rrocks to assurre a viable escape!" Kepler sounded off, plunging back into the crater. "Without delay!"

"We're gonna help Flynn grab the rest of them!" Ariel added, descending.

"But... hey!" Logan frowned, heaving. "What about this crud right here?!"

"Yeah! Could you carry them back to camp?! Thanks!" And Ariel's voice disappeared beneath the advancing banshee shrieks.

"Rrrrrrrrrrrnngh..." Coughing and wheezing for breath, Logan nevertheless... turned around and threw the heavy rocks over his backside. "...friggin' pack mule, I swear to Morty's dead tits..." And he proceeded to lumber his fat way back downhill with the silverish loot.

Best Kind of Exercise

"Rainbow—!" Twilight Sparkle yelped, fizzling in and out of ghostly reality. Each time the chaotic beasts came within proximity of Rainbow Dash, all five of her friends vanished with a dreadful rippling sensation. "—Dash! You're getting too close—" Flickering and fading and returning. "—to them!"

"No way around it, girl!" Rainbow panted and whimpered, ducking low and diving in order to antagonize the beasts. She was rewarded with higher and deadlier leaps from her pale-leathered foe. "Gotta keep them from reaching c-camp!"

"Hressssssssh!" One came particularly close, its razor-sharp claws rippling through the translucent shadows of Applejack and Fluttershy. Schiiiing!

"Whoah—!" Rainbow yelped.

Whump! She was shoved aside by a feline shoulder.

WHAP! Wildcard—glaring—blocked the beast's midair lunge with the broadside of Bard's staff. A half-second later, he violently uppercutted the beast with the edge of the rod. Dull black blood and dislodged teeth flew through the starlight. As the limp viscera descended, three more beasts leapt high, swinging at the two Heraldites.

"Climb—!" Was all Rainbow could get out as she yanked Wildcard skyward along with her. Swooooosh!

The beasts' aim was improving. As bodies flew at them, Discord's figure materialized at random—reclining casually in mid-air.

"Seriously, have you ever thought of just ignoring them?" he asked.

Rainbow could only pant and wheeze for breath. Each time she thought that she and Wildcard were in the clear, more and more monsters threw themselves skyward, narrowly missing their targets' hide by centimeters. The air sang with serrated claws and banshee shrieks. And in between—

"Just sit down at a warm campfire!" Discord suggested, flickering in place of her friends with a fanged grin. "Sing song! Roast rarities!" In the next blink, he was smirking devilishly in Rainbow's face. "That's how you harmonic folk would deal with these chaos puppies, isn't it?" At the last second, a shrieking beast tore through Discord's visage, lashing at Rainbow's skull.

HRESSSSSSSSSH!

"Gaaaah!" Rainbow flew backward, raising her forelimbs—

Thwump! The beast grappled with her. Its weight was far more daunting than she expected, and she felt the two of them plunging down towards the sea of pale bodies. She wrestled and struggled with the beast.

"Hgrnnngh... gnkkt!" Rainbow's eyes flickered red-on-yellow.

"Hresssssssh—!" The beasts' teeth came within drooling distance.

"Haaugh!" Rainbow violently headbutted the creature. Thwap!

There was no effect.

Rainbow's pupils shrank as they both fell. "Aw crap—!"

Schiiiiiiiing! Bard's staff stuck in, catching the monster's jaws just as it bit down.

With a mute grunt, Wildcard flexed all his muscles into swinging the beast off of Rainbow's figure. He succeeded in throwing the beast down into the crowd, bowling a dozen of them over. He grabbed Rainbow's fetlock and flapped his wings to carry the two of them safely skyward—

Schliiiiiink! A random set of lunging claws raked at Wildcard's backside. Glowing red blood lit the air.

Wildcard wheezed in agony—almost producing a sound. He sagged in midair, goggles rattling.

"Wildcard—!" Rainbow yelped.

Her friends rematerialized just in time to gasp. "Rainbow! What's—?!" A line of creatures ripped through them, leaping with banshee shrieks.

"Gnnnngh!" Rainbow flew into Wildcard, hugged him close, and spun so that the staff gripped in his talon deflected the oncoming attack. Wh-Wh-Whump!

The beasts fell and—same as before—another line came charging in.

"I suggest you live up to your name, Sparky!" a certain dragonequus could be heard belching.

"Httt!" Rainbow flapped her wings savagely. Swoooosh! She propelled herself and Wildcard forward. Haphazardly, the two of them flew under the leaping beasts... and straight into another wave of shrieking monsters.

"They're almost past the line of scrimmage!" Discord narrated.

Wildcard woke up from his pain in time to dig the tip of the staff into the ground. Rainbow sensed it, and she pivoted their weight at just the right angle to vault over the animalistic gauntlet. Both of them flapped their wings at the same time, and the bulleted through the starlight in a wide arc, aimed Curveside. Halfway through, Wildcard lost the strength to flap his wings. Rainbow trembled, feeling the trickle of hot blood down her body—his. Before she could think up a new tactic—

WHAM!

The two slammed awkwardly into the rocky ground of the Dark Side. Wildcard writhed from the deep cut in his backside. Rainbow winced all over from multiple bruises.

"Hresssshaaa!"

"Hresssssssssssh!"

"Hreshaaaaaaa!"

The ground rumbled as the beasts rushed the two.

In a rippling shade of fur and antlers, Discord materialized yet again above the hectic scene. "If you don't mind me saying so, Sparky, but you have the absolute worrrrrrrrst fanbase..."

"Shut up!" Rainbow scampered to her hooves and grasped Wildcard's upper body. "Girls!"

"But you gotta admit..." Discord curled his goatee, smirking at the line of pale beasts. "...they're nothing else if not devoted!"

"Come on, Wildcard..." Rainbow grunted, pulling and grabbing. "Girls!"

They did not appear. It was just Rainbow, the creatures, Discord, and blood. A glowing trail formed behind Wildcard's limp body, aiming the monsters straight towards them.

"Psssst..." Discord leaned in, speaking through a spontaneous blowhorn in his chaotic claw. "The staff. Take it." He winked mischievously. "After all, wouldn't that be poetic?"

"Wildcard, need your help here!" Rainbow leaned in, clenching her teeth as her eyes remained affixed on the charging line. "Come on, Job Squadder. Did you make a pledge or didn't you—?!"

With a shuddering breath, Wildcard threw himself past the pain. As Rainbow dragged him backwards, he sat upright and twirled Bard's staff at a blurring speed. The Desperado knocked back and pummeled every random beast that was stupid enough to get close enough to the two of them.

Wham! Whack! Smack! Thwack!

One by one, the beasts fell bloodily to the ground. A vaporous cloud or two of ruby energy even lit the air, but the massive mob only rushed in ten times stronger and hungrier... until soon they were surrounding the two Light Siders from multiple angles.

Discord yawned. "Yeah yeah... your sound effects are impressive as always, Sparky... but you're going to have to do better than that..."

Rainbow Dash panicked. She considered flapping her wings and lifting herself and Wildcard out of there, but she knew that all it took was a single leap from any of the creatures and the two would be skewered in midair. Clenching her teeth, she flashed her twitching eyes every which way.

"You know what you have to do..." Discord leaned just his neck down, hissing. "...you're already in it this deep... give in... for your friends' sake..."

Rainbow gnashed her teeth... teeth that were growing more and more serrated by the second. Her eyes flickered red on yellow as more and more banshee shrieks formed a cacophonous echo around her and Wildcard...

Th-Thwump!

Flynn dumped a bevy of pale rocks on the floor beside the wagon.

"Keps!" Flynn shouted, kneeling and summoning a glow through his horn. He began attaching the first of countless chaotic studs to the rim of the wagon. "Help me out here! We don't have the time or the muscle to tilt this damn thing up! We gotta attach it all to the rim!"

"As you wish, brrotherr!" Kepler knelt on the other side of the wagon, mimicking the unicorn stallion's job.

"Ariel!" Flynn hollered to the sky. "Gather the tents... the supplies... the lunar rune stones... all that you can!" He licked his lips as he fitted more and more silver bits to the hovercraft. "Get us loaded up! We gotta get out of here with more than just our sanity intact!"

"Holy crud..." Ariel zipped all around, attempting to accomplish such a frantic task. "Holy crud holy crud... do we even have the time?!"

"We'll make the time!" Logan wheezed, limping onto the scene with the bulk of the rocks. "Rnnngh!!!" He unceremoniously dumped them onto the middle of the wagon and proceeded to tie them haphazardly in place. "Dammit! Did we at least get Rainbow's 'okay' before we—" He froze in place, his gaze locked on the Edgeside horizon past Seraphimus' figure. "... ... ...Oh Goddess."

From a long distance, he made out the figures of Rainbow Dash and Wildcard—grounded and back to back. Then—like a pale shroud—the beastly creatures swallowed them up, vanishing them from sight as they closed in on all sides.

"What's the matter, Big Show?!" Ariel stammered in the distance.

Logan swallowed a lump down his throat. "I'll never make it in time... and Ariel c-can't..."

He froze in place.

His head tilted ever so slightly to the side. "Awwwwwwwww Hell..."

Schiiiing!

He unsheathed his axe and gripped it in two strong forelimbs. His brow creased noticeably.

"...you wanna be square with me?"

Thwackkk!

Wildcard smacked one beast aside.

Whackkk!

He pummeled another... then lost all strength. Slumping back into Rainbow Dash, the Desperado winced and heaved. More blood squeezed between them, illuminating.

In the red glow, Rainbow Dash winced. The creatures were closing in slowly... taunting... relishing in the cruelty of the inevitable evisceration about to transpire.

"This isn't prancing pony land, My Little Sparky," a voice rolled above her, dancing through the banshee shrieks. "So long as you carry that torch of Harmony... you'll never get anywhere without being pounced on. So make with the shroud already. Go dark."

Wildcard shuddered in her grasp. He looked back, and his goggles reflected a pair of glowing spots on Rainbow's forehead.

As the blood trickled down Rainbow's face, she whimpered. "Girls..." Yellow eyes. Red slits. "Snnkkkt... I'm ssssssorry." Her back bristled and her limbs flexed—

Swooooooooooooooooosh! A pale figure sailed in, swinging two Emeraldinian swords.

Sch-Schlunkkkk! Four pale heads plopped bloodily across the stone floor.

Rainbow gasped, her eyes returning to normal in a blink.

The creatures around her lurched backwards with an expression that she had never expected from them: shock.

As four clouds of ruby energy lifted vaporously in the air, Rainbow and Wildcard saw a nimble warrior grinding to a stop on scraping paws. Gripping two blades stained with black blood, Seraphimus looked up, glaring charcoal daggers at the surrounding crowd. Severed chains dangled from her legs and flaring wings.

"Sera...?" Rainbow managed to whisper.

Wildcard was doubly-speechless.

"Hrmmm..." The former Talon Commander sniffed, facing the line of fangs and claws. "...not so frightening up close."

Rainbow hugged Wildcard tighter. "What the buck are you doing here?!"

A daring creature lunged from behind—

SCHIIINK! Seraphimus stuck it in the chest with a blind backswing. She adjusted her weight on its impaled body. "Getting some much-needed exercise." Her eyes then rolled back like a shark, as—"Rrrrrrgh—RAAAAAAAAAUGH!" She threw herself at the sea of pale muscle, slicing and dicing. Banshee shrieks reached a new blood-curdling octave, and soon it became impossible to see the enraged griffon through the tufts of ruby light billowing in the heart of the bloodbath.

Rainbow stood slack-jawed for a few seconds too long. A few monsters rushed their flank. With a renewed burst of energy, Wildcard lunged out of her grasp and deflected the attack. Nervously casting a look in Seraphimus' direction, Rainbow belatedly joined the Desperado, shoving and kicking at every beast that she could see.

Above the evolving battle, Discord sat on an invisible stool. He looked every which way—his yellow eyes inevitably trailing Seraphimus' half of the battle more.

"Ehhhh..." He shrugged before slapping a golf cap onto his skull. "...for what it's worth." He proceeded to clap unenthusiastically as the battle raged on.

Thanks For Your Support

"Rnnnngh!" Rainbow Dash galluped to a running start, hopped over a lunging beast, then jump-kicked her way violently into a separate pair of monsters. "Htttt!" They fell back and tumbled off for several feet as Rainbow came to a sliding stop. Panting for breath, she peered across the blood-stained field of battle.

There was another ripple of ruby light. Pale heads rolled, and there went Seraphimus—screaming bombastically—as she threw herself at another wave of beasts. She twirled both swords with ease, lopping off claws and sending wet sprays of black blood staining the air in opposite directions. There was a beauty to her carnage—a primal efficiency lying beneath her brutal exterior. She met the mindless charge with louder and louder shouts, seemingly frightening the otherwise unflinchable heart of the attacking enemy.

"Raaaaaaaugh!" She stabbed forward, impaling a beast—then throwing the weight of it into a flanking charge. She spat and snarled her way through a suffocating curtain of blackish blood. "I am the Right Talon of Verlaxion! Your putrid lives—as you once knew them—end here!"

The battle shifted, with the beasts lumbering in her direction. There was a ripple of twilight, and Rainbow's ghostly friends briefly reappeared—all of them surprised and slack-jawed.

"Rainbow Dash..." Twilight Sparkle wheezed, eyes twitching. "Please tell me you didn't just free her to—" She vanished, replaced by a casually yawning Discord.

"Now you've got some explaining to do with the Missus."

Rainbow was startled by the sound of claw-scraping footsteps pounding towards her six. She spun to meet the ambushing attack—

Thwissssssssh! Wildcard dove in, staff first. WHACK! He uppercutted the beast before it could puncture Rainbow from behind. Thw-Thw-THWACK! He twirled Bard's weapon against another skull, clearing the Curveside flank of enemies. The Desperado huffed, weathering the pain of the wound in his shoulders.

"Wildcard..." Rainbow wheezed. "What are we going to do about—?"

Wordlessly, Wildcard dove past her and sailed towards Seraphimus. Rainbow watched, wincing. When Wildcard landed, it was with a violent downswing that pinned a random monster's skull to the floor. WHAM!

Seraphimus didn't even flinch. She merely shifted her weight to the left, and soon both griffons were standing back to back as a fresh line of monsters closed in around them from all sides.

"Silt Prefecture!" Seraphimus shouted. "The mountain dredge smugglers! Alpha position!"

Wildcard responded with two swift wing gestures. Then—coiling his feathers to his side—he twirled the staff while strafing sideways to the left.

Seraphimus likewise side-stepped, swinging and slicing at every enemy that dared invade their dual circle of impenetrable defense. In such a fashion, the two former Talon members delayed the rush of chaos brutes.

Discord vanished again, and Rainbow's friends reappeared. "At least tell us if this was planned, sugarcube!" Applejack exclaimed, still shocked at Seraphimus' presence.

Rainbow gulped. "If it was planned, then would it be working nearly as well?"

"That's it..." Twilight tossed her hooves, eyes rolling. "I give up!"

Pinkie stuck her tongue out. "Wuss!"

"Can we just smash heads and then get out of here?!" Twilight groaned.

Rarity threw a look back towards Curveside. "They appear to be attaching the rocks to the hovercraft as we speak!"

"Are they nearly finished?" Fluttershy stammered.

Rarity shook her head. "Not nearly."

"Well then..." Rainbow flexed her wing muscles. "Head-smashing it is."

"Oh good grief..." Twilight face-hoofed.

"Go, Dashie, go!" Pinkie cheered—

—as Rainbow charged back into the fray, sailing towards the thicker line of advancing beasts. "Here's mud in your eyes." Rainbow grimaced, preparing a savage drop kick. "Black muddy blood..."

She came into violent content with her foe. Pinkie and the others vanished—leaving Discord to reappear with a black cowboy hat. "Bah gawd!" he hollered out one side of his muzzle, fang glinting. "If I'm my own witness, they're broken in half!"

Logan's feverish eyes were locked on the distant battle. He clenched his jaws and sweated...

"Head in the game, Big Show!" Flynn snarled.

Gulping, Logan turned to assist his friends in slapping the chaos rocks onto the bed of the hovercraft. "Can you really get this shit to fly?"

"I'm not the miracle worker today!" Flynn frowned at him. "I still can't believe you actually let that turkey buzzard go!"

Logan huffed, shouldering his axe as he assisted his friends with the wagon. "It's working so far, isn't it?"

"Yeah?! And what about later on?! You've just given our worst enemy an avenue to escape and eventual vengeance on the Austraeoh!"

"She ain't the same as she was two months ago," Logan growled, fastening more and more clumps of chaos metal in a frenzy. "She's going to give us the edge we need to survive right here and now!"

"Big Show—"

"I bet you a hundred bits!"

"Like money means anything over here—"

"Fine!" Logan spat. "Fifty bits and I don't get to bend your head back into your own ass, ya cheap bald bastard!" He shook his hoof. "I've spared you for this long, haven't I?! Now get this stupid-ass boogey board to fly again!"

"Almost done with the application, brrotherr!" Kepler sounded off.

"It's now or never, Flynn!"

"Grnnnngh..." Flynn stepped back and aimed his horn at the ring of material. "...I should just change my name to Mr. Migraine... I swear."

"Just do your job!" Logan growled, turning to look fitfully Edgeside. "I'll thank you later." He nevertheless trembled slightly, gripping his axe as he watched the skirmish from afar.

When Discord Needs Updates

"Raaaaaaaaugh!" Seraphimus flew in with dual swords, stuck two creatures by their gullets, and smashed their skulls into one another. A third beast flew in—shrieking—through the resulting cloud of ruby light. She blocked its attack with both swords crossed, then swiftly sliced them outward in opposite directions.

The gangly beast suffered the loss of both forelimbs. As it hobbled about and shrieked, Seraphimus merely kicked the pathetic thing to the ground and vaulted off of it.

"Suffer," she spat out the side of her beak and approached the next line of creatures. Wildcard stood not too far off. He was a great deal more winded than his former superior, but he held his own with expert twirls of the staff.

Rainbow Dash—in the meantime—had just finished dodging two separate charging creatures. She caught the weight of one beast and used its momentum to ram it into another. Then—leaping over another pouncing monster—she flew up high to get a breathless survey of the situation.

Her eyes twitched to see more and more pale bodies rushing up from the crooks and crevices of the Edgeside landscape. Within minutes, she and her two cohorts would be outnumbered by four times as many of the creatures.

"Where in the h-hay are they even coming from?" Rainbow's voice cracked.

She had ascended high enough for her friends to rematerialize, unimpeded by the chaotic cretins below.

"They sure are crawlin' out of the woodwork, aren't they?" Applejack stammered.

"Those blasted things must live in vast underground colonies!" Rarity remarked.

"I get it now!" Pinkie Pie barked. "They're mole men!"

"Those aren't like any m-moles I've ever s-seen," Fluttershy said, trembling.

"Huh..." Twilight Sparkle rubbed her chin, thinking hard. "Pale... bipedal... imp-like underground cave dwellers..."

Rainbow's ruby eyes nervously darted around the intensifying cluster of beasts down below. "Something ringing a bell, Twilight?"

"I... I don't know..." Twilight bit her lip. "I feel like I've read about things like this before, but I can't remember where..."

"Well, could we 'remember' on another occasion?!" Rarity exclaimed, looking Curveside behind them. "Rainbow's friends could be ready to go any second!"

"Rarity's right!" Applejack exclaimed, pointing at the thick waves of chaotic reinforcement. "We've barely made a dent in this here army—and they're growin' bigger by the second!"

"Ehhhhhh..." Pinkie waved a hoof. "Sera's got them."

"The battle's nowhere near won and you know it!" Rarity said, pouting. "And don't call her 'Sera'! We are not on a first-name basis now—"

"Hey! Sera!" Rainbow shouted towards the two fighters below. "Wildcard! There's a bunch more coming! We gotta draw back and—"

"Raaaaaaaaaaaaugh!" Seraphimus dove deeper and deeper, filling the air with ruby aftermath. "I am the Right Talon of Verlaxion! You shall go no further!"

"I don't suppose... uhm..." Fluttershy trembled, gulped. "...we can just let her go as far as she wants into the fray?"

Rainbow huffed. "We've got to buy the Herald more time." She angled her wings and began a swift, perilous dive back into the battle. "If that hovercart isn't airborne, then there's no point."

Rarity moaned. "I was afraid you'd say that—" She and Twilight and the rest vanished as Rainbow came within shrieking distance of the beasts yet again.

Discord reappeared, smirking. "Ah! There you are!" He pointed at Seraphimus with his paw. "Looks like the catbird found its catbirdnip."

"Shut up!" Rainbow channeled her wrath into a murderous drop-kick, smashing a beast in the face and slamming it into its companions. "Rnnngh!" Her eyes flickered red-on-yellow as she pummeled skull after pale skull. "Did somepony order a concussion pizza?!"

Discord shrugged towards an invisible camera. "Thaaaaaaaat's my Sparky!" He blew out the side of his muzzle, emulating a seated audience of laughing ponies.

"Flynnnnnnnnnnn..." Logan droned.

"Shut up!" The balding stallion sweated all over, aiming his horn at the hovercraft and covering it with a magic field. "I've got this! I swear!"

"It is now orr neverr, brrotherr!" Kepler exclaimed. Perched on the wagon, he looked worriedly towards Edgeside. His spectacles reflected a writhing sea of pale bodies. "I cannot even fathom how ourr frriends have managed forr this long!"

"With that friggin' death ostrich that Logan unleashed?" Ariel's voice cracked. "I can fathom pretty damn well!"

"Will you let it rest already?!?" Logan barked. "I did what I had to do for the sake of preserving Flynn's stupid fart sarcophagus—"

Fl-Flasssh! The chaos strips slathered to the perimeter of the carriage lit up, intertwined with lunar dust and magical leylines.

"I did it!" Flynn exclaimed, hopping up and down. "Fart sarcophagus away! I mean—Dammit!"

"Who cares what it's called!" Logan hopped on board, causing the thing to wobble and nearly throw Kepler off. "What matters is that it's airborne!" Shimmying to the front, he shouted into the lunar glow of the runes. "M'shrynmh L'fynym!"

Flynn gasped, reaching out with his hoof. "No! Wait!"

WHAM! The craft slammed into the ground and scraped backwards, grinding Edgeside.

"Whoah!" Ariel gasped.

"Gah!" Kepler flailed yet again.

"The buck—?!?" Logan hissed.

Flynn rushed up to the chassis and wheezed: "M'shrykkym L'vynyk!"

With an audible hum, the hovercraft lifted back up and slowly glided forward.

"What gives?" Logan stammered.

"It's a chaotic focus!" Flynn exclaimed. "You have to give the opposite commands!"

"You've gotta be shittin' me!" Logan snarled loudly. "That's stupid!"

"You're stupid!" Flynn barked back. "Look, we either work around the bullshit or we don't work at all! We don't work—we don't fly! We don't fly—"

"I get it, Baldy! Shut up!" Logan huffed, frowning at the slowly coasting vehicle. "I'm just... n-not sure I can remember all the damned moonwhinny commands and somehow ejaculate them inside out."

"Allow me, brrotherr," Kepler offered, crawling forward. "My memory is quite rrobust in that rregarrd—"

"Nah, best that I say them, Keps," Logan grumbled. "Thanks to Brainiac McMumbles, here, we're flying on chaos and a prayer. Roll your R's too much and we might get pregnant with changelings or some shiet..."

"I'll say them!" Flynn climbed on. "Do we have all our stuff—?"

"All the stuff that matters!"

"Good." Flynn looked up. "Ariel—?!"

"Already on it!" Swoooooooooooosh! Ariel shot Edgeside in a gray blur. "Head on without us! We'll catch up via wing!"

"Don't waste time for nothing!" Logan hollered as Flynn steadied and accelerated the humming craft. Gradually, they coasted up the steep hillside, leaving dust and a glowing lunar trail behind them. "And make sure that Rainbow doesn't get too close to this crap! Have her fly recon—!"

"Yeah yeah..." Ariel exhaled. Gritting her teeth, she flew towards the intense battle. Her blue eyes reflected tufts of ruby light, issuing outward from the center of the melee. "Oh pleeeeeeeeeeeease please please please please let none of those be Rainbow Dash's soul..."

"Htttt!" Rainbow, meantime, was kicking one beast after another. She stood side by side with Wildcard, wincing as the floor was littered with more bodies and black blood. "Guh... for once, can we fight something that leaks cider?"

"Rainbow!" Ariel flew in from above.

"Oh hey, girl!" Rainbow Dash panted for breath. "Welcome to the party!"

"The hovercraft's airborne!"

"Flynn got it to fly?!"

"Yeah! Good enough!" Ariel looked aside, her eyes reflecting a dark black figure in mid-attack. "Oh. Wildcard. You're alive too. Cool beans."

"He's hurt! We gotta retreat!" Rainbow hollered above the fray, using two fetlocks like a crude bullhorn. "Hey! Sera! Move your tail!"

Discord coasted by, phasing through Ariel and Wildcard as he ate from ghostly popcorn. "Oh where or where did my little psycho go? Or where or where could she be?"

Rainbow blinked, eyes darting across the shifting and thrashing bodies. She parried one attack and kicked another beast away. "Where the buck?!"

"Did you already lose her?!" Ariel asked.

Rainbow looked over at the Desperado. "Yo! Wildcard! Your old boss?! Where she at—?!"

Wildcard looked at her. He actually gasped; his goggles reflected a pale-feathered figure in full lunge.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!" Schiiiiiiiiing! Seraphimus sailed straight towards Ariel with both swords swinging.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaackies!" Ariel curled up into a shivering little ball in mid-air.

SCH-SCHLUNNNK! Both of Seraphimus' swords punctured the chest of an agile beast that was just two inches from pouncing Ariel from behind. The former Talon Commander slammed the beast down and began eviscerating its torso to black ribbons.

Rainbow grimaced.

"Rgnnnghhhhh!" Ariel shook all over, frowning. "I swear to Goddess! I've only been here thirty seconds!"

"Don't take it to heart." Rainbow punched two more beasts, and shoved against a third as she looked over at Wildcard. "Quick, dude! Give us an exit!"

Wildcard sucked his breath in. The air tingled as he raised his metal fist high in the air. Sparks flew from the joints, and the manacore nestled deep within the newly-constructed prosthetic reached a fever pitch.

Vrommmmmmmmmmmmmm!

As a fresh wave of beasts leapt at the group, Wildcard slammed his metal fist violently into the ground. WHUDDDDDDDDD!

A concussive blast vaporously echoed its way Edgeside, knocking nearly three dozen creatures onto their backs. As they struggled and thrashed to get up, Wildcard swiftly hooked an arm under Rainbow's tummy and lifted off... gliding alongside Ariel as the three sped back in the direction of the wagon with the Austraeoh in tow.

"Good t-timing, too!" Ariel stammered. She took a nervous look at the massive waves of chaotic reserves. Soon a veritable ocean of ravenous bipeds was clambering after them, shaking the earth with their impenetrable charge. "Awwwwwwww shit... I hope Flynn's stupid surf board can outglide that."

"Th-there's one way to find out!" Rainbow writhed, dangling in Wildcard's protective grasp as the three continud their glide. "Come on, Sera! We're making back to the wagon!"

All she heard were banshee shrieks and scraping claws.

"... ... ...Seraphimus?!" Rainbow's ruby eyes darted nervously towards the pale sea below. "Where are you?!"

Discord reappeared in Rainbow's peripheral, flickering upon the precipice of vanishing. "Ask not for whom the catbird tweets!" He grinned, chuckling breathily. "Hah! I worked a lot on that last one!"

"For the love of Celestia..." Rainbow clutched her forehead as the group gained altitude. "...why couldn't I be haunted by a ghostly Verlax instead?!?"

Here We All Float

"Can't this damned thing go any faster?!?" Logan snarled, throwing tense glances at the line of pale beasts stampeding from Edgeside.

"Uhmmm..." Flynn fidgeted, seated next to Kepler at the front of the hovering wagon.

"Double-Yoo's coming in with Rainbow and Ariel! But those freakazoids are charging up fast right behind them!" Logan continued.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Flynn continued to squirm.

"'Uhhhhhhh' what?!" Logan looked forward... then down. His pupils shrank. "Dude—what the buck?!?"

While scaling uphill, the chaotic field of the wagon had easily pushed two dozen feet between its own chassis and the earth's surface below. The vessel was ascending rapidly as it approached the edge of the crater looming Curveside.

"The chaotic emanations... appear to have an added effect on the wagon's verticality," Flynn muttered out the side of his muzzle.

"Well un-verticalize it!" Logan wheezed. "I don't wanna spontaneously drop and become a Dark Side pancake!"

"Betterr now orr neverr, brrotherr!" Kepler said.

"Right." Flynn gulped. His metal lense focused on the shimmering rune stones lacing the edges of the wagon. "Lemme just... try..." He took a deep breath, then growled: "'Y'hnyrr M'wynhrm!'"

Fl-Fl-Flassssh! The lunar dust rippled with etheral light. The strips of chaos metal vibrated, and—Thw-Thw-Thwoooosh!—the wagon twirled around three times before sliding into a reverse glide.

"Acch!" Kepler was jostled before Logan reached a protective hoof out to catch him.

"Grnnngh!" Flynn grunted as the vessel evened out. He found himself staring downhill as the wagon continued its reverse ascent. "Whelp, that's not it."

"Don't just spout random bullshit, dude!" Logan hollered.

"Of course I'm not!" Flynn frowned. He reached telekinetically across the wagon, levitated Kepler's notes, and squinted his good eye at the crescent-shaped moonwhinny text. "I'm just picking the right commands... aaaaaaaaaand... saying them in reverse!"

"Phonetically orr definitively?!" Kepler yelped.

"Please. I'm no idiot." Flynn placed the parchment down and cleared his throat. "I've got it now! 'H'lmynhr W'lyrmym!'"

FLASH!

The wagon pivoted, veering sideways. Kepler and Logan struggled to hold on as they careened up the hillside.

"Balllllllllllldyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy..." Logan snarled long and hard.

"Just hold on!" Flynn struggled for balance and concentration. "I've almost got it this time!"

Kepler's eyes squinted behind his lopsided spectacles. "Why is the rrunic light intensifying?!"

"It's the crater!" Flynn grunted. "We're headed straight for the source!"

"Then steer it away!" Logan hollered.

"No way!"

"Why not?!"

"With those things chasing after us, we could use all the juice we can get!" Flynn exclaimed. "This may just be the boost we need to clear the valley and rid ourselves of those creeps for good!"

"Dammit, Flynn!" Logan barked. "This is no time to play theoretical asshole physicist!"

"A morre perrtinent concerrn!" Kepler sounded off. "The Rrainbow One! How will she be able to join us with all of these emanations?"

Biting his lip, Logan threw a concerned look over his shoulder.

"Look..." Ariel breathed, panted. Flying as swiftly as she could Curveside, she looked back past Rainbow and Wildcard, observing with wide eyes as the sea of creatures bounded faster and faster after their airborne targets. "Cheese and crackers... how can those bastards move so fast?!"

"Fast-twitch muscle fibers?" Discord suggested, right as he vanished. "Zoop!"

Twilight Sparkle and Rarity materialized in his place.

"Rainbow, my senses are failing me directly ahead of us!" Twilight said.

"Huh?!" Rainbow—clinging to Wildcard in mid-flight—flung Twilight a nervous look. "But isn't that where the Herald and the wagon are?"

"Of course, darling!" Rarity exclaimed. "It simply means they're heading into the chaotic space!"

"And they're empowering the wagon by chaos, so..."

Rainbow gulped. "I can't join you guys."

Ariel performed a double-take. "What?!"

"The chaos metal... no doubt Flynn's attached a buttload of it to the wagon," Rainbow said, trying to speak above the banshee shrieks of the pursuing creatures. "If so, then I'll be a comatose dead weight the moment I step aboard!"

"Yeah, so?" Ariel managed a shrug. "We'll protect your comatose dead weight while we cruise on out of here—!"

"I'm way more useful to you guys flying at a distance!" Rainbow exclaimed. "I can keep an eye out for faster escape routes!"

"Rainbow!" Ariel replied, frowning. "The Herald's got more armor and firepower than you could ever possibly carry on your own! The wagon may be our only means of survival at this moment—!"

Wildcard suddenly whistled with a deafening shrillness. The other two mares watched as he pointed down below with his metal talon.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash blinked.

Ariel paled. "No way..."

Against all expectations, the surging sea of stampeding beasts had actually outrun their aerial speed. Possessed by unnatural endurance, they clambored and climbed the outer edge of the crater with silken grace. They were seconds away from overtaking the awkwardly wobbling wagon.

"Crud!" Ariel grimaced. "They're dead meat!"

"Not for long!" Rainbow disentangled herself from Wildcard. "You two gotta go down there and help them fend the creeps off!"

Wildcard nodded.

"Dammit..." Ariel gritted her teeth. "Why can't Flynn make that thing go faster?"

"I've got an even better question," Rainbow Dash wheezed. She looked down at the stampeding masses. "Where the hay is Seraphimus?"

Fluttershy calmly pointed. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

"Huh?" Rainbow turned around—gazing into a blood-stained beak. "Luna Poop!!!" she flinched in mid flight.

"... ... ..." Seraphimus glared past her with a steely gaze as her expert wings flapped. Her face and upper crestfeathers were covered all over in inky-black blood—none of it glowing. "... ... ...my blades have dulled."

Rainbow gulped. "Right. That's cool. Uhm..." She motioned down at the wagon with her head. "The carriage?"

"Indeed." Seraphimus tilted her neck left and right, crackling joints. "Jordan—!" Swisssssssh! She dove swiftly in a pale blur. "—form up!"

Wildcard wordlessly joined her.

"Dang it..." Ariel gnashed her teeth, glancing at Seraphimus, the wagon, and the encroaching sea of beasts. "Dang it dang it dang it—"

"They'll need your help, girl."

"Friggin'... I know!" Ariel dove in a blink, shouting past her tail. "Don't lose sight of us!"

"So long as you stay in one piece!" Rainbow hollered, maintaining her altitude. "... ... ...gosh, I hate warming the bench."

"Gyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh..." Pinkie shook all over, tail curling up.

Applejack looked anxiously at her. "What now?"

"Oh, nothin'." Pinkie gulped. "Things are just about to get kaizo, is all..."

The Kaizo You Know

"Okaaaaaay..." Flynn grimaced, his horn strobing as he struggled with the craft. "Now we can't stop descending."

Kepler nervously eyed the crest of the crater. "A most inopporrtune time, brrotherr..."

"Look, I'm trying as hard as I can!"

"Try harder, asshole!" Logan grunted as the wagon wobbled and veered its way uphill. "Those testicle-headed motherbuckers will be all over us in a minute!"

"Make that 'a few seconds,' frriend," Kepler said in a somber tone, pointing behind them.

Logan turned to look, and his eyes reflected the shine of the beasts claws. "Holy shit!" he reacted. Th-Thwump! Two feathery bodies landed hard on their wagon. Logan turned around, getting a face full of Seraphimus. "Holy shit!" he reacted again.

Despite being in stabbing distance of the obese stallion, the former Talon Commander did nothing. "I need another weapon," she said coolly.

"What?!?" Flynn frowned over his shoulder. "The Hell happened to the two swords Big Show gave you earlier when he ripped your chains loose?"

"I put them to good use," Seraphimus said over the noise of banshee shrieks. "Now I need more."

"Oh! Sure!" Flynn spat out the side of his muzzle. "Right when you're sitting in the thick of us you need something you can rip our throats out with—"

"Kepler, give her a damn weapon!" Logan shouted.

"Verrily!" Kepler fished through a crate and produced an Emeraldinian rapier. "Should we well weighted—"

Seraphimus plucked it from the wyvern's grasp and gave it a single twirl. "It'll weigh more than their bodies will—once I've relinquished them of their heads."

"Try turning me on when we're not snorkling through the apocalypse!" Schiiiiiing! Logan unsheathed his axe and braced himself on the rear of the wagon. "Double-yoo!"

Wildcard glided over and perched alongside him, staff held high.

The first of several beasts scampered up the hill, coming within spitting distance.

"Make 'em so their mothers won't recognize 'em," Logan spat. His brow furrowed. "Assuming they have any—"

"Hressssssssshaaa!" A few beasts leapt with a surprise pounce from two rows down the advancing front. They scaled the height of the crater's edge with remarkable speed, zeroing in on Logan's plump figure.

Beak clenched, Wildcard stuck his staff out and caught one beast in the gullet. He swung its weight into another pair of leaping monsters—knocking them back in mid-air.

"Htttt!" Logan swung violently with his axe. Ch-Chtunnkkkk! He cleaved two bodies into bloody halves, just as another pair leapt and grasped onto the edge of the wagon. Chaos metal flickered as limbs thrashed and lunged at the Heraldites from three sides at once.

"Raaaaaugh!" Seraphimus snaked her way through the two, thrusting sharply with her rapier.

"Snrkkkkttt!" A beast had its entire nasal cavity replaced with Emeraldinian metal. Seraphimus lifted violently up, giving the beast a new airhole. Wildcard shoved its carcass back into the crowd, toppeling three more beasts as—

"HRESSSSH!"

—four more leapt at the wagon, sailing downward with their claws and fangs barred.

"Hold your breaths—!" Logan shouted, swinging upwards in a vicious arc. Schiiiiing!

Two heads flew one way and two bodies the other. As for the other two beasts—Sch-Schlunkkk—they littered the stone hilltop on either side of the wagon in over a dozen pieces. Their blood, meanwhile, thoroughly sprayed the wagon.

"Ach!" Kepler shuddered, his glasses stained black with wretched juices. "My starrs and garrterrs!"

"Hah!" Logan spat, grinning through the viscera. "Well—my day has certainly brightened up!"

"... ... ..." Seraphimus glared at him, holding her rapier cautiously.

Logan glanced at her blade, then at her again. "Yeah, what?"

"I don't want to be not facing you," she droned.

"Seriously?" Logan's eyes narrowed. "Like I could even afford to do that to you now. Besides... we made a deal."

"And it's not been met yet," she said.

Logan looked ready to retort—

Wildcard let loose a whistle.

"Harrk!" Kepler exclaimed, pointing up.

Logan and Seraphimus spun.

Two beasts had leapt high, and both were descending rapidly towards the wagon.

"Up high—!" Logan began.

"I see it!" Seraphimus held her blade skyward. "Jordan—!"

Wildcard was already stabbing upward with his staff. He caught one beast in the chest, but the other kept descending towards the wagon—headed straight for Flynn's backside.

"Baldy!" Logan tried swinging, but missed the beast. "Look out—!"

"Huh?" Flynn glanced over his shoulder. "Whoah—!"

WHUMP! Ariel's body landed, slamming into the creature in midair.

"Hresshhh—!" The beast flailed, sailing back downhill. It bowled through eight other beasts, tripping them hard to the hilltop and slowing the stampede's pursuit ever so slightly.

"Whew!" Ariel perched tightly in the middle of the wagon. "Am I late?" She winced, then frowned at the ink black blood staining her fetlocks from a sustained puddle. "Ewwwwwwwww... I am, aren't I???"

"There will be time to vomit later," Seraphimus said.

"Oh Goddess, who invited her," Ariel wretched.

"Be alerrt, frriends!" Kepler exclaimed. "We'rre apprroaching the crraterr's edge!"

"Weapon!" Ariel fished desperately through a crate. "Weapon weapon weapon—!"

"Flynn!" Logan shouted, watching as the wave of pursuing beasts closed on the rear of the vehicle yet again. "Get this thing to ascend again!"

"I-I don't even know how I made it happen the first time!"

"Then at least get us to accelerate or something!" Logan glanced nervously ahead, seeing nothing but levitating boulders and scattered starlight. "Awwww shit! The rocks—!"

"Too late!" Seraphimus rushed over to Wildcard's side and branished her rapier. "Prepare yourselves!"

"Got one!" Ariel exclaimed, producing a glaive from the supply container. She looked at the edge of the hill and her ears drooped. "Oh poop."

"Hold on!" Flynn shouted, bracing the wagon as well as he could with his magic. Right at that very moment, half-a-dozen monsters leapt onto the back of the vehicle. The two griffons blocked and parried their beserker swipes with desperate moves. This became all the more difficult as they took a plunge off the side, heading straight into the floating mess of unnatural rocks.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh boy," Applejack whimpered, gazing straight down at the crazy fight. As the wagon flew wildly into the floating chaotic array, the pursuing beasts jumped like suicidal salmon, desperate to chase their airborne target down. Pale bodies plunged into the crater, forming a pallid waterfall. "Uhm..." Applejack looked back at Rainbow and the other girls, fidgeting with the brim of her hat. "They're in for one heck of a slobberknocker, for certain."

"It's the Herald, though!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. She nevertheless twitched. "They've g-got it covered!"

"Yes! Besides, they've got Wildcard with them!" Rarity smiled cheekishly. Her body produced a bulb of ghostly sweat. "Two of them, if you count Seraphimus!" A deep breath, and she squeaked: "One and a h-half...?"

"I'm scared." Fluttershy looked worriedly at Rainbow Dash. "I-I don't think they have enough to fend off those horrible creatures!"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow looked at the fight down below. "Uhhhhhhhhhh..." She looked at Pinkie Pie.

The mare had curled up into a little ball, her tail curling and uncurling as her eyes struggled to stay even.

"Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh—I don't think so." Rainbow began an arduous dive towards the crater below.

"But Rainbow!" Twilight floated closer, her face twisted in concern. "If you get too close to the wagon—"

"I'm chaos goo. Got it." Rainbow nodded. "But I gotta help my friends."

"More than that, sugarcube!" Applejack glided on the other side. "If we vanish—we won't be able to help you!"

"I just gotta lend them a hoof!" Rainbow's jaw clenched. "I can't leave them alone to face that crud! Especially now that Seraphimus is freed among them!"

"Rainbow..." Twilight sighed. "Is there ever a day that goes by when you don't rely on stupid guile?"

"I understand one of those words. So sure!"

"Uh oh..." Fluttershy grimaced as she and her friends started to flicker. "Rainbow Dash! We can't stay long—!"

"Time for you to warm the bench in my place!" Rainbow picked up speed, diving. "I'll see you on the other side!"

"I hope you don't mean that the way I think you mean," Twilight said. She vanished...

...and Discord materialized. "And who said all scientists were agnostic?"

"Shut up." Rainbow clenched her jaw. "I need to concentrate."

"Yes." He lazily examined his paw while free-falling ghostily beside the mare. "Because whopping monster melons with your fetlocks has always depended on your mental fortitude beforehand."

"You wanna help?" Rainbow gnashed her teeth as tears formed from the frictious winds. "Show me where it hurts the most to punch these jerks!"

"Hah!" Discord brandished a fang-glinting smile. "And who said I was ever about helping anypony, Sparky?"

Rainbow said nothing. Her eyes locked on the hectic fight below...

...which was descending into a gradual free-fall through a veritable asteroid field of chaos.

"Hressssh!"

"Hreshaaaa!"

Clank!

Th-Thwack!

Schiiing!

Pale bodies fell left and right as metal clashed with claws. The wagon threaded its way through multiple floating rocks, made contact with a hovering boulder, coasted over its surface, then took off again. Every other second—the surface of the vehicle tilted up and down, left and right—throwing the balance off for everypony on board. Wildcard was the quickest to recover, knocking the skulls of attacking beasts away while using the back tip of Bard's staff to help Seraphimus or Logan back up.

Once recovered, Big Show and the former Talon Commander thrusted forward with their blades, skewering the chests, throats, and thighs of countless monstrosities. Black blood sprayed into the air—collecting and coagulating before staining the undersides of floating boulders above and below them.

None of this violence stopped the creatures from pursuing. Those who didn't plunge like dead meat into the bottom of the crater found traction on many of the innumerable floating chunks of earthen debris. They ran rightside—and upside down—scampering across the fringes of rotating boulders, keeping up with the craft before leaping from above and below.

Ariel blocked several attacks with the glaive. Flynn stole a moment or two to zap the beasts with his horn before swiftly returning his attention to the chaotic descent of the wagon. His natural eye twitched, judging the feasible route to take through the sea of floating rocks. He steered the craft towards one boulder after another—which made for an insanely bumpy ride—but at least the craft hadn't plummeted completely down the gullet of the chaotic crater.

"Grnngh...!" Logan swung his axe harder and harder. The beasts were learning, eyeing his body-cleaving weapon and side-stepping at the last possible second. Soon they were pacing themselves, jumping and scattering across a dozen levitating boulders before charging at him from all sides. "Dammit! Can't touch any of them to save my—"

Seraphimus' grasped his shoulder from behind, startling him. "Let them reach the wagon," she said calmly despite the insanity of the moment.

"What?!" Ariel struck a pouncing beast with her glaive and looked at the griffin. "Are you nuts?!"

"No... I think I get it!" Logan took a bold step backwards, bunching up with Seraphimus in the middle of the wagon. The vehicle glided over a boulder at an awkward angle as he shouted to the side. "Wildcard—!"

Holding his breath, Wildcard leapt off the craft entirely, opening up over half of the vehicle's available space.

The monsters saw the opening and immediately capitalized on it. Six leapt mightily from multiple angles, converging on the chassis of the levitating wagon. They clambered over each other and began to get up—

"Now! Lunge!" Seraphimus shouted. Charcoal eyes burning, she stabbed forward with her rapier—impaling two beasts at once. Schluuunk!

The six monsters stumbled, clumping together at the back of the wagon.

"Haaaaaaaaaugh!" Logan swung his axe up, catching them beneath their legs and swinging the six beasts like a catapult into the broken sky above. Their bodies slammed into a randomly floating boulder, then scattered in all directions.

Wildcard—flying—leapfrogged off the flailing corpses, then dove daringly into a flanking cluster of beasts. THUNK! He caved one's skull in with his metal fist, then spun in a full circle with his staff. Cl-Cl-Cl-Clankkk! He deflected multiple attacks, then knocked several creatures into one another. This angered the horde, and two extra waves converged on the Desperado with serrated claws.

"Wildcarrd!" Kepler hollered, holding up a smouldering concoction of chemicals that he had just finished mixing into a black glass jar. "Move away—!"

"What the Wyvern says, Jordan!" Seraphimus shouted.

Holding his breath, Wildcard tightened his rear legs and kicked off a passing rock. Swissssssh! He flew earthward in a murking streak as the pouncing beasts collided with each other behind him, forming a gnotted core of writhing, pale flesh.

"Let 'er rip, Keps!" Logan boomed.

"Hrnngh!" Kepler flung the fresh alchemic grenade into the mass of bodies. The bottle made contact—clink!—then—POWWWWW!!!

Ariel flinched as blood and body parts ricocheted off the field of rocks all around them. The wagon wobbled, and she braced herself against Flynn's body as she looked up. "Wildcard!" She reached out with her hoof. "Come on! Back to the wagon—!"

Wildcard curved his wings. He bent his flight and sailed towards them.

Wh-Wham! Two creatures randomly leapt from a boulder above and impacted his body in mid-air. One's claws grazed the wound already gaping in his back, and the Desperado flinched in mid-air, paralyzed.

"Brrotherr!" Kepler hollered.

"No!" Ariel shrieked.

The Herald's wagon passed underneath, its occupants watching helplessly as Wildcard was overpowered by the two beasts.

"Goddess dammit!" Logan stood up with his axe, preparing to leap clear off the wagon. "Hold on, buddy—!"

Seraphimus yanked him back by his tail. "Don't."

"Dammit, lady!" Logan spat back, frowning hard. "I gotta save him—!"

"You do not have to." Seraphimus' eyes reflected a prismatic streak.

Ariel gasped—

Swoooooooooosh—WHAM!

—as Rainbow Dash sailed in hard, slamming her lower legs into the skull of one beast. It slipped from its grip of Wildcard, and the petite pegasus was then yanking the other monster off. The two wrestled briefly in mid-air... until Rainbow Dash overpowered it by flapping one wing mightily. The two spun three times... with Rainbow releasing the creature violently into the ether with a shout. She watched—panting—as the shrieking thing flew upwards through the array... only to be crushed into a bloody pulp by two randomly colliding boulders. Crunnnch!

"Oooooh..." Discord winced, fazing through a passing rock. "That guy really had some stones to mess with you."

Rainbow huffed. "... ... ...I kinda wish the giant wyrm ate me."

"Rainbow Dash!" Ariel could be heard shouting.

"I'm here, girl!" Rainbow looked down at the wagon. "Hold it in! No need to drown Flynn—" Her eyes locked on Seraphimus.

Seraphimus stared calmly back from afar.

Rainbow bit her lip, gnawing at the urge to say something—

"Rrainbow!" Kepler shouted. "Don't come any nearrerr! The chaos metal—!"

Banshee shrieks lit the air as the beasts found a new route through the floating array to re-engage their prey.

"I won't have to!" Rainbow shouted. Perched upside-down on a floating boulder, she reached over and lifted a dazed Wildcard to his feet. "Dude! Think you can fly?"

He winced from his wounds... but nodded shakily, goggles rattling.

"Good. Let's try to pull some of the heat off our friends." Rainbow took off, dragging Wildcard behind her. As the Desperado flapped his wings and gained traction, she shouted towards Flynn and the rest. "Just try and clear the crater!"

"But Rainbow—!"

"We'll meet up Curveside!" Rainbow winced momentarily as her eyes flickered red-on-yellow. "That's a pr-promise!" She flew faster with Wildcard as a group of monsters tore off from the rest of the pursuing stampede and flanked them. "Oh goddess... they smell horrible..."

Wildcard breathlessly nodded.

Directed by Alfonsoats Cuaron

Discord rippled out of existence, and in his place came Twilight Sparkle—screaming.

"Chaos!" She gnashed her teeth, floating upside down over Rainbow Dash. Her ghostly horn strobed wildly. "All around us!"

"Dashie!" Pinkie yelped as banshee shrieks doubled, tripled, quadrupled. "They're skittering in from all directions—!" She disappeared at the end of her exclamation, and a wall of teeth and claws came rushing through, hopping from one floating rock to another.

"Hressssssssh—!"

"Wildcard!" Rainbow shouted, twirling to narrowly dodge a serrated swipe or two. "Keep moving—!" Her eyes flickered red on yellow. She gasped—stumbling and sprawling chest-first across a rotating boulder. On its third spin, she swung past the advancing beasts.

"Hressshaaaa!" Two pounced on her, digging in with their claws.

Perching briefly on a passing rock, Wildcard reached back with Bard's bo-staff stretched at full length.

Rainbow clasped onto the metal tip with her teeth and clenched tight as—Swooosh!—the Desperado yanked her off the boulder and out from under the pouncing cretins. Cl-Clankkk! Their claws made sparks and nothing else. The rest of the pack stampeded through the floating array—some slipping and falling towards the crater's heart far below with blood-curdling wails.

Rainbow caught up with Wildcard and the two flew in tight formation, ascending through the upper half of the levitating mineral field. Their path was a zig-zagging affair, whipping over and under sporadic boulders and chunks of dimly-glowing rocks. Patches of starlight shimmered from overhead. Shadows broke the illumination, and that's how the two realized that there were hopscotching creatures outpacing them from high above. Sure enough—in the next few milliseconds to scream by—a gaggle of bloodthirsty beasts dove down from above, willfully pinballing between boulders until they came within pouncing distance.

"HRESSH!"

"Above—!" Rainbow yelped.

Schiiiiing! Wildcard was already rolling over her body. Nimbly, he twirled upside down and faced the incoming dive with a vicious twirl of Bard's staff.

Wh-Wh-Whap! The Desperado successfully fended off three creatures. A second wave came rushing in. At precisely that moment, Wildcard and Rainbow skirted past a smattering of tiny rocks. Holding his breath, the griffin batted several of them up at the descending creatures.

Ponk! Pl-Plonk! The ricocheted off a skull or two. Some of the pouncing monsters went limp in free-fall.

"Httt!" Rainbow Dash grabbed one body, spun, and slammed it like a club into a fresh wave of attackers. Thonkk!

The impacted corpses ragdolled off each other and twirled down through the mess of rocks. Within seconds, more and more pale bodies streaked through the two fliers' peripheral.

Wildcard sucked his breath in. In mid-twirl, he faced Rainbow Dash for one-and-a-half seconds...just long enough to hand-sign a single expression: "MANY."

"Down!" Rainbow shouted, already angling her wings. More bodies closed in, framed by fangs and claws. "Speed up! Lose them in the plunge—!"

Sw-Swisssssssh! Wildcard plunged, joined swiftly by the prismatic pegasus. More and more beasts hopped from rock to rock, keeping up with them. Rainbow's vision fractured, and she teared from the closing proximity to the chaotic heart of the crater.

Around this point, Discord reappeared, cradling a ghostly box of popcorn. "Hah!" He munched liberally, watching with casual glee. "This part's for the trailer!"

"Hresssssssh!"

"Hressshaaa!"

Desperately, Rainbow and Wildcard plunged down through the sea of boulders. The friction from their dual flight upset the balance of the multitudinous structures, and several of the larger chunks of rocks collided with one another. This filled the air with bombastic blasts of thunder, and several powdery explosions of rock filled the air behind them. The chaos monsters burst through the debris, streaking after their targets while leaving waves of vaporous chalk behind. As more and more got close to the pair, Rainbow and Wildcard joined forelimbs. With combined muscle, they spun to dodge the attacks, then leaned on each other in mid-plunge so that they could exchange wild swipes at their pursuing foe. As a result, savagely punched and bucked creatures flew backwards, knocking into more boulders as the rocks collided with greater and greater frequency, leading to a chain reaction that reduced the upper half of the floating array to wild shrapnel and calcified mist.

Nevertheless, the stampede didn't let up. For every floating boulder, there were twice as many creatures hopping and scrambling across the structures with gravity-defying agility. Rainbow and Wildcard resorted to mimicking their pursuers' tricks, and soon they were interrupting their own flight to gallop briskly across the tops and undersides of numerous rocks. At one point or another, they scampered parallel to one another with their backs facing. One creature took a swipe at Rainbow, and Wildcard swung his staff directly upwards to block it at the last second. As a second creature lunged at Wildcard's bloody backside, Rainbow kicked off her rock, flipped, jump kicked across a third creature, then landed on the second attacker before it could land on the Desperado's figure. Rejoined, the two outjumped a group plunge and kicked the boulder behind them upon exiting. The rock in question flew off course—carrying four shrieking creatures into a boulder behind it. The resulting explosion sent a dozen pale bodies falling violently towards the crater's belly below.

Rainbow Dash and Wildcard outflew the explosion. As they descended a further level, an enormous boulder to their right rotated around, revealing multiple creatures lying in ambush. They shrieked and coiled their muscles to leap at the two's flank. Right at that precise moment, a metal glaive flew in, decapitated two of the beasts, and bounced back into Ariel's nimble grip. Rainbow and Wildcard had inevitably reunited with the rest of the Herald. Cruising clumsily behind the two, Flynn steered the craft in and around enormous boulders while Ariel flung the glaive again with a warrior's scream. More black blood and pale sinew lit the air. A vicious wave of attackers came from the left flank, but Kepler was ready for them with a pair of smoking jars being tossed at full strength. Some of the creatures dodged, but most ate flames as the alchemic concoction burst in a brilliant fireball. The explosion rocked the wagon—which performed an actual barrel roll as it threaded the fresh debris sailing outward from Kepler's ordinance.

Defying gravity—a gift of the chaos metal itself—the Heraldites kept upright in the wagon the entire time. Even as it was still spinning through the sea of boulders, Logan and Seraphimus capitalized on the moment by swinging their blades at the disoriented beasts. Bodies flew past them from Kepler's explosion, only to be sliced into bloody slivers. Seraphimus shouted, pointing her rapier at a fresh wave of monsters charging up the rear of the twirling wagon. Logan saw them and—just as they were passing under the belly of a large boulder—he stuck the blade of his axe up and sliiiiiiiiiced into the dusty surface of the giant rocks. This spilled a thick cloud of dust into the pursuing creatures, choking and blinding the whole lot of them. Some of them nevertheless pounced on through, shrieking for all their ravenous strength. Ariel rolled across the twirling wagon and stopped with a heavy toss of her glaive. She lost the Emeraldinian weapon entirely this time, not that she minded; it skewered a beast down the center and knocked two more off balance so that they were reduced to bloody paste against the adjacent rocks. The pouncing attackers leftover were finished swiftly by Seraphimus and her rapier.

At long last, Flynn gained control of the twirling pitch of the wagon. He channeled a fresh wave of mana into his horn, evening the vessel with the curved horizon. It was then that he realized that he was seeing the horizon—unimpeded by floating rocks.

"A clearing!" Flynn hollered, sweating profusely. He looked wildly over his shoulder. "We're almost in the clear!"

Seraphimus cooly nodded ahead of the craft. "Tell that to your leader."

"Huh?" Logan did a double-take.

"Rainbow!" Ariel hollered, wincing.

The Herald could see that Rainbow's flight was wavering. Her wings went slack and her muscles rippled. The pendant around her neck dimmed noticeably.

"The chaos metal!" Kepler exclaimed, grasping tight to his spectacles as the vehicle rattled. "She is farr too close to the wagon!"

"Slow us down, baldy!" Logan spat.

"I can't!" Flynn stammered. "Not at this rate!"

"Dammit—"

"Do we wanna clear this shit or don't we?!" Flynn snapped. More banshee shrieks sounded off behind them, growing closer. "As long as we're in this mess, they can still catch up!"

"Wildcard!" Ariel shouted, leaning over the front edge of the wagon. "Grab her and dive! Wait for us to pass—!"

Wildcard was already flying into Rainbow Dash. She was shivering—eyes rolling back—by the time he made contact. Whump! Hugging her tight, the Desperado coiled his wings and dropped like an anvil. Together, they both plunged towards the arid stone beyond the Curveside edge of the crater.

"Can you at least give us some lift, Flynn?!" Logan exclaimed.

"Yes I can—!" Flynn shouted: "Y'hnyrr H'jnor!"

The front half of the wagon tilted upwards as its runes fluctuated. The craft flew past the last of the boulders while simultaneously—

Swooooooooooosh!

—gliding just over the bodies of Wildcard and Rainbow Dash.

"Rnnnghhh... gnngh..." Rainbow clenched her teeth as two bloody spots formed along her forehead.

Wildcard panted and panted, holding Rainbow tight as the two sailed towards the dead earth below. Bodies were leaping—flailing—behind them, falling by the weight of their teeth and claws. Wildcard outflew the meat, spreading his wings at the last second. Two bodies streaked past him. Four. Then a fifth—

"Hressssh!"

—the falling beast tackled his backside hard.

"!!!" Wildcard jolted forward. The weight of the monster threw him sideways into a feathery corkscrew. Physics ripped Rainbow Dash from the Desperado's grip, and soon the two of them were falling in opposite directions.

"Mmmfnnngh!" Rainbow's eyes stopped changing color in time to grasp the horrible situation at hoof. She squeaked inwardly as the world flew up at her. She flapped her wings at the last second, but all it managed to do was make her topple over. So she spun with the motion, hoping against hope that by the time she struck the ground she would be incorporating enough momentum to safely—

WHUMP!

Rainbow Dash's Limit Break

"Hmmm... the leathery skin... the blue spidery veins... the exposed buttocks..."

Rainbow's eyes teared. Her ears flattened as her muzzle winced and grimaced visibly.

"The thin, wiery hairs that appear willy nilly... the four inch claws... hmmm..."

"...!" Rainbow's eyes popped open. Moist rubies reflecting a twilight sky.

She saw the floating array of rocks over the chaotic crater. They appeared dozens of meters away, looming high above and littered with pale corpses.

The voice resumed—levitating just a few naked feet away from her. "...I swear... they're just so dang familiar..."

"...?" Rainbow flung a look to her left.

Discord "knelt" in mid-air, gazing down at the twitching corpse of a chaos beast. "Yes..." He stroked his goatee thoughtfully. "...yes...I almost think I had one of these as a pet once upon a time. More than one, at least."

Rainbow blinked. Suddenly, the corpse thrashed wildly about, shrieking and clawing at the air. The mare gasped, flapping her wings—only to wince from a penetrating numbness running through her labored body.

"Ah! There it goes!" Discord grinned wide, teeth glinting in the starlight. He lifted up slightly, folding his forelimbs as he proudly watched the bleeding beast struggling to get up. "So persistent! Just what does it have to live for? Death? Well, that's all things, I suppose. But this one just doesn't give a flying—well, you know—about it."

Rainbow panted and panted. Her eyes flickered red-on-yellow, and she resorted to crab-walking backwards across the ground. Her joints ached—the insides and outsides threatening to mutate at any moment from the proximity to the beast.

Hissing, spitting up blood, the mangled thing heard the pony's wheezing breaths. It spun towards her, hissing through a crooked jaw. Its lower legs were useless, and a femur was sticking out of a grotesquely bent limb. Nevertheless, it crawled rapidly towards her, raking and scraping at the earth.

Rainbow crawled backwards away from it, but her pace was far less impressive. The scrambling creature inched closer and closer across the dull, lifeless rock.

"Yes... yes, I definitely would have enjoyed one of these suckers as a pet," Discord said. "At least they make for easier maintenance than gerbils! I mean—think of it—these little fellas will eat anything!"

Rainbow's ear twitched to the sound of banshee shrieks and metal impacts. She flung a brief look to her right and saw the glint of starlight against Bard's bo-staff. "Wildcard," she whimpered. Her vocal cords couldn't decide whether they belonged to a pegasus or a dragonequus, and she struggled to produce a loud enough cry to her friend. "Wildcard! Pl-Please..." Blood trickled from her forehead.

In the crimson flow of the mare's juices, the teeth of the creature glinted. It scrambled closer and closer, laws nipping at her lower fetlocks and tail-hairs.

"They only know how to go in one direction! Just like you, Sparky! Only... in pursuit of a jugular vein, not an alicorn's bright burning sky ball." Discord winked. "Come to think of it, you would make a nice pet too..."

"Celestia..." Rainbow wheezed. Her heart pounded in time with the crawling beast's shrieks. As she scooted backwards, she reached a hoof up—hairs growing and shedding between blinks. Her hoof grazed the lightning bolt of her pendant. "Come on..." She licked her lips, cutting her tongue slightly on a fresh fang or two. "...come on!"

"Hresssssh!" The beast rolled onto her.

"Aaaaaaaaahh—!" She fell back, and as she did so she rubbed the pendant in a concentric circle. A burst of harmonic energy emanated from withing before shooting outward like a ray of sunshine. FLASSSSSSSSSSH!

Cl-Clunk! The beast landed on her... ... ...and did not move.

"... ... ... ... ..." Rainbow Dash winced, forelimbs curling up as she lay helplessly under the stationary creature. As the pallid seconds rolled by, she squinted one eye open and then the other. She blinked at the beast pressed against her.

The monster was dead still... because it had turned to stone. All of it: from head to tail and the sinew in between. Every square inch of its skin and flesh had been reduced to dull gray rock. Even its beady pale eyes had been reduced to glazed chalk.

"Huh..." Discord gave a thumb's up as he slowly, vaporously disappeared. "...the money shot."

Almost perfectly, Twilight Sparkle formed in his place. Her muzzle was hanging agape.

"Rainbow Dash...?" Twilight murmured.

Fluttershy and Applejack floated in.

"Rainbow! Speak to us!"

"Are you alright, sugarcube?"

"I..." Rainbow panted and panted. Wincing, she found the strength to shove the inexplicable statue off of her and sit up. Her shivers were unavoidable as she reached up to clasp her pendant. "I think... I'm..."

"You can see and hear us again, Dashie?!" Pinkie remarked.

Biting her lip, the mare nodded.

"Must of been that there blast of harmony you just let loose!" Applejack said. "Whew! Who'd have known you coulda rendered that varmint to a lawn ornament, huh?"

"I didn't..." Rainbow winced. "I mean... while in the crater, I couldn't even think of—"

"Trolls," Twilight said.

The other marefriends gave her a double-take.

"I beg your pardon, darling?" Rarity remarked.

"Of course...!" Twilight's ears twitched as she looked excitedly at the others. "I know what we're dealing with now! They're trolls!"

"Trolls??" Fluttershy made a face.

"Wowie-zowie!" Pinkie gasped. "Are you so sure-rie?"

"I thought... trolls were a myth?" Applejack squinted. "And even if they weren't... ain't they ancient history? Like... pre-Equestrian?"

"You're right. But here... in a land of full chaos... it's a completely different story!" Twilight Sparkle looked at the others. "According to the written words of Clover the Clever, trolls can be defeated by pure sunlight! Even in the penumbra of the sun's glow, they'll instantly turn to stone!"

Fluttershy eyed Rainbow's pendant. "Or in this case..."

Rainbow heard more sounds of metal impacting. "!!!" Standing upright and regaining her strength, she spun towards the source of the sound. She saw a lone griffin exhaustedly fighting off three bipedal creatures. "Wildcard!" she shouted.

A pair of rattling goggles reflected her petite figure.

"Down!" She hollered, already rubbing her pendant. "Fall to the ground—!"

Without protesting, Wildcard immediately belly-flopped and flattened his body. His three combatants aimed their claws at their suddenly "surrendering" foe.

Gritting her teeth, Rainbow summoned a burst of harmonic energy and fired it in a lightning-bolt-shaped beam that swept over the immediate landscape.

The spotlight swept over all three beasts. Fl-Fl-Flasssh!!! The trolls immediately turned to stone. One of them even toppled over and—Crasssh!—shattered into a hundred pebbly bits.

"Whew!" Applejack whistled, wiping her brow with a smirk. "You and statues, sugarcube..."

"Oh goodness!" Rarity nevertheless winced. "Look at that blood! Is Wildcard okay?"

Fluttershy shuddered. "He's hurting, but he'll be okay so long as we get him to—"

"Rainbow!" Ariel flew in, grinding to a stop against the earth. Breathless, she reached over and grasped the mare's shoulders. "Are you okay?!"

"Simmer down..." Rainbow was still cradling her pendant. "I'm okay. More than that..." She gulped. "...I think I've discovered an edge over these freaks."

Ariel exhaled with relief. "I was so worried when you nearly came into contact with the wagon back there." She frowned. "Why didn't you and Wildcard fly higher?"

"We wanted to, but the situation went south." Rainbow shrugged. "Whatever. Fight scene's gonna fight."

Ariel motioned Curveside. "Flynn's stalled the wagon just a hundred meters away—"

"What for?!?" Rainbow barked. Banshee shrieks lit up from the crater. "They're not going to stop!"

"But I thought you said you found—"

"Won't matter when we're surrounded! Besides, I think my pendant's out of juice for the moment."

Ariel's muzzle twisted. "You're kidding, right?"

"Yeah!" Pinkie floated upside down. "Harmony's got a refractory period! Who'd a thunk it!"

"Never mind. We gotta keep moving." Rainbow turned towards Wildcard. "Wildcard, let's—"

Swisssssssssssh! An Emeraldian rapier flew in and skewered the neck of a stone troll.

CRACK!

Ariel and Rainbow winced.

The beast's head flew clean off, rattling to the floor alongside the rapier. Seconds later, a pale set of talons landed nearby.

"Oh..." Seraphimus exhaled in monotone. "...they're statues now." A charcoal blink. "How quaint."

Wildcard sighed.

Rainbow took a few steps. "Seraphimus, thanks for showing up so swiftly, but—"

"We gotta fly back!" Ariel exclaimed. "Back to the wagon!"

"Right." Seraphimus picked the rapier back up. "Of course we do."

"But it's an open plain!" Ariel exclaimed. She looked worriedly at Rainbow. "Where do we have to flee to?"

Rainbow squirmed in place, thinking hard.

"I... think there may be a simple solution, darling," Rarity said.

"Oh?" Rainbow looked at her. "What are you sensing?"

Before Rarity could explain—

—banshee shrieks lit the air.

The group turned to look towards the crater.

A wave of bounding creatures were already advancing on them.

"Incoming," Seraphimus declared.

"How can there possibly be more of them?!?" Ariel's voice cracked.

Without thinking, Rainbow galloped up to the decapitated troll skull and punted the stone thing into the charge. Three bodies fell hard to the ground from the impacting projectile—but the rest came rushing towards them, faster and faster, undaunted.

"Yyyyyyyeah..." Rainbow exhaled, flapping her wings. "Didn't think that would work." Fwoooosh! She shot Curveside with Seraphimus following closely behind. "You know the drill, children! Move move move—!"

"Come on, Wildcard!" Ariel helped a wincing griffin upwards as the two flew after the other two, ascending swiftly above the reach of the troll army. "Infinite retreat is infinite!"

LFG: Need Crowd Control

Rainbow Dash, Seraphimus, Ariel, and Wildcard ascended rapidly. From their lofty vantage point, they could look down and see the wave of pale monstrosities sweeping across the plain. The trolls rolled like a leprotic bedsheet towards the tiny glowing speck that was the Herald's hover wagon. Rainbow guessed that they would overwhelm the group—and their vehicle—within three minutes. Maybe two.

"Okay, Rarity." Rainbow Dash gulped, gazing down in mid-flight. "Where's your solution?"

"Feast your eyes Curveside, darling."

"For what?!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "You think we can somehow get to the Midnight Armory in the span of a fart and hunker down inside?!"

Frowning, Rarity gave Rainbow's skull a ghostly swat. After her hoof phased through, she pointed downward. "Cease with your facetiousness and look closer!"

"She's right, Rainbow!" Fluttershy exclaimed, pointing. "Look!"

Rainbow's eyes squinted. As her vision adjusted, she noticed a layer of shadows shifting before the rest of the darkness. "Hills?" Her ears twitched. "Mountains."

"I see them too!" Ariel spoke up, gliding closer to Rainbow. "Ah jeez... can we go around them?"

"That'll take too long," Rainbow said. "Those creatures will catch up before we scale them—"

"Rainbow, listen to me!" Rarity pointed. "Slightly to the right—towards Omega—there is a hollow entrance! Upon the Edgeside slope of the highest summit, about halfway to the peak!"

"... ... ...you mean a cave?!" Rainbow exclaimed.

Wildcard glanced over amidst his labored wingflaps.

"Your 'solution' to all of this is a friggin' cave?!" Rainbow's voice cracked harder.

"It's more than that, darling!" Rarity exclaimed. "I'm sensing a tunnel system! That mountain ridge is practically hollow!"

"Rares, where there's tunnels there's bound to be tunnel-makers." Rainbow frowned. "I know this from experience! First-hoof! And that's a hoof that I've nearly had bitten off more times than I can count on... m-my hooves!"

"It's either that or attempt to outrun these blasted cretins on open land, Rainbow!" Rarity glanced back down at the stampeding masses with a noticeable shiver. "The odds of that appear slimmer and slimmer."

"Rainbow, we only know for sure about one threat at the moment," Twilight Sparkle said. "Do you want your friends to be safe or what?"

"Rnnnnngh..." Rainbow's eyes rolled in the bitter winds. "Twilight, caves are bad news. I'm telling you—"

"It seems most fortuitous," Seraphimus said unemotionally. "Especially if your wyvern has the means for closing the entrance off to our pursuers."

"See?" Applejack pointed. "Even better!"

"For real...?" Rainbow blinked.

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Ariel took another glance at the trolls, then back at Rainbow. "I'm on board for the cave idea!"

"To the Dash Cave!" Pinkie Pie hollered.

"Grnngh—Fine... FINE!" Rainbow Dash flailed her forelimbs. "But you'd better keep your ghost horn lit, Rarity. We're going to need a find a way out of that place eventually and that's on you!"

Rarity saluted as elegantly as she could manage. "I shan't let you down!"

"Better not get too close to the wagon, then," Rainbow muttered, ears drooping. "The chaos will blind you... and the rest of us."

"Oh dear..." Fluttershy quivered. "I hadn't even thought of that."

"Guess we'll just have to deal with it when the time comes," Rainbow said. She looked at those flying next to her. "We gotta get the wagon to that mountain!"

"Uhhhhhhhh..." Ariel squinted Curveside. "Which mountain?"

"About thirty degrees towards Omega!" Rarity said. "Tallest peak! Halfway up to the summit!"

"Thirty degrees towards Omega!" Rainbow repeated. "The tall mountain! About halfway up! There's a cave!"

Wildcard's goggles locked on a shadow silhouette. He gestured sideways in mid-flight.

"Does Wildcard see it?" Rainbow asked.

"Wildcard sees it!" Ariel stammered.

"Great!" Rainbow pointed at the wagon. "Go to Flynn and company and tell 'em what to do! I can't get close myself because of the chaos metals—"

"They must ascend a steep incline," Seraphimus declared. Her headcrest shifted. "Will they even make it to the enclosure in time?"

Ariel shook her head vigorously, her blue eyes reflecting the pale stampede. "Not looking like it!"

Seraphimus exhaled. "Then someone needs to distract the charging brutes." Swooooooooosh! She was already diving backwards, wings coiled. "I'll see about eviscerating a few in the process."

"Wait!" Rainbow reached a hoof out. She slowed slightly in her glide and gnashed her teeth. "Dang it, Sera...!"

Wildcard jolted to go after her, but Ariel yanked him in place. "Oh no you don't!" Ariel frowned. "You've done enough, buddy!"

For once, the wounded Desperado was aching too much to protest. His goggles nervously reflected Seraphimus' diving figure.

"Fuuuuuuuuuu..." Rainbow's ears folded back. "She's dead meat if she thinks she can distract all of those freaks on her own."

"Yeah." Ariel nodded. "And?"

"Not the time, girl." Rainbow pointed at the wagon. "Rendezvous with the rest of the Herald. Give them the instructions—AND get Kepler and Flynn to work on some lunar or chaos boom-boom to close the cave entrance once we're through!"

"Awwww crap..." Ariel clung to Wildcard, grimacing. "You're diving after her, aren't you?"

"I'm not just gonna ignore the fact that she's done so much to help us today!" Rainbow was already diving backwards. "There's never going to be a better opportunity to salvage what's left of her than right friggin' now! So go already!" Swoooooooooosh! "We'll join up! I promise!"

Ariel and Wildcard momentarily hovered in place, watching as Rainbow also became a speck against the pallid sea.

Wildcard's beak tightened, and he was shivering slightly.

"Just keep it together, buddy." Ariel held him tighter as she dove towards the wagon at breakneck speeds. "You're not going to lose any more friends today—old or new." Her brow furrowed. "Not if we can help it."

"Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh—!" Seraphimus raked her claws down into the ocean of bipedal beasts. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaugh!"

Sl-Sl-Sliiink! Strips of flesh ribboned in the air, flanked by sprays of black juices. The entire stampede shifted, stumbling around the island of collapsing corpses left in the wake of Seraphimus' attack. Within blinks, trolls were leaping high, swiping at her with massive claws.

"Httt!" Seraphimus juked to the left, then to the right. She kicked one beast away and met another's leap with a vicious talon punch straight into the gut. When she pulled her claws back out, they were dragging intestines. Kicking the beast away, she flung the dribbling viscera into a fresh wave of potential attackers, blinding them before they could flank her.

She flapped her wings harder, preparing to ascend...

...when a nimble beast climbed up the shoulders of its companion and leapt swiftly at her blind side. "Hresssssssh!"

Before Seraphimus could fully turn around—

FLASSSH!

—there was a brilliant strobe of ruby light. Seraphimus gasped into a shadow and spread her forelimbs out. Cl-Clump! She caught the statue of a troll frozen in mid-leap.

Panting, Rainbow Dash coasted downward with a hoof pressed to her pendant. "Even if you're being heroic right now, a death wish is a death wish... and most uncool."

"Hmmmm..." Seraphimus' beak tightened. "You had your spotlight back in Frostknife. Don't lecture me on making a scene."

"Can we not? Please?" Rainbow held her breath as she twirled to avoid a leaping troll, then a thrown chunk of earth. "Not during Operation Counter-Troll???"

"Very well..." Then, with a well-timed grunt, Seraphimus flung the full weight of the stone statue into a flanking group of attackers. THUDDD! Bodies sprawled and patches of ruby light billowed around her as she dove towards the sea again with a distracting growl. "...at least let me exercise my frustrations!"

"A bit late for that, ya think?" And Rainbow accelerated, exchanging dips and dives with her former foe. Together, they made the army of trolls stall and flounder to strike back at their two tender targets.

A Little More Time

"She wants us to go where?!" Flynn barked.

Logan's brow furrowed. "A cave?!"

Ariel slumped in the back of the wagon. "Yes," she exhaled breathily. "A cave." She helped a wincing, injured Wildcard sit carefully in the center. "Thanks to her friends, Rainbow told me where we can find it too."

"No offense, but..." Flynn jerked his head back and forth between Ariel and the direction he was aiming the wagon. "...right now, with a bunch of bloodthirsty freakjobs at our tail, a cave sounds like the absolute worst idea."

"She says there's a tunnel system!" Ariel exclaimed. She pointed at the tallest mountain forming a silhouette before them. "Up there! About halfway up! There's an entrance that leads to it!"

"What of ourr purrsuerrs?" Kepler asked.

"We can blow the entrance shut with enchanted runestones!"

"Can that work, Keps?" Logan asked.

"Ach..." The wyvern stroked his hairy chin thoughtfully. "We will have to get the carrriage quite a distance into the hollow of the mountain so that the chaotic aurra won't interrferre with the lunarr command. But—yes! I do believe it is a viable strrategy!"

"It's impulsive, stupid, and cowardly!" Flynn cackled. "We'll be dead meat if those things manage to get in there and find us!"

"Well, what would you rather us do?!" Ariel frowned, reaching into a supply cannister of bandages to treat Wildcard. "Cruise pointlessly in an open valley and wait for them to overrun us?! Rainbow and General Death Turkey are doing their best to buy us some time right now but even they can't pull their stunts off forever!"

"Uhhhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhh..." Logan gave a nod towards the mountains. "I'm for the impulstive, stupid, and cowardly plan."

"Dammit Logan—" Flynn began.

"Baldy..." Logan waved a meaty fetlock at the unicorn. "When all of this is said and done, remind me to teach you the difference between nerd-smarts and get-away-with-your-balls-intact-smarts." He squinted. "Now are you gonna take us to the mountain, or do I have to get out and push?"

Flynn sighed long and hard. Nevertheless, he relented, tilting the vehicle slightly towards Omega in order to make for their new destination. "Sometimes—I swear—I've no friggin' clue how Rainbow Dash survived so long before she met the Herald."

"She didn't have bald-headed blowhards to make her think twice about every little dayum thing."

"I just want us to survive this shit! Is that such a crime?"

"We'll read the law books once we're in the cave. Shouldn't be hard. You've got a friggin' night-light stapled to your forehead."

"Can we stop with the bickering and move on with the cruising?!" Ariel snapped, bandaging Wildcard. "Goddess on a treadmill—you two need to get a room."

"Maybe we can carve one out the cave," Flynn muttered. The blunt end of an axe lightly bopped him on the head. "Ow!"

"Get a move on!" Logan growled.

Kepler, in the meantime, was already hard at work with his alchemical kit. "I shall prreparre an apprroprriate mix forr the inevitable explosion..."

As the vessel began its gradual grind uphill, Wildcard looked back towards Edgeside. The griffon clenched his beak tight as his goggles reflected two tiny figures streaking loopty-loops above a pale sea of surging bodies.

"Hresssssssh!" Row after row of enraged trolls leapt up at the two.

Seraphimus dodged with ease and even swiped down once or twice with her talons—Schiiiiiing!—removing digits and claws. As the black blood spray dissipated, even more creatures attempted to tackle the dipping targets.

Rainbow found it much harder to bait and evade their leaping forms—but that was probably because she was distracted. "Friggin'... death... scab frogs... swear to Luna..."

Discord fizzled into existence as two beasts leapt up, fazing through him. "'Scab frogs!'" He lifted a claw, grinning. "I think I'm going to steal that!"

The trolls descended on the downward arc of their dive, and Discord disappeared. Twilight Sparkle materialized in his place. "Don't forget, Rainbow!" she exclaimed. "You and Seraphimus can't do this forever!"

"Wow," Rainbow Dash droned sarcastically. "I'm so devastated."

Twilight pouted. "I'm only saying that you should pay attention to—"

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow looked over her shoulder. "How far up the mountain are our friends?"

"I... I can't tell..." Fluttershy whimpered, ears drooping.

"Why not?!?" Rainbow blinked hard. "Oh... dang it... the chaos stones—"

"Dashie—!" Pinkie yelped, pointing.

Discord appeared in her place. "He's at the twenty! The ten—!"

"Htttt!" Startled, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings hard and lifted—

"Hressssssssssssssssssssh!" A swiping beast flew towards her flank.

WHUMP! Seraphimus rammed into it, forcing it to fall back down and ragdoll into a sea of angry beasts.

"Aaaaaaaand—sacked!" Discord pumped a big foam lion's paw. "That was their last chance for redemption too—"

Seraphimus flew in a zig-zag, but she found the time to holler over her shoulder: "For a pony who wishes to survive, you're not doing a very good job at it!"

"At least you have the decency to call me a 'pony' now!" Rainbow retorted, sweating and frowning.

"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack could be heard hollering. She and her friends had rematerialized again. "We can see the wagon from here!"

"You can?"

"It's shining like a beacon in the night, darling!" Rarity added. "We shall keep an eye out for you!"

"We will tell you when they arrive at the cave—" Fluttershy said, her voice being drowned out by hisses.

"Hrnng!" Rainbow shook and juked to the side, narrowly missing pouncing figures. "Haaah!" She twirled, kicked a leaping troll in the forehead, and flew a little higher. She rejoined Seraphimus in circular orbit of the advancing front. "Bad news...!" She gulped. "Or good news—depending on how bloodthirtsy you are..."

"We need to give your companions more time?" Seraphimus said.

"Uh huh."

Seraphimus exhaled. "Why does that not surprise me?" She dove down extra low this time, raking faces into ribbons with her talons. "RAAAAAAAUGH!"

Sl-Sl-Sliiink!

Up Hill, Down Hill

"Ariel!" Logan barked, neck craning from where he perched in the center of the wagon. He squinted ahead at the dimly-lit summit of the mountain that they were scaling. "Any sign of the hole?!"

"Don't you mean the entrance?!" Ariel shouted back from where she scouted ahead.

"To Big Show, all holes are 'entrances,'" Flynn huffed, struggling to guide the craft.

"Just keep us farting forward and shut up, egghead," Logan grumbled.

"I haven't seen it yet!" Ariel exclaimed. She zig-zagged feverishly in the twilight, searching for the cave in question. "I'm looking everywhere!"

"Shit..." Flynn gnashed his teeth, sweating beneath a glowing horn. "What if we've got the wrong mountain?"

"Then we're butt-bucked seven ways to Sunday." Logan looked back at the writhing sea of trolls at the base of the mountain. "Still..." He shuddered. "Could be worse."

"Simply keep scaling the mountain, frriends!" Kepler exclaimed bombastically. With Wildcard's mute assistance, he pieced together six explosive charges and fitted them with lunar runes. "The Rrainbow One would not lead us astrray!" He shared ingredients with Wildcard and put the finishing touches on his tools. "We must do ourr parrt to prrovide us all with an escape!"

"Yeah, and then what?" Flynn huffed, glancing back with a forlorn expression. "That's the shitty part..."

"Come on! That's it!" Rainbow Dash hollered, dipping and ascending with greater and greater frequency. While the trollish attacks came faster and faster, she was finding an appropriate pattern for evading and distracting them. "We've got this, Sera! We've got this! Just a bit more—"

"Do not call me 'Sera!'" Seraphimus hissed, reaching down to slash a random creature's neck. She barreled through the ruby cloud and juked another claw-swipe. "I made a promise with Logan."

"Httt!" Rainbow narrowly dodged a pouncing troll, kicked off its back, and bounced off the head of another shrieking beast. "H-how come you get to call him 'Logan' but I don't get to call you 'Sera'?!"

"Because he didn't slay my Goddess in cold blood." Seraphimus grunted and kicked an incoming troll—knocking it back down into its companions.

"When are you going to get it through your feathery skull that I wasn't the one responsible for Verlaxion's passing?!" Rainbow had to fly under one leap or two and ascended rapidly to avoid multiple claw-strikes from the sea below. "I mean—heck—how could I have even murdered a Dragon Matriarch unless I had her assistance?"

"Your insistence on this 'Dragon' nonsense is yet another consequence of your blighted delusions."

"Oh for crying out—"

HRESSSSH!

"!!!" Rainbow had to fly backwards to avoid the latest leap. The troll skimmed her front chest and belly before ultimately nipping off a hair or two from her tail as it fell. The pegasus hovered slightly higher, catching her wheezing breath.

"Rainbow..." Twilight Sparkle floated beside her. "...while I'm all for you helping Seraphimus see the light and all—"

"She won't friggin' believe you!" Pinkie Pie hollered.

"Yeah, sugarcube!" Applejack nodded. "Besides... she's too dag-blame'd angry at the moment to bother."

"That..." Rainbow noticed the sporadic corpses of trolls littering the ground below them. "...is something I'm certainly not complaining about right now.

"If you're done talking to your psychotic alter egos..." Seraphimus pointed towards Omega... then Alpha. "...we have a developing situation."

Rainbow's ears rang with more banshee shrieks. She looked towards opposite horizons and grimaced to see more and more pale specks rushing in from the canyons and fissures of the arid landscape. The stampeding bodies merged into brand new infantries that rushed in from all sides.

"You've gotta be kidding me..."

"Something has awoken them," Seraphimus stated matter-of-factly. She ascended until she was hovering safely alongside Rainbow Dash above the surmounting sea of enemies. "I suspect they were dormant all around this area until something you did awoke them."

"Me?!" Rainbow grimaced. "Why me?!"

Seraphimus stared at her. "You do have a putrid habit for destabilizing a continent, do you not?"

Rainbow frowned. "Look, if I hadn't taken the blame for what happened back in Frostknife, your precious prefectures would still be infighting while windigoes breathed down their necks!"

"As if any argument you can make at this point would have any bearing," Seraphimus droned.

Rainbow Dash opened her muzzle to retort—

"She's right, Rainbow!" Rarity exclaimed. She pointed down and towards Curveside. "Look!"

"Hmmm?" Rainbow spun. Her eyes widened. "Crud!"

Several of the trolls had given up on their elusive targets and were—instead—scrambling up the steep hillside at breakneck speed. Claws and shins scraped against pure rock as they rushed towards the brightly-glowing location of the Herald and their wagon.

"They'll overtake them in seconds!" Fluttershy stammered.

"Not if we can help it!" Rainbow Dash flapped her wings. "Come on! We gotta hold them off before—"

Fwoooooooooosh! Seraphimus glided past her, diving down at the backsides of the runners. "Verlaxion's wrath shall drown you before the Spring Havens!" Her exclamation was punctuated by the spray of blood and pained banshee shrieks.

Rainbow winced.

"Well, at least she's useful in a pinch!" Pinkie said.

"Yeah..." Rainbow shuddered, flying swiftly to distract the flanking lines of trolls. "Now if only she could pinch herself awake."

"Where is it...?" Ariel panted and panted. Sw-Sw-Swooosh! She zipped all around, hyperventilating as she struggled to find the break in the rock. "Where is it? Where is it?!"

A shrill whistle.

"???" Ariel spun and looked down the hill.

Wildcard was standing tall in the back of the wagon. Wincing in spite of his wounds, he waved at her then pointed slightly towards the right with Bard's staff.

Ariel spun to look.

The dim glow of the stars above illuminated the faint outline of a round, circular cave entrance. Craggy rock and loose pebbles christened the entrance.

"Guys! Uh..." Ariel shifted in mid-air. "...I... uh... found it!" She gulped. "Yeah!"

"Excelsiorr!" Kepler cried out. "And my charrges arre prreparred!"

"No time for celebration!" Logan leapt out of the moving wagon and slid to a stop. "Flynn! Cut it! I'll push the damn thing in!"

"Right!" Flynn hollered into the air: "Y'hnyrr L'fynym!"

The chaos metal dimmed slightly and the vehicle coasted to a stop.

"Hah!" Flynn grinned and hopped off on the side opposite to Logan. "I'm starting to get the hang of it!"

Kepler blinked. "You have memorrized the opposite commands?"

"Eh... I'm winging it..."

"Well, leg it this time!" Logan grunted, grabbing his side of the floating wagon and shoving forward. "We gotta get this thing deep inside!"

"To give Rainbow room to enter without fainting!" Flynn nodded, telekinetically pushing his half of the craft. "Got it!"

"Quick, Keps! Wildcard!" Logan motioned with his head. "Place that shit on the cave entrance and prepare to blow it!"

"Wait!" Ariel touched down, trembling. "How will Rainbow know we're ready to rush in and seal it off?"

Wildcard gestured something.

"A signal???" Flynn spun around and aimed his horn into the sky. "Got it covered!" Holding his breath, the stallion summoned a basic illumination spell that fired a bright beam of blue light high into the air.

"What about the monsters?" Ariel asked.

Logan's eyes reflected dozens upon hundreds of bodies skittering swiftly uphill, closing in. "They've seen all they want to." His jaw tightened. "It's all up to Rainbow now."

"Hnnngh!" Rainbow dropkicked two trolls and shoved a few more off. "Rnnngh!"

"It's no use, sugarcube!" Applejack exclaimed, pointing at the countless bodies rushing up past them. "They ain't no longer interested in y'all!"

"They're going after the wagon!" Rarity shouted. "We've got to—"

"Look!" Pinkie hollered, pointing up at a bright beam of light.

"It's a unicorn light!" Twilight exclaimed. "Flynn's sending us a signal!"

"The cave entrance!" Fluttershy gasped. "Rainbow, they must be there!"

"Yes! Absolutely!" Rarity grinned. "I can even see the entrance—!"

"Then we gotta cut this off at the head." Rainbow said.

"How, Rainbow?!" Twilight's voice cracked.

"Watch me!" Rainbow flew up high, reaching a hand to her hoof. "Sera! Move uphill!"

"Just a moment!" Seraphimus's beak clattered as she kicked and slashed at a few straggling trolls. "I'm about to flank their central charge—"

"That was not a request!" Rainbow yelled. Her pendant pulsed as she summoned the mother of all harmonic bursts. "Now move!"

Flaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaash!

Rainbow's pendant fired a steady stream of ruby energy. It sliced over the mountain-side in a crimson swath, briefly illuminating the lower hill in dim artificial daylight. Thousands of beady eyes blinked, momentarily blinded by the outburst.

Seraphimus jolted in surprise. She had to jerk sideways to avoid the blinding beam.

Rainbow's friends squinted and shaded their ghostly eyes.

The harmonic blast ripped through sporadic waves of hill-climbing trolls. They froze in mid lurch, turning to stone—some of them only half transforming, so that their fleshy limbs writhed under the weight of their petrified extremities.

When at last the beam had extinguished itself, Rainbow Dash let loose a wheezing breath. Her eyes flickered red-on-yellow, then back again.

She and her friends looked down to see that a curved line of troll statues lined the mountainside like a waterstain. The rest of the beasts' brethren struggled to scale past them.

"Wowie, Dashie!" Pinkie blinked. "That was neato—"

"Httt!" Not finished, Rainbow Dash flew up, flipped into a corkscrew dive, then buzzed the thin forest of statues with mere centimeters to spare. She flapped her wings at the peak of her downwards arc, producing a clap of thunderous air. POWWW!!!

Every single statue rolled backwards. Soon, a veritable avalanche of brittle troll-shaped rocks barreled down into the remaining army. It was the equivalent of tossing a hand-ful of pebbles into an ocean's surf, but it did manage to send bodies and skulls flying from the violent impact. For what it's worth, the insurmountable stamepede was delayed for a few seconds.

But it was a few seconds enough...

"Okay!" Rainbow hollered, doubling back and sailing uphill past Seraphimus. "Friggin' go!"

Seraphimus blinked, nodded, and flew swiftly after the petite pegasus. "Verily."

Exit Through Explosions Shop

"Ariel!" Logan's voice echoed from the depths of the cave.

The mare in question levitated at the mouth of the enclosure. She wrung her fetlocks, staring anxiously down the craggy slopes of the mountainside.

"Ariel!" Logan's voice rang once again. "Dammit, girl! Get your ass in here! Double-Yoo and I need your help shoving this damn wagon down the tunnel!"

"I-I just to make sure that Rainbow Dash gets here safely!" Ariel stammered.

Beside her, Flynn and Kepler were fitting the last of the runic charges to the entrance. The wyvern breathed over the lunar material, and the stones glowed a pale blue.

"Therre, brrotherr!" Kepler exclaimed. "Prrimed and rready!"

"Good!" Flynn slapped his backside and motioned into the dark of the tunnel. "Go join the others! Prepare another charge for halfway down the cave! Just in case!"

"On it—!" Kepler spread his wings and glided down the claustrophobic passage.

"You too, girl!" Flynn said to Ariel.

"Not until Rainbow's here!"

"She's gotta be inbound after that signal we casted! Don't worry!"

"But—"

"I'll keep a look out!" Flynn gave a brief albeit sweaty smile. "She'll get here. I'll make sure of it! Promise!"

Ariel gulped, her blue eyes still lingering on the twilight outside. "Okay..." A deep breath, and she turned tail with a flash of feathers. Swooooooooosh!

In her absence, Flynn stood alone at the mouth of the cave. He charged his horn, casting light on the mountainous rock bordering the edge of the entrance. "Okay..." He gritted his teeth, ears twitching from the sound of cacophonous banshee shrieks, growing closer and hungrier. "...now get your friggin' fruity ass here already..." The stallion fought the urge to tremble. "...getting down to the wire."

"We're getting down to the wire!" Twilight Sparkle said.

"It's okay!" Rainbow panted, flapping her wings as she swiftly ascended the mountain's edge. "Look!" She pointed at a patch of manalight. "I see the entrance!"

"Who is that?" Rarity squinted. "Flynn?"

"Fluttershy, can you tell if everypony's inside the cave?" Applejack asked.

"I-I can only sense Flynn!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "The others m-must be too close to the wagon!"

"Terrific..." Rainbow huffed, flying faster and faster towards her goal. "Guess we'll have to deal with that when the time comes—"

"Dashie!" Pinkie yelped, eyelids fluttering. She pointed at a pale shape leaping at her. "Look out!"

"Huh?" Rainbow spun—and caught a mouthful of troll. "Whoah!"

"Hressssssssh!" The beast pounced her flank suddenly. By a slim miracle, the slashing claws caught nothing but air above Rainbow's head. The mare ducked and balled her body up, ramming the thing in its belly. Whump! Shrieking, the troll fell, but not without reaching up and grabbing Rainbow by its tail.

"Aaaugh!" Rainbow slumped down, caught by the weight of the monster.

"Good heavens—!" Rarity yelped.

"Buck 'em, Rainbow!" Applejack shouted.

"Rrrrrghh—!!!" Rainbow kicked the troll in the face... then again and again. Whump! Whump! Whump!

At long last, the beast fell...

...only to reveal a half-dozen beasts charging up Rainbow's side. "Hresssssha!"

Rainbow reached for her pendant, but it was too late. The first of several beasts fell upon her—

Schliiiiiiiiink! Seraphimus came charging in, literally punching through the beast's head. Her talons punctured its neck, spilling black blood all down her body. Snarling, she swung the creature on her arm like a club and sent two more trolls sprawling downhill.

"Where d-did they come from?!?" Rainbow wheezed, grasping her tail.

"Mrnnghh!" Seraphimus parried another attack and flung a corpse down at another attacker. "I do not know, but I am not complaining."

"We're almost at the cave—"

"Go!" Seraphimus grunted, fending off another group of flankers. "I shall make quick business of these! Then I shall join you!"

"But—!"

"No arguing! Move!" Seraphimus then dove into the attackers, disassembling their charge. "Haaaaaugh!"

Rainbow rubbed her pendant. The ruby energy inside spark and fizzled, not fully conjured yet. Cursing under her breath, the petite pegasus flew up the rest of the hillside.

Flynn craned his neck. His teeth was starting to chatter, then—

Swooooooosh! Rainbow Dash appeared right in front of him.

"Gaaah!" The stallion hobbled back. His mechanical eye rotated in surprise. At last, he caught his breath. "Friggin' A... I thought you'd never make it..."

"Where are the others?"

"Inside. They're pushing the wagon deep—"

"Join them. Go."

"But—" Flynn clenched his teeth. "What...? I mean... why don't we just blow this thing and—?"

"Sera's still out there."

"For real?"

"Uh huh." Rainbow purched low at the cave entrance and stared out, eyes narrow. "She should be here any moment."

"Her and who else?"

Rainbow turned to frown at him. "Are the charges ready?"

"Uhhhhhh... yeah—"

"Run in. Put as much distance between yourself and the cave entrance as possible."

"But Rainbow Dash—"

"I'm going to close it!" Rainbow shouted. "It's the moonwhinny command for 'burst,' right?"

"Well, yeah, but if you just blew it now—"

"I will do it when I choose to." Rainbow clenched her jaws and glared out the cave. The air shook with shrieks as a sea of pale flesh washed up to the base of the mountain from all sides. There was no more sign of the arid stone earth beneath all the ravaging, stampeding bodies. "Now move it. Don't make me kick you down the tunnel like a hoofball."

Flynn huffed. He tossed a mane he didn't have, turned tail, and galloped off. "I swear... we're going to have to drag you to the Midnight Armory in a coffin..."

"Better fill it with cider," Rainbow muttered, holding her ground.

Twilight Sparkle floated in close. "Not... exactly a joking moment, Rainbow."

"When is it ever?" Rainbow gulped. She chanted under her breath: "Come on, Sera. Come on come on come on..."

"She ain't exactly makin' it easy on us," Applejack muttered.

"Daaa-aaa-aaa-aaashieeee!" Pinkie Pie shook in time with the ghastly tremors rolling through the mountain from the mass of creatures below. "They're reallllllly angryyyyyy—!"

"It's like a sea of emptiness washing up on all sides!" Twilight Sparkle winced. "I-I can't sense anything beyond the ring of primed lunar stones!"

"Dang it, Sera..." Rainbow's ears curved back. "...move your cattail already..."

"She... erm..." Rarity smiled nervously at the others. "She's tenacious! Surely sh-she could survive if—"

"Don't even suggest it!" Fluttershy said, frowning.

"I'm just saying, darling—"

"Fluttershy, do you seven sense her out there?" Twilight asked.

"It's..." Fluttershy gulped, trembling. "It's hard to say. There's just so much of them..."

The howls were deafening at this point. The tunnel had been reduced to a wind tunnel of high-pitched screams. Rainbow could scarcely keep her molars still inside her mouth.

"I know her survival means everythang to ya, sugarcube," Applejack said softly, hovering close. "But if her crazy heroics cost ya the rest of yer friends..."

"Please, Sera..." Rainbow's eyes clenched shut. Tears formed along the edges. "Don't prove her right. Don't let her win..."

The ghostly mares trembled in place. Their eyes reflected a wave of pale flesh and gleaming claws.

"They're here!" Rarity shrieked, curling back. "They're upon us!"

"It's now or never, Rainbow!" Twilight's voice cracked.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. With a knot in her throat, she gazed directly at the runic stones and opened her muzzle—

"Wait!" Fluttershy shrieked.

Pinkie twitched all over. "Incoming—!"

Swooooooooosh! A pale body glided in, stained in blood—both glowing and not.

"Mrmmmfff!" Seraphimus slammed into a chunk of rock and sprawled to the ground. She was scraped and cut in multiple places, and a dismembered troll arm clung to her tail. "Encountered a ch-challenge or two..."

"Now, Rainbow!" Twilight yelped. "Blow it! Blow it!"

Rainbow kicked backwards off the earth, just as a wall of razor-toothed grimaces lunged at her. "H'rhnum!!!"

Flasssssssssh!

P-POWWWWWWW!

The ring of lunar stones lit up at once. The resulting concussive blast went both ways, knocking trolls sky high while propelling Rainbow and Seraphimus deeper into the throat of the cave. There was a sliver of twilight—then all was swallowed up by collapsing rock and dirt. The ensuing blackness was accompanied by a thunderous roll of thunder. The roof cave in, rolling after the two ragdolling figures.

Seraphimus fell hard to the ground. Within a blink, Rainbow snatched her up by the waist and flew both of them forward. She used the griffon's luminescent wounds to light their way, zigzagging around stalagmites as a wave of debris hurled after them.

And just as the thunder ceased, so did their wingflaps. Their bodies rolled against a cold wall of stone...

...where they lay in darkness, awaiting the end of the tremors.

Try Not to Cave

Coughing.

Sputtering.

Wheezing breaths.

All was dark—until a unicorn horn shone a cone of pale blue light across the dilapidated domain. Even then, all was full of dust, soot, and ash.

Flynn covered his muzzle with a fetlock as he limped towards what remained of the cave entrance. He kept his natural eye closed while his mechanical lens rotated in and out, searching the full spectrum of available light.

"Grnnghh... mrmmfff... R-Rainbow Dash?" He coughed and hacked. Tears formed along one side of his face as he searched harder and harder through the dense ash. He had to lean left and right to shine his meager light around stalagctites and other random rock formations. "Rainbow Dash??? Kaff! Kaff! Guh... are... are you alive?"

Silence.

He stood limply in the middle of the cave with drooping ears.

"... ... ...am I alive?"

Just then, there was movement.

"!!!" Flynn spun about and aimed his light at the source.

A petite body stood up, shaking dust and debris loose from a prismatic mane. Soon she was helping up a limping griffin whose shallow cuts illuminated the rockfaces around them.

"Rainbow!" Flynn galloped over in a single breath. He leaned in, helping both souls up until they stood as evenly as possible. "Holy shit, girl! Do you always gotta make it a heart-stopper?"

"So long as I've g-got a heart..." Rainbow muttered, wincing. She let Seraphimus lean on her side as they hobbled into a more open spot of the cave. "Hooooooooo boyooooooooo..." She coughed and wheezed. "...are all tunnels on the Dark Side made out of asbestos?"

"Was it worth it?" Flynn asked. He leaned in closer to examine Seraphimus. "Did she make it in one piece?"

"Hrnnnghkkt..." She spat blood and cracked her joints beneath her neck feathers. "Cease your redundant prattling, heretic..."

Flynn sighed. "Eeeyup. Fillies and gentlecolts, we've got an ass parrot."

"Rainbow Dash?!" Ariel flew in. A beat later, and she was gasping wide. "Rainbow!" Swoooooooosh! A gray streak collided with the mare, hugging her tight. "You made it! You made it! You made it! Heeeheeheee!"

"Grnnngh... yeah..." Rainbow wheezed in the other pegasus' fetlocks. "Spttkt... h-how are the others...?"

"Oh! Uhm..." Blushing, Ariel leaned back and stood at attention. "I got Wildcard patched up. He's gonna be okay. Kepler's working on more rune stones and... uh..." She reached forward, dusting Rainbow's coat clean of ash with her feathers. "...we're... like... stuck in a cave."

"Not precisely." Rainbow was still fighting to catch her breath. "Rarity said something about a hollow tunnel system..."

"We must concern ourselves with the ceaseless tide," Seraphimus said.

"What's she talking about—?" Ariel began, but didn't finish.

With angry thuds, the sea of beasts directly outside punched and clawed and clamored at the collapsed entrance to the cave. Ariel shrieked, jumping up and hovering nervously in place. She and the others looked nervously at the fallen chunks of rock forming a fresh wall.

"They..." Rainbow grimaced. "...th-they can't possibly get through all of that, can they?"

Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes narrowed. "Even I refuse to believe that you're that stupid."

"Don't worry," Flynn said, gesturing. "I've got Keps working on a solution."

"Huh?"

Kepler scampered up, grasping several runes. "Look, brrotherr!"

"HA!" Flynn grinned wide, levitating the rocks. "Just in time!"

"You're gonna set another blast?" Rainbow asked.

"Absolutely." Flynn nodded, placing the freshly-primed rocks in evenly-spaced locations throughout that portion of the cave. "Can't risk them getting any closer."

"The thicker the better," Ariel said. She blinked. "Erm, you know what I mean—"

"Just move!" Rainbow exclaimed, already galloping. "Come on! We wanna distance ourselves as much as we can in case there's an extra big cave-in—"

"For once, a wise idea," Seraphimus said, hobbling after her and Rainbow.

Kepler lingered in the middle of the cave. "Do you need assistance with—?"

"No, I've got it. Head for the wagon!" Flynn said, already backtrotting. With a final touch of telekinesis, he tightened the explosives in place. Then—taking a deep breath—he shouted: "H'rhnum"

The runes flashed, illuminating Flynn's galloping figure. Behind him, the tunnel exploded yet again. POWWWWW! Chunks of rock fell in a cascade but stopped at a bend in the corridor. The resulting collapse put several meters of dense debris between them and the exterior of the mountain.

Seconds passed.

Minutes.

The Herald slumped in pure darkness, catching their breaths.

At long last, Flynn illuminated his horn. He took a count of everypony to make sure they were accounted for.

"Where's... Big Show... and Wildcard?" Rainbow stammered.

Ariel pointed down a winding corridor of rock. "Down that way. Minding the cart."

Rainbow looked to the side. "... ... ...let me guess. The wagon's not that far?"

"Couldn't be. Why?" Ariel blinked. "Are you feeling faint?"

Rainbow sighed. She watched Discord juggling his eyeballs and antlers while riding a ghostly unicycle. "Just a hunch..."

"Hmmm-hmmm-hmmm..." Discord hummed, then glanced sideways at Rainbow through hollow eye-sockets. "What?" He threw what he was juggling high into the air and tilted his head up towards the cave ceiling. "You expect me to be impressed by all that explosiveness? Let's face it, Sparky, you always survive your ordeals." P-P-Plonk! His antlers landed in his eyesockets and his eyeballs atop his scalp. "Whoops."

"Rnnngh..." Rainbow face-hoofed tiredly.

"Still..." The dragonequus grinned. Slamming a fist against his chest, he replaced his eyes with his antlers—Plop!—so he could squint at her. "...you should call me the day when your harmonic lucky streak finally ends. Because—boy oh boy—will that be a sight to behold."

Rainbow clenched her eyes shut.

"I wonder... can you even fill the big curve of Euro-Hungary with enough popcorn to nourish such a bloody matinee—?"

"Somepony tell me," Rainbow's voice growled, even catching Seraphimus by surprise. She opened her eyes, flickering red-on-yellow. "Where in the blue buck did those trolls come from?"

"Trolls?" Ariel blinked.

"Yes, Ariel. Trolls," Rainbow grumbled. "Worthless creatures with no reason to exist except to spread misery."

"Huh... you don't say..." Flynn brushed past Seraphimus, glaring sideways at her. "...must have been looking for a long-lost sibling."

"I'm sorry," Seraphimus droned. "Were you attempting to insult me?"

Kepler spoke before Flynn could retort. "Trrolls... how currious..." He took his spectacles off and used the leathery length of his wing to brush the ash off the lenses. "Ach! But of courrse! Ferral cousins to goblins! Arrcane gatekeeperrs of underrgrround trreasurre trroves!"

Rainbow spun around, squinting at the wyvern. "You've heard of them?"

"Myself? Nay..." He placed his glasses back on and shook his head. "But the Mountain Matrron taught me plenty. A bane of horrse-kind all acrross the hearrt of the Light Side. I suspect they have a historry even in Equestrria."

"According to Twilight, yeah." Rainbow nodded. "But... from the sound of things... they haven't shown their ugly mugs in our lifetime."

"That's because the chaos lorrds who conjurred them werre defeated ages ago by the alicorrns," Kepler said. "A solarr spell—invented by yourr matrriarrch, no doubt—made surre they turrned to stone at the slightest touch of sunlight. Eons since, they've been forrced to live in ruin far underrgrround wherre no otherr living things could venturre." He blinked thoughtfully. "Alas... on this parrt of the plane, they must flourrish... fully gifted with the demonic bloodlust that was bound to theirr essence once upon an unforrtunate time."

"So... they live here... and they're off the chain," Rainbow said.

"Prrecisely."

"Then... what got them all to pop out of the ground like demonic ground hogs and chase us like that?!?" Rainbow's voice cracked.

Ariel and Flynn exchanged glances.

"Isn't it obvious...?"

Both looked at Seraphimus.

The former Talon Commander glared at the group. "...you did something to attract them just now. The entire hoarde. Like moth to a flame."

"You... mean...?" Flynn began.

Seraphimus pointed down the length of the tunnel. "That damnable material that was responsible for the floating rocks. You've dabbled in pure chaos and now it's lit your caravan up like a hellish bonfire." She strolled icily across the dimly-lit corridor. "Is there a single thing your pathetic group has not done since the Edge to sabotage all that you pretend to believe in?"

"Look, lady!" Flynn frowned. "We had run out of magical options!"

"More like you ran out of patience and good sense..."

He growled. "Either we used that shiet to fly the Hell outta there or we ended up Dark Side food for the traps!"

"Trolls," Ariel muttered.

"Whatever!!!" Flynn barked. He pointed an angry hoof at the griffin. "And don't go preaching to us! The only reason you proved to be so useful is that you're just as hungry for gore as those mindless freaks out there!"

Just then, Logan marched into the chamber, dangling a lantern from his axe handle. "Yeesh. What are you squawking about this time, baldy? Did she insult your horn size?"

Seraphimus cut everyone else off: "It does not matter, for soon I will not have to endure any moronic discussion whatsoever." She swiveled to face the large stallion. "I have followed my end of the deal. Are you keeping true to your promise?"

Logan stared at her. His eyes darted across the chamber.

Rainbow Dash blinked.

Taking a deep breath, Logan spoke out the side of his muzzle. "I am. Go on ahead."

Seraphimus merely nodded. "Very well." She left with a flick of her tail, carrying her wounds into the deeper darkness. "You have my word that I won't take much to carry..."

"Carry?" Ariel blinked. "Carry what?"

"Big Show..." Rainbow marched through Discord's figure and approached the stallion with a furrowed brow. "...just what did you promise Seraphimus for all this?"

He looked at her. He took a deep breath...

Angels, Heard on High

"You said we'd let her go?!?" Ariel cackled.

As the mare's voice echoed across a grand cavern, Seraphimus went about her work undaunted. Utilizing chains, rope, and canvas material—she fashioned for herself a crude pack and salvaged a meager collection of supplies from the contents of the hoverwagon. There was deadpan grace to her actions, but also a purposeful swiftness. Her talons moved delicately, careful not to hoarde too much of the Herald's material.

Ariel was still waiting for an answer. She glared daggers at Big Show. She wasn't alone; Flynn was also gawking at the large stallion.

"Mrmmmfff..." Logan leaned against a stalagmite, keeping the wagon—and Seraphimus—constantly in his peripheral vision. "We were in a bind," he muttered. "Rainbow Dash's life was in danger. Also Wildcard's." He shifted the weight of his axe in the crook of his fetlock. "I couldn't be in two places at once. Even if I personally galloped out to meet that troll stampede head on, I'd only be a burden when making the run back to the wagon."

Flynn's bald brow furrowed. "So you thought it was okay to promise our most dogged enemy a ticket to freedom?!?"

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Logan barked.

"Hell yeah, it worked!" Flynn nodded wildly. "Now she's won herself an opportunity to fly the coop—then come back around and ambush the Austraeoh from behind! Great going, genius!"

"I don't believe she will do that..." Logan said.

"You 'don't believe?!'" Flynn cracked a bitter grin. "Well, that just takes the cake! After all, it's totally cool to bank the entire Herald's fate on a feeling! Shit, why don't you go wish upon a star while you're at it, fat ass?!"

Logan snarled: "If she wanted to murder the Austraeoh, she's had her opportunity!" His teeth gnashed. "Twice!"

"Morre than once, we have allowed herr the frreedom to assist us," Kepler gently spoke up. "And on both occasions, she has not betrrayed ourr trrust, despite having shown herr multiple vulnerrabilities."

Flynn gave him a double-take. "You're taking Big Show's side in this mess?"

"A mess, my good frriend, has been avoided," Kepler said in a firm tone. "Thanks to the quick thinking of ourr companion Big Show—and the timely interrvention of the infamous grriffon of whom we speak. While we cannot forrget the trravesties she's committed in the past, we also cannot ignorre the fact that we owe herr ourr verry livelihood."

"But—Keps—honestly..." Flynn gestured dramatically. "With her free now, how are we to know—"

"Do you trruly think it has been chains keeping herr bound all this time?" Kepler's eyes narrowed behind his spectacles. "I have not been encumberred by the physical demands of the Darrk Side. Not in the same way as you, Wildcarrd, and the otherrs. I've had the good luxurry of sitting back and closely obserrving the cirrcumstances surrounding us. And I can say with full faith—as I am cerrtain Logan can as well—that ourr surrly companion has underrgone a drramatic change." His hairy brow furrowed. "If she wishes forr frreedom and to be rrid of us, then I suspect that she will make good use of it. Months ago—this would not be the same."

"But Kepler..." Flynn paced across the dimly-lit cavern between them. "...we have no assurance that she won't backstab us. No assurance whatsoever! None!" He turned to frown at the distant griffin rummaging through the cavern. "And to even give her some of our shit to take with her—"

"She's not taking much, baldy," Logan droned. "So calm your tits." He squinted at the unicorn. "It was part of the agreement."

"So farr, she seems to holding to that," Kepler remarked. "If you obserrve, you shall see she's prractically finished."

"I... I just can't believe we're going to let her go like this," Flynn stammered. "Does anyone remember the gondola?! Does anyone remember what happened to Axan?!?"

"I'm no idiot, Flynn," Logan said. "But I'm no sissy either. What are the odds any of us are going to see the Austraeoh to the Midnight Armory alive?" His nostrils fumed. "I wanna leave this mortal coil with my honor intact. What about you?"

"Dude... if we cared about honor..." Flynn narrowed his good eye at the large stallion. "...we'd never have ditched the Light Side to begin with. Not with all the crap that we've left stinkin' up the place."

Logan huffed. "Bard got his shit in order."

"You'll notice he's not alive anymore." Flynn clenched his jaw. "He paid his price. Are you nearly ready to pay yours?"

Logan was silent. He gazed forlornly in the direction of Seraphimus.

"My problem..." Ariel began.

Logan looked over at her.

"My problem is not with Seraphimus being set free..." She glared in Logan's direction. "...but rather the fact that you made such a huge important decision for all of us." She gulped. "Without asking Rainbow Dash."

"Baby girl," Logan rasped. "If I didn't make that decision, there would be no Rainbow Dash right now."

Ariel went silent. She trembled slightly.

Flynn stomped angrily around, glancing occasionally in Seraphimus' direction with a venomous expression.

Kepler scratched his hairy chin, sighing. Tiredly, he looked across the earthen chamber. "Wildcarrd... ourr good frriend... what is yourr assessment of this situation?"

This entire time, the Desperado had been perched on a stalagmite above the group—just a leap away from the former Talon Commander. Fresh bandages absorbed his glowing blood, and his feline tail flicked with quite contemplation. At long last, after stroking his beak with a metal talon, he hand-signed in the dim lanternlight.

The others "read" him, and it was Ariel who responded first.

"But Wildcard..." She paced across the way. "...there simply is no 'Commander you once knew.'" Her eyes narrowed. "Whoever that griffin was, she changed after Frostknife. What's left to store honor in all of that?"

Wildcard clenched his beak.

"There is room there," Logan declared. "I didn't once believe it, but Rainbow did." He stood up straight, lifting his axe in his hoof as well. "I was wrong for making the hasty decision for all of us... but if Rainbow was the one who made that decision instead of me... ... ...would we all still be bitching to each other about it right now?"

Silence.

Flynn folded his forelimbs and huffed. He avoided the large stallion's gaze.

"I believe we should allow herr to be frree," Kepler said. "Whetherr that means frreedom to help us... orr frreedom to leave us... that's up to herr."

Wildcard nodded in agreement.

Ariel looked at Flynn, then back at the rest. "I think you more than know where Flynn and I stand. Plus... all things considered..." She fidgeted, then murmured under her breath: "It isn't too late to get the jump on her and put her in chains again."

"Do you wish to be the firrst to leap, sisterr?" Kepler asked.

Wildcard winced.

Ariel remained locked in place. Her eyes darted nervously towards Seraphimus.

"Well... one thing's for damn sure..." Logan left that spot and trotted towards the furthest end of the cavern, to where a crook in the tunnels formed. "...only one pony gets the final word here. Only fitting I own up to her."

"Too late for that now..." Flynn looked bitterly over his shoulder. "Don't you think, fatso?"

Logan said nothing. He merely marched off.

Wildcard remained on his perch. He cast a cautious albeit melancholy glance in Seraphimus' direction.

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...?"

No Reformation For You

Rainbow Dash galloped briskly through the tunnel. She caught up with Seraphimus in very little time. As she distanced herself from the location of the Herald's wagon, the dizziness faded from her system. What's more, Discord vanished—giving way to a concerned gaggle of floating friends. They fidgeted nervously, watching over their anchor's shoulder as she slowed down and trotted directly behind the determinedly-marching griffin.

"Seraphimus..." Rainbow panted. "Where will you even go, now?"

"Away," Seraphimus grunted.

"Away?" Rainbow's blue muzzle scrunched. "Away from what? Me? The Herald? The Edge?"

"Pick 'all of the above,'" Seraphimus droned.

"Look, Sera. This is no joke."

"Don't call me 'Sera,'" she retorted. "And I've never been more serious about anything in my life."

"Hrmmm..." Rainbow managed a smirk. "Somehow I doubt that."

"Mgrnnnghhghlghhhhhh..." was the cat-bird's response.

"Really, though..." Rainbow Dash jumped ahead of her and trotted backwards, facing the former Talon Commander. "We've burnt all of the dang bridges that it took to get here." Her brow furrowed. "The Gondola at the world's edge is wrecked. Darkreach is stripped of most of its magical resources. We've got an army of trolls and a ravenous death wyrm hogging up the real estate between us and the Dark Side from whence we came. So... where is there left to go?"

"This night-shrouded places is evidently immense," Seraphimus remarked, brushing past the mare. She navigated a tunnel curving towards the right. "Plenty of places for someone to disappear."

"Seraphimus...!" Rainbow clenched her teeth, ears drooping. "I don't just want you to disappear!"

"Hrmmm... don't lie."

Rainbow frowned. "Sometimes I can't tell when you're being a psychopath or when you're just being a moping teenager."

Seraphimus' pace slowed slightly. "Your attempts at being saccharine are pathetic and embarrassing."

"What I'm trying to get at is that there's no future for you here in the Dark Side! There's no life to live! Yeah, you'll disappear. But you deserve more than that! We all do!"

"Allow me to guess..." Seraphimus raised an eyecrest. "...you would rather I accompany you into the jaws of suicidal oblivion?"

Rainbow sighed...

"How is your futile quest any more rewarding than what I intend to pursue?"

"Just what are you intending to pursue?"

"I've spent the last year of my life losing all that I ever once held dear," Seraphimus said. She gazed thoughtfully down the dark, winding cave. "It is obvious to me that Verlaxion wishes me to take hold of what's left in the center of my being. To find a new foundation and await for what insight her spirit has to enlighten me with."

"Uh huh..." Rainbow exhaled.

"It may take months... it may take years. But—against the canvas of this present darkness—I trust that she will reveal herself to me." Seraphimus' headcrest drooped. She had slowed her pace to a mere crawl at this point. "I will someway... somehow... find purpose in the emptiness my life has become."

Rainbow fought the urge to roll her eyes. She looked in Applejack's direction, and the ghostly farm mare could only shrug.

"What if..." Rainbow began. Gulping, she brushed past her friends and slowly approached the griffin yet again. "...what if Verlaxion simply has no more plans for you, Sera?"

"Don't call me—"

"What if you were meant to die at the world's edge," Rainbow murmured. "And not go any further? But now that you are alive—and outside the sphere of Verlaxion's influence—you are free to discover your own purpose in existence? Instead of just... finding some angsty hole in the blackest heart of darkness to waste away and wait for a flicker of inner candlelight... or such crap?"

With a scuffle of claws, Seraphimus turned around to face Rainbow directly. The pegasus couldn't help but flinch. Charcoal brown eyes coldly frosted the space between them, narrowing. "Very well, Rainbow Dash. Being the one who failed to murder me, perhaps you have the divine position of telling me just what my future is supposed to be."

Rainbow bit her lip.

Seraphimus breathed. "Well...?"

"I... I have a place to be," Rainbow murmured. "A goal to accomplish. The Harmonic Prism... it waits for me in the Midnight Armory. I... I must get that and bring it back to my homeland. That means..." She gulped, then spoke firmly: "That means working with the Herald to not only traverse the most extreme elements that the Dark Side has to throw at us, but to find a way back to the Light Side. I can't do this on my own, and the Herald can't do this without me. If... if you j-joined us..." She clenched her teeth, wincing as she struggled to get the words out. "...if you just followed along instead of throwing yourself into the abyss, then maybe we could find a way to get you back home as well—"

"Home to what?" Seraphimus' voice had a serrated edge to it. "To a land devoid of all I ever loved? To a nation of tribes forever haunted by the pandemic banshees of frost that you willingly unleashed upon them?!?"

Twilight and Rarity winced. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie exchanged glances.

Rainbow stood in silence... waiting.

At last—with a sigh—Seraphimus delivered: "You are a confusing, mad creature, Rainbow Dash. I find it absurd that you and your blighted posse have made it this far. Your determination—if nothing else—is ever so remotely admirable. It poisons me to say that, but it's true. This is a realm of chaos and absurdity. For those reasons alone, I greatly suspect that you will positively thrive here... and you may even in fact accomplish that goal which you seek. But... it... is... your... goal." She adjusted the weight of the pack on her shoulders. "My purpose vanished back in Frostknife. Now... I must go and discover a new one. I may not be the one who murdered my Goddess, but I still stand to be inspired by her spirit. That's not something I can ever expect you to understand. But—if it's true that you respect me—then you will respect my need to experience this... and you will let me go."

Rainbow took a firm breath. "Despite what I may have claimed to the Council back in Frostknife, I didn't commit murder back then. But I stand to be committing murder if I just let you leave." She leaned forward, wingtips fluttering. "Please reconsider, Seraphimus. I promise you... we will find a way to work things out. I may not have all the answers yet... but we can find them together. That's how you live... not just by moving—but by discovering. And depending on one another."

Seraphimus looked past Rainbow's figure. She nodded slightly. "Looks like you have enough to depend on as it is."

"... ... ...?" Rainbow looked behind.

A feathery figure loomed in the penumbra of a dim lantern. Despite his bandaged wounds, Wildcard stood tall and resolute. His goggles reflected his former commander's deadpan face from afar.

"I remember what it felt like to have Jordan's keen gaze at one's disposal at any given moment," Seraphimus droned. "Funny how even the most loyal of commitments can crumble under the pretense of tragedy." She looked straight at Rainbow. "You should make good use of his protection... at least before he decides to switch factions again."

Rainbow murmured, "I don't think he's just here to protect me."

Seraphimus blinked at that. "Yes... well..." She adjusted the weight of her pack, glancing coldly up the cave. "If he really wanted to protect me, he should have tried harder to kill me back at the World's Edge."

Rainbow winced.

Wildcard was still. Gazing.

"There is nothing left to say," Seraphimus muttered, turning around. She marched once again into the darkness. "I'll find more purpose walking circles in these caves than talking circles in them..."

Rarity drifted close to Rainbow's side. She whispered ghostly words into the mare's ears.

Rainbow sighed, closed her eyes, and eventually spoke up: "Follow the rightmost tunnel. Stick to it as it ascends, then follow the left branch after a pair of stalacmites."

Seraphimus froze in place.

Rainbow finished: "That should take you to the final corridor... a straight-a-way tunnel that'll lead you gradually to the Curveside exit of the mountain. There, you'll be in twilight again... and—barring the presence of trolls—you should be able to fly off in any direction that you wish."

Silence.

Seraphimus marched off without even thanking her. Rainbow watched as her glacial-white feathers dwindled beyond the bend, ultimately swallowed up by inky darkness.

Rainbow turned to look at her friends. All of them were silent. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie hung their heads.

The petite pegasus lingered in place for a while. After several quiet breaths, she turned around and shuffled limply back the way she came. There, Wildcard accompanied her. The Desperado followed closely behind, keeping a look-out as they gradually made their way towards the location of the Herald.

At one point—however—the wounded griffin paused. Gripping Bard's staff in a metal hand, he turned to look over his shoulder. He thought he heard something. It wasn't the scuffle of Seraphimus' talons, but—rather—something fainter. Quieter... almost melodic. Like violin strings in the darkness.

The sound vanished as soon as it began.

His headcrest relaxed. Straightening his goggles, he retracted Bard's staff and followed Rainbow Dash with a protective, outstretched wing.

Measure By Your Gains

After a few bends in the tunneled path back to the Herald, Wildcard realized something was wrong. He was only hearing his own footsteps.

The Desperado scuffled to a stop. He looked towards his side.

Rainbow Dash was gone.

"... ... ...!" He turned completely around.

There—several paces behind him—the petite pegasus lingered. Her head was downcast, and her wings were drooped at her side. Wildcard watched in silence as she slowly shuffled into a crook of rock, turned around three lazy times... and sat on folded hooves. There was a heaviness to her movement, and the weight inevitably tugged her down into a slumped position. She leaned forward until her chin lay across exhausted, criss-crossed forelimbs.

Wildcard said nothing. Slowly, quietly, he walked over to where she lay. He winced briefly from his still-fresh wounds, but soldiered through the pain. With nimble grace, the griffin squatted across from her. He gazed in her direction, patient, contemplative, protective.

Rainbow stared past him. Even as her ghostly friends closed in and nestled wordlessly around, she gazed into the dark contours of the cave... and exhaled.

All was quiet. A haunting hush as the melancholic friends rested peacefully in the stone navel of a forsaken world.

Minutes passed.

Ironically, it was Wildcard who chose to "break the silence." He reached up and gestured inquisitively with a flesh and metal talon. The phrase was simple enough for even Rainbow Dash to understand.

"Mmmmm... who knows?" she replied, muttering. "Am I ever 'okay?'"

Wildcard's beak tightened.

Twilight Sparkle gulped, then meekly stated: "You did all you could for her, Rainbow."

"Did I?" Rainbow rasped. She gazed up at the claustrophobic ceiling, looming like a grave. "Without meaning to, I helped destroy her life... her faith... her every reason for existing."

"Verlax wanted that grumpy varmint dead," Applejack grunted. "You pulled her out of that nasty fate and did yer best to show her the light."

"Yeah, and what fate does she have now?" Rainbow frowned. "It's a pretty lame light that you can just ignore and walk away from." She shook her head. "I should have shown her more."

"But, how, Dashie?" Pinkie Pie blinked. "When—even?"

"I dunno..." Rainbow sighed, resting her chin on her forelimbs again. Her nostrils flared, blowing limp air against the cold rock. "...it... it's just..." A gulp. "I know it sounds lame, but I would almost prefer it if she was dead."

Fluttershy gently chided. "Rainbow Dash..."

"Because then it would have been an ending," Rainbow Dash said. "I wouldn't be left wondering how badly I screwed things up. How much she's missing out on. How much..." She clenched her eyes shut, shook... then sighed. Her ears drooped back as she murmured, "Guess I'm spoiled. So often, I've had the luxury of either saving the day or saying good-bye. Even when I screw things up—like in the Quade—it's something I'm conscious of. A definitive ending. A sucky one, for sure, but still something concrete. I'm just... I'm just not used to having to abandon ponies outright."

"You gave her plenty of opportunities to change, darling."

"There'll always be opportunities, Rarity," Rainbow muttered. "That's what makes it all suck so bad." She swallowed a bitter lump and looked down the dark tunnel. "I had every opportunity to spare Discord when he was turned to stone... but look at the path I took. Verlax made it look like there was no choice in all the things that she made me do, but that didn't stop me from marching into her throneroom all the same. And..." She winced particularly hard at this point. "...and Imre..." The edges of her eyes moistened.

Twilight and the rest looked on in silence.

Sniffling, Rainbow Dash rubbed her cheek dry. "Grfff... what's the use in pretending?" A defeated sigh. "Moving in a straight line isn't as easy as it sounds. I just... I just gotta tell myself that it will all be for the best some day." She sniffled again. "That at some point... that line becomes a circle... and I-I'd best close it before I br-break it." A sigh, and she looked at Wildcard.

Wildcard looked back.

Rainbow fought tears. Nevertheless—with iron-wrought courage—she looked at him directly as she said, "I had hoped I wouldn't rob you of two friends in one lifetime, Wildcard..."

He raised his talons to "speak"... but then he lingered.

Rainbow gazed at her pitiable reflection in his goggles.

At last, his claws moved, clicking slightly as they spelled out: "Call me 'Jordan.'"

Rainbow Dash blinked.

The Desperado smirked gently, adding with a few finger-swipes in the air: "I only count days by friends gained."

Twilight Sparkle smiled.

Rainbow was holding her breath in. When she finally let it loose, her eyes released as well. Tears trickled down a dumb smile. "Okay..." She whimpered, rubbing her cheeks dry—a futile effort. "Uhm... I... I-I know it's gonna sound stupid, Jordan, but could I ask—?"

He was already crossing the distance between them. Rainbow realized just how much larger the Desperado was, for his hug was engulfing. She rested in his arms like a foal, and she found that the griffin's neck feathers were soft, warm, and perfect for muffling her sobs. She dwindled there, limp and quiet and thankful, and Wildcard weathered the minutes as they drifted by.

"Mmmmmff..." She squeaked, forelimbs kneading his bandaged shoulders. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Somehow... some way... I'll m-make this up to you. I'll make this up to all of you. I'll get us b-back home. I promise..."

He merely squeezed her shoulder, neither accepting nor rejecting.

The silence humbled her, and—perhaps for a brief second—she understood the power of his oath.

When Fluttershy spoke, it was an earth-shattering thing.

"Uhm... Rainbow Dash? I... I'm so very sorry to disturb you in this moment, but..."

"Mmmmf... it's okay..." Rainbow Dash leaned her head back. The last hiccup or two of her sobs had finally subsided. "It's okay, Fluttershy. What's... what's going on...?"

"It's... it's about Seraphimus."

"Yeah...?" Rainbow rubbed her eyes and blinked at the ghostly pegasus. "What about her?"

"She... uhm..." Fluttershy fidgeted nervously. "...she's no longer moving."

Stare Not Into Curveside

"Seraphimus is no longer moving?!?" Rainbow Dash's jaw hung open.

Fluttershy shook her head.

"Like..." Rainbow blinked, glanced at Wildcard, then looked back at her ghostly friend. "Is she friggin' dead?"

Fluttershy's brow furrowed.

Rainbow's ears twitched. "... ... ...knocked out cold?"

Wildcard's headcrest drooped with concern as he waited... listened...

"Heeeeeeeeeeya-Flutterssssssss...?" Pinkie Pie slid sideways in the ghostly air. "...kinda leaving us on the edge here..."

"I... I don't know what's going on with her!" Fluttershy gulped. "I mean, she's not dead..."

"So she's not dead," Rainbow droned.

Wildcard breathed with relief.

"She's fine. She's in good health. She's in full control of her faculties. Just..." Fluttershy sighed. "...she stopped moving completely."

Rainbow's ears drooped. She turned to look at Applejack.

Applejack gestured wildly. "Dun look at me, sugarcube."

"Too late," Rainbow grunted.

"I can't rightly tell what she's thinkin'. For all we know, the dang yahoo's layin' an egg!"

"Ewww!" Pinkie Pie blanched. "How do you make an omelette on the dark side?!?"

"Fluttershy, is she far away?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "Do you think she made it beyond the mountain?"

"I... don't think so," Fluttershy said. "I'd otherwise expect her to be flying by now... or else walking down the outside of it to end up below us. But that's not the case. She's stopped dead in her tracks."

Twilight looked over. "Rarity?"

"Well, if you think about it, darling, she hasn't been gone for very long."

"But there wasn't that much tunnel left!" Pinkie said.

"I have the sneaking suspicion that she's stopped at the cave exit," Rarity said. "Celestia-knows that's where I'd be if I was... reassessing my choices."

Twilight looked directly at her anchor. "Rainbow, this may actually be the final and last chance you'll have..."

Rainbow took a deep breath. "Right." She spread her wings. "Wildcard."

He nodded. Thw-Thwisssssh! Both went flying up the winding corridor. Rainbow led the way, lighting her path with the Element of Loyalty as she zig-zagged through the slowly ascending passages.

"There!" Rarity exclaimed, pointing with a pale hoof. "There's the exit!"

"I see it! I see it!" Pinkie squinted at a pale blue outline. "Wowie-zowie! The twilight's a lot brighter than I remember!"

"It... certainly is brighter," Twilight Sparkle murmured. Her eyes narrowed. "What in Equestria...?"

"Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash spoke firmly, making a swift beeline for the exit. "Where's Sera? Is she still there—?"

"Straight ahead of you, Rainbow," Fluttershy said. At this point she too was squinting. "Although... huh... what is she looking at—?"

"I see her!" Rainbow Dash exhaled with relief. "Sweet!" She threw a breath over her shoulder. "Jordan—"

Wildcard nodded. He reached a metal talon to his bandolier and cautiously gripped the collapsed bo-staff.

Rainbow Dash landed on the dusty stone behind Seraphimus. Catching her breaths, she trotted a few steps forward.

"Sera... so glad to see you're okay! I... I'm sorry for suddenly being here like this. It's just that—when my friends sensed that you had stopped moving, well..."

She shuffled until she stood side by side with the stone-still griffin.

"... ... ...you had me concerned, alright? I mean, there's no telling what you're going to walk into on the Dark Side. I know you'll probably wanna bite my head off for even saying it, but if you might possibly change your mind... even after going the lonely route—if you were to come back to us, I'll see to it that the Herald will accept you in open... arms..."

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. She realized that Seraphimus wasn't registering her in any fashion whatsoever. She wasn't even exhibiting her typical bitter attitude.

And—yet—the former Talon Commander was far from expressionless. In fact, her beaked face was awash in something that Rainbow Dash had never witnessed in her before: astonishment.

"Uhhhhhh... Sera?" Rainbow cocked her head aside. "You're... not even going to snap at me for calling you 'Sera?'" A dumb blink. She reached forward and waved her blue hoof in the griffin's face. "Yoohooo—"

Thap! Seraphimus reached up and grabbed Rainbow's fetlock in one fluid motion—but only to hold it in place. She continued staring forward, her beak slowly opening in awe.

"What the hay's gotten into you?" Rainbow rasped.

"Uhm... Rainbow Dash...?" Applejack wheezed.

"What?" Rainbow looked at her friends. She did a double-take.

All five ghostly mares had lined up like a silent firing squad... and they were all gawking at the Edgeside horizon just outside the mountain's exit. Rainbow Dash saw a pale blue light glinting off their eyes... the same luminescence that she was now seeing reflected off Seraphimus' usually dull charcoal brown gaze.

"For crying out loud, girls, what could be so—?" And then Rainbow turned. And Rainbow looked. And Rainbow's ears and feathers and tail drooped in one accord. "... ... ...Luna poop."

Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle nodded.

Fluttershy trembled while Rarity covered her muzzle.

Seraphimus blinked, eyes darting about, drinking in the reflective blue.

Rainbow Dash's breaths came in pitiful little wheezes. "What is..." She slowly shook her head, ruby eyes wide. "How, even...?" A gulp. "I... I don't understand..."

"Rainbow...?" Applejack was the first soul—ghostly or otherwise—to wrench her eyes off the sight. She looked nervously at her anchor. "...the others?"

Rainbow took a shuddering breath. "Yeah. Yeah, sure... sure." Clearing her throat, she spoke sideways. "Wildcard..."

No response.

By now, the Desperado was also staring... also paralyzed... also flabbergasted. A faint blue aura glinted off his goggles—

"Jordan!"

He jerked out of the moment and looked directly at Rainbow.

Rainbow stared back. "The Herald. Go fetch them. Like... right friggin' now."

He fidgeted, stealing a few more glimpses past the mare. He brought two talons up and signed: "The wagon?"

Rainbow looked at him as if he was born yesterday. "Leave it."

He nodded, turned tail, and—FWOOOOOOOSH!

And Rainbow...

...returned to staring Edgeside. She and Seraphimus remained frozen in place on the edge of the mountain.

"So... tell me, Miss-Tested-by-Verlaxion..." Rainbow's nostrils flared. "...ever witnessed anything as divine as this before?"

Seraphimus breathed... flexed her wings... and droned: "Do you ever... ever know when to shut up?"

"Well?"

The griffin shuddered. "No..." She slowly shook her head, feathercrests drooping. "No, I have not..."

Don't Forget the Prestige

The mountains dropped.

And they gave way to a valley—more like an expanse—that was filled to the brim with towering spires. Row after row of gigantic, jutting structures sliced the sky for as far as the bent horizon could afford. What's more, each spire reflected a portion of the twilight above, contributing to a grand blue sheen that illuminated the expanse and glinted off of the Herald's gawking expressions. The reason for the structures' reflective nature was that they were covered all over with glass... and with windows.

They were artificial. It was a city.

Dead still, ghostly, and devoid of movement... but a metropolis none of the less. A city like nothing Rainbow Dash had ever seen before.

Her eyes slowly lowered, and she spotted bridges—elevated platforms—that hugged the midsections of the towers. Her gaze desenced further, and she spotted smaller buildings, geometric structures that were packed together, residential complexes, open courtyards overgrown with luminescent fungae, and countless winding streets that were littered with dormant structures and loose debris.

Rainbow glanced towards Alpha and Omega... and she still could not tell where the city ended... if it ended. For all she knew, it stretched across the dim continent like an urban belt. And yet—as she and the rest of her friends continued gazing—it was quieter than death. A pindrop would undoubtedly send thunder reverberating through the vacant downtown.

"Rarity..." Rainbow Dash finally murmured, making Ariel and Kepler jolt. She swallowed a lump down her throat and further whispered: "Is it... it actually—?"

"Yes, darling," Rarity exhaled. Her gorgeous eyes were locked on the static spectacle below. "Purely hoof-built."

"Built... by ponies?" Rainbow's voice cracked. "Or by what?"

There was no response.

"Rainbow Dash..." Twilight Sparkle began. "Do you remember the sketches we found in Darkreach? There were... spires beyond mountains..."

"Did they see this as well?" Rarity murmured. "Or are we the first to feast our eyes on it?"

Twilight looked at the other ghostly unicorn. "Just how far does it stretch, Rarity?"

She slowly shook her head. "I cannot tell..."

"Land's sakes..." Applejack murmured, hovering next to Pinkie Pie. "...this place could house millions... millions..." She grimaced. "M-my mind's got an empty apple core right now. What's bigger than a million?"

"A million million!" Pinkie squeaked.

Applejack nodded in agreement. She looked aside. "Fluttershy?"

"Do... do you detect anything?" Twilight murmured.

Fluttershy bit her lip.

Rainbow looked at her this time. "Flutters?"

"About... the same thing I witnessed back during our previous treks," Fluttershy said. "Some mushroom clusters... bioluminescent creatures... animals nestled here and there..."

"In other words..." Rarity trembled slightly. "The original denizens are all...?"

Fluttershy's ears drooped. "For how big this place is... I don't detect a single resident."

Silence.

"What... even is this place?" Twilight murmured. "How could it have been built on the Dark Side?"

Rainbow's muscles tensed. "Only one way to find out."

She kicked her legs... and flapped her wings. Seraphimus flinched slightly, awaking to the reality of the moment. She watched as Rainbow Dash gently glided out into the urban mess... with Wildcard and Ariel following close behind.

City In the Dark

The valley was filled by the city.

The valley was the city.

The closer Rainbow Dash flew over the towering spires, the more and more of them she saw stretching upwards from their indiscernible foundations. It was as though the dimness of the Dark Side was a dark gray fog and more and more building faces bled through the obsidian canvass, twinkling with their blue-tinted reflection of the stars overhead. The grand immensity of the metropolis was magnified—hauntingly so—by the sheer silence lingering throughout. In a way, Rainbow Dash felt like she was descending upon an exposed array of giant bones—discarded countless eons ago.

The lower she drifted in altitude, the more layers Rainbow saw of the urbanity below. The city had levels to it—multifaceted platforms that swam and wrapped around the giant smoothe skyscrapers. There was an ornate pattern to how the suspended courtyards and steel pathways clung to the vertical buildings. From a distance, the platforms resembled spring leaves and lily pads, wrapping around and spiraling both upwards and downwards to afford access to the multiple floors. The levels were designed with both elegant and practical purpose, so that maximum light from the heavens above could reach as far down into the vertical depth of the city as possible. Peering from above, Rainbow Dash counted no less then ten layers of suspended courtyards, roads, and walkways. Even at that point in her flight, she could not discover where the actual ground level began—if there was one.

Rainbow kept her flight slow and deliberate. Even though Fluttershy hadn't sensed any major life signs to be concerned with, she approached this inexplicable urbanscape with extreme caution. She wasn't alone; Ariel and Wildcard floated on either side of her. They were protective wingmates, strung halfway between guarding their leader and gawking stupidly at the spectacle below them... and soon to be all around them.

At last, Rainbow's descent braved the topmost layer of platforms. She could see her own reflection in the windows of the buildings, and she marveled at how shiny the glass and steel had remained after... after...

There was no telling just how long these structures had been here.

There was no telling anything about them.

The city was unlike anything Rainbow Dash had seen before. Even Blue Nova was a miniscule speck compared to the likes of this place. In terms of land acreage, Rainbow Dash figured that Silvadel's capital was probably larger, wider, and grander—but the buildings there were paltry compared to these architectural marvels, and none of Silvadel's buildings had truly remained intact.

But this place...

Rainbow Dash lowered even further. She hovered directly above a platform, and upon closer inspection she found that the suspended streets were full of debris. It was difficult to tell what she was looking at specifically: metal shrapnel? Concrete detritus? Organic residue?

No...

Even here—on the topmost layer and christened with twilight—there were no bones. No bodies. Not even a layer of ash to indicate the place's prior inhabitants. Rainbow Dash drifted past a series of concrete enclosures, and it was Ariel who suddenly signaled her... pointing at the rigidly-shaped basins.

Narrowing her vision, Rainbow Dash hovered above one of the enclosures. She discovered that the basins were filled with dark, dark sediment... some of them clumped together in crumbling patches.

Soil...

She and Wildcard looked at another platform, suspended opposite a space from where they were hovering. They saw more enclosures—some of which possessed rickety stalks of splintery, dead, carbon-based matter. Practically coal.

Wood... ...

Rainbow's lips pursed. She looked about the upmost level of the city—spotting more and more remnants of dirt and wooden debris scattered across the courtyards.

Gardens...

Horticulture... ...

... ... ...civilized harmony-with-nature, planted squarely in the shadow of the Dark Side.

And it was all dead.

Rainbow brushed her bangs back. Shuddering, she glanced at her marefriends. But Twilight and Applejack and the rest were dead silent... dumbstruck with awe.

There was a metallic tapping sound.

"!!!" Rainbow Dash and Ariel spun.

They saw Wildcard levitating above a collapsed metal structure in the middle of a platform. He was poking it with Bard's staff. His goggles flickered with twilight as he glanced at the two mares, then motioned them closer.

Rainbow Dash and Ariel approached the object. As they came close, they realized that the streamline chunk of metal had a purposeful shape to it... and multiple signs of mechanization. There were four outstretched pylons with hollow ends—like wheel-wells—and the inner chamber resembled a series of seats within the central compartment of a carriage. But—for the life of her—Rainbow Dash couldn't spot where a quadruped might hook itself up to the vehicle... or any sign of mana-powered leyline circuitry.

Wildcard whistled.

Ariel and Rainbow Dash looked at him... then past him. They craned their necks and ultimately discovered that several of the platforms, courtyards, and roads suspended alongside and below them were likewise littered with multiple mechanisms—just like that one—of various shapes, designs, and purposes. All were dormant. All were empty. All were abandoned.

The group shared a collectively anxious breath. They looked back at the mountainside where the rest of the Herald lingered. Wildcard hand-signaled from afar, and Flynn flickered his light back before trotting back into the tunnel along with Kepler to retrieve the wagon.

Seraphimus and Logan remained in place... two statuesque figures still locked—mesmerized—on the spectacle below.

Rainbow Dash took a breath, turned around, and dove even deeper into the phenomemon... until she was practically swimming in it.

Glimpses in the Dark

Rainbow Dash glided over a large, rectangular building that stretched noticeably lower than the other spires around it. She looked down in mid-flight... and she noticed that there was a translucent structure situated atop the flat rooftop.

Flying closer, Rainbow Dash realized that the structure was covered with countless panels of glass. Several of them had been broken over the decay and neglect of time, but many of the segments still reflected the twilight above with a shiny blue sheen.

She lowered herself until she was hovering just above the Curveside wall of the building. Peering in through the patchwork of shattered panels, she saw a gnotted and twisted array of wooden branches, vines, and trunks—all dead and sporadically plastered with luminescent fungae.

It was a greenhouse. Or at least—it once was. Whoever built this city had an ingrained concept of conservation...

...and it also meant that the Dark Side wasn't always dark.

Holding her breath, Rainbow Dash turned tail and flew on.

Ariel flew low over an elevated road. She looked left and right, observing as elegantly curved detours bent down and led to lower levels where more platforms and courtyards hung in the shadow of their upper siblings. She spotted more and more of the metal machines—most of them left abandoned and crooked to the angles of the suspended pathways.

As she flew under a higher platform, she had to slow her path. She saw a myriad of glinting lines directly in front of her. At first, this confused the Heraldite, until she realized that she was spotting the outlines of spider webs in the twilight. Safely gliding around the widely-stretching strands, she saw decades upon decades of dust and sediment clinging to the silk. It looked to her as though nothing living had been caught—or bothered to even nest in those webs in eons.

The wind howled, reaching a high pitch.

Ariel fought a wave of chills, then turned about. She saw a courtyard lingering under a patch of dim twilight. A structure rose in the center, surrounded by empty and dead gardens. The twilight glinted against the glossy monolith at an angle, and Ariel could have sworn she saw shapes... lines... symbols.

Brow furrowed, she flew closer to investigate.

The end of Bard's staff scraaaaaaaaaaaaped against a shiny metal surface... then came to a rattling stop against a narrow fissure.

Wildcard paused in place. He twisted his grip of the weapon, feeling the direction in which the immense crack was going. He cocked his feathery head to the side, studying the angle of the damage and where it led to.

On quiet talons, the Desperado marched the circumference of a suspended platform. It hugged an immense spire's side, towards Alpha. Wildcard stepped in and around chunks of fallen debris and abandoned machinery along the way.

At long last, he came to the Curveside edge of the spire. It was there that he heard an immense groaning sound.

He froze in place, gripping the staff tightly in a metal hand.

The groaning tapered off... rattled... then repeated. Wildcard swiftly determined that it was a structural sound. An unfathomably immense weight of metal was settling somewhere around him—but he couldn't tell if it was below or above.

Pivoting to his right, he suddenly made the discovery.

A huge portion of the spire's Curveside section had been ripped to shreds. A veritable crater had imploded into the skyscraper's side. How it didn't completely collapse from the structural damage, Wildcard couldn't guess. But he was too busy staring at the source of the hole in the building's form.

A large... thing had collapsed into it. It took Wildcard a while to ascertain just what the object was. But after observing a lengthy period of time in the twilight, he realized that it was another building.

Yet... a building that didn't quite belong to the rest of the city. It resembled a concrete rotunda—or perhaps a dome—with countless segmented support pillars. The rogue building's material was pale, smoothe, and carried with it an aesthetic of antiquity. At a glance, Wildcard might guess that it was constructed out of marble, and along the upper edge of the dome he thought he saw engraved edifices of winged ponies flocking about counter-clockwise.

The Desperado's beak tightened. He flexed his wing muscles... then took off to get a better look at the scene from a highter altitude.

The Wind That Returns

"The architecture is... is..." Rarity's muzzle scrunched as the ghostly unicorn struggled for the words to say.

"Lemme guess..." Pinkie Pie smiled sideways as she and the rest glided after their anchor. "'Fabulous?'"

"I'm trying to give an assessment of its construction," Rarity said. "But... I'm at a loss for words..."

"Is it like anything you've ever sensed before, Rarity?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

Rarity slowly shook her head. "This material is strong. Sturdy. I would almost say unbreakable."

"Yeah, but there are lots of cracked and broken bits!" Pinkie Pie said, pointing down at the multiple debris-strewn platforms. "Just look at all the glass!"

"Well, of course, Pinkie. But..." Rarity shuddered. "What I'm trying to say is that it's nothing at all like any of the structures I've witnessed since Rainbow Dash woke me back in the Nealand Atoll." She gazed at the tall spires and their glossy surfaces. "Whoever constructed this was exceptionally mastered. This material is very, very old... and yet it's withstood the test of time quite masterfully, if you ask me."

"In other words..." Twilight Sparkle's eyes narrowed. "...it wasn't built by anything dwelling on the Dark Side."

Rarity sighed. "I cannot for the life of me see how."

"Then what does that mean?" Fluttershy asked as they all floated alongside Rainbow Dash. "None of the ponies stuck here had a hoof in it? Not the Dark Vigil? Not the Emeraldinians? Not the changelings under Tchern's command?"

"Really?!" Pinkie Pie cackled. "Do you really honestly think a bunch of gooey bug ponies vomited this all up?!?"

"What about alicorns?" Applejack suggested. "Celestia's kind are purdy darn good at raisin' barns." She shuddered. "Big... harmonic... immortal barns..."

"I can't imagine how or why alicorns would have built this," Twilight said, gesturing at the endless rows of buildings and skyscrapers and interconnecting platforms. "For one, it's just too vast and... opulent for the likes of alicorns. No... this was meant for ponies to live in. A huge population of ponies."

"So?" Pinkie shrugged. "Maybe they just built it for ponies!"

"But Pinkie—you're forgetting!" Twilight exclaimed. "The alicorns could only light one side of the plane! They chose the side that Equestria eventually blossomed in. This half—this entire Dark Side—they had to abandon to darkness and chaos! The only exception is the Midnight Armory! They built that, but even then they didn't have enough numbers to stay there and guard the Harmonic Prism from the outside! They just had to trust that the magics inside the structure were sufficient enough to ward off evil elements. Also... if the alicorns somehow did build an ancient city over here, don't you think Whitemane would have told Rainbow Dash? Or Mortuana? Or Celestia and Luna for that matter?"

"It could have been a secret," Rarity suggested.

"Naw..." Applejack shook her head. "The alicorns ain't the lyin' type."

"Plus..." Fluttershy looked at Rarity. "...what would be the purpose of this place? Why even keep it secret?"

"Well, darling, is anything living here?"

Fluttershy sighed, eventually shaking her head. "Aside from random patches of wildlife, this place is completely devoid of any equine population whatsoever."

"You sure you ain't sensin' a chaotic absence of life?" Applejack suggested.

"No." Fluttershy stared at her. "I'm not."

Applejack bit her lip.

"Nothing's been here in ages," Rainbow Dash finally said. Her eyes traced the landscape below. "And I do mean ages." Her nostrils flared. "Not ponies. Not changelings. Not trolls..." She turned and looked behind her—towards Edgeside. She caught sight of Flynn and Kepler emerging from the mountain cave with the glowing, chaos-driven wagon. "...this place has been long forgotten. Somehow... I wouldn't be surprised if even the alicorns have no recollection of it."

"Then..." Rarity blinked thoughtfully. "...Rainbow Dash, you're suggesting that this place may be older than the alicorns' presence on this plane."

Rainbow bit her lip.

"Is that what you're suggesting, darling?"

Rainbow opened her muzzle to answer—but then nearly bumped into a feathered figure. "Guh!"

"Aaaaaaaaackies—Oh, it's just Wildcard." Pinkie Pie exhaled, smiling tiredly. "Seriously! Somepony should put a bell on him!"

"Jordan..." Rainbow Dash recovered her breath, hovering in place before the Desperado. "Found anything?"

He nodded, then gestured: "Look. Different building."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. Wildcard flew sideways, and the petite pegasus joined him. Soon they were both levitating above the lopsided dome that had crashed into the broken skyscraper.

"See!" Pinkie Pie pointed. "It's totally not indestructable!"

"My goodness!" Rarity held a pair of hooves to her dainty muzzle. "Now that's alarming!"

Applejack looked aside. "You mean you didn't sense this before?"

"How c-could I?" Rarity gulped. "Both the skyscraper and this errant structure are built out of the same material!"

Rainbow glanced at Rarity upon hearing that.

"But... they look so very different," Fluttershy stated. "The building looks like metal and the dome looks like marble..."

"Look at those columns," Twilight Sparkle said, tapping her chin in thought. "The aesthetic..."

"Oh, most assuredly, darling." Rarity smiled. "It looks antique. Almost Pre-Celestial. Why—don't you remember the Hearth's Warming plays? Ha! If I didn't know better, I'd say the architecture was positively Pegasopolitan."

Rainbow's lips pursed. Her ears perked up. "... ... ...Stratopolitan."

Her friends looked at her.

"Rainbow...?" Twilight exhaled.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "I've seen this sort of architecture before."

Wildcard cocked his head to the side.

Rainbow Dash flew closer to the lopsided dome. She approached the upper circumference, where multiple etchings of winged equines were frozen forever in mid-flight. The mare ran her blue hoof along the feathery motifs.

"This... this is a building that belongs to Stratopolis... a Sentinel..."

"A Senti—what?" Pinkie Pie remarked.

Applejack squinted. "Are ya talkin' about that crazy floatin' sky city that you and yer Jury friends fought your way through?"

"Twilight..." Rainbow glanced aside. "...do you remember when I told you about Stratopolis?"

"Of course I do. It sounded absolutely frightening."

"Chrysalis had taken it over," Rainbow said. "It was her place of operation... her nursery for hatching her changeling army, hidden in a neverending snow flurry." Her brow furrowed as she stared at the engravings up close. "But it didn't always belong to her. Stratopolis was ancient—as old as the plane and maybe even older. The ancient pegasi controlled it, and at some point... they unleashed something horribad. It killed them all off and it nearly killed us."

Fluttershy stepped in. "Didn't it cross paths with Commander Hurricane?"

"Yes." Rainbow nodded. "It did. And Hurricane—who was almost the Austraeoh herself—gave her life along with a bunch of brave Pegasopolitans to move the dang thing out of Equestrian airspace. A few of Hurricane's soldiers survived, and they crash-landed a piece of Stratopolis in Alafreo to the east. That's how Durandana came to be."

"But..." Pinkie Pie's brow furrowed. "...where does this 'Sentinel' thing come in to play?"

"That's what Queen Chrysalis called Stratopolis," Rainbow Dash explained. "Razzar as well." She flew backwards, gazing at the dome at large. "From what I eventually learned, they were satellite structures—a floating collection of buildings that could go anywhere and monitor the various pieces of Urohringr."

"Some protection!" Pinkie Pie cackled. "Looks like the ancient pegasi messed up big time!"

"Well, that much is obvious, Pinkie," Applejack said. "Ain't they responsible for the Sunderin'?"

Rainbow Dash didn't respond to that. She was too busy staring—mesmerized—at the out-of-place structure. "Did... did Stratopolis fly by here?" She rubbed her head in thought. "But... how? When? It... it had to have been so very long ago..."

"Seems a bit of a stretch," Fluttershy said.

Rainbow flashed her a look. "Huh?"

"You're thinking that Stratopolis flew here?" Fluttershy remarked. "And yet somehow ended up floating about at random along the Light Side?"

"Fluttershy's onto something," Twilight Sparkle declared. "The solution has to be a lot simpler, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash fell silent. Pondering.

"There's..." Pinkie's eyes crossed. "...more than one Sentinel?"

Twilight Sparkle nodded. "It would make sense. Something as big as Urohringr? To be properly monitored, the structure would need multiple satellite structures."

"Do ya remember ever hearin' about more than one of 'em, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"Now that you mention it, I kinda do..." Rainbow shuddered. "But... that's just mind-blowin'." She gulped, looking at the dome with a paler expression. "Another Stratopolis? Floating around and causing more havoc?"

"Maybe it's not as dire a situation as the one you encountered Chrysalis' forces in," Twilight suggested.

"I don't know, Twi..." Rainbow fought shivers. "...the ancient pegasi messed up in a lot of ways. The Sundering is just the tip of the iceberg. You don't wanna know what was inside that thing."

Twilight gulped. "I think you told me plenty."

Silence.

Rainbow Dash's ears drooped. She looked aside and noticed Wildcard gawking at her. "Oh... uh..." She smiled nervously. "Hey, Jordan. Sorry, I... uh..." A sigh. "... ... ...you listen to any of that?"

He nodded. A hand-sign: "Everything."

"Uh huh." She winced. "Any thoughts?"

The Desperado swiftly gestured something Rainbow didn't yet understand.

"Huh?" she squinted.

Pinkie Pie murmured, "I think he's taking a metaphoric poopie."

Applejack cleared her throat. "She ain't wrong."

Before Rainbow Dash could comment—

"Pssst!" Ariel hissed from a distance. "Rainbow Dash! Double-yoo! Over here! I've got something to show you!"

Rainbow exchanged glances with Wildcard.

The Desperado nodded. He flew off in a swift glide and Rainbow followed shortly behind.

"This should be good," Rainbow muttered, giving the broken buildings behind her one last forlorn look.

You Are Located Here

Flynn, Logan, and Kepler were full of wide eyes. They had found a narrow gap between the mountain's cliffs and the furthest Edgeside platform of the abandoned city, and they had utilized the chaotic energy of the scoured metals to glide the wagon onto one of the elevated roads. Now they were slowly cruising through the upper heart of the vacant metropolis, making their way towards where the rest of the group had gathered.

As they glided along, they saw the figures of Rainbow, Ariel, and Wildcard flying overhead.

Kepler adjusted his spectacles. He gazed at them, then continued gawking at the rest of the urban surroundings.

Flynn mouthed curse words of amazement as his mechanical eye rotated in and out.

Logan was silent... contemplative... cautious. His gaze lingered more on their distant friends than anything else. He stared at a silver figure in particular...

Swooooooooosh! Ariel landed first. She turned to face the companions she had summoned there.

"Okay..." She stood in the middle of an elevated bridge, catching her breath. "...so I was flying around, and I found this." She pointed at a tall structure standing up in the middle of the courtyard behind her. A monolith. "If I didn't know better, I'd say it was a marker of some sort. Perhaps for giving directions."

"Yeah...?" Rainbow Dash flew down along with Wildcard. "...well, if that was the case, it'd have to have a bunch of writing on it."

"It does," Ariel said with a slight smirk. She stepped sideways, gesturing. "Feast your eyes."

Wildcard looked at Rainbow.

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. Slowly, she glided forward and hovered evenly with the tall black structure.

Sure enough, there were white etchings in the obsidian surface of the monolith. They were too small to be read at a distance. Rainbow guessed that they were designed purposefully to be read up close, and—judging from the writing's elevated distance from the floor below—they were meant to be read by beings who could fly... like she was right now.

Wildcard and Ariel crowded behind Rainbow, craning their necks to see the writing as well. Twilight, Applejack, and the others had to phase through the Heraldites to get close enough.

Rainbow's eyes darted left and right, studying each character and etching carefully. Her lips pursed, weathering swift, fervent breaths.

"Well, Rainbow?" Rarity looked aside. "Any thoughts?"

"See anything you recognize, Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked.

"This..." Rainbow's ears twitched. "...this looks very familiar..." Her tail flicked. "I mean... I don't understand any of it. But the... the alphabet that's being used... the characters—" Her voice went silent as her eyes locked on something.

"What?" Pinkie leaned in closer, phasing through Rainbow's own face. "What is it? Whaaaaaat?"

Twilight gently shoved Pinkie away so Rainbow could no longer be blinded. "Rainbow Dash...?"

"This... this one tiny thingy right here..." Rainbow pointed at what resembled a blossoming flower with vibrant petals. "...this is one half of 'Eljunbyro.'"

Twilight's eyes widened. "You sure about that?!"

"Wait..." Ariel exchanged glances with Wildcard. "...did she say 'Eljunbyro?'"

"But it's not. It's just... using the same character..." Rainbow thought aloud. "The same language..."

Wildcard cocked his head aside.

"And..." Rainbow pointed at a round symbol with other circles inside. "...this looks a bit like 'Ynanhluutr.' Only... the stuff inside the big circle are different." She gulped. "Must be a different word..."

"Is this the same language the Xonans used?" Ariel asked.

Rainbow gulped. "Yes." She flew back a bit, shuddering slightly. "It is."

Wildcard gestured something.

Ariel nodded. "Yep. They sure did love using circles."

"Uh huh..." Rainbow sighed. "Lots and lots of circles..."

"There's a super big one up there," Ariel said, pointing towards the top of the monolith. "Like... bigger than all the rest. I figured it was the most important."

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash looked up at the top of the structure. She immediately did a double-take, her eyes widening. "Holy crap!"

Wildcard and Ariel flinched.

"What?!" Fluttershy clung to Rarity. "What is it—?!"

"Fluttershy!" Rarity whimpered. "Calm down—!"

Fwoooosh! Rainbow Dash flew straight up to the large symbol, gawking at it. "No... friggin'... way..."

"What is it, sugarcube?" Applejack asked. "What's gotten you so spooked?!"

Rainbow's eyes twitched as they followed segmented circles within circles, replete with thick dots occupying each empty space. "This... this is 'Urohringr.'" A gulp. "Straight up. It's friggin' Urohringr."

"You sure about that?" Pinkie asked.

"Sure as I am alive and ticking." Rainbow fought numbness as she continued to gawk at the hauntingly familiar emblem. "It's the same thing I saw guarding the inner chamber of Stratopolis... that showed up constantly in the texts that Pilate scavenged. And... and I'm pretty sure I even saw it deep down in the—" She stopped in mid-sentence. Pensively, she raised her hoof and pressed it against the monolith, making physical contact.

Nothing happened.

"Whewwwwwwwwww..." Rainbow Dash released her hoof and swiped her brow dry. "Not sure my friggin' heart can handle much more today..."

"So, let me get this straight..." Ariel flew closer to Rainbow Dash. "This structure... this city is bearing the same ancient language and symbols that you saw back in Xona? And Stratopolis?" She blinked. "... ... ...even the Machine World?"

"Yes. It's the same. All of it." Rainbow Dash flew back, studying the monolith at a glance. "This entire city. It's..." She froze in mid-speech. She stole a glance at Wildcard and Ariel, then gazed over at her ghostly companions. "Twilight... girls... what if..." Her ears twitched as she gazed up at the stars. "...this is where they lived?"

"Where who lived?" Rarity asked.

"The ancient pegasi. The builders of Urohringr. Those who lived before the Sundering... maybe even those who caused it..." Rainbow took a deep breath. "This was their city. This is where they went about their daily lives. This is where they thrived... and where they eventually lost everything."

Twilight and the others were dumstruck.

Wildcard and Ariel looked nervously about the levels upon levels of empty urbanscape.

"Think about it..." Rainbow Dash murmured. "...if this place was built out of the same stuff that made the Sentinels... that made the mechanical intestines of Urohringr itself... then it's no wonder it's survived so long. And here? On the Dark Side? Devoid of the natural elements that characterize the Light Side? That would otherwise have blanketed or obscured or eroded it into nothingness? This... this is an ancient city frozen forever in time. A pre-prehistoric place. Like... we may totally be the first living souls to have stumbled upon this place in forever."

"Or... or maybe not..." Twilight looked up at Rainbow Dash. "Chief Engineer Ranort. The Emeraldinians? Maybe they were here too?"

Rainbow looked around. "This place is so friggin' huge. I don't see how they would have left a mark."

"I wonder if they would have even understood all of this," Rarity remarked. "They didn't possess the same knowledge that the Austraeoh has gathered."

"Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy looked at their anchor. "...what if you were meant to discover this place?"

Silence.

"One thing's for certain..." Rainbow gazed at the monolith again. "...this is the absolute closest I've been to the ancient pegasi and their civilization." She gulped. "Not even Stratopolis is a drop in the bucket now..."

Open Up Your Eyes

"Rremarrkable..." Kepler stood on Logan's shoulders, running a claw over the pale etchings against the surface of the black monolith. His spectacled eyes reflected a sea of ancient characters. "Absolutely... positively rremarrkable..."

Logan looked over at Rainbow Dash. "So you're certain you've seen all this shit before?"

"Not all of it, Big Show," Rainbow Dash said, pacing in mid-air. "But definitely most of it." She waved a hoof at the immensity surrounding them on all sides. "The architecture... the technology... the symbols..."

"And you think whoever made this city also made the Machine World?"

"I... I don't know..." Rainbow gulped. "But it's all looking the same. Right down to the durable metals and long-lasting building material. I honestly... legitimately think that this city's as old as the heart of Urohringr."

"If you're right..." Logan peered up at the skyscrapers surrounding them. "...then this place is older than every civilization on the Light Side."

Rainbow nodded. "Uh huh..."

"Older than Rohbredden... older than Equestria... older than the Divines... older than the—"

"Remember..." Rainbow pointed. "...the alicorns arrived here from far out there... originating in the Harmonic Plains." She took a deep breath. "Which is older—the alicorns or Urohringr? I'd say the jury's out on that."

"Would you be surprised if you ended up finding out that the alicorns were pubescent punks in comparison to this place?"

Rainbow Dash sighed with a slight shudder. "Not much surprises me anymore, Big Show..."

"Here's the golden question," Logan muttered, gazing all around the suspended platform. "We've got a giant-ass city abandoned for eons. Just... who in the Hell actually lived here?"

"Is it not obvious?" Kepler hopped off Logan's flank and glided to the metal street. "None otherr than the Angels themselves!" He stood in place, curling his scorpion tail. "The verry souls upon which the essence of the Herrald was orriginally founded... countless generrations ago."

"A... lot has happened since then and now," Rainbow remarked.

"Not herre, it hasn't! Herre we stand within the shadow of an absolute rrelic!" Kepler dramatically gestured with his wings. "To think this is wherre the Angels—the ancient pegasi—actually lived and brreathed and went about theirr daily business! Long beforre chaos and darrkness overrtook this landscape! Long beforre Divines and Alicorrns sought to maintain orrderr in a plane tossed adrrift in space!" He exhaled. "Long beforre therre was everr a Sunderring, this place must have thrrived! Bustling and humming with life!"

"Couldn't have been very harmonic life," Logan said.

"What makes you say that, brrotherr?"

Logan shrugged. "Well, what the Hell got them to split the ring up to begin with?"

Rainbow bit her lip. Before she could say anything—

"Hey, guys..." Flynn trotted up, levitating several tools alongside him. "Uhm..." A gulp. "Holy shit."

"Well, that's a nifty report," Logan droned.

"Any luck, frriend?" Kepler craned his hairy neck. "What have you discoverred from the dorrmant vehicles?"

"I... I've no words," Flynn exhaled.

"Humor us," Logan said.

"Well..." Flynn's mechanical eye rotated as he gazed off across the platform. "...I've no friggin' clue what once powered the stuff up. I mean... there simply is no manacircuitry to be seen in any of the machines. Nothing that would house circulating leylines in the way that we traditionally understand them."

"Maybe they didn't run on mana?" Logan remarked.

"I thought of that," Flynn said. "So I looked for steamworks... electrical conduits... even combustion chambers." He shook his head. "I still can't figure it out."

"Did you actually see what was inside all those things?" Logan asked.

"Essentially... a porous metal core," Flynn said. "But... there were no moving parts. No sign of a filtration system. Just... dead, seemingly useless metal. I mean... maybe they resonated with something once upon a time. But—if so—then... it's quite simply a source of energy I've never seen or read about before."

"So..." Logan scratched his stubbled chin. "...nothing we can power up ourselves."

"Ha!" Flynn grinned wide. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Heheheh... ahem..." He gulped and smiled nervously aside at Rainbow Dash. "S-sorry..."

Rainbow shrugged. "Don't mention it."

"Uhhhhhhh..." Flynn slapped errantly at the metal street below. "Trying to power up any of the shit lying around this place would be like a worker ant attempting to wrap its head around alicorn magic. It's just... far too beyond me." He gulped. "Far too beyond any of us."

"Can you tell what the function of the machines werre?" Kepler asked.

"Oh—automotion," Flynn said. "Most definitely transportation. Movement. Heavy freight. But that's just scratching the surface of it." He pointed at the multiple platforms lingering all around them. "The architecture of this place is something out of a goddess-damned miracle. If we built this stuff? As in we mortal ponies of modern day?" He grimaced. "That shit would be falling apart within a decade. But whoever built this stuff knew something we don't. How this stuff is still standing in spite of the sheer weight is unfathomable. I might be able to learn more, but..." A sigh. "...I'd have to take a look inside some of the buildings to find out more, and even then I'm not so sure I'd be lucky enough to figure it out."

"Admit it," Logan muttered through a smirked. "You've got a total brain boner right now."

Flynn fidgeted. "Maybe..."

"Well, I wouldn't mind snooping around the innards of this place some," Rainbow Dash said. She gestured. "I already sent Ariel and Wildcard to the lower levels to have a look-see."

"Do you think..." Logan's brow furrowed. "...there could be a Machine Layer beneath all of this?"

"Ach!" Kepler beamed suddenly. "Imagine if therre was a rruby flame to discoverr at the hearrt of all this!"

"I... don't think so," Rainbow Dash muttered. "Yaerfaerda hasn't appeared to me since I visited the Last Seed past Bleak's Plummet."

"You're only seeing the location of the Midnight Armory, now, right?" Logan asked.

Rainbow nodded, nostrils flaring. "Yeahhhhh..."

"Well, if you ask me..." Logan looked at the others. "...we shouldn't spend too much time here. I mean... if we can find something that'll help us in our journey—that's fine—but if there's anything we've learned from this trip so far is that the older something is the deadlier."

"I dunno, Big Show," Flynn remarked. "Doesn't look like any trolls or changelings or anything else dangerous has dwelt in this place for millennia!"

"I know." Logan's gaze hardened. "That's what scares me."

Flynn bit his lip.

"I say we starrt looking inside some of the local strructurres," Kepler said. "See if we can learrn morre about this extrraorrdinarry culturre." He looked at Rainbow Dash. "With the Austrraeoh's perrmission, of courrse."

"Sure thing, boys..." Rainbow smiled faintly, gesturing with her hoof. "Knock yourselves out!"

"Hell yeah!" Flynn galloped off across the platform. "I'm checking out that skyscraper over there!"

"What for?" Logan shrugged. "It looks like all the others!"

"Yeah! But this one's shinier!"

Logan rolled his eyes while Kepler took a running start and glided after the unicorn. All three shuffled across the platform, investigating the entrance to the nearest structure.

For a moment, Rainbow Dash sat in silence. But she wasn't alone. She sensed a shadow looming above in the dim twilight. She tilted her head up. "Sooooo... what are you still doing here?"

"... ... ..." Seraphimus said nothing. She hovered in place, staring all about the metropolis in a pale stupor.

"You're free now," Rainbow Dash droned. "Don't you want to go off and enjoy your ascetic journey of self-discovery or some crap?"

"... ... ..." Seraphimus' charcoal eyes finally blinked. In a noticeably nervous jolt, she glanced down at the petite pegasus. "Uhm... what...?"

"Wow..." Rainbow's ears twitched. "...I think that's the first time I've ever seen you drool."

"?!?!" Seraphimus brushed a talon across her beak. To her surprise, she felt nothing.

"Snkkkktt... hahahaha..." Rainbow slapped at the metallic street. "Wow, girl! You've really fallen off your cloud, haven't you?"

"I... I have certainly drifted..." Seraphimus looked limply at the urban surroundings. "This... this is all..."

"Yeah...?" Rainbow nodded. "Crazy, huh?"

"I... I don't very well understand..." Seraphimus' beak tightened. "I just..." Her headcrest drooped, and there was more than a slight trembled to her limbs and lion's tail. "...none of this makes any sense..."

"Stuff from 'beyond the blight' is a great deal bigger than you expected, huh?"

"... ... ..."

"Tell me, Sera..." Rainbow cocked her head to the side. "...did Verlaxion ever have an explanation for crap like this?"

Finally, Seraphimus rediscovered her trademark scowl. "All that lies outside the Goddess' blessing presence is banal and pointless."

"Uh huh." Rainbow nodded. "Then why are you still hanging around?" She smirked. "Looking like a dumbstruck foal in a candy store?"

Seraphimus didn't answer. She simply stared at the spires towering around them. Gawking.

"Y'know..." Rainbow Dash's tail flicked as she spoke. "...a giant metropolis lying on the opposite side of the world, abandoned for all time, is pretty crazy, huh?"

"Mmrmmmmm..."

"But here it is, right before your eyes." Rainbow leaned her head to the side. "So... like... just how much harder would it be to believe in a harmonic kingdom where royal sisters raise the sun and moon?" She blinked. "Or draconic immortals who possess the magic to shape-shift and deceive entire civilizations?"

"You are making your most pathetic attempt to convince me of your falsehoods yet."

"So, you tell me, Seraphimus," Rainbow spoke. "How can you truly explain all this crud?" She blinked. "Or the Gondola that brought us here? Or the existence of Darkreach? Or the crazy extra-sensory knack I have for perceiving the environment, our foes, and you?"

"Your logic fails you yet again," Seraphimus stammered, tail flicking in sickly circles. "I am... unconvinced."

Rainbow Dash bore a cheesy grin. "You're lyyyyyyyyiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiingggggg."

Seraphimus' headfeathers stood on end.

"Maybe... just maybe..." Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and hovered in the direction that Flynn and the others went. "...you're running out of excuses for everything you don't understand."

"And what about you?" Seraphimus hissed. "I suppose you understand all of this—"

"I don't."

"... ... ..."

"I've been learning for my entire friggin' journey," Rainbow Dash said calmly. She looked back over her shoulder. "And still I haven't put it all together. That's part of the reason for why I keep on going." A breath. "You wanna fly off and discover yourself? I've danced to that song before, Seraphimus. And lemme tell you—it kinda sucks on your own."

Rainbow Dash flew off.

Seraphimus didn't.

The former Talon Commander lingered in place... gazing all around... drinking it in...

Anchored to that spot. That moment.

Thinking.

Tried Turning It On?

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed. She leaned her fuzzy head to the left... then even more fuzzily to the right. "... ... ...okay, Keps. I give up." She looked at the wyvern. "What is it?"

Rainbow Dash, Kepler, Logan, and Flynn were all huddled inside the lobby of the umpteenth floor of one of the many spires. The glass entrance had been completely shattered by a collapsed vehicle, and the group found a relatively tame and unassuming interior. The floor was done in an immaculately shiny marble with constellatory designs bespeckling the exposed surfaces. There were seats, tables, and round cylinders that—several eons ago—must have once contained floral arrangements of some sort. The group had stumbled upon a door that must have separated the lobby from a massive vertical shaft of sorts.

But that wasn't what they were staring at.

Rainbow, Kepler, Logan, and Flynn stood before a series of rectangular panels that hugged the surfaces of the wall situated along the far end of the room. The glossy black sheets lingered just above equine eye-level, and their quizzical expressions shone in the wayward starlight wafting into the lobby.

"... ... ...Keps?" Rainbow Dash repeated.

"Oh! Uhm..." The wyvern scratched his chin, studying the panels through his spectacles. "I must apologize, Rrainbow One, but I am at a loss to prroperrly hypothesize." He reached up with a claw and brushed the lower edge of one panel. "I am tempted to say a plaque of some sorrt..."

"But there're no letters," Logan remarked. He gestured outside. "We know whoever lived here could read, cuz there's crap carved into their public gazing-stone-thingy."

"They couldn't be mirrors...?" Rainbow Dash cocked her head to the side. "Could they?"

"Kinda positioned a bit high for that, don't you think?" Logan muttered.

"Ach...!" Kepler pointed. "But remember! The Angels were pegasi!"

"Right..." Logan droned. "...how I keep forgetting."

Kepler sighed. "Must you prractice sarrcasm in every field, brrotherr?"

"What?" Logan shrugged. "I was just—"

"Can it, fat ass." Flynn paced around the panels, eyeing them with his mechanical lens. "If only I could get a better look at the stuff."

"Whatever you do, egghead," Logan grumbled. "Just don't stupidly reach in there and break the Goddess-damn thing—"

CRACK! Flynn telekinetically yanked one panel off the wall.

"Grnnnngh!" Logan winced, teeth clenching. "Whyyyyyyyyy do I even bother?"

"HA!" Flynn grinned victoriously. His horn illuminated a series of cables dangling between the dislodged panel and the niche in the wall that previously housed it. "Just as I thought! An attachment to a power source running through the building's interior support structure!"

"Well, so much for that," Rainbow Dash remarked. "Doesn't look like this thing's received any power for epochs."

"It's not just power," a cold voice said.

"!!!" The group jumped in surprise. Logan almost unsheathed his axe.

"... ... ..." Seraphimus stood behind the group. She pointed calmly at the cables dangling between the panel and the wall. "There is a mechanism for transferring something besides just power."

"Like what?" Flynn asked, eyebrow arched. "If these ancient beings used artificially-coiled leylines, they'd likely rely on more than one physical cable to accomplish it."

"If these 'beings' are as old as you say..." Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes narrowed. "...then they could accomplish that much with just one coil. Or no coil whatsoever." She nodded with her feathery head. "I suspect that this is some sort of manadisplay device."

Rainbow Dash blinked.

Logan looked calmly—but curiously—at Seraphimus. "What makes you say that?"

"As leader of the Right Talon of Verlaxion, I was in charge of guarding the locations of several state-funded experiments," she said. "At one point, several Frostknife manatechnicians were working on a method by which they could visually convey words across extended distances. It utilized a series of crystalline matrices, tightly packed together in order to properly arrange legible characters with mana-power illumination."

"How rremarrkable..." Kepler remarked. He reached a claw up to adjust his glasses. "Was the operration a success?"

Seraphimus shook her head. "Frostknife's engineers could put together a complex mechanism capable of computing information that would then be physically displayed via one crystalline matrix. But to accomplish the same feat across multiple matrices over long distances—simultaneously—proved impossible. Even with the utilization of enchanted leylines."

"Sounds like what you guys needed was a more complex mechanism for computing the information, storing it, and distributing it identically across multiple output devices," Flynn said.

Seraphimus nodded. "If I am not mistaken, the devices inside the abandoned facility utilized something far more complex and combined it with advanced holography."

Silence.

"Darkreach..." Flynn's good eye blinked. "She's... talking about Darkreach, right?"

Seraphimus sighed.

"Yes, Flynn," Logan droned. "She's talking about Darkreach." He looked aside at Seraphimus with a muddled grin. "Though she could stand to use a few more proper nouns... if she's actually deigning to come out of her damn shell."

"Hrmmmnngh..." Seraphimus folded her forelimbs.

"The Emerraldinians of Darrkeach used technology gifted them by Onyxxus," Kepler declared. "But the Angels? Theirr technology was evidently utilized herre farr earrlierr than the time when alicorrns harrnessed theirr harrmonic gifts into temporral application."

"Hey, look..." Rainbow Dash gestured. "...all I know is that I've seen some pretty snazzy technology in my journeys." Her eyes narrowed. "If the Ledomaritans and Xonans could get giant battleships to fly in only a few centuries... then just who knows what tricks the ancient pegasi could pull off?"

Seraphimus pointed at the panel levitating in Flynn's magic grasp. "I think the extra cables were designed for the purpose of connecting to a nexus of information."

"That could be quite trrue, theorretically," Kepler said. He looked pointedly at Flynn. "Brrotherr?"

The unicorn was already rubbing his chin. He gestured aside. "Keps. Toss me a spare Emeraldinian Crystal."

Kepler nodded. He reached into his satchel of things and handed a red shard over.

Flynn levitated it alongside the panel. His good eye squinted and he licked his lips. Soon, a bright light pulsated from the tip of his horn. It connected with both the panel and the crystal. Rainbow and the others watched as Flynn concentrated through the shard, zapping the panel's cables with various alternating frequencies of magical energy.

About a minute into the ordeal, a bright light flickered across the glass sheet of the panel. Kepler and Logan gasped as a vibrant array of random colors and spectral chaos rippled across the otherwise dormant surface. It lit up the entire lobby with static confusion.

"Well, I'll be damned..." Logan exhaled.

"My starrs and garrterrs!"

"Where..." Rainbow Dash blinked. "...are the colors coming from?"

"From inside the panel," Flynn muttered, sweating as he applied more magic and magnified the kaleidoscopic randomness. "Following Seraphimus' suggestion, I tried firing mana-energy into the contacts. What you are currently witnessing is the result."

"But... but I don't understand any of it," Rainbow Dash said. "What the heck are we seeing?"

"Absolutely nothing," Flynn said. "Because this device was never built to process the input I'm giving it." He leaned back, dimming his horn and the crystal. The glossy panel went black in an instant. "But the Angels? Back in the day, they must have had this thing attached to a computational matrix that relayed information to anyone and everyone."

"So..." Kepler scratched his chin. "...they had an inforrmational brroadcasting system?"

"Looks like it." Flynn floated the panel back in place and nodded towards Seraphimus. "Way to go, murder chicken."

Seraphimus breathed hotly out the side of her beak. "You are welcome."

"So..." Logan folded his forelimbs. "...whatever happened to your dying need to fly off on your own... and die?"

Rainbow looked as Seraphimus.

"I..." Seraphimus lingered. "...appear to have gotten distracted."

Rainbow looked at Logan.

"Hmmm..." He smirked warmly. "...I guess cryptology loves company, huh?"

Seraphimus was silent.

Rainbow made to say something—

"Rainbow Dash!" Swooosh! Ariel flew into the lobby from the dimly-lit world outside. "There you are! Quick! You gotta come see—" She froze in place, glancing aside at Seraphimus.

"It's okay, Ariel," Rainbow Dash said. "Tell us what's up, girl."

Ariel gulped. "Well..." She finally peeled her eyes off Seraphimus and looked at Rainbow again. "It's Wildcard. He... we found something."

"What kind of something?"

"Just..." Ariel shivered slightly as she gestured at the group as a whole. "...come and look, alright? Please..."

Minutes later...

Sw-Sw-Swooosh!

Rainbow Dash, Seraphimus, and Kepler glided, descending towards a small courtyard suspended between four tightly-packed buildings. Logan and Flynn had to stay up above on the higher roads with the wagon.

The group touched down in unsettling darkness. There were at least five layers of platforms and suspended roads above them, obscuring the dim twilight. They had to squint to see where Ariel was—but at last they spotted her hovering besides the entrance to one of the skyscrapers' mid-floors.

Rainbow Dash glanced at Seraphimus... then slowly rubbed her Loyalty pendant. The ruby lightning bolt brightened, illuminating the path ahead in a fuchsia spotlight. Slowly, the three joined Ariel in entering the building.

Inside, the lobby was extra dusty. Debris had been strewn about, and the otherwise immaculate furniture had been knocked and thrown around—as if by a great cataclysm.

At last, Rainbow's pendant glinted off a pair of cold lenses. She illuminated the dark figure of Wildcard, situated in the corner.

"Okay, Double-Yoo..." Ariel took a deep breath. "...show 'em."

Wildcard gave the group one somber look. Then—with a flick of Bard's staff—he overturned a fallen piece of shelving...

...exposing a pile of mangled skeletons.

Seraphimus blinked. Hard.

Kepler's tusked jaw hung agape.

Rainbow Dash—meanwhile—peered harder. She stepped forward, shining her pendant over the calcified pile of remains.

Bone by bone, Rainbow's harmonic light revealed multiple branching joints... and elongated snouts.

Equines. With wings.

"Well..." Rainbow gulped. "...at long last, we meet."

Bones, Them Dry Bones

"Well..." Fluttershy nervously glided over the skeletal remains with a somber expression. "...I can tell you this much." She looked at Rainbow and the others. "They're very much real."

"Hmmmmm..." Rainbow Dash sat back, rubbing her chin.

Ariel cocked her head. "What are they saying, Rainbow?"

"Fluttershy confirms that they're the real deal," Rainbow said.

Logan droned. "You honestly think this shit would have been faked?"

Kepler chided. "Brrotherr..."

"It looks as though they were all brought here," Flynn said. "Like a burial pile." He looked at the others. "In Stone Prefecture. At the lair of the dredge pirates. They did that after murdering the local villagers."

"No..." Seraphimus shook her head. She commented from where she stood by the entrance to the building. "...I believe this was exactly where they died."

"How do you figure?" Ariel asked.

Seraphimus pointed. "You found the debris covering them here, yes?"

Wildcard nodded.

"Look at the direction everything has fallen in." Seraphimus' talon outlined the scene from afar. "Away from the opening. Like a blast wave."

Logan's brow furrowed. "You think something from directly outside killed them all?"

"Isn't it rather obvious by the evidence gathered? Even their bodies are predominantly strewned inward from the direction of the entrance."

Wildcard gestured at Rainbow Dash: "She has a point."

Rainbow looked aside at Rarity. "Can you sense anything to suggest that something blasted its way inside?"

"If you're asking if I detect any burn marks, the answer is no," Rarity said. "This place is simply too old for me to tell sheer aging from actual thermal damage. However..." She pointed at the entrance. "...several strips of metal reinforcing is bent inward from the outside. That seems to support the idea of a deadly force invading the room."

"I can't help but notice that none of the ponies' bones are broken," Twilight Sparkle said. "I don't think these poor souls were rounded up and executed by an identifiable foe. This had to have been some sort of cataclysmic event that extinguished their lives."

"Like an explosion?" Pinkie Pie squeaked.

"Reckon we're all bettin' on the Sunderin', Pinkie," Applejack said.

"Ohhhhhhhhh..." Pinkie's brow furrowed. "...so a biggggggg explosion."

Applejack sighed. "Sure, why not."

"Those poor ponies," Fluttershy murmured. Her ghostly eyes glistened in the light from Rainbow's pendant. "It must have been a horrible, agonizing way to lose one's life." She sniffled slightly. "See the small ones...?"

"Children," Twilight said, nodding.

"Entire families must have come here, huddling in a desperate attempt to survive." Fluttershy squeaked. "They all perished together."

Around this time, Logan looked over at Seraphimus. "You're suddenly rather quiet," he whispered.

"I've said my part," the griffin quietly droned, eyes on Rainbow Dash. "For the moment."

"Uh huh..." Logan nodded. "...or maybe you've realized—like we all have—how we're not supposed to interrupt Rainbow Dash when she's 'listening' to her friends."

Seraphimus squinted at Logan. "I beg your pardon?"

He smirked to himself. "Almost as if you finally believe they're hovering all around her, unheard and unseen."

Seraphimus' beak clenched. She folded her arms in a huff, remaining silent.

"Still..." Twilight Sparkle went on, shaking her head. "These ponies are like nothing I've ever seen before."

"Do tell..." Rarity cooed.

"Just... the shape of their skeletons..." Twilight pointed. "Look at their skulls!"

Fluttershy floated in. "Their craniums aren't exactly that strange, Twilight," she commented. "Alicorns and Eucorns have narrow snouts. Also—there are the indigenous horses of Saddle Arabia."

"You're not wrong, but these skulls appear to be even narrower."

Fluttershy nodded. "You're not wrong..."

"And the curvature of their spine and their elongated tails..." Twilight clenched her teeth. "Almost feline, in a way..."

"How long are those wingspans?" Rarity asked.

Applejack fidgeted. "Ain't this gettin' a bit creepy? I mean... this is practically a grave here."

"It's a treasure trove, AJ!" Pinkie Pie remarked. "At least where Dashie's journey is concerned!"

"Rainbow...?" Applejack looked at their anchor. "...how do ya figure we should proceed, sugarcube?"

Rainbow Dash leaned back, rubbing her chin in thought. This time, the Herald were gazing at her with patient curiosity. At last, she muttered: "We gotta get a closer look." She glanced aside. "Flynn?"

"Right." The unicorn trotted forward. His horn glowed, adding to Rainbow's harmonic luminescence.

Slowly, a particularly large skeleton rose from the middle of the pile. In Flynn's delicate control, it "stood up" in mid air, stretching out to the extent of its joints.

"Guhhhhh..." Ariel shivered, clinging to Wildcard as she watched. "Goddess that's unnerving."

"I'm amazed that the bones are all clinging together still," Logan said.

"They're not," Seraphimus said coldly. "The fossil is so old that any remaining tendons or cartilage are long gone. Your unicorn friend is simply keeping it all together with remarkable precision."

"Wow..." Flynn sweated, concentrating. "...the compliments that I live for..."

"Easy, brrotherr..." Kepler stepped closer to the floating skeleton. He scratched his chairy chin and studied the specimen through his spectacles. "Hmmmm... extra ribs..."

"More than a pegasus?" Ariel remarked.

"Indeed." Kepler nodded. "Probably to house larger lungs... maybe a double-heart..."

"Double-heart?" Rainbow Dash blinked. "What the hay for?"

"Greater pulmonary strength... perhaps for added endurance." Kepler gestured to Flynn. "If you could, frriend, extend the wings to their full span."

"Finally!" Rarity remarked.

"Doing it..." Flynn sweated as he stretched the wing joints out.

To everypony's surprise, the wings almost touched the edges of the room.

"Holy crap..." Logan blinked. "...these suckers could glide."

"They could do farr morre than that!" Kepler said. "This confirrms my suspicion!" He pointed at where the wings connected to the body. "The upper spine must have been rreinforrced with five times the muscle strrength than moderrn pegasi! The extrra lung capacity and biggerr hearrt would have been absolutely rrequirred to maintain motorr functions."

"Soooooooooo..." Rainbow Dash leaned in.

"Ach..." Kepler adjusted his spectacles. "These pegasi could actually fly. They did not rrely on pony magic... not like the winged equines do today."

"Wow..." Twilight Sparkle exhaled.

"I guess these guys wouldn't have had that bad of a time navigating the Grand Choke," Rainbow Dash said. "Or other environments bereft of magic."

"Prrecisely," Kepler said with a nod.

"With wings that big..." Ariel winced. "...it must have been a painful existence."

"Not quite." Kepler shuffled closer. "Flynn, if you would bend the left wing inward?"

"Uhhhhh..." Flynn's mechanical eye rotated as he contemplated that.

"Just go about it geometrrically..."

Flynn shrugged. The group watched as he telekinetically folded the left wing. A glint of light caught a stubby bone sticking out from the rest of the limb, situated along the upper joint of the wing.

"Therre...!" Kepler pointed. "A vestigual digit!"

"Oh! Cool!" Ariel nodded. "Like extra hooves!"

"I suspect that—when grrounded—the Angels used these to move arround and rrest theirr bodies, all the while supporrting the weight of theirr folded limbs." He gestured at the room around them. "Judging frrom theirr civilized surrroundings, I imagine they did not have much need forr flying. They likely spent the bulk of theirr days 'trrotting' on all six limbs."

"Incredible..." Twilight grinned. "...if only we had a haunted sketchbook! I would love to record all this data!"

"No doubt these were beautiful creatures while they were still alive," Fluttershy said. "It's just... so sad..."

"Hey Keps..." Ariel trotted closer to the wyvern and unicorn. "What about their tails?"

"Ach... I couldn't help but starre at them."

"Let's stare a bit closer, huh?" Rainbow looked at Flynn. "Try stretching it out."

Flynn did so, licking his lips as he focused on the precise movement.

Everypony's eyes shifted as the tail stretched and stretched and stretched and—

Logan whistled. "Damn, that's creepy."

"I would arrgue otherrwise, frriend," Kepler remarked. His scorpion stinger coiled and uncoiled. "I believe that they werre rratherr useful."

Wildcard gestured something.

Rainbow blinked. "Uhhhh... Jordan? I don't recognize that word."

"'Looks prehensile'," Ariel interpreted.

"So... these guys had yet another limb?" Rainbow stammered.

Flynn magically twisted and rotated the tail-in-question around. "Looks pretty natural to me," he said. "Provided the muscles and tendons all played along, this thing could have rotated and twisted in many directions."

"What's that?" Seraphimus stated.

Logan glanced over. "What's what?"

Seraphimus pointed at the very end of the tail. "That. The growth situated at the rear. It doesn't look like normal bone."

Kepler and Rainbow Dash simultaneously craned their necks.

Flynn attempted to stretch the tip of the tail out. Suddenly—and to everypony's surprise—the magical field of telekinesis brightened at the rearmost bone. For a few moments it appeared as theough the tail-tip itself was glowing. Upon further inspection, Rainbow and her friends understood why.

"It's... alicornia..." Fluttershy remarked.

Applejack did a double-take. "Beg yer pardon?"

"It's the same substance contained in unicorn horns," Twilight Sparkle clarified.

"Good heavens!" Rarity remarked.

"Wait a second..." Rainbow Dash grimaced. "...you mean to say that the ancient pegasi had unicorn horns in their tails?"

"Holy crud!" Pinkie Pie grasped her muzzle. "They mastered fart magic!"

Twilight Sparkle face-hoofed.

"That..." Kepler blinked. "...is something I did not expect."

"Seems as though the Angels were no less magical than modern day ponies after all," Twilight remarked. "In fact... they were clearly more magical."

"So... let's think about this for a minute..." Rainbow Dash leaned back, staring at the illuminated bone structure. "These dudes had wings... and they had the ability to harness magic. Soooooo..." She blinked at the others. "...what made them any different from alicorns?"

The ghostly mares exchanged curious faces.

"I would venture to guess that they weren't nearly as powerful," Twilight Sparkle said. "If nothing else, it would possibly explain why alicorns took on the form that they did when they met the first sapient races of this plane."

"Hmmmm..." Rainbow looked at Kepler. "Hey. Keps. Are there any advantages of having a unicorn horn in your forehead over having one on your butt?"

Flynn's good eye twitched. "You're asking him?"

"Therre's a rratherr simple hypothesis, rreally..." Kepler gestured. "With the naturre of all living and thinking things..." He gestured to his own forehead. "The forrwarrd chakrras arre farr betterr suited forr perrceiving and alterring the perrceivable worrld thrrough dirrect thought. Perrhaps—at one time—therre was an evolutionarry advantage forr the angels possessing alicorrnia at the tips of theirr prrehensile tails..."

"It's like they had extra-long limbs that reached telekinetically past their physical limits," Ariel said.

"Indeed." Kepler nodded. "But alicorrns like the Mountain Matrron? Theirr design is farr morre suited to theirr almost limitless harrmonic prrowess. All that alicorrns can manipulate and do is almost dirrectly in sync with theirr potential thought prrocesses. That—of courrse—isn't the only rreason forr theirr superriorr magical abilities, but—ach—this is as farr as it gets frrom a biology lecturre hall..."

Rainbow looked at Twilight. "Remember what I once learned, Twilight? That the reason the major races of ponies in Equestria exist is that—long ago—alicorns like Luna and Celestia helped split the genetic lineage of ponies into the three main sects?"

Twilight nodded. "How could I not?"

"Well... here we have it..." Rainbow gestured at the floating skeleton. "In the Angels—there're the blueprints for unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies. All in one ancient gift bag."

"It's... all starting to make sense..." Twilight shuddered. "The alicorns came from the Harmonic Plains and found the Angels nearly-dead on a derelict, Sundered plane. They manifested themselves in an approximate form, then gifted the Angels harmony, light, and sustenance." She pointed with a ghostly hoof. "Then—to assure genetic diversity and greater survivability—they promoted the tripartite mutation into earth, unicorns, and pegasi."

"Also horses and zebras and mules and donkeys and sirens and sarosians..." Pinkie Pie rolled. "But hey!" She grinned. "Who's counting?!"

"But here we have the original," Fluttershy remarked. "The very first pony." She smiled slightly. "Who would ever have thought that we'd see it for what it originally was?"

"I have seen this before," Rainbow Dash murmured.

Rarity looked over. "You have?"

Rainbow nodded somberly, her eyes reflecting the skeleton. "Ilrifa," she said.

Truth Is Out There

Wildcard's headcrest rose and fell with apprehension. He cocked his head to the left... then to the right. Finally—as he perched on a dormant metal vehicle—he looked at the other two members of his "group" and hand-signed.

"It's just your imagination, Double-Yoo," Logan replied, staring across a suspended platform between buildings of the timeless city. "Unless this place is secretly harboring an immortal string section, I seriously doubt you're hearing any music."

Wildcard clenched his beak shut. Mulling.

"It isn't wise to ignore Jordan's intuition," Seraphimus stated, leaning against a metal structure a few paces away. "No matter how seemingly inane."

"You've ignored your former colleagues' advice pretty damn hard," Logan countered. "To have gotten this far..."

Seraphimus sighed. "Are we not supposed to be 'scouring the city' for more clues concerning the past?"

"Hell no!" Logan spat. He leaned on the hilt of his axe. "You think my fat ass can move from one level to another that quickly?"

"Then..." Seraphimus raised an eyecrest. "...what is our 'group' pretending to do right now?"

"What, are you retarded? The others are doing the 'searching.' Us? We're guarding your grimdark sorry-ass!"

Wildcard smirked ever so slightly.

Seraphimus blinked at them. "... ... ...this has got to be a joke."

"I'm staring at the only joke on the entire Dark Side right now," Logan droned. "Why go to the trouble to pack your things and leave—only to suddenly dig your heels in and linger like a Goddess-forsaken vagrant?"

"Honestly, make up your mind," Seraphimus grunted. "Do you air-breathing cretins wish for me to stay or to turn to ashes?"

"I'm here to ask you what you want, Princess Cockatiel."

Wildcard watched intently.

Seraphimus' gaze danced between the two.

"Well...?" Logan frowned. "You might be able to evade Rainbow Dash and her giggly gaggle of go-alongs, but not us, baby." His grip of the axe tightened noticeably. "Let's have it out. Right here. Right now. What are you wanting to do, exactly?"

The former Talon Commander breathed firmly. Hotly. "Is it really such a conundrum?" Her headfeathers tightened. "I want justice for Verlaxion..."

"And...?"

"Justice for my family," she spat.

"Then why aren't you smoking our asses?" Logan grunted. "You had your chance when we battled the death wyrm."

"... ... ..."

Wildcard gestured: "Maybe not all justice is paid for in blood."

Seraphimus' gaze flickered to him. "Is it not? Just what did your beloved friend pay back at the world's edge?"

Wildcard's metal knuckles tightened.

"Lady, we all want the same thing."

Seraphimus looked at Logan. "And just what is that?"

"Answers," Logan said. "Meaning. Something to legitimize the fact that we all threw our asses over the Edge to protect a voice-cracking pipsqueak with a fruity mane. Something to prove that Mortuana, Axan, and Bard didn't give their lives in vain."

"A catharsis over abandoning your only daughter?"

Wildcard winced.

Logan breathed calmly. "Sure. That too. But I'm not the only desperate soul here." His dark brown eyes narrowed. "You couldn't avenge your Goddess and family in blood. So... that only leaves understanding."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Do I?" Logan bore a bittersweet smirk. "Don't I know that we've butted heads for so long that we all realize it's a load of bullshit? Don't I know that you've had your tailfeathers royally owned by the Austraeoh so often and so religiously that slaying her just won't make existence all nice and shiny in your eyes?"

Wildcard grinned.

Seraphimus saw his expression. She sighed. "I realized—long ago—that she was beyond my faculty to combat her blighted strengths..."

"Yeah! Back when she smoked your Talon crew before joining us at Wyvern Point!" Logan said. "And what did you do then?"

Seraphimus stared at them blankly.

Wildcard suddenly interjected with swift hand-motions: "You went seeking answers. It brought you to Chandler."

A surly growl escaped Seraphimus' beak. "That turned out to be a wild goose chase."

"No..." Logan shook his head. "Verlax stuck her ugly mug in and sabotaged all the work you and Keris had accomplished to unveil the putrid conspiracy leeching off the Council at Frostknife."

Seraphimus went silent.

"She knew that you were just one or two trials away from rocking her world... from shattering the narrative that she had set in icy stone centuries ago," Logan firmly said. "So she pulled off a 'miracle.' With one pre-programmed conversation from one of her stupid frost golems, she set back your progress by hundreds of miles." He gestured. "She got the Council to elect an inept strawman into executive office... and suddenly the top brass of Rohbredden returned to its boneheaded dogmatism... willing to chase a pegasus to the ends of the earth when its own ponies were being attacked by windigoes."

Silence.

Seraphimus slumped further against the structure, gazing blankly down the suspended platform.

"Verlax used you, lady," Logan muttered. "As far as she was concerned, you lived out the end of your bargain. What's more, she expected you to honor it to the bitter end. She wanted you to die at the World's End. But—thanks to Rainbow Dash—you didn't. So... here you are now..." Logan pointed. "...in a forsaken world of blight and shadows. And—you know what? You're seeking answers yet again. Just like you did back when you nearly took down the Consortium. Only now...?" He shook his head. "Now there is no Verlax to throw a wrench in your path to understanding... unless, of course, you choose to listen to the Verlax living inside of you."

Seraphimus ran a talon over her crest feathers. Her next breath was a shuddering one. "I h-had all the answers I needed until my Goddess was slain."

Wildcard gestured: "The answers you needed?" He allowed a pause to sink in. "Or the answers you wanted?"

Seraphimus said nothing.

Logan looked at her, then at Wildcard. He sighed. "Come on, Double-Yoo..." He stood up and trotted off, hauling his axe. "Let's go check on the wagon. The only thing that can sort her out is herself."

With a gaze lingering on the former Commander, Wildcard nevertheless followed the other Heraldite.

Seraphimus sat alone, surrounded by fossils and debris, encased in the shadows of agelessness.

When she finally looked up, it wasn't with an expression of clarity... but rather that of sudden curiosity. Her beak hung open slightly as her headcrest raised in contemplation.

"I... do hear music..." Her charcoal brown eyes darted left... then right. The air danced with the ghostly hint of violin strings. "... ... ...what in Goddess' name...?"

Lesson In Urohringr Biology

"Keps...?" Rainbow Dash leaned her head aside while her eyes remained locked on the fossilized mess in front of her. "...I'm waiting."

"Be patient, Rainbow Dash," Twilight Sparkle chided.

Rainbow Dash clenched her jaw tight. Nevertheless, she squirmed as she waited for the wyvern to provide an assessment.

The Heraldite in question paced back and forth. His scorpion tail curled and uncurled thoughtfully with each movement his limbs made. The scrapes of his claws against a metal floor echoed across the walls of a massive chamber stretching for meters and meters into darkness.

Ariel and Flynn stood off to the side, silent—but anxious.

Rainbow's marefriends hovered quietly in place. They watched, blinking with curious eyes.

"Hrrrmmmm..." Kepler finally scuffled to a stop. He scratched his chin while his spectacles reflected a smattering of enigmatic biomasses lingering in a discordant pile before the group. "Mmmm... quite..." At last, he pointed with a claw. "There are at least six species of non-equine situated here."

"No friggin' way," Ariel murmured. Her fuzzy brow furrowed. "So they're not all ponies?"

"Morre to the point—a good deal of the specimens situated herre simply do not belong to the Angels whose rremains we discoverred up above." He pointed at several varying examples. "Thrree of them arre mammalian, but theirr skeletal strructurre dynamically contrrasts with ponykind. Two of them appearr to be bipedal..." He pointed at other fossils. "One rresembles the spinal strructurre of a rreptile. And those? Those appear to be inverrtebrrates..."

"Invertebrates?" Ariel stammered.

"Their skeletons are external," Flynn droned.

"Meaning...?"

"Insects. Arachnids. Crustaceans..."

Ariel blanched visibly. "Bugs? That big?!?"

"My goodness!" Rarity looked over at Fluttershy. "Is that even possible?"

"I've... seen large specimens of butterflies and moths along the edge of the Everfree Forest," Fluttershy remarked. She then gulped. "But this...?"

"Show me one of the 'invertebrates,'" Rainbow Dash said.

Kepler pointed at a dust-laden husk. Rainbow Dash stepped closer. Her eyes narrowed as she observed the flaking, yellow'd facsimile of a segmented shell. Porous tubes—the scant remains of limbs—lay in a loose pile beneath open holes in the vacant carapace.

"Sooooooo... what?" Rainbow's ears twitched. "Were these someponies' pets?"

"Those are some bigass pets," Flynn remarked. "Aren't there more of them lying around?"

"Ach..." Kepler nodded. "I do believe this place is quite rripe with non-equine specimens." He pointed to the far end of the chamber, beyond the range of Flynn's glowing horn. "Therre appearrs to be an assorrtment of rremains off in the corrnerr."

"What?" Rainbow craned her neck. "You mean those dusty blankets over there?"

"I do not believe those arre blankets, Rrainbow One," Kepler said. "They arre most definitely comprrised of bio-tissue. And judging frrom the carrtiligenous corres that arre still intact, I suspect those crreaturres once possessed respectable-sized centrral nerrvous systems... fitting forr highly-complex intelligence."

"Sounds like cephalopods," Fluttershy remarked.

"Sounds like..." Rainbow Dash blinked awkwardly at her. "...cephalopods?"

"Ach!" Kepler nodded. "An unknown forrm of squid orr octopi. Terrrestrrial, even. Quite fascinating..."

"Wait wait wait..." Ariel waved her forelimbs. She gawked at the group. "Now... what in the hell are giant bugs and land-walking squid doing in a City of Angels?"

"Probably thrashin' it under the bridge!" Pinkie chirped.

Flynn spoke up: "That's what I was trying to get at..." He turned and gestured at the large, dim interior. "...there's so many non-ponies here. And such a large variety of species too. Is it any strange coincidence that this is the largest and widest building we've discovered so far?"

"Uhm..." Applejack scratched her chin. "...reckon it's a zoo?"

"Isn't the answer plain and simple?" Ariel shrugged. "These are just the remains of countless generations of Dark Side creatures that wandered in, trying to feast on the dead bodies."

"Ariel, the ponies who perished here did so eons ago," Rainbow Dash said. "And they laid here dormant and untouched for centuries. If an ecosystem survived—much less thrived—I doubt it chose to fester in this graveyard of all places." She waved a hoof nebulously towards the ceiling. "I'd say the first generations of living things started closer to the surface—where there's more light."

"I am with the Austrraeoh on this assumption," Kepler said.

"So... what, then?" Ariel grimaced. "All of these creepy-crawly things actually lived here with the Angels?"

"Is that really so friggin' hard to believe?" Rainbow looked up, shining her pendant's light on the high wall looming over the darkened chamber. The "Urohringr" symbol lingered above the rows of seats, furniture, and dormant glass displays. "I'm willing to bet this was some sort of meeting center."

"Meeting center?" Ariel murmured.

"Of course!" Twilight Sparkle's ghostly tail flicked. "A gathering place for multiple cultures to meet!"

Rainbow looked back at the other Heraldites. "Assuming that a ring of Urohringr was made up of twelve planes... and there were—perhaps—dozens of other rings..." She shrugged. "...isn't it stupidly erogenous to think it was only populated by ponies?"

"Well said, darling," Rarity said. "But I think the word you're looking for is 'egocentric.'"

Rainbow's eartips went red. "I know what I said..."

Ariel hovered slowly over the slew of fossilized bodies. "I... guess it would explain why they're all lying here so helter-skelter." She gulped. "If some cataclysmic event like the Sundering knocked them all dead, then they'd be scattered no less randomly than they are right now."

"That's... very sad," Fluttershy said, her ears drooping. "I doubt anyone who was here when the Sundering happened expected it at all." She sniffled slightly. "They were likely far from home on some errand or another. Now they're forever separated from their families on other planes of Urohringr."

"You never know, Fluttershy," Applejack said. She rested a ghostly hoof on the mare's shoulder. "Perhaps they lived here just like the Angels did." A bittersweet smile. "They coulda died alongside their best friends."

"It's still so tragic..." Fluttershy weathered a shuddering sigh. "They didn't even get a proper burial."

Ariel lingered above a pair of similar-looking skeletons. They possessed exceptionally long spines and round skulls. "Rainbow, look."

Rainbow hovered alongside her.

"Trolls...?" Ariel suggested.

"Mmmmm..." Rainbow shook her head. "Nah. Not goblins either. These things are way too tall."

"Remember that really big thing in the sketches we saw back in Darkreach?" Ariel remarked. "Maybe it's them."

"Their... rib-cages are too narrow." Rainbow sighed. "I dunno, Ariel. Who the hay knows what any of these things would have looked like back in the day." A gulp. "...or if any of them may have survived."

"Well, obviously they did," Twilight said.

Rainbow looked at her.

"Back in Val Roa," Twilight continued. "You met goblins there."

"Yeah!" Applejack nodded. "And talkin' turtles back in Alafreo!"

"Oooh!" Pinkie waved her hoof. "And masked alligators in Stratopolis!"

Twilight glared at her. "They were called naga."

"Them too!"

"My word..." Rarity brushed her bangs back, gazing into the shadows thoughtfully. "...are we meaning to suggest that so many intelligent species somehow made it from the Dark Side over to the Light?"

"Or perhaps they were always living on the Light Side as well," Twilight said with a shrug. "When the alicorns arrived, they appealed to ponies and non-ponies alike. It's just that they apparently met the ancient pegasi first."

"Right." Applejack nodded. "Maybe them 'Angel folk' were livin' on the Light Side also."

"It just ended up being a flip of the coin!" Pinkie Pie said. "Or... in this case... the flip of a really weirdly-curved... uhm..." Her eyes squinted one after another. "...salted potato chip?"

"Soooo..." Rainbow Dash exhaled through her nostrils as she gazed at the mass of bodies. "...Urohringr was essentially a giant floating apartment complex in space." She pivoted about on blurring wings. "This was just the 'pegasus district.' And they had visitors... some of whom are still here today..."

"Indeed." Kepler nodded. "I would venturre to say that the past is becoming morre and morre clearr."

"I wonder..." Rainbow's words trailed off.

Twilight craned her neck. "What, Rainbow?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow's lips pursed. "... ... ...what if it wasn't ponies who were responsible for the Sundering?"

The ghostly mares exchanged glances.

"Hey!" Flynn's voice echoed loudly from the far end of the chamber. "Keps!" His light wobbled. "Come take a look at this!"

"Hrrmm?" Kepler craned his neck. He flapped his wings and glided over. Rainbow and Ariel followed shortly behind.

Flynn was hunched over an overturned slab of metal. He looked back at the rest of the Herald, then used his telekinesis to lift the debris completely out of the way. In so doing, he uncovered a crumpled skeleton of a large feline... except that it had wings... and a segmented tail that curled up into a glossy black stinger.

"!!!" Kepler jolted to a stop, his glasses nearly falling off. "My..." He straightened the spectacles as a pale gleen rolled over his mane. "...starrs and garrterrs."

"Uhhhh..." Ariel blinked. "Someone you know, Kepler?"

"I..." Kepler grimaced through his tusks. "...cannot say that I do."

Rainbow hovered above the fossil. She measured it with her forelimbs, then held the same fetlocks in front of Kepler. "Kinda bigger than you, bro."

"A manticore?" Ariel suggested.

"No... too small..." Kepler gulped. "Also..." He pointed at the skull.

"...what?" Ariel asked blankly.

"There aren't any tusks," Rainbow said.

"Rright..." Kepler breathed. "They didn't brreak off eitherr. Look at the constrruction of the jaws. They simply did not forrm."

Rainbow looked at him. "Is that natural?"

"The averrage wyverrn's testosterrone is rresponsible forr grrowing the mane and tusk well into the second yearr," Kepler said. "And this is no body of a child."

"Yeah, and?" Ariel glanced at the others.

"Ariel, this was a female," Flynn said.

The pegasus did a double-take. "Holy shit..." She gawked at Kepler. "But... how...?"

Kepler sighed, leaning back. "This is a verry... verry old specimen, indeed." He looked at Rainbow Dash. "It is a glimpse into the past... when we werre evidently still vibrrant and self-sustaining."

"Well..." Rainbow shrugged, bearing a weak smile. "Kinda snazzy to know that our great-great-great grandparents possibly enjoyed pizza and game nights together."

"Ha-ha!" Kepler sounded off, then exhaled. "Goddess, it hurrts to laugh in this place..."

"Frickin' crazy..." Ariel looked at Flynn. "...was this guy alone?"

"Well..." Flynn grunted, yanking more slabs of debris away with his horn. "...that remains to be seen—"

Gossamer strands flew into his face, followed shortly after a mess of needle-thin legs.

"Gaaah! Buck!" Flynn leapt backwards, flailing.

Fluttershy and Rarity yelped.

Rainbow steeled herself as—

Th-Thunk!

—the shriveled-up corpse of a ceature rocked to a stand-still, half-covered in snow-white silk. A flailing bed of webbing waved in the air, then settled still. With the debris gone, an entire portion of the room had been exposed to the magical light, and it was filled to the brim with intertwined bands of ivory biomatter.

"... ... ..." Rainbow Dash relaxed in mid-hover. As Flynn trembled, she and Ariel ascended further, gazing at the new mess.

There were more corpses here—but they all belonged to the same species, each fitted with eight-legs curled upwards, frozen in necrotic time. The light from Rainbow's pendant glinted off cold colorless bristles of hair and multiple rows of eyes—like black pearls that gazed past her and the rest of the Herald.

"Huh..." Kepler blinked. "They'rre spiderrs—"

"YOU THINK?!?!" Flynn barked, continuing to brush and bat at himself with shaking fetlocks. "Rnnnnggh—grnnngh! Guh!"

"I was merrely stating—"

"How 'bout being even more obvious than you usually are!" Flynn hissed, still squirming and shaking. "Like—'Harrrrk frrrriends! They'rrre ten foot long frrrrrickin' giant spiderrrrs!!!"

Ariel squinted at the bald stallion. "You okay, there, buddy?"

"I'm fine!!!"

Applejack whistled. "On fire like he's fixin' to exterminate all pants that ever lived."

"It's okay, dude," Rainbow Dash droned. "We all have our phobias. I'm not a huge fan of pie, myself."

Pinkie gave her a double-take. "Since when?!?"

"I'm not phobic!" Flynn huffed and puffed, his hornlight shaking. "I'm a member of the Herald! Austraeoh's Eljunbyro! I can d-deal with it!"

"Just chillax, Flynn," Ariel said, stifling a giggle. "For Pete's sake. It's been dead for thousands and thousands of—"

The very tip of the closest fossil's left fang shifted left... shifted right... then stopped.

"... ... ...years." Ariel's eyes shrank to pinpricks.

The rest of the group went dead silent.

Action Is Its Reward

"Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaay... soooooooooooooo..." Pinkie Pie looked at the gawking expressions of her fellow marefriends. "Did anypony else see that?"

"This, uh..." Flynn backtrotted, pale and sweating. He pointed a shakey hoof at the curled-up arachnid. "...this shit is fresh."

"Don't be crazy," Rainbow Dash droned. Her ears twitched, and she looked aside at Kepler. "Keps? Is he crazy?"

"It is not uncommon forr the nerrvous systems of inverrtebrrates to rrespond autonomously to stimuli long afterr perrishing... howeverr..." Kepler slowly shook his head. "...this is farr... farr too lengthy of a time perriod to possibly fit the equation."

"Could... I have... I-I mean we have just..." Rainbow gulped. "...imagined it?"

Silence.

"Guess there's one way to find out..." Ariel drifted closer to the giant, curled-up specimen. She reached a hoof out... paused... looked back at the group... then reached down to grab a loose piece of metal. Holding her breath, she floated closer and closer to the arachnid's fossil.

Rainbow, Kepler, and a teeth-chattering Flynn watched in anxious unison.

Ariel bet her lip. Gripping the metal shard in crook of her hoof, she aimed its other end... and poked the giant spider's exoskeleton.

Nothing happened. The thing was too weighted to even budge from the contact.

So, holding her breath even tighter, Ariel reached further and poked its curled leg-joints.

A limb shifted ever so slightly from her touch, but leaned back into place once the contact was over.

Ariel exhaled. Casually, she stuck the end of the metal rod past the specimen's frozen pedipalps.

Twin fangs spontaneously closed shut around the metal plank. SNAP! It broke in half from the hairy bite.

"AACK!" Ariel flew back into Rainbow Dash.

Cl-Claaaaaaang! The two halves of the metal rod fell to the floor.

The Herald backed away from the scene. As the heart-pounding seconds rolled by, they realized that the echo of the falling debris hadn't stopped. Instead, it lingered... extended... and persisted with unnatural acoustical strength.

Raaaaaaaaaaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaang!

The group looked all around, eyes wide and uncertain.

"There it is!" Pinkie Pie gasped excitedly. "Just like what I was hearing earlier!" Frowning, she spun and slapped Rarity upside the scalp. "See?!"

"Ow—!"

"I told all of you girls I was hearing something earlier!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "Just like music!"

Rarity grasped her skull. "But why are you h-hitting me?!"

"Because your mane is the flounciest!" Pinkie slapped her scalp again. "It's like the interrobang that we all need in freaky situations like this!"

"Quit it, darling—!"

"Shhhhhh!" Rainbow Dash insisted. She cocked her head aside. "Listen!"

Hesitantly, the group did as they were told. The ringing echo shook, wobbled, and mutated. Soon, it reached a faint pitch, resembling a distant string section of a hidden orchestra. Like violins quivering in the darkness.

"Rainbow..." Twilight hovered closer. She pointed and whispered. "Look!"

Rainbow's eyes scanned the far end of the room past the disturbed debris. She rubbed her pendant, and a ruby spotlight illuminated row upon row of thick silk webbing.

Flynn bit his lip hard. Sweat dripped down his face and past his mechanical eye.

At long last—after two full minutes of haunting melody—the ringing sound dwindled into nothingness. At that very same moment, the carpet of spiderwebs stopped shaking.

All was still.

Ariel and Rainbow touched down, steadying their wings.

Kepler looked around, grasping his glasses and keeping them still.

Silence in a room full of ancient corpses.

And then...

...more violins. This time from an even greater distance.

A response.

"Uhhhhhm..." Applejack began.

"Crud...!" Rainbow Dash sped out of the chamber, making a bee-line for the nearest exit.

"Huh—?!" Ariel looked all around. She clenched her teeth and flew after the petite pegasus. "Rainbow, wait!"

Flynn and Kepler scrambled up the rear.

Swooooooooosh!

Rainbow Dash flew out of the building and zipped towards the nearest edge of the suspended courtyard bordering the structure. She looked straight down, ears twitching.

She heard the sound more clearly now.

"Rainbow...!" Ariel flew up to her, panting. "What are you—?!"

"Shhhh!" Rainbow held a hoof up. Her ruby eyes narrowed. "...the music's coming from below."

"It is?" Breathless, Ariel glanced down as well. All the mares saw was the glinting bodies of building spires stretching down and down into hazy blackness. "But... but how—?"

"You and Wildcard..." Rainbow muttered. "Did either of you actually fly low enough to find the bottom of the city?" She breathed. "Like... where the skyscrapers begin at ground-level or suchcrap?"

Ariel shook her head. "No, Rainbow. We came back to fetch you as soon as we found the first skeletal remains. None of us have seen the bottom floor of this place."

The sound of scampering hooves...

...Flynn and Kepler rushed up to join the two.

"Okay..." Flynn huffed and puffed. "Do I even want to know what you're thinking right now?"

"That melody..." Kepler remarked. "...it perrsists."

Flynn gnashed his teeth. "Does it look like we're here to enjoy some sort of friggin' concert?!"

Rainbow reached a hoof out to the stallion.

Flynn's good eye blinked. "What?"

"Gimme a crystal," she muttered.

Silently, Flynn reached into his saddlebag and produced a crystalline shard. He planted it neatly in her hoof.

"Light it up," she said.

Flynn aimed his horn at the shard. After a few seconds, it glowed with mana-powered brilliance.

The Herald watched as Rainbow held the crystal out, lingered, then dropped the luminescent thing straight down through the space between the ancient spires. It cast a glinting glow across the metallic surfaces surrounding it—even as it plunged for dozens of stories... becoming a tiny bright speck against the great enormous blackness below...

...but then the blackness turned blindingly white. The glowing crystal struck something—an enormous sheet comprised of countless silken strands webbed densely together. A flouncing carpet of porous ivory biomatter shook and wobbled, fluctuating in tune with the melody wafting upwards, growing in intensity. The more the group stared, they could make out layer upon layer of webs persisting even further towards the nebulous depths lingering below.

Flynn's muzzle hung agape as his ears drooped.

Flynn and Ariel grimaced.

Rainbow stared blankly. Meanwhile—Rarity floated closer.

"Ahem... this may seem like an inopportune time to announce this, darling, but... I sense a vibration..."

Rainbow's head pivoted to face her.

"Through the buildings and platforms, I mean," Rarity clarified, trying to maintain her composure. "I didn't feel it before. Honest. But something is shaking the metal surfaces of this city and it's rising closer."

"... ... ...from where?" Rainbow wheezed.

"Multiple sources."

"How many is 'multiple?'"

Rarity could only whimper.

Rainbow turned to gawk at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy gulped... then smiled nervously. "Now miiiiiiiight be a good time to start ascending, Rainbow Dash."

"... ... ... ..." FWOOOOOSH! Rainbow Dash soared upwards. "Party's over, folks!"

"Pickemeup!Pickmeup!Pickmeup!" Flynn whimpered, flailing.

Ariel grasped him while Kepler also took wing. Very soon, the quartet soared towards the fragmented twilight above while the sound of vibrating strings intensified...

...louder and louder.

Welcome to the Party

Seraphimus paced and paced in tight, lengthy circles along the edge of a platform. Starlight from above glinted off her pale feathers.

"Hrmmm..." Logan leaned back against the parked wagon. The lunar stones and strips of chaos metal clinging to the chassis lay still and dormant. "That's the very portrait of a confused chicken over there, lemme tell ya."

Wildcard was perched atop a monolith situated in the center of the suspended courtyard. He rested Bard's staff over the back of his neck while his metal and flesh wrists rested casually over the ends of the weapon. The entire time Seraphimus paced, the Desperado's goggles reflected her every movement.

"I mean... she can't possibly be fretting over Rainbow Dash's safety," Logan muttered. He shifted in place slightly. "Not that she'd have a reason to, of course."

Wildcard exhaled. He continued to stare, acting like a silent sentry.

Logan squinted at him. "... ... ...hey, Double-Yoo."

Slowly, the griffin turned to look at the other Job Squadder.

Logan raised an eyebrow. "You think she's still going to skip off on her own?"

Wildcard hesitated. Eventually—with a sigh—he dropped the staff and caught it in his prehensile lion's tail. Using his flesh and metal talons, he gestured in response.

Logan's brow furrowed. "Really? That's a crying shame. Still..." He shrugged with a sigh. "You know her better."

Wildcard shook his head. He hand-signed.

"No way..." Logan frowned. "I've just been... y'know... bridging the gap. The Austraeoh needs to have safe passage to the Midnight Armory, and what better way to make sure of it then to eliminate all threats—even diplomatic-like?"

Wildcard swiftly responded.

"Dude..." Logan smirked. "...not even!"

Wildcard raised an eyecrest.

Logan inhaled, frowning. "You knew her before she went batshit insane. I stand by what I said."

The Desperado was still at first, but eventually he motioned a response.

Logan contemplated that. He looked at the former Commander with a thoughtful sigh. "...I don't know whether or not to be scared of that. If she is indeed 'becoming someone brand new,' then we have every reason to be worried. Cuz—who the hell knows? That could be just as bad as it could be good."

Wildcard nodded. He looked at his former associate in the distance yet again.

"But one thing's for sure..." Logan's jaw clenched. "...we did get her to think. 'Cuz this?" He pointed at her figure. "This ain't 'fakin' it.'"

Silence.

Suddenly, Wildcard flinched. He flinched again, his headfeathers ruffling. He turned to frown at Logan, then gestured sharply with his claws.

"Huh???" Logan's lips pursed. "What are you babbling about?"

Wildcard repeated himself.

"Dude. Give me the benefit of a doubt," Logan grunted. "I'm classier than that!"

Wildcard insisted.

"Ya dumbshit! I haven't eaten anything in hours!" Logan growled. "I couldn't even let one that long if I tried! Much less so... so..." He blinked, gazing off.

A very confused Desperado began looking all around with similar confusion.

"... ... ...now I hear it too," Logan muttered. "...Goddess on a pogostick, it sounds like something sprung a leak somewhere. Listen to that whining..."

FWOOSH! Rainbow and Kepler flew up from below.

Wildcard did a double-take.

"Hey! Rainbow!" Logan smirked and trotted across the length of the platform. "Say, do your wings always make a prolonged whistling sound when you fly that fast—?"

"We gotta move!" Rainbow hissed. "Out of this city! Now!"

Seraphimus flashed the group a look, stopping dead in her tracks.

Wildcard gestured: "Why? What is wrong?"

"Swiftly!" Kepler stammered, rushing towards the dormant wagon. "We must accelerrate ourr vehicle and make forr the nearrest terrrestrrial strructurre!"

Seraphimus called from a distance: "What did you stumble upon...?"

Before Rainbow or Kepler could answer, Ariel flew up with a pale and trembling Flynn in her grasp. She unceremomiously dumped the breathless stallion onto the platform before Logan.

"Flynn!" Logan blinked. "Yeesh, baldy! Looks like you ran into a spider's web!"

"Dude!" Flynn gnashed his teeth, then scampered past him. "Don't even!"

Breathless, Rainbow flashed Logan a look. "How did you know...?!"

Logan shrugged. "Ehhh... Flynn always becomes a pale sweaty mess whenever he stumbles across them creepy crawlies—" He stopped in mid-speech.

Rainbow stared back at him, eyes twitching.

"... ... ..." Logan's muscles tensed. "What the Hell did you guys find down there?"

"Flynn!" Ariel shouted from where she fiddled through the supplies on the back of the wagon. "Kepler! Get this thing started already!"

"Friggin' working on it!" Flynn snarled.

"The rest of you—quick!" Ariel panted. "Grab as many pointy-things as you can!"

Swoooosh! Wildcard swiftly flew off to join them.

"Just give me a shout once you've got that chaos metal revved up!" Rainbow hollered across the platform. "I don't wanna be conkin' out because you ran that stupid thing into my flank unannounced!"

"Rainbow, girl..." Logan marched towards her. "...an update would be peachy-keen."

"What Logan said." Seraphimus nodded, landing beside the mare. "Would you care to elaborate?"

Rainbow looked at her.

Seraphimus stared back.

A gulp, and Rainbow murmured, "It's... not too late to go solo, y'know..."

Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. "What are you facing...?" Her feathered head suddenly cocked to the side. She blinked, then stammered: "That high-pitched sound. It is no ordinary melody..."

"Something's comin' up after us..." Logan asked, reaching back for his axe. "...isn't it?"

"Rainbow, I'm so sorry!" Fluttershy stammered, floating up before the mare. "Whatever lives down there—I didn't even remotely sense it until now!"

"She's not lying, darling," Rarity said. "Whatever it is—it was hidden far below the webbing. Beyond even our senses. Something we must have done most likely alerted it to our presence..."

"But it's definitely coming," Fluttershy said. "And with alarming speed."

Rainbow nodded. Taking a breath, she looked at Logan. "We found several non-pony fossils down there. And one of them—we think—still has living brothers and sisters in the depths of the city." Her eyes narrowed. "Lots of them."

"Uh huh..." Logan gripped his axe tightly. "Judging from Flynn's reaction, I'm betting we could squash 'em."

"Orrrrrrrr..." Rainbow winced. "...they could squash us."

"It matters little," Seraphimus said coldly. "If it can leave behind a fossil, then that means—whatever it is—it can be killed."

Rainbow shook her head. "Uh huh. This calls for farting away super fast. Totes fart-time, yo."

"At least assign Jordan and Logan to form a line of defense," Seraphimus insisted. "I will assist them."

"Look, Sera—"

"Don't call me—"

"IF—" Rainbow spun towards her, glaring. "—you're actually gonna stick around, then you're going to go about this my way! And when I say we fart... we fart!"

Logan shook a rear leg.

"Thanks Big Show."

"Any time, Toots."

Seraphimus fumed. "Need I remind you who has the greater combat experience?"

"Really?! Who?!" Rainbow frowned. "The angsty quail-puss who's butt I whooped all across Rohbredden?!"

"Now sugarcube..." Applejack drifted closer. "...she's bein' mighty helpful all of a sudden. Ain't no time to be lookin' a gift horse in the—" She suddenly disappeared.

Rainbow blinked as all her friends flickered into nothingness...

...and a dragonequus wearing a tacky palm-tree t-shirt and sunglasses appeared, holding a partially folded map. "Yooooooohoooooooooooo...?" Discord shoved the shades down the hairy bridge of his nose, exposing a pale layer of sunscreen. "...am I late to the beach party?" His red-on-yellow eyes blinked. "Oh, my mistake. I meant the deathly-ghost-city-populated-by-big-dumb-objects party?"

Rainbow's eyes twitched. "Rrrrrrrrgh..." Growling, she spun around. "Flynn! Kepler! I thought I told you guys to warn me before bringing the wagon close—"

"HRESSSSSHAAAAAA!" A flying set of fangs and claws flew into Rainbow Dash from above.

"Aaaaugh!" Rainbow raised her fetlocks up at the last second. WH-WHUMP! The suicide-diving troll shoved her to the floor of the platform.

Ariel gasped from a distance. Wildcard's goggles glinted in shock.

"Rnnnngh!" Rainbow struggled and wrestled with the rabid beast. "Hnnkkkt—!"

"HRESSSSH!" The drooling creature lunged its jaws straight for her neck.

Thw-Thw-Thwoooosh! Logan's axe flew. CHUNK! It sliced into the monster's side and pinned it to a derelict vehicle off to Rainbow's side.

Rainbow gasped and sputtered into a fresh fountain of black blood. She sat up, wiped the fluid from her face, and stared up with flickering eyes.

Hundreds of pale bodies skipped and jumped their way down the height of the spires, making for the platform where the Herald was situated. While a few dozen trolls fell limply to their doom, most of them were making a successful bee-line for the mare and her friends.

The chaotic stampede would be upon them in seconds...

"Guessssssssssssssss who's coming to dinnerrrrrrrrrr?" Discord folded his arms with a glinting, fanged smirk.

The Best Web Site

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!!!" Ariel could be heard shouting beneath the salvos of banshee shrieks accompanying the descending charge above.

Rainbow grunted as she was helped up to her hooves by Big Show's strong fetlock. "Grnngh..." She shook all over like a puppy, loosening the last drops of troll blood. "Somepony please tell Ariel this is no joke."

"Pony the buck up, sweetcheeks!" Logan grunted. He trotted over and dislodged his axe from the limp, crumpled beast to the side. "We're officially stuck between a rock and a smellier place! Baldy—"

"Working on it!" Flynn snarled, his horn strobing wildly. He growled aside. "Kepler—"

"Thymmk!!!" the wyvern shouted into the wagon.

Vrmmmmmmmmm! The runic stones lit up in a bright circle. Within seconds, the chaos metal was activated.

Wildcard swung his claws savagely through the air.

"What he said!" Ariel's voice cracked as she armed herself with a sword and helmet. "Go go go go go—!"

Between the leaping trolls and the vibrating metal strips, the air was ripe with chaos. Ripples echoed in Rainbow's direction, and Discord's merry figure materialized in full force, hovering over her with a dumb grin.

"So, allow me to guess..." He aimed a "camera" at the ancient spires all around and took several noisy "photographs." "...you just waltzed into a big creepy city built in ancient times and just happened to accidentally awake some big lurking evil, hmmm?"

Rainbow gnashed her teeth as she galloped Curveside, looking all around for a solid route amongst the myriad of platforms. "Now's not the time, Discord."

He shrugged and took more flash-photography. "When is it ever the time? It's always 'Discord! I'm busy fighting a giant earthworm!' Or 'Discord! I gotta sit off to the side and brood while the rest of my corporeal companions gorge themselves on fresh meat!'"

"Flynn! Kepler!" Rainbow hollered over her shoulder. Her teeth shook from the combined cacophony of banshee shrieks and violin music. The air shook as if with a massive heartbeat. "This way!" she motioned at the distant glowing wagon. "I think if we take the left bridge at the nearest fork, it'll take us closer to the city's edge—!"

Discord floated straight down, blocking Rainbow's line of sight with his suspicious smirk. "If I didn't know better, Sparky, I'd say you were throwing yourself into dumb, chaotic situations just to shake me off."

"Grnnngh...!" Rainbow craned her neck left and right to look past his ghostly figure. "Wildcard! Ariel! I need you two to take wing and help me look for a safe escape route—!"

"OooOooOooooh!" After the latest camera flash, Discord sported black pigtails and a bright pink schoolgirl outfit. "Austraeoh-chaaaaan! Why must you be such a tease?! Stupid buckup!" He-she blinked, and then Discord looked aside at his-her right hand. "The correct cultural term is 'buckup,' right?"

His right limb transformed into a felt blue pegasus hand-puppet sporting a ninja headband. "Rrrrrrgh! I am blinded by pain and rage! Rrrrrgh—my destiny!!!"

"Logan—!" Rainbow turned, brow furrowed.

An angry hand puppet flew into her face, wielding shuriken. "BELIEVE IT!"

Growling, Rainbow punched a phasing hoof through it, then spat: "Big Show! Get to the wagon and kill anything that moves to you!"

"Awesome!" The platform shook as Logan galloped back to the chaos-driven vehicle. "Something I'm good at!"

Ariel and Wildcard streaked overhead. The female pegasus' shouting voice barely made a dent in the rising bedlam. "Rainbow! It looks like some of the trolls made it ahead of us somehow!"

Wildcard gestured at a distance. "Surrounded!"

"Crud..." Rainbow gnashed her teeth. She flew to a stop at a platform's edge and reluctantly looked down into the urban miasma. She saw countless darting, skittering shadows—accompanied by the rising tumult of scratching violin strings. "Below us... above us... before and behind..."

Swoooosh! Seraphimus flew to a hovering stop beside her. "We must choose a direction and fight through it."

"Sera—"

The griffin's eyes narrowed. "We do not need to stay here until one group is the victor. We are obviously outnumbered, so we must pick a direction to escape through and force a path thereabouts."

Discord descended until he hovered parallel to her. "Hrmmmm..." He scratched his chin, examining the former Commander. "...so you listen to the dark and brooding type, huh? Here..." He waved a talon over his face, and suddenly he was sporting pale white feathers and extra-dark eyeshadow around charcoal brown pupils. "Am I doing it right?"

Rainbow's eyes rolled. "Don't have friggin' time for this..."

Seraphimus raised an eyecrest. "Your group is in peril. What is there to afford?"

"She thinks she's got a tortured heart?!?" Discord reached deep into his chicken breast and pulled out an inky-black thing that pulsed and oozed through his paw pads. "My past is darker and blacker! Rrrrrrgh! Dead puppies and the inevitable heat death of the universe!!!"

"Shut up... just..." Rainbow clenched her skull amidst the shrieks and strings and chaos. "...I c-can't deal."

Seraphimus took a calm breath. "Whoever... whatever it is that's talking to you right now, push them away. Focus on the situation at hoof, or you will never get through it."

Rainbow glanced up at her, eyes flickered red-on-yellow. "Does this mean you believe...?"

Seraphimus' eyes reflected the flickering. Nevertheless, she breathed slowly and said, "I believe... that our best avenue of escape..." She turned and pointed behind her. "...is across that suspended street. There are less structures looming above it, which will give us a respite from the trolls descending from overhead."

Discord floated past her, lying in a rickety coffin. "It's not 'across the street,' it's 'down the alley,' you sheepherded pleb—"

Swooosh! Rainbow Dash flew through the gothic dragonequus in a windy burst. "Works for me!" She cupped her fetlocks around her muzzle and hollered to the group. "Everypony!" She motioned wildly with her forelimb. "To that bridge over there! Quick as greased lightning!"

"Verrily, Rrainbow One!" Kepler shouted from a distance. He and Flynn steered the wagon towards the spot in question. "Prreparre yourrselves, brrotherrs! Ourr enemies apprroach—"

"Hresssssssssh!" A pair of trolls landed on the platform behind them and bounded after the wagon.

"Approach this!" Logan hollered, swinging his axe low from where he sat on the back of the vehicle. THUNK! His blade embedded into the torso of one troll. Still-swinging, he smacked the other chaotic creature with the twitching body of its companion. Both corpses went sailing off the platform's edge and into the source of the rising violin strings. "Hey! Rainbow!" Logan shouted over his shoulder as more and more trolls landed on the platform behind them. "What should we do if our new friends arrive from below?!"

"Swing harder!" Rainbow shouted. She flew high, joining Ariel and Wildcard's glide. "Dudes! You see a way out of here?!"

"Bad news, Rainbow," Ariel said, gulping. "We're barely one-third of the way through the city where we're currently at."

"Fudge!" Rainbow hissed.

"Come on, Sparky..." Discord levitated upwards to join them. "You've flown east long enough. Surely by now you would have found an 'M' rating—"

Rainbow ignored him. "What if we double-backed and returned to the mountain?"

"And end up swimming neck-deep in trolls?!" Ariel grimaced. "The only reason we're here to begin with is because we needed a way to escape them!"

Wildcard swiftly gestured something.

Rainbow blinked, sweating. "I... I-I can't... My head's not f-fast enough! What did he say?"

"We can't just fly out of here, Wildcard!" Ariel retorted. "Without those supplies, we're as good as dead! Dead and naked!"

"If we have to, then so be it," Rainbow grunted.

"But—"

"I'm not going to lose the Herald just to defend a chaos wagon full of junk!" Rainbow's voice cracked.

"HRESSSSSSSHAAA!"

"Look out!" Ariel shrieked as three bodies pounced from above.

With a mute grunt, Wildcard stabbed his way through the group. His bo-staff punctured one troll's neck, and then the Desperado twirled his weapon to deflect the other two. Soon, a dozen more trolls were leaping down from a looming balcony above. The griffin spun Bard's weapon in a fan, fending them off as the three were forced to descend.

They soon joined the wagon on the long metallic bridge that Seraphimus had pointed out earlier. Flynn grinded the carriage to a halt as his natural eye reflected a line of chaotic beasts stampeding inward from Curveside. Seraphimus was already flying towards the far end of the bridge, and soon Kepler brazenly joined her, armed with a netted bag full of alchemic concoctions.

"Harrk!" Kepler's spectacles glinted as he juggled the first of many glass grenades. "We must simply clearr a path towarrds ourr objective, orr else we will be overrrun."

"We are already overrun, wyvern," Seraphimus said in a steely tone. She squared off with the shrieking, taunting trolls, sizing them up. "Allow me to do the path-clearing."

"Yourr zeal is rrefrreshing, Commanderr, albeit belated."

"Rainbow!" Ariel spontaneously yelped.

"Ah jeez..." Flynn winced from the top of the wagon...

...because Rainbow had gone limp. Less than ten seconds after landing in the middle of the bridge, her body succumbed to the proximity of the wagon's chaos metals. She sprawled across the metal, her forehead bleeding in two places as her eyes rolled back yellow and red.

"Grnkkkt... just... j-just..." Rainbow hissed, trying to keep sane and conscious. "...k-keep a d-distance..."

Ariel landed and held her tight. "Damn it!" She frowned at Flynn. "Can't you cut the juice on that shit—?"

"We'll be dead in the water if I do!" Flynn exclaimed, looking about nervously. "Just punch through the Curveside onslaught and we'll move this thing outta here—"

"Too late!" Logan hollered, raising his axe to fend off a full wave of pale flesh rushing from Edgeside. "Balls out! Time to shout!"

"Wyvern, prepare your first volley," Seraphimus snarled, then flew full-force at the smaller band of trolls guarding the Curveside half of the bridge. Swoooosh!

"Wait!" Kepler yelped, glasses rattling. "I might injurre you in the prrocess—"

"Yaaaaaaaaaaugh!" Seraphimus nevertheless threw herself at the enemy. She was less than ten feet away from clashing with their fanged maws when—

Schiiiiiing! Wildcard came up from behind with Bard's staff. He threw his former Commander into a vice grip with the weapon and flew backwards with the surly griffin in tow.

"Rrrnnngh!" Seraphimus thrashed and snarled. "Verlaxion's sleet, Jordan! Do you want your caravan to make a safe exit or—?"

He whistled shrilly. With a metal talon, he pointed at the platform's edge.

Seraphimus' charcoal eyes reflected several narrow shadows darting up from below. Sw-Sw-Sw-Swiiiiish! They threaded towards the sky with alarming speed. The starlight above was interrupted by spindly limbs, and then they twinkled just like normal again—as if nothing had ever crossed their paths.

The melody in the wind shifted, like violins mutating to dark cellos.

Logan and Flynn blinked. The stallions looked over their shoulders as even more shadows shot skyward between them and the trolls.

"Uhhhh... Baldy...?" Logan exhaled out the side of his muzzle. "...what just—?"

Thw-Thw-Thw-Thwissssh! Four silken spheres shot out of the urbanscape from opposite angles, contacting the corners of the wagon with astronomically pinpoint accuracy. Th-Th-Th-Thunk! The undercarriage was instantly covered in thick silk and slime. The lunar runes dimmed. The chaos metals overloaded. And—CLUNK!—the hovercraft fell hard to the bridge like an enormous brick.

"Auugh!" Flynn jolted, his horn fluctuating. "Sh-shit!"

Within seconds, Discord fizzled out of view. "Awwwwwww..." He pouted, fang glinting. "...and I wanted to watch, too—"

As soon as he vanished, Twilight Sparkle and the others gasped into existence.

"Rainbow Dash!"

"Dashie!"

"Sugarcube!"

"Guhhhh—!" Rainbow sucked breath into her lungs. She lay against Ariel's embrace, squinting past twin trails of blood. "Luna p-poop...!"

"Rainbow..." Fluttershy hovered closer with an anxious expression. "Uhm... they're here."

Rainbow bit her lip. Cello strings rocked the air, converging into a deep bass vibration. Her ruby eyes darted all around.

Wildcard's and Seraphimus' eyes were locked on the dormant wagon as they struggled with one another. So—when the first Curveside trolls leapt—they could only flinch.

"HRESSSSSSSSSSSSS—" Three trolls stopped dead in mid-air, their limbs frozen in place. They shook and quivered and thrashed, eerily resembling insects drowning on the surface of a pond.

Identically—on the Edgeside of the bridge—several trolls had mirrored their brothers. Now—at the apex of their pounce—they flailed in the air, shaking and quivering from unseen restraints.

"What..." Ariel blinked.

"...the Hell?" Logan finished.

Twirling about, Kepler narrowed his eyes. He reached into his bandolier and produced a flare, striking it. Fwoomb! He held the bright torch up towards the Curveside of the bridge.

Slowly—from bottom to top—the wyvern's light revealed dozens of hair-thin silk strands holding the leaping trolls at bay. The strings came from an unseen source below and attached to something just as unseen high above. As Kepler observed this, his light glinted off hairy abdomens and marble-black eyes that suddenly materialized in the background. Bulbous bodies descended from the starlight, spread needle-like legs, and clasped them all around the dumbstruck trolls. The chaos beasts scarcely let-loose muffled shrieks before—Thwoooooooosh!—one by one they were airlifted into the nebulous urbanscape overhead.

This abduction happened swiftly—on all sides—increasing at an alarming rate. Logan and Flynn spun to see that the Edgeside trolls were thinning rapidly. A few of them caught wise to what was happening, and they scampered off with panicked shrieks—only to be yanked off by hundreds of hairy legs and claws from the edges of the Herald's peripheral vision.

The entire ambush happened nightmarishly quick. Within the naked span of fifteen seconds, the trolls had all vanished, leaving only the unfortunate few stuck to the webbing. There was an awkward moment of stillness—during which the bass rumbling from below peaked with clicking percussion. Then—

"Hresssssssh!"

"Hreshaaaa-aaa-aaa!"

"Hressssssssssssh!"

Hundreds upon hundreds of trolls simultaneously fell—flailing—down into the depths of the city from above. It was a veritable precipitation of pallid flesh and glinting claws. Rainbow and the others watched—muzzles agape—as the wave of creatures entered their cone of vision then vanished from beyond view. At some point, their screaming ceased. Nopony could hear the expected thuds of their bodies striking the ground, and that was the most frightening thing.

Until what happened next.

The bass rumbling ceased. In its place, the melodic violin strings returned. All across the length of the bridge—both Alpha and Omega sides—hooked legs clasped, the size of elephant trunks and covered with coarse hairs. The music undulated—practically yodeling—as hundreds of bulbous bodies lifted into view, with rows of pearl-black eyes reflecting the tiny figures of the Herald stranded on the platform.

"Uhhhhhhhhhm..." Rarity sweated nervously, clinging to Fluttershy.

"Quick!" Pinkie Pie flailed. "Somepony find a dancing pig!"

Introduction Like No Other

"Okay... just..." Grunting, shaking off a layer of shedded dragonequus fur, Rainbow Dash stood up in the middle of the bridge. Her ears tickled with violin strings as her eyes reflected a forest of pedipalps and chelicerae peeking over the edges of the bridge on all sides. "...just nopony panic, okay?"

"Rainbow..." Ariel's voice droned as she stood flank-to-flank with the petite mare. "We're surrounded on all sides by spiders the size of buffalo. How can none of us be panicking?"

"Shhhh!" Rainbow snarled, waving her hoof at the mare and glaring at the black eyes reflecting her a thousandfold. "I was once thrown into a gladiator blood arena with an Ursa Major. There are far worse situations to be in than this, okay?!"

Pedipalps twitched, fangs clicked, and hairy legs locked in place as the arachnid army spent the next ten second simply staring at the equine bodies stuck on the bridge.

Rainbow gulped. "At least... I-I think there are..."

"Doomed!" Rarity whimpered, tilting backwards with a fainting expression. "We're all doomed!" She fell back. "Twilight—be my couch!"

"Unf!" Twilight Sparkle winced under the weight of her ghostly companion. "Rrrnnngh! Rarity!" She frowned. "Knock it off! We need to concentrate and help Rainbow Dash with—"

"Just calm down, y'all," Applejack drawled.

"Calm down?!?" Pinkie Pie flailed about, doing mini-ghost cartwheels. "It's a tarantula tea party!"

"They ain't here to dine on us!"

Rainbow Dash flashed Applejack a surprised look.

Ariel saw it. "What is it?"

"Look!" Kepler suddenly pointed.

The group turned Curveside.

With liquid grace, long thin legs carried a pair of round black bodies up from below. Red hourglass markings glinted in the twilight as the two gigantic spiders climbed up onto the bridge with perfect symmetry. They carried pale white sacks across their abdomens. Pivoting to face the center of the bridge, they grasped the sacks on their backsides and placed them onto the suspended street with mirror'd motion. Within seconds, the white sacks quivered, bulged, and exploded. The violin melody from below scritched and scratched as thousands of tinier hoof-sized spiders—freshly-hatched—scurried towards the webbing that blocked off the ends of the bridge.

Salvos of shrieks lit the air. Logan and Flynn turned to see that another pair of ginormous black widows had done the same thing on their end of the bridge. The stallions watched as the sea of hatchlings clambered up the silk strings and washed over the ensnared trolls. The chaos beasts whimpered and mewled in instinctual terror—but soon the hatchlings covered them from head to toe, several even pouring into their gaping mouths. There was a bone-chilling sound—something that resembled paper crumpling or tearing at the bottom of a dark well. Then—like an oil painting dissolving from the inside out—the hatchlings spread apart across the lengths of the web. All of the snared trolls were completely gone; not a single bone of scrap of flesh remained.

An acidic smell lit the air. Rainbow Dash sniffed, then grimaced as the violin strings hit a melodic note. From end to end, the hatchlings bit into the silk strings, vomiting up an ounce of their freshly-consumed meal along with a dollop of caustic bile. Snap! Tw-Twinnng! The strands broke free, and the hatchlings rode their limp lengths into the nebulous urbanscape below. With the sticky barricade free, the black widows parted ways, and two phalanxes of giant wolf spiders crawled menacingly towards the bridge from both Edgeside and Curveside, their hairy fangs undulating with dark purpose.

"This is it!" Logan brandished his axe. Schiiiing! He trotted backwards towards the center of the bridge as the legs clasping the edges tightened. More and more hairy bodies lifted into view. "Rainbow! Ariel! Get a move on! You too, Keps!"

"But—" The wyvern began.

"No time to talk!" Seraphimus and Wildcard took wing, facing the advancing wave of eyes and fangs. "This is our only chance! Jordan?!"

Wildcard nodded. He swung his bo-staff high.

"I'm tellin' y'all!" Applejack floated loops around Rainbow Dash. "T'ain't a threat! We need to relax! Honest—!"

"No!" Rainbow hollered, extending a hoof towards her friends. "Wait—!"

"Raaaaaaaaaugh!" Logan charged the Edgeside arachnids.

"Go g-get 'em, Big Show!" Flynn's voice cracked.

Similarly, Wildcard and Seraphimus charged the Curveside advance—

Soundlessly, a dozen orb-weaver spiders the size of refrigerators dropped down from above like meteorites. They stopped dead-still in mid-air—dangling with the grace of ballet dancers—and fired white strands from their spinerrets.

Sp-Sp-Sp-Splifffft!

Each silken projectile perfectly struck a hoof, talon, or paw of the lunging Heraldites. Wildcard and Seraphimus gasped to find themselves pinned to the metal road by every limb. Logan shook and strained to dislodge himself, but even his axe had been neatly stuck to the edge of the bridge. The three combatants grimaced as the hairy specimens lining the side of the platform all this time rose up and lifted their enormous furry abdomens, forming a solid wall of spider.

Ariel shivered in the sudden shadow of these arachnid strangers.

Rainbow leaned in, "Now do you wanna try flying away?"

A tiny gulp popped in Ariel's muzzle, followed by a foalish murmur: "No."

"Then just take a breath and chillax..." Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack. "...I get the distinct feeling these melon fudges don't wanna dine on us."

Applejack nodded back. Then she and the other ghostly mares gasped as the violin strings wavered in tonality. They turned to look—as Rainbow did—to see the wave of wolf spiders parting ways at Curveside.

A red-dappled tunnel-weaver marched through the center of the hairy group. Its nimble legs expertly navigated the street, reaching out every now and then to casually brush aside dormant vehicles like they were light-weight tin-toys. The spiders bordering the side of the bridge reached in and effortlessly moved Wildcard and Seraphimus aside, making room for the tunnel-weaver's march. Only when it was within a stone's throw distance did Rainbow Dash notice that something else was seated atop it, cushioned by a squishy pillow of pliable silk.

At last, the tunnel-weaver came to a stop. It brought its legs inward, retracted its pedipalps, and hoisted its cephalothorax forward ever so slightly. This jostled the creature on its back, and the smaller thing's hairs bristled—as if suddenly awakening from a deep slumber. Upon closer examination, Rainbow Dash realized that it was a jumping spider about the size of a golden retriever. Its fangs were massively hairy, colored with a glimmering fluorescent blue that shimmered through the darker spectrum when the twilight from above touched it. Two enormous black anterior eyes reflected Rainbow Dash, Kepler and Ariel with perfect clarity, and a brilliant purple shine glittered off its awakening backhairs.

"Well..." Rarity gulped before forcing a nervous smile. "...can't say that it's not fabulous looking..."

Clicking sounds.

Rainbow Dash watched as multiple hatchlings crawled across the tunnel-weaver's body and up the tiny, weak legs of the jumping spider. They gathered across the thing's cranium, then vomited up droplets of water until a sphere of see-through liquid formed atop like a crown. The sphere twinkled with starlight. As the violin strings ceased, the hexagonal abdomen of the jumping spider slowly slowly rose until it was aimed skyward, glistening with majestic blue and purple bands. The abdomen shook to the left with a dull buzzing sound... then the right. Two tiny forelimbs rose up at forty-five degree angles, and then the abdomen rested in an upright position.

A pause.

Wildcard and Seraphimus shifted nervously in their restraints. Logan looked in Rainbow's direction, then squinted from a distance at the colorful spider who had just taken the spotlight.

All of the surrounding arachnids—numbering clearly beyond the thousands—remained dead still and just as silent. The only thing that moved was a cluster of hatchlings. They danced and pirouetted in the air rapidly between the jumping spider's raised forelimbs and its bright shiny abdomen. Within seconds, they had spun complex webs in the spaces between.

Suddenly, the jumping spider's body shifted. The webbing caught the twilight at just the right angle, and pronounced geometry in the silk glinted before Rainbow Dash and the others, producing discernible shapes. Figures. Characters.

"Whoah." Rainbow blinked. "What."

"Shhhh!" Twilight Sparkle jumped in place, grinning like a nerd on fire. "It's communicating with us!"

"Smashing!" Rarity squeaked. "Uhm... communicating what exactly?"

"It..." Fluttershy's eyes narrowed. "...it appears to be a bunch of zig-zagging lines."

"Well?" Pinkie Pie blinked. "Does anypony speak 'creepy-crawly?'"

Rainbow looked dumbly at the pronounced lines glinting in the web. As the heartbeats ticked away, she came through clueless. She glanced then at the big black eyes of the jumping spider. Ultimately, the mare had to shrug at her own reflection.

The abdomen shook, buzzing. A second later, the jumping spider pivoted slightly. This time its other web of silk was being brandished inquisitively.

Rainbow's heart stopped, for she instantly recognized two symbols. "'Austraeoh...'" she murmured.

Twilight and the rest of her friends stared at her.

"'Austraeoh...!'" She pointed. "Look!" Her hoof traced thick silken-strands outlining an omega symbol eclipsing a solar crest. "It's totally the symbol!"

"Dun tell us, sugarcube," Applejack said, pointing at the wall of hairy bodies. "Tell them!"

"Ahem..." Rainbow leaned forward, her pendant glowing slightly. "'Austraeoh'," she said in a firm tone. "Yes, I am the Austraeoh."

The jumping spider's abdomen buzzed. A beat, and it leaned back, its forelimbs shifting.

The hatchlings crawled all over its body, leaping from hook to abdomen. Within seconds, they had spun new webs. They receded, and the jumping spider leaned forward again. It raised another forelimb, exposing a fresh web in the glinting twilight.

Rainbow Dash read the character she saw. "'Urohringr.'" She nodded. "We are all on 'Urohringr.'" She pointed beneath her, at the city abroad. "Urohringr."

The jumping spider shifted to the other side.

Rainbow's head pivoted, and she read the next character. "'Eljunbyro.'" She spun about dramatically. "These ponies...!" She pointed. "The wyvern... the griffins..." She turned to face the jumping spider again, pointing at the Herald. "They are all Eljunbyro. They're with me." A breath. "The Austraeoh."

Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity watched with pent-up breaths.

Ariel and Kepler shifted anxiously.

The jumping spider stared and stared and—buzzed. Once its abdomen had shaken to a stop, it flattened its body out across the silken cushion underneath. The hatchlings congregated in front of it, then waited. The jumping spider spread four of its limbs outward. The hatchlings jumped and scurried busily across it, spinning dense, complex constructs of silk.

Rainbow squinted, cocking her head to the side. She watched as two vertical shapes were formed—compressed together with a narrow slit left open in between. The hatchlings then spun in circles, forming a narrow chamber around the dense chords—like a voice box. Once the intricate silken construct was completed, an acoustical hole was forged towards the upper front. The hatchlings crawled apart, perching on the jumping spider's forelimbs and adding pressure to the strings attached to the construct. Then—with practiced precision—the jumping spider shook its abdomen, to which even more strings were anchored. The sound produced was much like the violin strings Rainbow and her friends hard heard earlier. Only now it was shifting... morphing... changing in pitch until the vibration fixated itself on the silken construct dangling tensely before the jumping spider's fangs.

Then—like magic—a semblance of structure crawled out of the sound, phonetically entering the soundscape with eerie purpose.

"Ausssssssssssssssssssssstraeeeeeeeeeeeeohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

Rainbow Dash slowly nodded. "Yes. That... is me. The Austraeoh."

The jumping spider's eyes remained perfectly still as its abdomen and legs shook, producing sound through the construct: "Yesssssss. Thattttttt isssss meeeeeeeeee..."

Twilight and Rarity exchanged shocked expressions.

"Do..." Rainbow's eyes squinted. "...do you understand me?"

"Underrrrrrstaaaaaaanddddddddd..." The vibrations normalized, and a high-pitched voice—eloquent and feminine—emanated from the silken construct. "...me now, Austraeoh?"

"Uhhhhhh..." Rainbow swallowed. "...yeah?"

"Greetings, Austraeoh," the voice calmly vibrated from the sea of spiders. Each syllable shook with the resonance of a dwindling orchestral string section, but it was all very, very discernible. "We did not expect you to speak the Penumbral tongue. But—then again—much has been unexpected. You are quite late."

"Penumbral... tongue...?" Rainbow Dash rasped.

"The language of Paradise, the Harmonic Land of Light, secretly envied by all Dihmers far and wide."

"Wait wait wait wait..." Rainbow Dash waved her forelimbs. "Hold the sound stone... er..." She grimaced at the convoluted communication mechanism. "...sound silk? Whatever..." She leaned forward. "Just who are you?"

The jumping spider's abdomen glistened with shimmering bands of purple and blue. "I am Merula, she who sings to the tongue'd."

"No... I mean—yeah, that's cool and all..." She waved her forelimbs at the arachnid armada. "But what's all this? Who the heck are all you guys?"

"We are the Winter Children of Abaddon," Merula replied. "Keepers of the Song, the Song of Circles." The jumping spider vibrated all over. "And we have been waiting a long time for your arrival, Austraeoh."

Winter Children of Abaddon

"The... uh..." Rainbow Dash trotted slowly forward, eyeing the jumping spider seated amidsts its invertebrate companions. "...the Winter Children of who?"

"Abaddon," Merula reiterated. "The Song-Weaver. The Forever Poet. The Elder of Strings."

"Uh huh, who's—"

"Lyricist of Circles. Ally to the Ancients. Keeper of Shadowed Truths—"

"I got it. I got it!"" Rainbow barked, teeth showing. "Look, no offense to your... uh... eight-legged diva godess or nothing... but..." She gulped. "My friends and I have been stumbling through the niches and crannies of the Dark Side for months and... and you guys are the first things ever to actually sit down and talk to us."

"Except for a friggin' suicide bombing changeling," Logan grunted, fiddling with his silken restraints.

"Big Showwwww..." Ariel grumbled out the side of her muzzle.

"So... like..." Rainbow shrugged. "...forgive me if I've got a million questions."

"As you should, Austraeoh," Merula calmly remarked.

Rainbow squinted at the arachnid arrangement. "Were you actually expecting me?"

"Of course. You responded to the Codex."

"Codex..."

"And you are escorted by Eljunbyro," Merula vibrated. "You are the Austraeoh of Song. You have come to bring the Spark to Ignition and Complete the Circle. Such has has been sung since the days of Abaddon's allies."

"Uhhhhh..."

"What we did not expect was the hour of your arrival," Merula said in an emotionless tone. "So late in Winter. The Song is nearly over."

"Okay... just..." Rainbow ran a hoof over her muzzle, sighing out her nostrils. "...one crazy metaphor at a time, for the love of—"

"Grnnngh..." Seraphimus shook and struggled in her restraints. "Damned... blighted crustaceans..."

Rainbow shook herself out of her lethargy. "Say! Uhm... could you free my friends?" She cracked a nervous smile. "They won't attack you anymore. I promise."

Violin strings scratched the air.

"That's fine. Thanks, I think I got it—" Logan flinched as a hundred hatchlings swarmed noisily towards him. "I said I got it—!" He winced as a thousand tiny legs crawled all over him, then receded. The silk had been cleared; he and his axe had been freed. "Nnnnnnnnngh-yeahhhhhhhh..."

Wildcard stretched his muscles as he too was freed from his restraints. He looked over to see that Seraphimus was still stuck in silk.

"Uhhhhhh..." Rainbow leaned forward. "...her too, please."

Another violin scratch. Hatchlings swarmed over Seraphimus, and at last the seething griffin could relax.

"A thousand apologies, Austraeoh," Merula said, abdomen glistening. "The Song has been echoing your approach to Abaddon's nest for a long time, and from the melody that was gathered we did not interpret her as a 'friend.'"

"Yeah..." Rainbow nodded breathily. "...I can't really blame ya."

"Wait..." Rarity looked at her and the others. "...these dreadful things have been monitoring us throughout our entire journey?"

"Well, duhhhh!" Pinkie Pie frowned. "I did tell you about the music I heard, didn't you?"

"Incredible..." Twilight Sparkle rubbed her chin in thought. "These creatures must all operate under a hive mind... orchestrated through a collective response to acoustic and sonic resonance..." She smiled brightly. "Hey! Rainbow! Ask them if they're the Spindlers that Ranort and the Emeraldinians spoke of!"

"Dang it, egghead, I'm not about to—"

"Ask them!"

"Alright! Fine!" Rainbow turned to face the jumping spider. "Yo. Are you the Spindlers?"

Merula's abdomen shook. "That is our title in Penumbral tongue, as conceived by the Dihmers."

"You don't say..."

"...also maintained by the Penumbral invaders, to Abaddon's detriment."

"Wait... hold up..." Rainbow hovered in place with a curious expression. "...did you say 'Penumbral invaders?'"

For the first time in ages, the other spiders around them shifted, their fangs and hooks clicking cacophonously for a few tense seconds before quieting.

"Yes," Merula's voice scratched before achieving a smooth tone once again. "The Bloodwings. At first, we feared their arrival meant the complete corruption of Penumbra, and the Winter Song became a Dirge of Mourning."

Twilight floated closer. "The Dark Vigil, Rainbow Dash," she whispered. "Sarosians—"

Rainbow angrily phased a hoof through her. "Yes. I'm not an idiot, Twilight." She looked towards her invertebrate reception yet again. "This Penumbra—it's the Light Side, yes?"

"Paradise," Merula affirmed. "The Land of Brightness and Harmony."

"That's where the alicorns are," Rainbow said. "What's left of them—Princess Celestia. Princess Luna." A gulp. "Cadance. Whitemane. I come from their land. But I'm not allied with the Bloodwings. I've met some of them... and even borrowed some of their magic. But I'm no invader. In fact... not all Bloodwings are evil—"

Merula's "voice" scratched loudly through Rainbow's speech: "They certainly haven't shown any goodness in their corrupted hearts. They hunt down all keepers of the Song, whittling Abaddon's Winter Children to the thinnest strand. We can barely project the Song across the surface of this world any longer. The Winter is almost complete, and it is only a matter of time before the Bloodwings or the Flux find the Ancient Poet's nest and end the Song forevermore."

"The... Flux...?" Rainbow Dash murmured.

"These fellers are good at dishin' out information," Applejack said. "...but I reckon they ain't so good at narrowin' it all focused-like." She looked at the others. "Ya think?"

"Applejack, darling, when did you first realize that these creatures did not want our blood?" Rarity asked.

"Somewhere between the first or second time Discord and the trolls separated us from RD here," Applejack said. "In the midst of all the chaos, they was the only things not wantin' to take us to the woodshed."

"Well, I think it's very nice of them," Fluttershy said with a smile. "We fell in the company of the most exquisite nature." She smiled at the suffocating wall of spiders with glistening eyes. "And—might I add—they're absolutely beautiful"

"Yeccccch with a side of barf salad!" Pinkie Pie wretched. "If you say so!"

As Rainbow listened, Merula's eyes shifted for the first time since arriving. "Is the Austraeoh conversing with Eljunbyro?"

Rainbow and her ghostly friends locked up. She looked at the jumping spider with wide eyes. "How... did you know?"

"Some of the greatest melodies are those Unsung. We expected no less from the Austraeoh, for she was sung to be one who speaks with the hidden flame of the Spark itself. You've come to align the circles in light once more, and as the Winter Children we seek to guide you along your path, as Abaddon has composed."

"Rainbow..." Twilight drifted closer. "...I think these... Winter Children know an awful lot more than anything or anyone you've stumbled across before."

"Yes, darling..." Rarity nodded. "...all of our solitude and suffering here on the Dark Side may finally be showing its karmic reward."

"That... remains to be seen." Rainbow took a deep breath. "Hey... uh... dudes?" She looked over her shoulder, addressing Seraphimus and the Herald. "This might take a while. Think that'll be okay?"

She was answered by the nod of several nervous albeit earnest heads. All except one.

Rainbow craned her neck. "Flynn? We cool?"

"Uhhhhhh..." Flynn had curled up into a little ball... a little ball that was reflected hundreds of times by the surrounding kaleidoscope of marble-black eyes framed atop giant hairy fangs. "Y-y-y-yeah... t-t-t-totally c-c-cool!" He nevertheless whimpered like a puppy while the smell of urine lit the air.

"Alright..." Rainbow turned back around. "...at least we'll be dignified about this."

Shades of the Song

"Sooooo..." Rainbow Dash gently hovered over the bridges and courtyards of the city on flapping wings. "...just how long have you guys been living here?"

Merula kept up with the mare—courtesy of the giant tunnel-weaver casually striding beneath her silken seat. The silent weaver's legs—albeit graceful—swept wildly through the air to grasp its hookholds, and Rainbow had to keep her distance while her eyes locked on the colorful jumping spider situated atop the larger specimen's cephalothorax.

"The Children of Abaddon have loyally protected the Mother Songstress of Circles since First Hatching," Merula managed to say. Tiny pale hatchlings assisted the speaker, crawling all over her forelimbs and abdomen, adding tension to the silken strands and the vocal construct. "In every season—Spring to Summer to Autumn to the current Winter—we have spread the Ever Poet's Song throughout the darkness."

"Oh. Uhm..." Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm certainly not denying your loyalty. But what I mean is..." She pivoted to squint down at the blue-and-purple specimen. "...just how long have you all lived here? On the Dark Side?"

"Since First Hatching."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaand... when was First Hatching?"

Merula's abdomen shook; her expressionless eyes faced ever-forward. "Since the circles were broken, and there was need for Song to fill the spaces."

"Then..." Rainbow Dash gulped. "...it had to have been right after the Sundering."

"If that is what the Austraeoh calls it."

"Then..." Rainbow grimaced slightly. "That... must make you—I mean it must make Abaddon older than the Alicorns. At least... you... she was here before they ever arrived from the Harmonic Plains."

"We only know what she sings to us," Merula said. "And we echo it far and wide until the Circles are complete once again."

Rainbow bit her lip—but ultimately burst forth with: "Do you know why the Sundering happened?! Or how?! Or who did it?!"

The hatchlings criss-crossed. Strings were pulled taut. Merula's abdomen relaxed for a while... and eventually shook: "The Poetic One's melody is melancholic. She mourns as she protects: with patience, restraint, and regret. And yet—with hope as well. Hope to restore. The Winter Children have come to accept the fact that that which was once unified should be made whole again."

"You've... c-come 'to accept?'" Rainbow Dash blinked. Her ears then drooped. "You mean you guys don't even know...?"

"The Song is beautiful—but it is also broken. Much like the Circles."

Rainbow Dash stared forward into the dim urbanscape, shing. "I see..."

"We expected the Spark to bring the flame of enlightenment to the focus, illuminating the entire circumference."

"Hmmmmm..." Rainbow Dash bore a bittersweet smirk. "Talking spiders. Of course everything's cryptic and convoluted. Like a web."

Merula's abdomen shook and twitched. Her forelimbs tightened while the hatchlings crawling across hairy fangs clicked.

Rainbow blinked at her.

"Apologies must be given, Austraeoh," Merula said. "Was the last statement given meant to be criticism?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow gulped. She looked all around at the giant wolf spiders, tarantulas, and orb weavers that were now perched ominously across the looming spires of the ancient city. "No! Totally not! It was just... y'know..." She grinned nervously. "...a joke."

The jumping spider stared. The hatchlings and the tunnel-weaver stared. All of the anterior and posterior black-eyes reflected Rainbow Dash in cold silence.

"You... do know what a joke is, right?" Rainbow fidgeted in mid-air.

Merula's pedipalps shifted, then were silence. At last, her abdomen shook: "That which provokes laughter?"

"Hahahahaha—yeah!" Rainbow pointed with a grin. "Erm..." She blinked. "Given the occasion."

"Dihmers do not laugh," Merula declared. "Neither do the wielders of the Flux." Her abdomen shook low as the violin strings scratched in the background. "Bloodwings laugh. But they do this while they hunt down the Winter Children and torture them unendingly into the deepest shadow. Setting their fangs and spinnerets on fire. Pulling their legs off and copulating in their organ fluid. Mutilating our sisters until the Song becomes a hiss of torture and pain—"

"Holy—!" Rainbow cleared her throat and straightened her hover-posture. "Well... I-I promise you that I'm no Bloodwing."

"But the Austraeoh has admitted to befriending them in the past—"

"Let's change the subject!" Rainbow cracked a nervous grin. "You... y-you've expected the 'Austraeoh' to arrive, right? Like... someway or somehow, you knew me... or somepony like me would arrive." Her eyes narrowed. "How is that possible?"

"Abaddon. The Song Mistress. The Queen of Strings. The Lyricist of Ages—"

"Right... Right!" Rainbow waved her forelimbs. "I get it. Abaddon's—like—totally the coolest spider ever." Her brow furrowed. "But how did she know about the Austraeoh? How did she anticipate me?"

"The Codex."

Rainbow slowly nodded. "The Codex..."

"It is the Center of the Broken Circle. The Core of the Song. Loyally preserved and cooperatively-written."

"Wait... co-written?" Rainbow tilted her head to the side. "I thought Abaddon was—like—the music goddess behind all of the Song."

"Not the Codex. That was written before the Hatching. Before the Circles were broken."

"And..." Rainbow hovered closer. "...who wrote the Codex?"

"Ilrifa."

Rainbow took a deep breath. She folded her forelimbs. "So... Abaddon knew Ilrifa."

"Yes. As the Song maintains."

Rainbow gulped. "What can you tell me about her?"

"It is not my place."

Rainbow Dash blinked.

Merula further shook: "Only the Ancient Lyricist has the grace to sing of such holy things," she said. "She has been waiting for a very long time to serenade the most important piece of the Codex."

"You don't say..." Rainbow cocked her head slightly to the side. "Is it possible for... for me to speak to Abaddon?"

"Yes. However, you must be patient. The Winter Children have been busy waking her since your arrival."

"For real?" Rainbow blinked. "She must be in a real deep sleep."

"The Song Keeper is quite old. Her Winter is colder than that of her children. Nevertheless, it is imperative that she speak with the manifestation of Ilrifa's earnest songwriting."

Rainbow did a double-take at that. "Manifestation of... Ilrifa's... what?"

Merula merely vibrated onward: "You are the first Penumbral soul to cross the thresshold in several constellatory revolutions, Austraeoh. Such is a bright Spark in the darkness indeed. No doubt the Bloodwings and the Keepers of the Flux have seen the flame by now." The strings reached a lower pitch. "The Night Shard will likely have already known about the Spark prior to your crossing."

"The..." Rainbow blinked hard and leaned forward. "The Night Shard? You know them?"

"All that dies know them. All that lives will as well."

Rainbow's muzzle hung open. She glanced about the derelict city full of spiders. For the first time in minutes, her blood ran cold. "They... they're part of the big three, aren't they?"

"We do not understand the Austraeoh's numerical statement."

"They're one of the factions!" Rainbow gestured. "Y'know... in the Trinary War? The big battle happening endlessly in the center of the Dark Side?"

Merula's abdomen shook. "The Austraeoh refers to the conflict over the Sarcophagus of Ages."

Rainbow's ears twitched. "Sarcophagus of...?" A shuddering breath. "The Midnight Armory. Yes! Exactly..."

"The Night Shard are the oldest combatants. They seized the first glint in darkness, albeit a pale and false light. They are Singers of Ruby Song."

"They... they sing too?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes. An endlessly marching Chorus. A Bolero of Emptiness."

"Is..." Rainbow shook slightly. "...is the Ruby Song stronger than Abaddons?"

"It is far less beautiful," Merula maintained. "But it penetrates further, tainting even Penumbra. And the Night Shard are destined to outlast the Lore Keeper's hatchlings. After all, the Night Shard were born in Winter—the longest and bleakest Winter there ever was, conjured in the Circle-Shattering. A most cold and bitter percussion. The Ruby Song."

Rainbow Dash slowed her hovering pace as she hugged herself. The shivers refused to go away. "You're giving me a lot to digest, Merula... but I'm afraid I'm already getting indigestion."

"I am merely a messenger," Merula said. "An All-Singer. Not an All-Knowing. Once the Protector of Songs fully awakens, you may seek enlightenment from her. She is sworn to the Codex and Ilrifa's hard work. We—her children—are merely tasked with preparing the hearth for the Spark. A great flame awaits to be kindled—one that we wholesomely suspect will blind the Bloodwings, melt the Flux, and outshine the Ruby Song."

"Yeah, well... I know I'm awesome, but..." Rainbow slicked her mane back as she stared across the platforms. "...one friggin' thing at a time." Her eyes narrowed on a peculiar sight.

Multiple orb-weaver spiders were dangling over the center of one particularly large courtyard. With nimble limbs, the giant arachnids deposited body after body of limp, deceased trolls. This proceeded until there was a sizably large pile of chaotic corpses. Then—on silent hooked limbs—a procession of enormous tarantulas approached the necrotic hilltop, pushing pulsating white sacks.

"Uhm..." Rainbow nervously pointed. "...what are they doing?"

The tarantulas shoved the pale objects underneath the lumps of dead trolls, tucking them in warm and tight. Then the hairy specimens backed up. Within seconds, Rainbow Dash heard a series of disgusting sounds—like creamed noodles coming to life and unraveling on their own.

Merula vibrated, producing a cold tone: "It sustains us."

With a wet splorch, the mountain of dead trolls popped open on one side. Then there was a burst on the other side... and yet another. Rainbow witnessed as countless infant spiders—freshly hatched—consumed and crawled their way through the slowly eviscerated bodies of the trolls. Soon the body pile was covered all over with translucent, gossamer limbs. The corpses slowly desolved under the bevy of feasting fangs, pedipalps, and mandibles.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "Funny enough..." She resumed her "stroll" with Merula and her assistants. "...that's the least disturbing thing I've seen since crossing the Edge."

"Do you wish to hear the Song of the Self-Consuming Heart Worm?"

Rainbow squinted suddenly at the jumping spider. "Was... that a joke?"

"The Austraeoh is not laughing, so we assume that it was not."

"Right..." Rainbow cleared her throat. "So... moving on. How about you tell me more about the Winter Children...?"

All Our Past Mothers

Rainbow Dash's ghostly friends looked on in curious silence as the petite pegasus paced left and right before an immense glass display. She had been escorted by Merula and her arachnid companions to a lower platform. There, a large round building resided, open on all four sides. Inside its domed structure, a diorama had been erected, depicting topographical lines marked by ancient cryptic symbols, some familiar but most not.

"I can't believe it," Twilight Sparkle murmured. "An actual map..." She grinned wide, her ghostly horn shimmering. "A map of the Curve!"

"Shhhh!" Rarity insisted, hovering closer. She looked in the direction of the jumping spider situated atop the gigantic tunnel-weaver. "Twilight, honestly! Let's listen and learn, darling..."

Merula was still speaking: "The Children of Abaddon used to cover all portions of the plane, from edge to edge. In this era—the days of Winter—we have been forced to retreat back to the Eternal Poet's nest, situated here upon the edge of the Threshhold."

"The Threshhold?" Rainbow Dash remarked, her eyes glued to the translucent cartography as she drifted left and right.

"It is the term most commonly used—both in Penumbral and in Song—referring to the vastly uninhabitable periphery of this plane. In this portion of the world, life is scarce. Chaotic constructs roam in abundance, and the great Earth Eater roams the arid reaches."

"'Great Earth Eater', you say..."

Merula's abdomen vibrated the strings. "Further into the center from this point, wildlife thrives in great abundance, and creatures of chaos are consistently subdued by intense competition with each other. It is a perilous environment, yet manageable. How you and your mortal companions were capable of surviving the arid reaches without starving or surrendering to madness is a triumph attributable to Austraeoh's tenacity, and certainly worthy of Song."

"Well, if you say so..." Rainbow Dash smirked devilishly. "I kinda feel more like screaming myself."

"Why is that, oh Spark?" Merula's forelimbs shifted. "Are you in pain? Have you inhaled an acidic agent?"

"No, it's just another—" Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Let's just stick to the questions and answers, mmmmkay?"

"Indeed."

Rainbow turned to gaze at the jumping spider sitting atop its makeshift throne of silk. "You said that you and the rest of Abaddon's children had to retreat here? To this city?"

"That is affirmative."

"How come?"

"The conflict over the Sarcophagus of Ages grew too erratic and dangerous for us to sustain the chorus across the full length of the plane," Merula explained. "Even before the Bloodwings hunted us down to near extinction, we were chased out from the center by the Ruby Song. Further incursions by the Keepers of the Flux forced us even further towards the Thresshold."

"The 'Keepers of the Flux...'" Rainbow Dash cocked her head to the side. "They're changelings, right?"

"I think that's rather obvious by now, sugarcube," Applejack said.

Merula nevertheless answered: "They indeed are capable of much deceit—both physically and emotionally. While the Bloodwings rely on brutal tenacity and the Night Shard exert control through sheer power, the Keepers have mostly depended on excessive reproduction and adaptation to match the forces of their nemeses. Only recently did they come upon the Flux—and they utilized the abduction of several of Abaddon's children to accomplish it."

"Just... what is the 'Flux?'"

The violin strings in the distance took on a deep, foreboding tone. "A new form of metamorphosis. The Keepers have always been borrowing the genetic constructs of countless living things in order to enrich their breeding. For years and years, the Children of Abaddon sought to keep the Song Maker's blood safe from their tampering claws. In the last few revolutions, we have failed. We believe this has assisted in the biological breakthrough that has allowed the Keepers to advance on the Sarcophagus with such fervor as of late."

"Rainbow..." Twilight looked at their anchor. "Remember the changeling that you found in Darkreach?"

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie hissed, nodding. "It could split apart and come back together and turn into liquids and gases and explode and stuff!"

"The changelings on the Light Side weren't that gifted, were they?" Fluttershy said.

Rainbow nodded, merely acknowledging what her friends had said. Eventually, she turned towards Merula and spoke: "Sounds like you guys have been herded into a virtual hole by three separate armies. Yeah, it sucks that the changelings eventually took advantage of you, but it's a pretty dang impressive feat that you've survived as long as you have... protecting your Queen of Song, no less."

Merula's abdomen shook vibrantly. "How were you aware that Abaddon was titled the 'Queen of Song?'"

Rarity and Fluttershy smirked.

"Uhhhh... lucky guess?" Rainbow gestured at a noticeably large circle situated towards one edge of the glass map. "Sooooooooo... why this city?"

Merula's marble black eyes reflected Rainbow in silent confusion.

Rainbow cleared her throat. "Why did Abaddon choose to nest in this city of all places? Are there more like it?"

"There are several ancient sanctuaries of Urohringr much like this one."

"But Abaddon chose to nest here." Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"The answer is quite simple," Merula stated, silk construct vibrating. "This was where the Poet of Ages was when the Circles broke."

Twilight Sparkle did a double-take.

"She..." Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "She was here?"

"So the Song maintains."

"What... was she doing in a place like this?"

"She was visiting," Merula declared. "A communion of friendship with the mortal equine residents."

"She was having tea and biscuits with the Angels?!?"

"Abaddon, the Song Mother, does not consume those edibles of which you speak."

"No, that's not what I meant—!" Rainbow winced.

Twilight swung her hoof through Rainbow's skull. "Just stick to literal statements, Rainbow!"

Rainbow waved a hoof, took a calming breath, then asked: "I'm just trying to understand the big picture here." She blinked. "Abaddon was here—in this huge city—for what I'm guessing is diplomatic reasons?"

"Affirmative. She was in the company of friends—all of whom she misses dearly. The Song's melody encases the memory like a cocoon."

"No kidding..." Rainbow sighed. "So that means... there's another piece of Urohringr somewhere... somewhere out there in the universe... where more of Abaddon's kind have been living for ages without her. Because the Sundering split them forever."

"That's most likely correct, Rainbow," Twilight said. "Same with all the goblins, wyverns, minotaurs, and Celestia-knows how many other species who are vastly outnumbered by ponies."

"Griffons too?" Rarity remarked.

"I wouldn't doubt it!" Pinkie pouted. "What about alligators?! Could Gummy have super-super-super-super distant cousins somewhere beyond the stars?!?"

"Somehow, I don't think alligators are from another part of Urohringr, Pinkie Pie," Rarity stated.

"I mean—it would explain his thousand mile stare! I... uh... I never wanted to talk about it much... but did you girls ever notice it?"

"Uhhhhh..." Rarity shifted uncomfortably.

"Still..." Fluttershy sniffled. "That's so sad to hear about!"

"What happened to Abaddon totally sucks," Rainbow said.

Merula's abdomen started to shake—

"I mean it was really really unfortunate!" Rainbow Dash emphasized. "Really. I'm sorry to hear about it."

"Your empathy is greatly appreciated, Austraeoh," Merula said. "It fits the Song."

"Well, cool, then..." Rainbow Dash touched down and stood casually before the giant spider escort. "So... I'm guessing when the Sundering happened and everything went dark, Abaddon parked her big butt down here in this city—the sole survivor." She turned and looked up at the glass map of the enormous plane. "She went full-time into the baby spider making business... and spread you—her Children—far and wide. Aaaaaaaand..." A breath. "...you kept track of everything that went on through the song." She turned to look at the spiders again. "Everything."

"Her Song was glorious, and her melody all-permeating." The silk construct vibrated between them as Merula's eyes reflected the dim curves of the domed structure. "We gifted harmony to the shadows of the Break. Everything that lived and died echoed with her endless Symphony: the Night Shard, the Harmonic Benefactors, the Penumbral Invaders, the advent of Winter. We had an audience in every shape and walk of life, even if that very same audience did not hear us... or perhaps even sought to exterminate us."

"Hmmmph!" Rarity upturned her nose with an iron scowl. "Putrid ruffians!"

"And while we may have been forced to recede into the depths of her original nesting, the song persists, and every memory of the concert is carried aloft between our strings, through loyalty and love."

"Then you must have waking knowledge of just about everything that has transpired here since the Sundering," Rainbow Dash said.

"There are gaps in the Song," Merula confessed. "Consequences of the Ruby Chorus and the Bloodwings' hunt. Nevertheless, what the Winter Children rehearse, the Eternal Songstress collects. The lyrics maintain a narrative, and several truths dangle tightly in silk."

Rainbow looked at her friends, then at Merula. "Then maybe you can answer something for me..."

"Hooo boy..." Applejack curled her ghostly forelimbs tight. "Here it comes, y'all."

Rainbow paced towards her arachnid guests. "I heard quite a few things about the Dark Side before coming here, courtesy of a long talk I had with Queen Chrysalis. She's the sister to Tchern, the leader of the Flux-Keepers who still remains here on the Dark Side." She raised an eyebrow. "Do you know of whom I speak?"

Merula's abdomen shook. "We know. And Tchern still oversees the metamorphosis."

"Right. Well, I've been hoping to find out what happened to a very ancient creature who arrived here on the Dark Side a long time ago. I mean a very long time ago. Thousands of years, if I'm not mistaken." Rainbow gulped. "I speak of Endrax. A dragon, also known as a Divine—"

"We know of Endrax," Merula swiftly answered. "The Song has several movements dedicated to her."

Rainbow blinked. "Then... maybe you've heard that there are 'pieces of her' scattered about...?" Rainbow's tail flicked. "And that the different factions of the Trinary War—the Bloodwings and Night Shard and Keepers battling over the Sarcophagus—are also battling over stuff belonging to that Divine? You see, Chrysalis mentioned this, and... I-I kinda sorta ran into a blood relative of Endrax who—"

"The armies battled for the Shards of Endrax and they seized all three of them. The Night Shard, the Bloodwings, and the Keepers—each now possess a piece."

Rainbow's muzzle hung agape. "But... but how could that be?"

"They believe the Shards to be pivotal in asserting complete dominance over the Sarcophagus of Ages."

"No, I mean... how could all three of them have pieces of Endrax...?" Rainbow suddenly grimaced. "Unless—"

"Endrax is dead," Merula said.

The ghostly mares gasped in one accord.

Merula added: "She perished several revolutions ago, along with her brood."

Rainbow stood in silence. Ears drooped, she turned to look at the others.

Her friends gaped at her in disbelief.

"Then... what...?" Rainbow Dash turned around and reached into her saddlebag. "...what exactly..." She pulled out a large black sphere, flickering with occasionaly bursts of red light. "...is the Dragon Stone responding to?"

Suddenly, the Tunnel-Weaver beneath Merula actually flinched, its massive legs buckling. The hatchlings perched all across the silken construct clicked and squirmed with shock. Even Merula found it difficult to keep still. Her abdomen shook wildly, nearly unraveling the construct string by string.

Rainbow hugged the stone to her fuzzy chest, startled.

Swiftly, the arachnids inside the domed building composed themselves. The hatchlings fixed the damage caused to the construct. With the scratching of violin strings, Merula eventually found her voice. The tonal shift was evident as she finally produced: "Austraeoh, how is it that you possess a Tear of Gardez?"

Twilight flashed Rainbow a look.

"A Tear..." Rainbow leaned forward. "...of what?"

Violin strings scratched and wavered in the background. Rainbow sensed rapid movement and the blurring of spindly legs just outside the dome.

"Forgive us, Rainbow Dash. Forgive me," Merula stammered with sudden emphasis. "This uncouth reaction is a frailty of Merula, the All Singer, not the Eternal Songstress herself."

Rainbow glanced at the other arachnids—all of which were nervously shifting. "Something tells me you're not the only spider-girl freaked out by what I've got here. Just what—?" She paused, then recomposed herself. "Just who was Gardez?"

Merula took her time before responding: "An old and valued friend of the Music Mistress."

"Like... before the Breaking of the Circles?"

"Affirmative. There are many songs that echo her majesty. They are older than the Winter Children and ingrained into our very silk."

Rainbow looked at the stone, then back at Merula. "Did Gardez know the Divines?"

"In some respect, yes, Austraeoh. Gardez birthed them."

That Is Awesome Enough

Twilight Sparkle, Applejack and the others hovered close to Rainbow Dash. Their anchor in question leaned in so close to Merula that she nearly brushed limbs with the giant hairy invertebrate that was carrying her.

"The Song carries the majesty of Gardez," Merula explained through the vibrating silk. "But only the Glorious Lyricist knew her in person."

"What..." Rainbow gulped. "...do you know about her? You and the Winter Children?"

"Only that Gardez was supremely old—older than the Song Crafter herself."

"Older than Abaddon?"

The jumping spider's abdomen shook. "Gardez had her imprint made in the stars—like most other elders responsible for maintaining nests all across the circles of Urohringr. But Gardez's name was one that exceptionally deserved respect and admiration. She maintained peace and order, and while she was not alone in these endeavors, she nevertheless impressed the hearts and minds of multiple generations. Her legacy extends into an age before Song—into the very fabric of Sound itself. Everything that the Ancient Poet is and came to be owes itself to Gardez's influence."

"They... knew each other?"

"Affirmative."

"Was..." Rainbow bit her lip. "...was Gardez stranded on this plane just like Abaddon was?" A gulp. "When the Sundering happened?"

Merula eventually produced: "We do not know."

Rainbow hung her head.

"The Song speaks of her glory... but not of her fate. We believe that the Breaking of the Circles separated her forever from this slice of the universe. However, her vibrations carry along the Songstress' exultations throughout time immemorial."

"Sounds to me that..." Rainbow gestured. "...that Abaddon's recollection of history isn't one hundred percent clear. Even though you're all singing her song."

Merula's abdomen shifted and shook. "The Song is Holy and Sustaining. But—much like the Circles..."

"It's broken." Rainbow nodded. "Got it. I'm guessing that's where the faith and devotion of her Children comes in."

"The Queen of Strings has lived in the darkness of the Breaking for countless revolutions. While her loyalty to her Children is steadfast, her ability to maintain the Chorus has fractured over the epochs. Nevertheless, we maintain the structure to the best of our ability. Now you have arrived—the final audience of this Winter Symphony. For this purpose and this purpose alone, Abaddon wakes."

"Can..." Rainbow fidgeted. "...can she tell me more than what's in her Song these days?"

"That is something the Austraeoh must discover... once she is in the presence of the Birther of Song."

Rainbow exhaled. She pivoted about, pacing down the length of the long translucent map.

Merula's empty black eyes reflected the petite pegasus' movement.

The ghostly mares looked on.

At last, Rainbow turned around. "Maybe it's my place to fill in the gaps and... help Abaddon."

"Does the Austraeoh have a Song of her own?"

"For intance..." Rainbow swiftly trotted back. "...I know that Gardez had other hatchlings besides Endrax." She pointed at her saddlebag. "That's how I have one of her so-called tears."

The tunnel-weaver beneath Merula shifted slightly.

"There were other offspring of Gardez?" Merula asked. Her projected voice was tonally neutral despite the obvious inquiry. "You have met them?"

Rainbow nodded. She opened her muzzle—but suddenly hesitated. At last, she gave her information in a melancholic, breathy tone: "I'm sorry to say that most of them have perished." She gulped. "Two—Nevlamas and Verlax—suffered from madness and corruption before they left this plane. A third—Axan—gave her life to make sure I got to the Dark Side safely." She gave her saddlebag a slight shake. "That's how I inherited the Tear to begin with."

Merula tugged at the strings. "We see."

"There's a fourth who still lives," Rainbow Dash said. "Her name is Sturke, and—from what I hear—she peacefully governs a kingdom named 'Ward' somewhere on the Light Side... er... in Penumbra."

"That is a good thing to know."

"I've always wondered why the Divines—these dragon matriarchs were left to reign over the portions of the world," Rainbow Dash said. "And I had hoped to meet Endrax and find out from her... assuming..." She winced. "...that she hadn't suffered the same fate as Verlax and Nevlamas."

"The Song speaks of many heroics," Merula assured. "Both committed by the Daughter of Gardez herself, as well as her selfless brood."

Rainbow looked at the jumping spider with a sad expression. "And you're sure that they're all gone?" She bit her lip. "Endrax and her hatchlings?"

"Deceased. Perished several revolutions ago while defending the Sarcophagus."

"They were... defending it?" Rainbow asked.

"Affirmative. It was Endrax's self-imposed duty to ward off the encroaching armies. She gave her life in the process, and her broodlings defended her cause to the last scale and claw."

"Just... what killed her?" Rainbow's backhairs bristled slightly. "Which of the three factions is responsible?"

"That is one of the most sacred movements of the Song, and a melody held close to the central strings of the Lyricist herself. You will have to discover this from the Silk Mother, Austraeoh."

"She's... keeping it a secret?"

"Those of her Children who once knew have perished long ago. The Chorus is very precious indeed."

"But... why not carry the truth in song today?" Rainbow asked.

"The Ruby Chorus seeks to devour that which has been sung," Merula declared. "The Bloodwings and Keepers also. Each of the Three Armies possess a shard of Endrax, and if they ascertained the Queen of Strings' song, they might discover how to steal the other two from each other. If one Faction was successful in attaining all three, they would thus acquire the ability to unlock Endrax's final barricade and undo all of the glory and sacrifice committed by Gardez's heroic hatchling."

"I... I think I get it now," Rainbow Dash murmured. She exchanged nodding glances with her companions. "Endrax gave her life ages ago to block off the Midnight Armory from the factions of the Trinary War. The Shards are the key to unlocking what she's done. Each of the Factions has a key, but they don't know how to rob the other shards from their enemies. But Abaddon? She knows. The Song has given her... like... extra sight into everything. And if the Factions heard the Song, they'd have an edge." She swallowed. "That's why she's keeping the lyrics close to the chest."

"Even after so many revolutions, Gardez is protecting the integrity of life on this slice of the Circles. Through devotion and respect, the Silken Songstress is protecting the Matriarch's hard work. But now that you have arrived, Austraeoh, Ilrifa's work can finally Spark the Ignition deep within the heart of the machine. You can unite the Shards—and more. Unlock that which Endrax has sealed away, and fill the vacuum with harmony."

Rainbow looked at the symbols of the Codex flanking the translucent map of the plane. "Merula..." Her wings drooped outward. "...just who is... who was Ilrifa, anyways?" She looked at the arachnid speaker once again. "Does Abaddon's Song tell you that, at least? Or is that something I have to find out from the Songstress once she wakes?"

"Ilrifa is that which projects," Merula said.

"Projects..."

"Affirmative. Through the vast darkness—the space between circles—Ilrifa's light seeks to realign itself into a harmonic pattern. All of the bands have scattered, but—at long last—the spectrum is becoming one again. You are that spectrum, Austraeoh. The energy has centralized into a focus. A vessel. A harbinger of life and rebirth, seeking to reunite that which has been broken."

"Is that what the Austraeoh is, then?"

"It is that which completes the circle," Merula declared. "That which chases the broken horizon until it is fixed."

Rainbow took a deep breath. "Yeah, sure. Guess that's awesome enough..."

The Pot of Gold

"Steady brreaths..." Kepler reached over and patted Flynn's shoulder. "Steady brreaths, frriend."

"Yeah." Flynn remained curled up in a little ball atop the dormant wagon. "Yeah. Yeah." His good eye darted all around, reflecting spectacle after spectacle of dangling legs, black marble eyes, and hairy pedipalps. The Herald lingered on a bridge surrounded by a vigilant guard of spiders from all-crawls-of-life. "Yeah yeah yeah." The stallion gulped. "Easy for you to roll your r's when all this shit's squirming around you."

"You must rrelax, brrotherr!" Kepler said, adjusting his spectacles and smiling. "I've always known that spiderrs werre among the oldest and most elegantly evolved species on this plane—but to find out that they've simultaneously been an intelligent civilization of honorrrific guarrdians is positively rrapturrous! If they wanted to harrm us in any fashion, they would have done so long beforre we enterred this lofty city above theirr domain! You'rre a stallion of science! Surrely you must be intrrigued beyond comparre rright now! Why not focus on the magnificent intrricacies of this hitherto unprecedented conferrence of the minds?"

"Because..." Flynn gulped, trembling from head to tail. "...their minds are encased in big squishy hairy cephalothoraxes surrounded by long squirmy legs and..." He clenched his good eye under a fresh curtain of sweat. "Grnnngh... do their eyes have to be so black?!"

"Hey. Baldy." Logan leaned casually against the wagon as he examined his axe. "Want some extra pink lace for all that pantywaisting? Must be really tiresome."

"Shuddup, fatass!" Flynn barked. "Let's see how well you do once we meet a Dark Side colony of intelligent oversized bees!"

Logan's muzzle clenched hard.

Ariel flashed him a surprised look. "You've got a phobia of bees?"

"Them bastards st-sting something awful," Logan said with a slight stutter.

"But they make honey!" Ariel said, smiling.

"Just because some hairy winged freak shits out sweet sauce doesn't mean I gotta love it any more," Logan grumbled. "Besides, I'm allergic. It's a healthy fear." He gestured at the unicorn. "Unlike Miss Sissy Lips over there."

"Step a little closer, Big Show," Flynn wheezed. "I'll make some sweet honey down your big fat throat!"

Wildcard face-talon'd.

"Can we please calm down, frriends?" Kepler smiled through his tusks. "We arre evidently in the company of allies here—the only allies we have been able to afforrd since we firrst stumbled onto this inhospitable Darkscape! Let us not sourr the moment with needlessly cyclical dialogue about habitual parranoia!"

"If we had nothing to fear from these creatures..." Seraphimus suddenly spoke, hovering above the group. "...then why are they not letting us leave?"

Kepler clammed up.

Wildcard looked around. His black goggles reflected a veritable curtain of giant orb-weavers dangling over the group from a nebulous urban source above.

"They... uhm..." Ariel shifted where she stood. "They could just be protecting us," she said. "You saw how quickly those trolls navigated the upper spires of the city. The only reason we're still standing in one piece is because Abaddon's children intervened to make mince-meat out of the chaotic freaks."

"Shackles are still shackles," Seraphimus said. Her charcoal-brown eyes narrowed. "I know this. It's a pity you don't."

"She's n-n-not helping th-things," Flynn whimpered, still trembling.

With a sigh, Logan sheathed his axe and trotted towards the hovering former Commander. "Have you noticed that none of us have even bothered trying to leave this place? How do we know these Spindlers are actually imprisoning us here?"

Seraphimus returned his gaze coldly. "Do you wish to be the first one to test these creatures?"

"... ... ..."

"It is not my attempt to cast a paranoid shade over this situation," Seraphimus said. She looked at the group at large. "This situation has every indication that it is an elaborately-woven trap. Sheer experience has taught me this. Right now, these 'Spindlers' have complete control of the situation. It would be naive folly to assume nothing but complete benevolence."

Wildcard gestured something.

Seraphimus blinked at him.

"Yeah... why not?" Ariel remarked. She turned to smirk at the pale-feathered griffin. "Since you're so suspicious, you could be our first guinea pig!" She gestured. "You've been so hell-bent on ditching the Herald anyways. Why the sudden cold talons?"

"... ... ..." Seraphimus merely frowned.

"Do I need to say it for you?" Logan muttered.

Seraphimus squinted at him.

He spoke further: "We won't know if they're truly benevolent until Rainbow Dash comes back in one piece."

"That's making a rather steep assumption," Seraphimus said. "She has been gone an awful long time."

"Didn't spending two to three months in hoof-cuffs teach you something about patience?" a petite pegasus' voice cracked.

"Ha-ha!" Kepler sounded off.

Seraphimus closed her eyes. After a long sigh, she muttered over her shoulder: "I trust you learned several truths that were eluding you?"

"A little bit of 'yes'..." Rainbow Dash flew lazily towards the bridge where the group had gathered. She hovered in place, exhaling. "...a whole lotta 'no.'" A gulp. "It's complicated."

"What isn't these friggin' days?" Logan looked up. "Fill us in, girl."

Sw-Swooosh! Ariel and Wildcard flew in close, wings twitching in anticipation.

"Well..." Rainbow Dash touched down, coiling her feathers in tight. "...where do I even begin?"

"Thrill us!" Ariel said with a bright grin.

"Y-yeah..." Flynn continued to tremble, gazing all around at the dangling bodies. "...thrill..."

Rainbow Dash kept her distance from the wagon and its chaos metals as she spoke. "Well... uhm..." She brushed the back of her neck. "...I saw a map of the plane."

Wildcard did a double-take.

"A map of the Darrk Side?!" Kepler gasped.

"Well—sure. I mean, it's old." Rainbow cleared her throat. "Merula made it clear that the thing was built by the ponies who maintained this city long before the Sundering. So... much of it won't be accurate anymore, due to all of the geological changes and chaotic shifts in the topography through time. The girls and I agree with her."

Wildcard nodded and gestured: "That makes sense."

"I... uh... I learned the name of Axan's mother."

"What?!" Ariel leaned back, muzzle agape. "No way!"

"There's a Dragon Matriarch... or there was a Dragon Matriarch named 'Gardez,'" Rainbow explained. "She's older than Abaddon. Older than most things on Urohringr. For whatever reason, she left five eggs that hatched to produce the Divines as we know them today."

"How verry fascinating," Kepler exhaled.

"Yeah. Merula and the other spiders freaked out when they saw me whip out the Dragon Stone," Rainbow said, gesturing at her saddlebag. "They called it a 'Tear of Gardez.' They're... uh... they're apparently gifts given to each of her hatchlings. A way for them to keep in contact with one another. Supposedly they were fashioned out of Gardez's own blood itself."

"Then that must make the arrtifact you carrry olderr than most things in existence!" Kepler said with a smile. "No doubt Endrrax would be enrrapturred to learrn this inforrmation herrself! Assuming she hasn't learrned herrself."

"Endrax is dead," Rainbow said.

The group went silent.

"Merula and the rest of the Winter Children know this," Rainbow said. "They learned it from Abaddon's Song. But..." Rainbow fidgeted slightly. "...most everything else is hazy."

"Hazy?" Ariel slurred, ears drooped. "How... how can it be hazy?"

"Verlax's sister is legit croaked?" Logan rasped, still disbelieving.

Seraphimus flashed him a twitching glance.

"Merula... at least knows that Endrax gave her life defending the Midnight Armory," Rainbow said. "She butted heads with the factions of the Trinary War, and it cost the lives of her and her brood."

"She had children?!" Ariel reacted.

Rainbow nodded. "Now there are 'Shards of Endrax' in possession of the three Factions. One each. And... I-I get the feeling that accessing the Armory's gonna involve gathering those lost pieces."

"You've g-gotta be kidding me!" Flynn managed to whimper.

"Well..." Logan leaned back, folding his forelimbs. "...it never gets any easier, does it?"

Wildcard swiftly gestured: "There must be more to it than that. That cannot be all there is."

Rainbow nodded. "I agree. I just... gotta learn more."

"Why do you only know so little?" Ariel shrugged. "I thought you went for a wholesome stroll with the Spider Whisperer."

"Some things only Abaddon can... sing to me," Rainbow Dash said. "Merula tells me that the Winter Children are in the process of waking her."

"Yeah?" Logan nodded. "And then what?"

"I... become her audience." Rainbow shrugged. "I listen."

Silence.

"They intend to take you down into her lair, then?" Seraphimus remarked.

Rainbow looked over her shoulder. "Yeah. You worried?"

"... ... ..." Seraphimus blinked. "Are you?"

Rainbow took a deep breath. "At this point? Only that I might not get it."

"It's an awful lot to take in, Rrainbow One," Kepler said. "Perrhaps you should think it overr."

"Nah, I gotta meet her," Rainbow said. "Especially to figure out this whole Ilrifa thing."

"Yeah! Did they explain that?" Ariel cocked her head to the side. "Did they explain what... that name has to do with all this?"

"No. That's for Abaddon to tell me. At least..." Rainbow fidgeted. "I hope."

"For such well-meaning informants, they're being very conservative with relaying information," Seraphimus commented.

Rainbow flashed her a look. "You try surviving hordes of invaders and destroyers from all sides—being forced after millennia to hole up in one last nest—and you see if you can retain as much information."

Seraphimus' beak clenched. "I'm simply saying that they're asking a lot of you." She gestured. "They're asking a lot from all of us."

"Yeah, but it's an offer I can't turn down," Rainbow said. "These Spindlers are the first faction trying not to kill us over here."

"They are making vast assumptions and declarations about you," Seraphimus said. "Considering the possiblity that you don't meet the standards or expecations of this so-called Abaddon..." She shifted nervously, glancing at the group at large. "I mean... then what?"

"We c-could swiftly turn from house guests to house sn-snacks," Flynn said, squirming.

"I don't believe Abaddon means us any harm," Rainbow said.

"Have you factored in her senility?" Seraphimus asked.

Rainbow blinked.

"Everything that lives is subject to lapses in comprehension," Seraphimus declared. "The thing about songs is that the more and more you rewrite a ballad, it skews itself... be it informatively or poetically." She slowly shook her head. "I wouldn't trust everything to a singular chorus."

"They're putting all of their faith in me," Rainbow said. "Seems that it's only fitting—after countless millennia of patient waiting—that I return the favor."

Seraphimus' feathers ruffled. "This could end up disastrously."

"It's okay, Sera." Rainbow smirked slightly. "You don't have to say that you love me."

Seraphimus snarled. "Do not call me 'Sera.'"

Wildcard waved her off. He turned to face Rainbow Dash. "When will Abaddon awake?" he spelled out.

"I dunno," Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. "Anytime now."

"'Anytime now,' huh?" Logan breathed out the side of his muzzle. "By these spiders' scale, that could be a hundred years."

"Just chillax, Big Show," Rainbow said. She turned around three times and sat down on coiled forelimbs. "I could use a rest from the freaky silk-vibrations anyways."

"You're not alone, g-girl," Flynn whimpered.

Ariel sat down next to Rainbow. "How are you going to even talk to this Spider Queen?"

"I dunno."

Ariel blinked. "Willllllll... they let any of us go down there to be with you while the conversation happens?"

"I dunno."

Ariel sighed. She brushed her bangs aside. "Well, I hope so. I dunno about you, but I really really wanna learn more about this 'Ilrifa' character."

"I..." Rainbow gazed off into the urban distance. "...I think I already know who Ilrifa is."

"Oh yeah?"

Rainbow nodded. A breath. "The Pot of Gold." A slight smirk, and her wingtips fluttered.

Reverse of Bird-Watching

Later.

Much later...

Perpetual twilight hung over the mostly-empty city. Nebulaic stars glinted off the metallic shells of the spires upon spires.

A large majority of the Winter Children had receded—seemingly—disappearing into hidden, silken alcoves situated below the upper platforms. Whatever few arachnid representatives who remained lingered in lofty spaces like vigilant sentries. The Herald—in the meantime—had taken the opportunity to get some rest, and many of them congregated quietly beside the wagon. Much of the caravan's contents had been unloaded and several members of the brigade had taken the opportunity to eat, catch a breath, and murmur amongst each other concerning the situation at hoof.

Seated far away from them—on her lonesome—was Rainbow Dash. She sat a safe distance from the chaos metals located within the wagon itself. Before her was a healthy assortment of gathered fungus: edible morsels acquired throughout the lengthy trip.

She hadn't bitten into a single one.

Instead, she slumped on her belly, staring numbly ahead. Tired eyes traced tired circles across distant platforms, occasionally stumbling upon a spider or two and then gazing even further. A sigh rolled through Rainbow's body, and she continued her lethargic spell.

Claws and paws clicked across the metal bridge behind her... at last scuffling to a stop. Feathers ruffled in a cold wind as a steely gaze peered over Rainbow's figure, observing the uneaten samples lying before the pegasus. At last, Seraphimus spoke: "Logan has stated that the scraps of troll flesh that they've cooked and sampled is particularly succulent. Perhaps it would nourish you far more than—"

"Not only would you be completely disgusting me with an offering of vomit-inducing meat," Rainbow Dash droned. "But you would be killing me." Her tail flicked savagely while she frowned ahead. "Chaos beings, remember?"

"Hrmmm..." Seraphimus nodded. A beat, and then she suggested: "Perhaps if you only ate the skin."

Rainbow shot up and spun about with a frown. "Sera, what are you still doing here?!?"

Seraphimus gave her a cool, calm look. "Preparing to be rebuked, it would seem."

"You were totally willing to skip town Goddess-knows how many hours ago! But now you've gone full-buzzard! I mean—for crying out loud!" Rainbow's teeth gnashed. "What's the friggin' counter at, anyways? Fifteen? Sixteen?!"

Seraphimus raised an eyecrest. "What 'counter?'"

"Rnnnngh..." Rainbow face-hoofed. "I dunno. Who knows. I just... don't get it..."

Seraphimus took a deep breath. "I take it that there are a lot of things you don't understand."

Rainbow fumed in tense silence until ultimately shuddering. "Yes, Sera. There're a ton of things I still don't get. Even after all of my millions of miles of east-farting." She pulled at her face muscles, sighing again. "I admit. I can't promise you all of the answers. Even at my most awesomest—I just don't have everything figured out."

Seraphimus nodded. "My inability to fully grasp the Grace and Wisdom of Verlaxion was actually one of my greatest driving strengths. It sustained me more times than I can pretend to admit."

"... ... ..." Rainbow lowered her hooves in time to give the griffin a tired squint. "Do I hear you talking in the past tense?"

Seraphimus didn't comment on that. Instead, she lowered down on bent legs until she was nearly even with the pegasus' tired expression. "I heard something about a creature named 'Ilrifa.' Nobody in your group will even pretend to elaborate for me. Not even Logan."

"They're probably just as freaked out about you hanging around as I am..."

"Nevertheless..." Seraphimus cocked her feathered head to the side. "What do you know about this 'Ilrifa' so far?"

Rainbow shuddered. Despite her own mood, she agreed to mutter forth an answer: "Only that—in some way or another—she may very well have been responsible for what's summoned the Austraeoh." A gulp. "She's probably the very reason for why I'm... me."

"I see." Seraphimus nodded. "So... you have reason to suspect that all of your travels and hardships could very well be encapsulated in a plan concocted by such an ancient force?"

"Sera, what are you even getting at?" Rainbow looked sincerely at her for once. Her muzzle hung agape. "The journey of the Austraeoh is something that's been written and sketched out in stone long before I performed my first sonic rainboom as a lil' squirt in Equestria. I've been trying to tell you that a million times before now..."

"What's... a 'sonic rainboom?'"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Are you finally coming around? I mean—what is this?"

Seraphimus navigated a thoughtful breath before saying: "There was a time when I knew... where I understood the destiny that Verlaxion had laid out before me. I thought I had all the answers. And yet... my world was to be shattered over and over again. There was no escaping this, as I would find out."

"... ... ..."

"The horizon has broken multiple times for you," Seraphimus declared. "If you were to somehow return to your place of foaling, would it even look the same?"

Rainbow's ears folded back. "I... can't even remember what it looked like the first time I kicked off the earth..."

Seraphimus nodded. She examined her talons. "I understand that you are to be summoned by this... Abaddon soon."

Rainbow gulped, looking off. "Yeah. Anytime now. She's supposed to be 'waking up,' whatever that means."

"I was wondering if I could make a request..."

Rainbow twitched upon hearing that. Her ruby eyes darted towards Seraphimus. "... ... ...name it."

Seraphimus returned a hard, steely gaze. "I was wondering if I could join you for such a conference..."

Repercussions of Cat-Watching

"We are not refusing the request," Merula declared, vibrating into the construct. She peered down at Rainbow Dash from atop the massive tunnel-weaver. "We simply do not understand it."

"It's not that complicated," Rainbow Dash said. She and Seraphimus stood before the arachnid company at the end of a lower courtyard overlooking a sea of silk strands. Hundreds of thousands of square meters of interconnecting webs bled their way down into utter darkness below. "I wish to have company with me when I go down to meet Abaddon."

Merula's forelimbs shifted. The construct vibrated, eventually producing: "But your companions are not the Austraeoh."

"But they are Eljunbyro," Rainbow Dash remarked, eyebrow lifted. "Or at least Odrsjot. Heheh..." A slight smirk. "...some more 'frantic' than others."

"There is no denying their importance in your arrival here, Austraeoh," Merula declared. "However, the Song Queen's message has been sung for you and you alone. While your companions may join you, I cannot promise that they will hear the music, much less understand it." Merula's abdomen shook. "The Winter Mother wakes to speak to one soul alone. When she produces music, she means it for a specific audience. You will likely be the only one capable of comprehending the strings."

"That's perfectly fine."

A moment of silence.

Merula shook once again. "We still do not understand the request."

"I do not think it comprehends individuality," Seraphimus muttered.

"Shhhh!" Rainbow insisted.

"The Winter Children are many," Merula declared. "It is how we best served the Queen of Strings."

"I understand that Abaddon is only wanting to talk to me," Rainbow Dash said, trotting forward slightly. She looked up at her reflection in the jumping spider's big black eyes. "After all, she's been preparing this... Song of hers for Goddess-knows how long. But I would nevertheless like to bring my... uh... my companion here along."

"To what purpose?"

Rainbow took a breath. "Illumination." She smiled. "Some of us mortals depend on our eyes more than our ears."

Seraphimus clenched her beak.

The hatchlings perched along Merula's strings crawled back and forth. There was a slight shifting to the tunnel-weaver, and soon all were still again.

At last, Merula spoke: "It shall be granted."

"Cool beans."

"Although we still do not understand how those hearing the Song and not understanding it can stand to be enlightened, we trust the Austraeoh's judgment. She—above all—comprehends the nature of illumination. Her gift is that of Penumbral Harmony." Merula's abdomen then shook to the other side. "We truly hope that this request is not being made out of fear or suspicion of the Chorus Keeper's motivations. We do not mean the Austraeoh harm and we never will."

"I... think we're a great deal past the whole 'afraid of the freaky giant spiders' thing," Rainbow Dash said. "So you shouldn't need to be worried about that. But... even still..." She smiled. "I must now request that I bring two companions of mine."

"Very well," Merula's forelimbs twitched. "That should be no problem whatsoever. Who are you wishing to bring besides this specimen?"

Rainbow tilted her head aside. "You can come out now."

Silence.

Seraphimus droned: "Jordan. You've lost your touch since you depended on metal claws. Move your damnable tail-feathers out into the open before these creatures suspect something."

There was an audible, lengthy sigh. At long last, Wildcard emerged from the shadows like an inky spirit. He glared at Seraphimus the entire time.

"These two griffins," Rainbow Dash declared. "I would very much appreciate it if they accompanied me while being an audience to Abaddon."

"Very well." Merula's pedipalps shifted slightly. "If it pleases them to protect you in the presence of the Queen of Strings."

"Actually... I think they're a bit more wary of each other," Rainbow said with a slight smirk. "It'll be for the best."

"We trust the Austraeoh."

"Most awesome things on this plane do." Rainbow Dash spun about—a bit too swiftly for her own good—and by the second revolution she was facing the two griffins with a dizzy expression. Shaking out of it, she smiled pleasantly. "See? That wasn't too hard."

Wildcard hand-signed: "You almost welcomed disaster."

"I doubt these things would have attacked the two of us at this rate," Seraphimus muttered. "The only disaster would have been you staging a spontaneous rescue from no threat whatsoever in our absence."

Sneering, Wildcard gestured something Rainbow didn't recognize.

"Only natural that they taught you barbaric crudity at Wyvern Point," Seraphimus exhaled.

Wildcard's feathers ruffled.

Rainbow whistled shrilly, and both avian felines turned to face her. "Hey. Hypothetical situation. If you were being invited over to visit your friend's Nana during tea, would you piss all over her lemon candies and break her precious china?"

The two griffins merely blinked.

Rainbow frowned. "Don't. Buck. This. Up." She pointed. "Abaddon's the super eldritch spider grandmother and you two kiddies better be on your best behavior."

"I only meant to suggest—" Seraphimus began.

Rainbow leaned into her face. "Shut. Up." She then threw a glare at Wildcard. "You too."

The Desperado's goggles rattled.

"Luna Poop..." Rainbow rubbed her temple as she hovered away from the scene. "Bard was right. You are a friggin' chatter box."

The two griffins were left fidgeting in Rainbow's absence.

Merula spontaneously vibrated: "Penumbral habits are truly fascinating. Do tell us—are all mortals from Paradise so banal in their discourse?"

Late for Spider-Con

"I know you've all been itching for a update," Rainbow Dash said, pacing before her companions. The Herald stood on the edge of a suspended courtyard—a safe distance from the wagon and its metallic contents. Arachnid bodies dangled vigilantly in the urban backdrop as Rainbow spoke. "So here's how things are going to go down soon. Abaddon is waking, and she wishes to speak to me... sing to me... serenade me. Whatever. Long story short, she's got a lot of stuff to impart to the Austraeoh, so I'm going to have to go down and see her."

"How interresting," Kepler remarked, stroking his beard.

"Now..." Ariel squinted, head cocked to the side from where she hovered. "When you say 'go down'...?"

Rainbow looked in her direction. "Merula's already explained it... kinda." She fidgeted in mid-air. "At some point—some point soon—I'll be summoned to a spot in the middle of the city. There, Abaddon's followers are gonna fashion a... uhh... a seat of sorts." She swallowed. "A seat that will lower me down to the hidden nest of the Winter Children situated at the city's foundation."

"Oh, you mean like a gondola!" Ariel remarked.

Kepler and Flynn exchanged expressions.

"Sure. A silky... spider gondola," Rainbow Dash muttered. "Let's go with that." She resumed pacing. "Somewhere down below, Abaddon's parked her—uh—abdomen in a safe spot. She's been situated there for pretty much the entirety of this plane's lonely existence. Like... since before the Sundering."

"Holy shit," Logan muttered.

"Well said." Rainbow hovered in a circle. "From the sound of things, she's super... super old. No doubt she can't move much. Jury's still out on just... ehhh... how well she can actually talk or share information..."

"Then..." Logan's brow furrowed. "...what's the whole point in going down there, then?"

Wildcard glanced at him from the sidelines.

Rainbow shrugged. "Because too many thousands of years have been invested in this crazy-fated circumstance for us to just give up on it now."

Logan nodded. "Sure." He folded his forelimbs. "I'll buy that."

"I don't care if you snort it." Rainbow gestured. "I'm the Austraeoh. Abaddon knew Axan's mother and this 'Ilrifa' character... personally." She slowly shook her head. "There's no friggin' way I can afford to not show up to something like this."

"We arre cerrtainly not denying the imporrtance of this meeting, Rrainbow One," Kepler said. "We arre simply concerrned—as always."

"Just don't worry, okay?" Rainbow bore a calm smile. "I know these 'Winter Children' dudes are creepy and crawly on the outside..."

Flynn shivered visibly.

Rainbow continued: "...but they mean nothing but good to us. To me. I mean... heh... let's friggin' face it." Her eyes traced the pendulous shapes of giant orb-weavers hanging in the background. "They're just shy of outright worshipping me at this rate."

"They've certainly been keen on this 'Song' of theirs for forever," Ariel remarked.

"It's Abaddon's 'Song,'" Rainbow corrected. "And they respect her above all else. And while Abaddon expects nothing but some destined glory from me... then..." Another shrug. "...her nest is probably the safest place I will have parked my flank since I had a hammock on board the Jury."

"H-hey!" Flynn perked up. "They've got the silk! They can make you a new one!"

"... ... ... ... ..." Rainbow Dash stared at him.

"... ... ..." His good eye blinked as his smile remained locked in place. "Remind me why I'm here again?"

Logan swatted his backside. "Because if we left you alone back at the wagon you'd still be throwing up!"

"I've gotten... urp..." Flynn held a hoof to his queasy muzzle. "...g-gotten better."

"Honestly, frriend!" Kepler glanced at him. "Haven't ourr new companions prroven that they arre anything but ghastly monstrrosities by now?"

"HELLO?!?!" Flynn's voice barked as he gestured at the silken guardians dangling above them with fangs and pedipalps and dappled exoskeletons. "Have you looked at them?! Do they look like friggin' puppies to you?!"

"They're fuzzy enough," Ariel muttered.

"Sh-shut up!"

"Heeheehee—"

"Just relax, Flynn," Rainbow droned. "Point is... these dudes are no threat to me."

"Uh huh..."

"Seriously! Don't worry about me! Besides..." Rainbow smiled, pointing at a brooding griffin off to the side. "I won't be alone! Seraphimus is coming with me!"

The Herald gawked at her.

"... ... ...did you even hear what you just said?" Flynn exhaled.

"Rnnngh..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Alright. Fine. Wildcard's coming too."

"Whew..." Ariel fanned herself. "That's more like it."

Seraphimus merely sighed and continued to stare off into the urbanscape, forelimbs folded.

"I already discussed it with Merula," Rainbow Dash said. "She's cool with the escort, so it's all gravy."

Flynn shuddered. "B-better them than m-me..."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "You sure they don't mind the added weight?"

"Merula was... a bit confused over my insistence of having company," Rainbow said. "But they easily relented. Although..."

"What?"

Wildcard gestured. "Only Rainbow will understand Abaddon's message," the Desperado spelled out. A beat followed, and he added: "According to what they said."

"The Hell is that supposed to mean?" Ariel remarked.

Rainbow shrugged. "Like all things related to this Austraeoh-kaizoness, I'm guessing I'll learn in due time."

"Eeeugh..." Flynn grimaced. "Does that ever not feel ominous? Like... at all?"

Rainbow sighed. "I try not to think too hard about it."

"Well..." Kepler adjusted his spectacles. "...so long as you arre not too terrribly concerrned about this venturre, then we supporrt yourr excurrsion into the thrrone rroom of this esteemed 'Abaddon.'" He turned to look at the others. "Arre we in aggrreement?"

"Totally!"

"Damn straight."

"Again... b-better them than me..."

"Can it, Baldy."

"You'd rather me vomit?"

"Meh."

"So... until I'm summoned..." Rainbow stood on all four hooves, tail-flicking. "...I suggest we rest up. I doubt that... we're going to get many m-more opportunities in the future to chillax like we are now."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Logan said, turning around and shuffling towards the wagon. "Time to put my ass to sleep."

"Yeah." Flynn nodded, hobbling after him. "That'll take a century at least."

"Shut your mana-hole, Flynn. If there's unicorn barf on my napsack, I'm gonna rip you in half."

"You spend all night ripping enough on your own, so what's with an added threat?"

"Touche."

As the Herald parted ways, Rainbow Dash turned towards Seraphimus. The griffin stood alone, and Rainbow felt the urge to check up on her. But just as she made to move, she caught sight of an anxious constellation of freckles to her right.

"???" Rainbow turned, focusing her sight on Applejack's ghostly figure. "AJ? What's up?"

Applejack gnawed on her ethereal forelimb. She stared off into the distance with an expression. "Mmmmmm..." A gulp. "Nothin', I reckon."

Rainbow frowned. "Applejack... being dead is no excuse for lying." She gestured. "And especially you of all corpses."

"Eeugh..." Applejack shook from head to tail from where she hovered. "Please. Dun say the 'K' word."

"Corpse is spelled with a 'C'," Rainbow Dash said. "And if you don't want me to freak you out, then you'd better speak up."

Applejack sighed. "Very well..." She motioned towards another section of the courtyard. "Let's go for a stroll, shall we?"

Rainbow smiled, lightly flapping her wings. "I thought you'd never ask, AJ."

"Uh huh. Whatever that means."

Ripples in the Strings

Rainbow Dash had put some distance between herself and the Herald. Floating in the shadow of immense urban spires, she turned to face Applejack.

"Okay, AJ. Spill it. Just don't get any ghost freckles on me."

"Huh?"

Rainbow sighed, waving a hoof. "Tell me what's on your mind."

Applejack straightened up and pivoted to face her anchor. "Somethin' about our last conversation with Merula ain't sittin' with me right."

Twilight Sparkle and Rarity materialized in a blink, eyes wide. "Merula?"

"We're being lied to?!" Rarity floated closer. "Out with it, darling!"

"I... I-I didn't say them spiders were lyin'!" Applejack stammered.

"But something is troubling you," Twilight Sparkle said, eyes thin. "Care to tell Rainbow Dash? Care to tell us?"

"Well..." Applejack looked at Rainbow. "...it's just that somethin'... changed in the middle of the last conversation we was havin'. Y'know... when we pressed them about bringin' along Wildcard and the Death Turkey?"

"Changed?" Pinkie Pie floated in, munching. "Changed, how?"

Rarity gave Pinkie Pie a double-take. "What...?" Her lips pursed. "Pinkie Pie, what could you possibly be eating?"

"Ghost candy!"

"Ghost candy?"

"Yeah!" Pinkie opened her muzzle wide, revealing nothing. "I made it up! Isn't it sweet?"

Fluttershy materialized beside her, smiling and "munching" as well. "Mine is vanilla-flavored! Mmmmmmm... I love vanilla..."

Rarity face-hoofed with a dainty sigh.

"Applejack...?" Rainbow looked at her honest friend with a tired smile. "Back to the sapient spiders and the looming intrigue."

"It's just that..." Applejack gestured. "These bug-folks are... are..." She fumbled. "I guess 'pure' is the word for it. They're right to call themselves the 'Winter Children,' cuz they're all like foals, really. They're very innocent and trustin' and they hardly ever question anythang... especially when it comes to their 'Lyric Mother' and her 'Song.'"

"Soooooooo... what happened during the last conversation to put a dint in all that?"

"Ain't a dint, exactly. Just..." Applejack looked at Seraphimus in the distance. "Seems they weren't expecting you to bring along two visitors."

"Merula said it was acceptable," Rainbow said. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me that she was lying?"

"No, I sensed that they was okay with it. Only... somethin' in their perspective has been stirred somewhat. Reckon it's hard to explain." Applejack tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It's like they never even comprehended that you would do anythang but show up on yer lonesome. But now that there's been a flank-bump in the square dance—so to speak—it's gotten their rhythm all caddywankas."

"Hah!" Pinkie said between phantom candy-bites. "Leave it to AJ to rely on countryisms... even butt-deep in a sepulcher city full of talking spiders!"

"Whatever the case, there's been a ripple in the pond," Applejack said. "I dun feel like it's cause for concern, but I'd hate myself if I didn't mention it." She gulped. "Sorry for bein' mighty slow on the draw."

"It's fine, Applejack," Rainbow said calmly. "What matters is that you said something before I took the penultimate cocoon ride down into Abaddon-land."

"Brrrbrrrrrr..." Rarity shivered all over. "Can we please not call the silken transport a 'gondola?'" She flashed a frown towards a distant, feathered figure. "Not so long as Seraphimus is going to be descending with us?"

"Ugh!" Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes while "chewing gum." "Agreed!"

"Everything about the Winter Children is about relying on the 'Song' of their brood mother," Twilight Sparkle. "The Queen of Strings has been teaching them about the Austraeoh and Urohringr since their hatching for countless generations."

"Yes." Fluttershy nodded. "And—like trusting foals—they've known nothing else but the regimental truth they've lived by four eons." She gestured at their anchor. "The moment Rainbow Dash introduces something that they're simply not expecting, and it throws their balance off completely!" She smiled gently. "It's somewhat precious, actually. It reminds me of baby birds learning to fly for the first time. Sometimes a gentle prod from their mommies and daddies isn't enough to prepare them for the winds to come."

"These aren't freshly-hatched songbirds, darling," Rarity said with a slight shudder. "This is... a ghastly colony of unearthly invertebrates that have been operating by an acoustical construct to live and abide by. It goes beyond natural instinct and simple reasoning. They completely and absolutely depend on the Song. For the life of me, I cannot fathom how this 'Abaddon' matriarch expects her hatchlings to exist outside the frame of welcoming the Austraeoh to the Dark Side."

"Probably because she doesn't," Twilight said. "It's obvious that Abaddon was stuck here against her will when the Sundering happened. She survived a cataclysm that Ilrifa, Gardez and potential others did not. So—to make do, and to support the fate of the Austraeoh—she nested up on here and went into full birthing mode." Twilight gestured. "She spread her hatchlings—and her Song—to the far corners of the Dark Side, keeping watch and gathering information for the exchange that is now—finally—about to go underway." She gulped. "Can you imagine the sheer amount of preparation and sacrifice that had to go into this sort of an endeavor? For so... so many epochs that most mortal beings like ourselves cannot even comprehend?"

"You make it sound like she's gonna curl up and die once Dashie finishes having her chat with her!" Pinkie declared.

"An even better question..." Fluttershy grimaced, ears folding melancholically. "...what's going to happen to the Winter Children once Abaddon has fulfilled her life's purpose?" She blinked at the others. "What is their fate here... on the Dark Side?"

Silence.

"They aren't called the Spring Children, now, are they, darling?" Rarity quietly said.

Fluttershy stifled a whimper, holding a pair of hooves over her muzzle. Pinkie Pie nuzzled her gently.

Rainbow took a breath. "There's clearly a lot on the line. Let's just... try not and shake the strings too much, okay? I mean that literally."

Applejack nodded back. "I will keep my eyes peeled when the meeting goes down." She blinked, then smiled sheepishly. "Well... y'know what I mean."

"That's fine. For now..." Rainbow gestured after the Herald. "I suggest you guys follow suit. Rest up. Vanilla Zone and all that."

"Mmmmmmm..." Rarity stifled a yawn. "...just who's turn is it to keep watch?"

"Oh!" Pinkie Pie piped up, waving her forelimb. "Me! Me me me me!"

"Ughhh... Pinkie..." Twilight frowned. "I think we've all mutually agreed that you should not be 'standing watch' any more."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" Pinkie pouted. "Since when?"

"Erm..." Rarity fidgeted. "No offense intended, darling, but..." She squinted at the mare. "You have a rather unfortunate habit of dozing off in the middle of your vigils. And—all things considered—that is something that Rainbow Dash simply cannot afford while she's here on the Dark Side."

"Pffffft!" Pinkie waved a dismissive hoof. "Me?! Sleep on the job?! This is Dashie we're talking about! Miss Loyalty Extraordinaryette! Nooooo way would I leave her hanging! I mean—good gosh, Rarity—that would make me worst pony! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha—"

Signing On to Discord

"Schnorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" Pinkie Pie slept like a rock in mid-air. She drifted slowly over Rainbow's head, her muzzle dribbling with ghost drool.

Rainbow looked up from a sleeping mat that she was sprawled across. The phantom shadow of a slumbering candy pone crossed over her spectral features. After a roll of her eyes, Rainbow smiled and shifted to the side.

The city hung sideways in her tired vision. In the distance, she could spot the white shape of the wagon. Logan, Flynn, and Kepler formed slumbering dots around the dormant vehicle and its chaotic contents.

More sleepy breaths—this time it wasn't Pinkie. Rainbow looked over her shoulder.

Ariel slept on a mat just a few meters away. Even in slumber, she refused to leave Rainbow's side. Her fuzzy gray body was curled up in a foalish ball that almost made her look the same size as her petite companion. Almost.

Rainbow's eyes wandered further. She knew better than to look for Wildcard. The Desperado was undoubtedly perched somewhere lofty and advantageous—where he could swoop down and protect the Austraeoh at a moment's notice. He always made sure that he could see her, even if she couldn't see him. Somehow, Rainbow knew that Bard would be proud.

A warm breath escaped her lips.

There was no sign of Seraphimus at the moment either. For the first time in as long as Rainbow could remember, she didn't care.

Her eyes wandered a bit until she spotted a familiar flicker of gold. Somewhere—off in the distance—the Midnight Armory loomed beyond the metal, the chaos, and the great Cuve of the Dark Side. Now—with all that she had learned—its shine was all the more dazzling. Even with her eyes closed, Rainbow could see its minute shape in all its alicorn glory.

Abaddon had a Song. The ancestors of Whitemane had a Shine.

Rainbow's eyelids hung heavy. She curled up, trilling a bit to herself as she settled into a comfortable position...

...and drifted away.

"... ... ... ... ... ...the itsy bitsy Sparky went up the webbed spout."

Rainbow's eyes popped open.

"Down came the exposition aaaaaand washed the Sparky out!"

Rainbow's eyes rolled. She looked directly up.

Pinkie's sleeping body drifted by. Soon, a lazy dragonequus came into focus, lounging on a magic "hammock" above the scene. He made shadow puppets against the underside of a metal bridge through the use of a ghostly flashlight. The spotlight featured spidery limbs encircling a stick-figure pegasus enmeshed in webbing.

"Up came the kaizo and dried up all the angst." He puppeted a shadowed bevvy of mute explosions against spotlight. "And the itsy bitsy Sparky threw up a fight scene again."

Rainbow exhaled long and hard.

A pair of red-on-yellow eyes peered down at her, above a glinting grin. "How're my improv skills? Hmmm?" He twirled the flashlight until it turned into a microphone that produced a whine of feedback. "Better with or without the watermelon gag?"

Rainbow clenched her jaw.

"Ehhhh..." He shifted his hairy body. "Let's face it. The show was better before the special host ditched everything for 'The Plot Is Right.'" He backflipped off the vanishing hammock and slowly descended via an open umbrella. "I should just stick to the menacing veneer and empty threats—" He nearly bumped into a sleep-gliding Pinkie Pie. "HEY! I'M MONOLOGUING HERE!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"Nice girl." Discord landed beside the sleeping mat, folded up his umbrella, and shoved it into his earhole. "But she really shouldn't be asleep at the whinny." He winked and placed his knuckles against his hairy hips. "Friends don't let friends doze and drool."

A low grumbling sound escaped Rainbow's muzzle.

"Okay. Here it comes. I know it's coming."

Rainbow's eyes narrowed.

"It is coming, isn't it?" Discord leaned in, fang glinting. "Come on. I wanna hear you say it." He twisted his ear until it turned into a phonograph funnel aimed at the petite pegasus. "'Get lost, you freakin' harmony-pooper!'" his voice cracked raspily. "'You bloody chaos lord of anti-alicorn menacing! Ya inside out cat-huffing eggplant-chocolate...' or whatever your glorious catch-phrase is." He shook his head until it was back to normal and gestured at the sleeping, drifting Pinkie. "You know what to do. And you can do it! Just wake her up and the rest of your bosom buddies will come scampering in to herd me back into fart-space where I can't ruffle your precious feathers." He raised a pinkie finger while a red tie materialized beneath his neck. "Do it bigly, ya snowflake!"

"... ... ... ... ..." Rainbow gazed blankly at him.

"Or maybe..." He yanked the tie until it retracted into his voice box like a venetian blind. Eyes thinned as his voice hissed. "...you simply don't want to shoo me away? After all, what's the excuse at this point?" His eyes darted towards the wagon. "The metal's over there, Sparky. All the trolls are spider food. So—please, humor me before I humor myself into stitches."

"... ... ... ... ..."

"Here's something I don't understand." Discord leaned back, twiddling his digits together. "You'll talk to long-winded half-alicorn do-gooders. You'll talk to giant blind turtles living in cities named after penultimate saints. You'll even talk to evil frosted chaos dragons with a fetish for indoctrinating entire tribes of wayward cultures. Now—lo and behold—you're about to go on a field trip to listen to a giant spider diva pontificate about who-knows-what... and yet... you just will never... ever talk to me! Well? What's the deal, Sparky?" He flung his arms out. A long gray beard and a bent cane materialized on his person. "Aren't I just as old and wise as the rest of the motley crew? Has that ever occurred to you? Not that I'm jealous or anything, ya little whippersnapper... but what have they got that I haven't? Owwwww..." He rubbed his aching backside. "Aside from a metal hip replacement..."

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. At last, she muttered in his direction. "You killed my friends."

"Ehhhhh...?"

"You killed my friends!" Rainbow Dash hissed. Ariel stirred slightly beside her, snorted, then fell back into deep slumber.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight..." Discord nodded slowly. "We're still hung up on that precious nugget, aren't we? Very well." He backflipped. A psychiatrist chair materialized in time for him to land on it, wearing a three-piece suit and thick glasses. "Very well..." He struck a match across Pinkie's flank as she drifted by, lit a cigar, and flipped open a notepad. "How doez zat makez you feel, fraulein?"

"And what just irks me..." Rainbow's teeth clenched. "...is that you still have the gall to joke about it. Even now."

"Shtill... haz... sie gall..." Discord puffed on his cigar as he scribbled into the notepad. "Ja... Ja..." He held the paper towards her, displaying a foalish drawing of a rocket launcher. "And vat does your mother haf to do vith thees?"

Rainbow sighed hard, shaking her head. "Can you at least tell me one thing straight?"

"Well, naturally, I have to tell it to you straight," Discord said in his normal voice. He adjusted his spectacles. "Local spider legislation doesn't allow that kind of marriage. I mean—besides—have you seen their public restrooms here?" He laughed, hugging himself as the disguise vanished from his thrashing figure. "Hahahaha... ohhhhhhhhh I'm so relevant and fuzzy..."

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "Why did you do it?"

"What? Skip shaving? Puberty's a female dog and I left my newspaper at home."

"Why did you kill my friends?!?"

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh Sparky..." Discord "stood up" and walked towards her. "Kill... be killed. Be harmonic... be chaotic..." He bent back, doing the limbo beneath Pinkie on her latest slumbering fly-by. "For such a prismatic pegasus...... guhhh..." He stood back up straight, hands on his hips. "You truly love to see things in black and white."

"It's the life I've had to live," Rainbow muttered. "Thanks to you."

"Oh, it's me who's to blame, huh?" Discord pointed a finger at himself. "As if I just strolled in and did backup drums for the song we're all singing?"

Rainbow blinked. "Huh...?"

"You heard the Mouth of Arachno-Sauron earlier!" Discord gestured. "The music's been playing long before either you or me swung up to the home plate. Doesn't matter if it was the Drag Queen of Strings or the alicorns who first uvulated the ditty into the vacuum chamber. Fact is... the rhythm's been a-clangin' for a long-butt time, and we're both caught up in the chorus."

"So..." Rainbow cocked her head to the side. "...you're saying that... you didn't mean to kill my friends?"

"Did you mean to become the Austraeoh, Sparky?"

Rainbow frowned. "That's no friggin' excuse."

"Isn't it?" Discord winked. "You of all ponies should know, Miss Black-and-White, that there are two types of individuals who show up to a concert. Those who like to dance to the music..." His fang glanted. "...and those who like to sing out of tune."

Rainbow sighed pitifully. "You're a coward who won't own up to what he's done."

"I'm a person who likes to bring the house down," Discord said. "And Equestria? Girl... that's one big friggin' house."

"No wonder Celestia and Luna turned you to stone."

"Yeahhhhhhhh. I get ittttttttttttt. Nobody likes a heckler. But if you never boo or hiss at a concert... then all you get is the same music over and over and over again!" He tilted his head back until it practically looped around, along with his boring eyes. "Borrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiingggg!"

"Hrmmmmmmmmm..." Pinkie Pie smiled, drooled, and smiled some more in her sleep. "Borrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiinggggg... heeheehee..."

Discord side-stepped past the sleep-hovering ghost and loomed above Rainbow Dash once more. "Hard as it may be for you wrap your fruity head around this, Sparky-chan, but I never meant to mail your precious friends to the Department of Pushing Daisies. I'm not unlike the Wanker Children's beloved Abacus..." He held his arms out as a top-hat appeared atop his scalp. "... ... ...I love an audience. It isn't all that fun if there's nopony living to make sense of not making sense." He lifted the top-hat, revealing a gasping blue unicorn with a snow-white mane. "WHOOPS!" Discord puffed the entire illusion out of existence, blushing. "Wrong move, there. Didn't want to train wreck this all again, now, did we?"

"If you didn't want my friends dead..." Rainbow Dash stirred angrily where she pretended to be lying down to sleep. "Then why did you smile and laugh at their deaths in Ponyville?" Her ears curled back, reddening—along with her frown. "Why have you threatened to do them harm over and over again?"

"One... I didn't smile and laugh at their deaths. That was—at best—subdued amusement. After all, when things happen that even I don't expect, it's a full rich day for me." He stifled a yawn. "As for suggesting miserable things in general, Sparky, well... I just enjoy incurring acrimonious reflexes from your central psychological nucleus through consistent unmitigated stimuli of an unpredictable nature for the sake of casual mirth."

"... ... ..." Rainbow blinked. "What?"

He leaned his long long long long neck forward until he was staring her down with a glinting smirk. "I do it for the lulz." He punctuated that holocaustal statement with a wink.

"... ... ...Pinkie Piiiiiiiiiiie..." Rainbow's voice cracked. "Time to wake upppppp!"

The hovering mare stirred with ghostly hoof-kicks, snorting and murmuring.

Discord started flickering out of existence. "Very well. One step forward and a million farts back. Is that the way it's gonna be?" He drifted backwards, holding a glossy tablet in his hoof and "swiping" down illuminated page with a single claw. "Still... probably for the best... otherwise, this could have gone on for multiple chapters. 'Discord Dialogues Part Eight'. Pffft... give me a break!"

"Pinkiiiiie..."

"Alright alright... but don't count on a ghostly breakfast just yet!" Discord winked. "Something squirmy, its time now come, slouches towards Sparklyhem to be born." Just as he said this, a set of giant hairy legs phased through his vanishing figure.

Rainbow Dash actually jumped, startled.

A familiar tunnel-weaver emerged from the silkscape below. Merula perched on its back, accompanied by multiple hatchlings. Soon, Rainbow found herself in the company of the All Singer again.

"Austraeoh..." Merula vibrated through the silk construct.

Violin strings shook through the air.

"Mrmmmmffff..." Ariel awoke, looking up with thin eyes. "What...?" She stared into the enormous fangs and twitching pedipalps of the giant tunnel-weaver. "SHIT!" She jumped in mid-air and flailed like a rabid feline. "HOLY FU—"

"Shhhhhh!" Rainbow grasped Ariel, clamping a hoof over her muzzle. "Relax, girl..."

"Gnnnkkt!" Ariel slumped in her embrace. "Whew... cheese and crackers..." She brushed a shakey hoof through her mane. "...forgot where I was for a moment."

"Ahem." Rainbow turned to face the spider-speaker. "What's up, Merula?"

"It is the Songstress of Ages," Merula announced, abdomen dancing. "She awakens."

WEB-Way Pony Mover

Dozens of giant orb weaver spiders descended from the upper heights of the abandoned city above. They lowered via strings of silk with such grace and dance-like precision that Rainbow pondered how long they had been looming above the Herald to even prepare themselves for such an entrance.

Nevertheless, they coordinated beautifully with one another, twirling with pendulous ease and meeting at a deadstop in a patch of air adjacent to the suspended courtyard where Rainbow Dash, Seraphimus, and Wildcard were waiting.

The Herald watched as the orb weavers made contact with their spindly limbs, then proceeded to form a round base with their bodies. Within seconds, hundreds if not thousands of baby hatchlings skittered down the strings that the orb-weavers were suspended on. They crawled inside the enclosed space formed by the weavers' limbs and began producing silk from their tiny spinnerets. Rainbow and her friends watched as—within the span of two minutes—the hatchlings and orb weavers constructed a trio of perfectly round silken "vehicles." When the hatchlings were done, the orb weavers parted ways, revealing a hollow space for a pony-sized mortal to rest in, including a seat fashioned out of pliable biomatter.

As the hatchlings receded, the orb weavers ascended slightly. Four of them latched onto a gondola from multiple angles, bracing it with their many-many legs. This—Rainbow assumed—was the Spindlers' way of providing extra structural integrity to the impending descent. The multiple arachnids were all attached to some unseen anchor in the urbanscape above, and it was clear that they'd be utilizing their spinnerets in manually lowering the three guests down into the nebulous chamber of Abaddon.

"Yeah, no." Flynn turned his back on the scene and fast-trotted towards the distant wagon. "Call me when they've returned, alive and well. I'll be off tinkering."

"More like piddling!" Logan called after him.

"Cram it, fatso!"

A sigh, and Logan trotted closer to Rainbow Dash. "Guess there's no backing out now." His brow furrowed. "You sure you're down for the creepy-crawling convention?"

"Nope." Rainbow took a breath. "But—all things considered—this is the high point of the Dark Side romp. It'd be a shame to wuss-out now."

"Couldn't have put it better myself." Logan trotted over and stopped before a certain former Commander. "You... uh... you try any funny business down there in the presence of Austraeoh's long-lost pen pal..." His eyes took on a steely glint. "...and you and me and my axe are gonna have a little conversation once you get back."

Seraphimus merely stared back at him. "We're still at the point of threats?"

"Girl, we never left." He smirked slightly as he trotted off. "Hell, you think I'm that easy?"

Seraphimus clenched her beak. "Hrmmmmmm..."

"Keep an eye on the death turkey, Double-Yoo," Logan said in passing.

Wildcard nodded, then glanced at Ariel as she hovered nearby.

"Make sure she doesn't get... y'know... totally wasted or killed by anything down there in spider kindergarten," Ariel insisted. A gulp, and she smiled nervously. "You're super good at protecting Rainbow Dash, right?"

The Desperado smiled. He drew Ariel into a metal-limb'd hug and ruffled her mane.

"Heeheehee..." Ariel squirmed out of his embrace, shook her mane straight, and sighed. "I really hope the Dark Side doesn't get much ickier than this."

Wildcard gestured a response.

"Yeah, you're right..." Ariel sighed and nodded. "Still, just a passing thought."

"Ohhhhhhhhh how I envy you rright now, Rrainbow One," Kepler said as he lingered beside the edge of the courtyard. "You are embarrking upon a mission to close a song that has been composed countless eons and epochs ago."

"Uhhhh... which, Keps?" Rainbow asked.

"I beg yourr parrdon?"

"Eons or epochs? Those are two different words. You gotta pick one, bud."

"Ach!" Kepler adjusted his spectacles above a tusk'd smile. "We arre assembling in a lairr maintained by benevolent sapient overr-sized arrachnids, and you arre prreparring to lecturre me on prrecise vocabularry?"

Rainbow winked. "Somepony's gotta lecture you on something, Keps. It's on the friggin' bucket list."

"I shall take yourr worrd forr it." He bowed low. "Safe trravels, sisterr. Come back and we can discuss morre of this 'bucket list' togetherr."

"Yeah..." Rainbow Dash stepped daintily into the swaying silken gondola. "...although I might censor a few bits." She shuddered as she sat down. "Eughhh... it's still warm."

"How charming," Seraphimus said as she sat down in her own silken seat, surrounded by giant spiders who were grasping it with their narrow limbs. "Are there refreshments for the journey? Undoubtedly they would be warm too."

"Sera... please leave the catch phrases to me," Rainbow Dash droned. "Especially during our field trip into Spiderwood Studios."

Wildcard whistled shrilly. He gestured something swift and deliberate to Seraphimus before hopping nimbly—and fearlessly—into his own gondola.

"Yeah, you tell 'em, Jordan." Rainbow Dash looked up at a set of black eyes belonging to one of the multiple orb weavers grasping her silk seat. "Sooooooo... uh... any chance we can stop by for some hay burgers and fries along the way?"

The orb weaver said nothing. Its pedipalps shifted, but nothing more.

"Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah..." Rainbow Dash scrunched back into her seat. "Maybe I should go easy on the catch phrases too." She let out a light, girlish squeak as the gondola spontaneously lowered—and with a great deal more swiftness than she had expected. "Okay. Okay okay okay okay..." She looked over the side—through spider limbs—as she saw the spires and platforms of the ancient city rushing by. "We are doing this. We are soooooooooooo doing this."

A shuddering gulp, and Rainbow Dash clenched her jaw.

"It's like a one-way-ticket to beneath the shower drain..."

Home to Winter Children

The texture of the underworld was changing. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but take notice.

She tilted her head outward from the silken confines of her lowering gondola. Past the frame of spider limbs gripping her ride, she saw the foundations of countless metallic spires being consumed by an ocean of webbing that stretched in all directions: Alpha, Omega, Curve, and Edge. Only as she descended upon the fabric of the material did she realize that every square inch of the surface was covered by life. Countless eight-legged specimens stood across the pale-white fabric in an endless vigil. This was a spot where starlight—much less sunlight—was never meant to touch, and the pale translucent limbs of the arachnids lingering here was a testament to this. As Rainbow came even-level with the invertebrate sentinels, the glow from her pendant pierced their gossamer shells. The spiders were absolutely dead-still, but her light could catch the tiniest of persistent twitches of organs squirming within the hollow of their milk-white cephalothoraxes as they loomed and breathed and loomed and breathed, attuned to the subtle vibrations of the neverending Song.

The sound of violins increased, resembling in no small part a cacophony of crickets as Rainbow and her companions lowered further. In her peripheral, Rainbow Dash noticed that the tunnel-weaver Merula was riding had paused in its hulking descent. The reason for this became clear, for Rainbow and her friends had to be lowered precisely through separate porous holes in the white fabric and it didn't allow for simultaneous access by Merula's escort. With perfect aim, the three gondolas threaded three separate needles, and this necessitated Rainbow being separated from her friends—if only briefly.

Rainbow's ghostly companions crowded inward, gazing about with slight apprehension. The light cast from Rainbow's pendant illuminated inward, reflecting off several layers of dense silk that came within a hair's width of the edges of her gondola. For the next minute and a half, Rainbow sank past a complex layering of criss-crossing silk strands—all of which vibrated just a sneeze from her muzzle. The violins intensified, turning deeper, basser, and more ominous. What was once a high-pitched vibration eventually sank into something darker, resembling deep guttural monk chants. This would soon be accompanied by a gentle percussion—like rain drops that pooled and wafted out of a deep-seeded tinnitus scratching the innermost layer of Rainbow's ears.

Only when she had pierced the outer layer of the silken dome did Rainbow Dash realized that the "raindrops" belonged to thousands upon millions of tiny spider feet—like hooked drumsticks skittering across an endless surface of high-tension leather. Once her ruby light could shine into the hollow of the nest, she saw what the sound belonged to, and it was difficult to keep ahold of her lunch.

The entire "ceiling" of the dome was covered with life—crawling and skittering and meandering and criss-crossing life. The spiders—all pale and hairy and mostly translucent specimens—acted more like a colony of ants than arachnids. They ventured back and forth, carrying sacks of silk on their backsides or else dangling morsels of captured food—some still squirming—from the anchorage of their spinnerets. They clambered over each other and paused for nothing, gracefully clinging to each hoof-hold of the silken stretch and marching in time to the deep bass rhythm. As Rainbow lowered further, she saw immensely-thick criss-crossing "beams" of silk that seemingly helped to support the massive ceiling that stretched everywhere. Large black widows with bio-luminescent hourglasses clung to all sides of these beams, and from the swaying motions of their bulbous abdomens, Rainbow Dash assumed that they were the ones making the nonstop vibrations—supplying the Song to which the entire colony of Winter Children marched.

Only by swinging the ruby beam of her light left and right did Rainbow Dash notice hints of the world that existed long before the Children of Abaddon nested there. There were courtyards and city streets and entrances to large building complexes. Here—so close to the city's foundation—the structures were considerably larger and more majestic, with spacial grandeur and architecture that brazenly showed off at every conceivable angle. The doors to various complexes were arched, with runes etched permanently into the frames and support pylons. She saw statues—at a distance, it was difficult to understand precisely what of—but she did notice wings and prehensile tails that glinted in the ruby light. And then she saw something she didn't expect—but at this great distance it wasn't entirely that surprising.

She saw trees. Bushes. Lawns. Lengths of grass and shrubbery. At this depth, everything was amazingly preserved—albeit covered all over with copious amounts of webbing and silken strands. It was like diving beneath a polar ice cap and noting an ecosystem encased in frost. Rainbow almost wished her gondola could sway closer to the gardens—if only to see if there were any squirrels or birds or other fauna miraculously preserved in the same silk. Upon closer examination—and thoughtful consideration—Rainbow Dash realized that the Winter Children had kept the remarkable urbanscape immaculately clean. With that many spider drones marching and skittering about overhead, there would no doubt be an insurmountable layer of necrotic sediment gathered over the eons, and yet the courtyards were devoid of litter. There was no end to the respect that Abaddon's litter evidently paid to the forsaken glory of Urohringr, and somehow it made her—the Austraeoh—feel safer upon arriving there. The only thing that came close to shaking her countenance was the sight of the metal streets surrounding the gardens. As she lowered, she noticed that the shiny surface had been worn to a jagged texture from so many thousands of years of arachnid limbs skittering over the otherwise impermeable material.

Then—beneath that—there was yet another layer of snow-white webbing, even more porous than the one darkening the depths of the massive city above. Here, the deep bass strings had dwindled. Instead, there was a high-pitched hum that lingered beneath it, and even that was rising to a frequency above average equine hearing. Soon, the air became deathly still and quiet—enough to hear a pin drop. Rainbow surmised that she and her two friends were about to descend into the final acoustical haven—the innermost auditorium of the nest.

Abaddon's lair.

A slight tremble overtook Rainbow's figure. Nevertheless, she looked past her cluster of ghostly friends and spoke bravely to the two griffins.

"Wildcard... Jordan... I want you to promise me something..."

From the descending darkness, a pair of lenses glinted in the ruby light.

Rainbow's brow furrowed. "Things might... get a little freaky. I want you to promise me that no matter how weird things get... no matter what might appear to be happening to me down there... that you won't go nuts and try to air-lift me out of here."

The Desperado's goggles rattled in the distance. If he was hand-signing something, Rainbow couldn't tell.

So she repeated herself, shining her light across the abyss. "Do not screw things up by playing the hero, got it? Just... just have some faith. No matter what happens to me, stand by and wait." She nodded her head. "Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid either, okay? Can you trust me on this?"

At last, her ruby light caught a glint of metal talons. Wildcard hesitated momentarily, but soon hand-signed an affirmative, followed by a salute.

Seraphimus was still as a statue.

Rainbow Dash breathed a final breath of relief...

...and then she and her friends plunged, threading a final needle before they were carried into a depth deeper than darkness itself. And just as silent.

The Lair of Abaddon

Rainbow Dash descended past the final layer of silk...

And it was so dark that—at first—she felt that her pendant wasn't piercing anything. All she saw was the needle-thin limbs of the orb-weavers clinging to her gondola, but beyond that was utter blackness. An absurd fear gripped her heart: that if her escorts were to drop her, she might fall forever into an unfathomable abyss.

There was no sign of her friends—but she knew that they were dangling out there somewhere in the great everlasting dark.

There was no sign of Merula either. She had vanished a seemly century above, riding her tunnel-weaver into the chaotic unknown. Perhaps this place was too holy for an All-Singer to present herself.

The silence was deaffening. For the throneroom of a God Tier Songstress, it was alarmingly quiet. In theory, the cushions of silk that capped-off the chamber above must have acted as a sound-proof buffer. Rainbow became grotesquely aware of the slimy sounds of her own swallowing throat—and the shifts and groans of her inner organs between each heartbeat.

She didn't dare speak—and yet she did so anyway. Each murmur resembled a gunshot, echoing outward into the blackness with sonic intensity:

"Rarity...?" Rainbow tried whispering quieter, but even that didn't help that much. "Rarity, what's... what is out there?"

In her peripheral, the shape of a pensive unicorn materialized. Her pale muzzle moved: "It... it is beautiful... delicate... complex—yet majestic."

Applejack's voice drawled across the shadows, comforting Rainbow Dash. "Reckon you could be a mite bit less poetic, Rares?"

"It is not unlike a cathedral building," Rarity declared. "With silken beams for rafters... looming inward at sharp degrees." She swallowed. "There are... constructs dangling from each lattice, hanging low from the domed ceiling."

"Constructs?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Rarity's blue eyes reflected her ruby pendant. "Not unlike the artifice that Merula used to communicate with you, darling." She gestured. "Albeit... now there are dozens of them... hundreds of them... all facing inward from where we're suspended."

Twilight Sparkle's voice pierced the ghostly moment: "She was prepared for us."

"She was prepared for something alright!" Pinkie added.

Rainbow tilted forward, hesitantly peering into the great dark. "Uhhh... Fluttershy...?"

"She's here, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said.

"Okay..." Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "Where?"

"Beneath," was all Fluttershy said.

Rainbow blinked curiously at that. It was then that she noticed something... or felt something. There was a warm current to the room, circling and billowing ever so slowly. What's more, Rainbow felt a flutter to her bangs—rhythmically repeating itself in flouncing motions. She leaned back slightly, and the hairs on the back of her neck felt the same rush of air, cycling in perfect cadence throughout the blacker-than-black chamber.

"Uhhhh... Fluttershy?" she rasped. "Do spiders breathe?"

Fluttershy gave her a dumb look. "Do you breathe?"

Rainbow merely bit her lip. Soon after, her ears tickled with something. It sounded at first like a hiss... then mutated into a slur. She realized it was circling around her, echoing with great intensity. And yet—due to the soundproof nature of that innermost chamber—it sounded just as quiet as a lone moth breathing down her neck. She remembered Rarity's description of the constructs, and she suspected that every silken "voice box" suspended above was working to produce the same discernible sound with triangulated precision. Slowly—one syllable at a time—the reverberations came together, solidifying into phonetic clarity.

"Aust... trae... oh..."

Rainbow Dash took a bold breath... then produced an even bolder voice.

"I am here, Abaddon," she proclaimed to the darkness. "My name is Rainbow Dash... and I am the Austraeoh."

Her mane flounced more heavily. She felt her bangs being pulled forward, then being pushed right back before repeating. The hissing sound deepened, centering upon a raspy core.

"The Austraeoh comes in darkest winter. In great labor have we pulled the strings taut so that the shattering of the circles could come to a glorious recompense."

Twilight and Applejack looked all around, seeking the source of the voice. As the words swirled onward they increased in volume, although there was a persistent sense of fatigue and weakness clinging to every refrain.

"In soundless dreams I've sampled symphonies, sporadic glimpses of the sonic shades. The spectrum has preserved the codex clean, and Ilrifa's cyclical gift made true."

Rainbow breathed evenly. It had been a full three minutes since she first descended into that darkest dome, and at last her eyes were adjusting to the degree to which her ruby light pierced the otherwise impermeable shadow. She leaned forward, staring downward from the edge of her gondola. It was then that she discerned lines... and those lines formed dappled textures. They stretched outward from a nebulous center below in eight directions, although Rainbow could not tell where they ended. She could see where they began, and that was where Rainbow Dash made out the dirty shades of an incalculably large surface of hair—with patches of leprotic imperfections at random intervals. The joints between limbs were as big as houses, and towards the front of an ice-still cranium there lingered pronounced pedipalps—like those belonging to a titanic brown recluse. The hulking body sat like stone at the bottom of a well, occupying the entire foundation and maintaining a modicum of ballet grace while the voice kept spinning cyclonically across the constructs above.

"Now as the legions of chaos battle for the sarcophagus' harmonic gem, a true seed of order makes its way here, a blessing of yore, blessed by Penumbra."

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but pivot the angle of her pendant's glow. She caught eight glistening spots across the length of a football field—anterior and posterior eyes, glossed blind from years of lingering in the dark foundation of the forsaken city.

"Many ballads have been sung but only one remains unfinished, and it beckons."

Rainbow lingered still, her breath thin.

"The Spectral symphony is near an end. Ilrifa's contribution: a solo."

Where Chorus Meets Spectrum

Rainbow sensed a subtle sway across the silken chamber. For a moment, she assumed it was Wildcard rattling in fright, but she knew better. There was no word from Seraphimus' location, which was also for the best.

It was around this time that Rainbow Dash became aware of the silence that had ensued for the past half-minute.

"I think... she's waiting for you to say something, Rainbow," Twilight Sparkle remarked.

"Errrr..." Rainbow Dash sat up straight in her suspended seat. She glanced down at the dappled signatures of gigantic limbs stretching outward through the darkness below. "Hey there, Dear Abby." She blinked crookedly. "Gosh, you're big."

Twilight Sparkle face-hoofed.

With remarkable ease, the circling voice breathed royally through the dangling guests via the constructs above. Seraphimus, Wildcard, and Rainbow felt their feathers and manes fluttering from the cycling breaths. "To survive as long as the Song I have harbored strength through more than mere symphony." The shadowed form of the massive Songstress remained dormant, its eyes perpetually still and vacant as they glistened with Rainbow's harmonic glow. "Much like treasured friends who have passed before I've sired this slice of the world with sentries. In my name they have stretched strings far and wide to serenade the end of what began. To afford such a Winter Orchestra I've sacrificed freedom for permanence. In this hovel I remain while my Song greets the Spark that will complete the circle."

Rainbow breathed calmly in spite of the bold speech. "I've just recently learned about Gardez," she said. "I've met many of her children. Unfortunately, most of them weren't nearly as dedicated and focused as your hatchlings."

"Yes, Gardez, the Matriarch of the Stars," Abaddon spoke. "Sadly, her majesty's eclipsed by time. Where I found a Song, she passed in silence. Her daughters were left to distill truth from the chaos that shrouds this forsaken shard."

Applejack exhaled, as if suddenly less tense. Rainbow Dash sensed it too: the feeling that this divine creature was capable of sympathy. "I am sorry to hear about your friend," Rainbow Dash said. "I'm also sorry to hear about Endrax." She clenched her jaws. "I came here through the grace of Axan—Divine of Flame—who gave her life so that I might survive the passage. It was my... sincere hope that I might find out what happened to Endrax myself, so that I could vindicate Axan... and even Verlax, the Divine of Frost."

"Vindication, there has been. Grace, also," Abaddon said. "Not just by the nestlings from Penumbra, but Endrax's final act of selflessness. Thanks to her and the price paid by her kind a bonfire's been set for the Spark to find. The Shards of Endrax frame the crucible. Now the world waits for the spectral kindling."

Pinkie Pie looked at the others. A scrunched expression crossed her muzzle as she mouthed those last four syllables.

Rainbow Dash nevertheless responded: "I'm afraid I don't fully understand... erm... Your Song-ness..." Her brow furrowed. "Just what did Endrax... and her br-brood do? Did they have a hoof to play in protecting the Midnight Armory? Or in thwarting the factions of the Trinary War? I just..." She gulped. "Merula was kinda cryptic. She made it sound like only you could tell me what really went down."

"Just hearing the Song will not be enough."

That last statement was curiously trite, along with the silence preceding and following it.

Rainbow nodded into the darkness. "Okay. But... like... you're the Holy Ever-Poet Lyrical Goddess Queen Songstress of... Songs, right?"

Twilight Sparkle face-hoofed again.

Rainbow continued: "You've been stuck here in this bigass tarantula-hole for Celestia-knows how long, waiting to 'serenade the Austraeoh'... right? I mean... how else am I going to be clued into what actually went down? After all, your Winter Children were everywhere... or at least they once were..." She squirmed slightly. "...back when they were Spring and Summer Chicken-Spiders..."

"Truly you are the shades of Ilrifa."

Again, more awkward silence.

"That's... uh..." Rainbow fidgeted. "That's good..." She looked at Applejack. "...right?"

Applejack nod-nod-nodded.

"Good! I mean... killer!" Rainbow Dash waved nervously. "Yup! Ilrifa's awesome shades! Right here!" She bore a crooked smiled. "One thousand and twenty percent cooler! Eheheheh..."

"As my powers have receded, so my Song has intensified in its volume. And while the Keepers and the Bloodwings and the Corruptors of the Ruby Chorus seek to acquire the Harmonic Treasure, Ilrifa's gift, much like mine and Gardez's, stands to reunite the broken Circles."

"Uhhhhhhh..." Rainbow tilted her ear towards the arachnid basin below. "Reunite the what-now...?"

"Oh my..." Fluttershy squeaked.

"Is she... suggesting what I think she's suggesting?" Rarity mewled.

"Shhhh!" Twilight insisted, for indeed Abaddon was speaking further.

"There is not much time remaining, for the Darkness envelopes Winter from all sides." The voice circled with the unending breaths, raspy and earnest. "Soon there won't even be a song, except that which the Spectrum carries in its shades."

Rainbow Dash took a firm breath. "Abaddon... your Majesty... I-I don't really know what you expect from me." She clenched her teeth. "I'm on a mission to get to the Midnight Armory. My friends depend on me. Equestria's Future depends on me. The fate of Urohringr? Yeah, sure. Why not. But this whole 'reuniting the broken Circles' thing...?" She winced, shaking her head. "I mean... just how friggin' deep does the kaizo hole go?!?"

"As I have said, hearing is not enough."

There was a skittering sound. It broke the silence between Abaddon's words with frightening cacophony. Rainbow's ear hairs tickled as she sensed the first of many-many tiny, spindly limbs crawling down the gossamer strings and the giant orb-weavers' legs that were grasping her gondola. From the edges of her pendant's glowing spotlight, she sensed that tiny spiders weren't shimmying down either Wildcard's or Seraphimus' silken seats. It was hers and hers alone.

In more ways than one, she suspected what was coming next.

"Dashie..." Pinkie squeaked, her pupils shrinking as they reflected a growing current of legs, fangs, and eyes. "It's pr-probably not t-too late to fly away..."

Rainbow was looking straight at Applejack.

And Applejack was staring straight back... and nodding.

Rainbow took a breath. "Sera... Jordan..." She spoke firmly out the side of her muzzle as the skittering closed in on all sides. "...remember what I said. No matter what, we gotta let what's going to happen... h-happen." She nevertheless fought to contain her shivers.

And Abaddon spoke: "You must hear with your mind: the inner strings."

Rainbow held her muzzle shut as the first of many hundred legs crawled over her body, positioning tiny fangs and spinnerets in place. She could the smell the potent venom dancing in the air with each cycling breath and syllable.

"Convey my chorus into the spectrum."

"Dashie—!" Pinkie squeaked.

Rainbow closed her eyes. The violin strings intensified. Her panting breath was the percussion.

And then—like needles sinking in across every shoulder, wither, and fetlock...

...the fangs plucked the chords, and she was filled with music.

Song of Circles, One

Rainbow Dash's eyes flew open with a whimper.

She lay. Stretched out. Legs and hooves and wings pinned to the dew-laden strands of a giant spider's web. Suspended in darkness.

She gasped and hyperventilated.

Ears twitched. Eyes darted. Wings buzzed like a trapped fly.

A shriek escaped her lips. A yelp. She shook and thrashed and fought with her restraints.

Tiny vibrations rippled along the silken strands, trailing into darkness.

Then...

...heavier vibrations rippled back towards her. Heavy. Thunderous. Carried by a million hooked legs.

It was coming for her.

It was coming for her and she was going to die.

She screamed for help. She shrieked for mercy. She howled and sobbed into the abyss.

Nothing but darkness greeted her. Hungering.

The vibrations came closer. They shook her skull. They resonated in her ears, forming a pattern beneath the primal terror of the moment.

That pattern soon became a voice. It throttled Rainbow and soothed her all at once.

From darkness we come and one day return.
Eclipsed by shadow, there is room for Song.

Rainbow Dash breathed and panted and breathed and panted...

The vibrations surrounded her.

The legs and hairs encroached, carrying with it the darkness from all edges of the web.

Soon, she was suspended by nothing but her own breaths, forming a melodic squeak in the center of the everlasting emptiness.

Affording a semblance of the sound... the Song...

The Song defines us, its strings sustaining
Until there is no more life remaining.
Perfect harmony encapsulated
Briefly between onyx parentheses.

Rainbow Dash's eyelids thinned... lowered... and fell.

There was a hint of color... a final spark from her inner being.

A lasting exhale, and it was gone.

The barest trailing molecules scattered outward into the ether.

Like stardust.

Building up speed and momentum as it pierced the everlasting blackness.

And the hint of substance blurred by.

Nebulaic bands of glittery gaseous detritus.

Constellatory miasma, furiously soundless.

A hazy shade of stars—billions in number yet null in heat.

And from the void in between... the hint of something solid, poignant, and purposeful...

Lingering. Trailing. Spinning. Weighting.

And from this briefest of orchestrations
A ballad is formed: a symphonic dance
Befitting accidents and miracles,
A duet performed in the darkest void.

At first, it looked like a narrow string of lifeless metal.

Then—as it zoomed closer—it possessed curves. Texture. A surface that reflected, projected, differentiated.

Finally, pivoting, it exposed a complex glass onion cross-section of circles within circles.

Cylinders within cylinders.

Forever rotating.

Forever animating.

Brimming from the inside out with artificial light. Atmospheres. Ecosystems and oceans and arcologies.

The Song of Circles, conjured in secret.
We know not the authors nor the artists.
Their legacy is their work: an ode to
Life in all its shapes to be and not be.
To dwell and to die in numbers great, small,
And to pass on their slice of the Circle
To the next generation to arrive
As all who have been blessed to hear the Song
Have been summoned from Darkness into Light.

Zooming even closer, levitating swarms of structures materialized, patrolling the horizons within horizons that reflected one another and rotated constantly.

Heat brimmed and crackled between the opposing continents and curved shelves, allowing life to thrive and migrate and bloom and decay and revitalize the landscape.

And then, countless movements into the Song,
An uninvited break, cocophonous
And unyielding in its grotesque volume,
Shattered the rhythm—forced a new cadence.

From within the innermost circle...

Hovering over a slice of verdant landscape...

...two spheres formed.

One of golden, steady and sparkling brilliance.

The other of flickering, ever-changing madness.

There was a ruby splash of color, a violent hemorrhage.

Two swarms of structure flew to the rescue, but it was too late.

The slice broke free, shattering mountains and spilling oceans and—FLAAASH!

The ruby light flooded the circles, spilling out of the cylinders until the lonesome slice was expelled fully and completely...

Jetted out into the chaotic dark, twirling helplessly in a death spin until it was a mere silhouette against the nothingness.

The timeless Symphony of Life and Death,
Forever tainted by its own chorus,
And yet it was the birth of a new song.
Forged in dichotomy, tempered by a
New soundscape and seeking new audience.
This Song beckons the strings to form a new
Partnership with the Spectrum, a duet
Of chaos and harmony, and this slice
Is the new destined auditorium.

Song of Circles, Two

Stars.

Nebulae.

Distant galactic swirls.

Gradually, the wayward light was interrupted by a curved shadow-upon-shadow.

Then, upon the fringes, shades of luminescent ruby structures formed.

One by one—as the eons drifted by—the structures took shape.

Animated and purposeful.

Brimming with energy.

Soon, they made constructs and scoured the inside of the curve.

Covering it with the faintest of light, both hopeful and ominous.

Searching, hungering, engulfing.

First there formed the Ruby Chorus, a glint
Of the same Spark that broke the circles, but
Not the same Spark destined to rejoin them.
Emboldened by a rhythm both dark and
Selfish, they seek to consume all that clings
To the Onyx Eclipse's periphery.

Floating constructs of crystalline plates, piloted by crystalline entities, skimmed the abandoned mountains, cityscapes, and oceans of the Curve.

Streams of ruby light drifted like clouds over the emptiness—only to be gradually absorbed by these icy patrols.

The luminescence intensified, focused through the crystal buffer.

The numbers were few, but the power intense... and only increasing.

Silent, contemplative and most patient,
The peripheral Spawn of the Fringes
Owned every portion of the shadowed Slice.
All portions but one: the Sarcophagus.

Then, there was an intensely blinding beam of light.

From the heavens, it billowed, framed by swarms of luminescent spheres of focused harmony.

The light pierced the slice, forming firmaments along the outer curve.

Within the Penumbra—trailing tongues of flame coalesced, rippling inwards towards the heart of the concave portion and settling into a singular spot.

The spheres took forms, and within an eon of gaining bodies they almost immediately became corpses.

Their bones and wings and hooves became the slade-black framework of a massive ziggurat, impermeable and epic, situated in the heart of the curve, surrounded by a once-verdant landscape cursed by vacuum and chaos.

Harmonic entities, migrating from
The outer edges of the universe,
Chanced upon the loose remnant of the Song,
And with love and pity they sacrificed
More than they had the faculty to know.
Thus in an act of pure benevolence
They unwittingly gave the slice a gift
That would also be, in time, a great curse.

One by one, the crystalline constructs gathered around the edges of the ziggurat.

With all of their ruby light harnessed into a focused beam, they tried to pierce the outer surface of the otheworldly structure.

As the centuries rolled by, they came upon the verge of unlocking the Harmonic puzzle.

The Ruby Chorus, lusting for power
Swiftly sought to contain the prize within.
What they would soon earn was not a treasure,
But instead a war to last forever.
For from the fringes came a nemesis:
A corruption of the benefactors,
Carried on gossamer wings: the Keepers.

Song of Circles, Three

The hazy stream of golden light from the Penumbral Edge was blotted out by hundreds upon thousands upon millions of buzzing wings. In the center of the swarm, flying proudly side by side, were two equine figures with insectoid features. Their eyes flickered green, and their hatchlings pulsed a furious emerald to match. Crooked horns burned with vile purpose, and the chitinous swarm flew into every available space of the curve, Chasing all forms of life and clinging to victims with venomous hunger.

Alas, the First Penumbral Invasion.
Two poisoned sisters, Chrysalis and Tchern;
From the Realm of Light they came, hungry and
Ravenous for all that lived, loved, and breathed.
Too selfish to sustain harmony and
Cursed by their own dependence on chaos,
They sought the bright gift of their forebearers.

The flying soldiers of the swarm formed dark shaows in the twilight—shadows that morphed and shifted as the need saw fit. Within centuries, they had captured samples of every species that had bravely eked a meager survival under the chaotic shroud. In deeply-seeded nests, they imprisoned creatures—both sapient and not—and they bound them with misery and seduction.

Over time—as the older nests withered and crumbled—scant members of the imprisoned masses slipped away, unnoticed. They fled and scampered through the darkest niches of the Curve, eventually forming pockets of desperate, impoverished civilization. Hunting and foraging for food, the survivors constantly looked over their shoulders, fearful of the encroaching swarms that might once again blot out the miasmic starlight.

Before they were Keepers of the Flux, they
Were vile Harvesters of the Burning Heart.
From Paradise they brought with them captives:
Scrumptious victims of passion and hatred.
Over the years these translocated souls
Escaped into the darkness to form the
Lost denizens of Twilight: the Dihmers.
Equine, Impish, and Elsewise, these persons
Suffered a new purgatory under
The building storm of war between Keepers
And the Ruby Chorus who already
Had staked a claim on the Sarcophagus.

Silken webs flounced in canyons and crevices from a heated wind. Above the arachnid sentries, a new war was being waged. Metamorphs—utilizing the genes stolen from thousands of smuggled and leeched species—flocked in high numbers, flanking and surrounding giant floating structures of mana-infused crystal.

With steely patience and poise, the translucent monoliths weathered the attack, gathered otherworldly mana, and fired back at the attacking swarms with waves upon waves of crimson fury.

The insectoid sisters—corrupted monarchs—watched from afar, hissing in rage as their children were reduced to brittle ashes... and the ruby clouds remaining were subsequently harnessed into even greater firepower by their aloof foes.

Undaunted, the metamorphic monarchs preyed even harder on the suffering vermin of the darkscape, infusing their blood with a hundred other species and giving birth to greater and more complex atrocities that eventually would launch bigger, bolder, and more menacing attacks on the nemeses floating over the location of the Sarcophagus. Inch by inch, decade by decade, they managed to push the monoliths back—but their crystalline enemies countered with stronger and stronger volleys, until the battle came to a grinding halt at a veritable wasteland centered upon the Armory itself.

The Ruby Chorus countered the Keepers
With Every Attack, but the dual Monarchs
Possessed something that their foes did not have:
A Hive Mind bent on ruthless aggression.
They matched boundless death with unfettered life
Equally miserable and damning
With no regard for the consequences
Of their pursuit of unbridled power.
Control of both halves of the Slice was worth
The unending bloodshed of their children.
And this forced the war into a stalemate
With no victory in sight for both sides.
The Dihmers, helpless, waited for the strife
To incinerate all life on the Curve
Until all that remained was Ruby Song,
But then came a new Symphonic Movement.

Upon the fringes of the dark zigurrat, insectoid and crystalline forces made another charge for each other. Chitin reflected off gloss. Ruby light crossed with emerald.

But then—stretching across the battlefield—came a new shadow, immense and all-engulfing, carried on scaled wings of onyx.

The translucent monoliths stalled in the middle of their flight. Metamorphic swarms perched on ravaged battlements while Tchern and Chrysalis looked on in a brand new apprehension.

The dim heavens above were pierced by a blacker-than-black figure, a majestic silhouette of awesome power and harrowing majesty. Slitted eyes opened, brimming with ethereal light. Three bright crests illuminated in a pale blue row along the length of the creature's skull, and soon her serrated maw opened wide, billowing with obsidian flame.

As her mountainous wings spread wide, nimble figures dove from the stars behind her, sailing straight for both opposing factions with reptilian grace, emboldened by ravenesque fire. One by one, they decimated the first lines of the facing armies, riddling the scarred earth with glass and insect limbs.

Almighty Endrax, First-Born of Gardez
The Divine of Death, Matriarch of Time
Loyal to Everything and Nothing, Queen
Of Equilibrium and all it took
To maintain balance between Harmony
And Chaos—She arrived with her broodlings
And breathed fire on all that dared encroach the
Sarcophagus of Ages, knowing full
Well that to lose the gift within would be
The death of hope for both sides of the Slice.
Endrax knew—as my Children know—that the
Song must persist until the Circles can
Be brought back to the point before Breaking.
And for centuries she succeeded in
Protecting the Harmonic Gift, stalling the
Symphony in wait of a flame, a Spark
That will unite the Song with the Spectrum.
For whether Endrax understood or not,
There was another gift besides that which
Was left by the stellar Benefactors.
Ilrifa's codex, the Austraeoh, comes
To ignite the penultimate Movement.
But before that Dawn, a final Eclipse:
There was yet to be a Lunar phase to
The Penumbral Invasion: the Bloodwings.

Song of Circles, Four

The heavens broke with a salvo of shrieks.

Dihmers ran for cover.

Keepers froze in the midst of their latest charge.

The Ruby Chorus gazed from afar while Endrax and her broodlings took survey of the unsettling situation.

From the Penumbral Edge, a new cloud had formed—one made of velvety bodies and crude machinations and ethereal runic light. A song escorted the new army, a song comprised of ritualistic chants and warrior shrieks. A sea of fangs glinted, accompanied by a forest of slitted eyes. They came by wing, by wagon, and by zeppelin. Wood and metal and torch and moonrock coalesced into a veritable battering ram of zealous wrath.

The Ruby Chorus kept their distance. The Keepers rushed head-on while Endrax and her children steadied themselves in caution.

The new army did not even remotely flinch. With a Lunar Hymn, they met their attackers straightaway. Runic explosions brought a new illumination to the Curve. Despite the blood and ruby clouds of death, they punched their way across the wasteland, laying ruin to all Dihmer settlements that waited in their path and appropriating their resources. When they met Endrax and the Ruby Chorus, they slaughtered just as indescriminately. The perilous procession continued—all slitted eyes locked on the Sarcophagus—until sheer attrition forced their advance into a crawl. Soon, all three armies were locked in the center of the curve, with Endrax and her children stuck helplessly in the middle.

Children of a wayward Benefactor,
Corrupted in spirit, born from nightmares;
They covered the land in a second night.
Carrying with them Penumbral weapons
Of war, they attacked from the land and air,
Exercising their greatest strength: cruelty.
Weaker than the Ruby Chorus, Bloodwings
Excelled through ambition and Loyalty.
Fewer in numbers than the Keepers, they
Surpassed them in the art of genocide.
Their actions strengthened the Chorus but they
Did not care; they only flew and murdered.
None of the forces anticipated
Such a violent advance, and the battle
Changed forevermore, until the War came
To a stop around the Sarcophagus.
Endrax, who was already weakening
From fighting both the Chorus and Keepers,
Could not hope to defeat all three armies.
Her only recourse was to defend the
Hidden gift of the benefactors with
The last litter of her courageous brood.

The sky burned red-against-purple.

Ruby clouds billowed towards the stars like volcanic plumes.

The land around the ziggurat was absolutely covered in a calcified sea of bones and glass and insectoid limbs. Those who were suicidal enough to camp that close to the target over the centuries had burrowed narrow trenches through the necrotic detritus.

Within one such crevice, a spiderweb flounced in the heat of an artificial breeze. High above, flashes of runic light illuminated a squadron of wooden zeppelins. Cannons fired lunar rounds through the sky, impacting translucent monoliths that responded with volleys of finely-harnessed crimson beams. Between the combatting vessels, countless swarms of chitinous drones swept through the air on dragonfly wings. Fanged equines occasionally dove in to do courageous battle with the metamorphs, and the clouds turned a brighter shade of ruby as more and more corpses fell to the wasteland below, adding to the mountainous piles. Just as monoliths and zeppelins came within a scream's distance from one another, black-scaled drakes swept in, breathing plumes of onyx flame.

The silken web shook more and more. It was next to impossible to make out the Song anymore. All was a continuous cacophony of screams and artillery barrages. Thunder rocked the earth beneath the bones and entrails as more vessels fell from the heavens, accompanied by the occasional flailing corpse of an impaled drake or metamorphic creature.

Then—against all odds—a singular squadron of Bloodwings sailed past the aerial gauntlet, descending towards the ziggurat itself. Their wings shook the stationary spiderwebs, and emotionless sets of black eyes reflected velvety bodies doing bloody combat with Keepers and Chorus constructs in the ravines adjacent to the Sarcophagus. In the end, a single soul approached the target where the heart of Endrax's brood had been stationed for a final stand. The mare's neck glinted with a crescent pendant as she fired a concoction into the heart of the draconian defense. There was a runic blast, and it erupted in a plume of dark magic, consuming and melting the whole of Endrax's children.

The battlefield lit up in the resulting conflagration, and the very bones around the Sarcophagus began to melt.

At long last, the Bloodwings' guile proved fruitful.
One singular charge brought an end to the last
Defense of Endrax, bringing an end to
Her litter, her courage, her legacy.
The bloody battle became what it was
Inevitably destined from the start:
A Trinary War between three factions.
And because of Endrax's failure, one of
These corrupted armies would get ahold
Of the Benefactors' treasure and thus
Destroy the last chance to fix the Circles.
This left Endrax with one final option.

As the three armies prepared their advance to fill up the vacuum left by the deceased drakes...

The heavens and earth shook.

Countless faces looked towards the stars—stars that were soon blotted out.

Endrax—on slade black wings—soared straight for the Sarcophagus. She raced past all advancing forces, dodging multiple artillery barrages and simply taking more than a few of the explosive charges. Bleeding black blood and flame, she finally purched atop the ziggurat. A lasting roar escaped her iron-wrought muzzle. Then—with a violent thrust—she impaled herself on the summit of the structure. Her massive corpse bent around the pyramid, tail and wings and limbs covering every possible entrance on all four sides. Thus—with a final act of righteous defiance—Endrax sealed off the interior of the alicorn structure against every member of the three battling armies.

Undaunted, the angry factions fought tighter and bloodier around her, taking their frustration out on the other members of the endless Trinary War. In the end, Endrax's forced stalemate remained just as effective as when she was alive.

Endrax, the Divine of Death, did her part.
If she could not be the Slice's salvation
She could at least be the Curve's final seal.
The very last bastion of harmony
Was not locked behind more than that which the
Benefactors intended making the
Treasure within even harder to get.
This most sacred of gifts awaits the Spark,
But now, because of desperate extremes,
The quest to reunite the circles is
Imperiled by the selfish forces who
Battle at the Sarcophagus' doorstep.
While there may be only one lock, there are
Now three "keys" to enter that bright domain.
The Shards of Endrax; they have been scattered.

Song of Circles, Final

As Endrax's corpse lay freshly dormant—impaled atop the summit of the ziggurat—there was a final flicker of light. Three points atop her draconian crown—pale blue and piercing—shimmered with the final vestiges of magic. Then, one after another, they broke off from her onyx cranium and plummeted in separate directions... ultimately littering the beds of calcified death that surrounded the edges of the structure like bone-white tide.

As the factions fought bloodily with one another, a brave few souls dove for the inexplicable relics discarded by the dead bastion that had sealed off all four entrances to the zigurrat. Three platoons met at once with a clash of ruby light, green metamorphosis, and lunar brilliance. Amidst the fray, members of the competing armies flew off—each stealing a separate piece of the collapsed matriarch. The fragments glowed faintly in their grasp, growing dimmer and dimmer with the distance increasing between them and the dead host from which they had fallen in the center of the hellish plain.

The enchantment of these Shards was not lost
To the three armies, nor their potential
To return animation to the limbs
Of she who had—in death—sealed off the doors
To a harmonic and coveted goal.
Somehow the factions understood that the
Latent power harbored in the Shards were
Purposed towards obtaining the Prism,
And—for the greater part—they were correct.
What the Trinary factions neglected
To take into account was Endrax's plan,
Which relied on their blind, violent vigor.
Now that each possessed a different Shard—
—A separate key—they were fighting for
More than just the Sarcophagus itself.
Their fury and ambition only drew
Them further from the heart of the battle.
The War spread all across the Curve as they
Fought tooth and nail over Endrax's remains.

In spiraling formations, sarosian soldiers dove towards the gnarled, biorganic hives of their metamorphic foe. Tchern's hatchlings flew up to meet them, and the clashing equines filled the air with blood and sparks. Meanwhile, a glowing blue piece of draconian flesh was carried deeper and deeper into the Keeper's underground lair by loyal drones with armored shells.

Elsewhere, crystalline vessels closed in around a wooden fortress built by sarosian hooves. Volley after valley of ruby energy pummeled the outer ramparts, setting the structure ablaze. A brave platoon of nightbloods fled Curveside, carrying a glowing blue artifact with them. As half the vessels veered off to pursue their target, a surprise formation of Bloodwings dove in from behind a mountain, pelting the ships with lunar discharge and rendering the Ruby constructs to brittle glass—allowing the platoon to safely get away with their treasure.

On the far end of the Curve, waves of insectoid quadrupeds stormed up the sloping planes surrounding a massive tower built out of translucent metal. Crystalline equines atop the battlements aimed their horns at the invading swarm, firing countless streams of burning crimson light. Carapaces exploded in bursts of flame and body fluid, but the swarm kept closing in. The front wave slammed into the base of the tower, billowing with bright organic acid bursts and sending cracks through the height of the structure. Meanwhile—high above—several glass panels dislodged from the tower, turning into a rectangular vessel powered by ruby light. Its minimal occupants held tight to a glowing blue shard as they fled further towards the Curve's edge... just in time to be protected by an advancing armada of mana-powered structures soaring in to flank the Keepers.

Thus, Endrax's contribution was twofold:
She sealed the Sarcophagus with her flesh
And the fate of the factions with her Shards.
In a land defined by darkness, they were
Sparks of false hope for desperate armies.
Nevertheless, their function is quite true.
Whoever possesses all three Shards will
Hold sway over the dead matriarch's corpse,
For once they are returned to Endrax's crown,
The spell that keeps her scales tougher than steel
Will be undone, and the Prism exposed.
The armies ascertain this, and that is
Why they assault each other constantly,
For if a single side gains one more Shard,
They will have changed the tide forevermore.
The other two factions would have no choice
But to accept a hopeless defeat, for
Their foe will be that much more powerful.

Under a dark cloud that blots out the twilight...

...thousands of nefarious bodies can be seen advancing upon the ziggurat.

Two opposing armies retreat as the charge pierces on through, emboldened by a trio of piercing blue lights. The ethereal artifacts are reunited with the deceased dragon's crown. There's a pulse of pale brilliance, and the beast's scales peel away into ash. The bodies immediately flood the interior of the structure, and all remaining light is drowned out as an onyx miasma eclipses the remaining warmth from the deathscape.

But it must never come to that ill fate.
None of the three factions must be allowed
To seize another piece of Endrax's crown.
For if they did, then the Harmonic gift
In the heart of the Sarcophagus will
Become a weapon of chaos and death
And not even Penumbral Paradise
Could survive the tidal waves of darkness
That would saturate both sides of the plane.

The onyx shadow spreads...

Washing like a black satin sea over the furthest stretches of the curved plane...

When at last it reaches the edges of the world, it wraps around like living ink. There is a flicker of hopeful luminescent from beyond—a solar flare, courageous and defiant—but soon it is too snuffed out...

...and the lonely piece of the circle drifts once again in pure, chaotic darkness.

All black.

However... hope remains for harmony.
This plane waits for a shift in the darkness.
A gift from the Penumbral horizon,
Imbued with song, older than the Circles.
Ilrifa's codex guides her, a road forged
By ruby flame, Urohringr's bloodstream.
There comes a Spark: Loyalty most divine.
It will unite that which has been Sundered,
Illuminate that which has been eclipsed,
Foal yesterday and secure tomorrow.
She comes with a chorus, bathed in friendship.
She delivers a dirge: a righteous purge.
For those who stand to bask in harmony
Cannot dwell with those who shun its Spectrum.
This is the cost of rejoining circles.
A straight line makes it possible, but the
Future cannot have serrated edges.
Endrax knew this when she ushered Winter.

Somewhere, an immense crystalline structure floated loftily above the Curved landscape, empowered by ruby essence. In the centermost core of its glass matrices, a horned fragment rested protectively atop a glass pedestal, pulsating with dim blue brilliance.

Elsewhere, deep in the twisted hovels of insectoid biomatter, a swarm of changeling drones huddled tightly around a circular nesting area. In the center—where fresh egg sacks would otherwise have been laid—there was instead a blue shard that glowed out of sync with the Keepers' emerald life pulse.

Then in another part of the Curve, nestled deep in the boughs of an impossibly huge tree and protected by lunar runes, a third shard resided—locked behind layers of thick moonrock. Nightblood warriors stood guard, ever vigilant and patient as endless night twinkled outside the wooden reaches of the sanctum.

The anger and fury of the factions
Have weakened them; the Winter starves more than
Just my children, Ilrifa's Gift, but that
Makes this tense balance all the more fragile.
Tchern's Flux has strengthened the Keepers to the
Point that they are nearly unkillable.
However, the Bloodwings are being led
By a new tactician whose merciless
Strategy has given them a new edge.
All the while the Ruby Chorus only
Gets stronger and stronger with each battle,
Powered by both life and death, consuming.
All it now takes is a burst—a Spark—and
One of these armies will be forced to move,
And that move will determine the victor.
They wait for this bright opportunity.
They wait for this Spark to embolden them.
You must not be the Spark that ushers in
Darkness, Austraeoh, but the Spark that will
Consume them nevertheless, allowing
Harmony to burst free from Endrax's cage
And grant you the flame that will reunite
The Sundered slices of Urohringr.

In a far off corner of the stars...

...surrounded by nebulae and constellatory dust...

...a curved slice of terrestrial permanence broke the cosmic light. As it sailed off into the galactic reaches, another silhouette drifted past a stellar band, this one cylindrical and almost whole. Almost.

As the two came into proximity of one another, a ruby glow enveloped both, reaching a heightened pulse of luminescent glory, soft and harmonic in its impermeable reach.

This is the Final Movement of the Song.
This is the gift of Ilrifa, the hope
Of Gardez, the labor of my Children.
But, more than anything, Austraeoh, it
Is the melody that only your Spark
Can ignite, and bring Harmony back to
The cosmos with a spectral orchestra.

The light was blinding. Timeless.

Its many hues burst all at once, joyous and triumphant.

The Song was complete, and so it shattered into a million pieces to create a brand new sound.

All that was left was to ascend...

Rising rapidly...

Soaring in a straight line towards the gasping summit—

The Adorablest of Comas

—Rainbow Dash awoke, wide-eyed and sputtering.

"Haaaaaaauckkkttt!"

Her wings flapped instinctively, and her trembling body rose from a pile of blankets. A canvas tent loomed overhead, and beyond that—outside—twilight and gray urbanity.

Pastel faces spun towards her, full of grins and gasps.

"Dashieee!" Pinkie Pie hollered, diving through her anchor with a desperate attempt at a hug.

"Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy covered her muzzle, stifling happy tears. "Oh my g-goodness! She's back! She's really back this time!"

"Yeeeeeeeeha!" Applejack cheered. "'Bout darn time!"

"Smashing!" Rarity reared her ghostly forelimbs. "A true, true blessing to finally have you awake, darling!"

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight Sparkle hovered up close. "I can't believe it! Talk to us! What do you remember?" A few blinking seconds later, her smile vanished. "Uhhhh... Rainbow? You don't look so good."

This was probably because Rainbow Dash was busy thrashing about, punching and kicking at the air with all her available limbs.

"Oooh!" Pinkie Pie sat up, grinning. "Victory pose-coma dance! I love doing those!"

"Awwwwwww shoot." Applejack grimaced with the others. "Somethin's wrong with her, isn't there?"

"She's... she's in shock!" Fluttershy whimpered. "The poor thing—"

"Somepony, do something!" Rarity flailed about. "For Celestia's sake! There must be a way to contact the others!"

"Like how, Rarity?!" Twilight Sparkle scowled. "You know as well as I do there's nothing we can do—!"

"Oh praise Goddess!" Fluttershy's voice cracked as she pointed out the tent. "It's Ariel! She's coming!"

"Thank heavens!" Rarity breathed.

Sure enough, there was a gust of wind. Ariel suddenly arrived at the tent flap, wide-eyed and breathless. "H-holy shit, Rainbow?!" She almost grinned.

"Rnnngh... guhhh..." Rainbow was already soaking in a cold sweat. Pinprick eyes darted every which way. "The Spark! Mrnnnngh... Shards of Endrax! Guhhhhh! She clutched her aching skull and bit her bottom lip until it bled. "Hrnnnngh... Song of Circles! H-Harmonic Prism...!"

Ariel winced. "Awwwwwww jeez..." A dark, feathery body came to a screeching halt just ouside the tent. Ariel turned to face the griffin. "Wildcard! Go fetch Kepler! Quick!"

Flesh and metal talons scraped the air inquisitively.

"Yes—Yes. She's back—but she's freakin' out super hard! I think it might be the spider crap in her blood! Now go get Keps already!"

The Desperado saluted, and the tent flap billowed from his hasty flight across the abandoned city. Meanwhile, Ariel slinked in and nimbly caught Rainbow's flailing fetlocks in her own.

"Rainbow—Rainbow Dash!" she hollered.

"Grnnngh!" Rainbow shook and squirmed all over the blankets, fighting with Ariel's grip. "Darkness. So... much... darkness... I... I can't p-possibly be bright enough!"

"Get ahold of yourself! You're no longer an audience to Miss Spider Queen! You're here! With us!" Ariel smiled awkwardly while fighting with Rainbow's forelimbs. "The Herald's got your—"

"Ignite the flame..." Rainbow shook and convulsed. "Guhhhh...!"

"Rainbow, please..."

"H-how can I ignite the flame?!" She gnashed her teeth, tears streaming. "The Factions! They've got the Shards! It's... it's impossible! It's just... simply... impossible—!"

A gray muzzle leaned in and gave her nose the softest and girliest of kisses.

"... ... ..." Rainbow froze in place, blinking.

By then, Ariel had leaned back with a friendly smile. "It's Ariel." Warm eyes. "Remember?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow's eyes twitched, finally relaxing. "... ... ...hiya, Toots."

"Eheheheh..." Ariel raised Rainbow gently into a sitting position. "Please forgive me. I... uh... had to get you to calm down somehow."

"Don't be sorry." Rainbow nevertheless rubbed her nose. Hugging herself, she looked across the tent with mild trembles. "I'm just... just..." Teeth chattered. "Luna Poop... I heard so much... I felt so much! The Winter Song..." Her head shook with a flounce of her short mane. "...it's no friggin' joke!"

"Yeah..." Ariel nodded, leaning back inside the tent. "I could have told you that. You were out of it for a long while after they reeled the three of you back to the upper city."

"Mrmmmfff... 'long while,' huh?" Rainbow Dash buried her scrunched muzzle in two forelimbs. "Grffff... like how long? A few hours? Half a day?"

"Uhm..." Ariel fidgeted, avoiding Rainbow's gaze. "...more like two weeks..."

Rainbow froze in place.

"Oh boy..." Applejack took off her ghostly hat and fanned herself with it. "Here it comes."

"Brace yourselves!" Twilight squeaked.

Slowly, Rainbow Dash looked up with a gaping expression. "Two. Weeks."

"Uh huh..."

"I was out for two whole friggin' weeks?!" Rainbow's voice cracked.

"Hey!" Pinkie Pie floated sideways, shrugging. "Could have been worse, Dashie! At least it wasn't two months!"

"Pinkie..." Rarity groaned.

"But it's okay, though!" Ariel insisted, putting on a hopeful smile. "You're fit as a fiddle! Not a scratch or bed sore on you!" She crossed her fuzzy heart. "I promise!"

"But... but... t-two weeks?!" Rainbow's voice cracked again. "Celestia on a bike, Ariel! How did I even eat or drink?"

"Uhm..." Ariel squirmed, blushing slightly. "Very... very awkwardly."

"You..." Rainbow's eyelids narrowed until they were paper-thin. "...did you feed me?"

"Mmmmmmmm... kinda. I guess you could say that."

The hairs on the back of Rainbow's neck stood up slightly. "It wasn't any meat, was it?"

"Oh, no!" Ariel waved her forelimbs dramatically. "I didn't! I couldn't!"

Rainbow exhaled with relief.

"See, Rainbow?" Fluttershy smiled. "Your friends wouldn't betray you."

"And don't worry about how 'uncool' it may sound." Ariel chuckled breathily. "It wasn't necessarily as messy as you might be thinking." She bit the corner of her lip, glancing towards the far corner of the tent. "Not as messy as... other things."

Rainbow Dash blinked. "Wait." She looked up with a foalish expression. "What—?"

"But what matters now..." Ariel leaned in and hugged Rainbow with a happy, happy smile. "...is that you're back and in one piece!" A slight nuzzle was added at the end. "Heeeeeee—"

"Hang on a sec..." Rainbow gently pushed Ariel away. "No... no no no no..." She tried standing up, only to wobble in place. "This can't be right!"

Ariel blinked at her. 'What can't be right?"

"Guhhh!" Rainbow plopped back down onto her belly, grimacing. "That can't be all of it!"

"All of what?"

"The song!" Rainbow's voice rasped. "Abaddon's friggin' ballad!"

"Oh! Excellent!" Twilight Sparkle "trotted" closer to their anchor. "I've been absolutely dying to ask you about that, Rainbow—"

"I didn't learn anything!" Rainbow Dash growled.

Twilight recoiled, eyes wide. "You... didn't...?!"

"I-I-I mean..." Rainbow fought the urge to hyperventilate. "...nothing m-more than I already knew!"

"Really?" Fluttershy's muzzle hung agape. "You learned nothing new at all?!"

"Oh, sure!" Rainbow huffed, eartips turning red in anger. "The Shards of Endrax! Gotta catch 'em all! Something something blood, sweat, and explosions. Yadda yadda yadda. I was born for that fetch-quest crap. But—COME ON!" She yanked at the closest thing she could touch—Ariel's mane. "What about Ilrifa?!? Who is she?! And how much did Gardez know, huh?! And what's with the Flux and this 'new strategy' of the Bloodwings and what's powering up the Night Shard?!?"

"Ow ow ow..." Ariel winced, feeling her skull being tugged. "Rainbow—!"

Rainbow collapsed on the ground, pulling at her own bangs this time. "Grnnnngh... I was so close to figuring it all out! Why does Abaddon gotta hold so much back?! UGH!" She rolled her eyes savagely. "Worst. Elder. Exposition. EVER!" A sudden wave of nausea overtook her. "Whoahhhh..."

"Rainbow Dash, just calm down and try to be reasonable about all this!" Rarity exclaimed. "Maybe there's more to what she's said than what's on the surface!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie nodded. "We can help you use your dash-deducing tools of reasoning to figure it all out in time—"

"Time?!" Rainbow stifled a gross belch from deep inside her system. "Urp... I d-don't have any time!" She shook and shivered. "Between Tchern's Flux and the Bloodwings' latest campaign and the Night Shard's strengthening power, I h-haven't any time to fart around!" She fought another wave of nasuea and whimpered on. "If any Faction gets the upper hoof on the other and wins a second Shard of Endrax, then the Midnight Armory is all theirs! And then we... we're royally..." Rainbow's eyes derp'd as she shuddered, turning green. "What in the heck did you feed me, girl?"

"Only bleakweed and mushrooms!" Ariel stammered. "I swear!"

"What the hay's wrong with her?" Applejack asked.

"I think it's the residual effects of the spider venom," Fluttershy said. "Even after two weeks of being in a coma, she's still having to deal with it."

"Don't worry, Dashie!" Pinkie leaned in to smile into the nauseated pegasus' face. "We've stuck it out with you this long! We're gonna see you through this, gurrrrrrrrrrl!"

"I... feel..." Rainbow's tongue hung out. "... ... ...so blargharliffic..."

"Awwwwww..." Ariel leaned in and gently stroked Rainbow's shoulder. "You poor, poor Austraeoh." A wink. "Just rest easy, Rainbow. You'll feel better in no time."

"Mrmmmff... so... not awesome..."

"What you did down there in Abaddon's lair was super awesome and brave." Ariel grinned. "And—look at it this way! According to Merula, you've been doing way... way better than Commander Gwen of the Emeraldinian Expedition faired so many years ago!"

Just as the Heraldite said that—

"BLEEAAAAAACHKKKKKTTTTT!!!" Rainbow Dash hurled yesterday's dinner all over her edge of the tent.

"Whoah nelly!" Applejack sounded.

"Ewwwwwwww!" Rarity batted her forelimbs at the scene while clenching her eyes shut.

Ariel gulped. "Then again..." She murmured.

A gust of wind announced Kepler's entrance. The wyvern stucked his hairy head into the tent. "Harrk! I came as soon as I hearrd! How is ourr beloved Austrraeoh doing?!"

"Hraaaaaaaaauck-spkttttttt—pewwww"

Kepler blinked through his spectacles. "Ach. Is that all?"

The Shards of Endrax

"I saw... lots of things..." Rainbow Dash muttered. She sat in the corner of the tent, her petite figure bundled tight beneath three layers of blankets. The shivers had almost vanished completely, and she stared gently out into the twilight reaches of the city beyond the canvas. "So many ponies... so many creatures... monsters and imps and sarosians and crystal ponies and changelings..." Her fuzzy ears twitched—one after the other. "I saw entire years' worth of stuff... eons." A tender gulp. "Battles. Massacres. The rise and fall of countless Dark Side civilizations..." Her eyes twinkled. "I saw light... solar flares peeking out from beyond the Penumbral edge." A heavy exhale. "I saw so many crazy... wild things... and yet I don't feel like I got any answers."

Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity sat in a ghostly curve before the mare, listening with intense expressions.

"But..." Fluttershy's ears drooped. "...you learned about what happened to Endrax, right?"

Rainbow Dash nodded. "She..." The mare pulled the blanket fabric closer, sighing out her nostrils. "...she sacrificed herself to block off all entrances into the Midnight Armory. Then—to seal the deal—she put a spell on her body to... make it pretty much unbreakable." Her eyes darted across her five friends. "The only way to undo it is to reunite the pieces of her crown that she lost."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Pinkie Pie nodded. "So those are the Shards of Endrax!"

"Right..."

"Oh, I bet they must have looked fabulous back in the day!" Rarity declared, eyelashes fluttering. "Erm..." She daintily cleared her throat. "Not to... diminish the seriousness of their present-day worth, of course."

"It's okay, Rarity..." Rainbow smiled tiredly. "According to Ariel, I've been dozing off for two weeks. I... I-I could really use listening to your fruity voice again."

"Mmmmmm..." Rarity waved a hoof, grinning slyly. "Flatter all you wish, darling."

"And them Shards..." Applejack rubbed her golden scalp as she thought aloud: "These pieces of Endrax that snapped off her noggin'... they're currently in the possession of the Three Factions of the Trinary War?"

"That's right, AJ." Rainbow Dash took a breath. "According to Abaddon's song, they must be reunited and brought back to Endrax's corpse if there's any hope of her body being moved away from the Armory's entrances."

"Well, fiddlesticks!" Applejack winced. "I guess there's just no moseyin' on into the place where the alicorns left the Harmonic Prism! I mean... not with the only keys to that there lock box bein' spread around all wild-like!"

"Ohhhhh..." Fluttershy's ghostly form drooped. "...I suppose we were silly to think it could have been that easy."

"Easy?!" Rarity shook her head. "Even without the Shards being an issue, just getting through this ghastly War to even reach the Midnight Armory sounds like a treacherous task in and of itself!" She shivered, raising a forelimb in revulsion. "Guh!"

"I just can't get over the sheer amount of foresight that Endrax must have possessed to accomplish this!" Twilight Sparkle remarked. "I mean—she had to have known that the Bloodwings—or any faction, for that matter—would have found a way to eliminate her brood and clear the way to the Sarcophagus of Ages!"

"Verlax had some pretty hefty friggin' foresight," Rainbow Dash droned. She raised an eyebrow at Twilight. "Why's Endrax's intuition so mind-boggling?"

"It isn't, really. But... Endrax still thought so far ahead! And she didn't have the same kind of preparation in song that Abaddon and her children have afforded all these eons!" Twilight Sparkle shrugged. "I used to think that the stars would align just to aid in the fate of Equestria. The more I look at things, the more I realize that fate's aligning to guide you. The Austraeoh."

"Errrrrr..." Pinkie Pie smiled, waving a hoof through Rainbow's shoulder as if to pat her. "Of course—no pressure or anything! Eheheheh..."

Rainbow sighed long and hard. "To be honest? I'm kinda numb to it all by now."

"Well, reckon that's a good thing." Applejack nodded. "Because if I were you and I had to deal with the gravity of this here 'Shard' situation—I'd wanna be numb too!"

"Jee... thanks," Rainbow gluttered.

"Yeah, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie giggle-snorted, zipping around her and flailing her forelimbs. "Make sure you don't Shard yourself! Hahaha—"

Rarity face-hoofed. "Ohhhhhh Pinkie."

"What?!" Pinkie shrugged. "Just trying to make some laughs! We've gotta have a bright side to all this, right?"

"And I appreciate it, Pinkie..." Rainbow slurred, her brow furrowing. "But the only 'bright side' is the fact that—somehow—the factions haven't stolen a piece of Endrax from one another in all the time it took for me to get my awesome butt over here."

"What would h-happen if they did?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, no doubt these shards possess deep draconian enchantment," Twilight Sparkle said. "At least they should if they can collectively undo the post-mortem spell that Endrax cast on them." She looked at the others. "As far as we can guess, each Shard could very well be empowering the respective factions who possess them... giving them newfound ways in which to wage destructive warfare."

"You mean..." Rarity leaned forward. "...such as this 'Flux' that the changelings are utilizing?"

Twilight shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe something we don't know yet. But—imagine—if any of these three sides got ahold of another faction's Shard of Endrax? Abaddon was right to spell disaster in her song; there'd very likely be a snowball effect of intensifying power until that one faction overthrew the other two, gained the last Shard, and removed Endrax's body."

Pinkie tugged at her hair. "And then got ahold of the Harmonic Prick!"

"Prism," Rarity corrected.

"That too!"

"Oh..." Fluttershy wilted. "...my."

"Hrmmmm..." Applejack tapped her chin. "...seems to me that the solution's pretty dang clear." She looked at the others. "We gotta help Rainbow fetch these Shard-thingies and get to Endrax before the rest of the factions can get ahold of the Prism!"

"What—are you serious?!" Pinkie Pie cackled. "That's suicide!"

Applejack sighed. "I said the solution was clear. I didn't say it'd be easy."

"Is there even a way for Rainbow and the Herald to slip past these horrible armies and get the Shards?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well..." Twilight looked all around the tent as she contemplated the matter. "...considering that these factions are so used to fighting each other... and in huge droves too... I suppose it's hypothetically possible for a small party like Rainbow's to slip on through and stealthily acquire something, but—"

"Twilight, let's not kid ourselves here," Pinkie Pie said. "This situation is no laughing matter!" She paused in mid-speech, the shivered. "Brrrbrrrbrrr! Listen to me! This whole situation's got me sounding like Limestone!"

"I'm afraid Pinkie's right," Rarity declared. "Why—just think of the Dark Vigil alone! They have lunar spells that are impossible to cross undetected! Need I remind you what happened when we came upon Bleak's Plummet back on the Light Side?" She gulped. "And then there're the Changelings! They're empathic by nature! They could detect us coming from miles away!"

"Could..." Fluttershy trembled as Pinkie hugged her. "...c-could we talk about something else n-now?"

"And there's no telling just what the mysterious Night Shard are capable of!" Rarity stammered. "Why—just from what Rainbow described in her vision—they sound downright impenetrable!"

"No army is without a weakness!" Twilight Sparkle frowned. "Rainbow's history with Rohbredden, Ledomare, and Chrysalis' minions should teach us of that! There's got to be a way to procure these Shards from the three Factions!"

"Yer optimism is mighty appreciated, Twilight," Applejack said. "Honestly, it is. But let's not gallop into this blindly here." She waved a forelimb. "Rainbow's just one pony."

"With five ghosty-besties!" Pinkie Pie cheered, side-nuzzling Fluttershy

Applejack rolled her eyes, albeit with a smile. "True. Granted. But..." She looked back at Twilight. "Even with the Herald, that makes us six sets of legs at best! Seven if—somehow—the death buzzard feels like taggin' along."

"I understand, AJ—"

"We already done lost Mortuana, Bard, and Axan—and that was all in just tryin' to cross the dag-blame'd edge of the world!" Applejack breathed heavily. "I want Rainbow Dash to save the world. Really, I do. But it's just so dang much to go up against. I mean... where do we even start?"

Twilight Sparkle merely bit her lip. She was at a loss for words.

As Rarity and the others began to hang their heads...

"Abaddon believes in me..."

The five ghostly mares looked at their anchor.

Rainbow Dash slowly looked up at them, hugging her blankets tighter. "...not just her, but her Children too. And Gardez. And... and..." A gulp. "Ilrifa." Her gaze hardened. "I don't know precisely what it is that they expect me to do, but everything has been set up for this moment... for when the Spark—for when I arrive to do something awesome in the right place and at the right time." She looked at Applejack. "Isn't that enough for me to go by?"

"Rainbow, sugarcube..." Applejack smiled sweetly. "I believe in you too. We all do... and we lurve ya somethin' fierce..." She sighed, and her ears drooped. "But—at the same time—we really dun wanna lose you."

The rest of the mares nodded in agreement.

With a steady voice, Rainbow Dash said, "Nopony can afford to lose me. If I'm gone... all of Urohringr is gone too. Then we've got nothing."

Silence.

"I have to figure out something," Rainbow Dash said. "I must give it a try... even if it does seem hopeless."

The girls exchanged glances.

"Where..." Fluttershy found the nerve to speak. "...where will you even start?"

Rainbow Dash breathed calmly. "First thing's first..." She pushed the blankets away and hobbled up to her hooves. "...I gotta talk to the Herald."

One Does Not Simply

Slowly, one wobbly hoof after another, Rainbow Dash shuffled out of the tent. The twilight above shone dull and dismal through the urban haze of the abandoned city. Nevertheless, Rainbow found herself squinting as she peered around, searching for her companions.

As it turned out, she didn't have to look far. As the lofty platform came into focus, so did five familiar figures—trotting closer.

Flynn gulped. Leaning forward, he was the first to speak, "Rainbow Dash...?"

Rainbow took a deep breath, coiling her wings by her side. "Lookie. Flynn lives."

"There! See?!" Flynn turned to scowl at Logan. "I told you the venom didn't rot her brain."

"Not as far as we can tell..." Logan's eyes narrowed.

Flynn held a hoof up to Logan's figure. Patiently.

Logan sighed, reached into a satchel, and produced a bit that he slapped into Flynn's fetlock.

"Jee..." Rainbow Dash droned. "How touching."

"It's not as trivial as it looks," Logan said. "That's the only bit we have on the Dark Side. It's worth a mountain of gold."

"Here's hoping you win it back in another bet."

"Seeing as how you're still alive, I probably will." Logan smiled and trotted until he towered over the mare. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Missy."

Rainbow playfully punched his forelimb. "Holding up the fort here, Big Show?"

"You can count on me."

"The spiders are the ones setting up a defense perimeter..." Flynn breathed onto the coin, polished it, and smirked at the petite mare. "But go on. Let him dream."

"Bald-ass douche canoe..." Logan muttered into the twilight.

"At least I've been putting myself to good use these past two weeks!" Flynn grinned. "I've been studying the ancient technology lying around these platforms and you have no idea the kind of discoveries I've made!"

"Save the briefing for another time," Rainbow sputtered, limping down the line of Heraldites. "I don't want to slip back into another coma." She stopped at a hairy wyvern. "Heya, Keps."

"Harrk!" The spectacled companion saluted with a smile. "Grreat to have you back, Rrainbow One."

"Thanks for all the healing broths," Rainbow Dash said. "It's... a shame I threw most of it up."

"Yes, well, accorrding to Merrula, you fairred quite well."

"Tell that to my migraine." Rainbow playfully fluffed his hairy mane and shuffled past Ariel. "Hey girl."

"Feeling better, Rainbow?"

"Better enough."

Ariel weathered a weary breath. "I told the messengers of Abaddon that you were awake. I suspect they'll be sending one of the Merulas up here to speak with you."

"Good. Cuz I've got lots of questions to ask."

"You didn't figure them all out from Abaddon's song?" Flynn asked.

Ariel snapped at him. "Will you give her some space, Flynn?! For Goddess' sake! It's a miracle she stopped freaking out like she did upon waking!"

"It's okay, Ariel," Rainbow muttered, trotting along. "You don't have to tell everypony you kissed me."

"Eeep!" Ariel blushed heavily.

"Wait... what?" Logan's eyes darted. "Who kissed who?"

Rainbow didn't respond. She was standing before Wildcard at this point.

At last, the silent griffin looked at her. Twin black goggles reflected her haggard face. Then—with a beak smile—he held a metal talon out.

Rainbow took one look at the arm, ignored it, and leaned forward to engulf the Desperado in a dear hug.

Wildcard—clearly surprised—simply patted her back and nodded.

The two parted ways, with Rainbow breathing through a tired smile. "It's okay, Jordan. I know you were worried. You don't have to thank me for that."

"The way you talk," Flynn remarked, "It's as if you've made a habit out of experiencing comas in the past."

"Coming back from the dead is an art," Rainbow said. She looked at Wildcard again. "The only thing that sucks is that I never went to school for it."

With slow, deliberate swipes of his fingers, Wildcard hand-signed something before Rainbow.

"I... uh..." Rainbow looked at Kepler. "Sorry, I'm a bit rusty... and groggy. He said something about hair?"

"He states that yourr hairr has grrown considerrably long," Kepler remarked with a tusked grin. "And he would be rright."

"Yes, well..." Rainbow brushed a hoof through her spectral bangs. "...some sins take longer than others to be forgotten." Her eyes narrowed at the group as she spoke in a soft, warm tone. "I'm... really really lucky to have you guys... y'know that, right?" She gulped. "I can't imagine how stupidly sucky it must have been to be waiting here for so long... not knowing if I would wake up."

"We had Merrula to give us assurrrance," Kepler explained. "And during my ministrations I could tell that you werre simply dealing with a temporrary spell."

"Still... it couldn't have been easy..."

"We're the Job Squad," Flynn said with a huff. "'Easy' means we're doing it wrong."

Logan chuckled at that.

"... ... ..." Rainbow Dash scanned the urban horizon. "... ... ...where is Seraphimus?" One ear twitched, then the other. "Is she... I mean did she—?"

"She's around..." Logan shrugged. "...buzzing about."

Rainbow's brow furrowed. "But... I-I thought she was dead-set on splitting for lonely pockets of the Curve—"

"So did we," Ariel said with a nod. But... turns out she's still hanging about." She gestured lazily into the air. "She flies around for hours, comes back to check to see if you've recovered or not... and then rinses and repeats."

"Should I be flattered?" Rainbow's voice cracked.

"That griffin is batshit insane," Flynn wheezed. "I don't know what keeps her around, honestly."

Wildcard hand-signed, and this time Rainbow read it: "She is probably searching for answers."

"Mmmmm..." Logan nodded. "She's not the only one..." His eyes traced towards Rainbow.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, facing the Herald as a whole. "I wish I could give you more, everypony. But... I-I simply don't have more to give."

Wildcard gestured again: "The Spider Queen spoke to you. I heard everything."

"Yeah, well, did you see the stuff that I saw?!" Rainbow rasped. "Did you feel the song in your veins?"

Wildcard was merely silent.

"What was the experrience like?" Kepler asked.

Rainbow gazed off across the spires of the empty city. "Friggin' scary as heck... at least at first. Then... as time went on... it felt like being out-of-my-body..." Rainbow smirked aside. "Believe you me... I'm not exactly new to crazy metaphysical fart-brainage... but this was just so... so..."

"Spidery?"Ariel suggested.

Rainbow blinked. "I was gonna say anticlimactic."

Ariel shrugged. "Seems to come leg-in-leg."

"What do you mean?"

"Just that... come on, Rainbow!" Ariel gestured dramatically. "These are giant friggin' spiders we're talking about!"

"Amazingly gifted, perrceptive, and meticulously melodic spiders," Kepler added.

"Whatever. They're still big squirmy things with big squirmy brains working on the same squirmy Song for eons and eons..." Ariel grimaced at Rainbow Dash. "Weren't you going on and on before about how Abaddon could very well be senile?"

"She has a very thorough mind!" Rainbow stated somewhat defensively. She felt a tinge of dizziness and had to steady herself against Wildcard's supportive talon. "So... l-long as it's got a thorough st-story to tell." Rainbow sighed. "... ... ...one she's been dwelling on for a very very long time, it would seem."

"Then it's a bust," Logan declared. "She wasted all of our time and your sanity for nothing."

"Not exactly. I know about the Shards now."

The Herald stirred anxiously.

"Ariel was trying to explain that to us yesterday," Flynn remarked. His mechanical eye rotated in and out with contemplative poise. "Turns out... the Divine Endrax had an even grander plan beyond death?"

"It wasn't enough that she gave her life to block the entrances to the Midnight Armory," Rainbow Dash said. "The three friggin' armies haven't been able to make her corpse budge. I doubt we can manage any better. However—when she died—she purposefully discarded three enchanted horns from her very own skull. They each fell into the hooves of the three different factions..."

"Lemme guess..." Logan folded his forelimbs with a knowing nod. "...it gave them something else to fight over."

"A distrraction!" Kepler declared.

"More like an obsession," Rainbow Dash said. "One that has wasted more lives than the previous half of the war... and in a shorter timespan as well..."

"It's a mirracle that any of the arrmies arre capable of standing to this day!" Kepler added.

"And that's the scary part." Rainbow looked at the group as a whole. "These three horn pieces—these Shards of Endrax—are required to disenchant the spell binding the Divine's corpse to the Midnight Armory."

"You sure of that?" Flynn remarked.

Wildcard briskly hand-signed: "I heard the Spider Queen say it herself."

"And I saw it." Rainbow frowned. "I saw the frightening possibility for any of the fragile factions to crumble under the right pressure... allowing either of their nemeses to scoop up their Shard, combine it with the power from the one they already have, and turn the tide of war in their favor."

"By then... they will have become an unstoppable force," Ariel muttered. "Harmonic Prism or bust."

"If that's the case..." Flynn grimace. "...then that could happen any time!"

"And when they acquirre the gift of the alicorrns, all we've worrked forr will be lost." He pointed a wing-talon at Rainbow. "All that you have flowned forr... would be nothing. Alas... the fate of Urrohrringrr would go to rruin."

Rainbow stood tall. "Not unless we get to the Shards first." And she stared patiently at the eyes and faces of her companions.

Silence hung tensely over the Herald.

Ariel bit her lip. She looked at Logan and Flynn.

Kepler took his spectacles off and nervously rubbed them clean.

At last it was Wildcard who "broke" the quiet with a series of gestures.

Flynn grumbled. "Yeah, Doubleyoo, and if Bard was still here, he'd say the same thing. That's what I both loved and hated about you Desperadoes." His teeth showed. "You were a bunch of optimistic jackasses!"

"Baldy..." Logan sighed.

"I always knew this entire campaign of ours amounted to a suicide mission... but how..." He flailed his forelimbs before his muzzle. "Tell me... how in Mortuana's name are we expected to just march right into these murderous nihilistic assholes' lairs and slip back out with the very diamonds of their militant desire?!"

"Forr all we know, we could be the forrce that tips the scales," Kepler said. "We could strrategically inserrt ourrselves into theirr rranks, make out with the prrize, and stand by while the confused factions fall all overr one anotherr like dominoes!"

"Yeah?! Like... how?!" Flynn face-hoofed, stifling a groan. "Honestly... I'm trying to be hopeful about this... but we'd need an army for such a friggin' thing!"

Ariel pointed at distant webs. "The Winter Children of Abaddon—"

"—are stuck here because the Bloodwings have made mince-meat out of their ailing numbers throughout the rest of the Dark Side," Logan grumbled in a somber voice. "They're the arachnid kings of this domain, but their venomous ballet dancing ain't worth shit beyond the city limits." He looked lethargically at Rainbow. "I hate to say it, but Baldy's right. So far—with all we've seen and witnessed—there's only one way to pursue these 'Shards of Endrax' if we actually wanted them... and that's on our own."

"And on top of that...!" Flynn waved in the air, spitting. "We don't even know where in the Hell they are!"

"... ... ... !" Rainbow Dash spun to look at her tent.

Wildcard saw it. His feathers instantly perched.

"What is it...?" Ariel asked with a murmur.

"Hold up..." Rainbow trotted towards the tent. Halfway through, her grogginess got the best of her, and she tripped.

Wildcard flew over to help balance her. She patted his talon and pointed into the tent.

"Please, Jordan. If you could. My b-backpack from Equestria."

Wildcard nod-nod-nodded. Fwoosh! Fwoosh! In two blinks, he shot into the canvas structure and returned with the stachel dangling from his metal grasp. The loyal griffin held the item up before Rainbow.

Rainbow took it. She reached deep inside, and when she drew her hoof back out she was cradling a pearlescent sphere in her fetlock.

"The dragon sphere?" Ariel asked.

Rainbow took Axan's mysterious gift. Slowly—with precise movements—she rotated and turned it around.

Flynn rubbed his muzzle, watching intently.

At last, there was a faint flicker of scarlet light across the edge of the sphere... followed by a slightly brighter one situated perpendicular to the first. Finally—after more than a little bit of fumbling—Rainbow got the sphere positioned in such a way to register a third signal, this one puslating with an intense crimson glow.

Logan craned his neck. From his perspective, the beacon of light within the giant marble resembled a compass needle. His gaze traced to where it pointed in a straight line towards the edge of the City.

"My starrs and garrterrs..." Kepler exhaled. "...it all makes sense now."

"If those Shards are the only parts of Axan's sister that are left living—so to speak..."

"...then her stone is likely pointing us to where the three of them are currently located," Ariel finished.

"Where's this bright one pointing?" Rainbow dumbly asked.

Wildcard gestured: "Omega."

"But... who, then?" Ariel stammered. "Which faction is it?"

Rainbow bit her lip. Her ruby eyes reflected the shimmering band within the stone. "I've got a pretty dang good guess who."

Logan sighed. "The Bloodwings." His tail flicked. "Buck me..."

"Even still, Rainbow..." Flynn winced. "An army of six? How... how could we even pretend to approach them?"

"Fighting is simply out of the option," Kepler said, shaking his hairy head. "Therre's farr too few of us. As diplomats—perrhaps—we could win ourrselves an opporrtunity to simply distrract them! But... I-I fail to see how six strrangers frrom the 'Penumbrral Edge' could convince them to rrelinquish theirr Shard!"

"... ... ..." Rainbow Dash looked up from the stone. "Not an army of six." She stared firmly at the group. "But a army of seven..."

Flynn and Ariel instantly winced.

Logan looked at Wildcard.

Goggles locked on Rainbow, Wildcard slowly gestured: "She stopped being the Commander of anything a long time ago."

Rainbow nodded. "That's the first comforting thing I've 'heard' since waking up." She shoved the dragon stone back into her weathered saddlebag. "Enough time has gone by. I have to speak to her."

"But..." Ariel shrugged. "...there's no telling where—"

"Fluttershy, remember?" Rainbow stepped briskly down the platform street and began flexing her forelimbs. "If Merula shows up while I'm gone, have her leave a message."

"Just listen for my screams," Flynn droned.

Two Birds; One Stone

"Right in here, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said—her voice touched with an ounce of worry.

Rainbow Dash trotted into the large lobby of a skyscraper. She wasn't alone. Seraphimus shuffled in after her, her gray feathers reflected in the sheen of multiple glass sheets. An elaborate arrangement of glass panels—perhaps magical in their ancient purpose—stretched in finite geometric patterns across the heart of the large chamber.

"I fail to see why you insist on us conversing here," Seraphimus stated in a calm tone. "No doubt your traveling companions outside would desire to hear what you have to say."

"I've already told them enough." Rainbow Dash glanced at Rarity, Twilight, and her other friends before stopping in her tracks and turning around to face the former Commander of the Talon. "I wished to see you," she said. "Just as you wished to see me."

Seraphimus was deadpan. "What do you mean, exactly?"

Pinkie Pie face-hoofed. Rainbow ignored it and replied, "It's been two weeks since we both went down to meet Abaddon. You've been asking the Herald periodically about my condition ever since I went unconscious." Her ruby eyes narrowed. "My friends... my ghostly friends have sensed you flying restless circles around the city for days and days on end."

"Can you fault me?" Seraphimus asked, headcrest raising slightly. "Living to the incessant prattle of your so-called 'Herald' is migraine-inducing."

"Well..." Applejack winked aside at Rainbow Dash. "Reckon she's got a point there."

Rainbow calmly responded to Seraphimus. "Nevertheless... you've had countless opportunities to leave by this point," Rainbow said. "I distinctly remember you telling me that it was what you wanted back before the visit with the Winter Children's mother transpired."

"An opportunity that I still cherish—"

"Stuff it, Seraphimus." Rainbow took a few bold steps towards her. "Why are you still around?" Her fuzzy brow furrowed. "What are you waiting for?"

Seraphimus' beak tightened. A flick of her lion's tail, and she said: "Did the spider venom give you anything? A vision? Some sort of unheard portion of the song conveyed?"

"You want answers..." Rainbow Dash breathed warmly. "You want to know more... just like I wish to."

Seraphimus fumed. "Is that why you brought me to this isolated place? To gloat and lord over me with your knowledge?"

"Seraphimus, Abaddon talked in circles—just like her Song. I scarcely know more than you do."

"I find that very hard to believe," Seraphimus grunted.

Applejack looked at Rainbow and nodded.

Rainbow sighed. "You heard the same words that I did, Seraphimus. Abaddon spoke to you and Wildcard as well down there..."

"But you were given the privilege of seeing more," Seraphimus said. "The venom... what vision did it grant you?"

Rainbow ignored her. "You heard Abaddon speak of Endrax... of the Sarcophagus of Ages... of the mysterious origin of this world and how it's fated to miraculously return to Urohringr... assuming that the forces of Harmony defeat the chaotic night attempting to secure the Prism—"

Seraphimus sneered: "That is all a pedantic mountain of useless information—"

"Is it?!" Rainbow's eyes sliced across the shadowed room. "It's all 'Blighted,' right?! Falsehoods?! Lies?! Heretical information relayed by a big friggin' spider deep in a world of eternal night?!"

Seraphimus' wings coiled tightly. "It..." She gulped, looking strangely vulnerable. "...I can't pretend to—"

"It's all real, Sera," Rainbow Dash said firmly. "You can't play it all off as hogwash from 'beyond the Blight.' Not anymore." She shook her head. "Not after all that you've seen. Not after all the blood that's been spilled—and most of it glowing. Jordan's not the only griffin with good eyes. Are you really going to insult me—and yourself—by continuing to deny what's happening here?"

Seraphimus looked away. A tense breath, and she muttered: "It was you who was summoned. Surely—in your comatose experience—you were given information that Jordan and I weren't—"

"Just about everything Abaddon told me, I already pretty much knew," Rainbow Dash said. Her ears twitched. "Just as the things you've heard were all that which I already told you."

"... ... ..."

"This is no longer the world that you once knew, Seraphimus," Rainbow said. "In fact... the world you knew—under Verlax—simply never was." She looked at Twilight Sparkle and the others. "I knew a world once. And while everything in my life has changed... I've learned long ago that it was simply a small piece of the big picture. And—each day—that picture only gets bigger and bigger."

Fluttershy and Rarity smiled.

Rainbow cleared her throat. "But... with as far as I've come... and with all the challenges I still have yet to face..." She looked at Seraphimus again. "I know that the old world I was foaled in will only get tinier and more precious. Home is still important to me, but I've got to keep my eyes set on what is ahead. And if I pay attention to what is behind, I will only benefit from having an honest... clear picture."

Seraphimus was chillingly silent for a good, long while.

Pinkie and Twilight looked nervously at one another.

At last, it was Rainbow who broke the quiet: "You've always thought I came to destroy Rohbredden fully and completely." She shook her head. "It's not what I wanted to do. But..." She bit her lip, ears drooping slightly. "...perhaps the truth itself would just... make that inevitable, Sera..."

"How was Endrax related to Verlaxion?" Seraphimus suddenly asked.

Twilight and Rarity blinked.

"She was her sister, Seraphimus," Rainbow explained in a cautious tone. She studied Seraphimus carefully. "It was Endrax whom Verlax ventured here to find... and then she went mad with her obsession over the Sundering."

"And that creature from the Edge..." Seraphimus stared daggers into the shadows. "Axan..."

"Also a sister... having taken the form of a pony—Remna." Rainbow took a deep breath. "Just as Verlax had taken on the form of 'Verlaxion,' your savior... in a long and epic farce to fool your entire civilization. A farce that worked."

Seraphimus eyes were darting. Searching. Glossy.

Applejack turned to look pointedly at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow saw it. She slowly trotted towards Seraphimus' side. "You had asked me what the point was for bringing us here? To this building?" She gestured towards the sheets of glass looming everywhere. "Well, Rarity tells me that everything in here is... very brittle."

Seraphimus' muscles tightened upon hearing that. Her eyes peered throughout the room in a daze. On scraping talons, she shuffled forward—limply at first—but then with heavy and heavier steps.

Rainbow and her ghostly companions looked on, silent and reserved.

At last, Seraphimus stood in a halo of gray reflections, all of them peppered in dust and obscurity. A dozen former Commanders gazed at each other... and a ripple of searing anger rolled through, converging in the center as the real one formed her talons into fists and launched herself at the nearest panel within screaming range: "Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!!!"

Rainbow closed her eyes.

SMASSSSH!

Seraphimus twirled like a serrated cyclone, smashing her fists into panel after panel, filling the chamber with echoes and covering the floor with glittering shards.

CRASSSSSSSH!

CRKKKKT!

SMASSSH!

Twilight Sparkle shivered.

Pinkie's tail twitched over and over again.

Fluttersy and Rarity hugged each other, wincing as they stared at the tense display.

Twenty seconds into the mad melee, Seraphimus—exhausted and even cut in a few places—fell to her knees amidst a weighted cascade of hyperventilation. She seethed and raged. Her hawkeyes—reduced to slitted pinpricks—took note of the faint ethereal glow coming from her injured flesh. It only infuriated her all the more, and soon she was clutching her scalp—plucking a few quills bloodily loose—as she howled into the emptiness of that abandoned hovel.

"HAAAAAA-AAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAUGGGHHH!!!"

Rainbow Dash stood her ground.

At long last, Seraphimus had spent her full breath. But not her passion. She fell forward, barely held in place by four quivering forelimbs. Something sprang from her now that Rainbow had never witnessed before, and although Rainbow had always suspected they could exist, the sight of them chilled her nevertheless.

As Seraphimus wept, her beak hung low, scraping dust and shards of grass with each lunging breath. She shivered in that dark cold place, like a penitent soul collapsing in a wintry forest. Only this time the anger had been spent, and what dwelled beneath—there was no flying away from.

The echo of her screams had barely settled when Rainbow heard a dark rush of wings. She turned around to see Wildcard speeding violently—worriedly—into the mouth of the chamber.

"!!!!!!"

Rainbow said no word. She simply held a hoof up.

The Desperado stopped in place, gripping Bard's staff. He maintained a distance at Rainbow's request, but his goggled eyes reflected Seraphimus' collapsed figure.

After a few somber minutes had passed, Rainbow dared to approach the sobbing griffin. She squatted low, close to her side. "The world's a big place... and its skies even bigger." Her ears dropped. "Even still... there's no greater height to fall from than yourself."

"It's the second t-time..." Seraphimus stammered, sputtered. She clenched her beak and shook her disheveled head. "Twice now... I have lost everything..." She sucked her breath in and seethed: "...all that I ever b-believed in..." Her talons formed shivering fists against the dirtied floor of that place. "Do you have any earthly idea what th-that's like...?!"

"I do."

Seraphimus flashed Rainbow a teary-eyed look.

"I also lost everything," Rainbow said. "In a blink." She slowly looked at Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie, and finally Applejack. "All that I loved and cherished. All that I was loyal to. You think you're mad right now? Girl, it ain't a drop in the bucket to the rage-fest I had... the things I broke... the sheer chaos I unleashed." She stood up tall, wings flexing. "All that loss and pain and confusion... I couldn't live in the vacuum left behind from it. And that's when my journey began. And yet... years later... after all that I've learned and all the purpose I've gained... I still feel that loss every day."

Seraphimus simply gawked at her. The griffin's beak hung agape, pitiable and quivering.

"I shouldered that loss like it was all I had to define myself," Rainbow Dash said. "I traveled alone for so long. But something changed. It wasn't just what I had learned... but I discovered that I needed help to overcome my obstacles... for they were turning bigger and bigger than I could ever have fathomed." After a firm breath... she bravely held a hoof down towards the former Commander. "Those obstacles are in front of me again... and they're so big that they defy comprehension." Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "I... would very much like your help in dealing with them, Seraphimus."

Applejack, Twilight and the others looked between the two with held breaths.

Wildcard's grip of the staff tightened.

Seraphimus looked at Rainbow's hoof... then at Rainbow herself. There was something delicate beneath her breath for a moment there—like a nervous peep from a hatchling—and then her adult voice crept through, weak and trembling. "I can't imagine how you could possibly forgive me..." A tear. Two. "...f-for what I have done in the past."

"I've committed some pretty nasty sins too," Rainbow said. "And yet... I have friends who have forgiven me." A tender smile. "Friends who have helped me. Without them, I couldn't have gotten as far as I have." She stretched her hoof even further. "I can help you get far too, Seraphimus. Further than you can possibly imagine."

"... ... ..."

"I won't promise that it will fill in the space of what you've lost," Rainbow added in a somber turn. "But some broken things in this universe can be fixed. That's what badass souls like you and me are made for."

"... ... ..." Seraphimus didn't take Rainbow's hoof. However, she did stand up, calmer and quieter than she was seconds prior. When she looked at the petite pegasus, it was at eye level.

Rainbow lowered her hoof, blinking at the former Commander.

"You... n-need help with the blighted forces at play in this realm?"

Rainbow nodded firmly. "And how."

Seraphimus sniffled. She dried her face with the back of her talon, staring off across the sea of broken glass. "... ... ...then—for the time being—I suspect that remaining in your party would be for the best." Her headcrest rose. "Increased numbers sounds... exceedingly adequate."

Rainbow smirked devilishly. She reached out to pat Seraphimus' shoulder. "Wrong A-word."

A Breath of Relief

"I have been extended an invitation," Seraphimus said in a quiet tone. "And... I have found it advantageous to accept it." Her eyes hung low as she spoke. "In consideration of the circumstances... I doubt that I will manage very well on my lonesome. Also, I suspect I could be of good use to this expedition by applying my talents in survivability and combat. It is my understanding that there are forces at play in this part of the world that will require full cooperation for all of us—any of us—to endure. It would be... foolish to pursue any other path at this juncture."

"Yeah, that's nice." Flynn nodded, his forelimbs folded. He and the Herald stood in a tense line across the urban platform from Seraphimus. "Now would you mind looking us in the eye as you say that?"

"Baldy..." Logan began.

Nevertheless, Seraphimus looked up. The menace was missing in her gaze, replaced instead by a vulnerable glaze of earnestness. "It is my promise—on the souls of my family and the fallen defenders of Rohbredden—that I shall not do anything to harm Rainbow Dash or her traveling companions ever again."

Ariel blinked.

Kepler glanced in surprise at Rainbow and the others.

"Well then..." Flynn nodded, his lips parting. "That's... that's more like it."

Seraphimus looked at Logan. "Are we planning to embark upon our next destination anytime soon?"

Logan cleared his throat. "No, uh..." He shook his head. "There isn't a 'next destination' yet. We've still got a lot to discuss. And Rainbow here is still recovering from the spider shit in her system."

"Very well." Seraphimus cleared her throat, and there was slight shakiness to her voice. "If you would not mind... I-I need some time alone. I tr-trust that you have the necessary means of summoning me should an emergency arise."

"Right on..." Logan dripped.

He and the others watched as Seraphimus limply flew off and glided beyond the nearest row of buildings.

Wildcard observed her from a lofty perch. He looked down at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow sighed. "Yeah, sure thing, buddy. Go ahead." She gulped. "Just... be sure to give her the space that she needs, okay?"

The Desperado saluted back. Dark wings spread, and soon he glided in the general direction of his former Commander's introspective flight.

Rainbow Dash plopped back on her haunches, catching her breath.

Ariel noticed it, and she scampered over. "Ah jeez. Ah jeez—you're still sick from the spider juice, aren't you?"

"I've been better." Rainbow patted her forelimb for reassurance. "Don't fret. I just..." Another sigh, and she lowered her eyelids. "...just needed to get that over with."

"Ach..." Kepler nodded. "Not as much as she rrequirred it, I suspect."

"What did you even say to her?" Flynn asked.

"Mrmmmfff..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her face. "...nothing Seraphimus hadn't heard before."

"Only this time, she's got Abaddon's Song to back up all you've ever tried to teach her," Ariel said, rubbing Rainbow's shoulder. "I guess that was finally the last straw, huh?"

"While I'm pleased as a peach to have her on our side..." Logan looked at the others. "...even a truckload of Rohbredden's finest isn't going to mean much against the factions of the Trinary War."

Flynn sputtered: "You prefer she still be after Rainbow's jugular instead?!"

"Wow, you're quick to claim our newest trophy, egghead."

"Big Show, you have no idea how long I've waited for her to drop the 'murder' from 'murder turkey.'"

"Yes. We do. It's been your only tune for over a month, bro."

"I'm just saying that we can all finally breathe now... unless of course the bitch was lying."

"She was telling the truth this time, Flynn."

"How do you know?!"

"She's like a completely different griffin. You could hear it in her voice."

"Still... could be an act."

"Seraphimus is only good at killing and threatening. I very seriously doubt she got any thespian talents hidden beneath all those feathers."

"You say that as if you've been deep enough into those feathers."

"And what if I had? While you've been demonizing her left and right, I've actually spent some time trying to figure out what makes her tick! I'm telling you, Rainbow's finally gotten to the griffin!"

"And how long will she remain a 'changed soul?' If she's seen half of the shit we have—"

"She has. That's precisely why she's made this decision. And now that her eyes are open..."

While the Job Squadders continued arguing in the background, Rainbow Dash had found herself oddly fixated with the floor of the platform beneath her. There was a fine layer of dust and sediment covering the street. The mare's brow furrowed. Slowly—with a weak forelimb from her post-coma condition—she reached down and ran her fetlock across the powdery layer. Her line formed a clear swath, and soon she was curving it slightly.

Rainbow's nostrils flared. She lifted her hoof, then brought it down again... forming another line... then another. Soon, she had casually—thoughtlessly—made multiple curved lines in dust. All of them seemingly at random. She paused halfway through the act, staring curiously at the inexplicable array before her.

Kepler was the first to take notice. He craned his hairy neck, eyes narrowing behind his spectacles. "Harrk... prrecisely what arre you doing, Rrainbow One."

Rainbow said nothing.

"Yeah..." Ariel leaned in. "What are you doing, Rainbow?"

"... ... ...hmmm?" Rainbow looked up. She blinked. "Doing what?"

Logan and Flynn stopped arguing, looking over.

Ariel and Kepler looked at Rainbow with dumb expressions.

"Oh... I'm just..." Rainbow ran a hoof to her head, wincing slightly. "Mrmmfff... you think all of the barfing would have gotten it all out."

"You poor thing." Ariel smiled. Reaching out, she helped the petite pegasus onto all fours. "Let's get you back to your tent. You can rest it off while I make a mushroom brew."

"That... sounds kinda awesome, actually..." Rainbow sighed, hobbling off with the mare. "But the moment Merula shows up, I wanna speak with her."

"Hehehe... of course!"

"I've got a hunch she can fill in a few gaps in Abaddon's song. There's a lot that still needs explaining."

"You really think Merula can help?"

"I'm betting on it. Sometimes the messengers know more than they let on."

"Well, here's hoping."

"Right..."

As the two mares trotted off, Kepler remained behind. The wyvern stroked his hairy chin, staring at the odd formations Rainbow had made in the dust. Murmuring to himself, Kepler adjusted his glasses and turned to exchange contemplative glances with Logan and Flynn.

Please Choose Your Stage

"The Song of Circles has been kept in chorus for the Austraeoh, and now the Austraeoh has heard the Song of Circles." Merula's abdomen shook—this time dappled with a shiny red glint. Emotionless marble eyes reflected Rainbow and her pendant as the silk voice box continued vibrating: "We do not understand the confusion you appear to be proclaiming."

"That's just it..." Rainbow Dash stood beside Kepler and Ariel. Several hours had passed, and now the All Singer sat before the Heraldites atop the enormous tunnel-weaver, flanked by several large Spindlers. "It's not so much that I'm confused by what Abaddon told me. I'm just... I was only..." Rainbow sighed heavily. "Well, shoot, now I just feel friggin' selfish saying it out loud to her pedipalps."

"Just be honest with her, Rainbow," Ariel suggested.

Rainbow cleared her throat before smiling nervously. "I was expecting to learn more from her... y'know? More about... about..." She waved a hoof. "The history of Urohringr. The dirt behind Ilrifa. What's up with her codex and how it relates to me and the Elements of Harmony and... and... and..."

"The message given to you through the Song is precisely what the All-Singer predetermined," Merula said. "You partook in the venom?"

"Uhhhhhhhhh... yeah." Rainbow nodded. "And... okay... you got me there." She gestured. "I felt more... witnessed more than the two companions I brought down with me." She pointed nebulously towards the city buildings in the distance. "Neither Wildcard or Seraphimus saw the stuff that I did. So... I guess Abaddon's Song didn't mean as much to them as it did to me. Even still—"

"The Austraeoh possessed much of the Song's knowledge prior to meeting with the Ever Songstress?"

"Yeah? Kinda sorta?"

The tiny translucent hatchlings perched on Merula's forelimbs squirmed with glee. "It is to be praised," the vocal construct shook. "The Austraeoh has obviously garnered far greater knowledge and wisdom than the Song anticipated. Perhaps the Melodic Mother's strings pierced even the body of the Curve itself."

"I... dunno..." Rainbow winced slightly. "A lot of the big stuff I learned was given to me by you... er... the other you's." She cleared her throat. "Merula and Company."

"Rrainbow One." Kepler stepped forward. "If I may."

Rainbow motioned towards Merula with her fetlock.

The wyvern approached the spider company. "Dearrest allies, we arre most thankful forr the knowledgeable gifts that yourr Queen has bestowed upon us—and the Austrraeoh in parrticularr. This news of the Sharrds of Endrrax is most distrressing, but we can easily see how the imparrted forresight can be to ourr advantage."

Merula's abdomen shook. "Then the Winter Children have played their part."

"Oh, I do believe you have done much morre than that." Kepler smiled suavely through his tusks. "As loyal prrotectorrs of the grreat Lyrricist, it would seem that you have evidently garrnered much of herr wisdom and prrestige overr so many eons of exposurre to the Song. This is quite commendable."

Merula replied. "In life, we adore the Silk Mother, and dwell within the pulse of her harmonic emanations."

"Mmmm... yes, quite." Kepler adjusted his spectacles. "And assuming that you have—indeed—osmotically gained much knowledge by keeping herr in yourr carre, would it be that grreat a strretch of the imagination to suggest that you could elaborrate furrtherr on the chorrus she bestowed upon Ilrrifa's gift?"

"It would be dishonorable to proclaim any ownership over the Eternal Song."

"Ach! No ownerrship to be prroclaimed whatsoeverr!" Kepler smiled. "You dwell within the Song of Abaddon, and herr music sustains. Now that the Austrraeoh has hearrd what she has hearrd, perrhaps you would be so kind as to help illuminate the naturre of the chorrus that was sharred?" He pointed at Rainbow Dash. "It would prrove yourr loyalty to Austrraeoh... yourr loyalty to Ilrrifa..." He turned to focus his vision on Merula yet again. "...and yourr obedience to Abaddon, who—no doubt—would desirre clarrity and underrstanding above all in this... most trrying Winterr."

Ariel and Rainbow Dash exchanged glances.

Merula's fangs shifted. There was a twitch to her abdomen. A shake. Then—at last—she vibrated the construct. "But of course. If the Austraeoh has any questions to ask, it would be our part to aid her in the interpretation."

"Glorrious!" Kepler nodded, then turned to grin at Rainbow Dash. "I do think the floorr is yourrs, good frriend."

Rainbow cleared her throat. "You'd make a great lawyer, Keps." She stepped forward, closer to the spiders. "If I return to Equestria and get into trouble—like, destroying a weather factory or something—I'd choose you to represent me."

"Carreful..." The wyvern raised a claw. "I've got a rreputation to maintain."

"Destroying a weather factory?" Ariel squeaked.

Rainbow waved her off and looked ahead. "Yo Merulz."

Merula shook curiously. "Who are you addressing, Austraeoh?"

"Uh... you. That was... that was just..." Rainbow shook her head. "Never mind. Can I ask some questions about what Abaddon talked about?"

"If you believe it is prudent."

"So... as you probably know.. she spoke about the Shards of Endrax." Rainbow pointed in the vague direction of her tent. "Courtesy of Gardez's daughter, Axan, I actually possess a dragonstone that—I think—will give me the general direction in which to find these fragments."

"There is much logical sense to that assumption," Merula stated. "Gardez bestowed the stones as gifts to her hatchlings—to facilitate communication and comraderie among the Divine Brood. If Axan has perished and Endrax's Shards are the only remaining substance of draconian origin that are still enchanted on this side of the plane, then it stands to reason that Axan's dragonstone could locate those pieces."

"Yeah, and that's sexy and all..." Rainbow Dash nodded. "...but it would be good to know more about where they are located." She gulped. "So I'll know precisely what we'll be getting into."

"Then you have chosen to pursue the acquisition of these Shards?"

"Let's just say for the moment that I might." Rainbow's brow furrowed. "Abaddon made it clear to me that each of the three Factions has one. Tchern and the Changelings have got one. The Night Shard have got one. And then the Bloodwings have got one."

"That would be correct."

"Do you know where exactly they're being held?" Rainbow gestured. "The closest Shard—according to the Dragonstone—is somewhere towards Omega... towards the closer edge of the Curve. The other two seem to be located more towards the Midnight Armory. But... if I went after this closest one, where would it be exactly?"

Merula hesitated.

"You..." Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "...you and your siblings used to populate the entire plane. Even if Winter and the violent campaigns of the Trinary War have forced you all into this city, couldn't you at least remember where they were placed before? Even if it was years ago? I mean... you carry that knowledge via the strings of the Song, don't you?"

"In fact we do, Austraeoh," Merula declared. "But you must understand. Endrax's death was several equine lifetimes ago, and the dispersal of the Shards happened shortly thereafter. While the Song is permeating, there is very little guarantee that the Shards are located in the same spot they were in before Abaddon's Winter Children were forced into a retreat."

"Still..." Rainbow smiled. "Gimme something to work with. Anything. I... I'm begging you here."

"It is not the function of Ilrifa's Gift to beg," Merula said. Next, she vibrated forth: "The piece of Endrax possessed by the Night Shard is not located within a place. Rather, it is located in a vessel."

"A vessel?" Ariel remarked.

Rainbow as nodding. "One of them big glass floaty thingies, yes?"

"It is no ordinary attack construct," Merula explained. "But rather the central focus of their magical armada. Even if the treasured piece of Endrax was not heavily guarded, its location within the complex lattice of crystalline bulwarks makes it extremely difficult to procure. In addition to that, the central armada of the Ruby Song is constantly on the move—so as to throw off the tracking of both the Keepers of the Flux and the Bloodwings."

"Right..." Rainbow gulped. "...but, fact of the matter is, the Night Shard's piece of Endrax is in a big friggin' floaty thingy."

"It is... located in a constantly mobile construct, yes."

"Gotcha. So that one's gonna be the hardest to get, I bet," Rainbow thought aloud to herself.

"You sure about that?" Ariel droned.

Rainbow blinked at her, then looked at Merula again. "What about the Changelings? The Keepers of the Flux? Where would they be keeping their Shard of Endrax?"

"In the lair of the Leech Queen, Tchern."

Rainbow shuddered. "Well, of course..."

"Arre we corrrect to assume that the Queen of the Keeperrs is also constantly on the move?" Kepler asked.

"From the collective knowledge of those who preserve the song," Merula spoke. "Yes. That would most likely be the case." Her abdomen shook. "However, the territory possessed by the Keepers of the Flux isn't as expansive as that which is patrolled by the Night Shard. While the Leech Queen's drones and soldiers infiltrate all portions of the plane, they require dense nesting grounds in order to breed and resupply their army."

"Where are they situated, mostly?" Rainbow asked.

"Much closer to the Sarcophagus of Ages," Merula replied. "In a swath of subterranean chambers that stretches between the nearest edge and the location of Petra."

Rainbow Dash did a double-take. "Wait... Petra?" She blinked at Ariel and Kepler. "Uhhhhh..." She looked at Merula again. "What's Petra?"

"An urban sprawl owned by the goblins and all other imp-kind," Merula said. "For hundreds of years, it has served as the focal point for sapient trade by neutral factions non-aligned with the three armies of the Trinary War."

"And... and this kind of a place exists?!" Ariel leaned forward, jaw agape. "Right here on the Dark Side?"

"Indeed."

"You... didn't mention anything like this before," Rainbow Dash said.

Merula's abdomen shook with the voice box's vocalizations: "It had not been relevant to any discussion before now. The imps—much like the Dihmers—do not possess any might outside the limits of their central city and the mechanizations thereof. To venture outward from Petra would threaten exposure to the Keepers of the Flux, who encroach on all sides. However, the Keepers do not appear to have an interest in consuming or assimilating the imps of Petra, presumably because Tchern is too terribly encumbered with combating the Bloodwings and Night Shard. Because of this—and their distance from the other factions of the Trinary War—the denizens of Petra have been allowed to exist. However, the Bloodwings have been known to take particular pleasure in eliminating imps on the spot, especially this close to the Edge. They will spare Dihmers, but goblin kind—much like the Winter Children—are prime sport for the Lunar Hunt."

"Why... do they single out goblins while not touching Dihmers?" Rainbow asked.

Merula shook. "We do not know. The Bloodwings' violent ways have only ever vexxed us. It is because of their actions—more than any other faction—that the Winter Children have been forced to retreat to the last auditorium of the Song."

Rainbow and Ariel exchanged glances.

"Well..." Ariel smiled awkwardly. "...the Dark Side got a bit more crowded." A gulp. "And depressing."

"What of the sarrosians?" Kepler asked. "The Bloodwings? Where could they be keeping their Shard of Endrax?"

"In the tree, of course," Merula replied simply.

"Tree???" Ariel made a face.

"That's right..." Rainbow Dash exhaled. "I do remember a tree in the vision Abaddon gave me." She looked up at Merula. "The Shard—it's held deep within a thick vault of unbreakable moonrock... guarded with runes."

"That is knowledge only available to the Austraeoh."

"Yeah... but what's up with this tree?"

"It has been the home base of the Third Penumbral Invasion for countless lifetimes," Merula said. "The Bloodwings have a name for it, but their tongue is not congruent with the Songstress' melody. Nor do we know much of how the Bloodwings have chosen to defend their lofty abode, because any member of the Great Lyricist's chorus who ventures within a string's echo of the defiled grounds is instantly tortured and murdered by the Lunar Hunt. Those lands have been vacant of Song for ages, and we fear that much has changed since that we cannot convey to the Austraeoh."

Ariel sighed. "Figures..."

"One thing's been bugging me..." Rainbow Dash paced before the spiders. "Abaddon's message spoke of... of a new and merciless strategy that the Bloodwings have been using..." Rainbow arched an eyebrow. "Some sort of... bold style of warfare that's been giving them leverage against the other factions... enough to compete with Tchern's flux and the Ruby Chaos'... uh... immortal fart magic. Whatever it is that they do."

"Perrhaps with morre eloquence, Rrainbow One," Kepler insisted.

Rainbow took a deep breath and looked squarely at Merula. "What's the big deal with the Bloodwings? What is making them so strong as of late?"

"It is not so much a strategy," Merula said. "But rather a strategist... and in a single lifetime he has forced Winter into is coldest and bleakest for the Children of Abaddon and more..."

Rainbow blinked. "... ... ...just who are we talking about, exactly?"

A cold shudder ran through the silken construct and the webs beyond the platform. Violin strings scratched discordantly across the empty city, and one name echoed chillingly between the spiders and their guests:

"Lexxic."

What's In a Name?

"The Bloodwings—as Penumbral Equines go—have never possessed much in the way of honor. However, in days of Old Song, they at least exercised restraint. That is not the case in Winter. A generation ago, something in their ranks shifted. The anger they possessed grew even more vitriolic. Their penchant for murder and torture expanded beyond their capabilities, and yet it sparked a fire in their dark ambition. Not only did they push back the encroaching expeditions of the Night Shard, but they staved off the Flux of Tchern's hive.

"It used to be that the Night Shard regularly defeated the Bloodwings at nearly every encounter. After all, in most instances, the death toll of the Third Penumbral Invaders only strengthed the Ruby Chorus. But that stopped being the case, and the Great Lyricist's Children failed to ascertain why. Those moved by the Song have speculated that it was something that tainted the Ruby Harmony... a hatred that permeated both life and death... something that was too much for the Night Shard to process, and so they withdrew from their daunting mortal foe.

"As for the Keepers of the Flux: they always enjoyed a certain degree of domination over the Bloodwings ranks, thanks in most part to their masterful tools of infiltration. Even the imps of Petra have had great difficulty eliminating the metamorphic spies lying in their midst. But then—at the lair of the Bloodwings—something somehow detected every hatchling of Tchern. Every drone and soldier in hiding was suddenly uprooted, eviscerated, and then fed to the Lunar masses. In fact, one of the last records of the Song is that the Third Penumbral Invaders had found a new and improved way of sustaining their forces: feasting on all the Keepers they managed to catch. And they caught many.

"Soon, the Keepers also withdrew. Save for a few spies spread here and there—sacrificing themselves to perform necessary reconaissance—they situated themselves close to the main hive of Tchern, concentrating their efforts on cultivating the Flux. All that remained on this half of the Plane—so close to Edgeside—became subject to the Lunar Hunt. The Bloodwings had specialized themselves. They performed wide sweeps of the Curve, studying every topographical detail and making note of the things that always lived under their wings. Then—with merciless execution—they began attacking, assaulting, and wounding every species they came across. Some of it was simply to acquire food and resources. But—for the most part—they killed and slaughtered with very little purpose... if only to spread blood and misery into every crevice of the world.

"This threatened the natural balance, and soon the other Factions took notice. The Imps also required these living resources to eke a living, and the Bloodwings were depleting them rapidly, making the environment more and more inhospitable. The Night Shard had little care for the matter, but the Keepers of the Flux relied on the living ecosystem to maintain the diversity of their metamorphosis. The Dihmers stood by and idly watched. At first, the Bloodwings attacked them too, but soon it no longer became sport to attack the Dihmers. Besides—by that point in the development—swarms of the Flux were starting to mount desperate assaults on Bloodwing fortifications. Not only that, but a few angry clans of the imps had broken neutrality and boldly attempted to sabotage the Lunar Hunt as well.

"Both factions failed, however. To this day, the Song lacks the details to explain why. But—the moment either the Flux or the imps ventured a certain distance Edgeside—their forces were almost immediately obliterated. It is the esteemed belief of the Winter Children that something far too powerful to be explained by Song is now a tool at the Bloodwings' disposal, and it has the power to mount an impermeable defense, obliterating any enemy squadron that comes within a certain proximity. This would explain how the Bloodwings have been able to revolutionize themselves without much distraction over the past few decades. Some masterful authority in their midst has broken the pattern of the last hundred lifetimes, and for the first time since their successful Penumbral attack on Endrax's brood at the Sarcophagus of Ages, the Bloodwings are gaining an edge in the Trinary War.

"It is around this point that Winter caught up with us—tumultously so. There was a time when the Bloodwings cared little about the presence of Abaddon's Children. We were seen as we are—innocent observers of a war-torned plane. That all changed with the last equine generation. It began at first with the eradication of our tiniest and most precious of allies. Then—as the Lunar Hunt began its violent flight—all remaining scouts, listeners, and various members of the chorus were tracked down and brutalized. Our sisters' legs would be torn off and our remaining bodies forced to dwell listlessly in agony and pain. The Song became a Dirge, and the Lunar Hunt closed in further and further until all the Children were forced into this City. Then—without warning—the Bloodwings stopped. To this day, we do not know why they spared us a final assault on the Great Songstress' Lair. Perhaps they see some untold purpose in our existence, as they must with the Dihmers.

"Nevertheless, we have enjoyed this existence with some untold price. A miraculous thing it is too—for if the Bloodwings had advanced any further, then we would not have been present to deliver the Song to the Austraeoh. We are too anxious about the situation to define it as 'providence,' for the violence and sadism of the Bloodwings has yet to stop. They are preparing for something unfathomably sinister, but with the death of our scouts and singers we can no longer keep record of what is transpiring far beyond the fringes of this city.

"The very last detail logged by the Song—committed to twilight memory—is that of a name. The author of this New Hatred, and the innovator of Bloodwing malice. The name is 'Lexxic,' and we know that it sparks fear in the hearts of imps... and incites panic in the hatchling drones of the Flux. It echoes off the fangs of the warriors who lead the Lunar Hunt, and for many of our sisters across the plane it was the last word they heard—shrieked discordantly—as their limbs were ripped from their mortal husks.

"In a world riddled with death, torture, and suffering... 'Lexxic' dwells somewhere darkly beneath it all."

Whom the Spiders Fear

"The Lunar Hunt is a force that burns bright in this land of twilight," Merula declared. Rainbow Dash, Ariel, and Kepler listened as the arachnid speaker continued: "We suspect it is the final flame of the Bloodwings, their last whole-hearted attempt to exercise a strong campaign against their foes. At the rate at which they are advancing upon their enemies and expending their resources, they will either triumph in seizing the final two Shards of Endrax and the Harmonic Prize beyond... or they shall burn out from their aggressive ambition. Whatever the case may be, due to the actions of Lexxic, it is likely that one faction will finally be victorious in the Trinary War within the span of a single lifetime. The balance is being tipped, and once one army falls then one of the other two shall surely come out on top. The righteous punctuality of your arrival cannot be overstated, Austraeoh. Not even in song."

Rainbow Dash took a long, long breath. With contemplative eyes, she gazed across the spires of the city.

Ariel gazed at her with a worrisome expression.

"Ahem..." It was Kepler who first summoned the strength to speak. "These Bloodwings—these sarrosian exiles underr Lexxic's charrge..." His spectacled eyes narrowed. "Arre they hostile to any and all sapient crreaturres who crross theirr paths?"

"They are unfathomably xenophobic," Merula explained, voice vibrating through the silk construct. "Their mercilessness is their primary tool. Cruelty is the edge of their sword."

"And they arre all unified as one?" Kepler tilted his head aside. "All Bloodwings underr one bannerr? One trribe?"

Ariel looked over. "Keps, what are you getting at?"

"Nah. Shhhhh..." Rainbow nodded. "Let him ask that."

"There are no splinter groups among the Third Penumbral Invaders," Merula answered. "They all answer to the same functioning body whom the equines have followed since first arriving upon this plane: the matriarchs who wield authority and cultural prestige. Those who fight to the death for their cause are exalted by the lore-keepers and priestesses."

"And... if any Bloodwing tries to hop out of line?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Or attempts to leave the society that they've got holed up in that big friggin' tree of theirs?"

"Then Lexxic exercises the same mercilessness with them as he would any other enemy to the Lunar cause. As a result, the Bloodwings have remained unbreakable solidarity for the past generation."

"Soooooo..." Ariel took a breath. "...in other words, Lexxic keeps all of them marching to the same bloody tune."

"Ach. It is as I thought." Kepler looked aside at Rainbow Dash. "This means that if we arre to deal with the Bloodwings, then we will have to deal with them as a whole." He shook his head. "Therre will be no heterrogenous contrradictorry factions to appease."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Ariel squinted. "'If we are to deal with the Bloodwings'?"

"... ... ..." Kepler's eyes wandered.

Rainbow Dash also was silent.

"All we're ever gonna do is butt heads with these losers!" Ariel's voice cracked. "Hasn't Merula made it obvious?! They're a bunch of hardcore murdering bucktards! You can't reason with that!"

Rainbow Dash looked at Merula. "It's gotta be asked..." Her brow furrowed. "Have any of the factions of the Trinary War ever tried talking things out? Like... ever?!?"

Ariel's eyes continued bouncing between Kepler and Rainbow. "I mean... we c-can't reason with these freaks! Let's not even pretend!"

Kepler gently shushed her.

In the meantime, Merula responded to Rainbow Dash: "There is no lyrical record in the Ever Poet's Song of the Bloodwings attempting to pursue negotiations with any faction. They deal only in death and subjugation. They torture, mutilate and consume—nothing else."

"But the Dihmers..." Rainbow cocked her head to the side. "...you said they've spared them?"

"For what purpose, we cannot say. However, this is no actual contract. The Dihmers are wise in that they do not venture close to the breeding grounds of the Bloodwings, nor do they tread hoof on the lands of the Lunar Hunt. Their survival continues to be an unfathomable miracle, even as the shadow of Lexxic stretches over their habitats."

"So they just... don't ruffle the sarosians' feathers, huh?" Rainbow asked. Upon hearing Kepler clear his throat, she blurted: "Er... leathers."

"The Dihmers have long learned not to bother any warring faction. This appears to have reduced their threat to zero in the eyes of the Bloodwings. Of the three armies, it's Tchern's hive that preys upon the Dihmers the most, almost threatening to make the non-aligned equines extinct. However—in dealing trade and commerce with the imps of Petra over the past few centuries—Dihmers have managed to find a way to survive the consumption of the Flux." Merula's abdomen shook. "As a whole, the Keepers are even less likely to negotiate than the Bloodwings. Their restraint is merely a measure of their skill in patience and reconaissance, whereas Lexxic and his militant companions make it a habit to kill all that they see or hear."

"Dihmers excluded."

"Indeed."

"And... what about the Night Shard?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Would you say that... th-they can be reasoned with?"

"You are restating your inquiry concerning their receptiveness to negotiations?"

"Right..."

Merula shook the strings: "Curiously enough, the Ruby Chorus have expressed a keen interest in talking with any and all opposing factions."

Rainbow's ears perked. "They have?"

"But their melody is a False Song, and an abomination to the spiritual balance of this Plane."

Rainbow then sighed. "I take it Abaddon tried negotiating with them ages ago... and it totally bombed."

"The Song has no record of the All Poet possessing or utilizing explosive ordinance immediately after the Breaking of the Circles."

"No, I meant—"

Kepler spoke up: "What was the Lyrrical Queen's rrelationship with the Night Sharrd, ages ago, beforre the Penumbrral Invasions?"

Merula answered swiftly: "The Ruby Chorus recognized our song and saw it as an aberration. They thought even less of the Spring Children. Since those dismal days of darkness, the Night Shard have only measured sapience among their foes. And while the Winter Children of Abaddon are mostly handicapped in ascertaining the logic of thinking vertebrates, we suspect that the Ruby Chorus think very little of Abaddon's nestlings."

"Well, that's just sucky," Rainbow Dash muttered.

"It would seem as though their attempts to bridge communication with both the Bloodwings and the Metamorphic Queens have only been a show of facetiousness, meant to flaunt power and intimidate their foes. Their sincerity is just as questionable as their motive, and both virtues are subject to the whim of the beleaguered minds that struggle to control their armadas."

"Well... that's one heck of a picture you've painted, Merula," Rainbow Dash said.

Ariel commented, counting off her wingfeathers. "So we have one Faction that'll wanna kill us on sight. Another Faction that'll wanna deceive us on sight. And then a third Faction that'll wanna troll us on sight!"

"Ach..." Kepler nodded. "That leaves us with just the imps of Petrra and the Dihmerrs."

"Neither of whom sound willing to lift a hoof... or h-hand to do anything to change the Trinary War." Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "And I doubt either of them are even remotely strong enough to make a difference." She looked forlornly at the two Heraldites. "These three armies outlived Endrax's brood... and now—just as I've arrived here—they're pumping things to the max."

"Yeah." Ariel gulped. "With Lexxic, the Flux, and... and..." Her fuzzy nose scrunched. "... ... ...whatever the heck the Night Shard do."

"Neverrtheless..." Kepler stroked his chin in thought. "It would prrobably be forrtuitous to brridge communication with the Dihmerrs."

"What?" Ariel blanched at him. "What the heck for?!"

The wyvern shrugged. "Of all the Factions we've learrned about, they do appearr to be the least thrreatening."

"But what would they even do for us?" Ariel wheezed. "The only reason they're not all extinct is because Lexxic's decided to spare them on this side of the Plane." She raised an eyebrow. "You think his soldiers will be just as merciful once we start poking around the grounds of the Lunar Hunt?"

"If we arre to acquirre the Sharrds..." Kepler gestured. "...we will have to apprroach the Bloodwings one way orr anotherr."

"How?! We'll be dead before we're even within a shriek's distance! Have you listened to a word Merula's told us?! These sarosians sound like Xarchellus' midnighters with their wings on fire! And the only reason Enix and the rest of her nightblood buddies didn't totally axe us..." Ariel turned to look at Rainbow Dash. "...is that Princess Luna's royal voice intervened."

Rainbow looked back. She took a deep breath and faced Merula. "This goblin city... Petra... just how far away is it?"

"No small distance by the Song," Merula replied. "Even more daunting for mortals."

"But the Dihmers..." Rainbow blinked. "You say that they do trade and commerce with the imps?"

"That is affirmative."

"So..." Rainbow Dash paced forward, eyes narrowing. "...how do they manage this across such a great distance?"

The Long Curve Ahead

"The Dark Side has a friggin' ocean?!" Flynn spat.

Rainbow nodded, squatting before the fire of the Herald's camp. Flynn, Logan, Ariel, Kepler, Wildcard, Logan, and Rainbow Dash huddled in a close circle atop the urban platform, staring intently through the crackling flames. "Merula says it's huge... like... really huge." She gestured with her hoof. "And it stretches for hundreds upon hundreds of miles across the center of the Curve."

Wildcard hand-signed: "All the way to the Midnight Armory?"

Rainbow shook her head. "No. It stops at Petra."

"This... gobstopper city Merula mentioned?" Logan remarked.

"Goblin," Ariel corrected. She turned to smirk at Rainbow. "By the way, you're catching up quick with Wildcard's wind speech."

"Yeah." Rainbow nodded. "Thanks."

Wildcard smirked.

"Remind me..." Logan gestured. "What are goblins?"

"They arre akin to trrolls," Kepler said. "Albeit—prresumably—capable of harrborring sapience and possibly even mannerrs."

"Rainbow's met their kind before," Flynn added.

Logan looked at him. "On the Light Side?"

"Right." The balding stallion nodded. "Bipedal creatures. Big ears. Ugly as buck." He squinted his good eye across the warm flames. "Say... didn't we find something in Darkreach that had to do with them?"

"Yeah..." Rainbow glanced aside to where Fluttershy and the rest of her ghostly friends were quietly, observantly lingering. "We found an illustration that Commander Gwen's expedition had made. Perhaps drawn by Warhol or Ranort themselves."

"It depicted three distinctly different types of creatures, Rainbow Dash," Twilight reminded.

"Yes. She's right." Fluttershy gulped. "And one of them we met."

Rainbow nodded. "The trolls."

"But goblins are different?" Logan asked.

"Oh, definitely," Rainbow said. "Just like trolls, they're... a kind of 'imp.' Trolls—I never met on the Light Side. Goblins are a different story."

"Brbrrbrbrbrrr..." Ariel hugged herself, shivering. "Lucky you."

"Don't get me wrong. Goblins are no treasures either," Rainbow Dash explained. "Back in Val Roa, they were best described as devious, greedy, and aggressively mercantilist."

"Great," Flynn droned with a sly smirk. "Already on the Dark Side we've had changelings, spiders, and a giant wyrm. The next thing we need is sales representatives."

"For all I know, m-maybe these Dark Side imps are different!" Rainbow Dash remarked.

"Do you honestly believe that, though?" Ariel asked.

Rainbow blinked. She sighed and hung her head. "... ... ...guess it's only safe to expect the worst."

"Which is what makes me curious," Flynn remarked. "Why are you bringing up this massive ocean that you've learned about?"

Rainbow looked up with renewed firmness in her eyes. "Because—according to Merula—the Dihmers and the imps of Petra have been trading with one another for generations." She gestured. "And they ferry their goods across this ocean."

"How does that help us, exactly?" Flynn asked.

Kepler spoke up: "It's alrready been made known to us that the Bloodwings appearr happy to leave the Dihmerrs be. If this trrade between the local Edgeside Dihmerrs and the goblins of Petrra has indeed been unimpeded afterr all this time..."

Logan finished: "...then that gives us a possible avenue of safe travel to a place far closer to the Midnight Armory." He nodded. "If this route is virtually untouched by the Bloodwings, it might be the safest venture we can make."

"Across an ocean?" Flynn grimaced. "We've dealt with enough dangerous crap over barren rock. Just how prepared are we to deal with unfathomable watery depths?!"

"It's a heck of a lot safer than blindly trouncing over sarosian or changeling lands!" Ariel remarked.

"Indeed!" Kepler smiled. "And—forr all we know—the Emerraldinian Expedition likely utilized the same rroute!"

With a somber breath, Wildcard hand-signed: "For all we know the ocean is as far as Commander Gwen ever got."

Kepler clammed up.

Ariel and Rainbow exchanged glances.

Logan leaned forward. Clearing his throat, he asked: "What did Merula say about this... this Petra City?" His brow furrowed. "If it's controlled by the cousins of trolls, I can't imagine it's a happy place to hang your axe."

"She didn't have much to say, unfortunately," Rainbow Dash said, gazing once again into the flames. "Seems that Abaddon's song is more concerned about the arrival of the Austraeoh and less obsessed with goblin urban planning."

"Merula did make it sound pretty magnificent," Ariel remarked, grinning slightly. "'A beacon of light to rival Penumbra, in artifice as opposed to essence,' I believe is what she said through that... silken bullhorn thingy of hers. Ick."

"Apparently Dihmers camp in communities along the Edgeside shores of the Ocean," Rainbow explained. "And they ferry watercraft to and from Petra... sustaining the goblin economy with resources that the Dihmers eke from the wasteland."

"What do the Dihmers get in return?" Wildcard inquisitively sliced with his talons.

"I'm... not sure..." Rainbow Dash fidgeted. "It's not protection—I can tell you that. Changelings still prey on them all the time. The Bloodwings leave them alone."

"Any reason why?" Flynn asked.

"Ach... not entirrely clearr," Kepler interjected. "Something only the Darrk Vigil can explain, I suspect."

"Maybe doing commerce with the goblins is what give Dihmers a sense of accomplishment. Their one purpose in life. Whatever. Doesn't matter." Rainbow looked at Logan. "Fact is—yes—it would seem that they mastered a safe route through this Ocean. It covers almost a fourth of the full length of the Dark Side. After that, it's Petra. And... uhm..."

"What...?" Flynn asked.

"Well... according to Merula... most of Tchern's hives are tightly flanking Petra. Along the Omega end."

"Oh." Flynn huffed, smiling painfully. "Is that all."

"So..." Logan gestured. "Ocean. Goblin city. Changeling hives..." Logan's brow furrowed. "...what's after that?"

"Well... traveling inward, heading towards Alpha a bit..." Rainbow took a deep breath. "...you have the ceaselessly charred battlegrounds of the Trinary War, followed by the boneyards of the fallen dead, and then—voila! Super spiffy alicorn ziggurat!"

"And beyond that?" Flynn asked. "Is that where the Night Shard are hanging out?"

Rainbow nodded. "For the most part."

"Well then..." Logan pressed his forelimbs tighter to the floor and glanced at the others. "Looks like we almost have it all mapped out."

"Just how far is it to this... Ocean?" Flynn asked.

"If we head straight Curveside," Rainbow explained. "Approximately four dozen song-strings."

"Song-strings?" Flynn's natural eye bugged. "The Hell...?!"

"Merula's terminology," Ariel said softly. "She... made it sound like it was super long."

"But..." Rainbow pointed. "If we head towards Omega... about forty-five degrees off the central Curveside Axis..." She looked at the group as a whole. "...we'll approach a massive bay of the Ocean. It's almost entirely populated by Dihmers."

"Dihmer territory, huh?"

"Yes. But..." Rainbow inhaled through her teeth. "...it's also skirting dangerously close to the lands of the Lunar Hunt."

"The Bloodwings?"

"Yyyyyyyyyyeah..." Rainbow nodded. "On one hoof, it's the closest we can get to the Ocean and—by extension—"safer" passage towards the heart of the Dark Side."

"But, at the same time, it apprroaches the lairr of the Darrk Vigil," Kepler remarked. "And this infamous 'Lexxic' who now appearrs to be empowerring theirr murrderrous numberrs."

"Yeah..." Flynn shuddered. "He doesn't sound like that much of a swell party host."

Wildcard gestured: "Where exactly are the sarosians camped out?"

"In a big friggin' tree," Rainbow Dash said. "Almost due north from us."

"Due north?" Logan remarked.

Rainbow rolled her eyes, then face hoofed. "I-I mean straight Omega."

"She could have just said 'due east!'" Applejack remarked.

"No, Applejack." Rarity shook her head. "Relative to Rainbow's trip through the Light Side, it would be heading 'due north.'"

"... ... ..." Applejack blinked at her. "But that Ranort fellow's map is practically a big danglin' fly-strip! Wouldn't it be 'east' to us if headin' up the map would be the new 'north?'"

"No it's... that's not..." Rarity grimaced, ultimately face-hoofing herself. "Now you've gotten me confused."

"Guys, please," Rainbow groaned.

"Let'ssss just settle for heading towards Omega," Twilight said.

"Just as Rainbow had decided..." Fluttershy exhaled.

"Doesn't matter!" Pinkie Pie grinned wide. "Because we're not even remotely headed towards those big leather-winged meanie heads!" She gave her anchor a ghostly nudge. "Isn't that right, Dashie?! It's Ocean surf or bust!"

"... ... ..." Rainbow Dash squirmed visibly. Velvet lines formed worriedly across her muzzle. She stared off in a look of anxious contemplation.

Pinkie blinked. "... ... ...Dashie?"

Logan noticed it too. "Rainbow? What are you thinking?"

"Th-thinking...?" Rainbow nervously gulped. "I'm thinking..." She looked at the Herald.

Flynn, Logan, Kepler, Wildcard, an Ariel looked back. The last two appeared the most concerned—as always.

"Uh oh..." Fluttershy mewled.

Relaxing slightly, Rainbow sighed. "I'm thinking that... we should maybe think seriously about... about heading towards the Bloodwings."

"Heading towards the Bloodwings." Flynn's good eye blinked. "Like... to talk."

"Mmmmmmmm... yeah." Rainbow shrugged. "Something like that."

"Rainbow Dash, there's no 'something like that' with these leafy-eared viscera garglers!" Flynn cackled. "Didn't you just get done telling us Merula's enchanting tale concerning Lexxic and the Merry Massacre?!"

"She's a spider, Flynn. She's used to gargling guts."

"This isn't a damned joke!" Flynn's mechanical eye rotated angrily. "Lexxic sounds like a sadistic bastard with too big a thirst for blood and too much support from his fellow assholes! When one single figure gets that much unchecked authority and militaristic power..." Flynn shook his head. "...I don't care who or what you're fighting for. It's dangerous as Hell! Not to mention unpredictable!"

"Flynn—"

"I thought the whole point was not to tip the scales of this Trinary War!" Flynn stated. "Lexxic sounds like nothing but bad news! A flying refrigerator with all the parts rattling off!"

"And like the changelings or the Night Shard are gonna be any more approachable?!" Ariel's voice cracked.

Kepler gestured. "The Bloodwings arre sarrosians. If nothing else, we have a leverrage of historry on them, my good frriend."

"These aren't the same ponies," Flynn remarked. "I mean it. I'm not just being the bald-headed stick-in-the-mud douchebag here. The Austraeoh's survival is paramount and... and I don't think approaching the Bloodwings is gonna solve anything. I mean... it's clear to me that Lexxic isn't some dumb bastard you can talk down his pedestal."

"Merrula has made his infamy quite clearr..." Kepler nodded. "But what good would it do any of us—orr this expedition as a whole—to assume that he is completely unapprroachable?"

"How you not listened to everything Merula has said?" Logan remarked.

Meanwhile, Flynn glared at Kepler. "The last time we ran into a single despot imbued with this much power was Chandler. A fool. A punk. A baboon." The stallion's eye narrowed. "And yet... just how easy was he to deal with?"

Kepler clenched his jaw shut.

Flynn looked at the others. "What did it cost us to be rid of that asshole?! Huh? Or have we all forgotten?"

Wildcard hung his head, sighing. Ariel reached over to squeeze his feathery shoulder, and he patted her fetlock back with a metal talon.

Rainbow's gaze wandered—as did her thoughts. It was Logan who brought her back to the moment:

"Didn't Merula say that the Bloodwings kill everything non-Dihmer that they see?"

Rainbow cleared her throat. "Yeah..." She said in a tender voice.

"I hate to agree so quickly with baldy here, but... it doesn't sound like a good solution, Rainbow." Logan remarked. "These creeps have banged their heads against the bastions of the other factions over and over again. Now they're resorting to an all-out blitz of murder to get the slightest inkling of an edge in this War." Logan sighed. "I know I like a good fight... but that's not why I'm suggesting we should keep them at axe's length. Flynn's right. We've sacrificed a lot to get this far on account of zealous jerks. We can't afford to sacrifice you."

"But..." Rainbow sat up straight. "...at one point or another, the risk must be taken."

"Rainbow—"

"This right here is the only city populated by anything we can remotely call 'allies!'" Rainbow said, gesturing at the empty spires all around them. "And the Winter Children of Abaddon simply cannot afford to venture outside the nest that their songful Queen has made! Once we leave this place, we'll be on our own! Again!" She leaned forward. "Against the Bloodwings, the Night Shard, and the Changelings we are all we've got to depend on!"

"Then let's try and cozy up with the Dihmers!" Flynn exclaimed. "Or the goblins! Hell... maybe even travel back Edgeside and give that giant wyrm a butt massage until we've made a friend!"

"Because I believe there may still be hope with the sarosians!"

"Hope?! Where?!"

"Here!" Rainbow Dash pointed at her Element of Loyalty, causing Twilight and the others to blink. "With me! In me!"

Wildcard's goggles reflected a faint ruby glow.

Ariel's lips pursed. "Princess Luna's enchantment..."

"Not just any enchantment..." Rainbow smirked. "A blessing."

"Ach. She's rright," Kepler declared.

Logan sighed, folding his forelimbs. "You really think that's going to have an effect on the Dark Vigil?!"

"I..." Rainbow bit her lip. "I don't know..."

"That's an honest answer," Logan said with a nod.

"Then can't we accept it as an honest possiblity?" Rainbow gestured. "If these Bloodwings can actually be receptive to Luna's enchantment... then maybe they'll be receptive to our message as well."

"You... you think it's still strong enough to work?" Flynn asked.

Wildcard gestured: "Luna did reinvigorate the spell with her magic at Bleak's Plummet."

"She did?" Ariel blinked.

"If Wildcard remembers it, I'm not going to argue," Rarity remarked.

"Wildcard remembers!" Rainbow blurted. "Just... just think about it!" She gestured. "If we can actually... like really make an impression on the Bloodwings... impress them... win their trust with the power of Princess Luna—their beloved Nightmare Moon—then maybe we can actually tip the Trinary War in our favor."

"To what end?" Flynn asked. "Getting the Shards back—"

"From the other two factions!" Rainbow nodded with enthusiasm. "Totally!"

"You make it sound like lightning can strike twice," Logan said.

"Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow squinted. "Huh?"

"Things aren't guaranteed to go the same way as they did with Xarchellus' flock," Logan explained. "Didn't Luna say it herself? The Dark Vigil have been separated and enraged on their own for so long that they're probably 'unsalvageable.'"

"It's too soon to write them off."

"Says who?"

"Says me." Rainbow Dash gulped. "I mean it. If we can make an appeal to the sarosians—in a way that they haven't been impressed before—the results could be awesome. And it'd be ten times awesomer if we can get their help in kicking the other factions butt."

"Have... have you thought this out, Rainbow?" Logan asked, eyebrow arched. "Like... really thought it out?"

Before Rainbow could open her muzzle—

"Of course she hasn't."

Every member of the Herald turned their heads.

Rainbow's ghostly friends looked as well.

"She hasn't thought it out," Seraphimus said, marching icily towards the campfire in the middle of the elevated platform. "She never thinks anything out. It was her greatest strength back in Rohbredden. But here?" The former Talon Commander gravely shook her head. "It's her greatest weakness."

"Ah right..." Pinkie rolled her eyes. "I thought I smelled something angsty."

"Come to chew the fat, birdie?" Flynn droned with a dull smirk.

"I couldn't help but overhear your redundant dispute," Seraphimus said.

"Redundant?!" Ariel pointed. "Rainbow's been making some valid points—"

"But she's neglected to consider the most important point of all." Charcoal brown eyes swept across the Herald before settling emotionlessly on Rainbow's face. "That once she's miraculously gained control of the Bloodwings... she will also have gained control of Lexxic... and all the powers of pain, torture, and misery that he wields so heartlessly."

Rainbow bit her lip.

"Tell me, Rainbow Dash..." Seraphimus breathed calmly. "...what would you do with your 'Harmonic' self once you've become the ally of chaos and genocide?"

A Matter of Morals

"I can't expect you to understand, Sera," Rainbow Dash muttered into the firelight.

"Try me." Seraphimus marched closer to the gathered group. "Understand what?"

"Anything!" Rainbow Dash's voice cracked. "The sarosians—Princess Luna's beloved children conjured from nightmares..." She gestured dramatically with her hooves. "That's thousands upon thousands of years of history at play here! That's the sort of leverage we potentially wield in dealing with these Bloodwings—"

"You came into Rohbredden—my home—without any knowledge of the trials and tribulations of the Five Tribes," she said.

"Six," Kepler hissed.

Seraphimus clenched her beak through that. "You knew nothing about Unification. The Council of Verlaxion. Or even the Month of Thawing. And yet—you tackled the hurdles set before you. Tell me... what was the solution in the end? What allowed you to triumph while surrounded by so much adversity?"

"Sera..." Rainbow shook her head. "I... I kinda thought we were past this—"

"Do not cower from the truth—"

"I'm not cowering!" Rainbow Dash frowned. "I had to take the blame for Verlax's death!" She sighed heavily. "It was the only way to assure that the Tribes turned on me instead of each other. Otherwise, every pony and griffin you ever pledged your life for would be jumping at each other's throats... while windigoes preyed upon them from the skies!"

"So your solution was to manipulate the strife and dissent of my continent to a unique advantage."

"It's... it's not that s-simple!" Rainbow's voice cracked.

"Stay calm, Rainbow—" Twilight insisted.

Rainbow nevertheless hissed through her teeth: "Your beloved 'queen'—a demented dragon Divine with a goddess complex—set a gazillion traps for me! It was all an elaborate plan of hers from the beginning!"

Ariel cut in: "Verlax had everything covered. There was no avoiding any of the tools of deception she had placed generations in advance."

Seraphimus merely nodded, not taking her gaze off Rainbow Dash. "So... of course... you went straight to her lair and talked things out... harmonically."

Rainbow Dash blinked.

Wildcard glanced curiously at the rest of the Herald.

"I remember once, Rainbow..." Seraphimus arched a feathery eyecrest. "...in Steamfall... I had made you an offer. I was willing to take you all the way to Frostknife... to the Council of Verlaxion so that you could air your grievances to the highest authorities in the land."

"Somehow... I dun think she was bein' sincere about that at the time," Applejack muttered.

"If you were with us then, darling, then perhaps you could have told us the truth," Rarity said.

"I..." Applejack nervously winced. "...I ain't too sure anymore." A gulp. "I ain't too sure even now."

Seraphimus continued speaking: "I gave you a peaceful and harmonic solution, given how chaotic and redundant the pursuit had gotten for the Right Talon of Verlaxion. What became of that offer? Would you care to remind us?"

Rainbow Dash opened her muzzle. She lingered... then eventually hung her head. "I... uh..." She toed the ground with her front hooves, sighing. "...I refused."

"Why?" Seraphimus cocked her feathery head to the side. "Was not my solution a pacifist one? Did it not align with the harmonic virtues that you learned in your own homeland? That you've struggled to carry for all these countless months of ardent flight?"

"I couldn't do it." Rainbow angrily clenched her jaws, yet she avoided Seraphimus' gaze. "Not so long as I knew the true nature of Verlax... what she was capable of... what 'her children' were capable of..."

Seraphimus leaned back, exhaling. "And... now... do you not know what this Lexxic is capable of?"

Rainbow shut her eyes with a sigh.

"It's just not the same situation here, Seraphimus," Ariel said. She stood up tall, frowning at the griffin. "Verlax was an immortal with a crazed obsession with the Austraeoh! Lexxic is just some edgy midnighter who doesn't even know the Austraeoh exists! And unlike Verlax, Lexxic and his kind have a personal connection with Princess Luna, whose enchantment still empowers Rainbow's Element and—"

"I know how terribly you wish to mate with your impulsive leader," Seraphimus calmly said, staring daggers at the female Heraldite. "But let that not excuse you talking yourself into an illogical cesspool."

Flynn and Logan flashed each other looks.

"... ... ...!" Stupified, Ariel shook with a quivering jaw. "I...! That's not...! Why you stuck up oversized—!" She jerked in place.

Wildcard was holding onto her tail with a metal talon. He gently tugged her back to the ground—where she folded her forelimbs with an angry huff.

Meanwhile, Seraphimus had begun pacing about the campfire. "Rainbow's quest is—at its core—a mission of 'harmony and restoration,' is it not? But—as I'm sure you well know—that does not necessitate doing things harmoniously all the time. In fact, to do so would likely have ended her journey prematurely on multiple occasions." She scuffled to a stop, glaring at the group. "For the longest time... I failed to understand this. I allowed my anger and vitriol to pollute my senses. The same emotional mechanics that saved the fate of my fellow citizens under the threat of unstoppable windigoes was a death knell for me. I took the death of Verlaxion to heart... in the same way that..." She sucked in her breath, and for a brief second she looked vulnerable. "...I took to heart the death of my family."

Wildcard stared quietly at his former Commander.

Clearing her throat, she regained her steely edge. "But I can see now. Well, I can almost see. The fact that I'm still here is by no small degree a measure of faith. Still..." She turned to face Rainbow Dash. "...faith isn't enough on its own to save your leader's journey. Common sense and tenacity are far more reliable traits. No doubt listening to them was enough to make Rainbow Dash survive in the long run... even if it required impulsive and brash decisions."

"Look, Seraphimus..." Rainbow Dash breathed sharply, gesturing in the air. "...my desire to speak with the Bloodwings—"

"Is neither sensible nor indicative of a tenacious mind." Seraphimus' charcoal eyes burned. "It is the foolish desire of a child to reconnect with a piece of her homeland. Didn't you achieve that with the midnighters of Bleak's Plummet?"

"Sure! I did!" Rainbow Dash stood up, making her ghostly companions squirm. "And from that experience, I feel that—"

"Yes. You feel." Seraphimus seethed. "Far too much, I suspect. Rainbow Dash, you cannot make it to your harmonic goal here on this plane by investing in feelings. There are creatures here numb to the most incomprehensible horrors. They feel absolutely nothing, and thus there is no peaceful anchor to their judgment. I do not speak just of the Dihmers, but those who have evolved to find security and contentment in causing suffering... not just experiencing it." She shook her head. "You cannot pursue a harmonic route with these cretins. Save yourself the trouble of contemplating such. The gangly creatures of this city have given you your one and only gift on this plane, and it would be a shame to waste it."

"Look, Sera..." Rainbow tried to breathe calmly. "I can't apologize enough for all the crap that went down in Rohbredden. I'm sorry about the windigoes. I really am. I know you'll find this hard to believe... but I have saved nations and continents multiple times before!" She slowly shook her head. "I'm not half as calamitous and foolish as you think I am. Verlax—your Queen—had sealed Rohbredden's fate long before either of us was even born! But that's not the case with the factions of the Trinary War! If my options in getting the Shards of Endrax fall down to only two choices—eliminating the armies protecting them or somehow getting them to cough the Shards up—then I wanna fight tooth-and-hoof to do the latter option! I mean... I have to try!"

"You cannot afford the luxury to 'try' anything here," Seraphimus said. She looked at the Herald as a whole. "None of you can. The stakes are the highest they've ever been. If this journey is as real and important as you tell me it is, then you cannot follow this leader of yours into a death trap."

"Ach... but we have beforre..." Kepler managed a smile. "...even one that you set within Frostknife. Were you blind to the Rrainbow One's tenacity then?"

Ariel smirked.

Seraphimus sighed. "She had an ace behind her fetlock." Her charcoal eyes fell on Rainbow's wings. "Tell me, Rainbow, do you possess such a game-changer now?"

"Like I've been saying..." Rainbow pointed at her Element. "...Princess Luna's enchantment—"

"Rainbow..." Flynn stood up and began pacing himself. "Rainbow..." With a sigh, he trotted about to face her, mechanical eye rotating to a stop. "What if it fails?"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take."

"Maybe you're willing," Flynn spoke as calmly as he could manage. "Hell, you're always 'willing.'" He gulped. "But this... this is just really bad shit we're up against."

"That's why we should come up with a plan!"

"What kind of a pl-plan?!"

"One where we can... where I can abort the whole thing at the drop of a saddle if I have to!"

"And somehow get away from under Lexxic's nose," Flynn droned.

"Something like that, y-yeah!"

Seraphimus groaned. "Has she always sounded this foalish in discussing strategy? It's a wonder I was ever close to being intimidated by the Rainbow Rogue."

It was Logan's time to stand up. "Alright, toots..." He marched firmly over towards Seraphimus, glaring the entire way. "...let's say we run muzzle-to-muzzle with Lexxic and his Bloodwings." His brow furrowed. "What's your genius plan?"

"It's simple." Seraphimus stared back at him. "We assassinate their leader."

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie winced.

"Hit and run," Seraphimus continued. "A swift kill and an even swifter retreat." She nodded. "Yes, we will undoubtedly be pursued, but most of the Bloodwings will likely be thrown into confusion and disarray. Considering the proposed nature of these midnighter barbarians, the death of their leader would cause enough dissent and chaos that their entire army would distabalize. It is within this window that we perform a surgical strike of their lair, procure the Shard, and continue onwards to the next task."

"Hehhhhhhh..." Flynn smirked aside at Logan. "Ever still the murder chicken."

"Mmmmhmmmm..." Logan nodded.

"How..." Ariel buried her face in her hooves. "How in the Hell..." She slowly raised her head to glare at Seraphimus. "... ... ...is that even remotely better than Rainbow Dash's plan?! It could never friggin' work!"

"No." Seraphimus shook her head. "It couldn't."

"Then why would you friggin' suggest it?!" Ariel barked.

"Because it's still a far more viable solution than whatever it is your leader is conjuring." Seraphimus looked at Logan and Flynn. "Perhaps if we were to win favor with the Dihmers and goblins first, we could actually assemble an army sizable enough to make my plan more feasible. Call it 'absurd' if you wish, but it's far more suicidal to attempt anything with the scant numbers we currently possess."

"I'm not about to plot the death of a sarosian leader," Rainbow Dash droned. "Or anypony for that matter." She turned to frown at Seraphimus. "I don't care how much pain or misery they've spread! There's no excuse for it!"

"You didn't seem to care back at the World's Edge."

"That was different!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "Chandler's forces were trying to kill us and our back was to the wall!" She frowned. "And if I really wanted to tear some throats, then a lot less of Frostknife's finest would have returned home alive in the end. That I can promise you."

"Yeah! Don't even kid!" Ariel huffed. "We had Xarchellus' nightbloods on our side. It took a lot to hold them back—"

"Look, just—!" Rainbow Dash waved her hoof between the two females before turning to glare at Seraphimus. "I am way past the point of having an ethical debate with anyone! Much less you." She seethed. "Verlax did her worst to see how much blood I can shed in the end. I went butt over elbow to make sure she got as little enjoyment from my plight as possible... even if she was deep in the grave by that point."

"You surprise me, Rainbow," Seraphimus said. "I would imagine Verlax's trials—however horrible they truly were—would have hardened you far more than this." Her charcoal eyes narrowed. "A pony who survived her entrapment—who ascertained the cost of sparing Rohbredden—would know the proper way to deal with these midnighter barbarians."

"Yeah, well..." Rainbow stood closer to the griffin, staring her down. "...Verlax's plan included ruining your life and reducing you to a murderous exclamation point. And—in the end, at the world's edge—I didn't let her have her way with you. Did I?"

"... ... ..." Seraphimus was silent at first. Then—with icy grace—she spoke: "And all it cost you was one Dragon Divine. The only being left on this plane who even remotely had the strength and versatility to protect you all the way to your destination. But now—Axan is a pile of ashes overlooking the Edge."

Rainbow Dash blinked.

Twilight, Rarity, and the others exchanged anxious glances.

Seraphimus tilted her head to look at the rest of the Herald. "Who next is willing to give their life? A necessary sacrifice to assure the sanctity of your leader's priceless harmonic morality?"

Ariel bit her lip. She and Wildcard were silent.

Logan, Flynn and Kepler said nothing.

"I see... perhaps all of you, then?" Seraphimus calmly spoke. "Noble—to a fault, considering that such sacrifices may yield nothing in the face of such insurmountable adversity."

"They know the risk at hoof, Sera," Rainbow Dash muttered. She then frowned at the griffin. "And I'm not about to make them charge into death. You can learn a lot from them. Just have a little—"

"What? Faith?" Seraphimus' beak stared Rainbow down. "Know this, Rainbow. I am indeed indebted to you for the new lease I have on life... and for opening my eyes to this strange and ever-changing world. But this is not an exercise of faith for me. Verlax made you sacrifice your ethics for a spell... but in so doing she took away the only things that matter to me. My nation... and my family. I'm not in this for faith... I'm in it for a cost that cannot denied. I must strive—with every fiber of my being—to make sure that you do not waste that cost on an act of impulsiveness and blind daring." She leaned back, breathing. "Meditate on the price your friends have paid when you send them into the same gauntlet that you'll be sending me... and yourself."

With that said, Seraphimus walked off, leaving the campfire and those bathing in it alone in silent contemplation.

No Room For Dreaming

Rippling clouds.

Dark thunderbeds and onyx skies.

Shrieks in the distance, growing closer...

Rainbow Dash was asleep. She knew that she was. Perhaps that's why she took all of these images in stride. The mare glided along, her mane full and long, The scars on her body had vanished; she was just as she remembered from a time lost forever.

Her body felt weightless. Perthaps because there was no Element of Loyalty weighing her down. Normally, this would have scared her. But in his place... this strange sky of smoldering obsidian bands... she suffered no fear.

She flew. She observed. With casual grace, she watched as the heavens shifted past her.

The shrieks increased in volume, circling around her now.

Rainbow Dash's brow furrowed. She leaned her head forward, squinting in an effort to pierce the thunderous barriers lingering ahead.

Something flickered amidst the billowing malaise. Fixed points of lunar light—all in pairs. Like fangs.

Somehow, Rainbow Dash knew.

Thus—when the leather bodies pierced the cloud and filled the atmosphere with screams—she barely flinched.

Rainbow Dash awoke slowly... calmly.

One eye fluttered open, followed by the other.

She was safe. She was relaxed. She was curled up in the same fuzzy blue ball as before—only countless hours had passed. Her searching eyes pierced the fog, and on the far end of the tent she spotted Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle. The two ghostly mares "sat" casually by the canvas exit, chatting amicably with one another. Both spirits had their flanks to Rainbow. Neither had noticed yet that she had woken up.

Rainbow took a deep breath. Just as she started to stir her stiff muscles—

"Pleasant dreams?"

"... ... ..." Without moving, Rainbow looked to her right.

A serpentine shadow with black antlers reclined against the tent fabric beside her. Faking a yawn, the figure brought a dark paw to his goat's muzzle and gestured with his talon while continuing:

"You're not all that scared of them anymore, are you?"

Rainbow Dash was silent.

"Of course, there's probably a reason for that." The figure shifted into the light. A pair of red-on-yellow eyes peered above a fanged grin. "You no longer have me cooped up in there." He pointed a talon at Rainbow's skull. "Must have been terribly claustrophobic to have shared all those visions of loosening teeth, free falls, and embarrassing days showing up to school with your clothes on."

Rainbow blinked.

"It was the only way we could connect for a while, y'know." Discord pointed at her skull again. "Up there. Up where it's fuzzy and oh so blue." He did a ballerina leap across the tent and piroutted to a stop behind Twilight and Fluttershy. "After all, what's more chaotic than dreams? True... there is an ounce of logic forming a basic, narrative thread to the nightly cabesa shuffle. But your poor Princess Luna must have been killing herself to drown herself in so much unpredictability for so long—on behalf of the Equestrian populous!" His brow furrowed with a touch of mischief. "Unless... of course... harmony was never quite her forte from the beginning. And she's the one in charge of both the sun and moon nowadays! Oh, how blissfully... scathingly ironic!"

"... ... ...."

"Pssssst. Hey." Balancing on his tail, Discord aimed the ends of his lower limbs at the rumps of Twilight and Fluttershy respectfully. "Which of them do you think will fly farther if I give it the ol' punt? My money's on the lavender unicorn; her egghead's gotta have some weight to it."

Rainbow's nostrils flared. With very little hesitation, she suddenly whispered, "You won't kick them."

"Why not?" Discord snaked his head about and pouted upside-down at Rainbow. "You don't think it'll connect?"

"I've tolerated you this long," Rainbow murmured so that only he could hear. "I doubt you'll want to ruin the attention so soon."

"... ... ..." Discord stared long and hard at Rainbow. At last, he retracted from the two mares, slinking back to Rainbow's side. "Well, you've got me there, Sparky." He reclined with a casual smirk cradled in a lazy paw. "I guess you really do miss having me up in there."

"I don't miss a thing about you," Rainbow muttered. "And if you disappeared tomorrow, I still wouldn't."

"Oh, how you wound me!" Eyelashes fluttering, Discord reached a talon to "dust off" Rainbow's bangs. "And to think I kept your insides all nice and tidy while you were dozing off the spider juice."

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "... ... ...what could you possibly have learned from any of this?"

"What—you mean while you were drooling for weeks under a coma?" Discord shrugged. "Why—I couldn't possibly have learned a single thing!" He lingered, then winked at her. "Unless... you actually believe me capable of gleaming something."

Rainbow's jaws tightened. "Just because you were perculating in my head after I freed Applejack, causing countless nightmares to mess with me—"

"Oh, we both know I've been with you far longer. That was just the only place where you and I could—how should I say it—commune with one another. At least for a while." Discord pretended to examine his claws. "Dreams are simply the sludge of the day, dredged up and heated under a pressure cooker overnight. No—you don't have to thank me for venting off the excess steam. Then again, if you had the good sense to let me out sooner intead of the rest of your sappy gal-pals, then maybe it wouldn't have been so taxing on you."

"I didn't choose the order my friends were released," Rainbow Dash hissed. "Yaerfaerda chose!"

"That's certainly a convenient notion, isn't it? Did you officially come to trust all things taught to you by the dusty runes in those stuffy little Machine World chambers you eventually Mary-Sue'd your way into on the flipside?"

"They haven't steered me wrong yet."

"But you don't seem the kind of pegasus to be 'steered' so easily." Discord folded his arms. "After all, what did Abaddon call it? Ilrifa's Codex? Maybe... Sparky... just maybe all of the answers you've ever wanted were written inside you from the beginning."

Rainbow looked confused.

"Don't give me that expression, young lady! You could be worse off, y'know!" Discord sported a smug grin. "Have you noticed how often you're suffering from paralytic dizzy attacks as of late?"

The mare fidgeted. She bit the edge of her lip.

"Now... are you going to chalk that all to the Dark Side? To the depths of which you've sunk into chaos itself?" His fang glinted. "Or the degree to which you've unleashed the chaos that's been bubbling inside of you."

"This..." Rainbow sighed. "...is just another elaborate ruse to get me to talk to you more, isn't it?"

"Sparky, you've chosen to talk to me!" Discord stood tall in the tent and bowed. "Instead of banishing me upon first fizzle, you've kept me in your dashing presence! I'm flattered, really! But I can still tell we've got a long way to go. Nevertheless, there's hope yet! After all, if there's anything I've picked up about you... the further you go, the more stable you get. Even if all around you is instability."

Rainbow glanced at Twilight and Fluttershy across the tent. Her tail flicked nervously.

"That's why I think we can make such a good team, you and I..." Discord leaned in, his voice taking on a slightly breathy tone. "Do the smart thing, Sparky. Ditch the pastel echo chamber. Except for the floofy-goofy one, I find them all rather... redundantly trite in their own respective moralities. But me? Ohhhh boyoooo... with me by your side we can explore all the crazy little puzzles left festering in your brain." He tilted his chin up with a knowing glint. "And—while we're at it—we can tackle a few of the conundrums looming before your fragile loyal conscience."

Rainbow sighed, and she smirked slightly. "You get more and more friggin' desperate each time I listen to you."

"Ah...!" He pointed a talon. "...that can only mean there will be a 'next time' that you listen to me."

"... ... ..."

"A delightfully dumb expression if I ever saw one, Sparky." Discord spun in a circle, rematerializing with a business suit and suitcase. "Very well. I'll be on my way. But don't relish my absence, Sparky. Now that I'm on the outside..." He pointed at her skull again. "...that leaves a lot of space on the inside. And—tell me..." His red-on-yellow eyes narrowed. "... ... ...do you really think there's nopony else looking in on that vacancy?"

Rainbow merely raised an eyebrow. She opened her muzzle as if to ask something.

Discord saw it, and he grinned. "Ciao!" And he walked into himself, disappearing cyclonically with a vaprous burp of his suitcase. The air of the tent was clear once again.

Rainbow Dash must have shot up to her hooves, because Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy heard her movement and turned around. They brightened upon seeing their anchor awake.

"Oh!" Fluttershy grinned. "Rainbow Dash!"

"Morning, Rainbow!" Twilight Sparkle floated closer. "Is there anything we can help you with?"

Rainbow Dash looked at her friends, blinking wide.

Her friends looked back, grinning.

Rainbow fumbled... squirmed... then finally opened her muzzle: "... ... ...I gotta pee." And she galloped briskly out of the tent, dragging two confused ghosts along with her.

Time to be Smug

Seraphimus stood silent—like a sentry. The former Talon Commander was perched on the edge of a bridge overlooking the lower spires of the city. Her expression was calm, albeit her pose vigilant. She breathed calmly through the passing hours... until a petite blue figure shuffled up in her peripheral.

The griffin spoke without turning her feathery head to look. "Have the last vestiges of the spider's venom worn off?"

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. "I... uh..." She shook her head. "I really can't pretend to say how long it'll be before that stuff is out of my system." Her ears twitched. "Or if it'll leave my system at all."

"I wonder..." Seraphimus peered at the spidery shadows far below—fleeting and swift. "This 'Commander Gwen' who came before you so many centuries ago... were the Spindlers so certain of her standing as the destined 'Austraeoh' as they are currently of yours?"

"I... haven't bothered to ask Merula about that," Rainbow said.

"Why not?" Seraphimus' headcrest lifted inquisitively. "Are you afraid to find out that their long-beloved Song is subject to tragic amnesia?" She turned to squint icily at the pegasus. "That the only reason they call you the 'Austraeoh' is because they're programmed to?"

"If you're having second thoughts about what we're all doing here, you can just tell me, Sera," Rainbow Dash said. "You've never been much to beat around the bush, so why start now?"

Seraphimus turned her gaze away. "All I know now is... is th-that the Goddess Verlaxion was a falsehood..." Her charcoal eyes closed sadly. "...and the same can be said of my life."

"Your life isn't a falsehood."

"You don't have a point of authenticity to claim such," Seraphimus muttered. "Your entire existence isn't a complete failure."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Am I waiting for a 'yet?'"

Seraphimus reopened her eyes. She squinted at Rainbow Dash. "... ... ...I've only agreed to provide my services to your journey no less than thirty-six hours ago." She inhaled sharply. "I suppose—in such a short time—I've only managed to alienate your companions with my needless pessimism."

"It's not needless," Rainbow Dash said. She trotted closer to the griffin, still fighting faint traces of dizziness. "And if all you did was say 'yes, Rainbow Dash' to everything I or my friends suggested, then that wouldn't make you a very good ally."

"Then you have reconsidered your stance on the Bloodwings?" Seraphimus' eyes hardened again. "For the sake of survival and perserverance—you will abandon all whimsical notions of somehow befriending such a heartlessly murderous faction?"

Rainbow Dash opened her muzzle—but hesitated. After a prolonged breath, she leaned back and murmured, "If I told you that I'm still open to negotiating with them, would you turn back on your pledge?"

"... ... ..."

"Because I simply can't promise exactly what I will do when I come face to face with them, Seraphimus," Rainbow Dash said. "Believe me—if an opportunity pops up for me to grab a Shard of Endrax from their place—or from any place—I will jump on that crud as soon as possible. But we simply haven't got the luxury—"

"You are right about that very last part," Seraphimus said. Her head nodded. "If nothing else."

"Heh..." Rainbow smirked slightly. "It's pretty refreshing, actually."

Seraphimus raised a curious eyecrest.

"Your 'pessimism.'" Rainbow Dash trotted the rest of the distance until she too was perched on the same ledge as the griffin. "I friggin' dig the Herald. Really, I do. But—sometimes, I swear—I'm friggin' spoiled by how much they're willing to do for me."

"They are faithful to a fault," Seraphimus remarked, nodding. "And I would be lying if I said that I didn't find the majority of them insufferably short-sighted."

"Mmmmmhmmmm..." Rainbow rubbed her temple, glaring out into the ancient urbanity. "Jussssssst the conversation I was dreaming of having today..."

"But Logan—the one who is casually labeled as 'Big Show'—he is made of stern might. The stallion's far wiser than he pretends to be." Seraphimus' eyes wandered. "... ... ...and Jordan..."

"Mmmm?" Rainbow looked at her.

The former Commander's headcrest drooped. "He is as honorable today as I always remembered. I simply... allowed the cloud of Verlaxion's deception to pollute my once iron-wrought respect for him. Even his actions at the Edge... and his relations with the wyverns..." She slowly shook her head as her beak hung open with painful realization. "...none of it seems to hold the same gravity any more. He held steadfast to his principles—while all this time mine were held hostage." She gulped, her talons tightening beneath her. "Keris... my good Lieutenant... all those times I should have listened to you..."

Rainbow took a breath, tail flicking. "For what it's worth, Sera... I wouldn't have gotten as far as I have today if it wasn't for Keris' wisdom and courage. He intervened in ways that neither of us could have afforded. You trained him well—"

"His legacy shames me."

"You trained him well." Rainbow frowned at her. "His strength, courage, tenacity, and respect for justice? He got it all from you. Just... y'know... he didn't have the same albatross around his neck that you did."

Seraphimus threw her a confused look.

"I... I didn't mean that in a redundant way." Rainbow gestured at her own neck. "Cuz—like—I know that an albatross has feathers... and a griffin has feather... at least a neck part. And... well..." She rolled her eyes and slumped in place, sighing. "Never mind. It's an old Equestrian expression." Her eyes derp'd briefly. "I think...?"

"I... believe I understand you," Seraphimus said with a nod. Then, in a somber tone: "I only wish that I did back when I could still make amends with my Second-in-Command."

"He handled things nicely with you in the end," Rainbow Dash said. "As well as a dude could manage with the entire weight of Rohbredden on his shoulders." She smirked. "Did you know the last thing I ever did to him was punch the crap out of his face?"

"Is that a fact?"

"Heh... yeah. Dude wanted to make it look to all the other Frostknife Elite like we had fought a battle to near-death." Rainbow shook her head, chuckling. "The Herald can praise me all they like, and—admittedly—it has been pretty awesome to keep moving forward, saving nations and civilizations whenever I can afford to do it. But to do what Keris has done? To stay in one place and be forced to clean up? And be so dedicated to it?" She ran a hoof through her mane. "That's loyalty of a whole 'nother sort. I know I'm headed into the bloody crucible of three nasty armies, but I still don't want the kind of job that Keris has ahead of him." A gulp. "Or Professor Theanim Mane, for that matter."

Seraphimus gazed silently at her.

"I'm... I'm sorry I couldn't leave Rohbredden in better sorts as when I found it, Sera," Rainbow Dash said. She hugged herself, shivering slightly. "I mean... I guess it's a good thing that Verlax is gone and such... but... things could have gone so much better. Well... I guess they couldn't... but I really wish they did. And I really wish I didn't have to be the spark that set so much stuff ablaze back there... past the Edge..."

More silence.

Seraphimus calmly asked: "I suspect we are to disembark soon."

Rainbow looked up at her. "How'd you know...?"

"For once, Jordan hasn't been following me like a hawk," Seraphimus remarked. "Which means he must have found something more important to do for the time being. Such as helping the rest of your companions prepare for a long-delayed departure."

"I think we've been guests of the Spiffy Spider Club long enough." Rainbow nodded. "As if it wasn't clear from my meeting with Abaddon, I don't think there's much left for the Austraeoh to learn by staying here."

"You are not content to hide in the one place in all of the plane that's relatively safe and guarded." Seraphimus nodded. "An admirable trait."

Rainbow smirked devilishly. "I think if you start paying actual attention to me, Sera, you'll find lots more 'admirable traits.'"

"That remains to be seen." Seraphimus' charcoal eyes hardened to diamonds. "Precisely where is our next destination? To pursue futile negotiations with the Bloodwings? Or seek out other options?"

The longer Rainbow sat under the griffin's piercing gaze, the harder she bit onto her lower lip. Eventually she wrenched her eyes away from Seraphimus', exhaling with a burst. "I'm gonna tell Flynn and Logan... th-that we'll be heading towards Omega."

Seraphimus sighed. "...towards the Bloodwings and their fabled tree."

"No." Rainbow pointed with her hoof. "Not yet."

Seraphimus raised an eyecrest.

Rainbow looked at her again. "I wanna find the ocean. Do reconaissance. Figure out if there's any truth to a swift and safe passage to Petra... or other places." She swallowed. "I want to actually meet these Dihmers for once. See what makes them tick."

"See if they have any information to provide in regards to the Trinary War?"

"Precisely." Rainbow stood up tall. "And then... if I find information on the sarosians—any information that might spring hope for acquiring a Shard as peacefully as possible..."

"Yes...?"

"... ... ...one thing at a time, Seraphimus." Rainbow's brow furrowed. "I'll pass judgment when the time comes."

"You're making a big mistake—"

"By what? Having an open mind?" Rainbow cocked her head aside. "And how did forsaking one work out for you back in Rohbredden?"

"... ... ..."

"Remember... an open mind is a door that works both ways, Sera," Rainbow said, cracking a grin. "I'm just as open to saying 'buck the bloodwings' if we end up learning enough to validate such an attitude. But we'll gain nothing by going into this with one ironclad predisposition and one alone."

"I do suppose there is some logic to be had in that."

"Good..." Rainbow Dash extended a fetlock. "...because I was hoping there'd be some logic to be had in you continuing your pledge to us. If I can promise to have an open mind to all possibilities... then maybe you can have an open mind to all outcomes?"

Seraphimus looked out into the city yet again. She weathered a sigh. "I suspect some action on my behalf would do well to support the words expressed."

"Just ask yourself one simple question!" Her grinning teeth glinted in the twilight. "'What would Keris do?'"

Upon hearing that, Seraphimus merely glared.

Raibow's smile faded as her ears drooped. "... ... ...too soon?"

Seraphimus stared her down. "Lieutenant Keris... did not have to contend with giant spiders and eternal night." She finally shook Rainbow's hoof. "Let us make quick with this Omega excursion of yours into an inhospitable wasteland plagued by monsters."

"Heeeeey... that's the spirit!" Rainbow Dash patted Seraphimus shoulder. "Adventure! Awesomeness! Sound effects!"

Seraphimus marched past her, snorting. "I will be smug when I am dead."

"That t-too!"

Better Check Your Gear

"So..." Rainbow Dash squinted nervously at the dormant hovercraft. She trotted around the Herald's makeshift vehicle at a cautious distance, wings tightly coiled. "...it still runs off the chaos metal... buff thingy?"

"Yes," Flynn nodded, polishing off one of several lunar runestones where he stood in the middle of an elevated bridge. He gestured at the wagon—almost fully packed with the Herald's equipment. "Only this time, it isn't all half-assed together." He smirked as his mechanical eye rotated in and out thoughtfully. "You can thank the Spindlers for chewing up all the remaining trolls to shit. Without those pale buggers on our flanks, we can take off for real this time."

"But... it's still chaos energy." Rainbow gulped. "So I'll still have to keep my distance, huh?"

"Mmmmmmmmhmmmmm." Flynn nodded again. "I'm afraid there'll be no Hoverplank rides for you. But—you're nothing if not used to the solo flight thing."

"I'll manage."

"You sure?" Flynn's good eye flicked up towards her as he arched his eyebrows. "With all that spider crud stirring inside you, it wouldn't be that much of a crime for us to wait and shove off later—"

"We've waited long enough, Flynn," Rainbow said, continuing to stroll in a half-orbit around the vehicle. "If there's anything I've learned—it's that allowing myself to stay grounded for more than a day really screws up my pace."

"Well, I won't pretend to argue with you there."

"But... uh... the wagon's good to fly now? Like for real fly?"

"The key word is 'glide,' but... more to the point... yes." Flynn smirked wryly. "What the Hell do you think I've been doing these past two weeks? Winning chicken dinners?"

"Sorry." Rainbow shrugged. "I've been vacationing in a spider coma."

"Bet you're itching to get moving again. So's the rest of us."

"Only... I don't really have much of a destination marked out." Rainbow's ears drooped. "Meeting Dihmers or figuring out this whole 'Grand Ocean' business would be really smexxy, but that's not something you can sketch on a map—now, is it?"

"It will be once we've accomplished both!"

"Come on, Flynn..." Rainbow shook her head. "Even you have got to run out of patience at one point or another."

"Yeesh. Did the arachnid slumber lay on an extra thick layer of angst or what?" Flynn stood up straight, staring at Rainbow evenly. "Once a member of the Herald, always a member." He gestured boldly. "We're in this with you to the end, Austraeoh. And in case you can't take my word as a member of the Sovereign Seven... then take it from a Job Squadder." He winked. "No job is too big or too stupid to tackle. It's Dark Side or Bust—and we've barely pierced a third of it so far."

"Heh..." Rainbow Dash smiled crookedly. "You know what they say about 'going into a forest.'" A flick of the tail. "You can only do it halfway."

"And once we're halfway, then we can talk about stressing over strategy." Flynn returned to polishing the lunar rocks. "Until then—time to move move move."

"I've got a question."

"Shoot."

Rainbow's brow furrowed. "So we've been stuck here for over two weeks... here in this city." A blink. "How are we on rations?"

Ariel grinned wide. "You're gonna love this..." Ch-Chtunkkk! She yanked open the lid to a Darkstinian crate. The air around the supply cache dropped by ten degrees as white vapors emanated from the container.

"Guhhh!" Rainbow Dash leaned back, flinching slightly. "Whoah... who the heck ordered the penguin sauna?"

"The Spindlers—actually!" Ariel beamed, her eyelashes batting. "Check it!" She wrapped her left forelimb in a blanket until it was nicely bundled. Then—after sucking her breath in—she reached her insulated hoof deep into the container. When she pulled it back out, she was cradling a cluster of large red vegetables that were covered with an ivory sheen of frost. "Ta-daaaaaaa!"

"Wow, it looks very... ... ..." Rainbow blinked. "...cold."

"Rainbowwww..." Ariel smiled slyly. "They're vegetables."

"For real?"

"According to Merula—well, one of the Merulas—the Emeraldinian Expedition had a huge supply of these things when they first arrived at this city generations ago. What's more, they had the means of refrigerating the stuff." Ariel pointed at a series of dimly glowing stones lining the interior of the cold, cold container. "Turns out to be an old Darkstinian spell that harnesses cold from manastones. Flynn was able to recreate it—at least well enough. It's a good thing, because the vegetables tend to rot quickly in non-freezing temperatures. But—as Kepler discovered—if you defrost the stuff, heat it up, and eat it shortly afterwards—it's very nourishing! Sorta like beets with the texture of potatoes."

"Uhm... yum?"

"Yum enough!" Ariel slapped the frosted morsel back into the crate and fastened the lid shut. Th-Thap! "There are three crates of these. They should last us a while. Or—at least..." She winked over her shoulder at Rainbow. "Last you a while."

"How... did the Spindlers even get these for us?" Rainbow asked, her muzzle twisted in confusion. "Don't tell me these things have been frozen for hundreds of years...!"

"From what I understand, a supply of these... uhhh... 'dark beets' were left behind by the Emeraldinian Expedition. For whatever reason, the Children of Abaddon were motivated to grow them deep in the lower recesses of the city... where the temperature is cold enough to allow for full planting and germination."

"So these are spider-grown?"

"Mmmhmmm." Ariel nodded. "They must have figured they'd have mortal guests in the future."

"Or... more to the point..." Rainbow Dash strolled past the crates. "...they probably realized that Commander Gwen wasn't the Austraeoh of Ilrifa's codex... and so they felt the need to prepare for the actual arrival of me and Eljunbyro... or Odrsjot... I mean..." Rainbow's eyes crossed. "Grnnngh..." She rubbed her forehead. "Now I just confused myself."

"Hey... it's okay...!" Ariel smiled sympathetically. "If it's any consolation, I give myself a headache twice as hard over it all."

"I doubt it. But thanks anyways."

"Y'know..." Ariel giggled sideways, hugging herself. "Wouldn't it be hilarious if—after all this time—all of the important elements of the codex was just this 'Ilrifa' pony tossing darts at a crossword puzzle?"

"If that's true, her throwing hoof's got a fetish for vowels."

"I'm certainly not complaining." Ariel shrugged. "If something's gonna roll off the tongue, might as well butter the front end of it."

"To each their own." Rainbow squinted at her. "Did the Spindlers graciously donate anything else to our snazzy cause?"

Twnnnng!

An arrow flew across an urban courtyard and—

Thnkkkt!

—embedded into the glass windshield of a long-abandoned vehicle. Dust flew in a ring around the impact, and soon the quiver rattled still.

Logan released the string of a large bow from his muzzle. Exhaling, he turned towards an applauding Rainbow Dash. "I'm a bit rusty, but I think this will help us save ammo on the Bleak's Plummet boomsticks."

"Pretty boss!" Rainbow Dash finished clapping. "You and the rest of the Job Squad are pretty experienced with arrows, then?"

"Well. Me and Flynn, for sure," Logan said. He took a moment to draw his hoof along the polished structure of the bow, admiring its sturdiness. "Ariel and Keps? Not so much. Double-Yoo—of course—he can be skilled at anything. Long story, in a pinch, at least three of us should be able to provide ranged cover in the event that we run into trolls."

Rainbow gulped. "Or worse."

"Or worse."

"I think this is a darn good idea, Big Show," Rainbow Dash said. "Especially when it comes to preserving the runestones. We'll definitely wanna conserve those for when the big baddies turn out extra big and extra extra bad."

"It's gonna take some work to maintain, of course," Logan said. He pointed at the arrowheads sticking out of a leather quiver lying on the ground. "These pointy-bastards are simply chiseled out of rock, stone, metal—anything that we can get our hooves on. The tools and weapons we borrowed from the Emeraldinians are enough to help us fashion them."

"Sure." Rainbow nodded. "Should give us stuff to do during the lengthier moments of our trip."

"Damn straight." Logan nodded back. "Although—something tells me—we're probably not gonna have the luxury of being bored."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Rainbow stepped over the new weapons, admiring them closely. "Tell me, though..."

"Yeah?"

"What's the rest of them made out of?" Rainbow pointed. "The bows? The arrow shafts?"

"Well, the strings...?" Logan ran his hoof along the taut fiber of his bow. "Spindler silk. As durable as it gets."

"Sweet. But what about the rest of the stuff?" Rainbow looked at him. "Looks like wood—almost."

"Uh huh..."

"But... there aren't any trees left standing about, are there?" Rainbow blinked. "At least none that's ancient and petrified from the pre-Sundering days. Seems like Lexxic and the Bloodwings made quick work of that centuries ago when they did their final assault on the Midnight Armory."

"Right..."

"So... uhhhh..." Rainbow picked up an arrow, staring close up at the polished narrow stalk making up the shaft of the projectile. "Just what is this stuff anyways?"

"Well..." Logan cleared his throat, leaning back. "Y'know how we all figured out that there's more than one Merula?"

"Totally."

"And... like... how she's always dying and being replaced by other Merulas?"

"Yeah... ... ...?" Rainbow cocked her head to the side. "The Winter Children of Abaddon live super-short lives. I'm sure we all figured that out weeks ago."

Logan's nostrils flared. "Well... what do you suppose the Queen's eight-legged maintenance teams do with all the piling corpses of their brothers and sisters?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow stared at the chitinous material making up Logan's bow. She then looked at the polished carapace-smooth surface of the arrow shaft in her grip. "... ... ...!!!" She dropped the thing like it was on fire, flinching.

"They gave us these things with their blessing, Rainbow," Logan said in a straight tone. "I dunno about you, but I think it'd be a shame to waste it."

"I-I think so t-too... but... b-but..." Rainbow brushed her limbs off repeatedly—as if trying to rub clean a sea of invisible cobwebs. She resorted to shuddering in place... ultimately relaxing as well as she was able. "Luna poop... why's everything on this side of the plane have to be so friggin' hardcore?"

"And to think..." Logan arched an eyebrow. "This is the one and only faction on the Curve whom we can actually call allies."

Rainbow flashed him an anxious look. "... ... ...it really is our greatest hope to run into the Dihmers next... out of everyone that's left."

Logan nodded. "And you can bet your ass that's gonna be a notch higher on the 'hardcore' scale."

Rainbow sighed. "I don't know what Verlax was thinking... believing that she actually had the capacity to prepare me for all this ultra dark nonsense."

"Even Mortuana couldn't prepare us." Logan smiled tiredly. "And she was the Alicorn of Death."

"When all of this is said and done, and I'm back in Equestria..." Rainbow gingerly picked the arrow back up and placed it back in its quiver. "I'm gonna take the girls to a griffin rock concert and I'm going to laugh my friggin' head off."

"Why not do the insane cackling now?" Logan shrugged. "Save yourself the time."

"Nah. I don't want to insult Wildcard and Seraphimus."

"Pfffft. Girl, please..."

"I'm going to wait for a moment when it'll actually be advantageous."

"That's more like it."

Slow Exit: Stage Omega

"The topography of the landscape grows more and more erratic between Abaddon's home and the Great Ocean," Merula explained. Twilight glinted off the jumping spider's gold-yellow cephalothorax as it shook the silken construct tethered before it. "The Austraeoh will find no roads or paths to assist along the way. But safety can be afforded by utilizing the multiple natural ravines and fissures that permeate the earth. This is especially true when you find yourself approaching the edge of the Bloodwings' Lunar Hunt."

Rainbow Dash nodded, seated before Merula and the large tunnel weaver that the arachnid speaker was perched on. "Again... thank you so much, Merula." Rainbow Dash breathed. "And a big friggin' shout-out to Abaddon, of course." She smiled. "None of us ever expected to be given so much good grace out here. It's been a real treat. Really—it has."

"Ilrifa's gift has graced the Songstress' children with a meaningful chorus," Merula replied. "No matter how deeply the darkness spread, we have followed the lyrics with every fiber of our being." The creature's abdomen shook. "The All Mother's devotion has not led us astray."

"Is there... uhm..." Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head. Her tail flicked a her wings coiled and uncoiled anxiously. "... is there something... anything we can do to help Abaddon out? To help you guys?"

After a slight pause, Merula vibrated: "The inquiry is not entirely understood."

"I just kinda hate the idea of taking off for the wild... black yonder and leaving you guys all alone here." Rainbow grimaced. "All holed up in this dusty old city. I know you talk as though the past is behind you... but what about the future?"

"The Song is both our past and our future," Merula said. "Winter shall carry out its course."

"And after that? What then?" Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "Are you going to forever remain here? Greeting visitors from the Light Side?"

"There are no further movements of the Song," Merula said with that same emotionless tone. "The Austraeoh is all that remains."

Rainbow Dash bit her lip. "Surely there's gotta be more, Merula." A melancholic breath. "This can't be all there is for you guys. You're just... you're just too awesome to fade away into nothingness."

Merula and her multiple siblings had no immediate response.

"Abaddon... sh-she's a piece of prehistory!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "Super spectacular prehistory! She... she talked with Ilrifa! She talked to Gardez—Axan's and Endrax's parents! Please..." The petite mare's ears drooped. "...tell me she hasn't given up on hope."

After a long while, the silken construct in front of Merula shook: "Spring... Summer... Fall and Winter... the Children of Abaddon were born into darkness. All that sustains in the Song. Hope belongs to Penumbra alone. This is a good thing. For if we ever knew hope—and had a thirst for it—you would find us hard pressed to offer any of Abaddon's grace whatsoever."

Rainbow Dash blinked.

"Go forth with the blessing of harmony, Austraeoh," Merula said, eyes glistening in twilight. "Hope does not belong here. Go out, find it, and bring it back to where it belongs. Only then can you fix the broken circles."

"Rready, Flynn?"

"Ready, Keps."

"On yourr marrk."

"Stand back, ponies! No telling how big the feedback will be!"

"Give it your best, Baldy."

"Three... two... one... M'shrynmh Thymmk!!!"

FLASSSSSH! Both the chaos stones and the lunar runes along the circumference of the hovercraft lit up at once. A bright ring of glowing pale light billowed outward across the platforms of the city as the vehicle came to life.

Ariel and Logan flinched. Wildcard and Seraphimus watched cautiously.

Soon, the hovercraft was levitating—fully animated. With a victorious shout, Flynn hopped onto the front passenger's seat and shouted the moonwhinny command to accelerate the vessel forward. As it powered up, Logan and Kepler hopped on board. Ariel, Wildcard, and Seraphimus flew slowly above the craft, monitoring its movement.

Rainbow Dash watched from a safe distance. When the hovercraft first activated, she felt the ripple of chaos through her inner being. Twilight, Applejack, and her other friends briefly blinked out of the spectrum once the shimmering light pulsed her way. For a split second, Rainbow Dash spotted a smirking dragonequus. Then—as quickly as he materialized—harmony refilled the void, and her close friends were hovering spectrally by her side yet again. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie gave their anchor an enthusiastic glance.

Rainbow nodded back. With cautious wings, she flew forward, ahead of the craft, directing herself at a forty-five degree angle towards Omega. Before them, the bridges and platforms of the city led a zig-zagging path—at best—towards the outer limits of the petrified urban sprawl.

As they gained more and more altitude—leaving the spires and magnificent skyscrapers behind them—Rainbow looked back. For a moment she saw—or thought she saw—a million black eyes reflecting her figure in retreat. There was a sad note floating in the wind, like violin strings to a funeral. She felt a lump forming in the back of her throat. But—like all things—she forced it deep inward, so that it wrapped itself up in the weight of her Element.

With fewer and fewer regrets left, she signaled Wildcard and the others... then aimed herself closer to the stars.

Here We Go Again

The city did not end quite as suddenly as it had begun for the group. While their discovery of the metropolis was made possible by exiting a mountainous cave, it turned out that the Curveside portion of the sprawl was very gradual in its dispersement into the rest of the twilight-bathed landscape. The spires rose lower and lower and most of the elevated platforms vanished—giving way to pure space between fewer and fewer skyscrapers. The group followed an elevated road that slowly lowered, passing through thinning highways as the path coasted towards what the group could only assume was "sea-level." The closer they approached the ground, the more they realized that they had exited the central hub of the Spindlers' nest. They approached depths that—far back Edgeside—would have been chock full of spider webs and arachnid colonies. As they progressed, they found the buildings growing more and more sparse. Large towers were replaced with stout structures with greater widths and broader foundations. There were more courtyards here—or perhaps they were once parks. In any case, all traces of grass or trees or vegetation had been vulcanized to ash and rock long ago.

The structures grew exceedingly smaller. As such, they were more fragile... and the group mostly encountered the hollow husks of steel structures that now lay in tatters along the outskirts of the urban sprawl. Even the bridge itself—which they had been traveling since their last dialogue with Merula—finally crumbled to pieces between two enormous warehouses. With help from Kepler and Wildcard, Flynn had to glide the hovercraft down a five-story descent. At last, they were gliding the wagon over a roughly even earth. It was a good thing they weren't relying on wheels, for much of the ground was littered with rocks, pebbles, debris—and beneath all of that a malleable layer of uneven sediment. It soon became clear to Rainbow and her friends that all of the miniscule effects of the Sundering—battered bits of anything and everything—had been blasted towards the Curveside edge of the sprawl. This made trotting over the bare landscape very hazardous, and the group had to veer the craft slowly around innumerable clusters of junk and debris.

As they all progressed further—angling slightly towards Omega—the dirty landscape grew remarkably flat. In fact, the terrain was so evenly-leveled that it struck Rarity as rather curious. After excusing herself, Rainbow Dash decided to ascend briskly—flying high over the wagon's position. Wildcard and Ariel joined her, and soon the three were surveying the topography ahead of them. They were surprised to see a vast array of evenly-arranged geometric lines, stretching towards the visible horizon. The group was confused at first—even all of Rainbow's ghostly friends—until Rainbow brought news of their observation back down to Kepler. Kepler surmised that the landscape was once purely agricultural; the original denizens of Urohringr must have built a vast network of perfectly-tilled farmland just outside the city limits. However, because of the cataclysmic nature of the Sundering, all of the soil had been completely vaporized. The only thing that stood out was the impression of paths and roads through the fossilized cropfields—roads that must have been used for countless thousands of generations before the Circles were broken. As the journey wore on, the group noticed the faint traces of what must have been farmhouses. It was haunting to think that an entire valley of fertile green terraces had long been reduced to a charred black sterile mess, lingering eternally beneath unfeeling stars.

This was what greeted the group—with every waking blink—for the next three days. The flatness was so vast that it took them nearly half-a-week to scale. Logan, Flynn, and Kepler took it in stride. Ariel nearly lost her mind on multiple occasions, and so Rainbow sent her and Wildcard off on countless "reconaissance" runs... just so they could stretch their wings while everyone waited for the wagon to navigate the lifeless plain. This proved frutiful at the start of the third day, for Ariel and Wildcard confirmed the existence of mountains towards Omega—including a deep ravine that must have once housed a river. After consulting Kepler, Rainbow decided that they would continue their trip through the canyon—in hopes that the path might more naturally lead them towards the Grand Ocean. All the while, Rainbow constantly removed Axan's dragon stone, studying its surface to judge the angle and nature of their trip.

It was flickering constantly—of course. That meant that they were more or less aimed in the general direction of the Bloodwings. Up until the ravine, Rainbow had the luxury of guiding the group slightly off-course from the supposed location of the Dark Vigil's lair. Now—for the sake of arriving at their destination—they were at the mercy of the ravine's path... whether it was a winding one or not. Rainbow promised herself to make sure they didn't go too deep towards the red flicker of Axan's stone. Rarity and Fluttershy easily volunteered to assist her with that. The rest was simply a waiting game—for there was no telling how far the ravine would lead... or for how long they would be shadowed by the looming mountains flanking each side of the wide trench.

As often as she could, Rainbow Dash took the time to observe Seraphimus. She soon discovered that she didn't have much to observe. The former Talon Commander was quiet most of the time. Hauntingly so. She had completely switched from being surly and hostile all the time to being... noticeably docile and melancholic. For one thing, it was good to have her acting so compliant. But—at the same time—Rainbow struggled with this gnawing fear. If she didn't look after Seraphimus... then Rainbow felt that somehow she would be the first one out of the group that she stood to lose. So she kept her eyes on the griffin and her ears tuned into Applejack. Between her senses and her most loyal friend... she monitored the Rohbreddenite from a distance.

It made for a tense, somber journey into that pale... pale twilight.

Float Down the Liffey

The ravine ran endlessly—or so Rainbow Dash felt. The trench was far longer than any structure she and the Herald had encountered since crossing the world's edge. To their mental relief, it wasn't exactly uniform all throughout. The dried-up riverbed twisted and turned with gradual serpentine grace, and the rising earthen walls danced along with it. This—of course—only carried weight over a prolonged period of passing. It took half a day of full travel for the canyon to expose a turn, and yet another half a day for it to swing right back. All the while, rising hills and steep cliffs flanked the sunken bed at every twist.

Thankfully, the canyon—with all of its erratic features—still more or less followed the path that Rainbow and her friends were desiring. Rainbow periodically checked the dragonstone with faithful vigilance, and while it pushed them a bit closer to Omega than she had hoped, there was little threat that they'd be funneled directly into the draconian flicker of tell-tale Bloodwing territory. This was a good thing—because if they did need to steer themselves outside the flow of the canyon, then they'd have to face the horrible challenge of somehow pushing Flynn's chaos-imbued wagon past the high Curveside walls of the ravine. It was either that or turn around and double-back the way they came. Such was a prospect that nopony looked forward to... especially so many unscaleable days into the trip.

Kepler was the only member of the Herald who actually attempted to keep track of "time." He did this through use of an artifact that he had pilfered from Darkreach. It was an ancient Emeraldinian apparatus of sorts—it original purpose obscured through age and neglect. Nevertheless—whatever it was—it ran on manacrystals without terribly draining their power. What's more, it would let loose a chime noise every sixty minutes on the dot and without fail. The wyvern had fallen into the habit of notching a bead of his personal abacus whenever the chime struck, and after twenty-four chimes—at least the ones he was consciously awake for—he would mark a line on a page in his journal. Somehow, between the flight from Darkreach and the encounter with the giant wyrm and the attack of the trolls and the entire meeting with the Spindlers, Kepler had faithfully managed to keep to this system. It wasn't perfect, and he was the first to admit such. Sleep and dramatic circumstances had prevented him from being perfectly regular with his time-keeping. Nevertheless, it gave a realistic (albeit low) estimate for how much time had passed since their arrival at Darkreach.

At that point in their journey—meandering through the winding canyon with the full universe of stars glittering high above—Kepler's page had accumulated a total of eighty-eight notches. Added to the assumed length of time it had taken to reach Darkreach from the world's edge, the Herald had come to the conclusion that Rainbow's journey had occupied the Dark Side for no less than three and a half months. They figured—at the pace they were going with the hovering wagon—that they would take several more weeks to reach the shores of the Great Ocean that Merula had told them about, and the representative of Abaddon didn't exactly telegraph hopes of the trip being a short one.

But it was all for the best. Once upon a time, Rainbow Dash invited excitement and—yes--even danger. Here, on the Dark Side, things were far different. Intense. Unpredictable. She felt anxious all the time for her fellow companions—for the safety of the Herald in general. There was so much at stake and so much to lose with any wrong move. The sterile emptiness and lack of sunlight only made the environment that much more tense and imposing.

So, for what it was worth, Rainbow Dash easily embraced the silence and nothingness that encompassed the Herald's journey. She excited herself with things that would otherwise have felt mundane to the daredevilish pegasus. She monitored Axan's dragonstone with as much attention as Kepler paid to his time-keeping. When Flynn or Wildcard sighted possible "mushrooms" along the sloped horizon, she and Ariel zoomed off to collect all the edible goods that they could. Conversations were had. Laughter was shared. Untold stories lit the air.

Turned out hiking across an apocalyptic hellscape wasn't nearly as bad as it sounded. At least for the time being.

Of course, there were times when Rainbow Dash simply couldn't contain herself. She'd alleviate the lethargy by taking flight high above the canyon and beyond. She'd always be accompanied by Ariel or Wildcard, of course. Seraphimus... stuck with the wagon. When the former Commander flew, it was always a low flight—sticking to the altitude beneath the earthen ridges flanking the dried-up river. She was silent most of the time, talking only to Logan—of all ponies—and even then it was always a muttering, uninteresting conversation necessitated by the task at hoof. She looked too loose and deadpan to be assumed as "plotting," and Rainbow felt more sad than worried whenever she gazed upon her.

So, naturally, Rainbow distracted herself with these occasional reconaissance flights—which turned out to be the high points of her "day." Flying high enough, she and Wildcard and Ariel would observe the great Curve of the plane—and the sparse patches of light that nebulously dotted the extreme lengths of the terrestrial structure. All was uniform in its dark gray dimness—save for the tiny patch of harmonic luminesence that manifested itself for Rainbow and Rainbow alone. Nevertheless, she assumed that even her winged friends could notice a slight halo of fiery glow that surrounded the site of the Armory. Somewhere far far away, the Trinary War was still being raised—fiery and bloody. Rainbow shuddered to think of the twilight skies floating above such a holocaustal scene... if it was permanently tainted with a ruby hue.

At some point, Rainbow would direct her attention to the terrain beneath her gliding wings. She discovered—one flight after another—that the landscape surrounding the ravine was mostly flat. It was like the river was carved deep into an endlessly-stretching plateau. This contrasted greatly with Merula's insistence that the landscape between Abaddon's lair and the Great Ocean was pockmarked with numerous ravines and winding fissures and little niches. Of course, it was possible that Merula had greatly understated the sheer scale of the distance between the Spindler city and regions beyond. Also, Rainbow surmised, there was no true way for a vertebrate to mentally grasp what the earth meant in spider-terms.

Nevertheless, she enjoyed those lofty surveys, even if the results proved less than remarkable. Rainbow Dash would often look in the opposite direction of their trip—towards Edgeside. She noticed that it was getting next to impossible to detect the faint glow of the solar world beyond: the Penumbral Line, as those who spent their entire lifespans here might be apt to call it. And yet, though she and the Herald had obviously traveled many-many miles to get to that spot, it was undeniably difficult to ascertain just what progress they had made on the curve. Looking back towards where they were headed, she still felt as though the location of the Midnight Armory was just as far away as she had first observed it immediately following Axan's death.

This piece of Urohringr was very very grand indeed. On the Light Side, the constant shift in landscapes—the oceans and forests and deserts and jungles—all contributed to the blatant illusion of a great distance being traversed. Here—in the naked twilight with nothing but broken rock to act as a guide—Rainbow became horrifically aware of how truly far she had come... and just how much more of it was left to cross again. She had initially hoped for the sensation to instill pride, but instead it intimidated her to the point of wanting to shrivel into a little fuzzy ball and hide forever.

With the Herald in her shadow and her close friends watching with ghostly eyes, Rainbow could only afford to move... even if it was far slower than she wanted. Nevertheless, with a stiff upper lip and even stronger wings, she carried through the motions of the day... despite the fact that the days no longer existed.

It was a unique form of exercise, and there wasn't anything that allured Rainbow more than a brand new challenge.

OP Is a Wyvern

"I am telling you, my frriends, I am so incrredibly vexxed."

Logan stifled the umpteenth groan of the day. It was his turn to steer the wagon down the canyon, and he did so with lethargic fetlocks. "We heard you the first time, Keps."

"But have you everr thought about it?" The wyvern in question looked up from his journal and adjusted his spectacles. "Like... trruly thought about it?"

"Believe me." Ariel muttered from where she flew slowly above the craft. "I try not to."

"But it begs an explanation!" Kepler insisted, his scorpion tail coiling and uncoiling in pensive motions. "Afterr all, enough time has trraverrsed! I of all souls should know. And yet... upon everry minute I spend ponderring the subject matterr... I end up horrribly, inexcusably vexxed!"

"You're obsessed, Kepler," Flynn yawned. He lay on his back in the middle of the wagon, resting lazily while polishing a plate of Emeralidnian armor in his hooves. "Just let it go."

"How can I?!" Kepler moaned. "Barrd was ourr good dearr frriend! Some semblance of logic must be attrributed to his otherrwise trragic demise!"

"What logic are we missing, exactly?" Flynn shrugged, his mechanical eye rotating in and out on his job. "That trotting jerkoff of a self-righteous creep—Brye Chandler—was catching up with us. He ran into Bard and Bard ended him. Sure, he sacrificed his life in the process and that sucks—but Bard made damned sure that the soldiers of Rohbredden no longer had anyone to force them into a suicide run at the world's edge. Otherwise we'd be contending with more than just the Murder Chicken at the gondola." He smirked sideways off the wagon. "No offense."

Seraphimus said nothing. She marched alongside the hovercraft, keeping her charcoal eyes glued to the twists and turns of the ravine ahead.

"But therre's no guarrantee that things would have become that dirre," Kepler remarked. "Chandlerr's soldierrs werre fanatical—yes—but thanks to the herroics of Enix and the otherr nightbloods of Bleak's Plummet, they werre being savagely beaten! I serriously doubt that even Chandlerr would have been able to urrge them into a final suicidal attack upon the Gondola when Rrainbow and the rrest of us disembarrked!"

"Pfffft... with how heart-broken they were over the wendigoes and Verlaxion's 'death?!'" Ariel spat. "You've gotten too used to featureless stone and mindless trolls, Keps. Once upon a time we fought assholes who believed in shit."

"I think we're all forgetting the real big factor here," Logan said, veering the wagon slowly around a chunk of rock sticking out of the dried-up riverbed. "If Chandler had lived, then he'd be back in Frostknife as we speak... ruling the poor wendigo-hump'd survivors of Rohbredden with an iron hoof. Remember, that bastard was the one who insisted on rooting up wyverns and throwing them into jail—the ones he didn't friggin' murder, that is. Who knows what other nasty things that asshole could have passed into law. You ask me—Bard did us a favor, and if he didn't do what he did then I woulda at the first opportunity. Swear on my balls." His nostrils flared. "But it's all good now. Frostknife's got the likes of Keris and Theanim Mane looking over it now. As shitty as things were when Rainbow took the blame for Verlaxion, it could only have been a lot worse if Chandler remained alive."

"Well put, frriend," Kepler said with a nod. "And I most cerrtainly will not arrgue the forrtuitous naturre of Chandlerr's violent passing..." The wyvern sighed. "But how could any of this have occurrred to poorr Barrd's beleaguerred mind when he confrronted Chandlerr and his forrces in that most drramatic battle?!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaand..." Flynn breathed through a bittersweet smirk. "...we're riiiiiight back where we began! All aboard Kepler's Angsty-Go-Round!" He polished armor vigorously. "First foal to pluck a ring from the ceramic bull's nose wins a prize!"

"Ach! It is not angst, dearrest Flynn! Merrely the deepest of vexation! Did it everr occurrr to Barrd in those heated moments that he could have sparred Chandlerr's life, saved himself, and still have accomplished the same means?!"

"Spared Chandler's life?!?" Flynn guffawed. "Holy bucking shit, Keps! Have you been smoking those spider beets instead of eating them?"

"Ease off, Flynn," Ariel insisted. "Kepler's not made of straw."

"Pffft. You got a better way to deal with this furry clown, then?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Nose upturned, Ariel flew closer to the wagon—and Kepler. "Keps..." She smiled politely. "...I know you mean no disrespect to Bard and what he gave up so that we could continue helping Rainbow Dash with her journey. But take a moment to consider..." Her ears folded in mid-flight. "...he wasn't doing too hot by the time Chandler caught up with him."

"Quite so, Arriel. I am acutely awarre—"

"Are you?" Ariel's gray brow furrowed. "He had nearly been eviscerated by Chandler's minions by the time Wildcard found him. In fact, the only reason Bard wasn't taken off the Stardust was because he needed to be patched up before being moved—or else he would have bled to death on the spot. Maybe worse."

"Also Chandler was coming in for a landing and there was no friggin' time for—" Flynn interjected.

"Shhhhh!" Ariel frowned at him, then turned towards Kepler once again. "Long story short... Bard's number had already been rung up. He knew it. Bard was no chump; he had been doing the bounty hunter schtick for longer than I've been alive. If he had the ability to live through what happened to him, I'm pretty sure he'd still be with us now. But that's just not the case. He only had the strength and fortitude to do one final act of justice. And—like it or not—Chandler's toxicity just could not be tolerated." She slowly shook her head. "Somehow saving that bastard at the last second is a completely crazy idea."

"Ach..." Kepler pointed at a pale feathery figure. "...once upon a time, somepony would have said the same thing about ourr brrooding ally herre. And yet, herre we are!"

Ariel bit her lip.

"Hrmmmm..." Logan smirked slightly, eyes on the path ahead. "He's got a point there."

Seraphimus said nothing.

"What about it, Commander?" Flynn sat up just enough to look at her. "If somepony like you could come around, how about a chump like Chandler—?"

Ariel swatted him hard. Whap!

"Ow!" The balding pony pouted.

"Knock it off..."

"Are we gonna bury this damned hatchet once and for all or aren't we?" Flynn frowned. "I'm not the one who brought it up!" He pointed at Keps. "Our beloved mutant mountain squirrel just won't let it go—!"

"Baldy..." Logan sighed.

Suddenly, Seraphimus spoke with icy grace: "I had pledged my heart and soul to Verlaxion, but that was always a lie." She glared ahead in mid-step. "My heart always belonged to my family—alive or dead. It was Verlaxion who seized my heart and used it to manipulate me." A sharp breath. "Chandler? I was a hair's breadth away from imprisoning that stallion for the conspiracy he was performing under the Council's noses. Then Verlaxion... the draconian manipulator stepped in and bewitched him. But—unlike me—Chandler never had a heart to begin with. His entire being was dedicated towards powermongering and corruption." For once, her charcoal eyes darted towards the wagon. "Just because a filthy tool is turned towards another task doesn't clean the filth off. That stallion had no chance for salvation and I shall not weep for him."

The Herald contemplated that in silence.

"Your friend... this 'Bard.'" Seraphimus breathed. "... ... ...I am sorry to say that I did not know the stallion, thus I cannot speak for him."

Logan looked over his shoulder. "Well? How about that, Keps?"

Kepler sighed... shaking his head. "I am just... horrribly... irrrecoverrably vexed..."

Flynn rolled his eyes and returned to his polishing task with a huff.

Ariel flew a little higher and Rainbow...

Rainbow listened. Silent and mellow. At the end of the conversation, her eyes wandered past Seraphimus.

There—in the distance—Wildcard glided quietly above the ground. The universe reflected off his goggles, each star twinkling duller and duller. His headcrest was drooped the whole time.

Rainbow felt a lump form in her throat. Lowering her gaze, she continued trotting limply along, keeping a safe distance between herself and the chaotic shimmer of the hovercraft.

Concerning Birds and Brothers

Stars twinkled endlessly overhead.

The group still hadn't found their way out of the canyon. Exhausted and spent, they set up camp for the sixth time since entering the dried-up riverbed. Rainbow Dash kept her distance, waiting for Flynn and Logan to "shut down" the chaotic bits of metal empowering the wagon. Once the vehicle had been disenchanted—its dim gray glow extinguished—Rainbow found it safe to approach the camp site. She helped Kepler and Ariel set up tents. In the meantime, Logan started a fire.

The scent of mushrooms, beets, and herbs lit the air. The group had long run out of the meat supply acquired from the brief hunts taken prior to meeting the Spindlers. This caused a mild panic among the Herald, but they maintained their calm—rationing from the vegetarian bounty that Abaddon's children had given them. Flynn and Logan held onto faith that the group would find game for the spearing at some point during their twilight journey. Rainbow Dash promised to be as supportive as possible, and she was constantly checking with Fluttershy for the presence of living things along the nearby horizon.

Rotation shifts were quickly decided on. As was becoming usual—Seraphimus volunteered to keep watch first while the others slept. Nopony protested. Ariel was the first to collapse from exhaustion, rolling over in her tent and descending into fuzzy slumber. Flynn followed shortly thereafter while Logan and Kepler lingered upon the precipice of sleep, minding their own supplies to carry the time.

Wildcard was curiously restless—more so than usual. Rainbow Dash was keen to notice it. Then again, she had been paying special attention to him over the past twelve hours. It got to the point that she was scarcely touching her own food.

An hour into the group's camping, Wildcard sat on the edge of a chunk of rock that was sticking up out of the dead river bed like a table. Even when doing nothing important, the Desperado preferred to perch on something elevated higher than the rest of the environment—even if by a single foot or two. It was as though he always wanted to be in the best position to leap into action, sailing protectively above the heights of his companions.

At this present moment, the griffin was hunched over and examining his prosthetic. With a set of tools that Flynn had lent him, he opened a panel in his metal wrist and proceeded to tinker with the mechanical matrices set deeply within.

It took a better portion of the second hour of silent pondering for Rainbow Dash to summon the strength to approach the Desperado. As her hoofsteps scuffled closer, she detected his headcrest twitching. He knew she was nearby. He always knew.

"Is... is your arm alright?" Rainbow Dash asked.

He gave a nod. Dark goggles glinted with starlight. A calm beak remained closed. Contemplative.

"If you gotta give it an upgrade or something, I can go and wake Flynn." Rainbow smiled faintly. "So what if it pisses him off? Not the end of the world... especially if you need your arm tweaked with."

Wildcard slowly shook his head. His wings coiled and uncoiled, and he continued fiddling with the innards of his arm. A pulse of mana flickered, and Rainbow saw his metal talons twitching as the griffin continued with his calibrations.

Rainbow bit her lip. Her tail flicked to one side... to the other...

"Wildcard... Jordan..." She looked pensively in his direction. "How are you doing?"

His response was remarkably swift. The Desperado raised his flesh talon and pivoted it from side to side before returning to his task.

"It's... uh... it's okay to not be... okay, y'know?" Rainbow Dash stepped closer. "Nopony's invincible, y'know. The Dark Side... this crazy place? It takes its toll on all of us. Ariel, Logan, Flynn—they all vent when the pressure gets too high. Kepler too, I suppose. But you? I feel as though... as though you've been strangely silent since we crossed the Edge."

A rattling sound. Wildcard paused briefly, and there was a hint of his goggled head pivoting slightly towards her.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Okay. You know what I mean. Of course—you're always doing your heroic Desperado schtick. Always protective. Always vigilant. But..."

She shuffled ever so slightly closer.

"Even you need to talk every now and then. Like... really talk. The way you always have with me. The way you always did with... with..." Her muzzle hung open, too nervous to say the name.

He took a breath. With a snap, he shut the panel of his metal arm. Whirring, the fingers flexed back to life—giving him the motor function to swiftly hand-sign to her: "I am doing fine."

Rainbow nodded. "Maybe you are. But that doesn't mean you gotta clam up all the time." Her ears dropped. "The rest appear to have gotten used to it. But me? I... I don't know if I ever can."

He remained still.

"So much of our time spent together was... was with Bard as well. And when he was still alive..." She fidgeted. "You... were just as alive too. I... I'm sorry, Jordan. Maybe you don't want to hear me say it. Maybe you don't want to think about it. But he was such a big part of you... such a big part of all of us." She gulped. "I've since learned to talk to you directly, and even still... I-I feel like you don't express yourself as much as you did when... when he was still—"

His fingers sliced the air. "Do not worry about me."

She sniffled, shaking her head. "It's not worry."

"... ... ..."

She exhaled. Soft hooves brought her up the rock so that she was perched beside him. She leaned back on her haunches and sat beside the larger griffin. The same twilight glinting off his dark feathers cast a nebulous sheen over her fuzzy coat. For a moment, the two blended softly with the melancholic dimness of the world. They gazed as one at the stars dwindling overhead, seemingly receding. For each pulse of light there was a patch of darkness separating, devouring, and both souls cast their lonesome thoughts into the heartless depths of it all.

"He... he must have told you something," Rainbow Dash murmured into the void. "You were there, Jordan. You were his one and only friend when everything mattered. What was it that he said?" She looked at him, eyes glistening.

Wildcard's goggles remained affixed to the cosmos. His fingers floated through the air: "He told me to take care of you."

She squeaked past a sore lump in her throat: "But what is it that you want, Jordan?" She cocked her head gently to the side. "What does the last Desperado desire out of all this?"

Wildcard remained dead still.

Rainbow didn't stop staring at him.

At long last, his fingers spoke—and softly too: "I simply wish to keep moving."

"Hmmmff..." Rainbow bore a tearful smile. "I feel ya." Another sniff, and she hummed: "I can help you with that. Really, I can. I've got the experience, after all. How does that sound?"

Wildcard nodded into the starlight. His wings and tail had gone limp, and he remained straight and proud like a statue.

Even as he felt Rainbow's forelimbs surround him from the side, he remained still. Even as he felt her gentle, sisterly nuzzle and the fuzz of her cheek leaning gently into his soft neckfeathers, he stayed at his post. There was a shifting limb between them—a talon of metal that rested protectively on her shoulder—but that was extent of it all. The two lingered in that embrace, a very warm thing, and the stars continued their chaotic path.

Rainbow contributed to the gesture with every fiber of her being, but even that succumbed to sleep at some point. As unconsciousness overtook her, she knew she would be safe. But the thought that painted a smile on her muzzle—bittersweet and sincere—was the possibility that someone else felt safe too.

If even for one tender moment.

The Muck and Mud

Traversing the canyon took another four days—at least by Kepler's measurements. It was Ariel who first noticed a gradual change in the topography of the surrounding landscape. The dual mountain ranges that flanked the dead riverbed grew stouter and stouter—until soon the Herald's journey was threading no more than a series of rolling hills. The group noticed that there was a slowly declining grade to the environment. Everything was sloping downward, and when Rainbow Dash hovered just a few meters off the ground she could see that the horizon towards Alpha was disapearring into a dark haze.

The air grew strangely humid. There was moisture somewhere—but the group couldn't tell where. Not at first. Armor fogged and vapors appeared in the glow of the hovercraft's chaotic enchantment. When asked, Rarity explained to Rainbow that some sort of moisture was lying deep underground and some of it was seeping upwards. Twilight assumed it was some sort of natural aquifer or spring that survived the Sundering. Kepler made a similar hypothesis after being consulted by Rainbow.

At long last, the canyon dissolved entirely—but the riverbed did not disappear. Instead, it spread into dozens if not hundreds of miniature tributaries. Some dried-up streams were the widths of houses, others were only half-a-meter thick. Between the forking beds were rising mounds of earth: hard jagged rock. These terrestrial formations rose higher and higher. Soon, what was once a flat river bed had become a dazzling forest of bulbous rocks, rising up like petrified mushrooms from the earth. They even had "stems." The further the Herald traversed, the higher the rocks rose from the descending dried-up tributaries, and the stone structures flared at the top with narrow stalks supporting their weight.

Kepler presumed that this was the result of some kind of gradual erosion over time. After the Sundering, a massive deluge of moisture must have roared its way down the remnants of the natural canyon. Combined with leaking aquifers, an array of raging rapids must have once existed, thundering beneath the twilight. They produced this inexplicable forest of eroded rock down a steep slope. It was the assumption of most Herald members that they had to have been approaching the Great Ocean soon—for such would be a sensible place to have collected the remaining moisture of the Dark Side. However, Rarity sensed no enormous basin of any kind yet. Despite an underlying retention of moisture beneath the earth's surface, she was sensing no surface-level lake. The expedition continued.

Days into this earthen trek, the ground grew noticeably muddy. Ponies like Flynn, Ariel, and especially Logan found it exceedingly difficult to march across the ancient tributaries without getting their hooves stuck in soppy muck. Thankfully, the hovercraft gave them means of conveyance, and those with wings scouted ahead to check for patches of mud that could be avoided. It was during this reconaissance that Wildcard first discovered signs of life. Fluttershy confirmed it. There were... things living in the muck. With a blast of magic, Flynn exposed a nested pocket, and the group saw shelled creatures with luminescent exoskeletons shimmying towards the deeper shadows. They resembled a cross between pill bugs and horseshoe crabs, but they were clearly the size of domesticated canines. Logan—stomach growling—immediately suggested the obvious. He, Ariel, and Wildcard attempted to surprise and spear another nest of them—but the creatures merely slid into deeper, muddier hiding.

So, with a sigh, Seraphimus grabbed a spear of Emeraldinian metal without asking Flynn's permission. In a blink, she had flown off. Thirty minutes later, she returned with a bloodied spear and four giant crustaceans dangling over her back. Without a word, she heaved the fresh carcasses onto the hovercraft and by the next camp session, Kepler had something for a stew. Turns out the shells were protecting an ample supply of nourishing meat. The cooked muscle tasted sweet to the bite—or so Ariel and Flynn had told Rainbow. Rainbow stuck with the strange beets the Spindlers had given them.

The next few days brought with it lots of ample meat. If nothing else, the presence of living things brought excitement and change to the journey. No longer imprisoned by the towering walls of an endless canyon, the Herald were happy to fill the hours with casual hunt. Seraphimus even showed them a few tricks for outsmarting the little mud spawns. When it became clear that catching these things was a great deal easier than it seemed at first, the Herald held off a bit. There was no telling what unfortunate circumstances might bring them back to a place like that, and they didn't want to rid it entirely of game.

More days passed. Kepler was having to draw notches into a new page of his journal. Around the group, the rock formations sank and dissipated. In its place, a thin layer of moisture had formed—crystal clean and reflective. Twilight and Applejack assumed that there would be a lake nearby—or even the ocean. Yet again, Rarity dashed their hopes. She did—however—confirm that multiple springs were bubbling up to the surface. The cool puddles under Rainbow's hooves weren't going to last forever.

Rarity didn't need to explain this, for Rainbow saw it. The tributaries dipped into foggy holes, venting with steam and hot air. The horizon towards Omega had grown foggy with a miasma of water vapors. Before Rainbow's visibility dwindled, she spotted chunks in the earth—shadowed niches where shapes stirred... making clicking sounds and faint scratches. The landscape ahead was full of porous holes, and the trickling of liquid and the hiss of steam added to the unsettling alien topography.

Rainbow Dash steeled herself. She told the Herald that they would have to slow their movement to a cautious crawl over the next few days.

She didn't receive any complaints for the suggestion.

Come Vent Some Steam

Fluttershy was quite emphatic with her warning, and Rainbow Dash took her friend's concerns very, very seriously.

For the next few days ahead, the group steered clear of the fissures that were venting steam. This was because Rainbow Dash told them that—according to Fluttershy—there were living creatures at least five times the size of living ponies dwelling within the lower niches. Most of them were dormant and still, likely relying on the heated habitats for their cold-bloodedness. Nevertheless, Fluttershy was almost positive she sensed claws and barred teeth on the creatures' frames. The Herald had more than their fair share of slaughtered crustaceans for sustenance, so there was no immediate need to hunt more game—especially specimens so large and foreboding. Rather than wake any sleeping giants, they followed Rainbow as she (with Rarity's assistance) led them down sloped stone paths that were the most clear of fissures.

This turned out to be a fairly... taxing task. The narrow gaps in the earth were everywhere, and they were constantly venting steam. This made seeing them next to impossible; Rainbow Dash had to rely on Rarity a lot. However, even her senses were limited, and there were times when—without meaning to—she would inadvertenty lead the group down a dead-end that was cut off by sudden ravines dipping into the broiling depths. Rather than risk a run-in with a nasty beast, Rainbow insisted that the group double-back and seek another path to their objective.

Naturally, this only devoured a great deal of the group's time... and progress. Judging from the erratic patterns that they kept stumbling upon, it became swiftly apparent that there would be no straight line to their objective. One way or another, they would have to cross one of these hundreds upon thousands of fissures. What made the trek even more exhausting was the rising temperature in the air. The steam was most certifiably scalding, and while it wasn't exactly billowing everywhere, it made for a sweltering, humid environment. This sapped the strength from the group and made them precipitate profusely. As a direct result, their water reserves—resupplied handsomely by the Spindlers—were swiftly being depleted. For what it was worth, Kepler and Flynn had devised a way to capture much of the vented steam, condense it, then boil it once again before passing the water through an improvised purification system hammered together from spare Emeraldinian manatech. After all this effort and labor, barely a cup of drinkable water was produced. Twilight Sparkle put her brain to heavy use. Conveying instructions to Rainbow Dash, she was vicariously able to assist the Job Squadders intro improving the apparatus. But it still wasn't producing enough liquid to replace the rations they were losing. Either the group would have to arrive at a large body of water soon, or they would have to risk approaching one of the fissures to collect even more steam directly from the source.

Such would mean risking contact with the life forms dwelling below. Seeing how the Herald had progressed so deeply into this erratic landscape—and seeing how there was no telling how much further they had to go—Rainbow Dash decided that they would have to take the chance. Applejack and Pinkie swiftly agreed with her, and once Twilight Sparkle realized how exhausted Rainbow's traveling companions were getting, she convinced Rarity and Fluttershy that it was the best decision too.

Rainbow held a meeting with the rest of the Herald. There was very little reason to argue with her. Even Seraphimus showed an ounce of enthusiasm, insisting that they make fetching more water their top priority. Without hesitation, Kepler and Flynn worked on improving their purification device so that it could gather more steam within a shorter span of time. In the meantime, all four fliers—Rainbow, Ariel, Seraphimus, and Wildcard—went out scouting for the most suitable location. It was Ariel who spotted a superb spot: a fork in the vents nestled beneath a smattering of boulders. The earthen barrier could act as a natural bulwark against any sort of pouncing attack, Ariel suggested. Wildcard and Seraphimus agreed. What's more, Fluttershy only detected two living creatures there, and while they were larger than any single member of the Herald, the specimens were sizably smaller than the others she had sensed.

The moment of truth came about four days into the humid trek. If the group wasn't successful with gaining and purifying enough water, Rainbow Dash feared for their safety in the days to come. The Job Squadders approached the vent in question. Logan, Wildcard, and Seraphimus took point while Kepler and Flynn shuffled up with the apparatus. Ariel and Wildcard flew above the scene; both of them were armed with runic boomsticks, courtesy of Xarchellus' generosity on the Light Side. This situation felt like more than a sufficient reason to bring superior firepower.

The plan was to provoke the creatures hiding down below. Then—once they had burst out—the group would neutralize them just long enough to gather the required steam and then make a run back to the Wagon where three times as large a salvo of runes waited. The idea was daunting, to say the least, but the group was in a fight against time. Logan did the dirty work, grunting a command in moonwhinny that activated a mana-overburst in a cluster of runes. He then tossed the improvised grenade down into the steam-filled hole and jumped back, gripping his axe tightly.

Barely a second after the expected blast, two bodies of a startling blue color shot violently out of the fissure. Their speed was greater than even Fluttershy anticipated, and the air filled with guttural shrieks as the beasts evened out—landing atop the surface rock with ten thick legs fitted with iron hard claws. Their heads were narrow—like a shark's—and they possessed cartiligenous protrusions from their skulls that resembled the horns of stag beetles, only shimmering from top to bottom with passionate blue bioluminescence. The foggy air lit up in gray bands as both beasts thrashed their heads, bellowing to the stars. Nopony could make out their eyes; their faces were all teeth. At least three rows of them.

But then—as quickly as they had leapt to the surface—they both galloped briskly towards Omega, leapt high, and spread their five rows of legs. A fleshy membrane connected between each knee, and they glided desperately towards Omega, putting as much distance between themselves and the Herald without putting up so much as a fight.

This left the entire group blinking in disbelief. While they were glad that they didn't have to sacrifice any runes—or blood—to the present task at hoof, they were somewhat surprised that such predatory-looking creatures chose to pursure flight instead of fight. Kepler surmised that—as large and imposing and razor-toothed as the creatures were—there was an even more dangerous carnivore around... one that had been preying on these steam-basking creatures for so long that the beasts had chosen an anxious life of hiding beneath the rock over their natural-born instinct to hunt across the surface.

Judging from Merula's grim words back in the city, Rainbow Dash didn't need long to figure out precisely who that carnivore was.

The group took advantage of their surprise success. A full day was committed to harnessing as much steam as possible. Soon enough, Kepler and Flynn were able to fill all of their empty canteens with drinkable liquid. Satisfied—and more than a little bit elated—the group packed their things and continued forward with their journey. When they encountered more beasts, they attempted scaring the animals away like Logan had done the first time. They found they were successful on each occasion. Soon, the Herald had picked up speed, and they approached Omega with even greater zeal...

...and less than a day later, the steam vents finally dissipated, giving way to miniature rapids of trickling, crystal clean water.

Rainbow Dash found the nearest rock she could and struck her skull several times against it.

You'll Find Your Thrill...

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmm..." Kepler squinted and squinted through his glasses. In his talon, he held a vial of semi-clear gray liquid. "Hrmmmmmmmmmm... ..." Without taking his eyes off the chalice, he poured a red solution from another container into the first. He shook the vial, then watched as the liquid turned grayer... foggier. "Hrmmmmmmmm... yes... yes, indeed. It is just as I suspected."

Rainbow Dash and Ariel hovered behind Kepler. The wyvern was kneeling beside one of the many paper-thin creeks of babbling water rolling perpetually down the stone hill. It was from this stream that he took the sample he was currently testing.

"What?" Ariel asked. "What is it that you suspected?"

Kepler gave the vial one last shake, then sighed as the liquid returned to its gray haze. "Ach..." He turned to smile tiredly at his two companions. "...the waterr is farr... farr frrom drrinkable. In fact..." He flicked the tip of his claw against the bottom of the glass container. "Frrom my tell-tale alchemic indicatorr, I imagine the mixturre contains at least thirrty perrcent biological contaminants!"

"Uhhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. "What kind of biological contaminants... as if I really needed to ask."

Ariel flashed her a squinting look. "Did you?"

"Mmmmm..." Kepler stroked his furry chin as he reexamined the vial. "Dead flesh. Molted exoskeleton shavings. Kerratin. Tooth enamel. But—most prrobably—a healthy dose of fecal matterr! Well... healthy forr those forrtunate enough to have made themselves rrid of it! Ha-Hah!"

"In other words..." Ariel began.

Logan strolled by. "It's shit water." He snorted. "Great."

"Whelp...!" Flynn reclined on the back of the distant wagon—keeping its chaotic aura away from Rainbow Dash. "Good thing we filled those canteens with what we got from the steam!"

"Are... were sure our current supply is any healthier to drink?" Ariel's voice cracked.

"We boiled that stuff twice and ran it through the purification system," Flynn said. He arched an eyebrow over his mechanical lens. "After it was already turned to steam. But this stuff that Keps is sampling...?" He reached a hoof up to brush back his scant strands of mane hair. "This is straight from the source. Shittiness and all."

"But... like..." Ariel turned back to Kepler, grimacing. "Why is it so shitty?"

"No doubt an abundance of wildlife dwells beneath the rrock," Kepler explained. "Living in the subterrranean waterrs and aquiferrs."

"Isn't it kinda hot down there?"

"It would seem they've sufficed long enough to last severral generrations," Kepler said. "Evidently it's a grreat deal betterr a scenarrio than what they could face on the surrface."

"Fluttershy sorta backs up what you're suggesting, Keps," Rainbow Dash remarked with a nod. "She's been sensing all kinds of 'life' beneath us for most of this journey. Just... nothing is coming to the surface."

"Nothing alive at least," Logan muttered.

"It's all the signs we need," Seraphimus's voice suddenly echoed. She landed from a great height, her talons scraping the stone as she paced through the gathered group. "I just finished a survey of the landscape towards this so-called 'Omega.' If there's any living things to be found ahead of us, they are hiding away as well."

"Exercising the old hawkeyes, huh?" Flynn said with a smirk.

"... ... ..." Seraphimus looked emotionlessly at him. "I did not conduct my reconnaissance alone."

Swooosh! Wildcard landed not long after. He perched on the edge of the wagon beside Flynn.

Seraphimus continued: "The babbling brooks here continue running downhill, but soon they coalesce into a muddy stream that thickens and accelerates in a westward direction."

"Don't you mean 'towards Curveside?'" Ariel said.

Seraphimus rolled her charcoal eyes, sighed, and resorted to pointing with her talon. "In that direction," she exclaimed, aiming her limb past the Omega point. "Moving towards the curve in relation to the path we had previously been taking these past untold weeks." She turned to face the group at large. "From the rate at which the water is accelerating, I suspect it will reach a large body soon."

"The Great Ocean?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Nothing of the sort that I could see," Seraphimus said. "Not without moving past a reasonable distance from the wagon, that is." She glanced sideways at Wildcard. "I wasn't about to go beyond sight."

Rainbow opened her muzzle to say something—

Wildcard gestured swiftly with his talons. He finished with a forelimb pointed closer towards Omega.

"A forest, did you say?" Logan remarked. "Wildcard, you wouldn't bullshit a bull-in-spirit, would you?"

Wildcard gestured some more. Rainbow was prepared to "read" him this time: "The fissures there grow deeper and wider. They are lit up by something. Glowing fungus. Maybe."

"Ah... a forrest of rrocks." Kepler smirked through his tusks. "Would we expect any less?"

"So what?" Flynn shrugged. "That's way off course from where we're headed!" He turned to look at Rainbow, his mechanical lense rotating. "It is way off course, isn't it?"

Rainbow was already pulling out the dragonstone from Luna's satchel. She pivoted the rock in the direction where Wildcard pointed. "It... is more in the direction of where the Bloodwings' Shard of Endrax is."

"You mean their lair," Ariel repeated.

"Right."

"Then we should stick to the mudslide," Ariel said.

Wildcard shook his head vigorously.

Ariel blinked. "No...?"

The Desperado explained with sharp hand-motions.

"Jordan is right," Seraphimus said. "If we are indeed getting closer to the Bloodwings—and they're as dangerous as we think—the rock formations would be a better choice for navigating."

Logan arched an eyebrow. "They'll give us cover from flying scouts."

"Whereas following the river will leave us exposed," Seraphimus declared. "And with the steam no longer venting so densely, I doubt we can afford such vulnerability."

Flynn rubbed his scalp, sighing. "I hate to say it, but she's right." He looked across the way. "Not sure I really like it, though. Going towards the Bloodwings to avoid the Bloodwings?"

"Forr all we know, therre might be anotherr rriverr with anotherr rravine that will lead us currveside towarrds the Grreat Ocean..." Kepler nodded. "While prroviding us with much-needed coverr."

"I'd say it's worth it," Logan said, re-gripping his axe. He marched back towards the wagon. "Seems to be the safest route to take." He glanced at Rainbow. "And we are going for the safe options as they present themselves, righto?"

"Uh... yeah..." Rainbow bit her lip. "...sure."

"Righto!" Logan gestured at the wagon. "Fire it up, Baldy!"

"Consider it fired!" Flynn prepared to reenchant the chaotic stones. "Keep your distance, Rainbow."

As Kepler, Wildcard, and Seraphimus likewise went into their traveling positions, Rainbow Dash slid the dragonstone back into her saddlebag. She sighed... her features drooping somewhat. It was half-a-minute later that she realized Ariel was staring straight at her. "What?"

"I've seen that look before," Ariel declared.

"What kind of a look is it?" Rainbow droned.

"The look of a pony who suddenly, inexplicably thinks they've lost something they'll never get back."

Rainbow gulped. "I'm just trying to do what's right for the team."

"Cool!" Ariel gave a warm smile. "Then what's to feel bad about?"

Rainbow said nothing.

"Contact!" Flynn hollered, and his voice was accompanied by the vibration of chaotic energy.

The air rippled from the ignition. Rainbow's teeth shattered from a flash of cold, and in a blink she saw a fanged smiled accompanied by yellow-and-red eyes.

"Not much of a 'Sparky' without the spark, huh?"

"Mrmmmfff..." Frowning, Rainbow Dash took wing. "Go soak your horned head."

The Fabric of Nightmares

It hung high among the stars. A pale curve. Bright and piercing. Beautiful and foreboding against the onyx fabric of space.

Rainbow Dash stared up at it, dumbfounded.

She wanted to get closer.

So, she took a hoofstep forward.

The atmosphere sang with screams and sobs.

"... ... ...?" She stopped in place. She wasn't startled—merely curious.

The mare looked down.

She stood on a monumental strip of land: blue seas and brown mountains and green valleys.

Continents and oceans loomed beneath her. Despite how impossibly small she was, it felt as though she was somehow perched across the enormity of the convex world.

Holding her breath, she moved her hoof again—raising and lowering.

As soon as her hoof made contact once more with the continents below, reality rippled. The sounds of millions of screaming souls echoed in every direction. Once the rippling stopped, so did the wails of anguish. All was still.

So much fear and terror—and yet Rainbow Dash stood apart.

Her ears flicked curiously. Boldly, she sliced her fetlock across the plane in a heavy swath.

Sobs echoed in every direction. Foals called for their mothers and fathers. Souls pleaded for countless deities before fizzling into blissful silence.

But this time, another noise pierced through the momentary bedlam. A solitary voice... eerily soft. Like a hiss. Inquiring.

"B'lyynyl syla'thrylmm hym, W'ynlppa yln H'luun?"

Rainbow blinked. She looked back up at the crescent moon.

It had split in two. The pale rocks turned into glinting fangs. A body pivoted, materializing against the velvet onyx of eternal night. Accompanied by shrieks, it glided downward on a bridge of stars. Soon, the figure was marching before Rainbow Dash. Its eyes slitted. Piercing. The blackest void loomed in the center of each pupil, and it anchored Rainbow in place as the figure came within biting distance.

"H'luun sy'lynna'sem thynly'm." It was a feminine voice. "Heval'saam? H'cylsialym? Lyn'drxx? M'lymwym sym N'shydym sym Sy'kymylls'ym yln Thy'mma???"

Rainbow Dash blinked. Calmly, she breathed into the ether: "Austraeoh."

"Hrsssssssssssssss..." Fangs glistened. "Ausssss-trayhmmm?"

Rainbow inhaled. Exhaled. "I have come bearing harmony. For harmony."

A stifled shriek. The figure raised two leather wings. Angrily. "The penumbral tongue." Something clicked inside its throat as velvety hairs rose on the back of its neck. "So it is H'cylsialym."

Rainbow blinked.

The figure leaned forward, sneering. "Then why does it carry W'ynlppa yln H'luun?" A savage tail flicked. Nostrils flared as it paced around Rainbow amidst the stars. "Why does it stand fearlessly upon the nocturnal fabric of our foaling?"

Rainbow gazed back. Unflinching. "You're not really here." Her eyes narrowed. "Where are you—really?" Gritting teeth. "Who are you?"

"If it is from Penumbra..." The figure spoke as if it was talking to a group of unseen ponies. "Then it must bleed starlight. Only one way to see if it was sent to destroy us." It then lunged at Rainbow, fangs-first.

"Hey..." Rainbow barely lifted a hoof. "Watch it—"

But before the creature could come into contact...

...a bright burst of lunar energy emanated from Rainbow's neck.

FLAAAAAASH!

"HSSSSSSSSSS!!!" Shrieking, the creature flew back, cocooning itself in leathery wings. There was the briefest of pale sheens, and Rainbow saw the outline of multiple velvety bodies—all mares—and they were likewise flinching.

"Hrmmmfff..." Rainbow smirked devilishly, although she hardly knew why. "That's what you get..."

Just as she was saying this, the fabric of the illusion was melting all around her. The stars vanished. The world dissolved. All that was left was the crescent of a moon above, flickering like a sole projector. But soon it too vanished, and Rainbow as forced to fall...

"... ... ...?" Rainbow Dash's eyes popped open. She blinked.

The mare was lying curled-up on a blanket inside a tent. Outside, the twilight of the night sky glinted off wet rock and polished stone. Other tents of the Herald could be seen, spread out and occupied.

Rarity and Fluttershy levitated just outside the mouth of the tent.

"That's what I'm trying to say, darling. If Equestria simply relaxed about its unnecessarily rigid gender coding, then my business could double by the time we get back!"

"Oh, I don't think it's quite that simple, Rarity," Fluttershy said. "As much as we'd all wish it to be."

"I beg to differ, Fluttershy! Why—back in Ponyville—I personally knew at least three stallions who would gladly have bought themselves dresses if only their families and close friends were more understanding—"

Fluttershy perked up, looking Rainbow's way. "Oh! You're up!"

"Hmmm?" Interrupted, Rarity turned around. "Ah! Rainbow!"

Fluttershy flew into the tent with a warm smile. "Good morning, Rainbow Dash! Well..." She giggled delicately. "As close as we can ever get to a morning over here."

"A pleasure to see you awake, dear." Rarity floated in as well. "Did you have nice dreams?"

Rainbow Dash sat up, rubbing her head with a tense expression.

Rarity's smile faded. "Oh. Oh dear..."

"It... wasn't a nightmare, was it?" Fluttershy asked.

"... ... ..." Rainbow's head icily turned towards Fluttershy. After a contemplative pause, she murmured: "A nightmare." She breathed. "They came from nightmares."

Rarity and Fluttershy exchanged confused glances.

"Erm..." Rarity leaned forward with a dainty hoof. "Are you feeling quite alright, darling? Do you need to rest it off a little bit more?"

"I... don't think now's a good time." Rainbow rubbed her head some more. "They're still reeling from... from..."

"Rainbow...!" Fluttershy pointed.

Rarity and Rainbow followed her gesture. That's how they discovered that the Element of Loyalty was glowing. The little lightning bulb pulsed with ruby energy... and slowly faded.

"Huh..." Rainbow nodded. "...so Luna's spell is still strong." A side snicker. "Awesome."

"What... do you mean, Rainbow?"

"What I mean is..." Rainbow stretched her neck and wings. She stared off into the twilight beyond her friends. "...I think somepony's been trying to contact me the last few weeks of sleep. Only now... I've finally gotten close enough for it all to make sense. Well... most of it."

"Well, would you care to explain it to us?" Rarity made a face. "We'd like to make sense of it too."

"First thing's first." Rainbow hopped up and trotted briskly out of the tent. "Breakfast. I'm friggin' famished."

Rarity and Fluttershy merely shrugged at one another as they were dragged after their anchor by a ruby force field.

In My Restless Dreams

"They werre... talking to you?" Kepler remarked.

"Mrmmfff... mmhmmm..." Rainbow Dash nodded while enjoying a bowl of mushroom-and-beet stew. She took another sip of the broth and looked up at the gathered Herald. Her ghostly companions had all "woken" and hovered alongside her at the campsite. "In Moonwhinny too." She swallowed. "I heard a 'H'Luun' somewhere in there. And... I think I heard the lunar word for 'Celestia.' But it wasn't until I started talking like normal—like how you and I talk—that they began speaking recognizably. They called it the 'Penumbral tongue' and proceeded to address me."

"So..." Flynn tapped an Emeraldianian sword-tip to his chin in between pacing. "...it was all weird gibberish until halfway through the encounter?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"So... it was just a crazy-ass dream, most likely," Flynn said. "I mean, you've got the midnighters on the mind—what with the Bloodwings and all. Most likely you just... brain farted it all up."

Seraphimus calmly joined in: "The leader of this expedition is nothing if not conscientious. It would make sense that her anxious mind would produce such a scenario."

"Heeeeeeey..." Rainbow smiled into her breakfast. "Really snazzy of you to compliment me, Sera! But you're still wrong." She took another sip of her soup. "Mrmmfff... you too, Flynn. Sorry, guys, but I really honestly thing this is the real deal."

"She's tellin' the truth!" Applejack said loudly. "As far as she knows it!"

Twilight and the others looked at Applejack weirdly.

"Erm... pardon..." Applejack's freckles swam in a brief blush. "Forgot they can't hear me worth a peep. Guess I just get a mite bit passionate at times."

"It's okay, Applejack," Fluttershy said, smiling.

"Aside from the random moonwhinny dialogue..." Flynn paced closer to Rainbow Dash. "...did they tell you anything you don't already know?" He arched an eyebrow over his remaining socket. "That is... did you discover anything you couldn't have imagined on your lonesome?"

Rainbow swallowed her last morsel and shrugged, making a face. "How the heck should I know? I mean... I got the distinct feeling that they were trying to drag information out of me." She gestured. "I didn't give them anything, mind you. Nothing short of..." Her ruby eyes rolled. "...a super lame 'I'M ON A MISSION OF HARMONY' crud. Yeesh... if this was a dream that I had control over, I'm pretty sure things would go more awesomely."

"I hate to say it, Rainbow..." Logan sighed, shaking his head. "But that's not convincing enough. Unless you've got anything to give us, it really just sounds likes a normal-ass dream."

"But what if it's not?" Ariel asked, looking up at the others. "What if she's not mistaken—and our leader really is being tracked by the Bloodwings through the dreamworld?"

Seraphimus groaned, pivoting to face the twilight. "How did I know she would take that stance...?"

Ariel frowned. "It means that the Bloodwings could very possibly know where we are! And if that's the case, it doesn't matter how close we are to either the Great Ocean or their Lair! They could hunt us dead within a heartbeat!"

Wildcard nodded, then gestured: "It is a very credible threat."

"Is it?" Flynn looked towards Rainbow Dash. "I thought only Princess Luna could dreamwalk. And—even still—she's limited to a range that covers your home kingdom of Equestria."

"Do you remember any instances in Equestrian lore where midnighters could do the Dreamwalk shit?" Logan asked.

"First off... they're called 'sarosians' back where I'm from," Rainbow Dash said. "Second of all..." Her nostrils flared. "No. I don't remember any instances of them being able to explore other ponies' dreams like Luna."

"Well..." Flynn gestured. "...there you have it."

"However..." Rainbow Dash stood up. "Sarosians aren't like any other natural equines." She looked at each member of the Herald. "They were fashioned from the dreamworld. In fact, Luna tells me that they were foaled into existence along with 'the very first nightmare.'" She slowly shook her head. "None of us would be dreaming today hadn't Princess Luna discovered them. Whether she can dreamwalk into the minds of all ponies existing across the plane or not, it doesn't change the fact that every living thing owes it to sarosians for having dreams in the first place!"

"Hmmmm..." Kepler stroked his chin. "...if the fabrric of nightmarres is the sourrce frrom which all physical incarrnations of sarrosians hail, then it stands to rreason that they might have some innate connection to drreams. Something—perrhaps—that could be tapped into thrrough the dedicated utilization of lunarr magic."

"So... what...?" Flynn shrugged. "They've got a cabal of dream monks or something?"

"Think about it." Kepler smiled through his tusks. "If therre's any chance whatsoeverr that drreams could be used as a means of extending some sorrt of telepathic vision, then it might give them an edge in monitorring theirr adverrsarries in the Trrinarry Warr."

"Sounds like the ultimate reconaissance," Seraphimus remarked.

"Maybe that's the 'edge' that Abaddon was talking about," Logan said. "The thing that this psychotic 'Lexxic' is using to outsmart his enemies."

Ariel's muzzle scrunched. "I thought he was just way more brutal and violent than the Bloodwing generals who came before him."

Wildcard interjected with slicing talon-tips: "Can we honestly expect a pony like that to have mastered dream walking in a single life time?"

"Good point, Double-Yoo," Logan said nodding.

Seraphimus craned her neck in Rainbow's direction. "Didn't you say that all of the equine figures you observed in your vision were female?"

Rainbow nodded. "Right. But that doesn't surprise me very much. Both the sarosians of Equestria and the flock of Xarchellus are matriarchal socities." She cleared her throat. "I... uh... was sorta expecting the same from the Dark Vigil."

"I am not debating that," Seraphimus said. "But if your dream has any merit to it, then it shows us that Lexxic is not in charge of this proposed telepathic ability."

"But I thought he was the one in charge?" Ariel remarked. "Leading the Bloodwings against the Changelings and the Night Shard?"

"Evidently it is a far more complicated matter than we had previously ascertained," Seraphimus said. "All the more reason to avoid the Bloodwings altogether." She said this with a sharp glare added for emphasis.

Rainbow sighed. "I thought I already made it clear." She gestured. "Our prime goal right now is to find the Dihmers—or reach the Grand Ocean. Whichever comes first." She shook her head. "I really don't wanna butt heads with sarosians right now... especially ones who love to torture and pay visits to one's head in the middle of the night."

"This... of course..." Flynn remarked. "...is assuming it wasn't just some random, crazy-ass dream—"

Rainbow interrupted: "It's not the first time I had it, Flynn."

Both the Herald and Rainbow's friends gave her a double-take.

"It's not...?" Ariel remarked.

Rainbow shook her head. "It's a bit fuzzy... but I remember having this dream long ago. Before we even set out from Spindler-Town." She looked at the others. "It wasn't as clear or real as this vision was... but I distinctly recall images of leather wings and fangs against a canvas of stars." A gulp. "I think they've been trying to contact me for a while... and only now are they having success."

"But you scared them off, right?" Pinkie remarked.

Rainbow held a hoof to her pendant. "Pinkie Pie makes a valid point." She summoned a ruby glow before the Heraldites. "One of the figures in the dream tried tackling me. They came within the width of a feather, and the light from my pendant knocked them back."

"What do you suppose that means?" Ariel asked.

"Ach!" Kepler adjusted his spectacles. "Prrincess Luna's blessing!"

"So it can protect you?" Logan remarked. "Her enchantment thingy wields power even on the Dark Side?"

"Well... just enough for it to work in the dreamworld, at least," Rainbow Dash said. "I... don't know if it'll have any real-life effect if any Bloodwings should come streaking our way."

Wildcard hand-signed: "It certainly helped us back at Bleak's Plummet."

"Can we really expect to be so lucky?" Flynn remarked.

"Expect? Negative." Seraphimus shook her head. "It is most frugal to plan for the worse."

"Heh..." Flynn scratched the back of his neck. "I'm actually with you on that one, Death Turkey."

Seraphimus ignored that. "In the meantime, this could serve to prove something alarming." She looked at the others. "If these midnighters—"

"Sarosians," Ariel groaned.

"If the midnighters of this realm possess telepathic knowledge, and they're manifesting themselves more clearly in your leader's dreams, then it stands to reason that proximity is their ally." Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes hardened. "Despite what the dragon stone indicates, we are likely getting far closer to their lair than is safe. I would strongly suggest altering course to move closer to the Curve."

"We've been over that before, girl," Logan said firmly. "If we stick to the stream, we'll be out in the open." He pointed at the low ravine walls running a serpentine path towards Omega. "These craggy niches—however? They provide ample cover."

Seraphimus sighed. "... ... ...I don't particularly enjoy the hazards we are forcing this journey through."

"Welcome to the Dark Side." Logan smirked. Standing up with a grunt, he paced across the camp site. "Whelp... that was a breakfast in a half. I'd suggest we pack up before I get farting—or else we'll lose time."

"And we'll have to smell it," Ariel grumbled. "Flynn?"

"Sure, I'll lend a hoof."

Wildcard joined in. Soon Kepler, Seraphimus, and Logan were moving to their stations as well.

Rainbow wasted no time in packing her things. "Guess... in the meantime... I'll just quit sleeping!"

Several members of the Herald chuckled. Not Seraphimus, of course.

Rainbow Dash smirked.

"Doesn't this put you on edge, darling?" Rarity remarked, floating up close and wringing her fetlocks. "Just... the idea of such terrible creatures spying on you in your dreams! Brbrbrrbrbrrrr..."

"Not like they can do anythang to Rainbow!" Applejack stated. "She's got Lunar's spell protectin' her!"

"In the dreamworld, perhaps," Rarity stated. "But if they were to track her and her friends down in reality?"

"The Dashie will just have to give them the good ol' One-Two!" Pinkie charaded several martial arts moves. "Hi-YAAAA!"

"Heh..." Applejack tipped her hat. "Nothin' freaky could ever phase you, eh, Pinkie?"

"Yeah. Good thing Dashie's the one who can actually buck teeth in!"

"I'm still lost..." Fluttershy fidgeted as she and the others followed Rainbow as she packed her things. "If this is a real situation we're having to deal with... just how did the sarosians of the Dark Vigil learn to do what only Princess Luna could do on the Light Side?"

"Hmmmmm..." Twilight's muzzle scrunched in deep thought. She looked over. "Hey Rainbow."

"Hey egghead."

"Remember when Luna was telling us what she knew about the Dark Vigil?" Twilight thought out loud. "The ponies who performed their Exodus over to the World's Edge had several Nightmare Moon artifacts with them."

"Yeah, that's right." Applejack nodded. "They had Nightmare Moon's duds!"

"Her armor, don't you mean," Rarity collected.

"That's what I said!" Applejack tilted her head up. "Armored duds!"

"Didn't they also have something else?" Pinkie's nose wriggled. "The Book of Starch?"

"The Book of Saros," Twilight corrected.

"Eh! Close enough!"

"Those sound like very important artifacts," Fluttershy said. "Do you suppose that—through some sort of lunar magic—those things could have helped the Bloodwings master dreamwalking?"

"If they did..." Rarity blinked. "...how come they haven't completely conquered their foes?"

Pinkie Pie shrugged. "Maybe the changelings and Night Shard don't dream? We heard that the Night Shard are older than anyone else."

"I think... the Night Shard are powered by something that goes beyond dreaming, Pinkie," Twilight said. "If you ask me—I think the Bloodwings dreamwalk to maintain control over their troops."

"Makes sense," Applejack said. "The Dark Side's pretty huge... and there're loads of battlegrounds between here and the Midnight Armory—most likely. Seein' as how the land's too plum dangerous for carrier pigeons and the like, a sort of dream messagin' would come in mighty handy!"

"Just how do we avoid a faction of ponies like that?" Fluttershy remarked, trembling.

"Hrmmmmm..." Rainbow sighed. "We don't, Fluttershy."

Her friends shuddered upon hearing that.

"I don't care what Flynn or Sera think." Rainbow looked up darkly from where she was packing her things. "Whether we want to or not... we are going to run into these punks." Her wings coiled. "It's just a matter of time."

"I... don't really look forward to that prospect," Rarity exhaled.

"Whatever," Rainbow muttered. "Between you and me, girls?" She tightened a bag of blankets and tent material. "I wouldn't mind having something to kick between the eyes sooner than later." She heaved the item over her flank and flew towards the center of camp. "Come on. Let's get this show on the road."

Hop, Skip, and Jump

It felt to Rainbow Dash as though the group was making swift speed, but that was probably an illusion. The erratic rockscapes of the world—the miniature canyons and sporadic ravines—made for far greater detail and variety than the travelers had experienced over the past few weeks. Every hour, it felt as though everypony was passing more and more unique formations and structures. At every turn, there was yet another stone promontory or limestone mass of stalagmites to navigate around. If it weren't for Axan's dragonstone—and Rainbow's magical detection of the Midnight Armory—they would very easily have gotten lost in that petrified labyrinth beneath the stars.

Although the steam had dissipated, the air was still moist. Liquid was quite prominent here, babbling in miniature patches of springs and winding brooks. The sloping river of thin water situated Curveside to the ravines had evidently grown into a series of shallow rapids. The group could tell from the constant sound of rushing water in the air, and Rarity confirmed it to Rainbow Dash beyond sight. Rainbow specifically requested that the group keep low to the ground—just below the summit of the ravines and rock structures that they were threading through. Safety was the utmost priority, and with Fluttershy constantly detecting life forms all about, there simply was no telling when or if a flock of sarosians might get the drop on them.

This made the travel especially tense—not to mention claustrophobic. With the chaotic empowerment of Flynn's "Hoverplank," Rainbow Dash had to carefully plot her movement. There was no luxury of flying high above the vehicle, so she either had to lag far behind it or keep a grand distance before—taking point and spotting the environment for hazards. Rainbow preferred the latter task, but it was no walk in the park... even with Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie assisting her.

Then—of course—there were those anxious moments when the expedition had to halt completely...

"Now?" Rainbow Dash hissed.

Fluttershy shook her head.

Rainbow squirmed. Ariel and Wildcard perched not that far from her. The trio lay flat atop a miniature butte overlooking a break in the rocky forest. A patch of mud and water lay before them in an elliptical shape, bubbling from underneath with unseen menace.

"How about now...?" Rainbow Dash repeated a few minutes later.

Fluttershy shook her head again—more emphatically this time. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie looked on with nervous expressions.

Ariel glanced at Rainbow Dash, then back at the patch of mud. Wildcard remained still. Calm. Silent.

Suddenly, the bubbling beneath the mud intensified. The body of liquid was shifting like living molasses.

"Guhhhhhhhh...!" Pinkie Pie's withers shook, and goosebumps formed all along her neck and face.

Fluttershy gulped. "Okay..." She pointed. "...it's moving now."

Something shifted amidst the muck. Wildcard and Ariel shifted—but Rainbow held a hoof out to steady them. Together, the three remained low and concealed as—

"Hrskkkkkkkkkkkkkkshhhhh!!!" A guttural growl rippled through the twilight. The group watched as one head emerged... then a second... then a third and a fourth. Long serpentine necks burst out from the muck, and a huge hulking body rose from beneath it. A beast with the girth of a whale ascended. Mud and grime coated its upper scales, but the lower half of the gigantic reptile's body was far cleaner—streaming with liquid. At last, as it stepped clearly onto stone land, a pair of dragontails lashed left and right, shaking moisture off and raining drops down onto the Herald hidded further towards Alpha.

"Holey moley!" Pinkie Pie chirped, eyes wide. "A hydra!" She gawked at the rest of her friends. "It dug all the way here from Equestria to hunt us!"

"This isn't the same thing we ran from in Equestria, Pinkie," Twilight said, shaking her head. "It's native to this place."

"Mmmmhmmmm..." Rarity nodded.

"Shucks..." Applejack grimaced. "You mean to tell me that hydras live here as well?!"

"For all we know, they probably come from this place," Twilight Sparkle said. "Most taxonomists in the Equestrian school of biology have long scratched their heads over the relation hydras have to all other known creatures. If its origins are in the furthest reaches of Urohringr..."

"So, what?" Rarity's muzzle scrunched as she eyed the ghastly creature. "Its species crossed the Edge somehow?"

"Or... there were planes of Urohringr on both sides that housed hydras," Twilight remarked with a shrug. "Who knows where they ever first came from." She glanced at the others. "Who knows where the first pegasi ever first came from."

"Land's sakes..." Applejack fanned herself with her ghost hat. "The world as we know just keeps gettin' smaller and smaller..."

In the meantime, Ariel peeped, "Do you know what it is, Rainbow?"

"Hmmmm?" Rainbow blinked, as if suddenly remembering that the other half of her friends couldn't hear or see the first half. "Oh. Uhm..." She kept her voice low as she gestured at the lumbering beast. "Back home in Equestria, we call it a 'hydra.'"

Wildcard did a double-take, his goggles glinting in the starlight.

"You mean you've met this sort of a thing before?!" Ariel hissed.

"Yeah." Rainbow smirked. "I kicked one's butt just west of Windthrow."

Twilight made a face. "Wait... you fought a hydra before?"

"Woohooo!" Pinkie pumped a hoof. "Go Dashie!"

"And... uhm..." Rainbow fidgeted slightly. "One of these things nearly ate a bunch of my friends back in Equestria." She squinted at the beast as it made its muddy way through the ravine, towards Omega. "It's pretty darn dangerous. But—with all of its heads put together—it's still really friggin' dumb. Pegasi like you and me could easily outfly it. Same with Jordan and Sera."

"I... just..." Ariel squirmed. "I-I didn't know that such weird creatures existed all the way in Equetria."

"Oh! Girl, we've got tons of weird crap back home!" Rainbow smirked to herself. "Most of them in thanks to the Everfree Forest alone. Like... manticores—Keps' big brothers—they're abundant in the wilderness. Also in Ledomare." She smoothed her bangs back. "Ursa Majors... giant bears made out of stardust... not quite so fun to deal with." She tongued the inside of her muzzle. "Mmmmmm... those weird things that are half snake and half rooster."

"Cockatrices," Fluttershy corrected.

"Watch your language, Flutters."

Turquoise eyes blinked. "What."

Wildcard gestured: "The beast seems at home in a place like this."

"Yeah..." Ariel bit her lip. "For all we know, they must spawn here like jackrabbits."

"If that was true, we would have run into waaaaaaay more of them by now," Rainbow said. "Nah... something's keeping the population in check... if not nearly extinct."

Wildcard nodded. He gestured again: "The Bloodwings."

"The moment we find this place completely empty and barren of life..." Rainbow stretched her wings. "...that's when we'll know we have ventured too friggin' close to the Dark Vigil's territory." She flapped her wings and hovered slightly above the ground. "Come on. Let's keep track of the thing."

"It... seems to be taking its sweet time," Ariel said, hovering alongside the mare. "What do we do if it sticks around?"

"The only thing we can do." Rainbow sighed. "...we wait it out."

Wildcard gestured in mid-hover: "The rest of the Herald will not be thrilled."

"We didn't come here to be thrilled, Jordan."

Ariel squinted at Rainbow. "Do you really believe that?"

"No." Rainbow shook her head. "But it's kept us alive so far." She coasted forward in a slow glide. "Come on. Keep your eyes open..."

The Element of Twang

The Herald continued their voyage towards Omega. As they traveled, the rock structures grew more and more erratic. The ravines and granite forests had become a nebulous blur of topographical randomness, and Rainbow refused to ask Kepler where he had "reached" in his journal, for fear that she would discover that far more time had passed than was rationally expected.

While the earth below remained moist and muddy, the sound of trickling water dissipated in the distance. Flynn guessed that the path they were taking through the rocky niches had spread apart from the shallow rapids that they had sensed previously. Rarity confirmed this—more or less. The only way to figure out just how distant the branching paths indeed were involved taking flight and observing the matter from high above. Rainbow wasn't about to risk that anytime soon, no matter how much her stalwart griffin companions insisted.

The Dragon Stone was flickering brighter and brighter. What was more—upon every opportunity Rainbow Dash took to sleep—she felt as if she was being watched. More than twice she woke up with the sensation of something breathing down her neck. Fluttershy couldn't detect any living thing stalking the expedition, and Twilight wasn't sensing any magical spells in proximity of the moving camp.

Rainbow had to accept the fact that—one way or another—they were being tracked by something or somepony. Whoever this entity was, it wasn't harrassing her dreams like it had that one dramatic occasion. Instead, it was holding back... laying low... keeping quiet and observing.

Rainbow wasn't about to keep her mind and imagination horrendously stale in some futile attempt to bore this spy out of keeping watch. Besides, every time she allowed her mind to wander, it came back to the very same obsessive pattern...

The expedition had paused for a meal break. Flynn parked the hovercraft at a distance while Wildcard and Ariel took turns keeping watch of the Omega side of their temporary camp. Logan and Seraphimus huddled closer towards Alpha.

Rainbow sat lonesomely between two stalagmites. The rocky spires pierced the twilight above her, throwing shadows into tranquil blue sheen. Her meal lay in a bowl—half eaten and cold.

Rainbow's appetite had dwindled, replaced instead with a dull and obsessive stupor. Hunched over, she used the tip of an Emeraldinian sword to carve a series of randomly-positioned half-circles into the soft, pliable mud beneath her.

A few meters away, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were obsessing over geological patterns in the nearest canyon wall. This was somehow interesting enough to draw the rest of Rainbow's marefriends away from their anchor. Rainbow briefly pondered how monotonous the current leg of her journey had become for barren rock to produce such a riveting experience for her friends. If nothing else, it gave Pinkie Pie an excuse to giggle and wax poetic over her older sister's past geological anecdotes.

Rainbow—however—was far more enthralled by the curves she was sketching into the muddy earth... even if she couldn't tell where the pattern began or ended... or how it measured up to being a "pattern" in the first place. Every time she added a half-circle with the sword tip, it appeared out of place... and yet it belonged all the same. It bothered her and mesmerized her all the same.

In such a trance was she—wings coiled tight and muzzle agape—that she barely flinched when a tall serpentine figure with antlers slinked in close and bent over her for a good look at the muddy mosaic.

"Hrmmmm..." Discord scratched his hairy chin. "...maybe... just maybe... an ancient race of godlike primates tossed their toenail clippings up into the air and sanctified their fall!" He grinned, his pronounced fang glinting in the twilight. "The progenitors of Urohringr were foot fetishists!"

Rainbow Dash breathed in heavily and exhaled through her nostrils.

"Oh, like your precious hooves are so much cuter." For emphasis, he plucked his one equine limb off and flailed it about dramatically. "I only have one and that's enough clop for my tastes." Discord snapped it back on, did a back-flip, and floated like a lazy feather down onto the earth beside Rainbow's pattern. "So, Sparky, whatchadoinnnnnnn'?"

Rainbow's ears flicked. "... ... ...it's never the same thing twice."

"I knowwwww..." Discord's red-on-yellow eyes shimmered. "...isn't it great? So wild! So chaotic!" He winked. "There's a reason why 'erratic' and 'erotic' are almost honononononononyms."

"But... if it's always so crazily different..." Rainbow's lips pursed. "...why am I so fixated on drawing it as if it's a solid image in my head?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Discord stifled a yawn. "You've always had a better half, Sparky. A screwball random half." He rubbed the back of his talon and pretended to examine it up close. "Guess it just took an adrenalized injection of spidery spider-ness to tug it out of you."

"What... does it mean...?"

"Ah yes. The million diaper question." He squinted at her. "Have you ever once stopped to think that maybe—just maybe—life is one big bubbling soda bottle without a giant cork of logic waiting out there somewhere to hold it all in?" He smirked. "To exist is to want. But if you always receive an answer... then what remains the point of existing?"

"It's..." Rainbow sighed, leaning on the weight of the sword as it pierced the soft mud. "...it's just so confusing."

"You want my advice?" Discord spread his forelimbs wide. "Embrace it!" His asymmetrical wings flapped as he did a forward-flip over her. "Bounce everywhere! Explode every second you get! Take it from an immortal, Sparky..." He did a pirouette and struck a very familiar, haughty pose. "...don't spend your days stuck in sense... or else you risk becoming a statue." He squinted down at her with a mischievous grin. "But... then again... we both know what you do to stone statues."

Rainbow Dash bit her lip.

"Is that... guilt I detect?" Discord snorted. "Oh poor... poor Sparky! And to think I almost had hope for you...!"

As he was speaking, one of Rainbow's marefriends floated closer. Discord immediately began dissipating.

"Wuh oh! Something freckled this way comes!" Discord fizzled out of existence. "Zoop!"

Just as he vanished, Applejack floated into speaking distance. "Whew... you could listen to Pinkie go on and on all day!" She straightened her hat, smirking. "Praise Celestia we didn't have her sister Maud stuck with you as well! We'd be hearin' absolutely nothin' but rock-squawkin' for whole weeks! Heheheh... almost makes you wonder why it was Rarity who got the structure-sensin' abilities and such..."

"Yeah..." Rainbow Dash nodded, staring listlessly into the series of half-circles carved into the mud.

Applejack blinked at her. She gazed at an empty space beside her anchor. Not long after, the farm mare weathered a breathy sigh. With a flick of her ghostly tail, she hovered around until she face Rainbow Dash directly. "Rainbow... sugarcube... would you terribly mind if I asked you somethin'?"

"Anything, AJ," Rainbow mumbled.

Applejack's eyes hardened. "Why do you keep talkin' to him?"

"...!" Rainbow Dash looked up, eyes snapping to the freckled mare.

Applejack gazed back calmly. Patiently.

Rainbow opened her muzzle... hesitated... and ultimately winced. "How... long h-have you known...?"

"Me?" Applejack almost snorted. "Reckon I've always known. Frankly, I'm plum surprised the rest of the gals haven't figured it out." She floated into a midair "sitting" position and sighed. "Guess I shouldn't be so shocked that he's managed to squirrel his way into your company when the rest of us ain't noticin'. Different sides of the harmonic spectrum and all that nonsense..."

"I can make him leave whenever I want—"

"But ya dun? Do ya?" Applejack's brow furrowed. "Why not? Why even give him the light of day, Rainbow?" She almost rolled her eyes. "Y'know what I mean..."

"I..." Rainbow Dash winced. She avoided the mare's gaze. "...I don't know."

"Come on, Rainbow..." Applejack breathed. "Even Apple Bloom knows she can't get away with that kind of fibbin' when she's around me."

Biting her lip, Rainbow stammered: "He's... he's... a unique... mmmm... perspective on chaos—"

"He's the reason we all died, remember?!"

"No..." Rainbow suddenly frowned, pointing at the pendant around her neck. "This is the reason you all died! This is the frickin' reason for everything!"

Applejack's muzzle hung agape. "Are you actually defendin' him, Rainbow...?!?"

Rainbow fumed... fumed... then drooped with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Applejack. He just shows up when he wants to and... and the things he has to say... at times it's almost—"

"He's a dag-blame'd trouble-maker, Rainbow," Applejack said. "He did nothin' but torment ponies and spit in the face of harmony! When Luna and Celestia turned him into stone, that no-good varmint got what was comin' to him! That's on account of how selfish and crazy and full-of-himself he is!" She waved a hoof. "And he always will be! Games and deceit—it's in his blood!"

"And it's in my blood too," Rainbow Dash muttered.

"Yeah? So? You ain't like him!" Applejack smiled tightly. "Yer stronger than that! At least... I thought you was..." She raised a sharp eyebrow. "After all you've been through... after all you've struggled with... you finally got us all back, Rainbow!"

"You're still friggin' spirits—"

"But the fact of the matter is you're not alone no more. You've got us to help you! To take care of you! To give you heaps of wisdom and good advice!" She slowly shook her head. "Why do you gotta listen to him even once? Huh? What's the one dastardly creep who done split us apart in the first place got to give you that we haven't got? Us! Yer friends..."

Rainbow's woesome eyes fell upon the muddy sea of half-circles. "...every step I take, Applejack, I only gain more and more questions. And in a place like this..." She gulped. "...harmony hasn't been providing many answers. Maybe... just maybe... I should be looking at other sources."

Applejack slowly shook her head. "T'ain't the 'Chaotic Prism' that we're moseyin' into the Midnight Armory to fetch... now is it?"

Rainbow Dash winced. Hard. She leaned over, burying her muzzle in her forelimbs. A heavy sigh, and she muttered: "I'm sorry, AJ..."

Applejack slowly nodded. "I know." She leaned her head to the side. "More than anythang, sugarcube, I want you to get through this whole mess safe and sound. Savin' the rest of us to boot would be mighty fine—of course—but you've gone for so long and done so much to throw it all away on some lousy dragonequus' shenanigans. You just... you just got to be careful." Her ears folded above a sympathetic face. "And please... for the lurve of Celestia... don't become a stranger to us. Not after all this time."

"I won't be, AJ." Rainbow Dash looked up. "I promise."

"And I'm sorry to get all mother hen on ya, sugarcube..."

"No. I... I-I needed it." Rainbow rubbed the back of her head. She threw a nervous look at Pinkie Pie and the rest of the girls in the distance. "You... uh..." She looked worriedly at Applejack. "Have you told the rest of the gals?"

Applejack shook her head. "Nope."

Rainbow breathed with relief.

"Though, reckon it'd be best not to leave 'em in the dark about it." Applejack sat tall and proud. "I won't say anythin' until after you decide to do so... if you do."

"Yeah. Thanks..." Rainbow ran a hoof through her own mane, smiling sheepishly at her friend. "Honest Applejack. What would I ever do without you?"

"Heh... depends..." Applejack smiled pleasantly. "You've got anythin' else to get off yer chest, darlin'?"

"... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..."

Applejack blinked. Her bright emerald eyes reflected a frozen pegasus. At long last, she stirred curiously.

"... ... ... ... ... ...ahem..." Rainbow swallowed a lump down her throat. Using the sword like a cane, she stood up and made for the furthest end of the camp. "I'd better go check on how the others are doing."

Applejack stared after her, ears twitching. "Right. Not a bad idea, sugarcube..." Her lips pursed in thought...

It's Only a Bloodbath

The pony said nothing. No response whatsoever. Using his bloodied spear as a makeshift cane, the shaved specimen trotted halfway across the starlit belly of the ravine. At one point he stopped, standing directly over a narrow black fissure. Leaning down, he pressed his pierced ear to the fractured earth. His dull gray eyes narrowed, and he somehow became even more still, resembling the stone walls encompassing the petrified domain.

At this point, Wildcard and Seraphimus had lowered their guard. They stood tall and calm—albeit still alert. Flynn, Ariel, and Rainbow Dash closed in. Soon, all five of the travelers were gawking at the scene being played out... even if the scene had been reduced to still-life.

"What..." Pinkie Pie tilted her head until her ghostly body was upside down. "...is it doing?"

"Pinkie..." Twilight chided, although she looked no less dumbfounded. "We're looking at a pony just like you and me." She nevertheless gulped as she continued: "Please call him a 'he.'"

"If that's a 'he'..." Rarity was cringing all over. "I-I shudder to think of what an 'it' looks like!"

"Fluttershy!" Applejack hissed, more out of concern than anger. "How come ya didn't sense this feller just now?"

"I-I'm sorry...!" Fluttershy stifled a whimper. "There's life all around us in this ravine! Also, it's... it's l-like he knows h-how to play dead!"

"Play dead?" Applejack stammered.

"I... I can't explain it. But what he's d-doing right now...?" She pointed at his crouching, silent figure. "...it's somehow m-making it very hard to feel his presence."

"It's okay, Fluttershy," Twilight murmured.

"I'm so sorry. I feel so useless—"

"Shhhhh..." Twilight patted Fluttershy's shoulder. "Relax. It's not your fault." Her eyes darted towards Rainbow. "None of us quite know what we're dealing with..."

Rainbow looked from Twilight to the stranger. She blinked, then glanced curiously towards the opposite rock walls of the ravine. Inspired, she raised a hoof to her neck and rubbed the lightning bolt of her pendant.

A ruby light shone across the narrow canyon. After a few seconds, three more sets of eyes reflected Rainbow's glowing Element. There were more equines hiding in the flanking niches of the ravine.

"Guhhh!" Ariel flinched yet again. Rarity and Fluttershy mimicked how startled she was.

At this point, the hovercraft had been parked. Kepler glided in, followed by Logan and his heavy hoofsteps.

"The buck is all this shit...?" Logan leaned anxiously on his axe. "Nudist colony of the damned?"

"Not now, fatso." Flynn took a brave step towards the equines hiding amongst the rocks. "Uhm... hi. Hi there...!" He waved a bandaged hoof. "We're ponies! Well... most of us are."

Wildcard beak-palmed.

"You're ponies too...!" Flynn clenched his teeth. "I think..." He coughed. "Needless to say, you're the first ponies we've met from—" His good eye darted towards Rainbow. "From... uhhhh..."

Rainbow stepped in beside him. "From a long way's away. Would you..." Her head cocked to the side. "...happen to be Dihmers?"

Suddenly, the stallion kneeling above the fissure moved. He inhaled rapidly, filling his lungs with enough air to utter in a droning, emotionless voice: "It hungers."

Several of the Heralds' heads turned.

Kepler adjusted his spectacles. "I beg yourr parrdon...?"

A whistling sound, and now the stallion stood back, gesturing in the air. "It lures."

The ponies hiding among the rocks crouched low, brandishing stone weaponry.

"It is ready."

"It is ready."

"It is ready..."

There was no telling how many voices had murmured just then. Rainbow's ruby glow faded as she and her friends looked nervously around.

"Uhhhh... guys...?" Ariel's wingtips stretched out. "Are we going to do anything about the fact that we're surrounded?"

"We do not appear to be their primary concern," Seraphimus said.

Wildcard gestured: "Something is about to happen."

"Yeah, no shit..." Logan backed up nervously, brandishing his spear.

At that precise moment, the stallion in the center of the ravine had repositioned his spear vertically with the tip-of-skewered-salamanders pointed down. Then, holding his breath, he shoved the barbed weapon down into the narrow fissure with icy grace—meat and all. He held it there, puncturing the earth, and waited stone-still. Soon, there was a tremor... a sentient vibration from underneath.

Fluttershy's eyes widened. She looked towards Rainbow Dash with a pleading expression.

"Back—!" Rainbow Dash yelped. She grabbed the closest pony she could—Ariel—and flung the two of them away from the shaking earth. "Everypony back—!"

"The ground's splitting—!" Rarity began, but couldn't finish.

CRACKKKK!

A body of luminescent scales and claws came bursting up out of the floor of the ravine. Wide jaws—like those of a crocodile's—clamped around the spear and its bait. Within the next few milliseconds, a thrashing torso and four sets of legs protruded as well. The hissing beast shook wildly at the spear within its biting mouth, and the pony that had been holding onto the weapon flew off—landing several feet away with practiced grace.

In the meantime—

Thw-Thw-Thwisssh!

—five of his companions dove in from their hiding spots within the canyon walls. Their bodies were pale streaks of fur-less flesh in the dismal twilight. Within a blink, three of them had stabbed the beast from opposite sides, pinning it into place.

"HRSSSSSSSSH!!!" The creature bucked and thrashed. Its arms pushed against the earth as it tried to slither back down into its burrow—but to no avail.

"My starrs and garrterrs—" Kepler managed to get out. Logan yanked him by his scorpion tail, making room for the last two equines who charged in. Both were dragging massive cleavers fashioned out of what looked like portions of an enormous jawbones, fitted with stone-barbed teeth. Without shouting, they leapt up and came down with the full weight of their weapons.

TH-THWACCCK!

The cleavers slammed lengthwise across the neck of the crocodilian beast. A geyser of black blood billowed from its neck, and the creature jerked in place. There was a squealing sound from deep within as several organs were ruptured. Then—after a few twitching spasms—the half-protruded monster lay still.

The Herald watched in curious, dismal silence. Wildcard's goggles reflected a pool of blood spreading, coagulating, reflecting twilight.

The hairless ponies had hardly broken a sweat. One came marching through the fresh puddle of blood. Whether it was a male or a female, Rainbow couldn't currently tell from her vantage point. She watched as the equine slithered up, pressed its ear against the dormant neck of the beast, then lay still.

Silence.

And then...

"It sustains," the pony said.

"It sustains."

"It sustains."

"It sustains." The others echoed.

With identical movements, they retreated into the fissures along the edges of the canyon. In the next blink, they marched back, dragging enormous saddlebags and satchels. The glint of metal kissed the air as the group produced numerous rusted blades and scalpels and saws. They swiftly went to work around the husk of the creature, stabbing and carving and chiseling their way into its freshly-bleeding flesh.

"Mmmmm...!" Fluttershy had to cover her muzzle with a ghostly hoof.

Rarity comforted her while Twilight floated up to their anchor. "I... uh..." She gulped. "I think this is definitely them."

"Which them?"

"Not the Bloodwing them." Twilight glanced aside. "Or else we'd be dead by now, don't you think?"

"They could have attacked us just as easily," Rainbow said. "Even with your girls' senses by my side, it wouldn't have helped us whatsoever."

"Yeah!" Pinkie nodded breathily. "I didn't feel a thing! Honest!"

"Reckon whoever these ponies are..." Applejack pointed nervously at the bloody butchery being done in the middle of the ravine. "...they've been doin' what they've been doin' for a longggg time."

"It's almost like ballet," Rarity said, hugging a trembling Fluttershy. "A bloody... barbaric ballet."

Fluttershy whimpered.

"Shhhh." Rarity patted her back. "Yes, I know... I know..."

"We... uh..." Rainbow looked at her friends—both ghostly and not. "We should probably try talking to them."

"I don't think they want anything to do with us," Ariel hissed.

"Clearly," Seraphimus muttered. "Nevertheless, they could prove useful."

Wildcard gestured: "Then let us talk to them."

"Perrhaps I should open converrsation with them?" Kepler remarked.

"I think Rainbow should talk to them," Flynn suggested.

"Why's Rainbow gotta do all the friggin' work?" Ariel frowned.

"I'll talk to them." Logan marched forward with a huff. "Here." He shoved the blunt end of his axe into Wildcard's startled grip. "Hrmmfff... friggin' pantywaists..." He approached the grotesque scene, stepping fetlock deep into fresh viscera. "...it's only a bloodbath."

It Came From Twilight

A vaporous column of ruby light was rising up from the center of the bloody corpse as Logan approached the shaved equines in the middle of their carving and skinning.

"Nice work there, buds," the large Heraldite remarked. He leaned on his axe, admiring the hoofwork of the rugged hunters. "We've known all along that there're creatures lurking underground and beneath the rocks... but we had no clue about how to actually lure them out for slaying."

None of the locals looked at him. They continued eviscerating the carcass of the beast and shoving wet heaps of meat into their leather bags. The air turned rank with the raw scent of death. Up above, the ruby light dwindled into the distance, bending Curveside and vanishing amidst the stars.

Logan cleared his throat and leaned in. "Let's get to the point. Are you flankholes the 'Dihmers' or not?"

A safe distance away, Ariel face-hoofed. Hard. "Big Show..."

Logan's brow furrowed as he gnashed his teeth: "We've been humping our butts off in search of you motherbuckers. A bunch of smart spiders called the 'Spindlers' told us that you might be hanging out in this part of the world." He gestured with his hoof. "Yo—is there a big friggin' Ocean around here or not?"

One pony droned to the others without taking her deadpan face away from the bloody task at hoof. "It talks."

"Yeah." Logan nodded. "It does." His eyes narrowed. "It also farts. So unless you wanna stick around for the paper mill, I suggest you answer our questions and then we'll be outta your hair..." He craned his neck as he studied their pale flesh. "...well, you know what I mean."

An older pony with a heavily-scarred face finished dumping a wad of meat into a satchel. "It speaks when it could be hunting," he spoke with a breathy tone, neither pleasant nor hostile. He dug his forelimbs deep into the hollow of the slain beast, pulling at loose intestines and body fat. "There is little time. Soon it incinerates. And then it clamors."

"Uhhhhh..." Logan blinked. "...yeah. That's one way to describe it."

"Then it moves to where it hunts." A mare hacked a piece of the beast's jawbone loose and used a flap of leathery skin to dry off her stained blade. "It sustains."

"It sustains."

"It sustains."

"It sustains." The others echoed.

Logan turned to look at the rest of the Herald. He gestured at the ponies with a dumb expression.

Wildcard shrugged back at him.

Seraphimus stood in silence, pondering.

"Hey... uh... we're not here to interrupt what you're doing or nothing..." Flynn stepped up beside Logan, wincing on account of his freshly-bandaged hoof. "But we're not from around here."

"And we're desperate for answers," Logan added.

Flynn nodded. "We've been told that the 'Dihmers' are ponies who have lived here for a long time." He pointed at himself and the others. "Well... we're not from around here!"

"It talks."

"It talks."

"It talks—"

Flynn raised the tone of his voice: "We're talking because we're trying to tell you guys something!" He pointed nebulously towards Edgeside. "We came from the other side of the world! The side of the world where there is light!"

"Penumbra," Twilight Sparkle said.

Rainbow Dash glanced at her.

"They might recognize that word!" Twilight suggested.

"Psssst... hey Flynn," Rainbow spoke. "Try 'Penumbra.'"

"Penumbra!" Flynn exclaimed. "You guys heard of that?! 'Penumbra!' 'Paradise!' The Land of Light!" He gestured at himself and the other Heraldites again. "That's where we're from!"

The butchering ponies merely chanted:

"It talks."

"It talks."

"It talks—"

"Come on!" Flynn growled, his balding head turning red in anger. "Are actually trying to troll us at this point or what—?"

"It fails," murmured one pony.

The others nodded, continuously digging into their prey.

"It fails."

"It fails."

"What...?" Flynn grimaced in abject confusion.

"A-ahem..." Kepler strolled up towards the center of the scene. "Perrhaps a differrent apprroach is in orrderr."

Logan nodded. "Knock yourself out, Keps."

Flynn shrugged and stepped back.

Smiling, Kepler leaned towards the group of hairless ponies. "It is a find catch you have there." He craned his neck. "It sustains?"

"It sustains."

"It sustains."

"It sustains."

"Quite." Kepler nodded. "It sustains because it hunts. Yes?"

"It hides," an elder said. "Then it feeds. Soon it returns in red."

Kepler's eyes scoured the sky. "It... sees." He chose his words carefully. "Does... it have a name?"

"It feeds and returns in red." A pony hacked and hacked and finally chopped an arm loose from the dead creature's body. "It sustains."

"It has a name," Kepler said, pointing at himself for emphasis. "My name is Keplerr. Keplerr is what I am called."

"It fails."

"Ach..." Kepler nodded with a smirk. "...but of courrse."

"Keps?" Logan looked over. "Have you de-gibbered their gibberish?"

"It is not quite gibberrish, my frriend," Kepler said, pacing around the bloody scene. "Rratherr, I do believe they arre employing a severre forrm of passive voice."

"Passive voice?"

"These ponies..." Kepler pointed. "...they do not speak possessively."

"All they're talking about is 'it,'" Flynn said. "Who is 'it'?"

"Anything and anyone they need it to be," Kepler explained. "It depends on the situation, perrhaps. It is too soon to tell for cerrtain. Howeverr..." He stroked his hairy chin. "...a pony with a prredilection forr Darrkstinian dialogue may be morre apt to underrstand them. I now have everry rreason to believe that these arre the ponies Chief Engineerr Ranorrt spoke of in his log."

"So..." Rainbow Dash stepped up. "They are the 'Dihmers.'"

"It would be the most logical conclusion," Kepler said with a nod.

Flynn gestured wildly. "Why the Hell won't they just refer to themselves?"

"Because they do not have selves," Seraphimus said.

The others looked at her.

Seraphimus spoke in a dull tone. "Living their entire existence in a place this grim... with no hope for light... with monsters and psychopaths plaguing them from every angle..." She slowly shook her head. "...it's a wonder they've remained sane at all."

"So... what...?" Flynn scratched his head, wincing. "...we stumbled upon a society of emo nihilist monks?"

"Flynn..." Ariel chided, hovering over towards the gathered group. "...have a little sympathy. Their society's had a lot of shit to deal with."

"Fine." Flynn nodded. "We just... gotta figure out how to talk by their standards, I guess."

"That..." Kepler fidgeted, glancing at the group of ponies. "... may be exceedingly difficult."

"Looked like you were understanding them for a minute there, Keps," Logan said.

"Only in the capacity to underrstand theirr possible mindset," Kepler explained. "Theirr lexicon—howeverr—is a differrent matterr."

Suddenly, all of the emaciated ponies froze—if only for a brief moment. They swiftly resumed their bloody task.

The Herald exchanged glances.

Wildcard gestured: "Did anyone else see that?"

"Yeah." Logan nodded. "They flinched."

Wildcard: "I think it was something Kepler said."

"A word they recognized?" Flynn asked.

"Quick, Keps!" Ariel leaned in. "Repeat what you just said!"

"Ach! You don't rrememberr it?"

Ariel shook her head. "I'm too busy being cute."

"I only rreferred to theirr..." Kepler's words trailed off.

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight and the rest of her friends. She slowly trotted towards the hairless ponies. "Lexxic. Do you guys know Lexxic?"

"It slays."

"It slays."

"It slays."

"Brbrbrbrbrbrrrr..." Rarity shivered, hovering close to Pinkie Pie. "That about says it all..."

It Came From Penumbra

"I think you're gettin' somewhere with these folks, Rainbow," Applejack said.

"Can you actually read these ponies?" Fluttershy asked her.

Applejack sighed. "Reckon it's... mighty hard."

"Why's that?" Pinkie asked.

Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash. "They ain't exactly like you and me. I'm sensin' purpose... will... but..." She slowly shook her head. "...no emotion. None whatsoever."

"Meh!" Pinkie frowned. "That's no fun!"

Rarity looked at her. "The Dark Side is far from fun, darling."

Rainbow glanced left... right... then paced around the ponies. "I would like to know more about 'Lexxic.' Lexxic of the Bloodwings.... if you've got anything to share—"

"It slays."

"It slays."

"It slays."

"Yeah. I get that." Rainbow's brow furrowed. "But where is he? Where does Lexxic normally hang out? Are we close to him? Are we in danger?"

"It slays."

"It slays."

"It slays."

Rainbow sighed. She glanced at the Herald... held an assuring hoof up... then twisted her muzzle to perform a melodramatic shout: "If you melon fudges don't tell me where Lexxic is this very instant, I'm gonna kick somepony's teeth in!"

"It fails."

"It fails."

"It fails."

"Ha-Hah!" Kepler grinned. "Trraining the parrrot, Rrainbow One!"

"Well..." Rarity smiled at Twilight. "...at least now we know their attitude concerning feelings."

"But... why are they like this?" Fluttershy remarked in a sad tone. "What could have happened to these generations of ponies to make them so... unfriendly?"

"There're more pressing things at the moment." Twilight looked at Rainbow. "Perhaps you should try and bring it down to their level."

Rainbow nodded back. With a calm breath, she squatted down beside the group. She tried not to look at—or smell—the tremendous amount of viscera being harvested right in front of her. "It... is curious." She considered pointing at herself, but changed her mind. "It wants to know where Lexxic is. It needs to find an ocean."

"It talks."

"It talks."

"It talks."

"OCEAN." Rainbow gestured "waves" with her hooves. "It... uhm... it blubs!"

"Snrkkkkt!" Pinkie almost exploded with giggles.

Rarity grimaced. "'It blubs?!?'"

"It bubbles!" Rainbow tried.

"Rainbow, sugarcube, are ya describin' an ocean or a spa?"

"Hey!" Rainbow frowned at her ghostly friends. "A lil' more help here?!"

Suddenly one of the ponies murmured, "There is no time. It incinerates. Then it clamors."

"Yeah." Flynn nodded. "You said that before."

The ponies spoke to one another: "It sustains."

"It sustains."

They tied up their satchels, leaving a barren husk behind. Having gathered all desired parts of the beast, they swiftly stood up and began trotting towards the far end of the ravine. "It returns."

"It returns."

"It returns."

"Whoah whoah whoah—!" Rainbow Dash stood up. "Hang on a second! Returns—?!" She slipped on a puddle of blood, flapped her wings, and glided after the group. "Returns where?!"

"It sustains," one of them answered, heaving the bag of bloody bits over her flank. "It returns."

"Wait! Just... please..." Rainbow tried getting one of the rugged ponies to look at her. She failed. "Can't we talk?"

"It talks."

"It talks—"

"I MEAN—" She fought the urge to frown. "It comes from Penumbra. It... it needs information! Information about Lexxic and the Grand Ocean and—"

"It moves," one pony said. "It hunts before it incinerates."

"Oh for the love of—" Logan suddenly grabbed Flynn.

"H-hey!" Flynn protested. "Fatso?! What are you—WHOAH!" He yelped as he was tugged across the ravine.

"Hey! It shits!" Logan forced his way in front of the group of hunters. He yanked Flynn's bandage loose—causing the unicorn to wince. "Feast your ungrateful eyes!" He exposed the fresh, glowing blood to their vision. "You see that? Crazy stuff, huh? Bet you've never seen that before!"

The ponies had stopped in their tracks. One of them stared blankly at Flynn's fetlock. The stallion's eyes reflected the ruby light emanating from Flynn's own life juices. After a thoughtful pause, he eventually muttered: "It gleams."

"Yesssssssss!" Logan nod-nod-nodded. "And it's not just his bald spot either!"

"I swear to Goddess, Big Show..." Flynn dangled from his grip, frowning. "...if it gets infected because of this—"

"Suffer," Seraphimus muttered, walking by. Stealing the hunters' attention, she pointed across the ravine to the patch of stone still stained with Flynn's blood. The glow was undeniably visible even at that distance. "See that? That's the blood of souls from Penumbra. That's from us." Her charcoal brown eyes narrowed on the locals. "It gleams." She slowly nodded. "It gleams because it is from the other side of the world. Paradise... where it gleams all the time."

The pony finally looked at her. It was a deadpan expression. "It is false."

Seraphimus slowly shook her head. "I assure you whole-heartedly that it is not."

Rainbow Dash blinked.

The pony emotionlessly replied, "All that glows in Dihm is false."

Pinkie Pie did a double-take. "Say whaaaaaaaaaat?"

"A proper noun..." Twilight murmured.

"But... what does it mean?" Applejack murmured.

The pony continued speaking to Seraphimus. "It talks. It fails. It is false that gleams." Adjusting the weight of his satchel, he walked around the former Commander, making for a break in the rock. "It sustains. It returns. It repeats in Dihm."

Wildcard sighed, then gestured: "Nice try, Seraphimus."

"Not nice enough, apparently." Seraphimus clenched her beak as her talons raked at the stone floor. "I wonder if these specimens feel pain."

"Rein it in, hot shot." Rainbow Dash loosely followed the hunters. "Twilight? Any eggheaded ideas?"

"This... this 'Dihm...'" Twilight Sparkle's lips pursed. "It must be what they call the world."

"The world as they know it," Rarity suggested.

"That much is obvious," Applejack said with a nod. "But why's that the only proper word they use?"

"Probably because it's all they know," Twilight Sparkle said. "Aside from... suffering."

Fluttershy gulped.

"Guess somepony like Ranort must have rolled along and called them 'Dihmers!'" Pinkie Pie said.

"That—or someone else whom the Expedition met with," Twilight said. "Someone else whom the Spindlers know. Like the goblins of Petra."

"Well... can they be of any help to Rainbow Dash?" Rarity asked. "You saw how they reacted to something resembling Lexxic's name. If the Bloodwings can make these ponies flinch, then we're better off avoiding them altogether!"

"I... think they want to be left alone," Fluttershy said.

"I know they do, Fluttershy." Twilight Sparkle frowned. "But everything's depending on Rainbow finishing her journey in one piece."

"We could use all the help we can get!" Applejack said.

Suddenly, Ariel's voice spoke up: "Uhm... Rainbow Dash...?"

Snapping out of the conversation, Rainbow looked over her shoulder.

The Herald plus Seraphimus stood in a tight cluster, staring pointedly in Rainbow's direction.

"Arrrrrrrre... you done speaking with the council of ghostly elders?" Ariel smiled innocently. "We could totally use some orders right about now."

"What do yourr fine frriends think would be best in this situation?" Kepler asked.

Rainbow looked at Twilight and the others. Then—after a nod—she looked back at the Herald. "Let's tag along with them. See if we can get them to share something. Anything."

"Works for me," Logan said, then marched back towards the wagon. He was joined shortly by Flynn, Kepler, and Ariel. "Fire it up, Baldy!"

"Way ahead of ya, bro!"

Seraphimus stood in place, blinking at the group. "Just like that?" Her headcrest drooped. "We pledge our lives to the whim of one pegasus and countless invisible spirits?"

"They're not countless!" Ariel shouted back. "They're five of Rainbow's best-besties! She loves them and so should you!"

Seraphimus fumed slightly. "I simply think the decisions made for this group should be weighted with more substance."

Wildcard drifted past her, smirking and gesturing: "Do not doubt the rainbow train."

Seraphimus snarled, "Did you earn your 'desperado' monicker because of how despicable you've become?"

A metal middle talon glinted in the twilight.

With a sigh, Seraphimus rolled her eyes and drifted loosely after the rest of them. "I am an expert at martial arts... not linguistics...

Behold As It Rises

The Dihmers—for being completely flightless—covered a remarkable amount of ground in little time. Between re-charging the hover wagon and gathering their wits about them, the Herald took an entire half-hour to catch up with the group. To accomplish this, Fluttershy was of very little assistance—at no fault of her own. The natives of the Dark Side—of Dihm—were quite good at masking their emotions, making themselves virtually invisible. Even with Applejack's and Twilight Sparkle's help, Rainbow Dash had a hard time triangulating the location of the mobile group.

Eventually, it came down to a combination of Ariel's and Wildcard's reconaissance along with Pinkie Pie's random senses. Rainbow eventually spotted the tight cluster of hiking ponies and she swiftly flew down to meet them. A few more had suddenly been added to the group—no doubt scouts who had been hiding along the fringes of the hunt—and now the Dihmer party numbered at about ten to twelve ponies.

In truth, Rainbow Dash had a hard time counting them. She had an even harder time telling them apart. It wasn't just their manes and tail-hairs that were shaved, but the very coats of fur on their bodies had been trimmed completely, leaving the bulk of their wrinkly, pale skin exposed.

"Friggin'... never fails," Rainbow Dash muttered.

"What are ya ramblin' about?" Applejack asked.

"If I had a bit for every fringe group I've met in my travels who love to shave their manes..." Rainbow's nostrils flared.

"She'd be richer than golden griffins," Pinkie Pie said. It was spoken through a melodic sigh. At that precise moment, Twilight and Rarity looked particularly melancholic. Applejack and Fluttershy exchanged curious glances over the matter, but chose to say nothing.

While the Herald fumbled to catch up, Twilight Sparkle took the opportunity to make a few observations. First of all—most of the Dihmers struck her as being particularly young. Two of them were obviously elders... but the majority of the hiking group was few in years. Most of them were younger than even Rainbow Dash. Despite this—and despite their tenacious agility and the muscle strength that they possessed—their skin was decrepit to the point that it resembled the wrinkled flesh of far... far older equines. Rashes and permanent bruises and nasty lesions pockmarked their bodies in multiple places. They looked more weathered than filthy, and it was obvious that a lot of the blemishes had been with them all their lives.

"And you see how asymmetrical some of their eye sockets are?" Twilight murmured, craning her neck. "And how some of them have smaller fetlocks and smaller ears?"

"Yeah?" Pinkie Pie floated in closer. "What about them?"

Twilight gulped. "Lots and lots of inbreeding. I've no doubt at least half of them are hemophiliac. Hence the dark... dark bruises on some of their bodies."

"Oh my..." Fluttershy winced.

Applejack's brow furrowed. "Dun that mean they'd have increased trouble makin' young'n's with each generation?"

"In the history of Equestrian biology, that checks out," Twilight Sparkle said with a nod. "But who knows if that's how genetics work one hundred percent over here on the Dark Side."

"Don't you mean 'Dihm?'" Pinkie Pie suggested.

"Let's not subscribe to that quite so quickly," Rarity interjected.

"Why not? It's simpler and monosexualbyllic!"

"Monosyllabic," Twilight corrected.

"Fiiiiiiiine. You be a prude!"

Rainbow Dash sighed. As the rest of the Herald caught up, she made some more observations of the Dihmers. For the first time, she noticed horns on at least two of the natives. However, for whatever reason, the unicorns weren't using their magic. Even when having to lug enormous satchels full of fresh, bloody meat, they resorted to the muscles of their flanks and legs. Rainbow tried looking for wings among them—but she wasn't successful in spotting any pegasus. Considering this was a hunting/scouting party, the fact that they lacked any flying ponies probably meant there... weren't any pegasi available whatsoever.

"And all them scars?" Applejack spoke in a hushed tone, as if some of the locals could hear her. "Self-inflicted?"

"Yes." Twilight Sparkle nodded, observing the copious amount of markings—mostly gathered along the Dihmers' scalps and foreheads. "Although none of it appears... ornamental."

"Egads..." Rarity shivered. "Do ponies ever cease to be so mindlessly brutish?"

"There has to be a reason for why they do it," Fluttershy said.

"Come now, darling, let's not excuse them."

"But we hardly know anything about these equines!"

At around this point, Ariel and Wildcard caught up with Rainbow Dash.

Swooooosh! "Rainbow..." Ariel landed beside her and trotted briskly. "Flynn and Logan are struggling to get the Hoverplank over these ridges behind us."

Rainbow took a momentary glance back at the erratic topography. Chunks of rocks with multiple, shadowed alcoves lingered all about.

"Wherever these ponies are headed, they're taking us straight Curveside," Ariel declared. "That's against the grain of most of the canyons here." Her eyes narrowed. "We gotta make a choice soon—do we give up the chase or the hover craft?"

Wildcard added with slicing talons: "We might not run into a group like this again."

"Fair enough..." Rainbow nodded. "The gloves are off."

"Rainbow, whatever you do..." Twilight began. "...don't be brash with your—" She yelped as she and the rest of the girls were yanked along with their anchor.

Fw-Fwooosh! Rainbow Dash flew and landed imposingly before the Dihmers. "Okay. Look. We gotta talk." She frowned. "We need some answers and we need 'em now. Where's the Grand Ocean and how can we best avoid the Bloodwings?"

One of the elders in the group pointed straight Curveside. "It beats."

"... ... ...the fudge is that supposed to mean?!"

"It fails."

"Look—yes. I know I'm getting emotional. But you gotta understand—" Rainbow floundered, for the Dihmers were marching past her in a deadpan lurch. She flew backwards so that she was constantly facing them. "—my friends and I have gone through so much! And there's a crazy amount of crap lying ahead of us! There're the factions of the Trinary War to face off against... and then there's the friggin' Midnight Armory to access..."

"It talks."

"Can you at least tell us which direction we need to go in to find this Grand Ocean?"

"It beats."

"Why such the dang hurry?!" Rainbow's voice cracked as she struggled to keep up with their swift march. "You all got what you came for! Do you have to cook that raw meat in record time or what?"

"It incinerates," one Dihmer said, her face empty and calm. "And then it clamors."

"It returns and sustains."

"Yeah... you've said all that already," Rainbow Dash muttered. With her friends looking on worriedly, she implored: "Is it something that you're running from? The Bloodwings? Queen Tchern's hive? I feel like something's going on and we don't know why it's freaking you guys out."

Between even breaths, another Dihmer spoke without breaking his stride: "It must keep going. Soon the moon rises and it quickens."

"Wait..." Ariel did a double-take. "What?"

"The moon rises," the Dihmer repeated, bounding over a cleft of rock. "It quickens."

"Uhm... I hate to break it to ya, buddy..." Rainbow Dash smirked slyly. "But you're on the Dark Side. There is no moon. Just like there is no sun—"

Rarity gasped, her sparkly blue eyes reflecting a pale sheen.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh..." Applejack gawked.

"Dashieeeeeeeeeeee..." Pinkie Pie was pointing towards Omega.

Around that time, Wildcard let loose a shrill whistle. Ariel had stopped in her tracks, muzzle agape.

"Huh...?" Rainbow Dash turned around. She then produced the mother of all double-takes.

Low in the sky—and swiftly rising—was the brightest thing the Herald had seen since arriving from the world's edge. It was enormous, shaped like a jagged crescent, and multiple blemishes stretched across its pale surfaces. Nevertheless, with a blindingly bright strobe, it rose quickly above the mountains and canyons of the world. A ghostly blue sheen stretched across the lengths of the plane, freshly illuminating a labyrinth of sterile fissures covering miles and miles between that location and Omega. At long last, the object lingered in one spot about thirty degrees from the observable horizon, strobing slowly with luminescent grace.

Twilight Sparkle was practically pulling at her mane. She threw a bug-eyed glance at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow's ears had long drooped. "What..." Her lips pursed. "...the fuzz?"

That Is No Moon

"It quickens," a Dihmer casually said, continuing to march Curveside—away from the phenonemon by about ninety degrees. "The moon is risen and the clamoring begins soon."

"If so, it hides."

"It hides."

"It hides."

"I... uhm..." Rainbow Dash stood dumbly in place as the Dihmers strolled past her. The petite pegasus' friends were likewise pinned to the sight of the luminescent body. "Yeah. Sure..."

Wildcard flew in, perched on a rock, and gestured a flurry of unreadable words.

"Slow..." Rainbow clutched at her own skull. "...down. Friggin' Luna Poop. I can't even think!"

SWOOOSH! Ariel landed in a slide. "Uhm. Did I miss the memo somewhere?!" her voice cracked. "How can the moon be here?!"

Wildcard continued gesturing, his feathers popping loose in random places.

"I... I..." Rainbow's ruby eyes twitched and shook. "I... I... I..."

Seraphimus glided in to a low hover. "Let us all stay calm," she said with a slight growl. "This is a land of chaos and confusion." Her charcoal brown eyes squinted at the pale glow of the thing that hung low to the horizon. "It could very well be an illusion."

"It's..." Rainbow slowly shook her head. "...no trick."

"I mean..." Seraphimus' voice rasped. "...it is most assuredly not the moon." She snorted. "At least... not our moon."

"Reckon she's got somethin' there," Applejack said, snapping her companions out of it. "Put yer minds on the straight'n'narrow, y'all. What exactly are we dealin' with here?"

"Rarity...?" Twilight was staring straight at her fashionista friend. "Can you tell us something? Anything?"

"I... I-I wish that I could!" Rarity stammered, gazing at the glowing thing. "But I've never felt the moon before! Even back on the Light Side! It's... it's just too big and far away—!"

"Rarity, this couldn't possibly be the goddess-dang moon that we're staring at!" Rainbow Dash growled.

"Hey... uh... not for nothin', but uhm..." Logan's voice echoed as he, Flynn, and Kepler road up on the wagon, parking several meters down the slope. "...what's with the friggin' moon?!"

"Big Show..." Ariel began.

"Did it follow us from the Light Side?! Talk about a big sick puppy!"

"It's not the friggin' moon!" Flynn snapped.

Rainbow nodded numbly. "What h-he said."

"Ach!" Kepler pointed a wing'd claw. "Look at the detail of its marrkings! The prroximity to the earrth's surface! Even the sheerr glow it is prrojecting!" He adjusted his spectacles and glanced at the rest of the Herald. "I do believe we arre dealing with a most currious facsimile!"

"Hold on..." Flynn telekinetically floated a pen, marking across a sheet of parchment. His mechanical eye rotated in and out rapidly as he surveyed the phenomenon. "Calculating..."

"Now's not the time for militant space algebra, baldy—"

"Keps?" Flynn grunted out the side of his muzzle in mid-thought. "Tell Big Show to shut up."

"Logan, dearrest frriend, if you would kindly stay thy orrifices."

"Hrmmmfff..." Logan folded his forelimbs. "That's what I get for existing."

Applejack was craning her neck to look at Flynn. "What in the Sam-scratch is he doin'?"

"From the looks of it, utilizing the tools of his implant," Twilight said. "Getting a realistic measure of what we're looking at."

"Well, that's most splendid!" Rarity peeped. "Because I for one would like to know why the sky just brightened!"

"Uhhhhhhhh... girls...?" Pinkie Pie shook all over. "I'm twitch-a-twitchin' like I've never twitch-a-twitch'd before!"

Fluttershy fidgeted. "Hey... uhm..." She looked at the others, including Rainbow. "I think Pinkie's trying to tell us something—"

"Okay!" Flynn exhaled rapidly, finishing his notes. The stallion's mechanical lens retracted with a whurring sound. "I think I got it!"

"Do elaborate, tinkerer," Seraphimus said.

He held the parchment up as Kepler peeked over his shoulder. "What we're looking at is no more than one hundred meters in height and approximately seventy meters across!" He gestured. "Judging from the trajectory, it appears to be suspended about seven hundred meters above the surface—situated along the Omega horizon!"

Wildcard looked at Rainbow Dash. He gestured: "It must not be very far away."

"Not far at all." Flynn shook his head. "I'm guessing three to four kilometers at the furthest."

"But... it wasn't always there, was it?!" Ariel asked. "Otherwise we woulda seen it!"

"It rose. Just now." Seraphimus calmly squinted at the bright object. "I do believe the Dihmers said so."

"Where the Hell are those freaks anyways?" Logan asked.

"I-I think they're marching off," Ariel stammered.

"Well—wrangle 'em down! Let's squeeze some answers out of them! Figure out what the Hell this thing is all about!"

"Whatever it is, it's not natural," Flynn insisted. "I'm telling you."

Rainbow blinked. In a fit of curiosity, she reached inside her saddlebag and produced Axan's dragonstone. She raised it up, then tilted it towards Omega—specifically in the direction of the phenomenon.

The stone pulsed with the brightest flare of ruby light yet.

"The Shard of Endrax..." Twilight Sparkle cooed, leaning over Rainbow's shoulder.

"It's there," Rainbow said. She lowered the stone. "That thing is hovering over the Bloodwings' lair."

"But what is it?!" Rarity insisted.

Pinkie Pie was shaking all over, eyes bugging. Fluttershy held her ghostly figure in place. Fidgeting, she looked meekly at the others. "Uhm... girls?"

"Harrk!" Kepler pointed closer to the horizon. "If you look closerr, frriends..."

"Shit..." Flynn winced. "I see it too."

"What?" Logan asked, standing tall atop the wagon.

"Along the horrizon," Kepler said. "Beneath the object in question. If you squint in earrnest..."

"Well I'll be damned." Logan's jaw tightened. "Branches."

"Branches?!" Ariel squeaked.

Rainbow had ascended slightly, eyes narrowing. Sure enough—as her vision adjusted to the pale luminescence of the hovering crescent, she spotted jagged black bands blotting out the starlight along the Omega horizon. What's more—if she concentrated very hard—she could almost make out something tethering the bright white satellite to the earth... something thick and linked... like massive chains.

"Everyone...!" Seraphimus' voice hissed in sudden intensity. "...the Dihmers!"

"???" Rainbow Dash turned around. "!!!"

The hunters had suddenly picked up their pace. Their march had turned into a scramble as they scurried—not towards Curveside any longer, but towards the nearest niches and alcoves they could find. A good half of the shaved equines funneled into a black cleft of rocks. There, they crouched low, filing in like packed sardines and implementing their leather satchels full of viscera as body shields.

"Where the Hell are you guys going?!" Ariel asked.

"It fails."

"It fails—"

"Calmly, dearrest frriend," Kepler said, resting a claw on Ariel's shoulder. He peered into the shadowed fissures where the Dihmers were vanishing. "It is curious. Why does it hide?"

Beady eyes glinted in the "moonlight" as the otherwise emotionless Dihmers scurried deeper and deeper with a sudden state of urgency.

"It incinerates."

"And then it clamors."

"It hides."

"It hides..."

"...or else it sustains."

"What...?" Ariel's muzzle twisted in confusion.

Wildcard cocked his head curiously to the side. All of a sudden, his body froze in place. His headcrest lifted sharply like an exclamation point.

The same thing was happening to Seraphimus. Both griffins tensed up like alarmed felines.

"Does..." Flynn fidgeted in place. "...anypony else hear a high pitched whining noise?"

Logan blinked. "It's not me."

"Ach..." Kepler's hairs rose on end. "I am hearring it now."

Rainbow nodded, muzzle agape. "Me too..."

"Guhhh-uhhhhh-uhhhhhh-uhhhhhh!" Pinkie shook all over.

Fluttershy clenched her teeth. "Girls! She's about to burst!"

"Whoah nelly!" Applejack reacted.

"Pinkie! Darling!" Rarity leaned in. "What's going on?"

"Somethiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing crazzzzzzzzzzzzy biiiiiiiiiiiiig!" Pinkie Pie warbled.

"I... I don't get it!" Rainbow Dash shrugged. She looked aside. "Twilight, do you have any explanation for—" Her words cut short as her pupils shrank.

Twilight's horn was glowing hotter than a torch. Ghostly steam emanated from her wincing expression as the unicorn flickered in and out of lavender existence. She flung a teary glance at Rainbow. "So... m-much... magic..." A whimpering sound. "Rainbow... Rainbow you—" Flickering. "—have to hide!"

A high-pitched tone shook through the atmosphere.

The air tingled.

Dust rose from the ground in a pale blue static.

The stars above receded as all perceivable light spiraled towards the Omega Horizon, twirling into a single point of focus.

Flynn was shouting something, but soon his voice too was being drowned in the surmounting bedlam.

Right at that moment—as the noise reached a crescendo—all of Rainbow Dash's ghostly friends vanished. Before she could shriek in alarm, Discord appeared in their place, grinning wildly.

"Now this is more like it!" His voice scratched the suddenly silent air with alarming clarity as he strapped on a thick pair of shades. "I have become God, destroyer of underwear!"

Rainbow weathered the most naked gasp of her life. She yanked Wildcard and Ariel by their tails and leapt towards where the Dihmers were hiding. "Get down—!"

Within milliseconds, from the Omega Horizon—

VROMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!

A solid swath of pale blue light fountained across the world. It sailed overhead, replacing the twilight with a brief flash of horrifically bright day. The temperature in the air rose by twenty degrees in the span of two seconds as the discharge impacted a ridge of stone stretching past the flailing Herald.

POWWWWWW!

The shrieks and howls of Rainbow's companions were deaffened by the hellish volley. Chunks of burning rock fell in a smoldering hailstorm across the hillside. Rainbow, Ariel, and Wildcard were lying belly-first against the stone, shimmying desperately towards a hiding place—any hiding place. Kepler and Seraphimus soon joined them, their bodies forming bleak shadows against the brightly-illuminated hellscape.

At long last, the discharge ended. As the sky above went dark, heated air rushed in to fill the wounded atmosphere. Unnatural thunder roared in every direction.

THOOOOOM!!!

This was even louder than the nightmare that broke the sky seconds before.

Rainbow's ears rang until they nearly bled. At the end of the tumult, she heard herself shouting across the clearing. "Big Show! Flynn! Move your flanks—!"

"Get a move on, egghead!" Logan could be heard wailing. "The sky's pissing on us—!"

Rainbow's eyes swept across the landscape. An amber glow settled on the steaming earth. The mountains above were burning all of a sudden.

"Haah haah haah—!" Discord cackled as his body slowly faded back to obscurity. "Armed and fully operational—!"

As he vanished, Rainbow's friends rematerialized.

"Land's sakes!"

"Oh my goodness!"

"Holy moley!"

"Rainbow, darling!" Rarity yelped, rushing in with a desperate expression. "You must get to safety!"

"Safety?!" Rainbow panted and sweated. She winced from the scalding steam and rocks surrounding her. "Where is—!"

"Over here!" Seraphimus' growled. Rainbow spotted her and Wildcard digging loose rocks away and exposing a fresh niche of cool earth beside where the Dihmers had scuttled away. "Come quick! Unless you wish for an early cremation!"

"I'm with murder turkey for once!" Ariel stammered, scrambling towards Wildcard. "Rainbow—!"

"Just a sec!" Rainbow craned her neck, panicking. "Big Show! Flynn—!"

"We're coming! Goddess dammit—EGGHEAD!"

"At least help me g-get the supplies from the wagon—!" Flynn struggled with several crates atop the collapsed vehicle.

"There's no friggin' time!" Logan hollered.

"He's right, Rainbow!" Twilight wept.

Rainbow spun to see the unicorn's horn burning once again.

"It's..." Twilight flickered in an out. "...not over—!"

With a mutual shriek, her friends disappeared into darkness. Discord rematerialized, wearing a tuxedo and clapping. "Encore! Encore!"

Rainbow shouted, "It's firing again!" She dove into the hiding place Seraphimus and Wildcard had made. "Guys! Move your butts—!"

"You heard the Austraeoh, Flynn—!"

"But we can't just leave—" Flynn's bald spot reflected a bright sheen of light. His ears drooped, and his off-muzzle curse was devoured by the noise.

VROMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!

This time, the blast struck much lower. It dug violently into the earth about half-a-kilometer away from the group, carving a fresh new channel into the labyrinthine topography of the valley. Within seconds, thousands of tons of burning rock was being sent sailing into the air, blotting out the brightness of the volley itself.

By then, Logan had grabbed Flynn and hoisted him over his shoulder. The heavy earth pony galloped the two of them down the embankment, sliding towards the hiding spot and passing Kepler along the way.

Within the next breath, a chunk of burning earth fell like a missile and—POW!!!—pulverized the Herald's wagon into oblivion.

"Hoverplank!" Flynn shouted. "Nooooo—!"

THOOOM!!! The thunderous blast wave came. It threw Kepler off his claws, and the small wyvern slipped onto his belly. An avalanche of burning rock rolled over him.

Ariel shrieked Kepler's name.

In a fit of concentration, Flynn shot his telekinesis out—grabbing Kepler by the scorpion tail. The gasping Heraldite was tugged out of the way of the burning debris.

"Ooomf!" Kepler slid into the niche, sandwiched between Logan and Flynn. "My starrs and garrterrs—!" He wheezed.

"Everypony!" Rainbow Dash shouted, bracing herself between Ariel and Wildcard. The earth shook all around them as Discord laughed in the background. "Stay put!"

"It incinerates," a random Dihmer droned half-a-hiding-spot away.

"Yeah, no shit!" Logan's teeth gnashed.

"Remain calm," Seraphimus insisted.

"Easy for you to say!!!" Flynn hissed. "A paper moon took a shit on my Hoverplank!!!"

Wildcard attempted gesturing something, but he only managed to smack Kepler with his elbow.

"Augh!" Kepler fidgeted with his spetacles—alarmed to discover that one of the lenses had been severely cracked. "Damnation!" He winced through his tusks as the world continued to shake. "Does anypony suppose they werre attempting to hit us with those discharrges?"

"Can we save the artillery talk for another time?!" Flynn grunted, attempting to stay upright inside the shadowed niche. "I'm stuck between sobbing and a fatass right now!"

"The wyvern makes a good point..." Seraphimus looked at Rainbow. "...they clearly missed us by several degrees with both shots."

"If they weren't aiming for us..." Rainbow Dash huffed. "...then what were they aiming for?"

"Uhhhh... I've got a better question," Ariel stammered. "Why's the ground still shaking?"

"... ... ... ... ..."

The Herald peeked outside the narrow cave as more rocks and pebbles—all smoldering—rained down from the higher elevations. The sky above had returned to dismal twilight. The "moon" had clearly finished its assault.

"Maybe..." Logan fidgeted, repositioning his axe. "...it hit a fault line? Caused an earthquake?"

"It's not an earthquake," Rarity's voice said. "But the ground is shaking."

With a breath of relief, Rainbow turned to see that her friends had materialized once more. "Guys! You're back!" She blinked. "I... I think chaos has something to do with—"

Twilight nodded, her horn dim once again. "It's more complicated than that. I definitely sensed lunar magic in that just now. But..."

"One thang at a time!" Applejack looked across from Twilight. "Rarity! If it's not an earthquake, then what's goin' on?"

"Pinkie?" Rainbow gulped. "We're paying attention this time. I promise."

"Pinkie can't help us right now," Fluttershy said. A gulp. "But I can..."

"Huh?" Rarity blinked.

Rainbow winced nervously. "What... is it...?"

The ground shook harder and harder. Soon, the tremors were accompanied by animalistic shrieks and howls. From the glow of burning mountains and rockslides, a frightened stampede of countless limbs rose in an unfathomable tumult.

The Dihmers calmly chanted into their hiding niches:

"It clamors."

"It clamors."

"It clamors."

Wildcard and Ariel exchanged nervous glances.

"All of those creatures that were hiding underground all this time...?" Fluttershy's ears drooped as the madness rushed in from all sides. "...they're not hiding any more."

Shadow of the Herd

The rumbling of the earth was accompanied by resounding shrieks and cries—animalistic and panicked. The sonic salvos grew in number, permeating the landscape and making the teeth of everypony vibrate.

Pinkie Pie's ears were shaking. She hugged herself to keep still.

Rainbow Dash looked at her. She gulped. "They're..." Her eyes darted to Fluttershy. "...almost on us?"

Fluttershy nodded. "An entire wave. Creatures of all shapes and sizes." She shivered. "They must be scared to death."

"She ain't wrong!" Applejack exclaimed over the surmounting noise.

Rainbow Dash looked at the Dihmers.

Calm, emotionless, still—the shaved hunters remained in their hiding spot a few spaces over.

"They don't look too scared," Rainbow Dash said.

Ariel and Logan looked over.

"Hey!" Rainbow called to the locals. "Why aren't you running?!"

They answered without looking—without so much as flinching:

"It clamors."

"It clamors."

"It clamors."

Rainbow looked at the rest of the Herald.

Logan breathed. "If they ain't splittin' for it, then neither should we."

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Right."

"Are we..." Flynn grimaced, struggling to keep still while the crevice surrounding them shook all over. "...are we actually safe here?"

"Ach! Saferr than we arre out in the open, brrotherr!" Kepler wheezed.

Wildcard whistled. Schlackk! He extended Bard's staff, planted it against opposite edges of the alcove, and braced himself against it. He motioned for the others to do the same.

Flynn, Kepler, and Ariel grasped the length of the bo-staff, trembling.

Logan and Seraphimus stood nearer to the cave exit, craning their necks cautiously as the stampede outside roared closer... closer... closer...

Rainbow Dash perched in the center of the group, wings coiled tightly as she crouched low against the rumbling stone. Her ghostly companions squirmed anxiously, glancing all about.

At long last, Fluttershy squeaked: "They're here—!"

"Ack!" Pinkie Pie ducked, phasing through the rock.

TH-THUMP!

TH-TH-THUMP!

THUMP!

Countless bodies bounded over the narrow trench in the earth leading up to the cave. The twilight strobed repeatedly, flickering like a shutter for each specimen that fled overhead. They came from Alpha and thundered in the vague direction of the Omega horizon, frightened by waves of flame and burning rock erupting behind them. With each subsequent body that sped past the niche's opening, smoldering heaps of pebbles and gravel fell down, rattling into the cave entrance and singeing the skin of whoever it came into contact with. Flynn hissed audibly as he slapped at a scalded fetlock that turned red from the ashes scraping past him.

Rainbow tugged at his tail, pulling the unicorn deeper into the cave. If he said something in protest, she couldn't make it out. The animals stampeding overhead were thundering and shrieking so loudly that she wasn't even able to hear Twilight and the others. Looking up, all she and the Herald could make out were flashes of hooves, digits, feet, and appendages that resembled tentacles. There was suddenly a brand new thunder, and the hidden ponies could spot distant bodies breaking the twilight. Creatures in flight were flocking through the heavens, filling the air with shrieks of distress as they attempted to outrun the smoke at their tails.

The earth shook nonstop for minutes. Cracks and fissures formed in the ceiling of the cave, distressing the Herald to no end. Wildcard winced, slapping his metal limb against the buckling stone above—a futile effort, but he gave it his all. Logan added to the gesture, propping his massive axe upwards to act as a support column.

There was a loud noise—like a bull yelping. Fluttershy gasped and pointed upwards. Rainbow spun and looked to see a quadrupedal beast with luminescent brown flesh trip on it front hooves and slam into the edge of the trench. He then tumbled down into the niche like a wet sack of meat before landing awkwardly before the mouth of the cave where the Herald was hiding. The beast shook its hammerhead skull before shrieking madly at the hidden ponies with razor sharp teeth. Two venom-laced blades protruded slimily from orifices within its rippled neck.

"Rrrrgh!" Logan suddenly lunged forward with a right hook. WHAM!!! He punched the creature so savagely that it teetered towards its side, whimpering. "Go get your own parking space, jerkoff!"

With a mewling sound, the beast bucked and jumped in place before galloping madly towards the Dihmers' side of the alcove. Without warning, a shaved pony lunged forward, slashing the full weight of its cleaver across the animal's spine. The smell of blood filled the cave, and soon more Dihmers were lunging forward, stabbing and eviscerating the beast until it fell dormant by their hooves.

"It sustains."

"It sustains."

"It sustains."

The shaved ponies began casually carving the beast up and salvaging it for meat and organs.

Fluttershy grimaced while Twilight and Rarity shrugged at one another.

Rainbow looked from the Dihmers' wet work to the sliver of twilight looming above. The starlight was flickering less and less. Within seconds, the rumbling was actually starting to lessen. From the look of things, the stampede had completely passed overhead. The cave still shook—but only with residual aftershocks, a tell-tale sign that the bulk of the wildlife had fled further towards Omega.

The Herald started breathing normally. Wildcard exhaled... slowly receding from the ceiling of the cave, now that it was no longer forming fresh cracks in its structure.

Kepler was applying a fresh bandage to a thoroughly exasperated Flynn. Meanwhile, Logan and Seraphimus stepped out of the cave's mouth—just far enough to get a better look of the twilight above.

"You think that's all of them?" Logan asked. Rainbow's ears were ringing intensely, but she could still make out what the Heraldite said.

It was Seraphimus who responded: "There are still a few creatures flying overhead, but I think the stampede has passed us."

Rainbow looked at Fluttershy. When the ghostly pegasus nodded, Rainbow said, "Fluttershy concurs. I think it might be safe now."

"OooOOooOOooOoooh..." Pinkie Pie's ears were still twitching. "We're n-not out of the w-woods yet!"

"Now what?!" Applejack remarked.

"Shhhhh!" Ariel exclaimed, craning her neck. "Listen...!"

Everypony was silent—even Rainbow's anchored companions. Only the Dihmers made sounds this time, slicing their unfortunate prey into ribbons.

Beyond the bedlam of the distant stampede, there rolled a new thunder to the air. It was a quieter thunder... a living thunder... eerie and melodic and menacing. It rolled in like waves against a black shore, foaming with countless venomous voices, bloodthirsty and unstoppable.

"It's..." Twilight murmured, her ears drooping. "...chanting."

Fluttershy and Rarity nervously clung to one another.

Kepler and Flynn looked up, peering curiously into the sliver of twilight.

"The... uh..." Ariel glanced across the cave. "...the Dihmers are still laying low."

Rainbow Dash slowly shook her head. "I'm not a Dihmer." Her brow furrowed. "I have to see this." She moved forward.

A cold talon held her by the shoulder. Charcoal brown eyes peered across the amber haze of a distant fire. "Not advisable," Seraphimus droned.

"You're right." Rainbow took a deep breath. "But I need to know what we're up against."

"Can you survive their assessment of you?"

Rainbow stared back in silence. She slowly—gently—removed Seraphimus' talon from her shoulder and flapped her wings. With silent grace, she ascended to the top of the stone trench.

Wildcard joined her without hesitation. While the rest of the Herald squirmed behind with uncertainty, Seraphimus sighed... and flapped her wings to join Rainbow as well.

Meanwhile the chanting increased...

Deep bass voices piercing the night... ...

Dark and hungry and growing closer... ... ...

The Dark Vigil's Mantra

Rainbow clung to the rock's edge, coiling her wings to her side in order to make her body appear smaller... less noticeable. She climbed up, stifling her grunts and heavy breaths. At last, she crept up to the edge of the trench and peered over, flattening her ears in the process. Not long after, Seraphimus and Wildcard joined her, exercising more or less grace.

The three of them gazed straight towards the Omega horizon. The first thing they noticed was that the "moon" had dimmed noticeably. Its surface was still pale and luminescent, but the unearthly glow had dwindled and the trio could spot a patchwork framework of opaque material holding the floating object together. At the present, it was slowly lowering at an uneven pace, swaying slightly left and right during the descent. It eventually vanished from sight, hiding behind a massively towering structure that was obscured by distance.

The pale sheen that had momentarily bathed the landscape was gone. In its place, a flickering aura of amber flamelight rippled over the serpentine ravines and trenches that pockmarked the earth. It was only now that Rainbow Dash surmised that the same high-concentrated blast that had sent them all into hiding was likely responsible for the countless scars and fissures carved into this part of the plane.

There was—however—a stretch of stone plateau virtually untouched by the "lunar" blight. Currently, a wall of flames acted as a temporary border—both in front of the group and somewhere behind them. It cordoned off the edges of the visible plateau with smoldering chunks of loose rocks. Rainbow and the two griffins watched as a living field of stampeding ceatures filled the space in between, veering left and right in fear and madness. The sky was no less filled with wildly flapping creatures, seeking refuge from the fresh smoke and ash billowing into the twilight.

Rainbow's brow furrowed. She looked left and right, her ruby eyes sweeping the purgatorial scene. A few seconds in, she heard a whispering sound to her right. She glanced aside to see Fluttershy. With a worried expression, the ghostly pegasus gestured up high—towards Omega.

It was at this precise moment that the chanting sound that had drawn Rainbow out of hiding formed a distinct pattern. As the thunder of the incendiary phenomenon diminished, a series of deep bass voices ripped the sky into sonic slices, penetrating the hearts of those who listened:

"Thymm wynn symm, myl nym thrymm. H'Luun d'lyassa wyll nym drym."

Despite Fluttershy's directions, Rainbow and her other ghostly friends were having trouble locating the authors of the dark, dark song. Seraphimus appeared no less mystified.

At last, Wildcard pointed with a talon. Rainbow saw dark shapes reflected against his shades. She and Seraphimus turned to look—and finally they saw them, piercing the twilight, carried aloft on leather wings.

"Thymm wynn symm, myl nym thrymm." The melody rose and fell, undulating with their piercing howls. They formed a line at first, devouring the stars in a swath of blackness. Then—seemingly—they multiplied by a factor of fifty. Rainbow realized that multiple squads were breaking formation, and now they were spreading outward at an alarming rate. They must have numbered in the thousands; there were very few stars left to shine. Somehow, the fliers all sang in the same cadance, channeling thunder into the sky with their sheer vocal cords. "H'Luun d'lyassa wyll nym drym."

Pinkie Pie and Rarity shivered. Twilight and Applejack watched with jaws dropped.

As the lunar wave grew closer, Rainbow sensed a ruby glow nearby. Luna's spell was reacting. Swiftly, she covered her pendant with a fetlock and crouched even lower.

The vocal mantra picked up tempo, sending tremors through the air. Separate squadrons alternated lines—almost as if they were hollering at one another. Challenging one another.

"Thymm ryss kymm, myl ryn fym!"

"W'ynlppa wyll nym drym!"

A flash of leather. Thousands of smooth wings reflected the sheen of the firelight below. A singular line boomed outward in one direction, unbelievably sourced by one single vocalist at the head of the unfathomably huge flock.

"H'Luun'lynna thrym—"

Then—a thunder rolled like never before—with every winged soul shouting at once: "Fy'rym! Fy'rym! Fy'rym!"

Milliseconds later, the sky fell all at once—in that the squadrons plunged, sailing earthward on coiled wings. Velvety bodies twisted and spiraled in the hellish flicker. A wave of glistening fangs opened at the bottom of the dive, and soon the dark bodies carved their way into the stampeding sea of flesh.

Screams and howls redoubled. Bodies and limbs went flying. Half of the galloping population instantly fell over... and a cloud of ruby light erupted like a volcanic plume, so bright and luminescent that it glistened off the talons of the griffins on either side of Rainbow.

Fluttershy literally wailed. She clutched her skull as her entire body writhed and shook—echoing the bloody eviscerations happening half-a-mile away. Twilight and Rarity were quick to hug her tight, hiding her eyes from the sheer massacre unfolding. Pinkie and Applejack continued gazing at the bloodbath, dumbfounded. Seraphimus remained still while Wildcard gripped the edges of Bard's staff tensely.

"Holy sh-shit..." hissed a voice from behind. Ariel had joined the group just in time, and her muzzle opened wide to pronounce something even more ghastly.

Thap! Wildcard's lion's tail pressed into her face. Clamming up, Ariel squatted silently between him and Rainbow Dash, trembling in nervous silence.

From afar, the stampede could be seen splitting into two massive herds. The sarosians had struck the very center of the charge, and they continued their violent melee under a fresh cloud of ruby haze. A gaggle of creatures managed to run away, only for fanged hunters to leap after them and flank them from the sides. High-pitched shrieks and chirps lit the air as more and more animals were ripped, shredded, and pummeled to the ground. A few of the straggling squad members were slow and casual about it, playing cat-and-mouse game with the fleeing beasts. More than a few of the animals chose to leap directly into the flames of the lunar discharge—rather than face the agonizing fate of their brothers and sisters. This was rewarded with high-pitched shrieks that resembled laughter, echoing broadly across the plateau of carnage.

Rainbow grimaced. Ariel struggled to keep her lunch in. Seconds later, they heard loud shrieks from above. Reluctantly, they glanced upwards.

Spotting the fate of the animals below, many of the flying flocks had doubled about, attempting to fly back towards Alpha. They were swiftly intercepted by velvety figures—who leapt onto their backs and bit into their necks and shoulders. A few of the sarosians were simply keen to rip the wings off of some of the creatures and watch gleefully as they spiraled—thrashing—towards the pulverizing landscape below.

Fluttershy let loose a whimpering noise. Scouring the sky, Rainbow Dash soon found out why. One particularly large creature—a long and narrow cross between a dragon and a whale—flew diagonally towards Omega via dorsal sacs filled with some sort of buoyant gas. The animal was far from alone; at least a dozen smaller, identical copies of the specimen flew along with it. A mother and its children. The animal and its calves were picking up speed, about to make a break for the Curve.

A loud shout filled the air—amplified by some lunar enchanted means: "Ny'lymwysym h'lyssa ha'mym sym!"

Voices shouted back. Within seconds, Rainbow and her friends watched as a squadron of sarosians barreled through the sky, sailing after the mother and her calves. Something glinted in their grasp; they were armed with hoof-held cannons. Seconds later, they shouted into the runes of their devices. A loud pop reverberated, and the assembled Herald watched as multiple nets flew towards the fleeing creatures.

They netted one of the calves. The young animal let loose a bass cry of distress as it fell towards the ground, twisting and thrashing in the net's material the entire while. When it landed, it struck the ground hard, sending chunks of broken stone sailing skyward. The beast twitched and spasm'd, its spinal system obviously shattered.

A ripple of bioluminescent color rolled up the body of the creature's mother. A loud roar filled the air. Slowly, it turned around, flew in a wide bank, and dove towards the fallen creature.

Rainbow could hear Pinkie and Fluttershy murmuring... pleading into the air. While some of her friends covered their eyes, she continued watching. Silent. Observing.

The mother touched down with a heavy thud. Shimmying on its massive belly, it shuffled like a beached walrus towards its injured young. A trifurcated mouth opened up and a probiscus extended, attempting to remove the net—

"Hy'lessa!" an amplified voice shouted.

Out of the ruby haze, no less than thirty velvety bodies dove down at the large beast. They shouted into their cannons, covering the mother from head to toe in thick netting.

Unable to reach its young, the massive whale-shaped creature shook and thrashed... but to no avail. Its roar was one of distress, because within seconds...

...the remaining litter of her calves came down to join her. The sarosians instantly pounced on these younger specimens, stabbing them and piercing their dorsal sacs. Tufts of multi-colored gas filled the air as the weighted children fell like sacks of meat—helpless to the hacking blades and slicing fangs of their hunters. Within seconds, they were reduced to wet carcasses, and their bodies jetted plumes of ruby light in a somber halo around their wailing mother.

Wildcard clenched his beak. He hand-signed into the air beside Rainbow Dash: "They are not slaying the mother."

Seraphimus nodded. Rainbow observed as the former Commander gestured back: "Of course not. She can live to give birth to future prey."

Ariel stifled a whimpering sound.

Rainbow watched and watched. She felt a tingling sensation around her fetlock. Looking down, she noticed that her pendant was glowing with an even brighter intensity. It was getting difficult to blot out the light with her fetlock at this rate.

Wildcard glanced curiously at her, his dark shades reflecting the pulsating Element. Just then, another amplified shout filled the blood-tinged air. He and the other three stared back out.

Rainbow Dash's eyes squinted. As the tingling sensation intensified, the hairs on the back of her neck rose on end. She didn't know why, but her gaze was being drawn towards the air just above the merciless slaying.

A hitherto unseen squadron of sarosians was descending. Rainbow spotted a cluster of velvety bodies descending in a tight circle. As they landed, the outer layer of hunters spread out. There were two distinct figures flying in the center... but Rainbow's eyes centered on one in particular. There was a shine to the sarosian's body... something that glinted with virtually the same intensity as the "moon" the Herald had fled from earlier. On nimble hooves, the figure landed gracefully in the pool of blood left by the countless kills. Rainbow watched as the sarosian marched through the eviscerating crowd. At a distant profile, the body proved quite cryptic. The forward half of the sarosian was pale as bone while the flank and wingtips were black as night. But there was something more—something Rainbow couldn't quite put her hoof on. She tried to make out the figure's mane, but had a great deal of difficulty doing so. Something on the sarosian's head was obscuring... out of place... distracting.

Twilight and Applejack looked curiously at their anchor. One of them said something, but Rainbow Dash was too mesmerized to hear their words.

She watched as the figure approached a squadron leader. Words were exchanged. Gestures were made. The voices were too distant to be discerned, but Rainbow heard more than a bevy of victorious shrieks. At one point the figure nodded, then motioned to his wingmate. Intimate words were exchanged, and the wingmate gave a salute before taking off. Satisfied with the scene at hoof, the monochromatic sarosian prepared to take wing as well...

...when he suddenly froze in place.

Still. Silent. Contemplative...

...and then his head turned to look. All the way. Towards Rainbow Dash. She saw a flat rectangle of white from a great distance. A plate. Tombstone smooth. In a blink, it almost looked as though the headpiece was flashing with lunar brilliance.

Simultaneously, all of Rainbow's ghostly friends vanished from view.

Rainbow gasped. She spun about—

In the next second, Twilight and the rest reappeared, visibly shaken and confused.

"!!!" Without a word, Rainbow Dash dove back down into the trench. Hyperventilating. The claustrophobic space of the alcove was pulsing bright red. It was Rainbow's Element of Loyalty; the necklace flickered at a maddening pace.

Startled at her sudden movement, Wildcard and Ariel dove down along with her. Seraphimus slowly joined afterwards.

"Rainbow...?!" Ariel hissed under her breath, eyes wide. "...what's the matter? What did you see—!"

Rainbow frowned, holding a hoof up with angry intensity.

Ariel immediately clammed up. She and Wildcard fidgeted nervously. Seraphimus kept watchful eyes trained at the edge of the trench up above, her talons at the ready.

Silence...

Distant wingflaps... ...

Then more silence... ... ...

A minute passed. Two minutes. Three.

At long last, Rainbow's pendant stopped flickering. All was still and calm, and the bedlam of the massacre had reached a lull beyond the flame-tinted stone.

"What..." Rarity panted and panted, feeling her ghostly forelimbs as if to make sure they still existed in some nebulous fashion. "...what h-happened just now...?"

"Am I goin' crazy?" Applejack stammered. "Or did we just get sent to the Vanilla Zone for a split second?"

Pinkie was shaking her head wildly. "That wasn't the Vanilla Zone! That wasn't any zone!"

"That magic... that power..." Twilight's muzzle was stuck in a lavender grimace. "...it was chaos. It had to have been!"

"... ... ...?" Rainbow Dash blinked with sudden curiosity. She brought a hoof up to her forehead and rubbed up and down. When she lowered the fetlock back down, she saw a faint trickle of blood staining the limb.

Wildcard gazed wordlessly at her.

Logan, Flynn, and Kepler hobbled out of the cave to meet the rest of the group.

"So... what happened?" Logan asked. "What did you guys see?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow looked towards the far end of the niche. "Are the Dihmers still here?"

"Ach." Kepler nodded. "Still prresent."

"Still chopping away at their dinner," Flynn added.

"Good." Rainbow gulped. "From now on, we go where the Dihmers go." She glared at the rest of the Herald. "We follow whatever the Dihmers lead and we get the friggin' heck out of this place..."

Not Quite So Foolish

The first of many Dihmers reached the top of a hill. His dull gray eyes peered towards Omega... then Alpha. At last—shifting the weight of the bloody meat sacks wrapped to his flank—he trotted briskly over the stone ridge and headed for a flat swath of land leading Curveside.

"It is empty."

"It is empty," repeated the second in line. "It returns."

"It is empty," said the third in line. "It returns."

"It returns."

As the line of locals continued their mantra...

...the Herald struggled to catch up. They moved as briskly as they could, although their bodies were carrying three times the weight of any single Dihmer.

"Do you... suppose..." Ariel panted and wheezed, her surly eyes locked on the featureless figures of the equines hiking ahead of them. "...that one of them thinks for the rest of them? Like... a hive mind or some sh-shit...?"

"You mean like changelings?" Logan grunted. "Considering who brought them over here, seems to make sense."

"No no no, good frriend," Kepler breathed, pacing himself and sweating through his fur. "One simply cannot inherrit telepathic abilities! Evolution may indeed be converrgent, but it is not contagious!"

"Well I wish they'd evolve some manners," Ariel grunted, fumbling and struggling over the rocky shoals blocking the passage uphill. "Mrmffff... would it k-kill them to stop every once in a while and strike up conversation?"

Seraphimus strolled along without breaking a sweat. "Considering whom they're used to interacting with, I'd say yes. It would."

Ariel rolled her eyes. "Speaking of those you don't want to have conversations with..."

"We would do well to learn all we can from them," Seraphimus said. "If we wish to survive—it is best to emulate those who have survived here for Goddess-knows how long."

"That's just the thing that bothers me," Flynn huffed, catching up with Logan from behind. He used his telekinesis to carry twice as much as the others. "I mean... sure... kudos to them for surviving this long. But if that is what comes out the other end of all their legacy... th-then I'm not certain it's worth it!"

Wildcard nodded, taking up the flank of the caravan.

"Do not put too much unnecessary thought into it," Seraphimus said. "Considering the trials that are ahead of you and your leader, I doubt survivability is something most of us can expect." She shrugged in mid-hike. "I sure don't."

Ariel laughed cynically.

Flynn squinted his one good eye at her. "If your view of the future is do damned hopeless, why not join the Dihmers?"

"Who knows." Seraphimus breathed. "Perhaps that is what I shall do."

Wildcard glanced her way.

"I'm not sure you'd gel with them, Sera," Logan said with a sweaty smirk. "Unless your angry ass enjoys being surrounded by a bunch of butt-naked horses hissing 'It fails! It fails!' on repeat!"

"Bra-HA!" Kepler laughed while Ariel giggled.

Seraphimus sighed. "... ... is it not enought that I've made a conscious effort to stop being adversarial? Is it not enough that I have endeavored to accompany you as long as I have? To have not simply... retired to the shadows of the spiders' forsaken city? Succumbed to utter despair with no plan to transcend myself?"

Logan smirked. "There's the real reason you can't live with them freakazoids, Sera. Stubborn bitch or not... deep down inside you is something worth recognizing. A self. Looks like you recognize that now."

"Soooooo..." Flynn's lips formed a crooked curve. "Looks like you're stuck with us."

Wildcard brandished a knowing smile.

Seraphimus' headcrest drooped as she quickened towards the front of the caravan so that the rest were behind her. "As least—around Dihmers—I would not get sick of their banal prattle."

"Awwwwwww..." Ariel broke a smile in spite of her sweat. "She loves us!"

"Most amorrous indeed..." Kepler added.

Behind all of this, Rainbow trotted with her packs full of supplies. She wasn't feeling particularly labored, and Wildcard constantly glanced back to check on her. But, for what it was worth, Rainbow simply wanted to be in a position where she could spot the entirety of her group at any time.

In the meantime, her anchored companions were talking:

"I wonder..." Applejack tapped her chin in thought. "...was them Noble Jury friends of Rainbow quite so... keen on complainin' like the Herald are?"

Twilight looked over. "Rainbow used to tell Rarity and me stories while we sailed the Seven Seas. I think the one who looked like me was famous for whining and moaning at times." Twilight squinted at their anchor. "What was his name again? Ebon Eye?"

"Applejack, darling, don't be so hard on Rainbow's bosom buddies!" Rarity chided. "After all, we've all been ghosts for a dreadfully long time. Just how would we manage if we suddenly had to experience heavy labor for the first time in years?!"

Applejack glared back at the fashionista. "I know for a fact that you've never done any hard labor in your life!"

"And I don't intend to do any in the after-life! But that's not the point!" Rarity fanned herself as she looked at the sweaty bodies. "Day in and day out they have to exert themselves so!"

"Day?" Pinkie's muzzle scrunched. "What day?!"

Fluttershy giggled.

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Notwithstanding..." She looked back at the others. "...it's easy for us to make snide comments about complaining when ponies like Rainbow and her friends have endured so many terrible hardships after all this time. I'd say we should go easy on them."

"Well... reckon so..." Applejack adjusted her hat. "...but Rainbow seems to do a decent job swallowin' it up! Why can't they learn from her?"

"Not everypony can be awesome like Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said with a wink. Cheeks rosy, she looked at their anchor. "Right, Rainbow?"

Rainbow shrugged in mid-step. When she spoke, her voice cracked with the strain: "I'm just glad."

"Glad for what?" Rarity fidgeted. "The awfully heavy load you're having to carry? The loss of that most esteemed wagon? The fact that the Bloodwings and their violent warriors could be pouncing on us at any second?"

Fluttershy whimpered slightly. Pinkie patted her on the shoulder.

"No. No. And Luna Poop, no!" Rainbow whispered. She managed a smile as she gazed at her friends from a distance. "I'm just glad they're all finding ways to keep going. What happened back there sucked super hard... and yet they're still goin' at it. They're a bunch of troopers... and I'm friggin' proud of them."

"Even if half of their strength comes from sassin' the murder-chicken?!" Pinkie asked.

Rainbow shrugged. "Most of the Jury got along by sassing Josho... or Zaid..." She sighed melodically. "...even Roarke."

Fluttershy nodded quietly.

Applejack looked at Rainbow with a sympathetic smile. "It's a cryin' shame we never did get to meet them Jury partners of yers. Seems like a swell bunch of ponyfolk."

"Yeah, well..." Rainbow shifted the weight of her things and trotted evenly uphill. "Most of you got to meet Nick... Sinrar... Theanim Mane..." She gulped. "...Bard." A firm breath. "Neither Belle nor Pilate nor Kera nor any of the others got to meet them... or Mortuana or the Herald for that matter." She smiled at her old friends. "But you did. And after we get the Harmonic Prism... and we make our way back to Equestria... you can carry the memories along with me."

Applejack nodded. "Guess that makes it a mite less heavy."

"Yeah," Rainbow breathed. "It does."

Applejack smiled.

"Now that I think about it..." Twilight Sparkle examined her lavender forelimbs. "...I wonder if we should be worried?"

"Worried?" Fluttershy looked at her. "What about?"

"Well... it's taken Rainbow over two years to get this far. It stands to reason it'll take just as long if not longer to get back home. So... by the time we've all gotten our bodies back... what kind of sheer atrophy might we have to deal with?"

"Oh please, Twilight..." Rarity rolled her eyes. "Why don't you tell us all about that."

"Glad you asked, Rarity! Here's my hypothesis..."

Rarity groaned while Pinkie Pie giggled.

The Rocks and Shoals

"Uhm..." Ariel huffed and puffed several hours into the hike. "...one question."

"By all means, frriend," Kepler replied, no less exhausted.

Frowning, Ariel's narrow eyes reflected the line of pale bodies far ahead of them. "When the Hell are they gonna stop and make camp?"

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Flynn craned his neck. His mechanical eyes rotated in out and out until he ultimately blurted: "I don't think they're going to."

Seraphimus added: "I suspect that they will not stop trotting until they have reached their home base."

Wildcard nodded.

"What are they friggin' made out of?!" Ariel whimpered. "They look all skin and bones!"

"Strong skin and bones," Logan said. "They've been doing this all their lives."

"No wonder most of them are so young!" Ariel exhaled, sweating from the weight of her things. "They must kill themselves by marching!"

"We can't prroperrly judge theirr stamina unless we know wherre they arre going and at what distance," Kepler said.

"That's just the thing..." Flynn winced, almost stumbling once or twice as he scaled the bouldery landscape. "We're not as friggin' invincible as these guys. We gotta take a break at one point or another."

"I am doing quite fine," Seraphimus remarked. "Jordan as well, I suspect."

Wildcard nodded again.

"Fine... most of us need to take a break!" Flynn snarled.

Logan shook his head in mid-sweat. "I don't think that's going to happen, Baldy. These bozos are simply drawn towards Curveside."

"Well maybe we can convince them to slow down for a bit or s-something!" Ariel swiped her brow. "So we can catch a breather!"

"Pfffft..." Logan smirked bitterly. "What are the odds of that?"

"Well it's worth a try!"

"Who's gonna talk them into camping?" Flynn asked. "You?"

"Hrmffff..." Rainbow Dash's nostrils flared. "I will."

"Can you even catch up to them?" Flynn asked.

"I can if I lighten up." Rainbow detached two-thirds of her bags and tossed them into Flynn's telekinetic field. "Here. Thanks for volunteering." Swisssssssh! She flew ahead briskly.

"Grnnnngh..." Flynn grimaced, his horn almost shorting out from the added weight. "D-don't m-mention it...!"

As Rainbow glided over the craggy landscape, she came upon the caravan of Dihmers. Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the girls hovered in close to her.

"Now Rainbow..." Twilight chided gently. "...remember to try talking in the style of their diction."

"It cracks," Rainbow grunted.

Twilight blinked. "Huh?"

"Friggin' egghead."

"Dang it, Rainbow—"

Pinkie Pie giggled.

"Reckon I could try and lend a hoof?" Applejack remarked, removing her hat in mid flight. "Try and be an... emotional translator or somethin'?"

Rainbow nodded. "Sounds splendid, AJ."

"But..." Fluttershy looked over. "...how are you going to understand emotions if they have no emotions to give?"

"It's not that the Dihmers lack emotions, Fluttershy," Twilight countered. "They simply repress them."

"Are you certain about that, darling?" Rarity said. "It was changelings who brought them over here, yes?"

"One would assume."

"Maybe they sapped these poor Dihmer ponies dry."

Twilight pondered silently on that.

"Shhh!" Pinkie hissed. "Dashie's time to shine!"

Rainbow Dash touched down beside the front pony of the caravan. "Hello there!" she said.

"It talks," one of the ponies in line droned.

Rarity and Pinkie facehoofed.

"And sooooooo it begins." Rainbow rolled her eyes.

One Dihmer glanced at the sky above her. "It begins."

Rainbow blinked.

"Was..." Twilight narrowed her eyes. "...was that interrogative?"

Applejack fanned herself with her hat. "She sure seemed a mite bit perplexed at what Rainbow said."

"Quick!" Pinkie hopped in mid-air. "Seize it!"

Rainbow flapped her wings, hovering upright before the moving caravan. "It begins!" she said boldly. Then—after searching for words—she added: "It begins to tire."

"It begins..."

"It tires!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "It camps! It sleeps! Y'know..." She leaned in. "...It sleeps?"

"It returns," one Dihmer said.

"It returns to where it beats," another added.

"Yeah... about that!" Rainbow held a hoof over her sweaty chest. "It also beats." Her brow furrowed. "It beats weakly. Because it needs rest."

The Dihmer elder at the front of the caravan breathed in and out. "It returns."

"It makes camp! It rests!" Rainbow gestured wildly. "So that it gets strong!"

"It returns to where it beats," they maintained.

Rainbow looked at Applejack.

Applejack looked back. "They ain't budgin', sugarcube."

"Soooooo..." Pinkie squinted. "Is stubbornness an emotion?"

"If so, it's my second-least-favorite," Fluttershy said. A blink. "Okay. Third-least."

Twilight leaned in. "Try some negative reinforcement, Rainbow!"

"Some what?"

"Convince them that something bad could happen to us if we just keep trotting endlessly!"

"Uhm..." Rainbow flew backwards, fidgeting with her fuzzy forelimbs before the caravan. "The Bloodwings! Erm..." She showed her teeth. "It hunts! It hunts that which returns! If... if it doesn't camp and if it doesn't rest... then it hunts until it dies! But if it camps and if it rests then it returns faster!"

"It quickens!" Twilight whispers.

"It quickens!" Rainbow supplied.

"It returns to that which beats," the elder said. "It returns and it supplies so that it sustains."

"But..." Rainbow's ears drooped. "It hunts!"

"It hunts," the elder nodded. "It talks with a false glimmer. It focuses on Penumbra when it should return. It fails."

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow looked at Applejack.

Applejack exhaled. "Whew..." A bitter smirk. "I think she done diss'd you, girl."

"Okay... listen!" Rainbow grabbed the first Dihmer's shoulders. "We're following you—but we can't do that if you won't stop for camp once in a while—"

"It fails."

"It fails."

"It fails."

"Yeah—and soon it'll be spitting in its face!" Rainbow barked. "How does a civilization of emo jerks prevail anyway—?"

Fluttershy gasped suddenly.

As always, that was Rainbow's cue to drop what she was doing—in this case the Dihmer's upper body—and spin to face the dainty ghost. "What? What is it?"

Rarity drifted closer. "What do you sense, darling?"

"At f-first I j-just thought it was a normal school of creatures swimming in some underwater spring..." Fluttershy looked towards the rest with shrinking pupils. "But it's one big specimen—moving towards us at a great speed!"

"What? Where?" Rarity looked at every available horizon. "I don't see anything, dear!"

"That's because it's underground," Fluttershy hissed. "Sense for earth that's shifting!"

"... ... ... ... ...!!!" Rarity gasped. "By Celestia! I feel it!" She pointed forty-five degrees between Omega and Edgeside. "From over there!"

"Sheeeee's nottttt wronnnnng!" Pinkie Pie yelped, body shaking all over.

"It's... it's gonna attack us or what—?" Rainbow stopped in mid-sentence. She noticed the Dihmers stopping suddenly. One of the elders had squatted low and was pressing his ear to the ground. "...they hear it too."

"That they do, darlin'!" Applejack began—

"It stops!" the elder said in a bold tone. Seconds after the entire caravan had paused, he then exclaimed: "It burrows! From nearest it arrives! It hungers!"

Another Dihmer nodded, gesturing Curveside at a plateau filled with scattered rocks and boulders. "It scatters!"

"It scatters!" Several more Dihmers nodded in agreement.

"It scatters!"

"It scatters!"

With remarkable speed, the shaved ponies spread apart and galloped for separate spots among the loose stones of the plateau.

Rainbow hovered in place, staring dumbly at the vacant scene. She heard a low, rumbling thunder... increasing in severity. "Fluttershy...? Rarity...?"

"It's still coming in... very quickly," Fluttershy said.

"Wait..." Rarity's brow furrowed. "...the ground. A new fissure forming..." Her horn glowed as she concentrated. "...its weight is shifting... forming a new tunnel underground..."

"Is it changing directions?" Twilight asked.

"Yessssssssssssssss—" Pinkie shook and wobbled.

Fluttershy yelped: "Rainbow! You have to warn them!"

"... ... ..." Rainbow turned towards Edgeside.

She saw the Herald marching towards her. Seeing the petite pegasus hovering alone in mid-air, they stopped and gazed perplexedly. The pebbles and dust around them started to shift—

"Move!" Rainbow sailed towards them in a blue blur. "Scatter!" She slammed into the first body—Kepler's—and shoved the two of them away from the rest of the group. "We're being attacked by below—"

POWWWWWWWWWWW!

The earth exploded.

Rocks scattered.

Bodies flew.

And an immense cylindrical body lashed at the open air with tripartite jaws. Purple scales glistened in the twilight as the serpentine specimen hissed wildly into the rusted air: "RAWWWWWWWRRRSSSH!"

Fight or Stupid Fight

"Spit the cat-birb out!" Pinkie Pie bellowed. "Spit the cat-birb out!!!" she bellowed loudly before launching her ghostly self at the writhing neck of the Tatzlwyrm.

"Pinkie!" Twilight gnashed her teeth, twirling to keep up with Rainbow Dash's rapid movements around their otherworldly target. "It's no use! Will you give it a rest—?!"

"But it's got Wildcard!" Pinkie Pie stammered, continuing to "punch" and "kick" at the beast's scales with her incorporeal limbs. "Somewhere in there is a ghost throat just waiting to get choked! Rrrrrrrrrngh! Come on! Up the chuck, ya meanie-meanie-pants!"

"Could you please hang back?!" Rarity exclaimed, also struggling to maintain a professional survey of the fight. "You're more needed using that pinkie sense of yours to—"

"It's gonna dive!" Applejack shouted.

"She's right!" Fluttershy pointed at the ground. The scales of the beast shifted as it began descending into the sundered earth. "Any second now—!"

Holding her breath, Rainbow Dash dove low, twirled sideways, and strafed the pebble-riddled hole from which the wyrm was still protruding. As she saw the length of the monster sliding downward, she brought a hoof to her neck and summoned a burst of energy from her pendant. FLAAAAAAAASH!

A ruby stream of light pelted the circumference of the wyrm—startling it. It stopped in mid-descent and lunged its neck forward, slamming into the hard surface of the ground. THUD!

"!!!!!!" Wildcard was spat out. He cartwheeled Edgeside like a cricketball until—Thw-Thwppp!—the tentacles of the beast were launched at him. He blocked with Bard's staff. TH-THAP! The tips of the black tendrils stuck to opposite ends of the bludgeon, and Wildcard found himself struggling for control of the lengthy weapon. As the beast tugged and pullged at the late Desperado's staff, this only angered Wildcard all the more, and he wrestled with renewed vigor.

"Jordan—!" By now, Rainbow was gliding over to where the griffin fought a tug-of-war with the beast. He grasped his limbs and tugged at the ensnared weapon as well. "Just... let g-go!" her voice cracked. "Bard... Johnny would forgive you! I pr-promise—!"

But Wildcard only hissed and struggled harder to maintain control of the weapon. Sweat clung to his feathery headcrest as he wrenched a metal talon free and repeatedly slapped at the taut tendrils fused to the staff.

While Rainbow and Wildcard fussed with the creature...

...Seraphimus flew high above, studying the scene. She gazed at the upper half of the wyrm, slumped over and fighting with the two Heraldites. Then—with calm charcoal eyes—she looked aside and spotted a bevy of loose weapons and supplies. The spidersilk bows and chitinous arrows donated by the Spindlers glistened in the twilight, lying in full display.

"... ... ..." Swiiiiiish! Seraphimus descended in a pale blur. She landed, grasped an arrow in one hand and a bow in the other, somersaulted forward, then ended in a kneeling pose... aiming the projectile upwards at the beast. Notching the shaft of the arrow, she studied the head of the wyrm carefully. She took note of its torn frill, its dark blood leaking, its narrow black eyes arranged cylindrically around its fucshia crown. Finally—exhaling—Seraphimus squinted one eye and let the arrow fly. Thwiffffft!

Swiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish—Chtung! The arrowhead sunk meatedly into one eye socket of the beast, embedding deep.

"RAWWWWWWWWRSSSSH!" The beast howled, shaking all over. Seraphimus tried firing another arrow, but the painful damage had evidently been done. The beast whipped its tentacles loose of Bard's staff, retracted the tendrils, and sank like a wet stone into the earth.

"!!!" Wildcard and Rainbow were flung forward, clattering across the broken ground with the Desperado's preserved weapon. Beneath them, the world shook and grumbled.

"Let us not forget the common rules of existence..." Seraphimus stood up with her bow and arrows. "If something lives... it can feel pain."

"Yeah... well..." Rainbow panted, standing up on wobbly hooves. "Let's just be glad your aim's way friggin' better than your poetry."

"Whatever..."

"Hey!" Logan's voice called from halfway between that spot and the plateau where the rest of the group were hiding. "Did you slay the damned thing or what?!"

As Wildcard struggled to get up, Rainbow looked aside at her friends. "Fluttershy? Rarity?"

"It's..." Rarity fidgeted. "...not exactly fleeing, darling."

"I sense it circling rapidly beneath us," Fluttershy said with a noticeable tremble. "It must be trying to get over the wound Seraphimus just dealt it."

"It's sure as heck mad!" Applejack's voice cracked. "That's for dang sure!"

"Well...?!" Rainbow slicked her bangs back, trying to catch her breath. "Is it coming back for us or not?!"

"Guuuu-uuuu-uuuuhhhhhhh!" Pinkie wobbled all over.

Twilight pointed at her. "What does that tell you?!"

"Luna Poop..." Rainbow tugged at Wildcard's talon and took off in a prismatic blur. Swoooosh! "To the plateau! Quick!"

As she and Wildcard took off, a solid column of broken earth surged after them.

Seraphimus cursed under her breath. Ascending rapidly, she flew backwards while aiming her bow and arrow at the ground—hoping for a length of scales to expose the beast at any moment. As if sensing her presence, the wyrm remained underground—burrowing ominously shallow. "It's in rapid pursuit!" she shouted.

"Move! Move!" Rainbow and Wildcard flew for the plateau. They reached down and picked up a gasping Logan along the way, dragging the fat stallion towards their lofty destination uphill. "Flynn! Kepler! Thinking caps on! We've got a super ticked-off space snake after our flanks!"

There was no response.

Panting, Rainbow squinted ahead at the plateau. Several large boulders and rocks were lying in the open twilight, and the bodies of multiple ponies—Herald and Dihmer alike—perched atop the loose chunks of earth. "Guys?! What the hay is going on—"

Rainbow spotted Ariel's sharp eyes stabbing her from afar. Kepler—perched next to her and Flynn—brought a silent claw up to his tusks, signaling for Rainbow and the rest to be silent.

Logan clammed up. Wildcard steadied his wingflaps as he and Rainbow dragged the stallion up onto a loose boulder. Perching down beside him, the two veteran travelers observed how still and quiet the locals were.

The Dihmers sat meditiavely on the boulders, scarcely breathing or saying a word.

Seraphimus hovered above the scene, armed with her bow and arrow and looking noticeably confused. She studied the still figures of the locals... then glanced Edgeside at the column of surging earth rolling towards the plateau. Holding her breath, she descended sharply and landed atop a chunk of rock—perching as silently as possible.

Rainbow's friends held their breaths. Fluttershy gnawed on her fetlock while Rarity squirmed visibly. In the meantime—though—Pinkie's body stopped shaking and quivering.

Then—as thunderously loud as the ambush had begun—the angry burrowing of the beast ceased. The ground beneath the plateau stopped shifting. The Dark Side was still.

One could hear a pin drop.

Instead, Rainbow Dash exhaled quietly. She pivoted about, studying the meditative poses of the Dihmers. "... ... ...how..." She leaned in towards Ariel and Flynn. "...how are they doing it...?"

"...they're not doing anything," Ariel whispered back. "...it's the boulders..."

"... ... ..." Rainbow stared down at the loose rocks separating their bodies from the solid earth of the plateau underneath. "... ... ...it senses us through the ground..."

Kepler nodded. "...and we have a bufferr," he whispered, gesturing at the rocks. "...so long as we rremain still..."

"...and quiet..." Flynn's mechanical eye rotated. He timed his breaths carefully. "...it doesn't know precisely where we are..."

Logan looked around, tail flickering nervously.

Wildcard was still sweating... catching his breath...

Seraphimus inhaled... exhaled. "...it..." She looked cautiously across the bed of rocks. "...it must know we're here..."

"...yes..." Kepler nodded. "...but if the actions of the Dihmerrs arre any indication, then we can wait it out..."

"...yeah..." Logan grimaced. "...but for how friggin' long...?"

Kepler blinked through his broken spectacles. He looked helplessly at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow gulped. She stared at the ground—broken and disturbed—just beyond the crest of the plateau.

The Dihmers and the Herald sat in awkward silence... anchored in place as the twilight glimmered overhead...

Do You Wanna Rock?

A cold silence hung over the plateau as the Dihmers and the Herald sat still atop their awkward perches. The native equines were quite at home with the blatant inaction, while those who had come there from the Light Side knew no end to tense quirming. All eyes remained glued to the craggy stone earth surrounding the assortment of boulders upon which they sat for safety.

Nopony spoke—at least not loudly. When communication was required, it was in hushed whispers—shared among only the closest of bodies among the rocks. The Omega and Alpha horizons remained empty, and the earth was hauntingly inert.

Rainbow's ghostly friends held the luxury of moving about and talking to one another—but even they maintained a solemn silence... for the most part. Rarity and Fluttershy ducked down, phasing through the earth in order to investigate the ground below. When they came back up, their grimacing expressions confirmed the worst:

The tatzlwyrm was lying in wait. It hadn't moved.

Sighing, Rainbow Dash looked over at the rest of the Herald.

Wildcard instantly read her expression. He nodded back.

Flynn rolled his good eye and slumped over. Ariel fiddled silently with her mane while Logan kept squinting at the Dihmers.

The Dihmers hadn't moved a single inch. They mimicked the stones they were sitting on, becoming one with the bleakness all around. The only thing that stood out was the pale sheen of their wrinkled, shaved skin.

Seraphimus clenched and unclenched her beak. She looked at Rainbow, at the Dihmers, then at Rainbow again. Her wings outstretched—

Wincing, Rainbow raised a hoof and shook her head.

But Seraphimus was already moving. When she glided, it was with icy grace and stone silence. She landed soundlessly on a rock beside Rainbow and Kepler. Once within whispering distance, the former Commander leaned in.

"I doubt this creature has much to feed on. It will not leave until it is either satiated or dead."

The rest of the Herald glanced over.

Rainbow was slowly nodding. "Well... we're not about to help it with either of those scenarios."

Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. "We could very easily draw it out. Now... if we could just come up with a way to mortally wound it when it reappears."

Rainbow shrugged. "Why can't we just wait the thing out?" She gestured at the Dihmers. "Seems like they've been doing this sort of schtick for years. Certainly we can do the same."

Seraphimus' charcoal eyes peered back. "Is it not evident that the midnighters noticed your presence?"

"Sarosians" Rainbow corrected.

Seraphimus ignored it. "They could be sending out search parties for all we know. Hunting parties." Her eyes darted towards the other set of rocks where the natives perched. "We already know that they'll spare the Dihmers... but can we expect to be so fortunate?"

Rainbow bit her lip. She looked aside.

Applejack and Twilight gazed back.

"She's got a point, sugarcube..."

Twilight sighed. "Ever since we arrived on the Dark Side, we've had the luxury of time on our hooves. But now that we've crossed paths with the Bloodwings..." She shook her head. "It wouldn't be very safe for us to just sit around in the open."

Rainbow looked at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy already had an answer prepared. "I don't sense any sarosians flying this way," she said. "The only moving life form I sense for miles is the tatzlwyrm... and it's still lying beneath us."

"Lurking like... like..." Rarity grimaced. "An outright lurker!" She shivered.

A soft breath billowed out of Rainbow's nostrils. She turned towards Kepler and waited for the wyvern to look back. "How long have we been here, Keps?" she whispered.

Kepler fiddled with his damaged glasses. "Well... taking into account that I am not currrently in possession of Chief Engineerr Rranorrt's time-keeping device, I've been having to rrely on age-old wyverrn tools of ingrrained guestimation—"

"Just give it to me shorthoof, dude."

"Ahem... I-I suspect that we've been sitting herre forr the betterr parrt of two hourrs," Kepler declared. "Perrhaps closerr to thrree."

Rainbow glanced at Seraphimus as she spoke. "Do you still have of your... uhhh... kablooie stuff?"

"Bombs, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight droned.

"Bombs. Y'know..." Rainbow gestured. "All those alchemic potions in your possession. The stuff we used on the bigger wyrm that we had to deal with."

"Yeah! We took care of that bully no problem!" Pinkie frowned. "Why are we getting schooled by this punk?"

Applejack grunted, "Because it's a tough punk."

"OoooOooOooo..." Pinkie's eyes narrowed. "They're learning"

In the meantime, Kepler was stroking his hairy chin. "A good porrtion of my equipment was destrroyed back when we nearrly encounterred the Bloodwings. The rrest—I've been carrrying on my backside. Alas..." He sighed. "I lost it back durring the panicked sprrint to arrrive herre."

Seraphimus was craning her neck. "Can you point out where exactly it was dropped, Wyvern?"

"Why?" Rainbow made at face at her. "You're not actually thinking of going back to grab it, are you?"

"It could be instrumental in defeating this creature."

"Yeah, and the moment your wings flap anywhere close to the solid earth, it'll leap out at you!"

"I am faster than you think, Rainbow," Seraphimus said.

Rainbow arched an eyebrow. "Then how come you could never catch me?"

"Rainbowwwww..." Applejack chided.

Seraphimus' beak clenched tightly... and then she said. "One of us has to be willing to take the risk to do what needs to be done."

"I would not advise it," Kepler said.

Seraphimus snorted. "Naturally you would take her side. I should have expected no less."

"What I mean is... half of Commanderr Gwen's ill-fated comrrades werre airrborrne at the moment of the wyrrm attack," Kepler explained. "The Emerraldians had constrructed a hot airr balloon to perrform surrveillance on the Alpha landscape borrderring Darrkrreach when the beast came upon them. It prropelled itself high enough into the airr to latch onto the basket and brring the entirre balloon down. Beforre the ponies could recoverr, the beast had reburrrowed. It devourred them frrom below... drragging them scrreaming into an earrly grrave."

"I am not a balloon," Seraphimus droned. "Point out the alchemic supplies to me. I will be swift."

"Not going to happen," Rainbow said, shaking her head.

Seraphimus scowled. "How many opportunities are you just going to waste—"

Rainbow scowled back. "When are you going to get it through your feathered skull that you mean as much to me as the rest of the Herald?!?"

Pebbles rattled.

A low rumble rolled through the ground.

"Darrrrrliiiiiiiiing—" Rarity squeaked, nervously clinging to Fluttershy as they both stared at the earth.

The Herald shifted uncomfortably.

The Dihmers sat in silence.

Then—just as it began—the thunder below ground stopped.

Rainbow and Seraphimus simultaneously exhaled in relief.

"Time, my frriends," Kepler whispered. "Let us simply give this situation morre time." His spectacles glistened in the twilight. "Once desperration has played its pallid hand, then let us worrry about taking wild rrisks."

Seraphimus huffed, folding her forelimbs. "Things were far simpler back in Rohbredden... back when I had control."

"Welcome to my life," Rainbow said, waving her off and settling on folded limbs. "You want my advice, Sera? Get some sleep."

"Ach..." Kepler nodded. "That could certainly benefit the whole of us."

"Good idea, Rainbow," Twilight commented.

"Alright." Rainbow nodded. She looked over towards the Herald. "Who's on guard duty first—?"

A metal talon shot up into the air.

Rainbow's eyes were already rolling. "Why do I even bother asking?" she smirked.

Good Conjuration; Bad Conjuration

"Mrmmmff..." Rainbow Dash trilled, her muzzle curled up against warm fabric. "Mrmmmmfff..." She trilled again, trying to find her place against the tender warm softness.

A hoof reached down... caressing her long prismatic mane.

Rainbow Dash's lips parted. She let loose a foalish squeak, frightened and needy all at once.

"There there, child..." The hoof continued to stroke her gently... taking time to play with her ears. Lovingly. Titillatingly. "You are safe," the voice spoke, stale yet familiar. "Just rest easy. You deserve it."

"Hrmmmm... guh..." Rainbow's eyes fluttered open. She blinked at the world around her.

She saw warm colors. Glittering greens. Soothing blues. A blindingly bright gold lingering above, all-encompassing.

"... ... ...?" Rainbow felt something brushing against her nose. She looked to see the folds of a blanket. But—beyond that—were the unimistakable threads of a hammock. She was swaying. Drifting. Melting beneath a luscious warmth that bathed her like a sauna. "What...?" Before she could sit up...

...the warm hoof caressed her again, this time brushing under her chin. She felt velvety-soft fur tickling her nostrils.

Looking up, Rainbow found the owner of that fetlock. Her face immediately contorted into confusion.

Applejack smiled back at her. Her eyes were the greenest Rainbow had ever seen, and her freckles were pale pools that one could practically dive into. "Isn't this wonderful?" Applejack spoke. It was her voice, but the drawl was gone. "Here, we can be together. Nothing can hurt us."

Rainbow cocked her head to the side, slowly recoiling from the sight of the mare. "AJ...?" Before she could produce another word, a second set of hooves reached in, massaging Rainbow's withers. She flinched—making the hammock sway. Rainbow threw a look over her shoulder, and the sight she saw made her blood turn cold.

"Don't be afraid," Gold Petals said, her eyes twinkling like the surface of a blue pond. The warm winds made her platinum bangs dance deliciously. "We are here for you. You can trust us."

Rainbow fidgeted on the hammock. Her petite figure swung limply as she struggled to make sense out of—

"Please..." Another voice droned, and Rainbow's heart skipped a beat.

Reluctantly, Rainbow looked behind her yet again.

Her gaze followed a forest of crimson dreads dangling from a rigid frame. Two ice-blue eyes peered at her from across a verdant hilltop. Somehow, there wasn't a single scar or blemish on her body, and even the metal plugs were gone. In a manner of speaking, she was just as Rainbow Dash always remembered her in spirit.

"...talk to us," Roarke said. "You must be so terribly lonely."

"It's okay, though," Gold Petals added, drawing nearer.

Applejack hugged her from behind. "You're not alone here."

Rainbow Dash breathed and breathed and breathed. She closed her eyes, allowing the immaculate sight of Roarke to dissolve against the darkness of her mind. But still—despite her attempts—she could somehow still see the green hills, blue sky, and golden sun. This was what finally calmed her, and she spoke with a dry tone:

"You couldn't get me through fear or intimidation..." Her eyes reopened, strong and piercing. "This isn't going to work either."

The three mares fumbled for words.

"Drop the disguise," Rainbow Dash commanded. "You're not fooling me. I know what I have left behind."

All was still.

Eventually...

...Applejack, Gold Petals, and Roarke all trotted out into the center of a hill. One by one they dissolved, and Rainbow would have been lying if she said that the last one's disappearance didn't leave her feeling decidedly empty. Nevertheless, she steeled herself, watching as a singular feminine figure appeared in the three illusions' place.

"You have a stronger mind than we expected, W'ynlppa yln H'luun."

Rainbow stepped off the hammock as it dissolved behind her. "You're not the first to poke around inside."

"Yes. The Spindlers." The feminine figure rippled like candlelight in the wind. "We smell their vile venom all over."

"Or maybe I'm just awesome..." Rainbow arched an eyebrow. "Did you ever think of that?"

"You have the Blessing of Nightmare Moon..." A pair of eyes solidified at the top of the figure's frame. Rainbow could see the faint outlines of other ponies standing beside her, all peering in the same direction. "The Blood of Luna is upon you. Why? Why did the Mother of Nightmares bestow such a gift to a Penumbral stranger?"

"No... uh uh..." Rainbow shook her head. "...you don't get to ask questions."

"Answer us. Now."

"Not until you've earned it." Rainbow paced across the springry grass of the never ending hills. "Now... answer me some questions first. Beginning with..." She waved a hoof at the crystal blue sky. "...what the heck's the deal with this place? Is this what you guys think Equestria is like?" She looked all around, squinting at the blinding sunlight above. "Did you actually think this sort of a thing would fool me?"

The figure fidgeted suddenly. A noticeable tremor rippled through the bodies behind it.

Rainbow noticed. She arched an eyebrow. "You really don't know, do you? How sucky must that be? To be so far removed from Paradise that you can't recall what home is like."

"We know where we belong," the figure spoke. "Our souls are destined to the Nocturnal Plains... where we will bask in the glory of the Dreambringer forever."

"Pfffft—'Nocturnal Plains?!'" Rainbow smiled crookedly. "Is that what you think they're called?! Yeesh... you've been on the Dark Side for a verrrrrry long time, haven't you?"

"You will NOT insult the righteous plan of the Mother of Nightmares," the voice hissed, although it was still noticeably shaking from across the dreamscape. "As it is written in the Book of Saros: 'The Mother's blessing is our blessing.'"

"This is my head." Rainbow shook her head. "So long as you're here—uninvited—I'm not in the mood for playing by your rules."

The figures shifted awkwardly among each other.

"You're all in the tree... aren't you?" Rainbow Dash said. "Where the Shard of Endrax is located?"

The foremost figure flicked, looking at Rainbow sharply. "How would one such as you know about that?"

"You wanna get answers?" Rainbow rasped. "You wanna talk it out? Round-table and crap?" She took a deep breath. "You call off Lexxic and his hunting goons... and then you come see me face to face. In the real world."

The figures were stone silent.

"Unless..." Rainbow's muzzle lingered open. "...you're not really the ones in charge..."

"We are the Council of Dreamers," the figure said. "We speak for the Matriarchs in charge."

"No no no... you're gonna have to do better than that." Rainbow nodded. "For instance, who are you?"

"We are the Council of Dreamers. We speak for—"

"No. I don't want to know who you hang out with." Rainbow's nostrils flared. "I wanna know about you. That's right. You've always been the one in charge of poking at my dreams these past few weeks. That tells me that you're the only one I can have a heart-to-heart with. So... who are you? What's your name?"

All of the figures in the back were still now, but the one towards the front visibly squirmed.

Rainbow held a hoof to her chest. "My name is Rainbow Dash... and I'm awesome." She held a hoof out. "And you are...?"

The background figures rippled... then vanished. The one in the foreground made a motion like trotting, and the hint of velvety fur materialized into view. "Nat'rdoo," she announced, accompanied by a pair of silver eyes, peering. "Yln syppl'm thym w'lynlypp'rm."

"Hey... it's my head," Rainbow's voice cracked. "Keep it in Rainbownese, please."

"We... I am sorry..." Nat'rdo shuddered, scarecely visible at this point. Rainbow could make out leafy ears and an alarmingly shiny mane. "...it is difficult to translate this information into Penumbral comprehension..."

Rainbow slowly nodded. "Well... Nater... Nader... Naddy..." Her eyes crossed, but she shook the moment loose and spat: "Well, sister, now we're getting somewhere. At least I know that you're capable of humility... or something close to it."

"Will you now explain yourself?" Nat'rdo's silver eyes gleamed. The semblance of a hard frown formed beneath her gaze. "Why would a Penumbral soul blemished with the burns of the Daybreaker be sent here with the Mother's blessing?"

Rainbow blinked. She pointed up at the blinding gold light. "You think that's what Equestria's all about? A beautiful landscape constantly under attack by... by..." Her eyes narrowed. "Did you just call Celestia 'Daybreaker?'"

There was an ear-piecing hiss. Nat'rdo's figure billowed—and the figures behind her briefly reappeared, likewise hissing. "We will not have that vile traitor's true name be spoken! Not here or in any other dreamscape!"

"History's a lot different than you think, Nascar."

"Will you or will you not answer us?"

"Like I said..." Rainbow stared the half-formed figure down. "The made-up world isn't going to cut it. I need to know that my friends and I will be safe... and then we can work out a conference." Rainbow paced as she spoke. "I've seen Lexxic's hoofwork. Yes—thanks to the Spindlers—I know what he's capable of. But Lexxic is going to be a problem for you getting any answers out of me... so long as he's gunning down anything that isn't Dihmer on the Dark Side."

"The Matriarch's finest nightblood warrior is instrumental in achieving victory in the War. We cannot and will not rein him in for the sake of appeasing one Penumbral—"

"Then I guess Luna's one and only gift to appear on the Dark Side in forever will die with me!" Rainbow barked.

Nat'rdo was silent.

Rainbow squinted at her. "You want a taste for yourself? Give me something to go on. What assurance do I have that Lexxic won't hunt me and my friends down?"

Before Nat'rdo could respond, a loud crack of thunder rolled through the emerald landscape. The earth split up, and the heavens divided. Thick blackness poured in, onyx and consuming.

Rainbow looked around. "What... what's going on...?"

"The Dreamscape..." Nat'rdo exclaimed, dissolving one fuzzy layer at a time. "It is being interrupted."

"Is... is it on your end or—?"

"Negative..."" Nat'rdo's figure receded, along with her voice. "You... out in the wilderness... a disturbance... f'lymmsnyl... w'lynshym sym thy'nyll s'abalysnyll!"

Rainbow braced herself as the darkness spread all around, consuming the earth beneath her.

Like an anvil, she dropped—

Wake; Time to Fly

"Rainbow...!" A fuzzy gray hoof shook the petite pegasus' shoulder vigorously. "Rainbow!!!"

"Mrmmmff..." Rainbow Dash's ruby eyes flew open. All around her, bodies were shifting... squirming beneath the stars. "Nat'rdo...?"

Ariel ignored that, staring into Rainbow's face. "Shhhhhhh!" She looked worriedly off the plateau towards Edgeside. "Something is happening!"

Even the Dihmers appeared more animated than usual. Concerned, Rainbow Dash pushed her fresh thoughts on the dream aside and craned her neck towards a thunderous sound.

A herd of blue-tinged creatures were sprinting towards the plateau. They were twice the size of ponies, with flaring bioluminescent spines that alternated between bright red and cool blue. Rainbow spotted narrow horns and long tails, but she couldn't spot any teeth or claws to suggest they were carnivores.

"They do not appearr to be afrraid," Kepler could be heard commenting.

"Can they not feel through the ground?" quipped Flynn. Wildcard hand-signed something in response, but Rainbow could see it.

"Mrmmff..." Rainbow rubbed the sleep from her eyes and lowered her voice. "Girls? You there?"

"Of course, Rainbow," Twilight said. "Fluttershy says they herded over here from Alpha."

"Any idea what they want?"

"Maybe they came to arrest us!" Pinkie said.

"They ain't panickin' or nothin'," Applejack remarked. "I dun think they sense any danger."

Rainbow looked towards Fluttershy. "The wyrm?"

The ground beneath them rumbled as she asked this.

Fluttershy gulped. "It's moving towards them."

"There isn't much solid earth beneath the plain anymore!" Rarity remarked. "If it crosses its previous tracks too much, it'll cause a sinkhole!"

"Maybe that's what it wants to do!" Pinkie Pie suggested. "Then it'll gobble up the creatures underground!"

"... ... ..." Rainbow gazed Edgeside. Her eyes fell upon the loose backpacks and supplies that were left in the hurry to get to the plateau. "...how far away is the wyrm from our stuff?"

"About a hundred meters and increasing!" Fluttershy said.

"Now might be our opportunity, Rainbow," Twilight said.

Ariel leaned in. "What's the plan?"

"Better take advantage of the moment when it's at hoof," Rainbow said. She looked aside. "Psssst! Keps! Which pack is yours again?"

"The one bearring patches of old wyverrn symbology."

Rainbow squinted. "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

Kepler cleared his throat. "Look for loose white hairrs, my frriend."

"Gotcha." Rainbow perched on the edge of the rock. "Gotta make this quick."

"What'll we do once we have the stuff?" Logan whispered hoarsely from afar.

"Bring it to Keps and have him do his magic."

"I suggest we send our fastest flier," Seraphimus said.

"Right." Ariel nodded. "I'll go grab it."

Wildcard pointed at himself.

"Negatory." Seraphimus shook his head. "The task should fall on me."

"I'll get it," Rainbow grumbled, no longer whispering.

Ariel grimaced. "But Rainbow—"

"I'm the fastest friggin' one here," Rainbow's wings spread. "And don't you forget it." She looked over her shoulder. "Although... I could use a boost."

Holding his breath, Flynn hopped over to Rainbow's rock. "At your service."

"If the creature turns around..." Seraphimus' charcoal eyes narrowed. "...you will not have much time."

"Don't worry." Rainbow threw a casual glance at Rarity and Fluttershy. "I've got my own personal radar." She looked at Flynn. "Alley zoop time?"

Flynn got into position, horn glowing. "Don't you mean 'alley oop?'"

"Let's not be lame, bro."

"Of course." Flynn licked his lips and concentrated magic. "Here goes."

Ariel gulped. "Be careful."

"Thanks." Rainbow wriggled into position. "I won't." Her teeth gnashed. "Contact—!"

FL-FLASH! Flynn propelled Rainbow with a burst of telekinetic energy.

Logan, Wildcard, and Seraphimus watched as she sailed towards Edgeside in a prismatic streak.

SWISSSSSSSSSSH!

"H-Heeeeey!" Twilight grinned amidst the whipping winds. "That was an impressive utilization of force magic!"

"Keep yer head in gear, sugarcube!" Applejack hollered, gliding alongside their anchor. "Rainbow—tell us what you need—"

"Fuzzy fuzzy senses on the wyrm!" Rainbow angled her wings and began her dive towards the scattered supplies below. "I want to know the very instant that it turns—"

"It's almost underneath the herd!" Rarity said. "I do think that a dreadful feast is about to happen!"

"Oh goodness..." Fluttershy whimpered.

"Stay focused, Flutters!" Pinkie insisted. "My senses aren't going nuts, so I think Dashie's safe!"

"Works for me!" Rainbow dove towards the pack. "I think I see Kepler's stuff!"

"You're right, Rainbow." Twilight nodded. "That bag in front of you has magical ingredients."

"Then let's make this quick." Holding her breath, Rainbow stretched her front legs out and caught a loop of the bag. "Gotcha—"

Twnggg! The bag caught on something.

"Guh!" Grimacing, Rainbow was tugged back. She fell flat on her flank. Thap!

Twilight and Applejack winced. "What happened?"

"It's... it's..." Rainbow hissed and struggled to tug the satchel loose. "...it's stuck on something!" She froze in place, ears drooping. "Don't tell me the wyrm sensed that."

"It's... it's..." Rarity squinted, staring off in the distance towards the unwitting herd.

"What?" Rainbow breathed, still tugging at Kepler's bag. "What's it doing?"

"Oh no..." Fluttershy paled.

Off in the distance, Rainbow heard a bevy of alien shrieks coming from the otherworldly herd. The air lit up with the sound of limbs pounding against the ground. Speedy. Frightened.

"Somethin' spooked them!" Applejack said. "I think they dun sensed the wyrm!"

"She's r-right!" Fluttershy pointed as the stampeding bodies came closer, surging Curveside. "Now the tatzlwyrm is chasing them!"

Rainbow's pupils shrank. "Towards us?"

"Not... q-quite, darling," Rarity mewled.

Rainbow squinted. She watched as the herd kicked up a cloud, roaring straight towards the plateau. The earth tore up in a channel behind them, exposing bits and pieces of the tatzlwyrm's furiously wriggling scales.

"Th-that's the fastest its ever moved!" Pinkie yelped. "It's heading straight towards our friends!"

"They have to move!" Twilight shouted.

"Guys!!!" Rainbow hollered, but her voice couldn't pierce the bedlam that the wyrm was picking up. "Rrrnnngh!" She tugged and tugged at the satchel, gradually ripping it loose from the rock it was caught beneath. "Wildcard! Big Show! Move your friggin' flanks!"

From a distance, she could spot the bodies of the Herald squirming. They still weren't leaving the plateau.

"It's not stopping!" Fluttershy said.

"At the speed the herd and the wyrm are moving..." Rarity grimaced. "...they'll pulverize that hill to pebbles!"

"Hey! Heyyyyyy!" Rainbow flailed her forelimbs wildly. Gnashing her teeth, she brought a hoof to her pendant and shone a bright light in their direction. "Move! You have to move—!"

A pair of goggled lenses reflected Rainbow's ruby light. Within seconds, Wildcard streaked skyward, pulling Flynn and Kepler with him. Moments after, Seraphimus and Ariel could be seen desperately tugging Logan into the starry sky.

"Can..." Twilight rubbed her fetlocks nervously together. "...c-can they make it?!"

"Too late—!" Pinkie hollered.

Rainbow grimaced as...

...the stampeding creatures rushed straight into the high-placed forest of boulders. Within the space of a scream—"RAWWWWWWWWRSSSH!!!"—the tatzlwyrm burst out of the ground, its tripartite jaws spread wide. In a hungry rage, it smashed itself blindly into the top of the plateau.

The Herald vanished behind a projectile cloud of shattered rocks and loose stones. The bodies of animals and Dihmers went flying Curveside, and all that was left in the wake was smothered by the thrashing girth of the furious wyrm.

That Which Sustains, Satiates

Kepler and Flynn fell from a dramatic height. Flynn initiated his telekinesis at the last second, turning their mutual collapse into a rough tumble across broken stone.

"Mrmmmf!"

"Guhhh!"

A few paces towards Alpha, Wildcard attempted gliding out of his awkward fall. He failed, and he grinded to a stop—painfully—with a ruffle of loosened neckfeathers. Aching, the griffin fought to get up. A patch of shadow formed in the twilight, growing darker—a huge half of a boulder was plummeting murderously towards him.

SWIIIIIIIIIISH! With a spectral streak, Rainbow dove in and rammed her body into Wildcard's. Together, the petite pegasus and the Desperado went rolling for a dozen feet. WHAMMM! The heavy chunk of boulder landed behind them, smashing into a thousand bits that rained on their flinching bodies.

"Wuhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Pinkie's tail twitched so hard it looked as though it would shoot off her ghostly body like a torpedo. All across the plateau, smashed chunks of rock and stone fell from the combined charge of the tatzlwyrm and the herd of creatures. The quadrupedal beasts—panicked out of their minds—galloped back and forth under the chaotic volley. Fluttershy and the other mares winced when a heavy rock slammed through one animal's skull, crushing it to a pulp and leaving its lower limbs to twitch and spasm amidst a sea of black blood.

"Where is it?!" Logan's voice could be heard shouting somewhere in the distance, which was how Rainbow knew that the stallion was still alive. "Where's the damn wyrm?!"

"Still burrowing!" Seraphimus' voice rang. Rainbow caught a sharp claw glinting somewhere above in her peripheral vision. "There! See it?!"

"Ach!" Kepler shook and thrashed on the ground, encumbered by something. "I-I see nothing...!"

"Rainbow, it's burrowing everywhere now!" Rarity exclaimed. As the last chunks and pebbles of rock fell from the explosive event, she pointed towards Omega. "In the confusion, I feel it's lost track of its prey!"

"It's only a matter of time before it detects us!" Fluttershy said.

Rainbow looked across the plateau. The boulders had been so terribly damaged and spread out that the group had completely lost their platform of cover. "We gotta take to the air!"

"All of us?!" Ariel zipped up, slightly bruised and noticeably frazzled. "How can we get all of us out of chomping range at the same time?!"

"No time to think!" Rainbow stammered, feeling the ground shaking heavier and heavier beneath them. "Gotta move!"

"Wait! The alchemic potions!" Flynn crawled over, wincing. "Did you get them, Rainbow—?!"

"!!!" Rainbow remembered the satchel of Kepler's things that she had strapped over her own saddlebags before rushing in to save Wildcard. "Yes! I got them!"

"Now's our one and only opportunity to vanquish this beast," Seraphimus said.

"Better move fast!" Logan belched.

"Keps!" Rainbow and Flynn rushed over, slapping the bag into place before him. "We got your stuff, buddy! Time to work your magic!"

"Alas, Rrainbow One..." Kepler shuddered, sitting limply across from them. "I fearr that will be quite difficult."

"What's wrong, Keps?!" Ariel stammered amidst the noise and tremors. "Are you hurt?"

"Farr worrse, I fearr." Kepler held his spectacles out. Both lenses had been completely smashed now—almost to the point of becoming opaque from the myriad of fractures and cracks. "I do not think I can employ my talents."

"You gotta be kidding me..." Rainbow grimaced. "Are you actually blind without those?"

"Oh, I can see!" Kepler smiled nervously. "I spot my tusks without any difficulty whatsoeverr! Beyond them, howeverr..."

"Well..." Flynn sucked his breath in. "Shit nuggets."

"The wyvern's talents are only limited by his mind, Seraphimus droned.

"Sera's right!" Logan leaned in. "Keps! Can you tell us what potions to mix to make a big anti-wyrm kablooie bomb?!"

"That would be exceeding difficult."

The rumbling in the ground intensified. Flynn grimaced. "Being digested alive in a tatzlwyrm's belly sounds slightly more cumbersome! Come on, dude. Use your hairy brain! I'll help!"

Schiiiing! Logan faced the Omega horizon with his axe. "I'll try to hold him off for as long as I can."

"Don't be crazy, Big Show!" Ariel's voice cracked. "He'll gobble you whole!"

"Then I'll hump his uvula until he chokes!"

"Actually..." Kepler held a claw up. "...tatzlwyrrms arre not in possession of uvulas like you orr me—"

"Keps! The damn potions!" Flynn barked.

"Ach! But of courrse!" Kepler's forehead scrunched as he gestured in the air. "Look forr a small cylinderr with grreen pellets, and a tall flask with powderry yellow filament! The latterr should be marrked 'flarrestone essence!'"

"Right! On it!" Rainbow spat. She, Flynn, and Ariel delicately rummaged through Kepler's belongings for the items in question.

Meanwhile, Seraphimus and a limping Wildcard bravely joined Logan's side. They faced the source of the rumbling. The quadrupedal creatures had all galloped off in random directions; meanwhile the enormous carnivore roared towards that spot via an underground charge. The tatlwyrm had most definitely targeted its original prey, and the distance between them was closing.

While Rainbow and her fellow Heraldites raced against the inevitable fate to produce a defense measure, her ghostly companions could only watch on in tense silence. At some point, Fluttershy peered towards Curveside—fidgeting. Her ears twitched, and she focused on one particular sight.

The dust from the calamity had cleared, revealing the Dihmers... or what was left of them. A boulder had landed squarely on one of the ponies. The upper half of its body was obscured by the weight of the earthen structure. The ill-fated soul's lower legs lay dormant.

Fluttershy bit her lip. Her eyes instantly watered up. At the sound of scraping hooves, she looked further towards the edge of the plateau.

Dihmers were dragging another wounded pony across the fractured earth. Her rear left leg was severely damaged. Dim, barely-glowing blood dribbled liberally from an upper joint. Meanwhile, in place of a hoof, an exposed shaft of bone glistened in the twilight. Despite this heinous injury, the Dihmer did not scream. She did not cry. A slight shiver rolled through her body. Otherwise, she was just as emotionless and lethargic as before.

"It drains," another Dihmer said.

"It fades," added another. "Can it move?"

"Mmmm..." Fluttershy reached blindly back and tapped an orange shoulder. "Applejack..."

Curious, Applejack glided over and hovered beside her friend.

The wounded mare sucked her breath in, the only sign of pain thus far. "It can," she told the others. "It fades. It is not able to return."

The other Dihmers looked towards one another. A twinkling of understanding flickered across their eyes. At last, the surviving elder of the group approached the mare. "It sustains," he said.

The mare was momentarily silent. Shivering. After a few seconds, she ultimately nodded and repeated, "It sustains."

"It sustains."

"It sustains."

Slowly—with practiced precision—the other Dihmers reached in and grasped the satchels and saddlebags from the mare's flank, briskly stripping her.

Applejack's ears instantly drooped. "Oh no..."

The mare hobbled backwards, naked and free of supplies. She was given a spear by one of the other hunters. She used this as a cane as she pivoted around and faced Omega. As soon as her back was facing her colleagues, the rest of the Dihmers moved as one towards Curveside.

"Rainbow...?!" Applejack hollered. She and Fluttershy turned around and rushed towards their anchor. "Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow was too busy forming a chemical compound with her friends. She hunched over the alchemic supplies with her back to her ghostly companions. Her ears were full of Kepler's rolling instructions.

The three-legged mare hobbled off towards Omega, dragging the spear with a loud scraping noise.

"Rainbow!" Fluttershy pleaded.

"Consarnit, sugarcube!!!" Applejack flew straight into Rainbow's face. "Will ya pay attention—?!"

"Not now, AJ," Rainbow tried to peer through her ghostly figure. "We gotta make this bomb pronto or else—"

"She's going straight towards it!" Fluttershy yelped.

"Look!" Applejack pointed.

"... ... ..." Rainbow slowly stood up. She squinted towards Omega.

By now, Logan, Wildcard, and Seraphimus saw the Dihmer too. She had approached the fringes of the plateau, where the rumbling was the most intense. At long last—so far out—the injured mare held her spear up high... then slammed it down repeatedly into the stone earth, forcing a loud echo to billow outward in every direction.

"Hey!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "Heeeeey!" She waved her forelimbs wildly. "Knock it off!"

The rumbling in the earth intensified. Pebbles shook and danced across the ground.

Rarity's horn glowed. She winced. "It's... it's moving towards her—"

"Get out of there! Don't—" Rainbow turned towards the rest of the Herald. "Wildcard—!"

The Desperado was already spreading his wings to intervene...

...but he was too late.

POWWW! With a splash of granite chunks—RAWWWWWRSH!—the tripartite jaws of the beast lunged forward and closed around the upper half of the Dihmer. SCHLLLINK!

Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle winced.

Ariel held her hoof over her muzzle.

"What...?!" Kepler squinted everywhere. "What is happening—"

The tatlzwyrm spun like a cylinder. Blood splattered in a fan as the torso of the Dihmer was ripped clean from its lower body. Sp-Splorch! Half a second later, the jaws snapped forward once more, gobbling up the rest of her—spear and all. Then, with a gross gurgling sound, the wyrm slowly wriggled back down into the earth and vanished with a low bass rumble.

Flynn's jaw hung agape.

Logan and Seraphimus stared, silent and deadpan.

Grimacing, Rainbow turned towards her companions.

"It's... burrowing away from us," Rarity said. "Slow and steady... towards Omega."

Fluttershy sighed... sniffling as tears ran down her muzzle. "It's satiated." Applejack hugged her gently.

"Sweet Celestia..." Twilight murmured.

The Herald exchanged glances. Several eyes fell on Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow was fuming. Her eyes pulsed red-on-yellow, and she shot up into a low hover, facing the Dihmers. "You didn't have to make her do that!!!" She snarled, teeth glinting in the twilight. "We were gonna fix something up to fight the freak off!!! Do you hear me?!?! I said we had a solution, you heartless melon fu—" Her voice trailed off.

The caravan of Dihmers had made a great distance. They marched wordlessly—speedily—towards Curveside. They did not stop to respond to Rainbow Dash. They didn't even bother to carry the remains of their other fallen member. Barely-glowing blood and scraps of flesh were left in their wake. They had taken all of the intact supplies with them.

Rainbow Dash blinked. With flapping wings, she looked down at the blood-stained plateau. A beat, and she squinted Curveside once more. Her lips pursed...

Salvaging What Is Left

Zzzzzzzzp! Logan tied a satchel shut.

"There..." He heaved the heavy pack over his flank, wincing slightly. "Mmmmmmyeahhhh..." A shrug of his shoulders, and he allowed his body to get used to the extended weight. "Pain and life... life and pain..." A dull grin, and he faced Rainbow. "Good to go when you are."

Rainbow's brow furrowed. "Are you sure you can handle all that weight, Big Show?"

"It's in the name, girl." He began marching slowly—steadily—towards Curveside. "Besides, I'm the only member of this posse who's built for this shit. It's worth it if we can preserve most of our stuff." He glanced over his shoulder. "By the way—Baldy—is this most of our stuff?"

Flynn sighed, scribbling notes into one of Kepler's notepads with a levitating pen. "We've still got food. Bows and arrows. Kepler's alchemic supplies. Runestones... a pair of boomsticks... and some stuff from Darkreach."

"How much stuff from Darkreach?"

"Down to one pack," Flynn explained. "Mana shards. Ranort's CAINE device. Some of the manuscripts we pilfered." He folded the notepad up and gazed woefully across the stone wasteland. "We now officially have less stuff than we did way back when we first set out from Wyvern Point with Mortuana... rest her soul."

"So we're moving light," Rainbow Dash said. "Cool." The barest hint of a smirk. "I can do light."

"You are light," Flynn muttered. "Me? I feel naked without a good assortment of gadgets at my side."

"You... mrmmfff... wanna carry all of the good stuff here?" Logan offered, sweating.

Flynn shook his head. "You enjoy the exercise, Big Show. Your fat ass could do with building character."

"Cute."

"Wait..." Ariel rushed in, blinking at the others. "What about the last bits of spare armor from Darkreach?"

"What about them?" Flynn droned.

"Well..." Ariel squirmed. "...I know we're all carrying just about all we can right now... but are we honestly leaving that behind?"

"Think about it, Ariel." Flynn sighed. "Would any of that had done good against shit like the hungry hungry deatherpillar we just ran into?"

Ariel bit her lip. She looked at Rainbow.

Rainbow exhaled. "I don't know about you guys, but I was never cut out for the knight-in-shining-armor schtick anyways." She gestured. "Leave it behind. We can only carry so much and we're already loaded with the absolute essentials."

"The swords, however..." Seraphimus twirled two Emeraldinian blades and sheathed them into makeshift scabbards hastily fashioned out of scavenged canvas and leather. "They certainly will prove useful. They already have, in fact."

"Go ahead, Sera." Rainbow nodded. "Hrmmmfff..." A slight smirk. "You seem to have grown attached to them."

"In a manner of speaking." Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes narrowed. "What of the wyvern?"

Rainbow pivoted about. "Keps? How are you holding up, buddy?"

"Mrrmmfff..." Kepler squirmed, squinting without the aid of his glasses. The busted spectacles in question were strapped uselessly into a pocket of his bandolier. "I would be holding up betterr..." He winced as Wildcard shuffled around him, fastening the last strap of multiple packs to his shoulders. "...if I could see wherre all the pieces werre."

Wildcard gave the bags a final tug, then turned to face Rainbow. "I felt that the alchemy tools would be safest with him. He can only carry so much."

"I do hope he is not saying anything rrude." Kepler's nostrils flared. "I am in no condition to surrvey his Desperrado sense of humorr."

Ariel giggled, trotting towards him. "Who? Wildcard?"

"The Job Squad has always been a most efficient bunch. I suspect I know a fifth wheel when I see one... orr fail to see one." Kepler sighed. "I fearr that I am no longerr of much use to you, my frriends. Fitting that you should utilize my body as a packhorrse—no offense intended."

"He is not wrong," Seraphimus said. Upon receiving multiple glares, she calmly glanced back. "In the wyvern's latter assertion," she clarified.

"We're not leaving you behind, Kepler," Ariel said. She briefly frowned. "Unlike some ponies."

"But without my sight, I cannot keep my bearrings..."

"Then let me be the bearings for you!" Ariel trotted Curveside of him and flicked her tail into his claws. "Just grab ahold, lil' guy! I'll lead the way!"

"Oh, but Arriel, you poorr dearr!" Kepler protested. "How will you fly?"

"Quite steadily." She winked. "With a good counterbalance on my tail." A beat. "I... uh... I just winked at you a second ago."

"But of courrse! I had assumed as much. Bra-hah!"

"Heeheehee..."

Kepler sighed. "But I darresay my futurre herre on the Darrk Side is now imperriled by my visual handicap. I serriously... serriously doubt that therre is an optometrist within rreasonable distance of ourr currrent location."

"We'll find a way to get those glasses of yours fixed, Keps," Rainbow said. "Don't you worry."

"But Rrainbow One, I haven't even seen an inkling of the materrials rrequirred to fashion glass—"

"I said we're gonna get them fixed!" Rainbow frowned. "We'll bridge that gap when we get there! Right now, we..." She trailed off, fidgeting.

"Well?" Flynn craned his neck towards her. "What now? Don't tell me we're still following those sorry-ass flankholes."

Rainbow gulped. "Fluttershy still senses them. They're making a beeline towards Curveside. No doubt, if we follow them... ... ..." She trailed off again.

Ariel grimaced. "Do we really wanna go someplace where there are even more of those jerks?"

"The Bloodwings ain't after them," Logan said.

"Yeah... but we can't expect the Dihmers to give a shit about our lives even if they come after us!" Ariel frowned. "You saw what they do to their own kind!"

Rainbow shuddered. "About the Bloodwings...?"

The others looked at her.

"Yes?" Kepler blinked blindly, craning his neck in the mare's direction. "What about them?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow took a breath. "I'll tell you in a bit. Right now..." She pivoted and faced Curveside. "We gotta go where the Dihmers are going."

"Uggggggh..." Ariel's everything deflated. "Come onnnnn," she whined.

"You sure that's wise, Rainbow?" Flynn asked calmly. "I'm not looking forward to meeting more Dihmers any more than Ariel is."

"It's not the Dihmers I care about at this point," Rainbow said. "It's the Ocean... and what it'll mean for us once we get there."

The members of the Herald looked at one another.

At last, it was Wildcard who gestured, "Any haven is a safe haven compared to where we are now."

Seraphimus nodded. "Jordan is on point. It would be best not to ignore his wisdom." She sighed. "I've made that mistake once before..."

Wildcard stared at her.

She frowned. "Alright. Multiple times before."

Wildcard smirked.

"Works for me." Logan heaved the weight of his supplies and marched steadily Curveside. "Come on, everypony! Follow the bouncing balls."

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeugh..." Flynn telekinetically lifted his share of the weight and moved swiftly. "I'm taking point."

"Come on, Keps," Ariel said, guiding the wyvern along with her tail.

"Have I mentioned—fairr one—just how silky smooth your hairr is?"

"Well...!" Ariel winked aside. "At least someone appreciates my conditioning."

"Mrmmmfff..." Seraphimus glided forward. "It had better be a cold Ocean."

Rainbow lingered at the rear of the freshly re-formed Caravan, along with Wildcard. After sliding on her saddlebags, she turned and looked back. Her eyes dully reflected a pile of broken stones... where the Herald had quietly managed to bury the scant remains of the deceased Dihmers left behind.

A metal talon gently squeezed Rainbow's shoulder.

Rainbow took a breath, gave the Desperado a meager smile, then trotted side by side with him as they joined the rest of the team's diligent march.

What Dreams May Come

"I didn't want to talk about it until we started moving again," Rainbow Dash murmured in mid-trot. "Because I didn't want to waste any time standing in one place... also all that crap that we just went through..." She shivered slightly.

Marching and sweating, Logan looked aside at the team's leader. "Got something on your mind? Take a load off." He stared ahead at the rolling landscape. "Goddess knows I wish I could..."

"I was visited in my dreams again," Rainbow said.

"Whoah, really?!" Ariel looked over, blinking wide. She kept in pace with Kepler stumbling behind her. "Was it the Bloodwings?"

"It was one of them," Rainbow clarified. "I... believe it was the same pony who visited my dreams the previous few occasions."

Wildcard freed up his talons so he could gesture: "Did they attempt to frighten you again?"

"That's just the thing. Quite the opposite, actually," Rainbow Dash said. "This time they tried appealing to... uhhhh..." Her ears burned red at the tips. "...my softer side."

"You've got a soft side?" Flynn droned.

"Anywho..." Rainbow rounded a boulder and continued along the rocky terrain towards Curveside. "I saw right through it. Their illusion broke, and... I actually had a heart-to-heart."

Logan and Flynn exchanged glances.

"I trust..." Seraphimus walked a bit closer. "...you didn't share too much of your heart." Her headcrest drooped. "Or your mind."

"I kept it close to the chest. I promise." Rainbow's tail flicked. "The... er... dream chest."

"This is pretty friggin' dangerous, Rainbow," Flynn said. "You're essentially playing pen pals with bad guys."

"Did they find out where you are located?" Seraphimus asked.

"No. At least..." Rainbow's jaw clenched and unclenched. "I didn't give them anything. Celestia knows they tried to get information out of me."

"Do your friends know about this?" Ariel asked. "Twilight and the others?"

Rainbow looked aside.

Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and the rest gazed at her with shocked expressions.

"Whoops." Rainbow faced forward, smiling goofily. "Guess this some sort of mutual revelation thingy."

"You were visited in your sleep again?!" Twilight Sparkle exhaled. "Why didn't you tell us from the beginning?!"

"Uhhhhhhh... why don't you pick a moment, Twilight?" Pinkie remarked. "Before Dashie was flying for her life from falling boulders or just before the meanie wyrm thingy ate a Dihmer pony whole?! CRUNNNCH!!!"

Twilight Sparkle winced... then rolled her eyes. "Okay... so things have been a bit hectic over the past few hours..."

"Land's sakes..." Applejack fanned herself with her ghost hat. "I dunno how we even find the time to say each other's names with all this nonsense!"

"I wouldn't want somepony peeking in on me in my dreams!" Rarity shivered. "Ugh! Just dreadful!"

"Rainbow seems just fine to me, though," Fluttershy said. "I think she's got the situation handled."

Rainbow nodded with a smile.

"How are they taking it?" Ariel asked.

"Just as ghostily as ever," Rainbow yawned.

"Hey!" Pinkie frowned.

"So... yeah..." Rainbow gazed at the Heraldites plus Seraphimus. "Some... representative of a Dream Council or whatnot appealed to me. I think they're getting desperate. I even got a name."

"Is that so?" Logan remarked.

Rainbow nodded. "'Nat'rdo,'" she proclaimed.

Flynn's muzzle scrunched.

"Well..." Kepler remarked, blindly following Ariel. "We can expect nothing frrom the darrk side except forr that which is exotic! Ha-Hah!

"And... just what kind of an appeal was this Nader Duke trying to make?" Logan asked.

"She and her fellow... uhhhh... Dream Council ponies wanted to know what the deal was with Princess Luna's enchantment."

"So they do sense Princess Luna's influence on you!" Ariel remarked.

Rainbow nodded. "That's right." She weathered a nervous breath. "And just like Xarchellus' flock back at Bleak's Plummet, they have a pretty friggin' messed up view of Equestrian history... if not way worse."

"Well, that is to be expected," Kepler remarked.

"In fact... I-I don't even know if they remember Equestria exists," Rainbow said. "I got an inkling of their world-view of Penumbra. It's a nasty, solar-bleached place constantly being burned by Daybreaker."

"Daybreaker?" Flynn repeated.

"Their name for Princess Celestia." Rainbow smirked slightly. "Gotta admit... it sounds kinda cool."

"There is nothing 'cool' about this," Seraphimus droned. "You've confirmed that somepony in the upper echelon of the Bloodwings has a predetermined bias against the Light Side and those who hail from it."

"Not unless I can somehow... shatter that bias."

Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes narrowed as she marched along. "What are you proposing?"

"Nat'rdo kept pressing me for information," Rainbow Dash said. "I told her that I wouldn't spill any information unless it happened by my terms." She trotted tall and proud. "And the moment I started digging my fetlocks into the ground, I... got the impression that Nat'rdo and her friends were willing to mull it over."

"I'm certain they would allow you to think whatever it is you desired," Seraphimus commented. "Provided it gave them a deceitful edge."

"I'm not stupid, Sera," Rainbow said. "Even if I do stupid things to get by."

"Mrmmmfff... if you insist..."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Look... I told them that nopony's gonna play ball unless Lexxic pulls off his hunt and lets us be."

"Oh yeah?" Flynn's good eye blinked. "And how did that go over?"

Rainbow sighed. "The dumb tatzlwyrm attacked and jostled me out of the vision. I never got to witness the Dream Council making a decision. For all I know, they're still debating the matter now."

Serpahimus gazed thoughtfully into the twilight.

"Soooo..." Ariel shrugged in mid-trot. "We're right back to where we started."

"Not quite," Kepler said. "If you ask me, Rrainbow has made prrogrress in grreat leaps and bounds! We now know that someone in the higherr rranks of the Darrk Vigil is awarre of herr possession of Prrincess Luna's blessing! That makes herr morre of a rresourrce than a thrreat!"

Wildcard nodded.

"Resources exist solely to be fought over," Seraphimus said. "If you ask me, this puts us in even greater danger than we would have been in if the Bloodwings only perceived Rainbow Dash as a nuisance."

Wildcard... nodded again.

"There's... one more thing," Rainbow Dash remarked.

"Do tell us, Rainbow," Twilight said.

Rainbow continued: "I... got the impression that... that the Dream Council ponies aren't entirely in control of Lexxic."

"Huh?" Ariel blinked.

"What gave you that idea?" Logan asked.

"I straight up asked them to rein Lexxic in, should he happen to try and hunt us down," Rainbow said. "The way Nat'rdo and her cohorts reacted to that... made me think that such isn't an easy task. They'd have to take it to the top Matriarchs... or something."

"Bureacracy exist even among mass murderers," Flynn said.

Logan squinted at him. "This surprises you... how?"

Flynn nodded, exhaling. "Fair enough."

"I thought... like..." Pinkie Pie fidgeted. "...the Lunar Rebellion was all about mares calling the shots!"

Rainbow Dash nodded. "You're not wrong, Pinkie Pie." She looked at the Herald. "As Equestrian history proves, it's always been mares who have held authority among the Lunar Rebellion. Xarchellus and the elders at Bleak's Plummet only served to prove that's a thing."

"It would have stayed the same here, though, right?" Ariel remarked. "I figured these Dark Vigil sarosians would be super into keeping tradition and honoring Nightmare Moon. Seems only fitting they'd have the same hierarchal structure."

"I would think so as well," Rainbow Dash said. "But... then..." Her eyes narrowed. "...how would that explain someone like Lexxic—a stallion—who's gotten to such a place of power?"

"Maybe he's not," Logan said. "Maybe the bastard's just some lucky stud who won the mares' favor... but still has to lick their horseshoes."

"He's gotten pretty up there for a mere horseshoe-licker," Flynn said. "His military accomplishments have produced results. Even the Spindlers are afraid of this motherbucker." He shivered. "And you know how creepy the Spindlers can be."

"No, but you do, Baldy."

"Meh."

Wildcard breathed thoughtfully. He gestured: "What are the chances that these mares will communicate with you again?"

"I'd say pretty high," Rainbow remarked. "Although... I honestly don't know how it's going to go."

"I would suggest you do not let it happen at all," Seraphimus said.

Rainbow sighed. "Dare I ask why?"

"Is it not obvious?" Seraphimus arched an eyecrest. "The Bloodwings monitor this piece of the plane. That means they exercise control over both the physical and the metaphysical. The fact that they have pierced your mindscape via dreams only means that they wish to consume this unclaimed piece of real estate—along with the equine soul it's attached to."

"And if they actually... seriously want to negotiate over the sharing of information?" Rainbow Dash looked back at the griffin. "If there's an inkling of hope that I can share with them the truth and win their favor against the other two factions?" Her eyes narrowed. "What then? Should I just throw such an opportunity away?"

"After all that you've been through in the Seven Seas and Rohbredden, can you truly pretend to be that naive?"

"Sera, you and I have both been tricked savagely by the likes of Verlax," Rainbow said. "I think I'm wise enough at this point to discern what is sincere and what isn't. And my tried and true instinct is telling me that these moon-gals want to talk and learn more."

Seraphimus gave her a deadpan look. "I would think that our mutual experience with Verlaxion would have taught us both to disregard any and all words from such a faction as this from the get-go."

"... ... ..." Rainbow gazed ahead.

Twilight and Rainbow's other friends glanced at one another anxiously.

"Whelp..." Logan broke the silence with an audible sigh. "This is going to be a longer trek than I thought ten minutes ago."

"Then we must find a way to bide the time!" Kepler remarked jubilantly. "Who is forr a song?!?"

Dull, dead silence.

"Ach..." He deflated in mid-march. "That is what I thought."

The Things They Carried

The group carried itself Curveside. They followed Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash followed Fluttershy's bearings on the caravan of Dihmers who had left them hours prior. This path meandered slightly towards Omega, leading towards a sloped plain of stone that descended from the highland plateaus that pockmarked the landscape Edgeside. The world grew flatter and flatter—which was a signature of relief. All of the lunar scars that had previously blemished the earth had vanished, and Rainbow's frequent glances at Axan's dragonstone reinforced the fact that the Bloodwings were far behind them—or at least such could be said of their intimidating lair.

The moisture in the air increased. The atmosphere grew humid... warmer. Various Heraldites' hooves splattered in puddles of water, and they looked down to see that they had rediscovered the shallow streams trickling towards Omega. More and more tributaries coalesced, growing deep enough that a good few of them had to be forged carefully—one at a time—in order for the group to carry on their terrestrial journey.

A day and a half into the trek, the group became aware of a dull bass noise. At first, they feared it was the return of the tatzlwyrm, but Fluttershy and Rarity were both quick to dissuade their worries. Still, that left them with a new mystery. Something deep within the heart of the world was producing a low frequency vibration—intense enough that it caused extra ripples to form in the streams of water. Rainbow inquired of Fluttershy, and Fluttershy told her that none of the Dihmers had changed their pace. Whatever was happening—it had to have been normal, for it didn't cause the locals any alarm.

Soon, Fluttershy sensed something else. Rainbow was surprised to learn that there were other caravans traveling in roughly the same direction as the Herald. Most of them hailed from Alpha, but a few came from Omega as well. Their marches were all angled in such a way to suggest that they were headed in the same direction as the very first caravan of Dihmers that the Herald met.

Another day passed, and these other groups appeared within visible range. Ariel and Rainbow took turns, ascending high enough to spy on the ponies. They clustered in loose groups of a dozen or so hunters, and they were evidently carrying leather packs filled with slaughtered game. Soon enough, no less than five separate groups were marching in the same direction as the Herald. It was akin to an entire exodus of hunting groups.

When the Dihmers came close enough for Rainbow's friends to see—and for them to see Rainbow's friends—they gave no indication that they made visual contact. Just like the first group of Dihmers, these locals were just as ambivalent, emotionless, and unenthusiastic. Many of them were also young—as far as Rainbow's ghostly companions could judge. Also like the others, they were shaved through to their naked, wrinkled flesh. Their eyes were gray, dull, and scarcely reflected the twinkle of the twilight above. Multiple scars and questionable marks dotted their flesh—especially around their scalps. Their weapons were crude, barbaric, but surprisingly sturdy. Not a single of them made eye contact with the Herald... or with each other, for that matter.

Hours later, Fluttershy told Rainbow that there were other groups moving in the opposite direction. Sure enough, the Herald found themselves passing Dihmers with empty packs who were marching towards Edgeside—spreading towards both Alpa and Omega. Their weapons were extra sharp and their movement was far less labored than the ones marching in the same direction as the Herald. Kepler obligatorily hypothesized that these locals were setting out to begin their hunt while the others were returning with their slaughter. Judging from the dense traffic, there was no doubt that Rainbow and her group were approaching some singular hub of trade for the Dihmer civilization.

But the fact that they were approaching their destination brought little joy to the Herald. The sheer magnitude—and silence—of the Dihmers was positively nerve-wracking. Hundreds (if not thousands) of ponies marched to and fro in dense groups, emotionless and devoid of mirth, carrying bags full of bloody salvage and razor-sharp weapons. Despite this bustling industry—dozens upon dozens of caravans criss-crossing through shallow streams of rippling water—none of the ant-like Dihmers made so much as a peep. The only thing that stood out was a dull humming sound in ever-increasing volume. As the Herald threaded their way through the interchange of marching pony caravans, the hum magnified... materializing into a noticeable pattern. A beat. Percussion.

Rainbow felt sick to her stomach, and so did her friends—both ghostly and not. Their experience on the Dark Side had dramatically switched from silent desolation to an over-populated bedlam. More haunting than this was the knowledge that if they tried asking any of these locals what was going on, they'd be answered with taciturn phrases or abject silence. To say the least, this was not what Rainbow Dash had expected from this edge of the plane, and the more the percussion increased in its bass ferocity, the harder she found it to concentrate... much less sleep.

Thus, dreaming was out of the question... and any hope of making further contact with Nat'rdo or the other matriarchal members of the Dark Vigil had swiftly vanished beyond the realm of expectation. Rainbow found herself instead focusing on the here and now, and it was migraine-inducing.

"If it helps for you to know, Rainbow, darling..." Rarity winced slightly, her ghostly ears twitching with each successive throb of the mysterious hum. She followed her anchor as she crossed waist-deep through another rippling stream of water. "...I do believe I can now sense a village up ahead."

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow huffed and puffed. She emerged from the other side of the shallow river and shook the moisture off her fetlocks. She turned around and waited for the rest of the Herald to cross the tributary with their heavy supplies. In the distance, countless lines of marching ponies crossed paths, disturbing the flow of the shallow rivers across the sloped stone. "Is it the place everypony is headed for?"

"It's got the highest concentration of pony souls I've detected since Rohbredden," Fluttershy said. "Also... other living things... some in far too good a condition to be slaughtered prey." She gulped. "So... I think Rarity's right."

"Reckon we're close to the finish line!" Applejack said. She turned to smirk at Rarity. "What kind of buildings are ya sensin', Rares?"

"I shudder to say..." Rarity fidgeted in mid-hover. "Garish... bouldery specimens, from the feel of it. Almost like a bunch of pre-Equestria ponies just... hammered a bunch of rocks loose from the earth and piled them on top of each other!"

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey..." Pinkie grinned. "That sounds cozy, actually!"

"This is no rock farm, darling," Rarity droned. "The structures barely count as lean-tos! I'm almost scared to look at the place with my own eyes. It must be quite the eyesore!"

"The ponies there seem to be doing fine for themselves," Fluttershy said. "I don't detect anyone in pain or distress."

"These are Dihmers we're talkin' about," Applejack muttered, eyes dull. "I doubt they could feel anythang if you paid them."

"Sooo..." Pinkie's ears drooped. "...no partying, then?"

"I'm afraid not, Pinks." Rainbow turned and squinted Curveside while the rest of the Herald returned to dry land. "Just whereabouts is this village, Rarity?"

Rarity was already pointing about twenty-five degrees towards Omega. "In roughtly that direction, Rainbow. You'll see the highest concentration of marching ponies."

"I wonder if now would be a good time to send some of us ahead to fly and survey the place?"

"I can't quite fathom what the point would be, darling. Is there anywhere else we would rather arrive at for the time being?"

"Mmmmm... No. I guess not." Rainbow exhaled. "I'll tell the group what to expect. In the meantime..." Her voice lingered as her eyes fell on Twilight.

The lavender ghost's horn was glowing dimly. The light from her crown intensified in direct response to the waves of percussion humming through the earth.

"Twi...?" Rainbow squinted. "Egghead? What's making you crack?"

"Huh?" Twilight looked at Rainbow with a dazed expression. "Oh... uhm..." She rubbed her head and shuddered from head to tail. "I'm sorry, Rainbow. I... I can't explain it..."

"You sensin' somethin'?" Applejack asked.

"Chaos?" Rarity asked.

"A ghost bouncy-castle?!" Pinkie tried.

"No and no..." Twilight rubbed her crown. "There's... there's something big just beyond that horizon." She shuddered. "Almost like the ground is giving out to make way for it..."

Rainbow's gaze lifted above her friends. She stared at the horizon... looking to how it rose up beyond the vanishing point, blotting out the stars and leading towards the middle of the plane where the harmonic gold splotch of the Midnight Armory resided. In the immediate haze of the curve, there were no distinguishable features... at least none that Rainbow Dash could spot with the naked eye.

"It's... it's the Ocean, right?" she asked. "I mean... that's why the ground would be giving way."

Applejack hovered beside Rainbow Dash, squinting at the same immediate portion of the Curve. "Come to think about it... if there was a huge body of water... wouldn't it be reflectin' the Twilight somethin' fierce?"

"Maybe... the light doesn't work that way on the Dark Side...?" Rainbow tried.

"No, it's... it's something else..." Twilight sighed hoarsely, her voice tight with aggrivation and confusion. "I... I'm sorry, Rainbow. But... but I just can't explain what I'm sensing."

"But you are sensing something," Fluttershy remarked. "Then it must be something magical."

"Yeah..." Twilight gulped. "Or something the opposite of magical."

Rainbow arched an eyebrow.

Twilight gave her an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, Rainbow. I guess... we just won't know until we look at it."

Rainbow shrugged. "No time like the present for a day at the beach." She motioned at the Herald. "Come on, guys! Destiny awaits!" She marched forward with her pack of supplies. "Bring your towels!"

A City of Stones

The hum fully coalesced into drums. The noise came from Curveside and resonated at every conceivable angle. Rainbow Dash and her friends couldn't conceive the sheer amount of instruments that would be required to make that beat. But—the closer they came to their goal, and the more the marching hooves of the Dihmers filled the gaps between the percussion—the less they found themselves even paying attention to the rhythmic thumping. There was a manic wakefulness about the place, and it forced the group's eyes wide open as they pierced the fringes of the city.

The horizon gave out—dipping suddenly—and there it was: civilization. Or—at least—a crude stone fascimile of what the Light Siders had come to know "civilization" as being. Short, squat buildings had been fashioned out of granite slabs. Some of the larger, seemingly more important structures had rigidly geometric construction to them, but the majority of houses were fashioned out of crudely-stacked boulders and chunks of earth. They resembled roughly-domed huts, and dull black biomatter—like mud or peat moss—had been used to fill in the cracks and insulate the confines within.

Despite the ugliness of the structures, they were arranged quite elegantly—forming narrow rows that ran like worn teeth towards the vanishing horizon. The ground dipped quite a bit, and many aqueducts had been carved into the stone to collect the multiple tributaries of merging river streams from Alpha. Despite this noble engineering, the liquid looked less than hygenic, and a foul stench hung over the myriad figures hunched over the canals to gather water and clean their possessions.

Arriving at the city, the Herald witnessed unmoving Dihmers for the first time. The shorn ponies sat and stood like statues, their eyes vacant, their faces expressionless. Nary a blink was witnessed among the citizenry who lingered on street corners and building fronts. It was a good thing this part of the world didn't have a sun, or else many of these stagnant, gazing souls would have gone blind at some early point in their lives.

Yet again, Rainbow and her friends were hard-pressed to see many elders among the Dihmer populace. For that matter, there were next to no children as well. Neither Fluttershy nor Applejack could detect a single foal. The Dihmers hovered aroung the average age of early-to-late twenties, from what the travelers could tell, and they were all made near-identical through having their coats and manes and tail-hairs completely shaven. It certainly didn't help that nearly every Dihmer possessed dull gray eyes, as if any shred of magic had been sapped from their bloodstream countless generations ago.

The Herald's movement slowed noticeably. None of them said much of anything. Like the Dihmers, they had been rendered silent as they stood amidst the primitive architecture, digesting the visual information all around them. At first, the stone streets looked paved. Twilight Sparkle surmised that the smoothness was actually the result of hundreds of thousands of Dihmer hooves trotting steadily over the ground over the course of eons. There was no telling just how ancient this city was. The Spindlers probably knew—but most of them had been driven out long ago. Rainbow couldn't even pretend to hear the hint of violin strings beyond the constant pounding and thrumping of unseen drums.

Rainbow sensed a shift in movement out of her peripheral. Along with Applejack and Twilight, she turned to look. Rainbow saw caravans of Dihmers arriving from Edgeside. They were greeted by identical-looking Dihmers who trotted up and ceremoniously removed the heavy satchels of slaughtered meat from the hunters' flanks. Then—after taking their weapons—the greeters produced tiny daggers that glinted in the twilight. They approached the hunters and—with slow and careful precision—carved a narrow cut across their front fetlocks.

Fluttershy winced. She gawked at the other ghostly mares with a look of confusion and distress.

Rainbow squinted. She watched as the hunters stood stock-still, not even flinching to register the pain of the bladed ritual. As the dark blood dribbled down their forelimbs, Rainbow spotted multiple horizontal scars beneath the newly-created one. Each Dihmer had a different count, some on both fetlocks. When the bloodletting was done, they spoke no word to the companions with the daggers—instead trotting down the street and retiring inside a random stone hut. Black blood dripped onto the road as they passed by, and it was then that Rainbow saw charcoal-black stains... marked permanently from the ages.

Meanwhile, the Herald was squirming visibly—most of them. Rainbow Dash sensed her companions' unease without looking directly at the group. It wasn't difficult to be chilled by such a setting. Here they were, surrounded on all sides by a bustling community of hairless and mutilated hunters both coming and going, and the only sound was the marching of hooves and the persistent drumbeat in the background. Even then—as Rainbow continued to get her bearings—she could hear the noise reverberating off every slab of granite, every curve of the street, every chunk of wood. Not only were the roads perfectly polished, but they were free of all pebbles, dirt, sand, and sediment. So many sustained eons of vibration must have undoubtedly shaken the mess clean.

Curious, Rainbow Dash ascended slightly. She flapped her wings until she rose above the craggy stone "rooftops" of the nearby buildings. This exposed her to countless rows of identical huts and domes—all as drab and unexciting as all the rest that had been witnessed before. She couldn't imagine just how anypony would recognize or discern any one street from the rest. Then it occurred to her that—quite likely—the Dihmers simply didn't. This made more sense as she witnessed the flow of non-hunting Dihmers trotting in random directions, like aimless ants, settling for whatever structure or canal or stone wall that ultimately stopped them and forced them to stand in petrified, seemingly thoughtless silence. There were no smiles. There were no sobs. There were simply gray eyes... opaque... gazing... looking... but not even remotely seeking.

"Rainbow..." Twilight Sparkle tapped their anchor's shoulder. Once she stole Rainbow's attention, she pointed towards an alleyway two blocks over.

Rainbow squinted, but she had no trouble seeing what Twilight had pointed out.

There was one particular mare—a young specimen—trotting down the road while balancing two buckets of water across her shoulders. She was just as hairless and bland and unindivualistic as the rest of the local equines. Only... there was one noticeable distinction, or in this case two. She had an extra pair of limbs sticking out of her sides. At first, Rainbow thought it was a deformity: the spoke-like bone structures were thin, narrow, and bent backwards like fragile spokes. Then, to Rainbow's startling horror, she realized that they were featherless wings... or rather a very small and stunted version of wings. There was no doubt that the poor Dihmer had never flown in her entire life... much less dreamt of it.

"A pegasus?" Applejack squeaked, craning her neck.

"She's... not exactly fully-grown," Fluttershy said.

"She looks like a mature mare to me, darling," Rarity said.

Fluttershy looked at her sadly. "What I mean is... her wings aren't fully-developed."

Rarity blinked. "Do they look larger without feathers? I... I-I never thought about it much before."

"Back in Cloudsdale, Rainbow and I used to see ponies in the avian atrophy ward of the local hospital," Fluttershy said. She glanced at their anchor. "Remember that, Rainbow? They looked a lot like that mare, only their wings were larger, of course."

"Why's she so... messed up?" Pinkie asked.

"Probably the result of inbreeding," Twilight said.

"Oh come on, Twi..." Applejack gestured at the town. "There must be thousands of these here Dihmers! Dun ya think the pool is slightly larger than that?"

"But was that always the case?"

"... ... ..."

"Remember... these poor ponies first came here as prisoners of the Changelings," Twilight Sparkle said. "For their forebearers to have escaped Chrysalis and Tchern unnoticed, they couldn't have been that big in numbers."

Rarity exhaled, glancing at all of the bodies below. "Do you suppose that's why they all look so... same-y?"

"You mean their eyes?" Applejack shrugged. "Yeesh... I figured that was just on account of bein' without harmony so long and all."

"She has a point," Fluttershy said quietly, nodding. "You've seen their blood. It doesn't glow even remotely."

"And assuming there were more earth ponies than pegasi from the start..." Rainbow Dash breathed. "...it might explain how they got diluted in the gene pool."

"Way to bring it around, Rainbow," Applejack droned.

"I'm sorry. Flightless ponies... depress the heck out of me."

"No wonder you were less than cheerful throughout most of Rohbredden."

"Meh."

"Pssssssssst..." Pinkie Pie leaned in, hissing. "I think the Herald wants your attention, Dashie!"

Rainbow Dash looked down.

Five sets of eyes and a pair of lenses stared up at her. Waiting.

"Whoops..." Rainbow dropped like a graceful anvil and stood among them. "So... uh..." A crooked smile. "...where do we find the postcards?"

"Rainbow, this place smells like ass," Ariel spat. Her ears drooped foalishly. "Can we pleeeeease go find that Ocean and drown in it now?"

"You know as well as I do that we gotta figure this place out first," Rainbow said. "Ask around."

"Eeeeeeugh..." Ariel face-hoofed. "I know... I know..." She shuddered as silent, unlooking Dihmers marched past them in a glacial line of identical bodies. "But this place just... guhhhh... I-I think I'd rather be at the Bloodwings' lair."

"Gotta admit," Logan droned. "That giant lunar laser beam had more personality to it than these buckers."

"Let's keep our head in the game, ponies," Flynn said, looking around. "So... what do we know so far about the Dihmers?"

"They're emo as hell," Ariel said. Her eyes crossed. "Only... without the emo part."

Pinkie Pie could be heard giggling.

Flynn rolled his good eye. "What are they all about doing?!" he barked. "What have we seen?"

"Uhhhh..." Logan eyed the bloody satchels of leather being carried in from Edgeside. "They sure as Hell love meat. And not in the sexy way."

"Then... where does all that meat go?" Flynn asked. "Shouldn't... like... there be a butcher's shop around here or something?"

Kepler tilted his hairy nose up. He leaned his tiny weight against Ariel as he sniffed and shiffed. "Hrrmmmmm..." His scorpion tail curled and uncurled in thought. "I detect a hint of soot in the airr. Something is definitely burrning. Could they be cooking up the meat nearrby?"

"That is not the scent of a kitchen," Seraphimus corrected. She nodded towards Omega-Curveside. "There is a forge nearby."

Rainbow and the rest turned to see a thick column of smoke rising into the air. It blended with the blackness of the night's sky, making it difficult to discern unless the group focused on it.

"A forrge?" Kepler's poor eyes squinted, gazing into nothingness. "They arre smelting metals herre?"

Wildcard nodded, then gestured: "It is definitely from a large blacksmith's shop of sorts. Bard and I saw something similar in Rust on more than one occasion."

Kepler's ears tickled to the clicking of metal talons. "I do hope our featherred frriend said something informative therre..."

"He says Seraphimus is right about it being a forge," Rainbow found herself explaining. "But..." Her eyes narrowed. "I didn't see any mines or quarries along the way here." She looked at the others. "Did you guys?"

"Nope." Ariel shook her head.

"Maybe they dredge it from the ocean's floor," Logan suggested. "Like the barges back home."

"If the Dihmers are in the business of smelting ore..." Flynn gestured. "Why are all their shitty houses made of piled-up rocks?"

Seraphimus exhaled slowly. "Some answers would be most beneficial. But I doubt we can get much by asking questions of these heartless cretins."

"Maybe you just got to ask the right heartless cretin, Sera," Logan said.

"Highly unlikely."

"Why?" Logan smirked. "We got you to give us answers eventually."

She glared daggers at him. "One of these days I am going to rip that smile off your face."

"Wow, so intense!" He winked. "Wouldn't it be easier to grow on yourself?"

"Go drown in blight."

"Too late, toots."

All this time, Rainbow was staring at a group of Dihmers standing off to the side. Her ruby eyes fell on one mare in particular. The shaved pony had more than fifty horizontal scars... spread across all four limbs.

"I know where to start asking questions," Rainbow said.

"Oh yeah?" Flynn looked over. "Where?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Rainbow trotted towards the heavily-scarred mare. "We start with the oldest."

It Came to Pass

"Hidey-ho, neighbor!" Pinkie Pie grinned, eyes bright and blue amidst the gray malaise of the Dihmer city. "My name's Rainbow Dash! Have you ever heard of the Church of Austraeoh of Latter-Day Heraldites?"

"Knock it off, Pinkie Pie," Applejack muttered.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?" Pinkie shrugged. "Forgive me for wanting to liven up this party-poop'd place!"

"That's Rainbow's job. Not ours."

"Hrmmmfff..." Pinkie folded her forelimbs, pouting. "One of these days, I'd love to hop into Dashie's body and do the talking for her! After all, she deserves a break!"

"Yeah..." Fluttershy muttered aside. "But with that delivery, you'd accidentally start Whinny War Three."

"Hahahahaha..." Rarity laughed daintily. "'Whinny War Three'..."

"Wait..." Fluttershy blinked. "That was funny?"

"Why, of course it was, dear! Then again... a choking kitten would be positively hilarious in a place such as this."

"Oh no—!"

"Shhhhhhhh!" Twilight Sparkle frowned at the rest of them. "For Celestia's sake, girls!" She sighed and glanced at their anchor. "Go ahead, Rainbow."

"Sometimes, I swear..." Rainbow muttered to herself as she crossed the street and approached the mare with scarred fetlocks. "...I don't need mysterious drums to give me a migraine."

"Awwwwwwwww..." Pinkie waved a hoof. "...you love us."

"Ahem!" Rainbow approached the mare. She threw on a bright grin. "Hidey-ho, neighbor! My name's Rainbow Dash!" Her muzzle hung open as her body sagged in a silent moan.

"Heeheeheee!" Pinkie giggled proudly.

"Excuse me..." Rainbow gestured, her smile trailing on a fragile angle. "Let me start over—"

"It fails," the mare murmured hoarsely, older than most Dihmers Rainbow had spoken to. Her eyes were closed almost meditatively.

"Yes. I know." Rainbow stood up straight. "You... uh..." Her eyes fell to the mare's scarred legs. "...look like you've seen a lot of action. Perhaps you'd be so kind as to answer some questions for me."

"It fails."

"Hey." Rainbow frowned. "It opens its eyes."

Slowly, the eyelids of the mare peeled back. One eye was glazed white. The other's pupil was off-center.

Fluttershy and Rarity winced.

Rainbow spoke, undaunted. "I'm not like the other ponies that you've lived with your entire life. See?" She rubbed her pendant; the Element gave a warm ruby glow. "It glimmers. It is from Penumbra. Paradise. You know about Paradise, right? I mean... something about the Light Side must have been carved into your subconscious."

The mare looked at Rainbow, at her Element, then at the bustling streets beyond. "It is false."

"Sure. Whatever. But it is different." Rainbow's brow furrowed. "At least it can acknowledge that."

The mare breathed in and out. "It is different."

"Right! Now we're doing somewhere." Rainbow cleared her throat. "Perhaps you can tell me a thing or two about—"

"It strips."

Rarity did a double-take.

Twilight looked at Applejack.

"... ... ..." Rainbow blinked. "...come again?"

"It strips for that which provides," the mare calmly said. She pointed nebulously towards Omega, in the vague direction of the rising column of smoke. "It stabilizes that which collects."

"That... which collects?"

The mare nodded. "It waits."

"... ... ...it waits."

"It waits."

"Right." Rainbow nodded. She turned and called over her shoulder. "Ariel?! Let's go back and see what the Bloodwings are up to—"

Fwooosh! Twilight Sparkle flew into Rainbow's face. "Rainbow..."

"Ugh..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Not now, egghead. No lectures—"

"It's always a good time for a lecture with you as our anchor!" Twilight frowned. "You need to try harder."

"I can't get anything out of these ponies!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "It's like drawing water from a stone!"

"Ooh!" Rarity chirped. "Smashing analogy, Rainbow!"

"Thanks, Rares."

Twilight scowled. "Rarity, don't encourage her."

"Awwwwwww..."

"Can we get back to the stripping?" Pinkie Pie yawned. "That was the only exciting bit since we got here."

"Hold up—hold up." Rainbow held her hooves up. "I've got this. AJ?"

"Buh?"

"Come over here. Be my wingmare."

"Buh..." Applejack floated over as Rainbow approached the mare yet again.

"Okay..." Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "...it waits."

The scarred Dihmer echoed. "It waits."

Rainbow glanced at Applejack.

"Uhhhh..." Applejack focused on the mare. She scratched her blonde scalp and said, "Reckon... she's referrin' to a place."

"A place?" Pinkie Pie squeaked.

Rainbow leaned in closer. "Where does it wait?"

The mare droned: "It waits beyond that which beats."

"And how does someon go beyond that which beats?"

"It crosses with what it collects."

"And how does one collect...?"

"It provides to that which strips."

"And where can I find that which strips?" Rainbow blinked. "...besides me of course."

The mare pointed towards the rising smoke. "It resides besides that which stabilizes. It listens for where it chimes."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh..." Pinkie nodded. "...so it chimes where it strips for those who provide and stabilizes for those who collects to cross to where it waits..." Her left eye bugged, and then the other. "WHAT?!?"

"I... think she's tellin' us to go someplace over yonder and listen for chimes," Applejack said. "And... presumably... that's where we can go and figure out exactly why this town exists so close to the Ocean."

"Wow..." Fluttershy murmured. "Really? You gleaned all that?"

"Hey..." Rainbow smirked. "There's a reason why AJ was the last 'ghost-pal' to unlock from Verlax's chaotic cages. She's the best there is."

"Still, you could stand to repeat it, darling," Rarity said. "I think you even lost Twilight in that exchange."

"She did not!" Twilight protested. Then, her lavender cheeks reddened. "Okay... maybe a little..."

"Rainbow Dash...?" Flynn hobbled up to the scene. "I don't mean to be the pony who always goes 'what the hell,' but..." He frowned. "What the Hell?!"

"I think I've found a place of interest... to help us ascertain a different place of interest."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." Rainbow pointed. "Let's head towards the source of that smoke... only slightly off to the right."

"What are we going to find there?" Ariel asked.

"I dunno yet," Rainbow said, stepping down the side-streets leading towards their fresh objective. "But start listening for chimes!"

Wildcard's headcrest drooped. He gestured: "Chimes?"

"That's right, bud."

"Ach..." Kepler fumbled to keep up with Ariel. He winced at the constant thumping noise permeating the atmosphere all around them. "Easierr said than done, I fearr."

"Don't worry, wyvern," Seraphimus spoke. "I'll keep my ears open for this group. I've trained myself to detect falling snow across a graveyard."

"Somehow... that does not alleviate my concerrns..."

"You comin', Rainbow?" Logan asked.

"In a moment, Big Show!" Rainbow curtsied at the mare. "Thanks a bunch, ma'am. You've been a real big help."

The mare's eyes closed as she exhaled: "It vanishes."

"... ... ...you better believe it, sister." And Rainbow galloped off to join the others.

To Advance Austraeoh Fair

"Metals!" Rarity exclaimed with a proud smile. "I'm sensing an abundance of refined metal nearby!" She looked at her anchor with a grin. "The purist and most structurally sound metals since we left Darkreach!"

Rainbow Dash trotted ahead of the Herald, navigating her way through dense streets filled with meandering hunters and dotted with other Dihmers sitting meditatively still. The roads here sloped steeper, so carved lattices made out of stone were facilitated in geometric chunks to allow foundations for the rows of descending buildings. There was too much haze and soot for Rainbow or her friends to gaze Curveside into the adjacent ocean basin.

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow's voice cracked as she trotted casually along. "What about Spindleton?"

"The abandoned city?" Rarity's muzzle scrunched as she fidgeted. "Eh... those buildings were made out of something else entirely."

"Yeah!" Pinkie grinned. "Super metal?"

"Sure, let's run with that." Rainbow trotted around a caravan or two. "But there's metal nearby, you say?"

"Let's say that the foundry just towards Omega isn't built out of rock, darling," Rarity said. "There is reinforced steel running all throughout that building. It's old... and yet it's still quite structurally sound. I suspect it serves a purpose that forces the Dihmers to work outside their comfort zone."

"You really reckon Dihmers built that thang?" Applejack asked.

"You must admit," Twilight remarked. "It doesn't exactly match the rest of the pattern in this town."

"You call this a town?!" Pinkie nearly wretched. "Bleachkkk! I've seen rock houses back home worth their weight in gold compared to these shanty excuses!"

"Pinkie Pie..." Fluttershy chided.

"What?! I said 'shanty'!"

"Let's not be too hard on these ponies," Fluttershy said in a sympathetic tone. "It's quite obvious they've got a great deal more to be concerned with. I'd say they've accomplished a great deal, all things considered."

"Fluttershy, sugarcube, our forebearers were livin' under constant blizzards with windigoes chasin' after them left and right and still they managed to get whole dang castles built!"

"Princess Platinum certainly diiiiid!" Rarity sing-songed.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Point is... a tough life sure dun seem like no excuse to me." Applejack gazed woefully at the lethargic residents. "Seems like these here ponies simply gave up a long, long time ago. Ever since then... they've settled for—well—nothing, really."

"Except 'stripping,'" Pinkie said.

"Pinkie!" Rarity gasped.

"Hey!" Pinkie shrugged. "It's what the scarred lady back there said!"

"I think that's still up to conjecture," Rarity said.

"Here's a thought..." Twilight Sparkle tapped her chin. "...maybe it's not the Dihmers running the foundry."

"Huh?" Applejack looked at her.

"Fluttershy, didn't you say there were other living things in this town besides Dihmers?"

"Well, yes. I sensed something different. Why?"

"Maybe they're the ones who run the foundry," Twilight said.

Fluttershy nodded. "I... do sense we are getting closer."

"Closer to what?" Pinkie asked.

"Shhhhh!" Rainbow suddenly stopped in her tracks. She pricked her ears to hear beyond the clopping hooves and the constant drum beat.

From a distance, the Herald tried to catch up. Wildcard noticed Rainbow coming to a stop. Flapping his wings, the Desperado glided over and perched at her side. His goggles reflected her figure curiously.

"Listen..." Rainbow's eyes darted back and forth. "...do you hear that?"

Wildcard glanced left. She glanced right. With swift claws, he hand-signed: "Chimes."

"Right. But where from?" Rainbow looked towards opposite ends of the street. "I need your hawkish hawkness right about now."

"Hawks are known for their sight, Rainbow," Twilight corrected.

"I know what I said."

A parrot whistle. Wildcard's metal finger pointed straight forward. Rainbow craned her neck to see...

...a squat flat building with geometrically rigid supports. Unlike the craggy stone huts all around, this particular structure was built out of pale slabs of metal. While still crude, it stood out like a snowy jewel atop a hill of dung. Two things hung from the building's relatively low entrance: a series of brass chimes that jingled in the dirty breeze, and a metallic sign. The sign in particular was a narrow rectangular solid of a snow gray color... and thin red etchings formed what looked to be the emblem of a loose animal pelt.

"It's... a shop?" Rainbow's muzzle twisted. "...in the middle of a location where there's no greed, no ego, and no vanity...?"

"Well, I guess you should be moving on, then," Seraphimus droned, suddenly standing there.

"You found somethin'?" Logan asked, catching up.

"Looks like it belongs to a guild of some sort," Flynn remarked.

"A guild? Arre you surre?" Kepler hobbled up with Ariel, squinting at everything and nothing. "Frrom the sounds of this place, that is most starrtling."

Rainbow shrugged. "Only way to find out what's up." She stepped inside, swiftly followed by Wildcard, Flynn, and Logan. She had to duck her head low, and her ears were still scraping the metal ceiling above. As she entered, her eyes adjusted to a dim amber light that felt like it was coming from an artificial source. The sound of clopping hooves vanished, and against the rumble of bass drum she caught wind of a grimey conversation taking place.

"Screw you, Jacko," slurred someone behind a low, low counter. "You are ruinin' me strips!"

"Campo..." Rainbow caught someone standing before the counter. He was standing on two legs—a biped. "I—" The creature noticed Rainbow in his peripheral. Long, flaring ears pricked higher as he shuffled sideways and stood closer to the proprietor. "I just wanted to say stop throwin' garbage on my lawn, aye?!"

Rainbow blinked. Her ghostly companions hung stupid and slack-jawed.

"Hah!" The proprietor folded his arms behind a brown leather vest. Beneath an angled skull with a pointed jaw-and-chin, a gray strip of metal hung from a necklace that resembled the store sign outside. "You suck, Jacko!"

"Are you even hearin' a word I say?"

"Yes!" Campo scratched the stubble across his dull-green flesh. "Where else should I put me garbage?"

Jacko sighed. A metal rectangle hung off his necklace with claws illustrated in thin red lines. After face-palming, he growled towards the creature across the counter. "Anywhere but me lawn! Considerin' I live—what—twelve miles away?!"

"Beggahs can't be choosahs, ya drongo." Campo snorted. "You're a Tail-Blood! Youse ret bestards specialize in the shitty parts of the beasts, aye? Thet's why youse camped out dan in the lowah bubbles. We Fur-Bloodahs get to deal with the clientele. Can't be havin' this place smell up to high hog's Hell when I'm passin' out me strips, righ?"

"The Dihmas already smell like piss."

"Still no excuse for breakin' the code!" Campo's eyes glinted in the amberlight. "It's written in the metal, ya reckon? Or do we gotta take it up with Avril?"

"Rgggh... just like a Fur-Bloodah!" Jacko moaned. "Always muckin' about 'til an argument doesn't go your way and then you bring up Avril!"

"Some of us gotta stick to the code, ya bludgiah!"

"Where in the code does it say youse gotta throw heaps of garbage on me lawn?"

"The best part!" Campo smirked. "The part that says Tail-Bloodahs are all a bunch of shit-suckin' yobbos!"

"Lick me ears, ya fet prick!"

"Hahahaha!"

Logan, Flynn, and Wildcard stared blankly at the scene.

"Okaaaay..." Logan blinked at the small, wiery creatures. Their ears—much less their heads—appeared a good quarter of their body size. "...I see the puppets," he murmured. "But I don't see the hooves up their asses."

Flynn wheezed, "Hey... at least they're not eight-legged."

Wildcard gestured something.

Flynn clenched his jaw. "Hey—unlike fatso—I was trying to be polite."

"What..." Rarity grimaced, inching her ghostly body away from the exotic specimens. "...what in Celestia's name are they?"

"They're goblins," Rainbow Dash's voice burst. Her muzzle was caught between wanting to smile and grimace. "Luna on a bicycle... there really are goblins in here!"

Campo glanced at her and waved a four-fingered hand dismissively. "Hold on a bit, sheila, I'll get to ya—" The bipedal creature did a double-take, his ears wobbling. A pair of yellow eyes fixated on the petite pegasus. "Bloody Hell!" He laughed through a confused grin, pointing with a grubby fingernail. "Get a load of the cesspool yawn on that bird!"

Jacko glanced aside—then pulled at his ears. "Sweet meats!"

"Last time I saw thet many colahs I was watchin' some huntahs gut a core wyrm of it's ribbons!"

Jacko cocked his gray head aside. "What kind of a Dihmah are ya, love?"

Rainbow Dash glanced down at him. "Uhhhhhhh... I'm not a Dihmer. Trust me." The edge of her mouth curved. "Too awesome to be that emo."

"But you are emo from time to t—" Flynn began, only to receive a tail-slap to the muzzle.

"Anyways..." Rainbow trotted closer to the counter. The thing was so low she could easily step over it. "You seem to be the only dudes who talk sense around here. I was wondering if you could—"

"Oi!" Campo hollered towards the back room of the cramped place. "Jiro! Byno! Get your asses in here! Get a load of this craz-o!"

Two more imps with green skin hobbled in. They wore leather aprons splattered with various juices and oils. As soon as they saw Rainbow and her mane, their eyes lit up and they gasped with wobbling ears.

"Ace!"

"Petra's flame!"

"Don't it look like wyrm ribbons all tied up on her bucket?!" Campo winked, the pointed at Rainbow again. "Youse should listen to her talk like a gobb-o too! Oi! Say somethin'!"

"I'm not here to be anybody's pet monkey," Rainbow growled. A sigh. "I just want some information—"

"Well, that'll cost ya, sheila. Unless you've lost yourself from the wasteland beyond them shard-os Curveside, reckon you should know a thing or two about strips. Ain't that right, Jacko?"

"Hey..." Jacko held two palms out, stepping back. "Peddlin' is for Fur-Bloodah. You go ahead and weave your change-o buttah."

"Hahahaha—!"

"Uhm..." Rainbow squinted. "What are strips?"

"'What are strips?!?'" Campo looked at Jiro and Dyno as the three goblins laughed heartily. "You spat out yesterday, love? I'm a tradie!"

"Tradie?"

"Yeah... y'know..." Campo gestured. "Tradie! Trades gobb-o!"

"All Fur-Bloodahs are in the strippin' business, love," Jiro said.

Dyno gestured. "Youse bring in the meats and we give you the strips!"

"'It provides. It strips. It collects.'" Campo rolled his palm, winking. "Tale as old as time, Dihmah—"

"I said..." Rainbow's brow furrowed. "I'm not a Dihmer. In case you haven't noticed by now, I'm not from around here. None of us are!"

"Hah! And Avril ain't the Metal Mum!" Campo stuck a bifurcated tongue out and waved his hand. "If ya can't strip then go out and hunt to provide, ya failure!"

"Failure?"

"Yeah! It fails! That's where ya heart went, didn't it?! Dan into the cracks? The head—though—that dunked itself right in the cesspool, aye?! Hahaha!"

"Hahahahaha!" The other goblins laughed, including Jacko this time.

Rainbow groaned.

Quietly, Wildcard stepped forward and—CLANK—slapped his metal palm down against the countertop before the imps.

"Hahahahaha—" The Fur-Blooders' laughter stopped. Campo's eyes narrowed while Jiro and Dyno wheezed their entire lungs' worth, mesmerized by the intricate limb.

Wildcard raised an eyecrest.

Rainbow glanced at him, then at the goblins.

"By Petra's flame..." Jacko wandered over and ran a shaky hand over the Desperado's forelimb. "That metal work is sweet, as."

"Beats out any of the ancient rubbish I've seen!" Dyno squeaked.

"Where... how..." Jiro was at a loss for words.

"Youse..." Campo studied Rainbow across the counter. "...youse really ain't Dihmas, are ya?"

"You like trading?" Rainbow crept up next to Wildcard and grinned at the imps. "How about my information for yours...?"

Look Before You Strip

"Is..." Tiny clawed footsteps. Jacko had walked across the store to run his grimy palm across Wildcard's neckcrest. "Are those feathers real, as?"

"... ... ...?!" Wildcard's beaked swiveled spun towards him like an owl's.

"Sh-shit!" Jacko hopped backwards with a flounce of his necklace. "Sear me ears! What mangy rubbish pile did ya crawl eet of?"

Wildcard sighed, he turned towards the three goblins behind the counter and flexed his metal digits, showing off the prosthesis' articulation.

The three Fur-Blooders cooed, their large eyes glittering like gemstones. "Starbeeeeeams."

Campo pointed, smiling with razor-sharp teeth beneath his pointed jaw. "How many strips for it?"

"What?!" Rainbow frowned. "It's not on sale! It's his friggin' arm!"

"Righ, and it's me friggin' money!" Campo gestured. "Twenty strips for the mutated bird-o's love-makin' arm and I'll throw een a complimentary box of crackahs, aye?"

"He ain't no crackah munchin' featha dustah, Campo!!" Jacko growled. "Look et thet beak! That's made for rippin' flesh! Only ever seen them bitahs poppin' off of patrollin' change-o's!"

Rainbow leaned aside. "Twilight, are you taking notes?" she murmured.

"I'm certainly trying," Twilight whispered back.

"Guys...?" Ariel trotted in, followed by Kepler and Seraphimus. "What's taking you so lo—?!" She blinked. "... ... ...is this for real?"

Seraphimus sighed lethargically at the awkward scene. "Unfortunately so..."

"Ach! What is happening?" Kepler sniffed the air. "And why do my nostrrils detect fungus?"

"Shard-o's shitholes!" Dyno reacted. "More of 'em!

"Oi!" Jiro pointed at Seraphimus' beak. "Look the pointy end on that'n!"

Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. "All the more to deflate you with."

"Hah!" Jiro chuckled. "I do love me a sassy bird! Even if she's half pussy!"

"Hahahaha!"

"Hahahaha..."

Ariel grimaced. "Is this some kind of cruel joke?"

Campo bowed even lower. "Fur-Blood's trade hole, love. Cruelest joke this end of the Blob."

Flynn arched an eyebrow. "Blob?"

Campo merely continued. "The Steel-Bloodah's and Star-Bloodahs get the uppah spokes of Petra, but Fur-Bloodahs hafta play babysittahs for naked horse meat!"

Dyno smirked across the shop. "And Tail-Bloodahs get to live in the wastes, makin' strips outta foot-fondlin'! Haha!"

"Up yours ya drongo," Jacko growled. "At least I don't have to cheat thoughtless droolahs for a livin'!"

"Yeah! Then you'd have richah blood!" Campo looked at Wildcard again. "Thirty strips! That my final offah!" He gestured vaguely out the door. "Ya don't need two pairs of digits out there in the wastes! Just find a failure and make 'em your extra set of limbs! Just look around and listen for sobbin'! You're bound to find one!"

"... ... ..." Wildcard stared at him.

"Not much for yabbin', are ya?" Campo's ears pulled back, and the green of his skin darkened slightly beyond the penumbra of the amberlight. "How do we know them feathahs are real? Or the metal for that matter."

"It's sure as Hell real, bub," Flynn spat. "I made it myself!"

"Campo..." Jiro leaned in, eyes locked on Wildcard and the others. "...they sure as Hell ain't actin' like normal travelahs."

"That's because we're not!" Ariel exclaimed.

"You..." Jiro scratched his pointy chin. "You don't think—"

"Thees far out beyond the Blob?" Jacko grimaced. "In Dihmah town? They wouldn't have anything worth suckin' on."

Rainbow's eyes darted left... then right. "...you think we're changelings?"

"Wouldn't be the first time they've tried somethin' this desperate," Campo snorted. "Wastes are gettin' thin, I reckon."

"You would all be dead by now if we were allied with the Keepers of the Flux," Seraphimus said.

"Sera..." Rainbow sighed.

"'Keepahs of the Flux!'" Campo once again filled the store with laughter. "Hah hah hah hah! Them's Spindlah words! You haven't been sleepin' with any eight-legged minstrels in your travels, aye?"

"And what if we have?" Ariel asked. Rainbow smacked her rear fetlock. "Er... I mean... no."

"Ya best be careful! Might ketch yaself a case of the widow willies! Hah! Worst way to die out heah is to do so pissin' fire from silk-os, cobbah."

Flynn looked at Rainbow Dash. "Remind me why we're in here again?"

Rainbow droned. "We're trying to get information about this place and beyond."

"Do we have to?"

"Ah!" Campo seemingly woke up to the matter at hand. "If it's info you're hankerin' for, then youse gotta pay up! Strips for tips, aye?"

"I was thinking we could do an exchange of information," Rainbow Dash said. She slapped on a bright smile. "Wouldn't your society want to know what lies beyond Penumbra? On the other side of the world?"

"Pfffft!" Campo rolled his eyes while his ears curled. "Penumbra's a myth! All that burns beyond the edge is unkethchable starbeams! Petra is the only fire that mattahs, love."

"I... thought Petra was a city," Flynn remarked.

"Hah!" Jiro scoffed. "They really were shat out yesterday!"

"I still think they're change-o's," Dyno said.

Rainbow groaned. "What do we gotta do to prove that we're not changelings—"

"Here." Seraphimus stepped up, talons barred. Chiiing!

"Wait, Sera—don't—" Rainbow protested. "Nonono—youdon'thaveto—!"

Sliiiiiiiink! She made a shallow cut across her forelimb and exposed the glowing blood before the goblins.

Rainbow sighed, shutting her eyes.

"Sweet meats!" Jiro wheezed. "The bloody ostrich has got petrol for blood!"

Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. "I beg your pardon?"

"Oi!" Campo pointed at Wildcard with a grin. "Cut 'em next! See if he oozes gold!"

Ariel face-hoofed.

Rainbow glared at Seraphimus. "See what I mean? If they're anything like the ones from Val Roa, they only speak in money."

"Strips, love!" Campo pointed at the petite pegasus. "Streeeps. How many times do I gotta say eet?!"

Jacko tugged on Rainbow's left wing. She looked down at him, and the grayish imp murmured, "Are ya really from Penumbra?"

Rainbow opened her muzzle to respond—

"Just what is a strip?" Logan asked after a patient wait.

Campo flung him a look. "What, are ya bloat, lard-o?" He gripped the metal rectangle dangling around his neck and held it out at the chain's length. "Thees is what makes trade go around, aye?" The silver sheen of the strip flickered into Rainbow's eyes.

In the following blink, all of her marefriends vanished. A wave of dizziness overwhelmed Rainbow, and she stumbled backwards—nearly stepping over Jacko. In her peripheral vision, Discord stood, fully materialized.

"Oooh... I get it..." He scratched his furry chin. "...we are living underneath your homeland, after all."

Just as quickly as he appeared, the dargonequus vanished. Twilight Sparkle and the rest reappeared, visibly disturbed.

"What the...?" Pinkie squeaked.

"Uhm..." Applejack looked around.

"Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy looked at their anchor. "...did we just disappear a moment ago?"

"I..." Rainbow grimaced. She looked at the metal strip in Campo's hand, bearing the insignia of the Fur-Blooders in red etching. "...that metal..."

"You okay, sheila?" Jacko reached a four-fingered hand out to steady the mare. His Tail-Blood pendant dangled, swinging in her direction.

The ghostly mares vanished again. Discord appeared, chuckling.

"You could eat ice cream out of those ears of theirs! Those poor naked heavy metal fans outside don't know what they're missing!"

This time—when he vanished—Rainbow Dash was left teetering in a cold sweat. Panting.

Wildcard and Ariel gaped at her with concern.

"Is everything okay...?" Ariel asked.

Campo nodded. "What she on about?"

"I..." Rainbow shook all over. "...I-I have to step outside!" And with a flick of her tail, she hurried out the door.

"Rainbow—!" Confused, Twilight and the rest of the companions flailed after her.

Catch Some Fresh Harmony

Rainbow Dash stumbled out of the Fur-Blooder Tradepost. She bumped into two or three Dihmers in the street outside. They teetered a bit... but soon resumed trotting in their usual soundless circles, acting as if the dizzied pegasus did not exist.

Once Rainbow found the stone wall of a building, she leaned against it... wheezing for breath. The dull world spun around her, and the constant beat of invisible drums sent her head pounding. She clenched her eyes shut and shivered in place, battling her way through migraine-inducing nausea.

As her mind and body evened out, the voices of her friends materialized into full focus, circling around her.

"...saw those thingies they were wearing!"

"...it was chaos metal!"

"...it had to be!"

"...but how can anyone possibly use that sort of hogwash as currency?!"

"Helloooo?! This is the Dark Side, AJ! Of course they can use all sorts of creepy crawly coinage!"

"Uhm... they called them 'strips.'"

"Whatever!"

"Everyone just..." Rainbow gnashed her teeth. "...everyone just stop shouting!" She opened her eyes with a flicker of red-on-yellow. A blink or two later, and she gazed normally across the crude Dihmer city. "I'm okay. I just... I just gotta catch my breath a bit..."

"Rainbow Dash..." Twilight Sparkle hovered to a stop in front of her. "I'm so sorry. I... I should have noticed what it was before you got so close to it!"

"Same here, darling!" Rarity spoke in a whimpering tone. "I couldn't even conceive of those metal strips having a chaotic purpose! I wasn't using my senses right!"

"But... but..." Rainbow's brow furrowed under a curtain of sweat. "...everything was j-just fine until they showed them off to me..."

"Yeah..." Pinkie rubbed her ghost chin in ghost thought. "How come they didn't send you on the merry-go-vom earlier?!"

"Maybe they're not as pure as the other chaos metals Rainbow has come across on the Dark Side," Fluttershy said.

"Huh?" Applejack squinted at her.

"Fluttershy has a point." Rarity nodded. "It's likely not pure chaos metal... if there even is such a thing."

"You mean it's an alloy?" Twilight remarked.

"It would make sense," Rarity said. "If such a material is indeed a wealthy commodity on this part of the plane, then you'd want to compartmentalize and conserve it as much as possible. Like gold or diamonds."

"Whew... Rarity..." Applejack adjusted her hat. "Who knew that your esteemed knowledge of wealthy know-how would come in use over here?"

"I didn't even think it would matter." Rarity blinked. "Until we met these horrid creatures."

"I don't know..." Fluttershy smiled slightly. "I think they're kind of adorable, the more I think about them."

"Get out of town, sister!" Pinkie shrieked.

"Rainbow..." Twilight floated closer to their anchor. "Were those the same kind of goblins that you met in Val Roa?"

Rainbow gulped, her shivers normalizing slightly. "I mean... of course they're not the same. These guys are nestled in over here and they've got some city named 'Petra' that they're high over. The ones I ran into were farting away on the other side of the world..."

"What I mean is—are they the same species? The same kind of imps?"

"Well... yeah. Only..." Rainbow shook her head. "It's too late to make a verdict, but the little buggers over in Val Roa were way nastier then these guys."

"Didn't they want to tak over the world or some such sucky nonsense?" Pinkie asked.

"Their boss Haman was a crazy freak of a megalomaniac who was egged on by Chrysalis to attack the capital of Val Roa," Rainbow explained. "We had to fight a bunch of them off." Rainbow's ears drooped. "Many to the death."

Fluttershy shuddered with a sad expression.

"But... we got rid of their crazy leader," Rainbow said. "And now... they're on the path to recovery. It's all Roarke's doing..." Her words trailed off. She glanced at Fluttershy, then at the rest.

Twilight ended up saying, "Well, maybe—for whatever it's worth—your experience will give you an edge in dealing with them here."

"Yeah, well, only I just friggin' lost that edge if the kind of currency the goblins exchange is the sort that sends me reeling into the gutter!" Rainbow ran a hoof over her face, sighing. "It was just like back with the Bloodwings," she muttered. "A single flash of the metallic glint and you girls vanished." Her jaw muscles tightened. "Discord appeared in your place... and I felt like throwing up."

"Yeesh..." Pinkie's frown went flat. "I bet Discord would like these creatures!"

"Seems like a bunch of selfish varmints to me," Applejack said. "Probably for the best that we avoid them from hereon—"

"Like we've been avoiding the Bloodwings?" Rainbow droned. "Or been chased around by the trolls?? Or been turned off by the Dihmers???" The mare shook her head. "We can't friggin' ignore every single race of creatures that we come across on the Dark Side just because they're less than savory, AJ." A frown. "At some point or another, we gotta face this chaos crap head-on." Her ears curled back. "I gotta face them. Between here and the Midnight Armory, something's gotta give!"

"Well, we just hope it's not you who caves to all the chaotic pressure," Twilight Sparkle said. She pointed behind their anchor. "Fuzz alert."

"... ... ..." Rainbow blinked. Without looking, she spoke over her shoulder. "I'm okay, Ariel. Just catching my bearings..."

"You sure you're good?" the pegasus asked in a meager tone. She stood behind Rainbow Dash, her face full of worry and compassion. "You limped out of there like how I once limped out of taverns in Rose Prefecture... and not in the sexy way."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Huh?"

Rainbow finally turned around to smile at her—albeit tiredly. "I was just surprised. That's all."

"It's the stuff hanging off their necks," Ariel remarked. "It's more of that chaos metal crap, isn't it?"

"Mmmmmyeahhhhh..."

Ariel sighed. "Guess that's another group of Dark Siders we gotta check off the 'interaction' list."

"Screw that." Rainbow pointed. "They've got answers and we're sorely in need of friends in this part of the world."

"But Rainbow..." Ariel gestured. "The shit they use for currency can knock you out with so much as a coin-toss!"

"And there are six able-bodied members of the Herald who won't get knocked out!" Rainbow insisted. "I need you guys to talk to these goblins. Fur-Blooders... Tail-Blooders... Fart-Blooders... whatever. Find out as much as you can about Petra, the ocean, the Bloodwings and the changelings. Sell out our entire arsenal if you have to..." Rainbow blinked. "...except maybe Bard's bo-staff and Kepler's alchemy stuff. Never give that up."

Ariel's eyes were wandering. "Did you just..." She squinted Rainbow's way. "...include Seraphimus as one of the able-bodied Herald?'"

Rainbow blinked. She glanced towards the curved horizon, then back at Ariel. "Never you mind. Please... can you do this for me? Her eyes glistened, pleading. "I can't risk stepping back inside that place, so I need you and Wildcard and Logan and the rest to go to bat for me."

Ariel sighed long and hard. "You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?"

"Doing what?"

She smiled tiredly. "Using that face on me."

Rainbow blinked. "Does it mean you're game?"

"Rainbow Dash, I'm a member of Mortuana's Sovereign Seven," Ariel said. She held a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "I was game before I met you."

"Heh... so was I..." Rainbow smiled. A blink. "Game, I mean."

Silence.

Pinkie leaned in. "Pssst. She said 'game'—"

"I heard her," Rainbow growled aside.

"Heh..." Ariel backed up. "I'll leave you and the girls alone. How about you fly around some? Catch some air?" She glanced nervously at the soot-stained twilight. "Wherrrrrre there is air worth catching..."

Rainbow nodded. "I'll do my best."

"Cooly crispies." Ariel saluted, then returned to the trading post.

Rainbow was alone with her companions.

"She really is such a darling," Rarity said. "When we all get back to Equestria, I'm just dying to make her a silky silver dress gown." Her eyes sparkled. "And a dashing suit for the little wyvern! OooOoooh!"

"Heeheehee..." Fluttershy turned towards Rainbow Dash with a smile. "You see, Rainbow Dash? Chaos isn't such a danger after all." She shook her head. "Not with friends like that around to help you out."

"Yeah..." Rainbow exhaled. She leaned back with an anxious gaze plastered on the trade post. "...I just hope it doesn't keep me from helping them out..."

What's Left to Trade

"Then she is fine, I trust?" Seraphimus leaned in. The amber artificial light of the shop glinted off her silver feathers. "She's not succumbed to the alien metals?"

"Yeah, she's cool. She just has to chillax and catch her breath some," Ariel said. She threw the former Talon Commander a cheesy grin. "It's so very sweeeeeeet that you care so much."

Seraphimus snorted. "I just wanted an assessment of our team leader's condition."

"She's tough as shit," Logan grunted. "Same old song and dance." He looked at Ariel. "Now we've got a job to do."

Ariel nodded back.

"Oi...!"

The Herald looked across the counter.

Campo gazed at them, his ears flaring above his head. "Ya don havin' a yob? I've got me some Dihmahs to be tradin' with, not to mention some hides to be skinnin'. Either youse got collections for strips or youse best be muckin' about elsewhere!"

"Let me guess..." Logan leaned his rotund body towards the puny counter. "You like to collect animal pelts." He motioned outside with his skull. "We've seen Dihmers marching into town by the droves with all sorts of slaughtered game. I'm guessing you get a lot of fur off them."

"Good on ya, lardo!" Campo grinned with razor sharp teeth. "You're not half as daft as ya look!"

Flynn chuckled. "Well, at least they got your name right."

Logan sighed. "We don't have any skins or pelts to give you," he said. "And we can't afford to part ways with our supply of meat. We need that for the journey ahead."

"You could always skirt the coast of the Blob!" Jacko said, smirking up at the group. "Dan in me outpost, we're always takin' in animal flesh on the side!"

"Buggah off, Jacko!" Campo snarled. "Don't be snivelin' into me tradie talk! Reckon I should come by your shit farms and have me a squat!"

Jacko snorted. "You certainly seem keen on dumpin' all your gahbage theah!"

"Blow!" Campo pointed out the front entrance with his claw. "Before I sick Dyno and Jiro on your ass!"

"Mrmmmfff..." Jacko shrugged his shoulders and scurried out of the establishment. "A damned bloody monopoly—that's what thees is!"

"You're just pissed we Fur-Bloodahs managed it first!" Campo stared after him, then smiled at the Herald. "Just like a Tail-Bloodah, aye? Always gettin' his mouth mixed up with his puckah."

"Charrming," Kepler exhaled.

"You said it, anteatah!" Campo leaned back, arms folded. "So... if ya don't skins or meats, then what do ya got for me tradie blood?"

"How is the market on weapons in this town?" Logan asked.

Seraphimus glanced at him sharply.

Logan waved a dismissive hoof.

"Hmmmmm..." Campo rubbed his green chin. "Ain't gonna lie, chubbo. The Dihmahs craft their own bludgeons out heah. Plus, they nevah seem to go to blows with the bats-os, so they ain't exactly bitin' in the weapons department."

"But you could certainly try and defend yourselves..." Logan arched his eyebrows. "If the need ever arose?"

"Pffft! Are ya kiddin'?" Campo chuckled. "We're Fur-bloodahs! Not warriors! For that, ya gotta sniff up some of the Blade-Bloodahs ovah in Petra! But that's far across the Blob and they already got all the ogre-tech they need for fightin' off the change-os!"

"Still, wouldn't hurt to have some nice ranged weapons, I bet," Logan postulated. "For when you're making your next trip to Jacko's crudville or whatever to dump some more 'garbage.'"

"Hmmmmm..." Campo leaned back with a thoughtful expression. "Gotta admit. The skysharks have been rathah uppity lately since the bats-os keep chasin' them out of hidin'."

Ariel's pupils shrank. "Skysharks?"

"Just what do youse gots, anyhow?" Campo asked. "I'll let you know if it's worth some strips."

"Wildcard..." Logan spoke aside. "Show 'em a taste of Abaddon's gift."

Wildcard nodded. Wordlessly, he pulled a satchel off his back and unpacked it.

Seraphimus watched, silent.

"Although..." Campo chuckled. "I'm still willin' to give youse a whole stack of strips if you'd quietly leave the parrot's metal arm down on the countah theah—"

Cl-Clank! An immaculate bow crafted out of arachnid exoskeletons landed on the table.

Campo's eyes almost exploded. "Piss on me mum!" He hopped back, trembling. "Are... are those made out of actual Spindlahs?"

"They were given to us," Seraphimus said in a low tone. "After we spent weeks as their guests in the ancient city."

"We haven't found much of a way to use them," Logan said. "Outside of one fight that we couldn't win anyways."

"We're not much in the way of gifted archers," Flynn added smoothely. "We have other ways of holding our own in a fight."

"Suffice to say, they're yours," Seraphimus said. "Provided you can help us plan where to take the fight to next."

"No way..." Campo shook his head. "This... this a deal for strips! Bottom line! I just..." Campo tugged at one ear, staring incredulously at the bow. "...I'm just at a lost for words! I swear I'm not usually this unprofessional—"

"Ach! It is cerrtainly a lot to take in, my frriend." Kepler smiled blindly in his general direction. "Fact of the matterr is... we desirre strrips far less than we desirre inforrmation."

"Ehhhh..." Campo's eyes thinned. "What kind of information, youse reckon?"

Logan leaned over the counter. "Start exhaling."

"Nine hundred and ninety-nine bundles of rock on the walllll!" Pinkie Pie sang, her blue eyes cheerfully bouncing between the crude buildings surrounding them. "Nine hundred and ninety-nine bundles of rockkkk!"

"Pinkie, darling..." Rarity ran a hoof over her face. "Can you not? Seriously?"

"Whaaaaaaaaaat?" Pinkie shrugged. "It's how little Marble and I used to pass the time while we waited outside for Papa to bargain with the local rock appraiser!" She blinked. "Although Marble always left the singing to me. I wonder why..."

"Just look at everypony," Fluttershy marveled, staring at the crowds of Dihmers marching to and fro. "They don't stop to talk... eat... or even sleep."

"I guess wherever they go to relax, they do it beyond sight," Twilight Sparkle remarked.

Fluttershy's eyes narrowed. "They... go somewhere alright." A gulp. "I sense distant pockets of them in the larger building... gathered around and sitting still."

"I'm sensin' somethin' too," Applejack added. "Reckon whatever it is they do in there, it's more or less how these folk 'recharge.'"

"And just where are all of the foals?" Rarity squeaked. "It's curious to see so many young adults—but no children or senior citizens."

"Maybe they live in another part of the city," Twilight suggested. "The goblins appear to have a caste system. Maybe the Dihmers do as well—divided by age."

"I'm almost scared to find out where all the little colts and fillies are," Fluttershy stammered. "I can't imagine that everypony foaled in this world shows up just as unemotional as the grownups we're seeing."

"That's a good question," Twilight said with a nod. "I've been hypothesizing that the Dihmers have some sort of psychological practice for purging their emotion."

"Makes sense." Applejack gazed about. "I'm feelin' almost nothin' from these here ponies. That's gotta take practice."

"Then again..." Twilight took a breath. "...some Equestrian scientists have postulated that—with enough neural damage to the brain—emotion could be affected on a biological level." She looked at the others. "Who knows just how much the changelings could have feasted on these poor ponies' ancestors. Maybe—just maybe—this current generation is born without feeling... at least in the faculty that you and I can relate to."

"That... would be terribly tragic!" Rarity grimaced. "To come into this world without the ability to feel?" She shook her head. "To experience love or pride?"

"Then again..." Applejack shrugged. "...might be nice not havin' to worry about fear, pain, or sorrow."

Rarity glared at her. "You can't possibly be serious..."

"I ain't sayin' I'm on board with the notion," Applejack said. "Just... somethin' about these Dihmer folks must be workin' for them to be prosperin' the way they do."

Pinkie grimaced at the deadpan faces wandering by. "You call this 'prospering?'"

"Well, ya know what I mean."

"No! I don't!"

"Fine. Forget I said anythang, then."

"Okie dokie lokie! Nine Hundred and Ninety-Eight Bundles of Rock on the Wallllll—!"

"Ugh!"

"Guh!"

"Consarnit!"

"Pinkieeeeeeee..."

"Hehehehe—whaaaaaaaat?"

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was standing in abject silence. While her friends chatted and rambled away, she lost focus of them. Instead, she had honed in on the constant... never-ceasing thump of noise rolling in from the distance. She pivoted about, squinting and peering all across the city.

With enough concentration, it occurred to the pegasus that the source of the drums was not in the Dihmer commune, but rather someplace beyond it. And as her fuzzy ears flicked and her mind narrowed in on the noise, she realized the source of the percussion could only be one place.

The Ocean. Squint and peer as she might, Rainbow couldn't see the shoreline beneath the Curve. The haze and soot from the nearby foundry was simply too thick, too blinding. All she could make out was a dull malaise that occupied a good portion of the bent horizon.

There was only one way to get to the bottom of this.

So, with stealthy hooves, she padded her way down the sloped street and towards the heart of the drumming.

Her friends were still chatting when they noticed their anchor moving.

"Rainbow?" Rarity craned her neck. "Rainbow Dash?"

"Uhm..." Fluttershy stirred.

"Where you headed, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"Shhhhhhh..." Rainbow slinked forward like a bloodhound. "The drumming."

Pinkie's muzzle scrunched. "What about it?"

"Gotta figure out what's causing it."

"Careful, Rainbow." Twilight glided up alongside her. "You don't want to stray too far from your friends."

"Fluttershy and Applejack can help me find them in a pinch."

Twilight cleared her throat. "And... if you should fall unconscious somehow from more chaos metal and they need to find you...?"

"Wildcard will find me." Rainbow shrugged in mid-trot. "Wildcard somehow always finds me."

"But—"

"Keep your horn pointy," Rainbow hissed, moving down the sloped streets. "We may need it."

That's the Pink Stuff

"Stratopolis???" Logan belched.

Rainbow Dash nodded. She and the Herald stood on a rocky outcropping overlooking the vast magenta ocean. Beneath them, chunks of former Dihmer buildings had long crumbled and fallen into the steep shoreline, mixing with an estuary filled with brittle broken bones.

"The place was filled with this stuff," Rainbow Dash said. She spoke in between the rhythmic bellows of the otherworldly liquid mass, all the while gazing into the stained Curve. "Hundreds if not thousands of pegasi were trapped in it... reduced to berserk undead." Her brow furrowed as she studied the daunting ocean from afar. "A lot of them were once soldiers to Commander Hurricane. Others—I'm pretty sure—were members of the Angels."

"You mean the verry firrst prroto pegasi of Urrohrringrr," Kepler remarked.

Rainbow nodded. "I didn't have the luxury of telling the two apart. The Noble Jury and the prisoners of Chrysalis had to band together to try and outrun the living goop. It chased us all throughout the abandoned floating city." Her nostrils flared. "I always assumed that—whatever the Angels had done, whatever evil or chaotic magic they had dabbled in—they unleased this crud in the very heart of the Sentinel. Miraculously, though, Commander Hurricane had managed to contain it. Or so I thought."

Ariel stared into the pink ocean, grimacing. "Sooooo..." She fidgeted in mid-air. "...was there any indication by Hurricane and company that there was more of this stuff to be found?" A gulp. "Like... a lot more?"

Rainbow shook her head. "No. You must remember—she never even made it close to the Dark Side. And after she died, the rest of her followers crash landed in modern-day Durandana." She turned at last to look at the rest of the Herald. "I ever would have imagined such a thing like this was possible?"

"Just... what is this material, anyways?" Flynn remarked, rotating his eye-lens in order to get a proper reading of the fluctuating basin of slime. "Is it corrosive? Biorganic? Even cognizant?"

"The way the gunk chased after my friends and I back in Stratopolis, it definitely seemed like it was intelligent," Rainbow said. "As intelligent as any animal might hunt for its prey. And... and the undead ponies who emerged from it..." She gestured. "They all attacked us as one. Almost as if they had a hive mind."

"So..." Ariel looked over. "They were changelings?"

"No. Just ponies." Rainbow sighed. "All pegasi, too."

"Did you see any pegasi here?" Logan asked. "Along the shore?"

"I've... seen all sorts of bodies," Rainbow said. "Well... skeletons... which makes the creatures waaaaaay far gone than the ones trapped in Stratopolis' supply." She cleared her throat. "Not all of them are ponies, as you can see."

"You're not kidding," Flynn murmured, scanning the shoreline. "I'm detecting at least thirty different kinds of species. Some of them huge like leviathans." He rotated his lens inward and leaned back. "Whatever's filled this basin... it's been here for a longggggg time."

"Enough time to collect an ocean full of dead shit," Logan said.

"Precisely."

"How verry rremarrkable..." Kepler squinted into the twilight. "I do trruly wish I could see this phenonemon forr myself."

"No Keps," Ariel stammered, trying not to lose her lunch. "You don't."

Wildcard walked up until he was face to face with Rainbow Dash on the cliff's edge. "Did any creatures from the ocean try to attack you when you discovered it?"

"Uh... no." Rainbow shook her head. "Although... I-I think the goblins put warning signs out along the boneyards of the shore. Something tells me it's just as dangerous as Stratopolis."

Wildcard frowned. His talons moved: "You should not have gone out here alone. You could have gotten hurt."

Rainbow smiled crookedly. "Love you too, big brother."

"I prresume ourr rresident Desperrado is scolding you on yourr darring seaside strroll," Kepler said.

Rainbow coughed. "Eeyup."

"A valid concerrn, to be cerrtain." Kepler faced the direction of the rest of the Herald. "While it is noble to prrotect Rrainbow frrom the ample chaos metals that we have discoverred in this city, I suggest that we no longerr split up in such a fashion that any single one of us rremains alone. Therre is still so much that we do not underrstand about the Darrk Side, and the vacuum of knowledge is inevitably filled with countless perrils."

"We get it, Kepler," Ariel said. "Some of us have got to stick to Rainbow like glue."

"Yeah, that shouldn't be hard for some of us," Flynn droned.

"Hardy har har."

"In the meantime..." Rainbow turned to face the group at large. "What did you all learn from the implettes?"

Logan blinked at her. His eyes darted towards the magenta ocean then back to the mare. "You really think anything we've got can compare to the cosmic shit bucket you've chanced upon?"

"Try me."

"Well..." Logan leaned back with a thoughtful breath. "We finally got the little buggers to open up about how the trade system works here."

"Yeah...?"

"The Fur-Blooders and other goblins in the pelt and butchery trade receive slaughtered animals from the Dihmers. The Dihmers receive metal strips that they immediately pay to a goblin metal-works guild in charge of the big-ass forge along the north... er... Omega side of town."

Rainbow pivoted to point at the ginormous metal docks on black stilts. "I saw that platform leading up to the thing."

"Right. The goblins built it. And the forge." Logan nodded. "Pretty much, if something in this town is made of metal, the imps are responsible."

"Gotcha." Rainbow blinked. "So what do the metalwork goblins do with the strips that the Dihmers give them from turning in their skin and meat?"

"Get this..." Logan folded his forelimbs. "They make metal slabs and bulkheads that they hand back out to the Dihmers." His eyes narrowed. "And the Dihmers use this to make some sort of Boat."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Boat?"

"That's right?"

"What kind of Boat?"

"The Boat," Logan said. "According to Campo, most of the locals refer to it as 'It Collects.' Someway... somehow... the shaved freakazoids here have actually constructed a naval vessel that can cross the Blob." He pointed at the docks. "That's why the goblins built the platform for them."

"Wait..." Rainbow grimaced. "The Blob? That's what they call the Ocean? Seriously?"

"Hey..." Logan shrugged. "It's what the goblins call it."

"But isn't that crazy, though?" Ariel remarked, looking at Rainbow. "The Dihmers have somehow found a way to actually sail across that... that... that thing!"

"And get this." Flynn smirked. "The Bloodwings won't cross it."

"Why?" Rainbow remarked. "Because they don't have a boat?"

"You're missing the point." Flynn gestured. "They won't fly over it. Not even Lexxic's crew."

"Apparently it's super friggin' dangerous to go anywhere above that ocean," Logan said. "Even at a high altitude. I figured you of all ponies would know... what with this Cloud City nonsense."

"Stratopolis."

"Whatever."

"And what about the goblins?" Rainbow asked. "Can they cross the ocean too?"

"Ach..." Kepler nodded. "They hinted that they could. Something tells me that they've stolen the trrade secrret frrom the Dihmerrs, somehow." He flexed his scorpion tail. "This—among otherr things—gives both the imps and the locals an edge overr the Bloodwings. It might possibly be the rreason why Lexxic hasn't rraided this city. This boat—"It Collects"—holds the secrret to crrossing this otherrwise insurrmountable obstacle between herre and Petrra. If someone like Lexxic could similarrly navigate it, then it might allow them to perrforrm a surrprrise attack on the otherr two factions gatherred arround the Midnight Arrmorry."

Wildcard nodded.

"That... seems like a bit of a stretch," Rainbow Dash exhaled. She took a forlorn look at the undulating ocean of noise towards the Curve. "But I really can't rule any friggin' thing out at this point."

"What bothers me is the obvious monopoly happening here," Flynn said. "I mean—the goblins dominate the Dihmer economy on all fronts. Their currency—strips—only exist for the Dihmers to give them an ample food supply and leather resource before coughing up the money immediately for metal boat construction material."

"I'm not cerrtain if that's a monopoly, my frriend," Kepler replied. "It would seem that the Dihmerrs have theirr minds on things that arre farr morre imporrtant to them than goblin currrency."

"Yeah... but..." Flynn frowned. "Where the Hell do these poor yokels get their food? I mean, if they're giving it all up to the goblins for this boat thingy of theirs..."

Rainbow looked at Logan. "Did Campo and Company say where the Dihmers sail this boat to?"

"Nope." Logan shook his head. "That was all the information he was going to give us."

Rainbow gulped. "What'd you give away for it?"

Logan exhaled through his nostrils. "Abaddon's bow and arrows."

"Stilllllll not a fan of that decision," Ariel murmured.

Rainbow looked around at the soot-stained environment. "All things considered... it was probably the best thing we could have coughed up for info."

"We can get more information," Logan said.

"Yeah? How do you propose?"

"Campo referred us to a contact he has among the Smelt-Blooders," Logan said. "Supposedly he's a high-ranking member of the goblin guild that runs the Forge."

"Seems a bit inclusive."

"Still... it's a possible avenue for more knowledge," Logan said. "I suggest we pay the place a visit."

Wildcard gestured in agreement.

"Sure thing!" Ariel shuddered. "Anywhere so we don't have to gaze at this freaky ocean any longer."

"Something tells me we're gonna be gazing at it quite intently real soon," Flynn said.

"How do you figurre?" Kepler asked.

Flynn snorted. "Well, we're not going to go anywhere the Bloodwings will find us, huh?"

Wildcard looked stealthily in Rainbow's direction.

Rainbow felt his goggled gaze. "Let's..." A breath. "....just see what the Smelt-Blooders have to say."

"Works for me." Logan picked up his things and marched downhill. "Maybe—for once—the noise of the Forge will drown out the damnable drumbeat."

"I do not know," Wildcard gestured. He smiled under his beak. "I am starting to get used to it."

"You would. Ya friggin' ostrich."

"Ha-Hah!" Kepler pronounced, following closely along a low-hovering Ariel.

After Flynn left, Rainbow made her way down the sloped stone into the streets of the Dihmer city. She paused—suddenly—and looked back over her shoulder.

Seraphimus remained hovering in mid-air, gazing loftily—and silently—into the vastness of the beating ocean.

After a breath or two, Rainbow flapped her wings and ascended to join her. "Everything cool in the land of angst and feathers?"

Seraphimus gulped. "A huge abyss... filled with half-dead abominations... corrosive to the flesh and soul..."

Rainbow nodded. "All of the nightmare but none of the pizza."

"Just..." Seraphimus' headcrest drooped. "...how many more fantastical things have you witnessed in your travels that you have not told me?"

"It wasn't until recently that you had the capacity to believe any of it."

Seraphimus looked at her.

Rainbow shrugged. "How badly was I gonna beat your disbelief into a pulp before I could have won you over."

Seraphimus frowned. "I am no trophy."

"Nah. Guess not. Even still." Rainbow smiled. "You're the only good thing I've done in the whole Dark Side so far."

Seraphimus blinked. "I..." She looked back out onto the ocean. "...I do not know how to respond to that."

"You can start by not brooding so much." Rainbow tugged on her shoulder. "Come. Join us. Stay safe and stay alive."

Seraphimus sighed, eventually gliding after the mare as they flew after the others. "That's asking for a lot more than you can ever expect."

"Perhaps. Best not to dwell on it and just continue breaking expectations."

"Indeed."

Birds on the Barbie

"Alright... so... question..." Pinkie Pie's ghostly muzzle scrunched as she and the other mares followed Rainbow through the craggy streets of the stone city. "If actual Dihmers get in actual boats to actually sail across the actual sea of slimy death..." She looked at her anchor. "...what actually keeps the actually beating ocean from actually murdering all the ponies on board with actual death???"

"I dunno, Pinkie," Rainbow droned. She looked up the sharp incline leading towards the hazy hilltop where the giant metal foundry was located. "I guess the Dihmers just... found a way after so many generations."

"Like—actually—though?!?!"

"Ugh!" Rarity clutched her skull. "Could you please stop saying that word!"

"What? 'Like?'"

"I really don't find it that hard to believe," Twilight Sparkle said. "The Dihmers escaped the Changelings... and they've since survived both the Dark Vigil and the Night Shard. Not to mention all of the other malevolent denizens of this plane." She smiled slightly. "For all of their grim exterior, they're quite a resourceful civilization. No doubt they've found a way to navigate this ocean. They should be proud of their accomplishments!"

"Yes..." Fluttershy nodded sadly. "The thing is... they won't ever be proud of it." She swallowed. "Or anything else for that matter."

Twilight hung her head. "Well... yes... true..."

"But that's just... just..." Pinkie pointed at the ocean. "...so much ooze! How does anypony contend with that?"

"Reckon we're about to find out, Pinkie," Applejack said. "Figurin' these Smelt-Blood fellers ain't fixin' to yank our chain none."

"Wait a second..." Pinkie tapped her pink chin in thought. "So much ooze... so much ooze... ya knowwwwwwww..." A wicked grin. "If you say that three times fast, you get... ... ..." She flashed a smirk at the group. "'SUSAN!'"

Applejack and Rarity blanched at her.

"Phweeeeeeeeee..." Rainbow exhaled through a dumb smile.

Ariel glanced back at her. "Y'know..." She smirked. "Half the time I'd give anything just to hear the conversations you must be hearing at any moment."

"Trust me. Save your bits. It's not always worth it."

"It's worth it to you, though."

"Meh." Rainbow looked up at the gates to the enormous factory. Already she could spot the flicker of metal armor. Imps were guarding the entrance. Despite their short height, they looked somewhat formidable, and the polearms in their gasp glinted with the same ferocity as their teeth.

"Looks like we found the welcoming crew," Flynn said.

"Just relax," Rainbow Dash droned. "When we get there, let me do the talking."

"And what if there's chaos metal crap in that place?" Flynn replied. "And you fall flat on your ass. Then what?"

"Then let Wildcard do the talking."

Kepler chuckled.

"Don't worry, everypony," Logan droned. "If shit hits the fan, I've got this."

"Yeah. Just roll into them, fatso," Flynn grunted.

"I'll be usin' your bald ass as a battering ram."

"From what I've seen on the Dark Side, that's probably the cleanest way to go."

"Heheheheh..."

As the Herald proceeded towards their uphill destination, Seraphimus took up the rear. She shook her head, sighing loose the exhaustion of having to deal with the insatiably chatty bunch. As she passed another row of buildings, her wing-flapping pace slowed. She touched down on all fours, slinking forward with narrow eyes.

"... ... ..."

She proceeded forward. Three meters. Six. Nine—

Sw-Swooosh! She lashed her lion's tail out—seemingly at randomly—and lashed onto the ankle of a creature in the alleyway adjacent to her.

"Gaaaah!" a raspy voice yelped.

Th-Thwisssh! In the next second, she had body-slammed an imp into the stone wall of a Dihmer house. Th-Thuddd! She planted her talon around the neck of the goblin and sneered in his face.

"You!" Her charcoal brown eyes narrowed. "You've been following us for half-an-hour!" She hissed. "Explain yourself... or I'll be claiming your spleen—assuming you half-baked abominations even possess those."

"Grkkkk!" Jacko squirmed and dangled in the griffin's grip. Blood trickled from his pointy nose as he struggled for breath. "Metal Mum's Mammaries, ya bird-o!" the Tail-Blooder wheezed. "No worries! I was only wantin' to learn more about youse, aye?"

Seraphimus looked him up and down, from his leather vest to his canvas trousers. "I don't see any so-called 'strips' on you. Do I need to remind you that information is an apparent commoddity among your putrid kind?"

"Why... scrkkk... the smelly mannahs, sheila?" Jacko managed a nervous smile. "You're curious! I'm curious! The whole bent world could use some stretchin' out! Can't we be friends?"

"Look at the wasteland all around you," Seraphimus growled. "When has anyone on the Dark Side ever been 'friends?'"

"Are... are..." Jacko gritted his pointed teeth. "...are youse really from Penumbra?"

"... ... ..."

"Tr-trust me! Grkkk... there are plenty'o'blokes between here and Petra who would like to know, love!"

Seraphimus snorted. "Not only are you out of strips, but you're out of ideas." She dropped him to the street.

"Whoah! Ooomf!"

"You're pathetic," she grumbled, leering over him. "Cease pursuing my traveling companions and I... or I will be forced to make you pay out your chest cavity." And she turned to resume her march uphill.

"Mmmmff... pl-please..." Jacko reached out towards her, half-collapsed on the ground. "The shithole they got me boys and I in..." He shook his head, ears wobbling. "It ain't goin' nowheah but to the sharks! Petra... Petra's got eccentric yobbahs who'll pay heaps of strips to know what's really goin' on beyond the Edge! Don't ya see, sheila? I'm givin' ya someone to turn to!"

Seraphimus stopped in mid-step. She breathed thoughtfully, head turned halfway.

"That's what youse lookin' for, aye?" Jacko's eyes narrowed. "A safe haven? Y'know... spit on me blood all ya want, love, but at least we Tail-Bloodahs are only askin' for strips. The bats-o's and the change-o's are out for ya bodies. And the shard-o's... well... not even your souls are safe heah, ya reckon?"

"... ... ..." Seraphimus turned towards him—

"Sera???" Rainbow's voice called out from above. "Where've you gone, girl? Stay in sight!"

Seraphimus glanced up the hill, then back down at Jacko. With a steely gaze, she pointed and spoke: "Meet me someplace quiet. Four hours from now."

"Meet ya...?" Jacko struggled up to his feet. "Uhhh... exactly wheah?"

"Never you mind." Her wings spread. "I will find you." FWOOOSH! And she rocketed towards the rest of the Herald at the entrance to the Forge.

Jacko shuddered in place. He rubbed his throat as his ears drooped. "Bloody emu with tits..." A slight pause, and his razor sharp teeth showed beneath a crooked grin. "I think I'm in love...!"

Charming to the Last

An imp in armor squinted through his helmet. "Who sent youse?"

"Campo!" Ariel frowned at the head of the Herald. They stood outside the Foundry, their bodies exposed to occasional bursts of steam that flounced in the beat of the ocean. "Y'know... of the Fur-Blooders? They sent us here."

"To do what, as?" Another imp's teeth glimmered in the soot-stained twilight. "Inspect your plot? Buggah off, sheila. We've got busy work to do!"

Logan looked around at the vacant side-alleys flanking the enormous metal-works building. He turned and squinted back at the guards. "Busy doing what? Fighting off Dihmers?"

"They don't exactly seem like the kind of ponies to invade a factory at random," Flynn said. "Especially when you've got this symbiotic relationship going."

"You think us daft, yobbo?" One goblin frowned, clutching his polearm tighter. "They're always change-o's and bats-o's about! One single blink of the eye and we'll be up to our eartips in our own blood, aye?"

"If you ask me, you wouldn't stand a chance," Ariel droned. "You've got nice armor there—but you're not exactly a match for winged raiders."

"Hah!" One goblin pointed with his spear. "Check out the muzzle on thees bird!"

"Hahahah!" The other laughed heartily. "You're a talkative bunch, but thees is goblin territory, love! Reckon we can defend it however we like—"

SCHIIIIING! With one flick of the talon, Wildcard simultaneously disarmed both goblins with a single extension of Bard's bo-staff. Cl-Clankkk!

The goblins gasped and scrambled to pick their weapons back up.

"Oi!"

"Bloody 'ell!"

"Ya try that again ya mangy bo'tle of feathahs!"

SCHIIIIIING! Both sets of weapons fell out of their arms again.

"Augh! Metal Mum's Minceahs!"

"Dip me in bronze! Ya right stoked to start a war, drongo?!"

Wildcard made to swing the staff again—Thap! Rainbow blocked it with her fetlock. Sighing, she smiled tiredly at the group. "Okay... the bit's over. Let us through already."

"Oh, we're way past that, love!" One goblin pointed his polearm.

"Too righ!" The other stepped back with his spear, eyeing the Herald angrily. "Youse blokes can take your fancy colahs and cesspool yawn attitudes and crawl back to wheah ya Mum squirted ya!"

"We just wanna see the Smelt-Blooders," Rainbow insisted. "And then we'll be out of your hair... er..." She glanced down at the two imps. "...ear hairs."

"Pffft! You said the Fur-Bloodahs sent ya, righ?"

"Uh huh..."

"Them yacko's been inchin' to claw their way into the Smelt Brothahs favah for yeahs now! Don't see how a motley crew of ass-backwards freaks is gonna put them ovah!"

"I could care less about that," Rainbow droned.

"Don't ya mean ya 'couldn't care less,' love?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow blinked through bored eyes, her muzzle hanging open. "...excuse me?"

"It's only natural that you would care less, sheila, but I don't think that's the conotation you were lookin' for when you used that abused turn of phrase—"

"Luna on a bike..." Rainbow Dash growled, the hairs on her back rising up. "I am not about to get lectured by a bunch of skin puppets who slur like minotaurs with marbles in their razor-toothed mouths!"

"Rrainbow! Good frriend! Please..." Kepler raised both claws. "This is ourr firrst contact with a sane civlization. The least we can do is act civilized as well!"

"What about the Spindlers?" Ariel suggested.

Flynn leaned into her. "Too icky to be 'sane.'"

"Says you."

"AHEM..." Kepler shuffled blindly towards the sound of the imps' breathing. "Kindly good sirrs... the Dihmerrs—let it be known—arre harrdly an entrreprreneurrial sorrt."

"Hrmmmf! You've got that right, ya winged dingo."

"Verrily..." Kepler gestured, smiling between the two figures. "...would it not be absolutely wasteful to give up an opporrtunity to talk and barrgain with the firrst like-minded crreaturres to happen upon yourr company in an eon?"

One imp squinted. "Just how like-minded are we talkin'?"

"You've got yourself some shinies, cobbah?"

Logan arched an eyebrow. "Shinies?"

"Y'know... strips! Silvah! Metals! The whole works!" One goblin smirked. "Somethin' to make the Metal Mum back in Petra drool!"

"We... errm..." Kepler smiled hopefully. "...have manacrrystals! Salvaged frrom an ancient grroup of most esteemed trravelerrs!"

"The Bloody 'ell are manacrystals?"

"Oh..." Kepler fidgeted. "...now that's distressing."

"Okay..." Rainbow Dash was fishing around in her saddlebag. "...you want something shiny?" She raised the dragonstone up high and pivoted it so that the polished surface glistened from within with fiery light. "Feast your eyes, nincompellets."

Both goblins gasped so hard that they nearly dropped their weapons.

"By Petra's flame...!"

"Starbeams! What on earth is that?" A clawed hand reached out for it—

"Tut tut!" Rainbow shirked away from him with a playful smile. She batted her eyelashes. "That's for the Smelt-Blooder's eyes and ears only! We've got even shinier stuff where that came from. Now... who's gonna explain to your bosses precisely why you turned away a fantastic opportunity at the door?"

Wildcard looked at Rainbow, then at the guards.

The two goblins leaned in to whisper among each other. Their greedy eyes remained locked on the dragon stone.

"Heh..." Ariel leaned in to Flynn. "...she has dealt with imps before."

"Lucky us," Flynn droned.

"Righ..." One goblin slapped the end of his polearm against the floor. Cl-Clank! A massive metal door was opened from the inside of the foundry, exposing an entrance. "You make a good point, love. In ya go..." He motioned with his head, ears curling. "But don't be ass! Make straight for the Smelt-Bloodahs' office! I'd better not be ketchin' you sniffin' any of the strips!"

"Believe me..." Rainbow pocketed Axan's stone away and began trotting forward. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Wildcard flew alongside her, gesturing dramatically.

She reacted with a sharp smirk. "Heck, no! I'm not about to sell our only guide to the shards of Endrax!" She reached out to pat the Desperado's shoulder in mid-trot. "Wow them at the gate... then illuminate them from the inside."

Wildcard stroked his beak. He gestured again.

"I dunno." Rainbow stifled a belch. "Probably came up with that one the last time I used a toilet." Her muzzle scrunched. "When was the last time I used an actual toilet? Val Roa...?" After a brief moment of silence, she rolled her eyes to the side. "Oh hush, Rarity."

As the group marched into the Foundry, Seraphimus came up to join them at the last second.

"Hey, toots." Logan glanced over his shoulder. "Where were you?"

Seraphimus exhaled. "Had some business to take care of."

"No kidding?" Logan smirked, moving along. "I didn't know they shredded newspapers here on the Dark Side."

"I see this group hasn't lost its charm," Seraphimus droned as the doors thundered shut behind them.

"Filler?!?" Never Knew Her!

"Filler?!?" Never Knew Her!

For once, Rainbow Dash could no longer hear the rhythmic pounding of the ocean. Unfortunately, the only thing that allowed for this was the migraine-inducing bedlam of metalworks echoing off every solid surface of the building she was in.

The petite pegasus stood on a rusted catwalk overlooking an allotment of enormous containers filled to the brim with hot molten metal. The basins were constructed out of a thick stone-like substance that had grown thicker with the grime of age and consistent use. Gigantic, complex lattices of metalwork and pulley systems conveyed slightly smaller (but still enormous) buckets that dipped into the basins, collected pools of the orange-hot mixture, and then poured them into rectangular frames along the far end of the foundry.

Goblins shouted commands to one another, swinging fearlessly via chains and ropes over the vaporously hot pools. Their only protection was suits made of triple-layered leathers with some form of heat-resistant lining. It was an ugly catalogue of technology, but it worked, and the imps utilized everything at their clawtips with ballet-like grace. After words were hollered across the steam-filled chamber, a large pump along the side wall was activated... adding to the bedlam with an ear-piercing hum. This apparatus poured cool water over the framework, rapidly cooling the hot metal so that it hardened into a solid, fitting the framework and turning the material into narrow beams.

As Rainbow observed, the hardened product was ferried over to another part of the factory. There, goblins with large single-function machines took various portions of the beams and bent them at precise angles, making curves and slabs fit to cover the countless possible portions of a ship's hull... or a myriad of other structures that Rainbow couldn't be bothered to contemplate at the moment.

All she knew was that it was very hot and she had a headache.

"Goddess on a hot tin roof..." Logan swiped at his sweaty, sweaty brow. His ears drooped miserably as he stood beside Rainbow, gazing into the red-hot basins. "...it's like living in an apartment right above a dragon orgy."

"Right stoked to see some horsies who can appreciate good metal workin'," wheezed a voice. With uneven steps, a particularly tall (up to Rainbow's withers) goblin limped towards the two on the catwalk. He wore coveralls that were half undone, exposing a dark green torso with a huge burn mark stretching from his navel to his upper neck. The imp could only afford half a smile as he faced the two equine visitors. "Usually all we get from theem Dihmahs outside is a bloody borin' 'It suffices.' No 'please' or 'thank you,' just 'heah's ya streeps' and then they buggah off."

Rainbow glanced aside. She spoke calmly in spite of the insane heat and noise of the place. "I figured you goblins would be okay with just the strips."

"Spoken like a true tradie!" The goblin leaned against the catwalk's railing. "Ya see any bloody aprons on us, love?"

"No."

"Any heaps of meat or spools of leathah?"

"No."

"Then we ain't Fur-Bloodahs, now are we, aye?" The goblin leaned forward. "Smeltin's in me blood! In the blood of all me brothahs!" He managed half-a-proud smile. "Manifestin' Peetra. Them's the aces of existin', love."

"What's your name again?" Logan asked.

The goblin reached for his necklace with his good hand, causing Rainbow to flinch slightly. "Kirbo. Kirbo of Smelt-Blood, boyo." The firelight caught the red etching of steam billowing across the silver strip. "And if youse want to know anythin' that's anythin' about goblin business out here beyond the Blob, you're talkin' to the right imp."

"So maybe you can tell us..." Logan's eyes narrowed. "Just what the Hell is Petra? At first, we heard that it's a city. Then we thought it was a community. Now you're saying that it's some sort of abstract fart gas of industry?!?"

Kirbo's good eye narrowed. "You blokes aren't from around heah, are ya?" He pointed. "I mean, Metal Mum's Mojo! The frogshit hair dye certainly tipped me off! Escaped out of any change-o shithole?"

"You think they would have let us in here if we were changelings?" Rainbow asked.

"The 'ell should I know? Half of them Guard-Bloods are idiots down to the rubbish bone!"

"Then... why the frig do you hire them?" Logan asked.

"Because half the time they let buggahs in here, it's good for business!" Sharp teeth showed beneath Kirbo's lips. "Swing your legs, sheila." He gestured, pivoting about and hobbling towards a lofty office positioned in the far corner of the chamber, across the catwalk. "We'll have a squat and yobb it out. My workin' days are ovah. Now all I do is talk the blood into bein' richa, you feel me?"

"Uh..." Rainbow shrugged in mid-step. "Maybe?"

"OI!" Kirbo hollered down at the workers as he limped along. "WATCH THE WATAH FLOW YA DRONGOS! Ain't much ice left to melt on them abandoned change-o humps up in the plateau! Every drop is sacred! So mind the hoses!"

"Too righ, bosso!"

"Mind the pressuah!"

"Keep that metal movin'! Petra dun burn on its own!"

As Rainbow and Logan trotted along after their host, they gazed down at the rest of the Herald gathered quietly below...

It Tries to Collect

"I think I would rratherr be just blind!" Kepler hollered.

"What?!" Ariel shouted.

"I said... I think I would rratherr be just blind!"

Ariel leaned in closer. "What?!?"

"I said—" Kepler sighed defeatedly. He slouched against the pegasus, his body flinching from every pounding noise and loud crash echoing from the nearby machinery. "Therre goes my weekly attempt at rrandom jocularrity."

"... ... ..." Ariel squinted. "WHAT?!?!"

A few paces over—where it was even louder—Seraphimus and Wildcard stood side by side. Seemingly unfazed.

The two griffins watched as the goblins carted over a fresh supply of slate gray metal. They loaded the material onto wagons and positioned them besides a large door. After shouts were exchanged, a bright flashing light was ignited. Soon after, an enormous slatted door lifted up slowly, exposing the fiery chamber to twilight from the outside world. The black metal dock that led out to the cancerous, living ocean was exposed, attaching directly to the widening sea-side door of the foundry.

Without moving her beak, Seraphimus lifted both hands and gestured: "The wagons are designed for horses to draw."

Wildcard nodded. He gestured with flesh-and-metal hands. "It is a refined system that the goblins have going on here. They must have been working with the Dihmers for generations."

Seraphimus calmly replied: "It cannot just be a single boat that they build with all this metal."

Wildcard gestured: "They could make enough material here to build an entire city."

Seraphimus: "That makes sense with Petra. But what do the Dihmers use the metal for? They do not make buildings out of it."

Wildcard: "Not here, they do not."

Seraphimus stroked her chin in thought.

Meanwhile...

...a line of shaved equines shuffled in from the docks. One by one, they lined up along with the carts. A goblin overseer greeted them, and a distant conversation was had.

This was all seen by Flynn. Craning his neck, the Heraldite rotated his eye-lens, focusing on the faces of one goblin and one Dihmer. He couldn't tell what the goblin was saying, but he could easily read the lips of the hairless pony... enough to make out "It collects."

Flynn sighed unenthusiastically. He was about to look elsewhere when—

CR-CRASSSH! A new noise punctuated the bedlam. The entire Herald jumped, startled.

Flynn looked over to see that one of the carts had tipped over from a broken wheel. Slabs of metal collapsed across the floor of the foundry. A gaggle of goblins flinched and shook their fists angrily. Following their line of sight, Flynn saw a lone Dihmer—shivering—scrambling to pick up the pieces.

"...!" Without thinking, Flynn galloped forward to assist. Ariel hollered something, but it was too loud for him to make out her words.

By the time Flynn arrived at the scene, he came close enough to actually hear the goblins cursing:

"Damned bloody Dihmah!"

"Had to kick it, didn't you?!"

"That's fine Smelt-Bloodah engineerin'! What'd you do to it?!"

"Hey! Lay off, will ya?!" Flynn snapped at them. "If your shit's gonna break down that easily, then maybe you should conduct more routine maintenance!"

"Hah! Who are you, horsie?! King of industry?!"

"Grows out half his hair and fancies himself an expert! Hah! Damned daft glue stick..."

Flynn's cheeks flushed with subdued anger. "That's a new one..." He leaned forward, horn glowing as he levitated half of the metal beams. "Here..." He approached the shaken Dihmer. "Let me fetch you another cart."

"It... it c-collects," the pony stammered, timid and breathy. Gray, wrinkled forelimbs fought to drag the metal slabs away from the wreck. "It collects. It collects—"

"Listen! It's too friggin' heavy for you!" Flynn growled. "For once in your miserable lives, let someone else relieve your damned stress—"

"I said I've got it!" the Dihmer snarled, flashing Flynn an angry glance. Immediately, the mare gasped, her brilliant purple eyes reflecting his surprised face... along with every colorful and lively detail.

Flynn blinked. His lens rotated, fixating on a tiny stub of a horn protruding from her forehead, stunted and crooked. His lips pursed.

"... ... ..." She blinked. Eventually, the mare's ears drooped, and her colorful pupils hid beneath shameful eyelids. "It... it f-fails..."

"Hey..."

"It fails. It collects." She returned to the grind, pushing the slabs with a deep-chested grunt across the dooframe and towards another cart. Her chanting mantra was devoured by the noise and soot and twilight.

Flynn stood beside the wreckage, numb with wonderment. "...who the Hell... how the Hell...???"

When Spark Meets Spark

"... ... ...?" Fluttershy quietly looked over her shoulder. Her muzzle scrunched in confusion... then in deep contemplation. Slowly, she pivoted and returned her focus on the conversation her anchor and Logan were having with Kirbo of Smelt-Blood.

"That's righ," Kirbo said, seated behind a workbench covered with messy, grimy tools. A series of rusted metal branches hanging off the wall were capped off with glowing bulbs of light that gave the "office" an amber glow much like the Fur-Blood shop. The walls were thick enough that it dulled the noise of the foundry outside into a continuous bass hum. "Only two creatuahs know how to cross the Blob. The Dihmahs and—"

"Lemme guess." Logan nodded. "You imps."

Kirbo winked his good eye. "Good on ya for guessin' who's got the real brains in the wastes, cobbah."

"What about the Bloodwings?" Rainbow Dash asked, pacing across the office. Her eyes scanned tables and tables covered with nick-nacks and contraptions—most of them only half-built. "Or the changelings or the Night Shard? Can't they cover the ocean?"

"Nar." Kirbo shook his head. "They haven't learned a dayum thing about that. Too busy fightin' each other to the death, aye? And when they're all heaps of blood and guts on the stone bosom of this world..." He jabbed a clawed thumb at himself. "It'll be we who take control of this place and spread the fire of Peetra!"

"You really think that's gonna happen?" Logan asked. "You think the three factions of this damnable war will just... kill each other off?"

"They've been going at it for eons and eons," Rainbow added, trotting over to the dangling metal branches. "And each side's got an edge to keep them in the game. The changelings have the Flux. The Bloodwings have a new leader named Lexxic. The Night Shard... well... they're the Night Shard."

"Whew-wee..." Kirbo sat up in his chair. "Youse blokes know an awful lot more than you let on. Just why are you colorful yabbos heah anyway?"

"First thing's first. The Blob..." Logan rolled his eyes. "The Ocean. It's been here for a very long time, right?"

"Before the blossomin' of Peetra, for sure!"

"So... like..." Logan shrugged. "If it's been this crazy deadly shitstain in the middle of the plane, how do the Factions keep on warring with each other?"

"Seems like an awful lot to contend with," Rainbow added, looking at the lit bulbs at the end of the metal branches.

"Feh." Kirbo exhaled hard. "They go around the damned thing."

"Around it?" Logan asked.

"That's righ." Kirbo nodded. "Oh—believe me! They've tried flying over the Blob. A few of the bats-o's—the young'ns—still try it. Hahah!" His scarred eye narrowed. "I've watched it meself. They become chowdah for the slime-beasties."

Logan blanched. "The what?"

"Y'know! Slime-beasties!" Kirbo gestured. "The bloody undead freaks muckin' about balls-deep in the Blob!"

"They're alive down there?"

"Nar, pall-o! Not unless you call thet livin'." Kirbo smiled darkly. "Little bits of everyday creatuahs swimmin' around in thet pink gahbage. Wherevah everythin' came from, there's a matchin' sample of it doin' the breast stroke through the damned slime. Figured it's a snapshot of the same Crackle that brought us all heah."

"Crackle?"

"Y'know! The beginnin' of time! The big black breakin' of the universe from which the only spark is Peetra!"

Logan sighed, gazing over at Rainbow. "Pretty sure there's only one 'Spark,' bucko."

"Horses for courses, cobbah... or in this case horses for cookies! Youse ponies are outta your bones! You evah gonna tell me wheah you hail from?"

"Depends on how useful your information is," Rainbow Dash said, her eyes reflecting the bulbs.

"Meanin'...?"

"If the ocean... if the Blob means death to armies of the Factions who try to cross it... then what's it to you?"

"By 'youse' you mean us and the Dihmahs?"

"Sure. Let's go with that."

"Well, it certainly helps the tradies, aye?" Kirbo leaned back in his chair. "We Smelt-Bloodahs got a quarry not far from heah. We supply lots of metal for the Mum back in Peetra."

"The 'Metal Mum.'"

"Yessup. Grand ol Avril herself." Kirbo smiled. "She's Peetra's chosen flame-bearah."

"Did she invent the method the goblins use to cross the Blob?"

"Nar. The Dihmahs did."

Rainbow turned around. "The Dihmers?"

"Just about the only good thing they evah did for this world," Kirbo said. "Aside from teamin' up with us gobb-o's, of course. But... heh..." He snapped two claws, smirking. "...ain't gonna let 'em in on that, aye? Truth is, them mindless horsie-horses service us awfully well. Not gonna snuff out a burnin' branch like that!"

"No," Logan muttered. "I'm guessing not."

"You want my advice, you should just stick around heah," Kirbo said. "Find yourself a tradie job to hook up with them hoof-blokes." His green brow furrowed. "Just don't be treadin' on the toes of the Fur-Bloodahs or Meat-Bloodahs. Or else they'll have your guts for gartahs!"

"We heard that the Dihmers have a boat that crosses the Blob," Rainbow Dash said. She reached out and tapped one of the lit metal branches. "A really big frickin' boat. Do the goblins do the same?"

"Yussup. But we've got ourselves much smallah... fastah boats—" Kirbo suddenly hopped out of his seat, ears flaring back angrily. "Don't touch that, ya peacock!"

Rainbow flinched. But it was too late. Three of the bulbs dangling on their metal ends flickered and dimmed.

Kirbo sprinted between Rainbow and Logan with alarming speed. With one hand, he hung from a metal rung planted into the wall. His other hand dug into a vest pocket and produced a shiny wrench. This—he used to tighten and adjust the bulbs. Soon, they were glowing brilliantly again at the end of their stalks. Kirbo sighed with relief, his ears deflating.

"Uhhhhhh..." Rainbow winced, glancing at Logan then back at the Smelt-Blooder. "Sorry. I didn't think I was gonna damage anything—"

"Like shite ya didn't!" Kirbo snarled, his teeth showing almost like a troll's. He hopped down, frowning up at his towering guests as he waved his wrench threateningly. "I should have ya both tossed into the big broil, youse daft drongos! Nobody messes with the flame of Peetra!"

"Yo..." Logan leered over him. "Calm your tits, half-puke! She was only curious!"

Kirbo seethed and seethed and seethed and... finally calmed. With a breathy exhale, he lurched back towards his work tables. "Righ..." His ears slowly rose back up to their natural alertness. "Golden opportunities," he chanted quietly to himself. "Golden opportunities stoke the golden flame. Aces, aces, we all fall up..."

Twilight and Applejack exchanged curious glances.

Rainbow cleared her throat. Cautiously, she approached the goblin. "Maybe you can help me... help us understand." She glanced at Rarity, Pinkie, and the others. "Petra. If it's not a city and it's not a culture... just what is it?"

"Feh..." Kirbo folded his grimey forelimbs. "Youse stupid horses wouldn't understand."

"Good. Then humor us anyways."

The goblin's nostrils flared. Finally, he turned to squint at the petite pegasus. "Peetra is the flame... the guiding spark of all ingenuity and ambition." He gestured with his claws. "It's creative. It's inspirin'. It branches out and forms candles to light up the darkness. The only reason we gobb-o's are heah is to make sure the flame stretches out far and wide! That the branches don't break or fall down. Evah!"

Rainbow glanced at the flickering metal spokes jutting out of the wall behind her. She then looked back at Kirbo. "And Petra... the city?"

His razor-sharp teeth formed a grin. "Our best manifestation of the flame... bein' built forevah... never-endin' in its utilities and faculties. It's the one glowin' jewel of this damned world and the warmongahs would be daft to try and snuff it out! After all... when or if one of them bloody freak-o's finally gets ahold of what's in that damned Sarcophagus, they're gonna need an economy to lord ovah, aye?"

"And you're... okay with that?" Logan asked.

Kirbo shrugged. "So long as nobody be snuffin' out the flame of Peetra, then what's to fight? We're safe wheah we all are. And—if worse comes to worse—we've built so close to the Blob that we've got a place to scurry to should the warmongahs get grabby." He pointed. "That's the real reason we're friends with the Dihmahs. After all, them dull-headed bastards have built themselves an island out in the middle of the shite."

Rainbow's muzzle lingered open. "They... have an island in the middle of the slime ocean?"

"Aye. It's wheah they all breed, from what I can tell." Kirbo examined his wrench casually while talking. "Somethin' real important's goin' on out theah. They keep sendin' metal and heaps of bones to that place. Like they're storin' up for the day that the Sarcophagus finally breaks open. Or somethin' even biggah. Feh..." A shrug. "Who knows what goes on in those foggy heads of theirs. I just hope—come hell or highslime—they're still fetchin' to trade streeps with their handsome-eared neighbahs."

Rainbow stepped closer to Logan, murmuring so only the Heraldite could hear. "If the goblins and the Dihmers are the only creatures who can cross the Blob..."

Logan nodded. "Then they might have the solution for getting out from beneath Lexxic's nose," he murmured back. "If the Bloodwings won't cross the shit, then that gives us a straight line to exit Curveside while those poor bastards have to go the long way around."

"Yeah—but what about the changelings?" Rainbow murmured.

"We can worry about the Keepers when the time comes," Logan said. "For now—all that matters is that we now have a potential highway to safety for when the crud hits the fan."

Rainbow sighed heavily, gazing at the floor.

"What's the matter?" Logan arched an eyebrow. "Are you suddenly afraid of being safe?"

"The Bloodwings have a Shard of Endrax, Big Show." Rainbow looked up at him with a worried expression. "If we put the ocean between us and the Bloodwings... we're also putting it between us and one of our keys to the Midnight Armory."

Logan sighed out his nostrils. "You and I saw the kind of reception first-hoof that Lexxic gives to those who wander the Dark Side."

"I know I know."

"You really think there's a realistic chance of procuring the Shard through all that shit-nonsense?"

"I know..."

"Besides..." Logan cocked his head aside. "This Nat'rdo chick hasn't exactly been throwing us a bone here, has she?" He shrugged. "So what do we have to go on?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow chewed on her bottom lip.

"Rainbow Dash..." Logan leaned in. "Nopony's giving us much to go on. The Spindlers were helpful—yes—but they're behind us now. Realistically speaking, so are the Bloodwings. I'd say we make friends with the imps and Dihmers, grab us a ride across the slime, then see what friends we can make in Petra beyond."

"You really... actually think the Keepers or the Night Shard will be any easier to deal with then the Bloodwings?"

"Do you?"

Rainbow clammed up again.

"Rainbow... girl..." Logan leaned back with a sigh. "You're the one bearing Luna's blessing on your shiny choker-thingy. If there's anypony who can make a judgment call on the Dark Vigil, it's you. But whatever choice you make, you'd better make it soon." He motioned his head towards the far wall of the office. "You and I both had a long look at the Curve; the ocean stretches super friggin' far. That'll be a really damn hard decision to undo."

Rainbow opened her muzzle to respond—

"Oi!"

Both looked towards the workbench.

Kirbo was standing up, leaning against it. "Ya reckon I've been a righ polite host and all... patient like starbeams..." His eyes narrowed. "...but I've told youse heaps. What's in it for me and the rest of the Smelt-Bloodahs, aye?"

Rainbow fidgeted in place a bit.

"Rainbow..."

Twilight glanced aside.

Rarity was looking directly at her. "This entire time you've been absorbing this... ahem... eloquent exposition..."

"...we've been honing our senses on the materials they're using to operate this factory," Twilight continued. "The machinery is... far from efficient."

"Quite right." Rarity nodded briskly. "The fuel used to heat up their furnaces is terribly diluted. Twilight and I think they might be running low on key resources."

"Whatever they've been doing, they've been doing it for generations... and now they're likely running out of options," Twilight said. "They... could maybe use a dash of alchemical know-how from the Light Side."

Applejack and Fluttershy nodded.

"Also!" Pinkie frowned. "This place smells like baby diapers! Could you tell them that too?!"

"Uhhhhhhh..." Kirbo looked strangely at Rainbow. "Why are ya just standin' theah starin' at nothin', sheila? You okay in the head?"

Logan rolled his eyes.

"So..." Rainbow turned to look at Kirbo. "How long have you been struggling to get a good furnace burning down below? Your fuel's running awfully thin."

Logan blinked.

"... ... ..." Kirbo fell back in his seat as if he had been punched in the chest. He blinked at the pegasus in disbelief. "How the bloody 'ell do you know anythin' about that?" His teeth showed. "You been talkin' to any of the jealous Ash-Bloodahs from beyond the mounds?!?"

"Doesn't matter who I've been talking to," Rainbow Dash said. "What matters is that you Smelt-Bloods most likely have a quota to fill." She strolled closer to the workbenches. "And if you want to make enough metal to beat out your competition and satisfy the Dihmers, then you're gonna need to pump fuel into your machinery more efficiently."

"Hrmmmff..." Kirbo folded his arms. "And just what do you know about metal-workin'?"

"Not much, unfortunately. But..." She smirked devilishly. "I've got a wyvern who's pretty dang smart. He's got an alchemy kit with him, and I've no doubt he could teach you guys how to improve your output... even with the materials you've got!"

Kirbo rubbed his pointed chin. "Improve our output by how much?"

"A number, sugarcube!" Applejack hissed. "He's yearnin' for a number!"

"About twenty percent better!" Rainbow said.

"Higher!" Twilight winced. "Higher, Rainbow—!"

"Two hundred and twenty percent better!" Rainbow blurted, jolting forward to outrace her previous utterance. "And I bet you that you'll be so friggin' wow'd by your overall improvement that you'll be willing to give us anything!"

"Like what?"

"Like free passage across the Blob," Rainbow said. "To the shores of Petra."

Logan gazed quietly at the two.

The ghostly companions leaned forward, hovering at nervous angles.

"Mrmmmff..." At last, Kirbo stood up again. "What the 'hell. Reckon it's worth a shot, aye?"

"There's just one thing."

"Buggah-all... of course there is!" Kirbo rolled his eyes. "Very well. What is it?"

"My expert in alchemy—the wyvern—he needs to have his glasses fixed. They broke along the way here."

"Pffft!" Kirbo snorted. "Is that all?!"

"Uh... yeah?"

"Love, I was makin' glass lenses before youse was old enough to smell the difference between shite and porridge!" Kirbo limped past her, winking. "Me mum was a Glass-Bloodah! Ferried all the way ovah from Peetra! Would have made a killin' sellin' specs to the Dihmahs if only the stupid donkeys knew how to read. Heh... shame she had to be swallowed whole by a slime hydr-o. Still, me dad did make good with her dowry." He spat into the corner of the room before venturing out onto the catwalk. "Righ! Let's give your alchemist back his eyes, love."

Logan trotted up alongside Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow?"

"Yeah, Big Show?"

"Sometimes I wish I had a bunch of sexy ghost gals nearby to help me cheat."

"Whatever it takes to win."

"Burrrrp."

"Easy for you to say." Rainbow trotted after Kirbo. "Let's mosey."

Blind Leading the Blinder

"And prrecisely how am I to prroperrly assist these industrrial charracterrs with theirr faulty furrnace???" Kepler rasped as Rainbow Dash led him towards a "quiet" corner of the sweltering factory.

"I don't know!" Rainbow Dash smiled at him. "You tell me!"

The wyvern blinked thinly at her. "I would verry much have apprreciated yourr discussing this latest venturre with me beforre you so brrazenly decided to volunteerr my experrtise!"

"Oh suck it up, ya hairy splooge," Logan droned, joining the group as several of Kirbo's Smelt-Blood companions shuffled up to the workbench with torches and glass-blowing equipment. "You've gotten us through even crazier miracles before. Here—at least you've got a little work area and all the equipment you could possibly ask for in this world."

"Probably the only equipment in the world," Rainbow Dash droned, gazing across the amber-lit reaches of the heated interior. "This place should be heaven to you."

"Hrmmmffff..." Kepler set down his bags full of alchemic equipment. "Even still. You have both put me in a rrattherr uncomforrtable place!"

"Keps..." Rainbow leaned towards him so that she was visible before his squinting eyes. "...I wouldn't have chosen you for this task if I didn't think you were capable of being friggin' awesome." A blink. She smiled fuzzily. "In the eggheaded way of doing things."

"Think about it, bucko." Logan gestured. "You're getting a fresh pair of eyes from this deal."

"If you ask me..." Rainbow leaned in even further to murmur in the wyvern's ear. "...you should hold back your awesomeness. Just a tad. Improve their fuel-burning methods... but leave them wanting. That way, we can milk these greedy metal-huffers for more later if the opportunity arises."

Kepler grimaced. "That sounds horrribly unethical and manipulative...!"

"Also greedy, profitable, and insidious... just like these guys." Rainbow leaned back with a cute smirk. "See? We're speaking their language! We'll be like ambassadors!"

"Ha-hah!" Kepler couldn't help but produce a tusk'd smile. "As always, you arre everr convincing in yourr spontaneous charrisma, Rrainbow One. No wonderr the powerrs that be grranted you with the powerr and grrace of Austrraeoh."

"You're not half-snazzy yourself, there, bud." Rainbow slapped his shoulder. "Now, first and foremost, use your smarty-smart-smart-smarts to get these imps to fashion you the right kind of lenses," she said. "We're plot-deep in the Dark Side and I doubt there'll be anything close to an optometrist in another million clicks."

"I shall endeavorr to solve both my eyes and the Smelt-Blooderrs' dilemma with poise and accurracy," Kepler said in an eloquent tone as he sat up to the work bench. "Might I add that I grreatly apprreciate the patience that you and the rrest of the Herrald have shown in tolerrating my handicap as of late."

"Dude... I rolled with a blind zebra for—like—a gazillion miles." Rainbow patted his shoulder again. "Trust me. You're a fuzzy walk in the park."

"Ach. That's a cold and trreacherrous parrk rripe with chaos monsterrs."

"Just get to work, ya yammering space walrus," Logan said. He walked Rainbow Dash towards the other side of the foundry, speaking in close proximity. "Sooooooo... suppose he can't figure out how to fix their fuel-intake-smex. What do we do then?"

"Keps will fix it, dude," Rainbow's voice cracked. "Don't worry."

"But... supposing he doesn't."

Rainbow shrugged. "We wait for the Dihmer boat to get here. We win them over with Wildcard's juggling act." She yawned. "Something something explosions..."

Logan frowned. "Are you being serious or just tired."

"Meh..." Rainbow teetered. "Can I take the physical challenge?"

"Think you're even capable of sleep at this point?"

"Mrmmff..." Rainbow rubbed her fuzzy eyelids, blinking crookedly. "Even if I do... I-I'm not sure how to deal with what I find."

"No pressure or nothing... but you're our only connection with those batty batty bat psychos at this point."

"You're saying that I should just... stay awake forever?" Rainbow grumbled. "So that way they won't track me?"

"Of course not, girl." Logan sighed. "But it might help you to meditate and get in the right head-space so that way you'll be on the level once you do finally konk out."

"I'm not sure how easy that'll be at this point," Rainbow Dash slurred. "Between the pounding of the ocean and the nightmare noise of this friggin' place... I might as well just stay a zombie."

"You can't lurch into the Midnight Armory."

"Not without the shards of Endrax, at least."

Logan nodded, exhaling, "Well... if Kepler does indeed fix things around here, then that means we've just secured ourself an out."

"Buh?"

"I'm talking about the Blob. We can make our way across it finally."

"That's assuming the Dihmers will allow us penumbral 'failures' on board."

"I'm not talking the Dihmers, I'm talking about the goblins! From the sound of it, they ferry stuff to and from Petra all the time."

"I'm... not sure if I'm down with becoming shipmates with these dudes yet," Rainbow Dash said.

"Why not?" Logan smirked slightly. "Any of us could easily punt these sissy-marmots across half the curve!"

Rainbow merely glared at him.

"Right... right..." Logan rolled his eyes. "You've already dealt with their kind before. I should know better than to trivialize that."

"It's complicated..." Rainbow stirred in place, staring at the bustling imps as they worked all around the vaporously hot foundry. "...somepony I care about very deeply—a pony I left behind far back—chose to stay in one place and look after a bunch of these creatures." She gulped. "I didn't feel it at first... but I've got an eerie feeling crawling up my soul-spine... self... thingy... meh."

"Well..." Logan patted her side. "Go out for a walk, then. Get your mind off the imps and I'll look after things here."

"Thanks, Big Show..." Rainbow Dash limped on. "You're a real prize, you know that?"

"That's what love means, y'know." He winked after her. "Getting used to smelling another one's farts!"

"Thanks Big Show... ... ..."

"Don't mention it." As Rainbow Dash walked away, Logan became aware of a light-brown figure standing in a slump to his side. He looked over, eyes narrowing. "Hey there, baldy. Holding down the fort?"

"... ... ..." Flynn stood silent, gazing intently at the large open doors to the black metal docks extending towards the ocean.

Logan arched an eyebrow. "Hey! One-eyed-willy!"

"... ... ...?" Flynn finally tilted his head towards him. "Hmmm?"

"Everything okay, belch-nugget?" Logan blinked. "You looked like you've seen a ghost. I thought that was the Austraeoh's job."

"I... I..." Flynn shivered in place. He gazed out the doors again. "I don't know what I've seen."

"Hrmmmfff..." Logan shrugged and marched past him. "Better clean out the nerd-smegma from your lens, bro. We'll need your cyclopticness for the journey to come."

"Right..." Flynn nodded breathily, staring into the soot-stained twilight with a worried expression. "Right on..."

Strip For Your Thoughts?

Using nimble claws, a goblin filed the last rough edge of an elliptical lens to a smooth curve. He grasped the thing in tiny metal tweezers, then applied a thin layer of adhesive to the outer side of the small glass sheet. Finally, he lifted the item and fitted it neatly into the metal framework of a pair of antique spectacles. Giving the article a little squeeze, the imp then held it over towards the wyvern seated at the work bench beside him.

"Thet about does it!" He smirked, razor-sharp teeth showing. "Give it a go, cobbah!"

Kepler gently took the newly-fitted glasses from the Smelt-Blooder and placed them on the furry bridge of his nose. His eyes narrowed... then blinked wider and wider as he peered through the lenses. "My starrs and garrterrs..."

"You seein' alrigh?"

"A touch betterr than beforre, my industrrious frriend!" Kepler exclaimed. "My worrd! You cerrtainly have an eye forr glass-blowing!"

"It's not always our eaahs that are good for somethin', aye?" The goblin winked. "Now how about usin' that fuzzy noggin' of yours to work on our burn-o?"

"Ach!" Kepler cracked the joints in his neck. "Will do!" He kicked off the stool and glided effortlessly towards the bench where his belongings had been assembled. "Firrst of all, would you kindly prrovide me with a sample of yourr fuel sourrce?"

"Comin' righ up!" The imp snapped at another worker across the foundry. "Maybe you could sheah some of your potion-makin' secrets in the meantime."

"Indeed!" Kepler smiled as he arranged his vials and beakers in a neat order. "You can lead a grriffon to waterr, but you can't make him skin his own fish!"

"Eh???"

"A thousand parrdons," Kepler rasped. "It is an old Rrohbrredden prroverrb."

"The 'ell kind of a name is 'Robe-reddin'?"

"One that dwells farr too much on its own eloquence, I'm afrraid."

"Oi. I feel ya on that one, cobbah! I fancy me townships named aftah brutal, honest simplicity!"

"What do you and yourr brrotherrs rreferr to this Dihmerr establishment?"

"What, this ol' hole?!" The goblin shrugged. "Blobstain! What else?!"

Kepler shuddered. "Well, you cerrtainly werren't blowing hot airr."

Up above the scene, Rainbow Dash stood with Kirbo, overlooking the foundry. Much of the smelting had diminished, which filled the metallic chamber with the closest thing to silence that Rainbow had felt since arriving in that goddess-awful town. The fluctuations of the living ocean still throbbed beyond the thick bulkheads, but it had been reduced to a gentle roar—like the crashing of actual, natural waves.

"I think Keps would fit in well here," Rainbow Dash murmured. "He's talkative. You people are talkative..."

Kirbo glared at her, teeth showing. "What do you mean 'you people?'"

Rainbow paled slightly. "Uhhhhh..."

"HAH!" The imp slapped her shoulder with his scarred arm. "I'm just foolin'! Yeesh... you colorful horse birds! So bloody damn serious!"

Rainbow Dash smiled crookedly. "I gotta admit. I'm kinda relieved."

"Pffft!" Kirbo shrugged unevenly. "Over what?! This place is just as miserable as anywheah else!" He paced—limping—across the catwalk. "So far, ya seem like some decent blokes with good tradie wits about ya, so no reason to put me lead slugs in your noggins!"

"Jee..." Rainbow droned. "Thanks."

"Ease up on the sass, sheila." Kirbo pointed over her shoulder. "I'm still not too thrilled with how you treated me guards dan at the entrance to me factory."

"There's a lot riding on us gathering information here," Rainbow said. "I felt the need to be... assertive."

"Well, count your lucky stars, love," Kirbo said, leaning up against a juncture of railings in a corner of the catwalk. "That sort of posturin' works more with the likes of the batso's, but it don't quite cut it with Avril's guilds. In the end we speak in streeps or we don't speak at all, aye?"

"Sure... uhm..." Rainbow Dash trotted closer to him. "...about the bats-o's... the Bloodwings, I mean..."

"I take it youse met them before."

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that?"

Kirbo shrugged. "Why the 'ell else are ya tryin' to get your arses to Peetra in such a hurry?" His ears twitched. "Plenty of Rivah-Bloodahs have crossed paths with them bats-o's while out in the hills tryin' to melt ice. Very few come back and the ones who do are covered in theah own urine. Should just change their names to Piss-Bloodahs! Hah!"

Rainbow leaned her head to the side. "So the Bloodwings do come after you."

"Eh... nar..." He shook his head, scratching his chin. "At least not like they used to, aye? Back when me Pops and Mum were first buildin' this heah factory, them bats-o's used to prey on me kin somethin' fierce. They took a fancy to our streeps, you see."

"So... they were after money?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Nar... somethin' way crazier than that," Kirbo said. "They'd go straight after a Blood Clan's supply of Marrow."

"Marrow?" Rainbow blinked. "What's Marrow?"

"Metal Mum's Tits... every sentence that comes out of ya convinces me that you were born on anothah plane, sheila!"

"Yeah." Rainbow droned. "Imagine that."

"Marrow's nothin' less than the magic metal that used to bind us! All of us gobb-o's!" Kirbo explained. "Just as it's written in the ancient etchin's... we were all pitiful prisonahs of a grand, dark evil. Then one day—our captahs up and vanished! We clawed our way straight out of the ash and soot of our destitution—all thanks to the inspirin' torch of Peetra lightin' our way. Peetra talked to us all in our hearts. Such ingenuity shone like a light in the darkness. It told us to tame the barks and shackles of our prison and turn them into somethin' new... somethin' innovatin'... somethin' life-giving!"

Rainbow smiled. "Medicine?"

"Nar!" Kirbo grasped his necklace and held it out at arm's length. "Money, love!"

Rainbow flinched, gripping a bar of the catwalk to stay balance. "You d-don't... say..." She stammered.

"Of course..." Kirbo smirked. "...it took a bit of tamin'."

"Taming? How?"

CLANG! Kirbo smacked his bone-pale strip of metal against the catwalk's railing. Before Rainbow's eyes, two translucent serpents and a winged arachnid flew like ghosts from the shiny surface of the goblin's pendant.

"Marrow-brutes," the imp castually explained. The creatures' luminescent figures illuminated the texture of his long-scarred body. "A gross shadow of the beast-os that shared our ancestah's cells. They live in all our streeps—this heah more so, but that's because it's a Blood token. It's raw-er Marrow than the usual currency. We scratch our etchin's to bind the brutes within... otherwise they'd run amok and make life a livin' rubbish orgy for every imp involved... at least more so than it already is, aye?"

"That's..." Rainbow winced, her eyes flickering red-on-yellow. She raised a wing to shade that detail from the imp. "... fr-freaky."

"Seems to be somethin' the bats-os are hankerin' for." Holding his breath, Kirbo slapped both palms completely around the strips. The tiny shrieking creatures vanished—as did their glow. When he spread his hands, the necklace dangled innocently around his neck once more. "When I was just a little-ass turd, the bats-o's performed a crazy raid of the Brass-Bloodahs' vault. Took all their raw Marrow and left the clan virtually nekked. They've since vanished from the face of the earth—the Brass blokes, that is. Sucks for them... but all the more business for us, aye! Hahaha..."

"And..." Rainbow spoke calmer, standing up straight. "...the Bloodwings—did they ever come back?"

"Nar." Kirbo shook his head. "Not to raid any of us and certainly not to attack the Dihmahs."

"They spare the Dihmers, don't they?"

"Righ. No sport in it, I suppose. None in me and me friends eithah." Kirbo breathed. "Ever since that so-called 'Lexxic' yobbo took the reins of them sky horses, them batso's have been broodin' up in theah crazy night-tree... preyin' upon the wildlife and tearin' the landscape towards the Edge to shreds." He shuddered slightly. "Thing about it that pisses me off is that it's thinnin' out the game in the wastes. The Dihmahs eithah don't know about it or they don't care, but soonah or latah that's gonna make streepin' with the tradies damned hard."

"What then?"

Kirbo shrugged. "The Smelt-Bloodahs will have to move elsewheah. We can't go back to Peetra, that's for sure. There's gotta be a new place of business this side of the Blob."

"Why can't you go back to Petra?"

"Our blood's too dirty, love."

"Too dirty?"

"Yuppums." He nodded. "It's written in the etchin's."

"That's..." Rainbow grimaced. "...pretty unfair."

"Fair's got nothin' to do with it. The flame of Peetra casts shadows in different sizes, and some of our grandpappies seized the fire soonah than the rest when they first burst out of the Marrow. All the little gobb-o tykes have been makin' do in the darkness ever since." Kirbo smiled. "Could be worse, though. Me and me cobbahs could be stuck skinnin' and butcherin' like them Fur-Bloodahs—or worse—the Tail-Bloodahs! Hah!"

"Heh... heheh... yeah..." Rainbow gulped. "So... uh... you're okay with the fact that you're never gonna see Petra again?" She blinked. "The city, I mean."

"The fire's in our reach no matter wheah we are," Kirbo said. "But we're gobb-o's, love. We can make do." He looked her up and down. "Can't say the same for glue sticks, though."

Rainbow's eyes thinned. "How do you mean?"

"Avril—the Metal Mum?"

"What about her?"

"She's a good ol' conservative type. Shoor, she might let dirtier bloods come to visit the bright city on special occasions... but non-imps?" He slowly shook his head. "I can geet you a ticket across the Blob courtesy of the Dihmahs, but steppin' into Peetra itself? That ain't happenin', love."

"You're saying... ponies aren't allowed?"

"What I'm sayin'..." Kirbo leaned in. "...is that no glue stick's been allowed up on the burnin' branches of Peetra... evah."

Fart, Fartier, and Fartiest

"Well." Logan leaned back against the outer surface of the foundry. "That sucks ass."

Rainbow sighed, pacing past Logan, Wildcard, and Ariel. "As always, Big Show, right on point."

"They seriously won't let us into their giant imp city???" Logan's muzzle scrunched. "Why not?"

"We're not goblins," Rainbow murmured. "Simple as that. And even if we were..." She scuffled about to face the Heraldites in the soot-stained twilight. "...they have a caste system... and we're on the very bottom of it."

"Hrmmmfff..." Ariel folded her forelimbs. "That's just... so stupid. Why do societies even have traditional class-based bullshit?"

Wildcard gestured: "With what Rainbow Dash has told us about goblin lore, it makes sense that this is what they have followed throughout the years for the sake of surviving."

"Dark Side politics." Logan belched. "Yeah, I get it."

Wildcard continued, talons slicing: "And things were similar back in Rohbredden. Do you think the Council of Verlaxion paid more attention to the wyverns than the unicorns or pegasi?"

"Alright... alright!" Ariel rolled her eyes. "Yeesh, Wildcard. You always gotta play windigo's advocate, don't ya?"

A metal answer replied.

"Cute." Ariel stifled a yawn, gazing towards the side entrance to the foundry. "How long until Kepler gives the goblins their magical mystery cure?"

"Who knows," Rainbow struggled with an infectious yawn of her own. "At least it's giving us a time to sit and think." She rubbed her temple, wincing from the thunder rattling endlessly from the ocean. "Let's not forget how friggin' lucky we are..." Her eyes blinked tiredly. "...just to be able to sit... and think... in safety."

Silence.

"... ... ...?" Rainbow Dash looked up.

The three Heraldites were staring at her.

"What?" Rainbow's brow furrowed. "...you're all waiting for me to fall asleep, are you?"

"Err... well..." Ariel shifted where she stood.

"Nopony said that we were doing that—" Logan began.

Wildcard nodded vehemently.

Ariel and Logan sighed in defeat.

"Look..." Rainbow Dash frowned. "...nothing big is going to happen the moment I kerplunk!"

"Well..." Ariel avoided her gaze, blushing slightly. "...you did sort of have a connection with the dream matriarchs back there..."

"...and face it, Rainbow—you do have a history of telepathic ghost girls sportin' a huge goddess boner for your brain meat," Logan said.

"We're leagues away from Bloodwing territory!" Rainbow Dash growled.

"Yeah, so?" Logan shrugged. "Hasn't stopped the parties that be before."

"We were just hoping... y'know..." Ariel smiled delicately. "...that maybe we'd be learning something new by now."

"Whether to fart off or fart off faster."

"Yeah, what Big Show said."

"I'm the Austraeoh!" Rainbow Dash groaned. "All I can promise is awesomeness! Not answers!"

Wildcard gestured: "Nopony's expecting you to give us all the answers, Rainbow. That's something we are all discovering together."

Rainbow pointed. "You tell them that, then, Jordan!"

Wildcard gave a thumb's up. A half-second later, he raised Bard's retracted staff in his outstretched talon. Click! He extended both ends so that they simultaneously smacked Ariel and Logan in the skull on either side of him. Th-Thap!

"Ow!"

"Ooof! Dick!"

Wildcard smirked under his beak.

Rainbow rolled her eyes, then plopped back on her haunches. "I'm so pooped." Her eyes shut. "I wish I could go to dreamland without going to dreamland."

"Awwwwwww, Rainbow..." Ariel finished rubbing her head. She trotted gently across the way and gave Rainbow a friendly nuzzle. "You can rest easy with us to watch over you."

Rainbow droned: "We're not sharing a sleeping mat, Ariel."

The gray pegasus turned red as a beet. "Uhm. I-I wasn't suggesting th-that—"

"I'll go in and ask Kirby if the foundy's gonna be in shutdown for a while," Logan offered.

"Kirby."

"Whatever." The job-squadder's nostrils flared. "Point is—those walls are hella thick. Since you've made buddies with the Smelt-Blooder, maybe he'll let you take a peaceful dirt nap in his utility closet or something." He pointed a fat fetlock nebulously towards the ocean. "If nothing else, it'll shield you from all that noisy crap."

"Thanks, Big Show. But... but that's not what's troubling me..."

"Then what is?" Ariel asked.

Rainbow's ears folded as she hung her head. "I'm just... getting really sick and tired of being... so important, y'know?"

Ariel smirked. "I always thought you were the kind of mare who enjoyed the spotlight."

"Not like this." Rainbow's jaded eyes scraped across the bleak stone and metal. "I never wanted ancient psycho dragons to plague continents with windigoes over me... or giant spider divas to compose entire ballads about my fateful arrival... or... or..." She winced. "...a corrupt Dark Vigil to angst over my presence here in the Dark Side... and bug me about it in my brainspace."

Wildcard gestured: "Who is angsting exactly?"

Ariel and Logan turned to glare at the griffin.

Wildcard winced. With a humble expression, he gave Bard's staff a twirl and conked himself in the head. Whap! He rubbed his feathery scalp.

Sighing, Ariel turned towards Rainbow with a soft smile. "This isn't exactly your first rodeo, Rainbow Dash. You've dealt with this sort of pressuresome nonsense before. You can handle it just as well now and again."

"Heh..." Rainbow looked tiredly over her shoulder. "You hear that, AJ?"

"We're sorry if we're coming across as insincere or impatient," Ariel said. "I know the universe is weighing on you more and more, but... you're our guiding light." She gestured. "The goblins have Petra. The Spindlers have their Song. The Bloodwings... er... have blood."

"They have bullshit—" Logan started.

"Anyways..." Ariel rested a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "You're the one light of Harmony in this entire plane. If a lot of crazy creatures are peering in on your head—yeah, that sucks—but that's only because they don't know what's up. But you do. That's your edge... your power. And—from what you've told us about your 'meetings' with this Nat'rdo pony... it sounds like you're starting to grasp who's in charge of what finally." She winked. "If she haunts you again, I know you'll show her what-for."

"Heh... maybe..." Rainbow rubbed her head. "...I just really hope she doesn't catch me in a wet dream next time."

"You mean she hasn't already?"

"It'd have to have been before Silvadel for that crap." Rainbow stood back up. "Thanks, Ariel for... ... ... whatever that was just now."

"Uh... you're welcome." Ariel blinked. "I think."

Rainbow took two steps forward—but stopped. "Where's Sera?"

"Who cares," Logan droned.

"Sure. Cool. Okay." Rainbow nodded. "Let me try that again. Where's Flynn?"

"... ... ..." Wildcard looked all around, momentarily stupefied.

"Come to think of it..." Logan arched an eyebrow. "...I'm not entirely sure."

"Something was bothering him super-bad earlier," Ariel said.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah..." Ariel rubbed the back of her neck. "...the last time I saw an expression that sad on his face... it was back when he first learned that we had to lose the Princess Stardust."

It Purges and Perches

Flynn's face hung sunken, hollow. He trotted a limp path through the colorless streets and alleyways of the Dihmer city. On occasion, he would pass sleepless crowds of shorn equines, standing in abject silence and saying not a word. All the while, the bass beat of the ocean throbbed and thundered, punishing his ears and brain on every rhythmic pulse.

He passed canals with rippling water where occasional ponies gathered liquid in buckets before returning them—slowly—to some unseen destination. A few other locals trotted in trains, carrying satchels full of bloody meat or purses of silver strips to appropriate trading posts.

Meanwhile, soot poured into the air from the goblin factory, staining the putrid malaise with further grayness. Any ounce of color that the twilight had to give—its distant shining nebulae and constellations—was finally devoured by the emptiness of that city and its lifeless industry. This was the only hovel of civilization that the Herald had found, and it was the epitome of misery.

Flynn felt that he had sensed the Dark Side in all of its morose shades, but not until now did he experience the full weight of it. Had he known it for all this real, bleak texture, then perhaps he would have reconsidered pledging himself to the Sovereign Seven in the first place.

These broken thoughts—and more—bounced across the walls of his balding skull, further shaken by the ceaseless bedlam of the deathly sea looming beyond the craggy city blocks below. The Dihmers stood in icy rows, unfazed by the absurd noise, and Flynn hated them for it.

All but one. The one whom he was searching for.

Her eyes were lively... colorful... filled with the same purple essence as the twilight above. Her expression had flickered so swiftly—so passionately—from anger to surprise to shame that it rivaled the bursting of the brightest stars. There was no way that the mystery mare was just some crazy, random anomaly. The tiny stub of a horn on her forehead was a curious punctuation to the entire riddle, and Flynn sought it out across the brow of every Dihmer he stumbled across.

With no luck.

Even as he focused the full extent of his mechanical lens, he came up empty-hoofed, and his sighs carried him from street to street, road to road, with even lesser fortune. A meager fuel.

At some point, a new bass percussion rose from the depths of the township, almost rivaling the chorus from the ocean. Curious, Flynn rounded a street corner—and it was there that he heard the chanting in full-force. Dozens upon dozens of voices were murmuring the same phrase over again. The sheer emotionlessness of the words gave the noise a haunting echo, and it rocked him to the core.

With helpless curiosity, Flynn approached an open courtyard covered with a thin translucent canvas that blotted out most of the starlight. There, he saw hundreds of Dihmers seated in neatly-arranged rows, facing Edgeside. As he observed, ponies arrived and departed at random, either starting or ending a fresh session that carried on for—how long?—Flynn couldn't pretend to guess. Those who left placed something on the ground, and those who arrived picked it right back up and applied it to their scalps. Flynn wasn't certain at first what they were—Helms? Visors? Wreathes? He concentrated hard, zooming in with his lens...

...until he saw the blood.

"It purges. It purges. It purges. It purges. It purges."

They were crowns of thorns. Hundreds of them. Each of the seated, chanting, meditating Dihmers wore one, already soaked with the fresh and unfresh blood of the previous wearers When seated, they applied the article tightly, allowing the stone-laced barbs to sink deep into their flesh. When they stood up, they tore at their own skin while removing the headpieces. In both cases—and during the agony in between—none of the Dihmers flinched or winced. They murmured their mantra over and over again with pure ambivalence, even as thin rivulets of blood ran down their moving muzzles. The juices stained the courtyard beneath them, adding to the hazy crimson splotch that had been blemished into the stone for generations untold.

"It purges. It purges. It purges. It purges. It purges. It purges. It purges. It purges."

Flynn watched with almost matching lethargy. He had long passed the point of being shocked. The only thing that made his heart beat faster was the hope of rediscovering the rarity—the one sign of emotion amidst a stagnant sea of stoicism.

There was no color there—none but red. He pressed on, scouring the grayness for the purple that had eluded him... even if somehow he had dreamt it.

"Forget about it, Jack-o," a goblin belched, puffing on a stick of smoked herbs. He blew smoke-rings into the grimey twilight coming in through the crooked window of a rusty metal lean-to. "The wastes have yawned up weirdah freaks and farts than these yobbos."

"Yeah!" Another imp nodded while counting stacks of metal strips across a stone table. "Stop fixatin' on every crazy buggah that passes by Blobstain! Ain't youse Tail-Bloodahs got enough to worry about with the poor business in the lowah holes?"

"I'm tellin' youse!" Jacko paced and paced in the tiny, claustrophobic shack. "These ain't your regulah drongos shufflin' in from the change-o mounds!" He turned and flashed his razor-sharp teeth in the twilight. "They've got glow about them!"

Hressssh! A translucent serpent burst out of one of the strips of metal. The counting goblin hissed, batted it away, then slapped his palm over the stack until the chaotic conjuration had vanished. "Mrmmmfff... glow? What bloody glow?"

"The bloody glow!" Jacko insisted. "They're Penumbral!"

"Hah!" The smoking imp coughed and smirked and coughed some more. "Damn bludgeah! Penumbra's a by-gone Dihmah myth! Besides..." He puffed on the stick again. "...eet's against the ancient etchin's, aye?"

Jacko's brow furrowed. "Have you blokes ever wondered wheah the old captahs came from?! The ones who threw us beneath all the Marrow to begin weeth?"

"'Ell, no!" The smoker exhaled vaporously out the window. "They up and farted away! Besides... Peetra's flame is all the Penumbra we need."

"And streeps!" the counter exclaimed.

The other goblin pointed his cancer stick at him. "Good on ya!"

"Grrfff!" Jacko facepalmed, stomping a clawed foot down. "Listen heah, buggahs... if these folks are the real deal and theah's an actual Penumbra somewheah, then that means Peetra's flame ain't the only flame theah ees! If nothin' else, eet's a borrowed light!"

"Ugh... there he goes again," the counter droned. "Spoken like a true Tail-Bloodah."

"Oh not again—" Jacko groaned.

"You're the one fartin' in circles, cobbah," the smoker said. "How many times do we have to tell ya that you've got no edge among the branches?!" He pointed. "So long as the Metal Mum's in charge, you ain't cleansin' your blood of its damned dirt!"

"This is about more than me Tail-Blood brothahs and me!" Jacko frowned. "For yeahs and yeahs we've done nothin' but collect streeps—and what good has it done us? Any of us?!" He gestured. "It's just a mattah of time before one of them warmongahs gets into the Sarcophagus, and then what?! I'm tellin' ya, we'll be shoved back balls-deep into the Marrow with nothin' left to burn!"

"Says you, drongo." The smoker puffed again and blew out the window. "I ain't believin' this rubbish for a second until it falls into me lap—"

THWOOOOOSH! A pale sheen of claws and feathers billowed madly into the room, perching heavily onto the table with a majestic spread of wings.

"Gaah!" the counter fell back amidst a sea of metal strips.

"Grkkkkkgkkk!" The smoker swallowed his cancer stick, gagged, then coughed it onto the floor with a smattering of ashes. "Piss on me mum!"

"... ... ..." Seraphimus glared at the group. "... ... ...Get out."

"Y-yes, love!" The two frightened goblins scrambled, picked up their strips, and scrambled faster. "Right away, love!" They both bolted out into the soot and twilight.

Shivering, Jacko scuffled after them—

Grip! Seraphimus' razor-sharp talons yanked him back by the collar of his vest. "You... stay here."

"Erm... technically, it's theah house—"

Seraphimus glared."

"I-I mean... s-sure thing, sheila!" Jacko stood nervously with his limbs locked together, staring up at her. "Uh... ace entrance you made just then!" He shifted slightly. "Wished you were slightly less punishin' on the streeps, though. Seein' as how they're... uh... our only livelihood and all..."

There was a low screeching noise. A translucent centipede rose up from the ground. Jacko silenced it by slapping the instep of his foot over the metal strip in question.

Seraphimus stared him up and down. "You're puny, pathetic, and your bones look easy to break."

"Uhhhh... yeah! Fancy that, love!"

Her charcoal brown eyes narrowed. "How has your kind managed to survive under the nose of three warring factions for so long?"

"Reckon it's our ears, aye?" He bore a razor-toothed smile, pointing at his large twitching lobes. "Too bloomin' cute for any shard-os or change-os to squash into rubbish, ya think?"

"... ... ..."

"Right. Yabbin' time." He spat on his four-fingered hand and held it out. "Put 'er theah, love! I'm Jacko of Tail-Blood. How'd'y'do?"

Seraphimus sighed, eyes rolling. "Tell me what you know about Penumbra, please."

"Righ. Or we could go straight to that. No worries..."

Of Ostriches and Imps

Four nimble fingers with even nimbler claws twirled a silver strip until it was a hazy blur. Every once in a while, a translucent specimen of chaotic life would spawn from the currency's gritty surface, but the swift motions of Jacko's digits snuffed the phantom out as soon as it was created.

"Theah are heaps of us gobb-o's who think that impkind didn't start with the Marrow," the Tail-Blooder explained. "Loads of us believe that we were put theah in the prisons by somethin' biggah and baddah than us. That's not to be debated. But the question is—just how long were we imprisoned for, aye?" Jacko shrugged. "Most subscribe to the belief that we always lived in a state of destitution and imprisonment. That theah simply was no beginnin' to it all. An eternity goin' backwards in time. Can ya fit your cat noggin' around that?"

Seraphimus stood in the doorframe to the metal shack, forelimbs folded in a guarded stance. "Honestly, no, I cannot," she said. "I've only ever envisioned spiritual magnificence as going forward."

"Ah!" Jacko's sharp teeth showed as he pointed at her across the tiny structure. "So you do believe they are souls!"

Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes narrowed. "That what are souls...?"

"Fwoosh!" Jacko charaded "rising smoke." His eyes went wide. "The Peetra Shade! The holy bearst of blood light that billows when a bloke bites it!"

The griffin cocked her head to the side. "You mean this plane's deathlights?"

Jackso shrugged. "Call it what you want to, sheila. The Dihmahs don't geeve a rat's ass ovah what it is, so I assumed you'd be just as apathetic." He paced across the shack towards her, twirling the strip. "Us gobb-o's, though? We believe it's the rubbish left behind when an imp rejoins Peetra's flame. Ya see..." He approached her. "Theah's the flame we burn and the flame we waste. The less that's wasted, the warmah our place will be in the eternal torch—"

"That's close enough," Seraphimus interrupted, her gaze slicing the angle of his feet.

Wincing, Jacko slowly teetered around and paced in the opposite direction with drooping ears. "Righ... So Dihmahs—from what we can tell—live the way they live cuz they want to cast as little flame as possible when they kick the bucket. That way they own theah souls—by not owning them at all! Does that make any sense?"

"Not really, no."

"Whew! I'm not alone, then! Heh..." Jacko cleared his throat and turned around. "Gobb-o's, of course, think the opposite. We're heah to manifest as much Peetra as possible while alive... so our souls are less rubbish when our time on thees plane is ovah. It's a not noblah, ya think?"

"I think..." Seraphimus hung her head slightly, headcrest drooping. "...that religion—in any form—is far less relevant and meaningful than I once thought it was..."

"And given how the streeps fall in this world, who can blame you, aye?" He bore a bittersweet smile. "Guess an ostrich like yourself feels righ loss without feelin' Peetra first-hand."

"Get to what this all has to do with Penumbra, already," Seraphimus grumbled.

Jacko nodded obediently. "Well, Flame is simply a means of emitting light and warmth..." The strip in his claws spat out a tiny dragon and he shook it clear. "And while it's so powerful and mesmerizing, it's constantly decayin' all the same. So... considerin' how bright Peetra is and how much us Gobb-o's have been able to conjure eet..." He leaned against the table before him, his brow furrowed in contemplation as he spoke: "Theah's gotta be a biggah well of the stuff. Y'know? Theah's gotta be a place wheah one big torch or a billion big torches were once lit... or are still lit!"

"And you think that is what Penumbra is?" Seraphimus said.

"Well, that's the crazy part!" Jacko leaned back, smirking. "Have you ever wondered where the very word came from?"

"... ... ..." Seraphimus blinked unemotionally. "I would be lying if I said that I wasn't somewhat curious."

"Same heah! And so are many other gobb-o's like me! Curious, that is." Jacko gestured. "What if... we weren't always imprisoned? What if there was actually a beginnin'? A time before time, so to speak?"

"That would sound somewhat logical..."

"Righ, love." Jacko nodded. "So... maybe us Gobb-o's came from the same place the word 'Penumbra' did. Maybe ages ago theah were imps who knew things that many of us don't know today..." He whispered. "...including the Metal Mum. She doesn't know eithah."

"What...?" Seraphimus raised an eyecrest. "...is that heretical to suggest out loud?"

"Shhhhhhh!" Jacko cringed, looking nervously over his shoulders. "...you're on the money, love. What gave it away?"

Seraphimus exhaled slowly. "I'm... something of an expert on heresy."

"Well, gobb-o's who make the mistake of lecturin' other gobb-o's on the possibility of us comin' from someplace othah than the Marrow are ostracized by their fellow blokes."

"Goblins..." Seraphimus cocked her head to the side. "...like you?"

Jacko's ears drooped noticeably. His eyes avoided the griffin's.

She breathed knowingly. "You weren't always a 'Tail Blooder,' were you?"

He kicked errantly at the dirty floor. "... ... ...me great-great-great grand uncle's nephew twice removed was a Tail-Bloodah." He sniffled slightly. "That was the flamin' branch of Peetra the Metal Council traced when they decided the caste I was to be demoted to."

Seraphimus squinted. "You can be thrust down the castes?"

"Aye. For disruptin' the Furnace." He shrugged. "It's an age-old expression."

"The Furnace being... your contribution to Petra's Flame."

"Avril and the rest of the council said I was spittin' rubbish," Jacko said. "Ruinin' me soul and the like. They said they were kickin' me all the way to the Blobstain for me own good... so that I could process the flame at a level low enough to meet the poor standahds I had set for me inevitable death." His nostrils flared under a pointed nose. "You ask me... they were just needin' to make an example out of someone. I had spoken a bit too much and it was in season soooooo... heah I am."

"And let me guess..." Seraphimus breathed. "You're seeking vindication for your heretical beliefs... so you can be accepted back onto the higher branches of Petra."

"It's m-much m-more than that!" Jacko exclaimed, shaking his hands.

"Hrmmmfff... I should have known. Every putrid creature on this plane is only after their own grimey aspirations." She made to leave the shack. "Why I thought you could actually educate me on this world, I'll never know..."

"Wait wait wait—!" He scampered across the way on tiny feet. "Don't go! This is about heaps more than that!" He grabbed her talon with two desperate fingers. "Just hold up, love! Please!"

"... ... ..." She stared daggers down at him. Schiiiiing! Talons kissed the air just centimeters from his tiny wrists. "I thought I made it clear that I wasn't to be touched."

He gulped, but stared boldly at her all the same. "Shred me into shadows of Peetra all you want! But just heah me out first!" His ears leaned back sharply as his eyes hardened. "I've been to the Edge in search of Marrow and scrap! I've seen the light! A light like no other! A eternal splash of brightness and colah from some Paradise beyond!" His teeth showed. "'Penumbra' is more than a bloody word! It's an answer to questions that the engineers of Petra have asked for all generations that have evah been!" His eyes rounded again, like a child's. "And you're from theah, aren't you, love?"

Seraphimus sighed. She moved her talon—but gently, loosening his grip without amputating him. "It's not as bright a light that you think."

"But it's real, as?!" Jacko grinned, his ears pointing straight up. "Shinier than starbeams and sweet as cinammon?!"

"It's far too difficult to explain to the likes of you," Seraphimus muttered. She gazed aside with a sad expression. "Even I... never truly grasped it. And it was right in front of me."

"I'm willing to heah what you know!" Jacko exclaimed. "Aftah all, I've told you what I know!"

Her frown reformed, harder and more grizzled. "You've barely told me anything."

"Sorry. Tradie habits, love." He gestured. "I'm used to givin' things only by piecemeal." His ears cocked slightly to the side as he smirked. "I'm certain I can scrape up more information to interest you..."

"... ... ...if what?" she filled in for the goblin. "If you can't convince your fellow abominations of the reality of Penumbra, then how can I manage?"

"Because you and your companions are the real deal, sheila!" Jacko gestured. "If... if you just got on a skiff with me and made for the mighty metal branches across the Blob—"

"To what end?!" Seraphimus fumed. "To try and convince this... 'Metal Council' of yours?"

"Reckon you're onto me starbeams, cobbah!" Jacko pointed between them, winking.

"You have to be mentally deranged to think that I actually share in your pitiful desperation," Seraphimus said. "Aren't non-imps forbidden from entering this city of Petra?" She huffed. "You're nothing more than a vagabond in need of futile retribution. There are far... far grander things on my plate, sir."

"Mmmm..." Jacko nodded. "No doubt of that. But... judgin' from how easily ya get hot under the collah..." He leaned forward with a sly glance. "...you're not strangah to desperation yourself."

"... ... ..."

"Just what sort of business is your team leadah in? I'm talkin' about the cesspool yawnhead with the glitz around her neck." Jacko smiled. "I don't suppose it has anythin' to do with the war ovah the Sarcophagus, aye?"

Seraphimus stared silently at him. After a cold inhale: "You're a nosy little bastard. You know that?"

"Reckon I'm not half as daft as you think, eithah, bird." He snapped a finger at her. "How about it? Fancy a bit more hagglin' for brain farts?"

Polly Wants Some Exposition

"Bloody 'ell! No Marrow! No scraps!"

"... ... ...?" Flynn stopped in mid-trot. That last voice most assuredly did not belong to any Dihmer. Turning about, he looked uphill at a higher block of the decrepit city. Between two stone structures, he saw a pair of goblins shoving a metal cart full of junk towards a row of large houses situated near the Blob's shoreline.

"I'm tellin' ya, cobbah! The drongo thet sent us on thet mission got his logistics all arse-backwards! Feh! Last time I evah put me faith in a Silt-Bloodah's reconaissance!"

"Oh stop your yobbin'!" the imp's partner pronounced between grunts as he pushed the cart towards a shadowy destination. "None of us became grub for change-o's or bats-o's! So it's all gravy! And I'm certain we can collect us some good gear from it-lingahs!"

"Guh. I'd almost rathah not even deal with the likes of 'em."

"Why not?! They're just as boring as all the other glue sticks!"

"Only it-lingahs are all so much... creepier!"

"Are you daft?!"

"No! Straight on! Them it-lingahs folks have some supah shiny eyes! Filled with starbeams!"

"Isn't that a good thing, as?"

"No! It's like jewels floatin' ovah turds! It's bloody scary, ya reckon?"

"Hahahaha! We're nothin' but grime-bloodahs this side of the Blob! A little bit of fright will keep us on our toes, aye?"

"Ughhhh... well when you put it that way..."

"Gotta be prepared for when the sarcophagus opens up and the war goes to the shittah! Then's the time to be scared, cobbah."

"I like to think that Peetra's flame will protect us."

"You also like to scratch your balls when you think nobody's lookin'. Wake up already..."

"Awwww stuff your mum."

As the two eventually shuffled beyond earshot, Flynn stood on his own in the center of the lower street. His tail flicked as his fetlocks shifted in place.

The stallion pivoted about, gazing calmly towards the smoldering air above the foundry—where he last saw his fellow companions.

He weathered a long, anxious breath.

One hoof moved, and then the other. Scuffling against polished stone, Flynn marched his way up the hill, making towards the line of large stone houses positioned along a cliffside overlooking the mutant ocean.

"So you're sayin' it isn't bright all the time?" Jacko remarked, his bright eyes blinking intensely.

Seraphimus shook her head. "There is a cycle of day and night. Night—as you might imagine—is very similar to how it is all the time here. But daytime is quite the opposite. The sky is warm, bright, and devoid of stars. Granted, this daily cycle changes with the seasons."

"Seasons?"

Seraphimus nodded this time. "The temperature of our side of the world varies from consistently warm to consistently cold. Daylight lasts shorter, then longer, then shorter again."

"So..." Jacko paced across the tiny compartment, scratching his chin. "...eet's a rotation."

"Precisely." Seraphimus took a breath. "You see ages ago, the Goddess Verlaxion decided that—" Her beak hung open as her words trailed off. She stared limply into the corner of the place.

Jacko swiveled to face her. His ears pricked curiously. "Who...?"

Seraphimus sighed. "... ... ...there is a rotation." Her feathers ruffled slightly. "Not everybody understands the reasons for everything."

"Any idea why this... sun doesn't illuminate the gobb-o's side of the world?"

"No. Although..." Seraphimus' eyes wandered out the window. She saw soot billowing into the air from where she last saw Rainbow Dash. "... ... ...some individuals have their own theories."

"Like what?"

"I've already told you enough for this trade." She turned to face him, eyecrests sharpening. "If you wish to know more, then you shall provide me with information."

"Awwwwwwwww!" Jacko stomped his foot like an impetuous child. "But I was just now startin' to understand the Eternal Flame!"

"Nothing is eternal," Seraphimus droned. "Either you answer a question of mine now or you forfeit the right to further conversation."

"Alright... alright!" Jacko folded his arms with a razor-toothed frown. "Yeesh! The way you lay the hammah in makes it sound like you were once law enforcement!"

"Uh huh." Seraphimus stared at him. "Are you ready for my question?"

"Fire away, sheila!"

"How many types of imps are there?"

"Pffft! Are you yankin' me ears, love?" Jacko smirked. "The branches of blood is only rivaled by the spokes of Peetra!"

Seraphimus squinted in confusion. "I... I don't understand—"

"Take just Blobstain for instance!" Jacko counted off his eight fingers. "There's the Smelt-Bloodahs! The Ore-Bloodahs! The distant cousins to the Iron-Bloodahs! Then you've got Campo and his bloody-arse Fur-Blood tradie family. Pah! Oh... also the Shale-Bloodahs; you can't forget them—"

"No, that's not what I meant—"

"...then you've got my clan—the Tail-Bloodahs. Although... heh... to be honest, I haven't really made my bed with them snot-blowin' yabbos. Too busy complainin' about the state of the other butcher-blood gobb-o's. Maybe if they lived closer to the Blob they could make friendly with the metal workahs and the scrap collectahs and then there'd be less to spit about—"

"I meant biologically!" Seraphimus growled. "I have reason to believe that there are at least three kinds of imps." She took a deep breath. "Is this true?"

"Gotta admit..." Jacko shrugged. "You've got me flustered there, love. I mean—sure—there are the ogres, of course..."

"Ogres?"

"But nobody calls them big blokes imps. At least not in the branches I hail from."

"Ogres live in Petra...?"

"Yes'm. Buncha bloody drongos. 'ella huge and quick to conk their noggins against any yobbo that so much as looks at them arsewise. But they're good in a pinch against change-os or other beasties. Big burly skull crackahs, aye? Haha! Oh, and of course, the kobolds are as good as brothahs in our book."

Seraphimus blinked. "Just what are kobolds?"

"Buncha creepy bastards on the surface—that's what. But beneath their lizard flesh, they're as sweet as cinammon. Full of starbeams too. Legend has it—back in the day—they helped us lay down the foundation for the biggest manifestation of Peetra this world has evah seen."

"They assisted in the construction of the imp city?"

"More than that. They help keep the law! Every metal mum who's evah served in defense of Peetra's flame have paid the kobolds theah respect! Avril's no different. That's aces important now, seein' how the kobolds have nearly gone extinct."

"I see..." Seraphimus took a breath. "So... there are four of you Petra-spawn..."

"I... I don't get it..." Jacko blinked. "Who do you reckon's the fourth, love?"

"The trolls, of course," Seraphimus said calmly. "Disgusting, mindless creepers. They're a lot like you—only pale and more muscular and rabid to the core. My group and I barely survived a... herd of them..." Her dialogue faded as she noticed how dreadfully still it had gotten in the room.

Jacko's little hands had formed into iron fists, and he clenched his razor-sharp teeth with a hitherto unfathomable ferocity. "We do not speak of those cold embah souls... evah!" He shook in place, his voice cracking. "They turned theah back on Peetra's flame and theah a curse to every createah that speaks theah name!"

"I..." Seraphimus leaned back slightly. "...I wasn't aware—"

"You want my advice?!?" Jacko swung his arm in the air between them. "If you evah want to have a soot stain's chance of gracin' the branches of Peetra, forget you evah saw them pathetic shite mongrels! If you so much as mention theah name you'll be bludgeoned by ogres on sight and pissed on by imp scamps of all bloods and colahs!"

"Erm..."

"Do I make meself cleah?!?"

"Yes. Indeed you do," Seraphimus spoke in a neutral tone. "I am... sorry for bringing it up."

"Righ. No harm done." Jacko brushed invisible grime off his vest and leaned back, catching his breath. "Just... just gotta get me head back in the zone heah... whew... bloody mongrels..."

In the meantime, Seraphimus was staring into the corner with a confused expression crossing her face. "Wait..." Her beak twisted, as if she was about to regurgitate. "...why am I apologizing?"

Jacko spoke up again before she could complete that thought. "Aces, sheila! I've got a good question for you now! Assumin' I've earned my chance at a go, aye?"

Seraphimus cleared her throat. She stood tall, reminding both of them who was the larger in the room. "By all means. You're allowed to proceed."

Jacko's ears leaned apart as he blinked starrily. "Dan in Penumbra... which way does the toilet swirl, aye?"

Let's Meet the Neighbors

Flynn approached the stone mouth of the first building—and he immediately had to hold a hoof over his muzzle. The dust flying through the scarcely-lit windows was so thick that he couldn't see the contents inside. Breathing in over his shoulder, he faced the shadow confines and squinted his natural eye. Meanwhile, the Job Squadder's mechanical lens rotated inward and outward, scanning through the mess for signs of life.

It wasn't long until he found them—bodies. The bodies of equines. With hunched frames and liquid lurches, they shuffled through an interior sea of junkyard debris. Stallions and mares alike took turns shuffling around both metal and stone odds-and-ends, forming newer piles against the Blob-side wall of the structure. Flynn stared and stared, but he was at a loss to discover a method to their labors.

Jaw clenched, he boldly trotted into the heart of the domain. It took a meager bit of concentration, but he lit his horn, illuminating the grime and sediment filling the place. It was more like a grand stone warehouse than a house, and Flynn could tell from the scrapes and marks on the inner surfaces of the place that it had been used to store all sorts of bric-a-brac for imperceivable centuries.

Flynn strolled past heaps of junk. At each pile, there was a pony sorting through smaller-to-larger collections of scrap and scavenged detritus. Without asking, he shone the bulk of his light into the passing Dihmer's face. Each pony barely registered him—but Flynn still got what he wanted. He caught sight of their eyes—and they bore color... at least far more color than the gray malaise that blanketed the sockets of all the Dihmers Flynn had seen before.

All but one.

"Uhm... excuse me...?" Flynn trotted up towards a stallion who was tossing junk up against a series of open windows looking out onto the looming ocean below. "What... uhhh... what exactly are you doing here?"

"It lingers," the Dihmer murmured, not stopping once in his labors.

"... ... ..." Flynn looked over his shoulder at all the other ponies working on similar sorting tasks. He stared once more at the stallion in front of him. "Wouldn't it be a bit more appropriate to say 'It separates?'"

"It lingers," the stallion said, and there was a noticeable edge to the second word.

Flynn blinked. "Yeah... I guess it does..." He glanced across his room, shining his light towards the furthest ends of the domain. "So... uh... is there a mare among you—a unicorn pony—with bright purple eyes? For some reason, I have a hunch that she hangs out here—"

"It lingers."

"Yeah. I know that. But you can answer a single question, can't you?" Flynn frowned slightly. "Or do you all look the same to each other as you do to me?"

"It lingers and it collects." The stallion shook his head unemotionally. "It talks and it does nothing."

"... ... ..." With a subdued grunt, Flynn kicked the pile of junk over in front of the stallion. Clatter!

The stallion lurched in place. He clenched his eyes shut and took a deep breath.

"Whoops." Flynn leaned forward, glaring. "It has no shits to give."

The Dihmer's light orange eyes opened, glaring at the Heraldite.

Flynn arched an eyebrow. "The sooner it gets some answers, the sooner it will leave that which lingers."

With a deeper breath, the stallion calmed. He began piling the kicked-over junk back up.

Flynn tried one more time. "Purple eyes. A horn on her head." He bit his lip. "Insists... that 'she fails' a lot..."

"It indeed does fail quite often," the stallion droned.

"Huh?" Flynn blinked. "You know her?!"

"It fails as it collects where it smelts," the stallion said. "It returns to linger with those who linger."

"Where... is she lingering now?" Flynn asked.

The Dihmer pointed out the door. "It moves to the lingering after next. There it continues to fail." His nostrils flared. "It lingers, that which cannot purge. All of it."

"Thanks." Flynn nodded. "See how smoothly things can go when we help each other?"

The stallion continued sorting junk.

Flynn squirmed in place. "I wish there was something I could give you for your troubles, but you dudes don't seem too keen on ownership—"

"It leaves!" the stallion snarled.

"R-right!" Flynn hobbled away from the Dihmer's burning orange eyes. "Holy crap...!"

With the Heraldite gone, the stallion breathed meditatively and returned to his calm task.

When Flynn approached the thirdmost warehouse, he was greeted with the sound of clattering metal... and hissing voices.

"Ya bloody glue stick!" He saw a goblin shaking his fist at somepony. An overturned cart of spilled junk lay on the ground between two imps and a trembling mare. "That theah's worth twenty streeps! We went through 'ell to get thees out from undah the bats-o's noses! Are ya out of your bloody mind?!"

"She's a dihmah, bud-o," the other imp droned. "They ain't got a mind, aye?"

The mare shivered. While the goblins grumbled and cursed at her, she calmly knelt down to push the cart back upright. One by one, she gripped the pieces of junk in her muzzle and placed them back into the cart.

"Did ya heah a word I said, sheila?!" One goblins hook his fist again. "These heah ain't just regulah rubbish! Theah's materials for smeltin' into boat hull! That's what gets your shorn noodle goin', aye?"

Taking a deep breath, the mare fought through her shivers to speak. "It receives ten strips," she managed, avoiding eye contact with the aggrivated imps. "It collects and returns to lingering."

"I dun bloody care what it does so long as it gives me what it owes me!" The goblin face-palmed. "Rnnnngh! Metal Mum's Muff... now she's got me sayin' like they say!"

"'eah, let me try." The other goblin leaned in. "Oi!" He snapped his fingers, his pointed nose inches from the mare's hairless airs. "Oi theah, love! Now ya might not understand the importance of streeps—what with all your bloodlettin' and meditative massacres and shite, but if ya don't pay us what youse rightfully owe, then you're upsettin' the balance of this heah symbiotic relationship we've got goin' on! Somewheah in your thick skull you're bound to understand that, aye?"

She clenched her eyes shut, trembling. "Ten st-strips. It... receives ten strips."

"Bah!" The imp stood up straight, tossing his arms. "I give up! Like talkin' to a chaos frog!"

"Ya daft drongo..." The first imp marched past him, gesturing. "Are we Stone-Bloodahs or ain't we?! We've got Peetra's Flame on our side!" That said, he angrily grabbed the mare's muzzle in four grimey fingers.

"!!!" The Dihmer gasped, her purple eyes reflecting the goblin's snarling face. Although he was far smaller than her, the unicorn cowered on folded limbs, shivering visibly.

"Now you listen heah, ya broken bottle of glue! If we're gonna have a problem, then I'm gonna fetch me cobbahs from Blobfall and theah're gonna set fire to all your heaps of rubbish! Then how will ya be earnin' your spot in the meditation pile, huh?!"

"Please..." The mare whimpered, her voice barely audible. Moisture lined the edges of her eyes. "Let g-go of me..."

"Oi!" The imp manhandling her looked over his shoulder at his buddy. "Didja heah the gams on her?!"

"Righ bloody unnatural, aye?"

"Seems somepony bumped her noggin' one too many times against the rocks!" The imp chuckled. "Ain't no crowns of thorns around heah. Reckon a good fist would do." He raised his other hand, clenching it. "You can thank me later, love—"

The mare's eyes clenched tight as her muscles tightened.

Fl-Flash!

The imp could be heard yelping.

With a gasp, the mare reopened her eyes to see the imp flying across the courtyard.

WHUMP! The goblin found himself pressed up against a wall of rock, his body frozen in the position to strike nopony. "Oi!" His angry eyes sliced across the open space as he struggled in the telekinetic field. "What the bloody 'ell?!"

Flynn marched towards him, horn glowing. "Oh, trust me." His balding brow furrowed. "There's no blood in the Hell you're goin'."

"What's it to you, ya one-eyed buggah?!" The imp frowned, struggling against the magic. "Fancy yourself a mutant supahorse, aye? Well bet you a million streeps I've got more friends with pointier sticks than yours!"

"I've been under fire by a giant deadly moon laser," Flynn droned. "You're gonna have to try harder than that to threaten me."

"I'll do ya one bettah, drongo!" The imp spat. "I'll rip ya into gartahs and sprinkle 'em all ovah your Mum—" There was a savage twisting sound. The other half of the goblin's body glowed with magic, and his voice reached a high pitch as his eyes widened.

"Ohhhhh..." Flynn grinned wide, his horn glowing wider. "So you do have testicles!" His good eye narrowed. "What's that you were about to say about my mother?" He clenched his teeth as he pressed his horn harder against the air. "Maybe first we should make you a mother yourself!"

"No no no no no no no no—" The imp chanted like a choir boy, shaking his head with drooped, wobbling ears. "That's fine, cobbah! You're fine! We're all fine! Now let go let go let go let go please!"

Flynn's horn went dark.

"OOMF!" The goblin slumped against the wall. Legs crossed, he crawled off with a whimpering noise. "C'mon, bud-o! B-back to sc-scavengin'!"

The other goblin stood in place, staring blankly at Flynn.

"Well?!?" Flynn frowned at him.

Gulping, the imp pointed a clawed finger at the cart. "What about our ten streeps, aye?"

"GO!!!" Flynn tossed a mess of rocks at him with telekinesis.

"Peetra's Ashes!" And the goblin scampered off after his hobbling friend.

Flynn snorted, glaring after them. "Popcorn farts..." Shrugging his shoulders, he turned around. "Sorry about those jerks. You know, you really shouldn't let those kind of punks treat you like—" He froze in place, blinking.

The mare was limping back into the warehouse, her back to the Heraldite. There was a slight shuddering sound—and Flynn swore he saw tearstains against the stone floor below. In a matter of seconds, she vanished within the stone building.

"... ... ..." He leaned back with a huff. "You're welcome...?"

Where We Break Things

Thunk!

A mess of metallic knick-knacks flew into the corner of the dark warehouse.

Cl-Clakkk!

The remains of a wooden beam flew into the opposite side.

Crasssssh!

A bucket full of rusted hammers was flown against the wall.

These heavy motions were being committed by the unicorn Dihmer. She attended to the scavenged detritus with a tense expression, moving her limbs with unmitigated savagery, turning the sorting task into a battlefield.

Slowly... with the skill of a hidden chameleon... Flynn entered the warehouse. His good eye remained trained on the mare. Meanwhile, he skulked and crept along the wall. More than once he had to duck—wincing—as a tossed splash of metal mayhem flew his way, only to bounce off the wall and litter the appropriated corner of the interior.

It wasn't until a full minute of this punctuated bedlam had persisted that Flynn realized that the mare was the only Dihmer in the room. The other two warehouses were chock full of colored-eyed Dihmers, as far as he could tell, but this particular chamber was relegated to just one sorter.

As he sat down and observed her motions, it made only partial sense. Only a mad pony would stand within the same room as this equine's violent ministrations. Only a crazier one would try speaking to her.

"Just what are you looking for amongst all this shit—?!"

"GAAAH!" The mare jumped and tossed a giant metal cogwheel towards the source of the noise.

WHAMMM! Flynn had just barely inched his head to the side at the last second. His metal lens rotated outward, observing the severe dint that the thrown projectile had made into the stone wall beside his skull. Dust rose and fell as the cogwheel joined the rest of the bric-a-brac on the floor.

The mare slumped against a half-empty cart of junk. Panting. Shivering. Fuming.

"... ... ...besides improvisational weapons to spatter brains with?"

"It leaves!" she hissed into the shadows.

Flynn shook his head. "It doesn't leave." A blink. "It wants answers."

"It leaves..." She gnashed her teeth, gripping the side of the cart with shaking limbs. "...please."

Flynn bit his lip. "Look... you seem troubled. Like... troubled troubled... and not like the other Dihmers. I just... I just can't walk away while knowing that one pony is dealing with bullshit while all the others can't even smell it! I mean... heh... I don't know if you've taken the time to notice, lady..." Flynn smiled awkwardly. "But this place stinks!"

"It does not matter," the mare droned.

"What doesn't?"

"It does not matter."

Flynn shrugged. "And who says it doesn't have to? You? Or those all around you?"

"Please..." The mare fumed once more, her forehead tensing. "...it leaves."

Flynn squinted at her. "... ... ...when do you honestly think you're gonna have someone like me asking you something like this again?"

The mare huffed and puffed and—"Rnnngh!"—she grabbed a chunk of metal from nearby in her fetlock.

"Hey, what are—?" Flynn rose up.

"Grkk! Hrkkk!" The mare repeatedly pummeled her other forelimb with the shard. Whack! Thwack! Thunk!

"Hey—HEY!" Flynn rushed towards her, gripping her fetlock with two hooves. "What the Hell do you think you're doing?!"

"It... purges...!" The mare hissed. "It purges!"

"Httt!" With a burst of telekinesis, Flynn yanked the shard from her grip and propelled it to the other side of the room. "My ass, it purges! To hell with that weak-ass emo shit! You wanna get the bad juju outta ya—you do it like a sane pony! Talk it out!" He leaned back with a heavy breath. "Damn girl!"

She stood in place, breathing in and out in intense waves.

Flynn pointed. "And don't you dare pick up another piece of junk and start whackin' at yourself again!"

She fumed and fumed and fumed and...

...breathed calmly. "... ... ...it purges."

Flynn blinked.

"It purges. It purges." Suddenly tranquil, she returned to sorting through the scavenged materials. Non-violently, this time.

"Why..." Flynn leaned his head aside. "...do you do that to yourself?"

"It purges," she murmured. "Because it lingers."

"I... I still don't understand."

"It lingers because it feels." She gulped, locking her eyes on her work as she continued tossing objects into separate corners. "That which feels is that which suffers. That which suffers becomes fuel."

"Fuel?" Flynn leaned down to her level. "Fuel for what?"

"It wars."

"... ... ..." Flynn's ears drooped. "The changelings... the Night Shard..." He gulped. "They've been preying on of the non-aligned ponies all this time..."

"It wars."

"That long, huh?" Flynn nodded limply. "And there's no sport in hunting and gutting a victim that doesn't feel the urge to scream." He sighed. "So I guess all this 'purging' makes Dihmers stale to them too, huh?"

"It leaves."

"I can't leave," Flynn stammered. "I... I just can't let somepony like you do this to yourself."

"It lingers—"

"No—don't you see?!" He pointed at her fetlock. After the ritualistic punishment she had given it, a fine layer of blood had leaked out. The fluid was dim, but it nevertheless glowed. "You're not like all the other Dihmers I've seen! There's something about you! Your blood! Your eyes!"

"It lingers—"

"Dammit—no it doesn't!" Flynn stomped his hoof. "And—hell—it it does... then all the better! That means you're not as far gone as the other Dihmers who have purged themselves!" He forced a smile. "Not just you—but the others around here!"

"It lingers."

"Girl—do you even see your blood?! It glows!"

The paused... only to sigh. Her ears folded back as she said, "It is a false glimmer."

"... ... ...where I come from, the light is anything but false," Flynn said. "I... I wish I could tell you... show you. Every Dihmer, really..." He paced about, kicking at errant pieces of junk on the warehouse floor. "Ever since we came here, it's been month after month... mile after mile of nothing but emptiness... darkness... cold." He rubbed one fetlock against another. "I hoped against home—perhaps to my detriment—that someone we'd meet here wouldn't be a bunch of warring psychopaths... wouldn't be a bunch of monsters corrupted by chaos... wouldn't be big frickin' sapient spiders." He shuddered, briefly turning pale. "And—lo and behold—when we finally see some ponies... they're all obsessed with screwing themselves with this... bullshit life-hating... ... ...b-bullshit!"

"It purges."

"Oh go buck yourself!" Flynn frowned at her. "If you're so damned intent on avoiding suffering—why not toss yourself into the Blob and get it over with?!"

"... ... ..."

Flynn sighed, his features softening. "... ... ...my friends and I have come so far, and I see a pony like you and... and it's like everything's right at the Edge." One eye moistened. "I joined the Herald to save the world. Aren't you part of that? You and the others? The Dihmers? Aren't we all?!"

"It leaves," she breathed.

Silence.

"Hmmmff..." Flynn snorted. "Yeah, well..." He slowly limped out of the place. "You're gonna have to try harder than that, null-opinionated-goth-chick." His tail flicked in frustration as he exited. "Wish this shithole had a friggin' door for me to slam behind me! Buck!"

As his voice echoed in his exit...

...a pair of purple eyes glanced his way.

"... ... ..."

With a sigh of resolution, she went back to her chores.

Tales of the Blob

"Theah are beasties in the Blob," Jacko said.

"Beasties." Seraphimus blinked, leaning loosely against the shack wall opposite of the Tail-Blooder. "In the Blob."

"That's righ."

"I don't understand..." Seraphimus gestured. "How exactly is that a deterrant to the warring factions attempting to cross it?"

"The beasties leap out at any drongo foolish enough to try and cross that sea, aye?"

The former Talon Commander narrowed one hawkeye. "You mean the creatures are alive?"

"No, love."

"... ... ...they're dead, then."

"Neithah alive nor dead." Jacko grinned wickedly. "But in-between-mongrels. The sort of buggahs that feast for somethin'—anythin'—but they've long forgotten how to actually eat for shite."

"... ... ..." Seraphimus found herself blinking with uncharacteristic dreariness. "I'm afraid you have lost me."

"Oh, most of 'em are small," Jacko said. "Little beasties—beastlettes, ya reckon? Formah animals of the wastes, most gobb-o's think. Othahs—like me, for instance—think that they were unfortunate souls stuck in the Marrow."

"Like the imps were in prehistoric times."

"Good on ya for rememberin', shielah!"

"What makes you think some of these... beasties are that old?"

"Pfffft!" Jacko's ears waved like windsocks as he grinned. "Because some of them are bloody humongous, love! Heaps of tons of flesh and scales! Why—buggah all—I once saw a beasty the size of a platform from Peetra leap out and bite into a whole swarm of daft change-os!"

"Changelings?"

"Ate 'em whole! Then spat theah innards out eets sides! 'Cuz the bloody snake-thing had huge gapin' holes in its flesh! They weren't theah at birth, love. Oh no! Whatever thrust these dayum beasties into the Blob, it had a real go at 'em first, aye?"

"That's... the nature of all the creatures that have emerged from this ocean?" Seraphimus remarked. "They're violently mutilated?"

"Righ on. Like ragged spoils of the hunt, but too daft to stay dead." Jacko's eyes narrowed. "Some think eet's somethin' deep in the Blob empowerin' them with unnatural animation. All metaphysical like. Othahs—myself included—think theah just too damned pissed to stay drown." He laughed. "If I had nothin' but Blob to guzzle for eternity, I'd be pissed to, aye?! Hahaha!"

Seraphimus rubbed her beak in thought. "... ... ...just what is these creatures' reach?"

"OI!" Jacko pointed at claw up at her, frowning. "Don't be thinkin' of flyin' over that undead rubbish, sheilah. You'll be deadah than a purged Dihmah on Sunday!"

"Your culture has Sundays?"

"Ain't the question yer barterin' for, is it, now?"

"Right. Sorry—" Seraphimus rolled her eyes at herself, then growled: "At least tell me how it is that you and the Dihmers can ride boats across the ocean and somehow not incur the wrath of these... these..." She grimaced. "... ... ...'beasties.'"

"Hah! It's a fun word, ain't it, love?"

"Just answer the question."

"Trade secret."

Seraphimus frowned. "Now I thought I had earned—"

"No, I mean, it's a trade secret to the Dihmas."

Seraphimus blinked. "The Dihmers invented the means to cross the ocean?"

"Yes'm." Jacko nodded. "The one accomplishment they conquered—for all theah mopin' and scowlin' and muckin' about... they got one ovah us gobb-o's. But, thank Peetra, they's willin' to sheah." He gestured delicately. "It's somethin' to do with some sort of... home-made chemical compound. They take a tiny drop of the Blob's pink shite—don't ask me how they even contain the stuff—and then they mix that into anotha substance. Form themselves a varnish, ya heah?"

"What other substance?"

"We gobb-os have nevah found out," Jacko remarked, blinking. "Some sort of biomass. They ferry it back and forth from theah island out in the middle of it all. Pffftt... how they got theah in the first place is a damned bloody mystery. No goblin has evah bothered to go theah and find out what makes the the sole capital of the Dihmah culture tick."

Seraphimus raised an eyecrest. "Not even for a profit?"

Jacko folded his arms. "Would you maroon yourself on an island filled with them lazy-eyed drongos?"

The griffin exhaled. "You make a good point."

"Them Dihmahs have been at it for a bloody long time... masterin' this heah varnish and usin' it to... to... beastie-proof theah ships. We give them the right amount of streeps, and they sheah the varnish with us! That's how we've afforded skiffs of our own for the passage."

"But they don't give any of this material to the warring factions."

"Not that I know of."

"Do you have any idea why?" Seraphimus asked. "Seems to me like navigating the ocean freely would be an extremely useful tactic."

"Pffft!" Jacko smirked. "You evah seen a change-o squat down in a boat?"

"I... couldn't begin to imagine."

"And the Shard-os are too in love with theah floatin' palace thingies..."

"Floating palaces?"

Jacko shrugged. "Any livin' createuah who's gotten close enough to describe 'em bettah has gotten fried to farts, love."

"Somehow, I believe you."

"Only blokes who could benefit from havin' themselves a boat is the bats-os," Jacko remarked. "But they've nevah tried. 'ell, they leave us Gobb-os and Dihmahs alone." He shrugged again. "I guess negotiatin' for Blob varnish just ain't Lexxic's style."

"So they simply settle for flying around the ocean?" Seraphimus asked. "The Bloodwings, that is."

"Reckon theah's somethin' in it for them," Jacko said. "Word from the scavengeahs is that the bats-o's are buildin' forts and outposts all along the flankin' shores. Seein' as how neithah the shard-o's or change-o's bother with the heart of the Blob, Lexxic's dominatin' all the sides that he can strategically get his creepy hooves on. That leaves Blobstain heah and Peetra on the Curve's side. Heh... if nothin' else, Lexxic's decisions has been incredibly prosperous to the Gobb-o's business! It gives us breathin' room from the Shard-o's and Change-o's to make profit and multiply!"

"Indeed." Seraphimus nodded. "All the more helplessly meatier you'll be for him and his psychopathic midnighters to sink their fangs into—presuming he wins the War." She breathed. "I doubt his faction will leave any changelings or Night Shards alive after the fact. Not even for consumption."

"Huh..." Jacko scratched his pointed chin in thought. "I haven't evah thought of that."

"Maybe it's about time you and your kind did."

"Ain't no bloody time for that! I've got Penumbra to sniff about!" Jacko rubbed his hands together, grinning. "And I've just now told you heaps and heaps coverin' my side of the world, love! Reckon it's time you delivah some more juicy goodness of your own!"

Seraphimus folded her arms. "Perhaps not quite so poetically."

"Can't help it, love. Now..." Jacko leaned forward from where he stood. "...perhaps the biggest sluggah of them all."

"Make it quick."

His eyes narrowed. "What exactly are you and your Penumbral cobbahs ovah heah to do?"

"... ... ..."

Dead silence.

Jacko's eyes darted back and forth. Slowly—as the emptiness of the moment consumed his hearing—his smile drifted further and further away, replaced by a cold sweat.

Seraphimus finished with her heaviest breath since arriving here. "No. No..." She slowly shook her head as stood on all fours. "That is not something that will be answered."

"F-for real...?"

"And... seeing as how that cuts off our bartering system..." She turned to face the door. "...this conversation is over."

"Oh, come on, love!"

"And you can cease calling me that—"

Jacko scampered across the shack and pulled at her tail. "Buggah all! Stay! Stay!" He smiled nervously. "Won't you please?! I must know what our world means to youse Penumbral blokes! Are you heah for knowledge? Profit?! Or... or..." He grinned. "Maybe you're heah to get to what's inside the Sarcophagus—ULP!"

Seraphimus' claws had found their way around the raggedy imp's throat. Thwump! She slammed him hard against the doorframe while sneering into his face. "Our business on the Dark Side... is none of your concern..." She hissed. "And you and your friends will live longer if you remember it!"

"Snrkkk... snrkkk..." Jacko's eyes teared as he struggled to look up at her. "You're... n-not even h-heah for yourself, love?"

"... ... ..."

"It... it changed, ya reckon...?" He wheezed, smiling in spite of the pressure around his neck. "...saw it in your posturin'. Don't... know what burns you about the light... but you c-came heah for a reason yourself, aye?"

Thwump! He found himself tossed to the floor.

"Duaaaaah—!" His eyes bulged as he wheezed for breath. Feeling his throat, he sat up and looked at her.

"... ... ...that is none of your concern either," she muttered.

"What isn't...?" He winced.

"... ... ..." She turned tail and left. SWOOOSH! In a silver streak, the griffin was gone.

"Phweeeeee..." Jacko crawled across the floor on all fours. Finally—at some sappy point—he rested on his chest with a drunken smile. "Oiiiiiiiiii what a beaut."

Grim On a Stick

One by one, in loose lethargic waves, the colored-eyed Dihmers of the stone warehouses marched up to the cliff overlooking the alien ocean of slime. They took turns pushing carts full of rejected junk to the earthen edge and then dumping their contents into the bubbling pink muck that lingered several dozen feet down below. The scavenged clumps of rusted randimosity struck the surface—where they either sank like anvils or were occasionally seized by an assortment of necrotic limbs belonging to over twenty different drowned species. A hint of leather, scales, and fur rippled up to the surface, spread apart, then sank back into the depths of the otherworldly ooze.

One particular mare with purple eyes pushed a cart towards the edge. A few returning parties nearly bumped into her, seemingly not caring about the small-horned unicorn or her precarious load of junk. She maintained her balance, threaded through the crowd, and breathed calmly as she made her way to the edge.

At last, when she got there... ... ...she ran into more than a little bit of trouble. The load in her cart was significantly large and bulky, and it was taking all of her strength to so much as tip the vehicle forward to dump its contents into the slime below. This turned into a veritable wrestling match, with the dirt edge of the cliff above the ocean crumbling away and the wheels of the cart wobbling and threatening to snap off at any second and the Dihmers waiting behind her shifting in tense deadpan impatience and sweat dribbling down the trembling unicorn's emaciated body as she pushed and shoved and struggled and nearly slipped—

Flaaaash!

Suddenly, all of the junk in the cart lifted magically.

She gasped, leaning back and watching with wide, purple eyes.

The metallic bits floated out of the cart, hovered off the cliff, then neatly fell into the ocean below like clockwork. As the debris field cleared, the mare could see several feet across the gap to where a balding unicorn sat perched on another cliff overlooking the estuary of pink goo.

"... ... ..." Flynn's metal lens rotated as he raised a hoof in the glow of his horn and waved at her.

She scowled for a brief second, sighed, then chanted a two-word mantra over and over again to herself. Ripping her gaze from the Heraldite, she turned right around and pushed her cart all the way back to the line of metal warehouses.

Flynn's ears drooped. With a defeated sigh, he slumped down and rested his chin on his fetlocks. His nostrils flared, blowing dust off the earth so that it floated gently to a pink death below. Not once did he take his good eye off the one pony in particular.

At some point, he became vaguely aware of a crunching... munching sound directly behind him.

"So... uhhhh..." Another munching sound, and Ariel's voice bled on through. "...who's your new marefriend?"

"!!!" Flynn spun his head about to frown at her. "She's not my marefriend!"

"'She,' huh?" Ariel bit another large chunk off a ragged brown morsel held in her hoof. "Mrmmmfff... you don't even know her name and yet you're stalking her?"

"I'm not stalking anypony!"

Ariel craned her neck. "Sitting on a cliffside? Using your built-in spyglass to oogle a mare dumping rusted shit into a bubble bath of doom?" Another bite, a swallow. "Seems pretty damn stalky to me, bud."

"I'm just... just..." Flynn fidgeted under her gaze. "...making observations of the local culture!"

"The local culture with a slenderer muzzle, you mean."

He frowned. "I mean it! There's something different about this pony!" He pointed at the warehouses across the bay. "About all of these ponies in particular! They're..." His words trailed off as he blinked at her meal. "... ... ...what the buck are you chewing on?"

"I dunno." Ariel gulped. "Nopony we know."

Flynn recoiled, teeth clenched. "Arrrrrriellllll—"

"Relax..." Ariel smiled, rubbing juice off her muzzle. "I bought it from some of the Meat-Blooders peddling their wares outside the foundry. They gave it to me for one of the half-spent manastones that survived the moonblast! According to them, it's the tastiest piece of something called a 'Zoom Cow.' Heh... whatever that is."

Flynn blinked. "You bought that off of goblins?"

"Mmmmhmmm." Ariel took another bite. "Best Zoom Cow I ever ate." She gulped. "The only Zoom Cow I ever ate!" She held the remainder of the meat out towards him. "You wanna bite?"

"N-no thanks..." He shifted where he sat. "So... uh... Rainbow and the Herald's making a splash with the goblins, huh?"

"Yeah. No thanks to you."

Flynn winced. "Sorry."

"Should you be?" Ariel glanced at the warehouses across the way. "The way you just... took off without warning, I figured it was something important. What's so special about this chick anyways?"

"Ariel..."

"I mean, to each their own, but I prefer a girl with—y'know—some bucking fur on her." She shrugged. "Is that such a big deal?" She smiled. "Oh, and a mane. Can't have cuddles without brushies. Heeheeeee—"

"Beggars can't be choosers on the Dark Side, Ariel."

"So—which is you and which is this mare in this case—?"

"It's not like that!" Flynn frowned. He brushed back bangs that weren't there and sighed. "Look. All of the Dihmers we've seen have gray, lifeless eyes, right?"

"Sure...?"

"But not this mare... or others relegated to this... caste system of junk-sorters." Flynn gestured towards the stone structures. "They've got colorful eyes and..." He looked back at the pegasus. "Their blood glows."

"No shit?"

"For real. I mean... it's way dimmer than our blood here..." Flynn would have gone cross-eyed if his lens felt up to it. "Er... no pun intended."

"Why do these locals have glowing blood and the others don't?"

"You want to know what I think?"

"Do I have a choice?"

He looked across the estuary again. "I think it's because they've been here less. They're... like... younger than the rest of the Dihmers?"

"How's that possible?" Ariel finished the last edible portion of her meat and threw the rest of it out beyond the cliff to become pink-food. "Urp..." She stifled a burp. "I thought the Dihmers were descendants of changeling-nabbed ponies."

"Just think about it, Ariel."

"... ... ..." She blinked at him. "...they're former Emeraldinians and Darkstinians." Her lips pursed. "Scattered remnants of Gwen's Expedition?"

"Wouldn't that be friggin' wild?!" Flynn exhaled. "Some of Gwen's and Warhol's fellow soldiers probably had to settle here once the party thinned out enough. Those who managed to survive acclimated to Dihmer culture and... here they are now."

"Seems like they're blending right in."

"Not..." Flynn winced. "...exactly?"

"Oh?" Ariel leaned in. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Flynn took a deep breath. "But I aim to find out." He looked at her again. "All we have to go by so far is the scant journal entries left by Ranort. But if maybe... somehow these 'It lingers' Dihmers are in possession of even more history... then wouldn't it be in our best interest to learn about it? So we can paint an even better picture of what lies ahead before us and Rainbow Dash?"

"Well, sounds like a mission and a half for you, Flynn," Ariel said. "But be careful, okay, dude?"

"Don't worry." Flynn smiled confidently. "The Dihmers are grim, but they're only violent to themselves. I doubt they'll try to hurt me if I pester them too hard."

"That's not what I meant."

Flynn blinked at her.

"Beneath the bald nerdiness and short fuse..." Ariel's eyes reflected him warmly. "...you're a real sweetheart underneath. Don't pretend that you're not."

He bit his lip.

"I... wouldn't get too attached to anyone on this side of the world, bud," Ariel said in a a soft, neutral tone. "It'll be difficult enough just bringing our asses back to the Light Side after the Midnight Armory. So don't stick your hoof too deep in a vice or nothing—if you catch my drift."

Flynn gulped. "All things considered, the same could be said about us getting too attached to each other."

"Yikes." Ariel smirked, hovering up on flapping wings. "Say Mister, I think you got some grim on my dark."

"Jee, I'm sorry." Flynn waved at the death ocean of bubbling fuchsia and eyeballs. "What a shame to ruin this most picturesque moment."

"For us, it's shit. But for these ponies... it's home." Ariel flew away. "Try not to shake her too much, okay, Flynn?"

He merely nodded, staring off.

"I'll be with the rest of the group by the foundry. Be home by ten."

"Okay Mom." Sighing again, he rested his chin down on crossing forelimbs. "... ... ...how come they gotta be so dayum purple?"

Rainbow Dash's Dream Phone

“I have spoken at great length to every member of the matriarchal councils,” Nat'rdo's voice insisted. Her shadowy figure stood against a backdrop of gently rotating stars. “They have agreed—much as I have—that the enchanting touch of the Mother of Nightmares sensed within you cannot be ignored.” A pair of glowing eyeslits narrowed. “I have had my observations within the dream corroborated by my fellow dreamwalkers. The matriarchs have been made fully aware of the severity of this situation.”

“Uh huh...” Rainbow Dash paced before her, trotting leisurely across a carpet of slowly swirling galaxies. She absent-mindedly tapped a constellation with her wingfeathers and watched as the nebulae scattered. “I hear ya...”

“By order of the Supreme Nightblood Assembly of Saros, Lexxic and all of his subordinate officers have been commanded to temporarily cease all patrols and take a passive stance. The physicality of your appearance is being divulged to all commanding warriors so that you will be given a peaceful greeting on sight.”

“Is that so...?”

“Then, with a squadron of Nightbloods to accompany you, you are invited to direct yourself to the Mother of Nightmare's Dream Roost. There—in the company of the Matriarchs—you will be welcome to share that which you know concerning the Dream Giver and her current fate.”

“Me and me alone?”

The faint outline of equine bodies shifted behind Nat'rdo. Rainbow thought that she heard voices whispering and hissing in the galactic void.

At last, the foreground figure said, “You may elect a group of fellow peers to accompany you. But—for the sake of simplicity—I would suggest keeping the number to a minimum.”

Rainbow glanced her way with an arched eyebrow. “So we'll be easier to contend with, huh?”

Nat'rdo breathed. “No, W'ynlppa yln H'luun. Because it will take less of a toll on us. Perhaps you do not understand the honor being bestowed upon you. Nopony who lacks the esteemed mother-blood of divine rule is allowed in the Dream Roost, and it is certainly not a sanctuary granted to those foaled outside the Dream. By extending this invitation, the matriarchs are knowingly and willfully breaking the very foundation of sacred and honored tradition so as to have you in their divine company. A conference of this magnitude has not been arranged since the grand exodus of the Vigil carried us safely from the burning wings of the Daybreaker.”

“You guys must have a lot of reasons to be paranoid, huh?”

“Even beyond the edges of the stone eclipse that shelters us, we are sensitive to the burning deception of the Daybreaker,” Nat'rdo said. “Several centuries following the criminal exile of the Mother of Nightmares, the Daybreaker's false light still encroaches upon the cleansing darkness. Her light is a false light, a Dream-Ender, and a corrupting pestilence upon this pure and unending nightscape. While you carry with you the essence of the Dream Mother's blessing, the shadow you carry is that produced by a False Star.” Nat'rdo slowly shook her head. “Every instinct tells me that we must keep you at a safe distance, but then that would erase all hope of understanding the blessing that you carry. Please... understand that this decision was not made lightly, W'ynlppa yln H'luun.”

“Oh, I know it must be a super hard choice for you.” Rainbow squinted at her as she paced closer. “But what of Lexxic?”

Silence.

“Lexxic—in stalwart faith and devotion—has already chosen to follow the matriarchs' command.”

“Oh, sure. He's following orders.” Rainbow smiled tiredly across the dreamscape. “But what if he had to choose?”

“That is irrelevant,” Nat'rdo stated. “As the supreme field Nightblood general, Lexxic is bound to the oath foaled into his flesh and blood by the Dream—”

“I've no doubt he knows what he's supposed to do,” Rainbow Dash said. “But is he supposed to like it? You think a guy who has accomplished so many violent things is gonna just idly sit back and let up on bloodletting so that some random stranger from Penumbra can go on a tour of the Dream Roost?”

“His acts of righteous fury have been committed in the name of the Vigil's cause,” Nat'rdo said. “Trust me. He knows his place in the fight over the Sarcophagus.”

“I'd like to think so.” Rainbow gestured. “But everywhere I go, I hear nothing but savage things spoken of the dude. He murders left and right without taking prisoners.” Her brow furrowed. “He and his cronies aimed a friggin' death laser at me.” A shuddering breath. “Almost got us too... and he didn't seem to care when they sensed we were nearby.”

“Lexxic's reputation is the serrated edge of his mighty sword,” Nat'rdo explained. “It takes a great deal of effort to intimidate the sort of enemies we've had to contend with since the Exodus first brought us here countless generations ago. The Nightblood generals before Lexxic gave up on even trying to do more than wound our foes. Lexxic thought otherwise. For his guile, his innovation, and his efficiency—he has become an exceptional weapon against our combined enemies, and we are closer to the Sarcophagus than ever before.”

“Which makes you wonder...” Rainbow folded her forelimbs. “When an ambitious sucker like Lexxic gets up to the front door, how far is he going to go to get all the keys he needs?” A cautious breath. “And just who is going to open the gate when the time comes. Himself?”

Nat'rdo was silent for a bit. Expressionless.

At last, she said, “I speak to you on behalf of the Vigil—the same cause that the Mother of Nightmares gave her freedom to preserve when she was betrayed by the Daybreaker. Everything we do on this side of the Crescent or the other is committed to the restoration of the Mother of Nightmares to glory—as she herself has so graced us with the gift of corporeal existence. It is written in the Book of Saros: 'The Mother's blessing is our blessing.' And we extend this blessing to you, W'ynlppa yln H'luun. But it is not something that is given easily. Every moment that we place our forces on standby, we sacrifice precious inches of ground to the vile swarms and corrupted armadas of our enemies. It is a difficult enough allotment of time to sacrifice once. I daresay we cannot sacrifice it again.”

“Even for the blessing of Luna?” Rainbow said.

“Please, W'ynlppa yln H'luun,” Nat'rdo spoke with a rising tone to her voice. “I cannot give you any more assurances than that which has been provided. Distance and circumstance is making that increasingly difficult. I promise you yet again that no harm will come to you and your companions.”

“I don't even know where to friggin' go—”

“Return towards the Edge until you see the Mother Torch. Once you have made visual contact, make your way towards it.”

“The Mother Torch...?” Rainbow's muzzle scrunched. “You mean... that enchanted replica of the moon you've got tethered somewhere?”

“Follow it's blessed glow,” Nat'rdo continued. “It will lead you to the tree of the Roost. But you will not reach there alone. Lexxic and his fellow Nightbloods will find you.”

“Find us? Find us how?”

”They will find you,” Nat'rdo repeated. “And they will bring you to the sanctum. There, you will be safe... so that the enlightenment of the Mother's blessing may proceed. You have my promise.”

“Your promise.”

“On my life,” Nat'rdo finished—with a flash of fangs.

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin in thought.

“Is this acceptable, W'ynlppa yln H'luun?” Nat'rdo asked. The figures behind here grew antsy, shifting and flickering like black candles.

Rainbow continued rubbing her chin. She took a slow, contemplative breath...

A Modest Suicidal Proposal

“You agreed to her request?!” Logan cackled.

Rainbow Dash sighed. “I told her I would think about it.”

Logan paced across the dim alleyway situated alongside the noisy goblin foundry where the Herald was gathered. “She's given you nothing to go on...”

“Nothing but her word,” Rainbow said.

Logan's brow furrowed. “Since when did that stack up to a hill of shit?” His jaws clenched. “The Bloodwings are the very essence of brutal in a brutal world. You know just as well as any of us that they can and will say anything if it's strategic for them to get a victim in their sights.”

“Actually, we don't know anything about how deceptive they can or can't be,” Rainbow stated. “At least not yet.”

Logan belched: “Lexxic friggin' kills everything he friggin' sees! Didn't Abaddon's song-babies tell you that?!”

“But...” Rainbow Dash raised a hoof. “Lexxic is now standing down. So Nat'rdo assures me.”

“Ngrnnngnnnngrhhgrnnngrrughhhhhhh,” Logan ngrnnngnnnngrhhgrnnngrrughhhhhhh'd, plopping back on his haunches and rubbing his aching head. “I thought we were done with the stupid psycho bat asses.” His nostrils flared. “I thought we had put them and their death laser way behind us.”

“The midnighters are in chief strategic control of this entire region and the shores bordering the ocean,” Seraphimus declared. “We are not in any position to 'put them behind us.' Not even remotely.”

Rainbow smiled tiredly at her. “So you'd agree that—with Lexxic standing down—that gives us a heck of a lot of leverage.”

“Oh no. You're still a misguided simpleton,” Seraphimus droned, staring past her. “I simply mean to state that the moment they decide to double-cross us, we'll have nowhere to run to. This latest dream conversation of yours is only playing us into their fangs.”

“Ugggggh...” Ariel face-hoofed.

Wildcard stood back, rubbing his beak in contemplation.

“I thought...” Ariel looked up with an exhausted expression. “...that we had our free ticket out of here.”

“That's still a work in progress,” Logan breathed. “We've pretty much convinced the stinkin' imps to work with us. But the Dihmers?” His eyes narrowed. “Will they actually allow us to cross the ocean on their boat?”

“If not the Dihmers, then who else?” Ariel stated.

“... … ...” Seraphimus remained silent.

Wildcard gestured: “The Dihmers seem fine so long as nobody is disturbing their meditation. I think they would be neutral to the idea of us crossing the ocean with them.”

“Right... so...” Ariel nodded. “That's our ticket! We can get out from under the Bloodwings' noses!”

“And once we've put the ocean between us...” Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “...what then? Can we expect to have any greater luck getting the Shards of Endrax from either the changelings or the Night Shard?”

“We can't not expect to,” Logan said.

Rainbow glared at him. “Seriously? You think exploding bug ponies or otherworldly soul-zappers are going to be any more open to diplomacy than the Bloodwings?”

“Doesn't matter what I think!” Logan exclaimed. “It's all about getting in there and finding out!” He pointed. “Until we've had an opportunity to get a read on both factions ourselves, there's no telling if they will or won't be easier to work with than the friggin' sky butchers we've already had a brush with!”

“And yet...” Wildcard hand-signed. “The Bloodwings are extending an invitation to us right here and now. If we refuse that offer then what hope will we have of winning their favor back in the future? Especially after we have gone behind their back and approached the other Factions?”

Rainbow Dash nodded at the Desperado. “That's totally right! Remember—while Tchern's hive and the Ruby Chorus remain mostly a mystery to us, I do have leverage with the sarosians on this side of the world!”

“Luna's enchantment,” Ariel murmured.

“Right! Plus friggin' knowledge of the Lunar Rebellion and the Dark Vigil!” Rainbow exhaled. “Every way I look at this, I feel like it's an opportunity that I can't forgive myself with letting slip away!”

“And would you have come to this decision had this Nat'rdo chick not stuck her nose into your dreams just now?” Logan asked.

“... … ...” Rainbow looked off, her ears folded back in mixed frustration.

Silence—only it wasn't silence. The rhythmic thunder of the ocean continued its endless dirge. Only now—on the crest of a brand new anxiousness—the group re-awoke to its migraine-inducing volume.

“It is a horribly foolish ideas to surrender our livelihood to this supposed 'Dream Council's whim,” Seraphimus declared.

Wildcard gestured: “Given the odds stacked against us, I believe it is a risk worth taking for the Shard.”

“And what if they have no intention of surrendering the Shard, Jordan?” Seraphimus squinted at him. “Are we to assume that we can somehow win these barbarians over to your short-sighted leader's cause?”

“It would be better than trying to fight them all to the death.”

“They have known nothing but blood and death for countless generations,” Seraphimus said with a frown. “Why will they treat us any differently?”

“Because Rainbow's got the touch of Luna on her pendant,” Ariel said. “That is the key difference in this Bloodwing situation.”

Seraphimus rolled her charcoal-brown eyes. “Of course we know where your opinion lies.”

Ariel frowned at the former Commander. “I'm just trying to consider all of the logical facts!” Her teeth showed. “Not all of us have to run from the daring solution like you!”

Seraphimus snarled back at her. “I do not run.”

“Then just what the Hell have you been up to over the past thirty-six hours?!?”

Seraphimus moved towards Ariel—

—and Rainbow Dash stepped in between them. “Okay. Knock it off. Both of you.”

“Do not test me,” Seraphimus growled.

“Don't test yourself.” Rainbow frowned at the griffin, eyes flickering red-on-yellow. “I've flattened your butt a gazillion times before. Why would things turn out any different?”

“... … ...”

Rainbow's gaze narrowed icily.

With a defeated sigh, Seraphimus backed away from the petite pegasus. She folded her forelimbs and stared out across the stone rooftops. “… … … assuming we did meet with them for a... conference of sorts, we've made so much progress. And to fulfill this request of theirs would require the speed and swiftness that only fliers can achieve.”

Ariel looked at Rainbow Dash. “Did they give us a specific place to meet up?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Nat'rdo and her buddies seem to get the fact that we're pretty dang clueless about the local geography. They just suggested we simply fly back towards the Edge until we see their artificial moon. At that point... they'll find us.”

Wildcard gestures: “That means their forces are spread out in order to spot us coming from any angle.”

“Doesn't seem like an easy way to stage an ambush,” Logan said. “At least we've got that to consider.”

Ariel breathed. “So... how would we even do this? I... can't imagine ditching this place after we've come so far to get settled in and friendly with the imps.”

“Ach...” Kepler nodded, speaking up for the first time. He paced over to Logan's side. “I have made severral brreakthrroughs with the Smelt-Blooderrs. Thanks to my contrributions, theirr fuel prreserrvation has been imprroved by two hundrred perrcent! Not to brrag, but I suspect we may have made ourr firrst frriends forr life on the Darrk Side!”

“Way to go, furball,” Logan droned. “I'd give you a banana sticker if I knew it wouldn't shake off from the ocean's damnable farting.”

“Yourr non-sequiturrs arre charrming as always, frriend.”

Ariel looked at Rainbow Dash. “Seems like a shame to waste all that progress. According to the locals, the Dihmer boat will be arriving here soon. If we don't catch a ticket to their mid-ocean island, then we'll be forced to walk around the stupid Blob.”

“Right.” Rainbow Dash nodded, pacing. “The way I see it, the Dihmers and their boat should be used as a last resort.”

Wildcard signed: “An escape from the Bloodwings?”

Rainbow nodded at him. “If crap hits the fan, that is the most efficient way we can get out from under their noses. But—so long as we have a chance of cleaning their noses—I think we should take Nat'rdo up on her offer.”

“Then what's the decision here?” Logan shrugged. “Which do we choose?”

“Both.”

“Both???”

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. “I think Kepler and a few of us should stay here in Blobstain... make friends with the goblin... gather intel... and secure us seats on the boat.” She pointed with the other hoof. “The rest of us should go and meet the matriarchs' subordinates back Edgeside and open negotiations with the Bloodwings.

“... … ...” Ariel looked left. “... … ...” Ariel looked right. “... … …?!” Her fuzzy ears pulled back. “You mean... split up?”

Rainbow sighed, nodding. “I mean split up.”

And the air filled with a thunderous salvo of moans, sighs, and groans.

Where Chaos Split Ya

“For real?!?” Ariel's voice cracked. Her tail flicked like a frightened cat's. “Split up?!? We're not even a third of the way across this dimly-lit toilet bowl and you want us to split up?!?”

“Hey!” Logan raised a hoof, bearing a dumb grin. “I've got a great idea!” His face contorted into a scowl. “How about we just turn back time by a few months and throw ourselves off the damned Edge?!?”

“Stop being melodramatic,” Rainbow droned, rolling her eyes. “Nat'rdo has given us a priceless offer and I think it'll help our quest for the Midnight Armory to take it.”

“Weeks ago, you were ready to ditch these fanged melon fudges!” Ariel exclaimed.

Rainbow flashed her a hard glare. “Weeks ago, I didn't have my frickin' back up against an ocean of zombie porridge!!!” The blue hairs on her back bristled. “If I brush off the Bloodwings now, there'll be no take-backs! We'll be giving them more than the cold shoulder by crossing the ocean without shaking hooves, and I don't these are the kind of ponies to forgive!”

“They're also not the kind of ponies to shake hooves unless they've chopped them off first!” Logan said.

“Again, that's Lexxic's game!” Rainbow looked over at him. “And he's stood down! The matriarchs have their war dog on a leash!”

“Yeah, and just how strong is that leash, Rainbow?! What assurance did Nat'rdo give you on that?! Huh?!”

“Big Show, have you stopped to consider that if we win over the matriarchs' favor... we win over Lexxic's allegiance as well?” Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “What greater edge could our quest get?!”

“Rainbow Dash, have you stopped to consider that you snorted glue over night and farted up this whole stupid fever dream of a plan?!?”

Wildcard stepped sharply forward, gesturing: “Give her some credit. This is the best possible plan, given what the Bloodwings have promised us.”

Logan squinted at him. “And do you believe what the Bloodwings have promised?”

Wildcard took a contemplative breath. “I believe that every other option is bleaker at this point, and Rainbow has proven to be exceptional at making the impossible work in the past.”

Rainbow couldn't help but smirk lightly at that.

“Jordan is right...”

Everyone looked in surprise at Seraphimus—including Rainbow.

“Given all that is at stake, the lead on the Bloodwings is making Rainbow's decision to pursue negotiations with them the most logical choice at this point,” the former Talon Commander continued. “But it still doesn't change the fact that they could betray us at any time. Lexxic... or these so-called lofty 'matriarchs.'”

Ariel sighed, looking limply at Rainbow Dash. “But to split up?!?” Her ears drooped. “When was the last time splitting up ever did anything good for you?”

“Back in Val Roa,” Rainbow Dash said firmly. “And it saved an entire friggin' civilization.”

“... … ...” Ariel clammed up, wings and tail curling.

“Everry which way I look at it, it seems a valid strrategy,” Kepler said. He looked at their leader. “Am I assume that—if things werre to go south, figurratively speaking—then the grroup positioned herre at Blobstain would arrrange it so that a swift and timely exit could be made across the Ocean?”

“Exactly!” Rainbow's voice cracked as she nodded enthusiastically. “Half of us stay here and warm up to the Goblins and... the Dihmers... as much as you can warm up to them.” She pivoted about and looked at the rest of the Herald. “Those who can fly will join me in meeting the matriarchs face to face.”

“That meeting... would take place in their crazy-ass tree, right?” Logan asked, eyebrow arched.

“That's right, Big Show.”

The stallion blew out the side of his muzzle. “Into the lion's den...”

“Ach...” Kepler nodded. “It could verry well worrk. And assuming you arre successful in winning not only theirr trrust—but theirr favorr and compliance...?”

Rainbow gestured. “We'll meet up again. All of us. Only—Celestia willing—we'll have an entire friggin' army on our side.”

“The same army that ruthlessly slaughtered Abaddon's children and preyed on Gwen's expedition?” Seraphimus breathed. “That is a very tall order.”

“One that we can afford...” Rainbow looked at her sharply. “While we can afford any single thing whatsoever in this frickin' realm.”

“... … ...”

“Unnnnnngh...” Ariel pulled at her mane hair, groaning inwardly. “Buttttt splitttttting uppppp... I hate splitttttting uppppp!”

“You're the fastest flier we've got, girl,” Rainbow said. “You'd be on my team.”

“Oh!” Ariel sat up perkily with a smile. “Well, okay, then!”

Wildcard face-talon'd hard.

“You do realize that if your safety is compromised,” Seraphimus stated, “Then the foundation of your entire journey for the so-called 'Harmonic Prism' will be lost forever.”

“Not a single moment of a single day goes by without me knowing that, Sera.”

Seraphimus nodded. “Fair enough.”

Logan rubbed his chin in sullen silence. At last, he looked over towards the one silent pocket of the group—where a unicorn stallion sat, hunched over. “Baldy? You've been pretty frickin' quiet this whole time. Got anything to weigh in on this shit?”

“... … ...” At last, Flynn looked up. The twilight glinted off his cold metal lens as he stared lethargically across the space between the Heraldites. A deep sigh, and he murmured, “This world is nothing but misery and suffering. The only creatures that seem to be living it up are the goblins—and they're a bunch of freaky bastards who'll sell their own brothers and sisters out for money.” He slowly shook his head. “Our only true friends have been bigass spider monsters... and thanks to their tiny ounce of goodness they's been ostracized, banished, and slaughtered.” He looked at Rainbow Dash and Seraphimus standing side-by-side. “If we have an opportunity—any opportunity to wash this place clean of all the blood, stank, and destitution... I think we should do it.” His ears drooped. “...while there are still ponies here who stand to benefit from ending this stupid War once and for all.”

Seraphimus and Rainbow Dash exchanged thoughtful glances.

“We all know that we're here to save the world, Flynn,” Ariel said. “This piece of Urohringr along with the rest. But... everyone who lives here...?” Her eyes narrowed. “They've been suffering for centuries, and I doubt it's all going to completely end the moment we yank the Harmonic Prism out of the Armory.”

“Still...” Flynn rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. “It's worth a friggin' shot, isn't it?” His lens rotated, aimed up at the rest. “I'd say let's friggin' do it. Let's split up... have Rainbow make kissy-kiss with the Bloodwings... use whatever edge we can to do what's good for a change.” He gulped. “Already—from what it sounds like—Lexxic has withdrawn from slaughtering the countryside. That's one extra day of mercy that this world's bought... and it's one day more than these creatures have ever had the luxury of enjoying before we came.”

Wildcard and Kepler nodded.

Eventually, Ariel herself nodded.

Logan rubbed his stubbled chin, sighing. “Well, Rainbow...” He looked across the way. “...I can't say I'm entirely on board with this idea. But so long as Bard's bromancer and the murder turkey are seeing the logic behind it... I can't see why I should stick my stubborn fetlocks into the mud.”

“Jee...” Flynn rolled his one good eye. “...thanks.”

“Your speech was fruity and so are you.” Logan gave the unicorn a light kick before turning to Rainbow again. “Fact is—Rainbow—you're the leader and what you say goes. Are we doing this?” His eyebrow arched. “Are we going full splittsville?”

Rainbow fidgeted in place, feeling all of the eyes on her. “... … ...phweeeeeeee...” Her ears folded. “There'll be no going back from this... huh?”

“Just how much time did Nat'rdo give you to mull it over?”

Ranbow was silent.

Logan cocked his head to the side. “Long enough time to go for a walk...?”

That Awesome Fart Checker

The stone roads of “Blobstain” stretched before Rainbow Dash—desolate and dreary. An occasional sleepless Dihmer or two lingered along the cornerstones that hadn't yet fallen to bits with the ages, but—for the most part—the stroll was an appropriately empty one, serenaded by the nonstop bass chorus of the slime beyond the sloping cliffsides.

Rainbow had only made it about three blocks before she shuffled to a stop, sighed, and muttered to the air beside her.

“Okay. Let's have it out.” She cocked her head at an angle. “...who here thinks this is a stupid idea?”

“Well...” Twilight Sparkle was the first to drift into view. “...at the risk of beating a dead tree to dust, it most definitely is a risky gamble, Rainbow Dash.”

Applejack drifted in second. “We can't be there in yer dreams, sugarcube,” she said, brow furrowing. “Or else I'd tell ya if this Nat'rdo pony was lyin' to you or not.”

Rarity, third. “I hate to say it—but the reputation of the Bloodwings precedes them! How can we measure their word of honor against all of the absolutely horrid violence they've committed to those living here?!”

Pinkie Pie drifted in, eyes crossing. “Farty farty fart fart far!”

“Uhm...” Fluttershy squinted at her. “What are you doing...?”

“Upping the counter!”

“What counter?”

“Fart fart farty fart!”

“Pinkie!” Rarity scowled. “Honestly!” She tilted her powdery nose heavenward with a dainty frown. “If you haven't anything poignant to say on the subject, then don't say anything at all!”

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?” Pinkie shrugged with a lazy smile. “Rainbow Dash has to swallow her own pride and make friendly with a bunch of winged murdering savages, just like she had to face the music when it came to dealing with Verlax, and yet after falling into every one of the demented Divine's traps she still managed to save most of Rohbredden and win us a badflank living razor-talon'd griffin girl for beefing up the Herald with extra security while traversing the Dark Side, almost as if Dashie's got a pinkie sense of her own that magically protects her from extreme consequences too severe to ever be able to claw back from—which she has anyways—and now she's gearing up to do it again with the meanie-meanie leatherheads living in a big pew-pew death tree, so what's to be so worried about!”

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash exchanged blinking exchanges with her companions.

“Pinkie...” Applejack arched an eyebrow. “You pick the dang strangest times to let your muzzle run laps.”

“Farty farty fart farty fart!” Pinkie “swam” circles above the group, humming melodically.

“Even with your past successes under consideration, darling...” Rarity looked at their anchor. “I think it would be quite wise to practice caution.”

“How?” Rainbow shrugged. “By doing nothing?” She pointed at the grand fuchsia ocean beyond the last row of buildings. “If I put that between me and Lexxic's hunting party, I'll still be having to make the same decision I have to make now... only then it'll be a whole lot friggin' harder.”

“Mmmhmmm...” Applejack nodded. “Reckon you've learned a thing or two about how downright foolish it is to leave thangs for 'another time.'”

“Yeah, well, patience becomes a tasty virtue after you've lived for nearly a year with a blind zebra and a demented elk...” Rainbow Dash blinked. “... … ...and Zaid.”

“But these sarosian folks may be hankerin' to gobble you up all the same!” Applejack breathed. “Wherever yer fixin' on goin', you'd better take Wildcard, 'cuz these Bloodwingers just might attack on sight!”

“Oh come onnnnn!” Pinkie Pie “backstroked” past the group, smiling upside down. “What could they possibly gain from dropping the axe onto Dashie's dashnoggin?”

“They could claim the Element of Loyalty—and it's lunar enchantment—as their own,” Twilight Sparkle said. “And they'd also seize Axan's dragonstone, which would lead them to the location of the other two Shards of Endrax.”

“Oh...” Pinkie Pie blinked, freezing in mid-swim. “Those are pretty big gains! Oh well!” She resumed frog-stroking through the air. “Farrrrrrrt fart fartsssss!”

“We could leave the dragonstone here,” Fluttershy suggested. “With the Heraldites who stay behind.”

“Nah, Flutters.” Rainbow slowly shook her head. “If this ends with these dreamtrotting melon fudges jumping me, then the quest is good as over. Doesn't matter who would get the dragonstone—or the shards—if there's no hope of saving Urohringr anymore.”

“Oh...” Fluttershy's ears drooped. “...well, when you put it like that...”

“Ideaaaa!” Rarity perked up. “The dragonstone could be used as a bargaining chip—or, rather—the information that Axan's posthumous gift provides!”

“How so?” Applejack squinted.

“The fact that Rainbow Dash possesses the dragonstone gives her intuition concerning the location of the other two shards.” Rarity smiled mischievously. “If she presents this information to the Bloodwings, they'll likely spare her so that they can perform strategic strikes against both the Keepers and the Night Shards to obtain the missing pieces!”

“Yeah...” Applejack frowned. “Or they might just chop off the hooves holding the dragonstone and use it on their lonesome!”

“Do... we really need to help the Bloodwings attack the other factions?”

“Well, not necessarily!” Rarity's eyelashes fluttered. “We only need to suggest that—”

“Suggest what?!?” Applejack shrugged hard. “They've been fightin' this war for lifetimes, Rarity! The quest to open the Midnight Armory is all they know! Of course they're gonna want to squash the competition to get to what's inside!”

“And how's Dashie gonna break it to the batty-bats that she needs to grab the Harmonic Prism in the end and not them?” She waggled her eyebrows as she slowly swam by. “Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarts.”

“They ain't gonna give somethin' like that up,” Applejack said. “At some point, Rainbow's gonna have to come clean with these folks.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Or rob them blind.”

“She's dead if she tries that nonsense.”

“She'll be dead with the other choice.”

“Reckon not.” Applejack shook her head. “If we can just show these fellers the light—”

“Like we did with the sarosians of Bleak's Plummet?” Rarity folded her forelimbs. “They already had the light, Applejack. Not these murdering brutes. I'm sorry, but I really don't think Rainbow Dash can afford to be fully complicit with them!”

“You know what the ponies of the Dark Side need?” Fluttershy bore a small, delicate smile. “A show of kindness.” A sad, melodic sigh escaped her lips. “I'm afraid they haven't known that in eons. But... if Rainbow can spread the wholesomeness of Equestria... maybe... just maybe they'll consider a non-violent alternative and help save this plane.”

“The problem with that, Flutters,” Rainbow muttered, “Is that I can already tell from Nat'rdo's speech that these sarosians believe that everything under Celestia—the 'Daybreaker'—is completely corrupt and evil.” She looked at Applejack. “They might look at me as an invader and not a friend.”

Applejack shrugged. “Or they could not.”

“It's too risky of a gamble, darling,” Rarity said.

“This entire idea is a risk, Rarity,” Twilight said with a sigh. “A risk that—I fear—we've been putting off for far too long.” Her eyes darted up to meet Rainbow's.

Rainbow slowly nodded.

With a gulp, Twilight continued: “It's not like we'd be going into this completely unarmed. Luna's enchantment... it just might be enough to enlighten these ponies.”

“Right...”

Twilight gestured. “If Princess of the Night's magic is powerful enough to ward off a sarosian presence in Rainbow's dream, then who knows just what it can do in the corporeal world?”

“I won't be going there to experiment, Twi,” Rainbow said. “I'll be going to see if they're the faction that I can work with.”

“And...” Fluttershy curled up into a nervous yellow ball. “...if they're not?”

“... … ...” Rainbow took a deep breath. “Then I've got some flight exercise ahead of me.” She looked out upon the pink expanse. “And we'll need our backup plan to put as much distance between us and the Bloodwings as possible.”

Silence fell over the group.

“We trust you, Rainbow,” Twilight Sparkle said in an earnest tone. “None of us... c-can really make this decision for you.”

“You've faced severe challenges before,” Rarity said. “Our lives were as much in your hooves then as they are now.” A solid—yet nervous—smile blossomed. “We'd be foolish to pretend like we have any greater experience in what to do here...”

“But... we ain't aimin' to make it hard for you either, darlin',” Applejack said. “Please... tell us... what do you need the most right now?”

“To be honest...?” Rainbow rubbed her aching head as her ears twitched with each boom-boom-boom of the alien ocean beyond. “...I could use some peace and quiet to think”

“I...” Twilight Sparkle chuckled nervously, gazing at the inhospitable urbanscape crumbling around them. “...I don't know if we can do much to help there.”

“Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar—” Pinkie drifted in.

“Httt!” Applejack bucked her hard in the side.

“Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee—” Blip! Pinkie vanished in a vanilla flicker of light.

“Reckon we can go somewhere where we won't make a peep,” Applejack said with a goofy smile.

“Mmmmmm-yessss...” Rarity stifled a yawn. “That sounds divine, actually.”

Twilight looked at her remaining friends, then at their anchor. “It's about time for us to rest up. Do you think that would be alright, Rainbow?”

“Totes, girl.” Rainbow saluted. “So long as one of you stays, of course.”

“I will.” Fluttershy raised her hoof with a bashful. “I'm the quietest,” she whispered.

Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight joined Pinkie in the invisible realm beyond...

...and Rainbow Dash continued her lonesome stroll with a politely silent Fluttershy floating after her as a feather-light chaperone.

That Which We Purge

It was a queer thing when Rainbow Dash wasn't in the mood for flying.

This was one of those times, a moment that drifted past her icily, like the blacker-than-black windows and doors to ancient stone buildings. Peering in, she could scarcely make out the bodies of Dihmer equines lounging within. Every pony was propped up, sitting, or standing—and she always saw them with their eyes open. Vacant gazes stared off into the granite malaise with no hint of emotion or whimsy. The Dihmers looked in many ways more sterile and lifeless than the stone around them.

Rainbow Dash wondered if they were even capable of sleep... or if perhaps they had somehow trained themselves to avoid unconsciousness—as if they'd somehow suffer more feelings under the threat of dreaming than they would when awake and in full control of their faculties.

There was no past and no future for the Dihmers. It was only now... and even that they couldn't afford to enjoy... to live.

Someway, somehow, the goblins had managed to bleed money from such a civilization. The bitter irony was not lost to Rainbow Dash, and she found herself trotting wide circles to avoid the various imp establishments.

There was a break between metalworking shifts. As a result, the smokestacks and steam vents fitted to the Smelt-Blooders' foundry had momentarily stopped billowing soot and sediment into the sky. The faint veil of twilight peeked through. For the entirety of her journey through the Dark Side, the sunless sky had been an intolerably bleak sight to Rainbow Dash. Now—as the ethereal curtain to this dismal domain—it shone as warm and inviting as a spring sky in Equestria. Gazing up, Rainbow—and Fluttershy—could see swirling bands of cosmic dust dancing with an intergalactic sparkle.

Rainbow wondered if there were other places—other pieces of huge and important things—where wayward automatons of sapient life clung to existence... even if they gave themselves nothing to cling to at all. Back on the Light Side, Rainbow imagined that Scootaloo was assisting Spike in his workshop while Luna paid her meditative older sister a visit. Zecora was cooking up potions for the sick; Mayor Mare was preparing a new speech for that year's Winter-Wrap up. Cheerilee and her schoolfoals were taking care of the local animals in Fluttershy's stead and the Wonderbolts were off being awesome, performing tricks to enchant and dazzle the innocent denizens of Equestria.

That world—with all of its colors and thoughts and souls—was no less real than the nihilistic domain that Rainbow was currently navigating. It was no less special than Luxmare or Val Roa or Rohbredden or Durandana or Kihutaja or Xona or the recovering populace of Silvadel. And yet—with its lifeless citizens lost in thousand-mile gazes, being preyed on by nefarious armies and leeched by selfish goblins—Blobstain was no less important... no less unique... no less special. It was more than a practical truth that Rainbow Dash had to tell herself. She had to see it... find it... if only for the briefest of moments.

It would make everything worth it... everything beyond the edge of the Light.

And yet, everywhere she looked, she saw decay. Withering. Wilting. Pretending to live... or perhaps something else in between... something that was wordless—for the Dihmers had eliminated all the words to describe it. That way, they didn't have to do anything. They didn't have to care.

Rainbow Dash cared. Rainbow Dash cared a lot. That's what brought her across the world and over the side of nothingness. Chaperoned by the Herald or illuminated by her half-resurrected friends, it made no difference. None of them had made the decision for Rainbow Dash to spread her wings in the first place. Nopony but herself had foaled the impetus to challenge the sunrise.

Now—in a world with no mornings—she still felt the insatiable need to move forward. Only this time, it would seem, going forward would require flying in reverse for a spell.

She shuffled past an open courtyard. The air smelled of iron and sour moisture. Rainbow and her friend looked towards the side. Fluttershy instantly winced.

Dihmers sat in rows, saturated in their own blood and in the blood of those who squatted there before them. Barbs, thorns, and serrated crowns of metal rested on their foreheads. They were the authors of the scars that lined the shaved ponies' scalps... among other things. Arranged in crimson lines, the denizens of the ancient, crumbling town repeated the same mantra over and over again, releasing all semblance of pain into the blackness between the stars above.

Fluttershy couldn't help but sniffle. Her ghostly eyes moistened, and she raised a hoof to dry them. Rainbow was helpless to pacify her, so she merely stood closer—in a gesture that loosely resembled a nuzzle... or a hug.

Rainbow's expression was almost as neutral as the ascetic figures before her. She gazed from face to face—observing every muzzle and neck and body. There was a oneness—a uniformity to the Dihmers in their self-punishment. Perhaps, in a way, that reduced themselves to a number that was easy to erase in their minds.

Rainbow Dash remembered the first day she flew east. The only number she cared about was five... and it had already been erased from her life. From that point on—as much as she played it off with casual grace and a devil-may-care grin—she only cared about zero.

A full circle. Broken. Weeping silently to be restored.

She dwelt on this, and it was almost enough to purge the problem that was plaguing her, but not quite. She trotted listlessly down the streets and past more and more vacant-faced Dihmers. At some point, she passed by a junkyard of sorts. There, the air filled with chattering, bickering voices. Rainbow and Fluttershy had stumbled upon a trade center of sorts for the goblins. The imps gathered in the thickest droves Rainbow had seen yet. Their pendants flickered with countless shades of gray—the crimson etchings forming a mosaic of random images and emblems that danced amidst the haggling crowd. In sharp contrast to the Dihmers, the creatures here were passionate, amiable, irascible, curious, caustic and confrontational. They fought and squabbled for the most inane pieces of junk, attributing numbers to the detritus of untold necrotic civilizations.

Rainbow shuffled closer towards the group—even as her vision rippled with the onset of multiple dizzy spells. She teetered a bit in her trot, and Fluttershy noticed it—among other things.

“Rainbow...?” Fluttershy fidgeted nervously. “Rai—... ...—sh?” She blinked in and out of existence like a yellow-and-pink flame. “Caref—... … —oo close t—!” Her soft, pleading voice dissipated.

Rainbow scuffled to a stop, as close as she could manage. She clenched her eyes before the red-and-yellow could peek out from beneath her lids. The mare held her breath in, struggling against her unsavory half, precariously, like performing an acrobatic trick on the edge of a cliff.

Then—out from the mess of voices and imp spit—

“... … …you rang, Sparky?”

Rainbow Dash sucked her breath in... but she did not move. She simply stood there—crooked and weak—with jaws clenched tight.

“The least you could do is ask for me. By name.”

In the midst of the goblins, tables stretched in a line, covered with stacks of strips that the Accountant-Bloods counted with dutiful vigor. Every once in a while, a spiraling serpent or skittering insect of chaotic translucence would manifest from the Marrow, scraping at the night sky, terrified at its sudden gift of brief, blissful sentience. Out from this maddening mosaic, the most chaotic spectre of all materialized, sporting a fanged grin as he swam his way towards his anchor.

“You can even adopt a new moniker if the old one still sickens you so much,” Discord said, billowing through the bodies of imps and goblins and junkyard specimens. He twirled around with ballerina grace and cooed, “'Goat Face.' 'Jeremy.' 'Hillary.' 'Boob.'” A twirl of his dragon's tail, and he winked. “”Lancie!' That's a good one. Eh... nobody cares...”

Rainbow breathed through her teeth, forcing her eyes tighter shut.

“What's all this, anyways?” Discord said through a bored yawn. “Your way of embracing the Dark Side literally?” He pretended the play bongos on the head of multiple goblins. “You already spent half-a-continent pretending to have a broken wing, Sparky. I doubt you can pull the same prank with your eyes. Besides...” He glanced over, eyebrow arched. “...you're going to need them all the more now... with what you're having to contend with.”

“... … ...” Rainbow's throat swallowed.

“Oh, I know about it, alright. Being stuck inside you is like being stuck in stone, Sparky. I get terribly... insatiably bored.” Discord rolled his red-on-yellow eyes. “I really have no choice but to subject myself to your insufferable exposition gluttony.” Nostrils flaring, he morphed his wrists into button-eyed goblin puppets and had them do battle in the twilight. “So you've been invited to join the bat-party, eh? Lucky Sparky. Better pack yourself a cape and cowl, cuz them's some brooding motherfuc—”

“They could kill me dead,” Rainbow Dash hissed, as if it poisoned her to expel words towards him. “Lexxic. The matriarchs. The whole friggin' gang. It's very likely an ambush.”

“So she does talk!” Discord's fang flickered in the cosmic light. “Well, if I didn't pick a lovely time to crash the convention! I wonder... does she sing too?” He exchanged curious glances with the goblin-puppets. “Or am I going to have to wait until Season Five for the solo?”

“But sensing their one connection to Luna on me... and then executing me?” Rainbow gnashed her teeth, eyelids tightening. “It doesn't make sense.”

“Hahahaha!” Discord tossed the puppets into nothingness with one ecstatic shrug. “I know! And that's what makes this side of the cosmic toenail so darn exciting! Then again...” He snaked over towards her and wrapped nebulously about her petite frame. “...going on a suicide mission in the name of 'harmony' isn't particularly sensible either. So... I suppose...” He waggled his eyebrows. “...one pony group is going to have to outnonsense the other. Tell me... who here is more equipped with chaos? You...? Or the ones obsessed with raining down ever vengeful nighttttttttt on their heretical foes?”

Rainbow shuddered. “... … ...there's just no way to tell.”

“Isn't there?” Discord stood up straight, folding his forelimbs. “If you tell this to anypony, Sparky, I'm going to deny it. But...” His eyes squinted and his head spun around three times to scan for “listeners.” When he was finished, he swiveled his cranium to a stop, smirking. “...deep down, I have a soft spot for Celestia and Luna.”

Rainbow's muzzle scrunched.

“How could I, you ask?” Discord winked. “Because far beneath all of their super serious surface smegma, they're champions of chaos—just like me! After all... what sense was there ever in planting the cute little death ziggurat in the middle of this world? Just to have a place to store harmony? Piddlesticks, I say! The piddlestickiest of piddlesticks!” He snaked around Rainbow again and breathed ghostily into her face. “Your precious alicorn progenitors planted far more seeds of chaos than I ever did.” He gestured. “The Trinary War? The exodus and death of Endrax? The sad-sack broken heart of Verlax? I had nothing to do with all of that nonsense! But the alicorns did... straight from the beginning.”

“... … ...”

Discord's face hung between a scowl and a grin, or perhaps it was both. “You can't imagine how unbelievably jealous I've been of such an accomplishment.” One second. Five. Ten—“But now! Everything's just peachy!”—He sprung up and spread his arms out with a joyous expression. “Because we're right here in the thick of it! And now you have the means to do something for this crazy shindig that's been in the cards for far... far too long, Sparky!”

Rainbow seethed. Nevertheless: “And what's that?”

“Uncork the bottle,” Discord exhaled. “Let it alllllll implode.”

She started to tremble, ears flicking as if letting off steam.

“Stir up the bee's hive. Turn the bastards on each other,” Discord hissed. “The bugs, the bats, and the blowhard shards. The imps and the dihmers and the spiders too—rattle the glass jar and then smash it against the ground.” His red pupils slowly enlarged until they took up the entirety of his sockets. “See who survives the longest when the rain sweeps over. Let chaos play out...”

Rainbow shook and shuddered—

“...and when the smoke has settled, you can pick up your precious prism. Oh, and trust me, I'm all for it. I really am. Because there'll be no sense in that either.” Discord grinned a razor-sharp grin, his hairy jowls flaring. “...life... and the quickening of that life... is so very wonderfully nonsensical, once you think about it...”

“You're... wrong...” Rainbow grunted.

“Now now now Sparky, look around you!” Discord gestured. “This whole crap bucket—”

“—deserves to live!” She flashed her eyes open, red-and-yellow as entrails. Spittle danced between fangs. “Even as ugly as it is! Because I've been ugly too!”

“Right now...?” Discord purred, eyelashes fluttering. “I'd say you're positively radiant—”

“Hrsssssssssssssssssssh—!” Rainbow hissed, seethed, rolled her eyes back—

FLASH!

Discord was replaced by a gasping Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash stumbled backwards, panting for breath. Gone were the fangs and the discolored eyes. Meanwhile, two warm streams of blood ran down her scarred brow. She looked forward with tiny, timid pupils.

The entire crowd of goblins had frozen in place, staring and blinking curiously at the crazed spectral pegasus who had been rambling to herself. Slowly—with awkward grace—they returned to their bustling exchange.

“Mmmmm...” Nervous, Fluttershy floated closer to her anchor. “...Rainbow Dash? Can you hear me?”

“... … ...” Rainbow raised a hoof to her head. She felt the blood... watched as it stained her fetlock—like so many Dihmer she had witnessed before.

She only wished he could be purged just as easily.

“Rainbow...” Fluttershy calmed, her ears nevertheless folding back with mild disappointment. She kept her voice soft: “What... did he say...?”

Rainbow inhaled deeply. “Everything I predicted he would.” She pressed her blood-stained hoof to her pendant. The lightning bolt and the juices matched. That was poetic enough for her. “Everything I'm dedicated to kicking in the friggin' teeth.” She frowned. “Long ago, a circle was broken... and it was wrong. I'm not gonna let it stay that way forever.” She shook her head before glaring at Fluttershy. “I'm not going to give up on this side of the world—no matter how miserable or misguided they may be!”

Fluttershy nodded, understanding. “And if the Bloodwings kill you for your courage?”

“They won't. They can't.” Rainbow marched firmly away from the junkyard. “I'm too damned awesome to let that happen to the world.” Her wings spread, and at last she was flying again. “Come on. Let's go.”

A Time For Review

“Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to do a bit of review. Y'know... to catch up?”

“Today is gonna be the day, eh, Twilight?”

“It's only night over here, Rainbow.”

“You know what I mean, egghead.”

“No, I don't—”

“Will you just friggin' begin with the lecture already?! Jeez!”

“Oh! Uh... right. Ahem... so—as you know—I spent... uhhhh... a good chunk of my foalhood and young adulthood inside the library.”

“Right.”

“But not just any library—but Princess Celestia's Royal Library! In Canterlot!”

“Right...”

“The largest archive of information—both historic and prehistoric—in all of Equestria! Why, even the Grand Records of the Zebrahara can't compare to—”

“The Luna and the sarosians, Twilight. If you wouldn't mind...”

“S-sorry. I just... really get in the zone when it comes to talking history.”

“I feel ya. So, you spent a lot of time in Celestia's library.”

“That's right.”

“I'm guessing... you had access to information that wasn't usually given to the public.”

“Mmmmm-yes. You could say that. Although lots that I read up on is... colloquially known among several communities in Equestria. Torontrot, Winnipeg, and Marentreal, most especially.”

“The Northern Trots, eh?”

“Ehhhhhhhh-yeah. Sure. But much of the hoofed-down oratory information is... obscure, to say the least. There was a veritable eon where ponies chose not to talk about anything related to Princess Luna or the Midnight Matriarchs. What—with the legacy of Nightmare Moon having... soured all positive connotation of Luna's legacy.”

“Is that why the 'Mare in the Moon' was always called an 'old mare's tale?'”

“That's correct! But I had access to officially documented information. In fact—I was reading up on a lot of the transcribed prophecies written by the surviving sarosian scholars during the Reconstruction Period. That's why I was—”

“—so obsessed with the 'stars aiding in Nightmare Moon's escape' right when you came to Ponyville.”

“Exactly.”

“See, Twilight? I remember stuff!”

“So do I. And the tale I remember the most about is Saros. The First Dream.”

“Well, out with it, egghead. Crack your yolk and stuff.”

“Don't mind if I do. Ahem...”

Starlight. Constellations. Nebulae.

Against a shimmering nightscape, an equine form took shape, darker than funeral silk and as beautiful as an obsidian sepulcher.

With wings spread, she glided over the sleeping countryside. Mountains, streams, valleys—all fell under her soft, silent vigil.

Calm eyes reflected households, stables, and villages full of sleeping ponies. She flew above them—aloof yet anchored, with nothing but the gentle hush of the night to herald her persistent, selfless patrol.

“Over a thousand years ago, the night had only one protector. It was a deeply intricate job, one fraught with darkness and impenetrable solitude. Legend has it that the younger of the two surviving Equestrian monarchs could just have easily have chosen to guard the day instead. But she opted for the lonelier task—the more somber road.

“It suited her, after all. She communed easily with the shadows, possessed a heart that could measure the dismal depths of everything we choose to forget and neglect upon the fall of evening. When the world shut down, she would rise from the unseen corners everywhere to monitor it.

“This was a noble task—a sacred task—and she elected to use the moon as her pale sentry. Nopony ever gave her enough credit. And—for an age—she never asked for any.”

Wings pierced the air.

Hooves emblazoned with lunar silver glinted with the kiss of stars.

Hovering, settling, falling...

...she perched on a cliffside overlooking a palace in the middle of an ever-expansive forest. A sea of wind-blown treetops hung heavy and glossy under a waxing gibbous.

She peered out at the horizon. At that subtly curved plane swimming in an endless sea of twinkling pinpricks.

Wordless and expressionless, she rested upon the brink of her vantage point. Gazing, digesting, contemplating.

“Princess Luna. The Matriarch of Shadows. Keeper of the Tides and Warden of Slumber.

“She has moved hearts with her melancholic complexion. Expanded minds with her enigmatic demeanor. While her older sister embraced councils, communities, kings and queens with speeches—Luna rendered everyone and everything with silence. Not of the rude kind—mind you—but ever accompanied by a piercing gaze and attentive ears.

“Despite what a dramatic turn of events might have you believe, Princess Luna was only ever the epitome of passive wisdom. She chose to observe from afar—to allow the complexities of the world to flesh themselves out like so many fragile subjects restoring themselves in sleep. Immortality was her ally, and she allowed the canvas of time to reveal the tasks that needed addressing.

“Needless to say—noble or not—the Princess of the Night was so very much alone.”

The alicorn hung her head with a heavy sigh.

Her wings spread, and she glided forward once again.

She soared over rivers and lakes. Beneath her, rippling waters cast a constant reflection of the moon. Her body formed a sacred silhouette against that pale glow—piercing, ever-present, and patient.

“And so Luna persisted, night after night, flying over continents and oceans and purple mountains and—”

“Uhm... do the sarosians show up at any point, Twilight???”

“I'm getting to them, Rainbow!!!”

“Well could you get to them faster? I swear, it feels like it's been twenty-five months...”

“Okay, look, just—listen. You know how both the sun and moon are artificial manifestations of Alicorn magic? Harmonious magic?”

“Uh huh...”

“Well, alicorn magic—from what Princess Celestia told me—is at its strongest when it imitates nature. No doubt the alicorns who came from the Harmonic Plains had witnessed the actual revolutions of heavenly bodies. Nature—in the universe at large—functions under a unique clockwork that abides by specific laws and principles. Under these rules, planets and stars and other spheroids rotate around each other. In order to cast light on this world and maintain harmony, the alicorns needed a system that would work as naturally as possible.”

“And so they chose the Sun and Moon.”

“Right. But with the Sun and Moon came naturally occurring systems that the alicorns sought to recreate—so that way the life on the lit-side of this plane could experience existence as 'naturally' as possible.”

“And this means... … …?”

“Eclipses, Rainbow Dash. Celestia and Luna were tasked with simulating eclipses.”

“Not of the Onyx variety—I hope.”

“Huh? Oh no. No no no no no—I speak of a two-princess job that took meticulous alteration of the artificial bodies to accomplish.”

“Meaning...?”

One night...

...when the whole sleepy plane was illuminated by the pale sheen of a full moon.

Princess Luna and Princess Celestia stood upon the peak of Mount Canterlot.

They gazed up at the lunar body hanging high overhead. After counting the hours... minutes...

...the two royal sisters exchanged glances. A mutual nod shook between them. In tandem, they summoned a bright stream of mana through their horns. They aimed their combined magic at the sky.

Layer by layer, the moon above was coated over with a blood-red tint. Soon, that curved color was followed by darkness. This lasted for approximately half-an-hour, and it took the combined labor of both alicorn mares to channel. At last, their work was done, and the brief darkening was replaced by the pale orb that all of Equestria had come to know.

“In a way, simulating eclipses became more of a ritual than a natural necessity. While a seldom occurrence, it allowed Luna and Celestia to come together—to combine their strengths and manifest the sum of their glorious abilities. It represented the precious union of their matriarchy, and their dual commitment to the mortals living under their brilliance.

“In the daytime, the royal subjects were forewarned of the phenomenon that would be made manifest. It became a tradition for Equestrians to observe the spectacle of a solar eclipse. If nothing else, it reinforced their respect for our alicorn rulers—for what was otherwise a fearsome sight was merely a symbol of the royal sisters' sacrament: their pledge to protect all living creatures within the matriarchy.

“In the nighttime—however—very few ponies paid heed to the lunar equivalent of this. No doubt it may have affected Princess Luna on some level, but she nevertheless performed her duty alongside Princess Celestia with absolutely zero complaints. But soon—she and Celestia would realize—the performance of the lunar eclipse would have a drastic effect on ponies everywhere...

“...and it would usher in a new labor that Luna would have to attend to nightly.”

A rustling at first.

Then a disturbance.

Then a full-blown tumult.

Princess Luna's eyes were the first to open. Twinkling with starlight and concern, they darted every which way—searching for the source of the impromptu bellowing. The younger alicorn's wings outstretched. She roused Celestia from her meditation.

The older sister remained seated. While she opened her eyes in response to both Luna and the noise, she could not move from that spot. At least one of them staying calm and focused was the only way to make sure that the entire eclipse transpired without incident—the harmonic magic was that delicate.

Nevertheless, both regal mares exchanged a long, worried look. All the while, the unmistakable chorus of screaming, yelling ponies built up into an eerie cacophony clamoring from all across the countryside.

Luna signaled for Celestia to remain still.

Celestia nodded in affirmation. She watched—anxious and anchored—as her sister took wing, gliding down the mountainside and past treetops.

Within a minute, Luna had descended upon the nearest village to where the two had been situated. She landed in the center of the town square. The whimpers and moans were all around her now. Hooves grinding against dirt and grass, she galloped towards the nearest building and burst effortlessly through the front door. She lit her horn, peering all across the small, humble interior.

At last—she found the source of the noise: royal subjects, peasants, farmers, traders. A family of ponies of multiple generations sat slumbering in their respective cots.

Only... they weren't even remotely tranquil. They shift and shook and writhed—all the while unconscious... or the closest thing to it. Many of them stammered, pronouncing horrors and making desperate pleas to their passed ancestors.

Luna's lips pursed as she gazed upon the scene in complete bafflement.

“It may indeed be supremely difficult for the likes of us to imagine a time before dreaming. But Luna and Celestia have both lived long enough to see the beginning of many things. Night visions was one such manifestation. Until the night of one fateful lunar eclipse, there was no record of dreaming among the equine populace. The same can be said of any other creature—at least those who also were capable of record-keeping.”

“Yeah. I can imagine that must have been pretty freaky.”

“Can you, Rainbow Dash? Can you imagine what it must have been? To have witnessed your mortal citizens going virtually insane in their slumber? Not able to make sense out of the senselessness? Not even being able to wake up?”

“I'm guessing Princess Luna caught on very quick.”

“A testament to her wisdom, no doubt. But what transpired shortly thereafter was no easy feat. It soon became obvious that something was affecting every pony in Equestria—and that it was somehow related to the lunar eclipse that Celestia and Luna had performed.”

From high above the village, Celestia remained where she was perched. She craned her neck, wincing under the pulsating energy of her pronounced horn. Her face wrestled with worry, and for a moment it looked as if she was going to end the eclipse prematurely to go check on her sister.

It was then that she saw a light strobing gently from down below. It was the color of Luna's magic—and the younger alicorn was signaling her elder to remain where she was. So Celestia abode.

And Princess Luna...

...she gathered all of the villagers into the center of the town. With expert telekinesis, she lifted them from their beds and levitated them until they formed a circle of writhing, sobbing, distressed bodies in the village square.

Princess Luna sat calmly in the middle of them all. Poised on folded limbs, she bowed her head and concentrated on their wails—on the scant spaces between their breaths. She found a subtle silence gluing the noise all together, and she hurled her consciousness straight through the hole of that infinitesimal needle...

In search of a spark. A hint. A solution.

An answer.

In due time it would come to her—shadowed and poised—behind the crimson penumbra of that eclipsed beacon that she had pledged to uphold her entire immortal life.

“Princess Luna—acquainted with shadows and lonesomeness—was no stranger to fear.

“She was also not afraid of it. She threw her consciousness head-first into that maddening spell, courageously and zealously, with no second thought given for herself. All that mattered was the safety of her subjects, and with great precision she pierced the torn fabrics of their mind, seeking to relieve them of the insurmountable terror that had preyed upon them through the doorway that the eclipse had inexplicably made.

“Little did she know that in so doing—in committing herself to such a noble pursuit—she would uncover a new host of subjects. Entities born—not out of physical consecration or social pacts—but out of a different substance altogether, belonging to nothing more than the night... and the invisible secrets sewn deeply within.”

Princess Luna's eyes darted about. A sheen of cold sweat rippled down her brow. Nevertheless, she did her best to remain calm.

She remained calm... despite venturing through an otherworldly starscape filled with howls and shrieks. She saw before her—or at least envisioned—an enormous rotating chamber of butchered cosmos and mutated galaxies, twirling both clockwise and counterclockwise down a hollow tunnel that was countless black constellations wide. There was no measurement that existed to calculate the depths of that dismal domain, and yet it was filled to the brink with screams.

Where the nebulous chamber led—Luna could not tell for certain. As best she squinted, she could make out a malevolent glow towards the very end of the channel, bespeckled with black holes that flashed with the consumption of hundreds of billions of impacting bodies. With each flicker, Luna heard the howls growing more and more pronounced, so that some long-buried reptilian sliver of her mind interpreted the blinks as the extinguishing of untold souls, drawn towards oblivion by the irreversible conveyance of time.

It all smelled of something crueler than death, of a bodiless predator so old that it predated the beating of hearts. Luna had only one pretense—to remove the consciousness of all Equestria from this everlasting plummet. But as she drew forward down the cosmic narrow, she saw shapes and colors of a different sort. Her mind tried to make sense of the kaleidoscopic deluge of information, but the tunnel only grew larger and more chaotic.

She was getting nowhere at that rate, and so she channeled her harmonic energy into the mix. Almost immediately, there was a change. The tunnel narrowed like an elastic tube being stretched at both ends. This brought the howls, screams, and clamoring closer to her on all sides. She peered into the swirling madness, and her harmonic mind transfixed on motifs of familiarity. In so doing, the Alicorn of the Night distilled her power into the surface layer of the madness... and it started to take form.

Many things became fewer things, and their howls relaxed into shrieks and chirps and hisses. She saw the flaps of leather wings manifesting in and out of the obsidian clouds. Midnight velvet fur bristled in the abominable starlight. Then—at last—as she came within a fetlock's brush of the wall of wails, she saw the bone-white flicker of fangs, fangs, fangs.

Princess Luna stared deep into this rotating abyss of anomalous fright, and she did what any mortal wouldn't. She thrust herself into the miasma and embraced it. A million mandibles bit into her from all angles, piercing flesh and hooves and organs. But she withstood it all, even as the tunnel imploded entirely, to the point of crushing strangulation. She held tight to the pulsating nub of madness, despair, and hysterical anger.

It was then that she curved her wings back, producing drag. The swirling clouds shredded to tiny fumes against the shoals of her almighty frame.

And just like that, the First Nightmare ended.

Princess Luna squatted in the center of the village—with the breathless ponies slowly waking one by one. They were exhausted, but thoroughly sane... cleansed of the madness.

They were also not alone.

All mortals watched with gaping expressions as Princess Luna unfolded her wings. They saw her clinging tightly to fresh new equine bodies... and those same equine bodies clinging to her. Like bats to a stalactite in a cave.

They were ponies—but no normal ponies—instead frightful specimens with slitted eyes, leafy ears, and fanged teeth. It started with a dozen of them, but between each blink—for the next few minutes and onward—more and more were birthed from the shadows, forming an onyx halo of trembling velvet that huddled immediately around the Princess of the Night.

By then, the eclipse had ceased. With a bright flicker of wings, Princess Celestia descended from up high. She stood among the awestruck villagers and gazed with abject confusion at the scene.

Luna stared back—graceful and emotionless—and she merely hugged members of the new nocturnal union to her frame. Like a suckling mother.

“A new race of ponies, not birthed or transformed or conjured. Merely drawn from a subconscious sea. They were the essence of nightmares, innocent and afraid—but above all loyal to the immortal who had conveyed them into the realm of the living.

“From that night forward, ponies and creatures alike would experience dreaming, as if the subconscious essence of equestrian life had been displaced into the carved pockets of the hellscape Luna had uncovered. However, the initial terror that assaulted the minds of all beings was fleeting. It was as though the new race of ponies that Luna had drawn from the mindstream was the key element to that horror, tantamount to a clogged section of pipework that had backed itself up with madness. Once they were free to exist in the mortal plane, the realm of dreaming became free, placid, unclaimed, and—above all—fertile.

“In time, Luna and her new subordinates would learn how to police that mindscape and aid the slumber of countless mortal minds. But the Princess of the Night was moreover concerned with her duty to a new lineage of equines. Later, she and Celestia would learn something significant about that one night's eclipse. It was the culmination of a full rotation of non-terrestrial elements—a saros—and several heavenly bodies in harmonic orchestration had aligned perfectly to form a solid shadow of opaqueness against the corporeal universe's collective energy. The sisters theorized that it was through this unwitting channel that some otherworldly thing far-removed from harmony found its way to Equestria and landed upon the consciousnesses of every soul that slept.

“It was this isthmus through time, mind, and space that allowed Luna to discover the poor spirits lost in their spiraling nightmare. Without a moment's hesitation, she salvaged those lost children from chaos. And to honor their new life, she gave them a name. The Foals of Saros, the First Dream. In time, they would colloquially be called 'sarosians'... and for many the 'children of nightmares.'”

In the Royal Court...

In a castle overlooking a night-drenched forest...

...dozens upon dozens of leather-winged ponies congregated along the balconies, ramparts, and gardens.

Princess Luna stood before them—tranquil and majestic in the moonlight—and she spread her wings majestically as she imparted wisdom and knowledge and encouragement.

The sarosians gave her their full attention. Slitted eyes and bright fangs glinted beneath the stars. They nodded as they absorbed themselves into her motherly words.

“Princess Luna's new flock consisted of souls possessing a bevy of skills. Chiefest among them was the capacity to learn. The Princess of the Night taught them personally, bestowing gifts of meditation, surveillance, and her personally-ingrained proficiency in all things stalwart and patient.

“From the start, the sarosians were completely captivated with their benefactor. It took very little urging on her part for them to take her instructions to heart. Soon, there was an entire race of nocturnal ponies whose personalities and rituals matched hers to a T.

“Nevertheless, Luna encouraged them to seek out their own identity. Having independence within their grasp, the sarosians opted for adopting a matriarchal society—most likely in imitation of the royal sisters who helped bring them into being. The chief matriarchs of that time came together and wrote that which would become the sacred texts of their culture: The Book of Saros. In it, the sarosians imparted their personal tenets of morality, duty, and honor.

“Despite the insistence of Luna, the most supreme task of a sarosian became swearing unwavering loyalty to the Princess of the Night. She had no choice but to respect this. At the very same time, Luna recognized within the sarosians an unshakably fearsome quality. Unlike the preexisting races of ponies, sarosians—drawn as they were from nightmares—had a predilection for blood. This included the consumption of blood, the shedding of blood, and the invigoration of blood. They innately thrived on carnivorousness, conflict, and intimidation.

“In an effort to safely compartmentalize their passions, Luna established a new branch of the royal guard. Thus began the most traditional role of sarosian kind: enlistment in the Nocturnal Vigil. As Celestia possessed her guards who operated by the day, Luna would have her own army at night. At the time, it would make complete sense to have two separate factions to monitor both halves of the rotating cycle.

“Nopony knew—much less suspected—that these separate factions would one day become opposing sides in a holocaustal war.”

The sun was setting. A final crimson gleam of light crossed the palatial surfaces of the Royal Sisters' castle.

Princess Celestia sat on a balcony's edge, poised and meditative as her horn glowed. Guards stood vigilantly on either side of her as she orchestrated the setting of the sun beyond the distant horizon. When her labors were complete, she stood up with a serene expression.

She sensed her guards shifting with slight unease. Calmly, she turned around and greeted her sister upon approach.

Luna—however—was not alone. A quartet of guards trotted alongside her towards the midnight balcony. They were clad in midnight-black suits of armor, laced with jagged-wing bat motifs that lined the edges of the helms and the outer pauldrons. From beneath their visors, slitted eyes and fanged teeth shone like miniature beacons against the interminable darkness.

Luna and Celestia crossed paths without a word. The sarosians were likely silent. The only shudder to be had was among the day guards—who kept their distance from the nocturnal sentries.

“It didn't take long for the servants of the Royal House—and the equine public at large—to harbor suspicions and reservations about Luna's nocturnal familiars.”

“Pffft. Yeah, I bet.”

“Magic was a great deal less understood in that age, Rainbow. While there were unicorns living then as there are now, the school of sorcery was still in its infancy. Starswirl the Bearded's Age of Enlightenment wouldn't transpire for another few centuries. The general populace had no way of truly understanding exactly how Luna summoned these new entities from a realm of nightmares.”

“To tell you the truth, Twilight, I'm having a hard time wrapping my awesome head around it myself.”

“Luna—already a mysterious soul in the subjects' eyes—was rumored to have adopted her own personal race of ponies. Initially, some went as far as to assume she was abdicating: going off to form her own nation with these 'Nocturnal Vigilantes.' In short, nopony truly understood the role they were meant to play. Even the sarosians were struggling with an identity crisis themselves.”

“Was this the beginning of the prejudice that sarosians suffered?”

“To say the least. Luna instantly rushed to their defense. She had always been neutral and dispassionate about the role she played in maintaining harmony over Equestria. But with the sarosians—things were different. She felt personally responsible for them... for protecting them.”

“She was like their Mommy.”

“Indeed. And like any good mother, she immediately saw the distress that they were experiencing at the hooves of their ignorant kin. So she established for them—and for herself—a sanctuary. A place where they could flock to and feel secure, protected, and safe to pursue any and all aspirations worthy of a race rescued from pure nightmares.”

“Are you gonna say 'Ponymonium?' Please say 'Ponymonium,' Twi.”

“That's right, Rainbow Dash. Ponymonium.”

In droves, families of velvet-coated equines trotted through a fluctuating blue portal situated within the heart of the Royal Sisters' castle. A ring of glowing jewels surrounded the summoned doorway, consisting of six distinctly-colored slices of harmonic metal. The air of the room brimmed with Elemental power and might.

Princess Celestia stood with her royal guards, smiling comfortingly at every sarosian who approached the portal. She took time to speak with more than a few of them, easing their anxieties and guiding those with purpose towards the gateway.

As the subjects—who chose to—proceeded to trot through the portal, they found themselves emerging upon a pale interior, grand and spacious. Ivory pillars and massive courtyards had been individually hoof-carved into the heart of an incalculably huge bastion of bone-white splendor. There were elevated niches along the ceiling—perfectly flavored for nocturnal equines hanging in repose. Corridors led to adjacent chambers with libraries, armories, commissaries, universities, and countless habitats.

In the center of it all—embracing an ever-increasing crowd of enthused denizens—stood Princess Luna. She spread her wings and brandished something she had never afforded for generations spent policing the terrestrial surface.

A smile.

With this, she welcomed her children. With this, she blessed them. With this, she would lead them.

“Sooooo... Princess Luna carved Ponymonium out of the lunar crust herself?”

“That's what written history says. Unlike the alicorns you've met in your travels, Rainbow Dash, Luna and Celestia once held the power to move mountains. This strength is magnified when dwelling within the boundaries of the very heavenly bodies they control.”

“Yeah, sure, I'll buy that. Wait. Does that mean that... that Princess Celestia could actually go inside the sun—?”

“Anyways, back to the topic at hoof: Luna had desired—from the get-go—to establish a sanctuary on board the moon so that her most loyal subjects could enjoy life and engage in a healthy society without fear of persecution from the mortals who predated them in Equestria proper. Ponymonium not only served this goal, but it became a paragon for splendor, civility, and order. It was became a unique center of art, literature, and philosophy. The place expanded and expanded—at no time losing its glamorous qualities or detracting from the purpose of the lunar satellite itself. By all respects, Ponymonium was—and remains today—one of the Great Wonders of the Equine World.”

Families and friends flew from tunnel to tunnel and alcove to alcove, delivering goods and bounties.

In broad open courtyards, translucent ceilings allowed sunlight to pour through the lunar surface, bathing interior farmlands with the energy needed to sustain rows upon rows of mango orchards and wheat crops.

Farmers tilled the supplemental “land” while others drew wagons full of harvested goods into the lower chambers of Ponymonium, winding their way inward to markets and bazaars—some situated in broad hallways and others affixed elegantly to walls and ceilings. Ponies conducted their business—many of them hanging upside down and squeakily chatting muzzle-to-muzzle in echoing moonwhinny.

By the hour, school flocks flew from chamber to chamber, with teachers orating to their leather-winged youths via musical rhymes. Guards perched vigilantly along the upper platforms while in courtyards below cadets trained and exercised in tight formations, preparing to become future members of Princess Luna's nocturnal elite.

As the pale corridors drew cyclonically towards a labyrinthine center, libraries were set up, with countless scrolls and tomes lining steep walls embellished with silver-shined moonrock. There was no entrance or exit; the archives simply existed in winding circles, acting as a buffer of intellectual aesthetics that cocooned the inner sanctum of the Princess of the Night.

There, in the centermost core of Ponymonium, large alabaster pillars formed a ring around a rising dais, upon which stood a throne made to rotate in all directions. Princess Luna designed her location of assembly so that she could be approached at all angles. There were no enemies or need for confrontation in her court, and that same fearlessness spread like wildfire through her subjects. Elder architects decorated the fringes of the mana-lit sanctuary with lengthy banners of regal velvet, emblazoned with the crest of the Mare in the Moon—their matriarch for ever and always.

“All in all, sounds like a pretty happenin' place.”

“I know, right?”

“Although you spent a bit longer than necessary on describing the 'labyrinthine library' bit—”

“Ahem. Anyways, Rainbow, Ponymonium was a true wonder to behold. Almost a bit too 'wondrous', all things considered.”

“Oh yeah...?”

“The sanctuary was meant to shelter the sarosians. To give them a place to repose and discover themselves and—in time—express themselves. It was also a place where they could congregate and not feel pressured by the scrutiny of the other ponies of Equestria.”

“But... the problem with being whisked away to an alien place—”

“—is that you end up getting alienated, regardless.”

“Right...”

Dim light.

Dense shadows.

A haze of moondust, never rising or settling.

Through this malaise, Princess Luna drifted. Calm. Quiet. Meditative.

She strode silently past rows upon rows of seated sarosians. Their slitted eyes rested shut. Their leafy ears hung flat. They blanketed themselves with their own wings wrapped around their bowed figures. A quiet mantra hummed between them—of the same dull chord—as they persisted through a trancelike state.

With motherly affection, Luna brushed a few of her “children” with the feathertips of her wings, all the while proceeding with her quiet march through the semi-conscious crowd.

“With the arrival of the sarosians came a new task—a burden, many would come to label it. While the first nightmare had an awakening, it would be followed up—repetitively and naturally—by chaotic dream states on a regular basis.

“At first, it was seen as an affliction. After a few centuries, the populace of Equestria got used to it—at least well enough to pretend to call it 'natural.' Ultimately, the birth of sarosians heralded the permanent occurrence of visions among all sentient creatures who slept.

“Luna—no doubt—felt an innate responsibility in policing this new subconscious landscape. As such, she pressed it upon herself to become a living sentry—piercing the minds of those under her rule and working to keep such souls from losing them. The first dreamwalk led to the rescue of the sarosians from nightmare. Every venture thereafter was a quest to preserve the sanity of everypony else.

“And in those early days of tackling her new task, Luna did not act alone. What better an ally to have in this cerebral crusade than the beings whom she dredged from the subconscious fabric themselves? The true nature of sarosians' origin was never quite understood—and even today it is up to much intense debate. Regardless, their proclivity towards traversing the subconscious realm was priceless, and Luna enlisted these dreamwalkers in her nocturnal defense of Equestria... at least until she had gathered enough strength, wisdom, and experience to embody the Princess of Dreams all on her lonesome.”

A midnight blue hoof landed into a powdery bone-white surface.

Flakes of dust lifted up, lingered, and gradually fell back into place.

Another hoof landed, and the molasses-slow rise and fall of ash repeated.

Slowly, Luna strode across the outer surface of the moon.

Clad in velvet regalia, she braved the luminescent glow of the satellite all around her—from horizon to horizon.

Breathing calmly, she gazed directly upwards.

A narrow plane stretched epically, bookended by dual infinities—charcoal black yet full of stars. Within the narrow boundaries, she saw oceans, continents, mountains, ravines, plains, fields, and kingdoms—all sleeping under the dim haze left in the wake of an artificial day having passed. A round sheen of pale energy reflected off every body of water, glazing slowly across the convex surface bowing and bowing.

Luna slowly closed her eyes to it all.

“Soooooooooo... … ...what went wrong?”

“Difficult to say, Rainbow Dash. Scholars have wracked their brains about it for generations upon generations. Princess Celestia herself—after an extended period of lonesome grieving—had her own postulations to impart. In the end, the best possible source for understanding Princess Luna is Princess Luna herself. But—even then—could she really tell us how or why she became Nightmare Moon? I mean—did she tell you?”

“No. She really didn't.”

“A long-standing assumption among Equestrians—fueled mostly by xenophobic distrust of sarosians as a whole—was that the hellish dreamscape that Luna saved her nocturnal vigil from was also responsible for influencing her.”

“You mean that place Luna ventured to during the saros? During the lunar eclipse?”

“Right. With the heavenly bodies aligned, a veritable tunnel was formed straight through the alicorn sisters' concentration of harmonic energy.”

“A tunnel to what?”

“You see, that's the rub. It's a stretched theory at best, but some ponies have theorized that—paradoxically—such a focused allotment of harmony made for an accessible lack of harmony.”

“Uhhhhhh—”

“By forming an eclipse in an attempt to mimic natural occurrences on normal bodies of mass in space, Celestia and Luna inadvertently crafted an opaque channel. Harmony became a barricade to itself, and something malignant passed through the gap.”

“Something malignant?”

“At least, that's how Equestrian scholars have worded it. Suffice to say, none of them knew Princess Luna like you did, Rainbow. None of them even came close.”

“Right. But—if we could keep our minds open for a bit, Twilight—is it really that crazy of a stretch to say that Princess Luna really did expose herself to something crazy-wicked and out of this subconscious world?”

“Rainbow—”

“I-I'm not saying that the sarosians are inherently evil. But... let's face it... they came from a pretty unpretty place. I think it's a totally awesome thing that Luna did for them: rescuing the sarosians and giving them a home in our reality'n'stuff. But what if while all of that happened... something really nasty got to Luna? Perhaps... something horrible that she had rescued the sarosians from? In a way, it's like she took a bullet for them.”

“That could very well be possible. After all, Rainbow, Nightmare Moon didn't form overnight.”

“You don't say? Care to elaborate?”

“Don't mind if I do...”

Royal ambassadors from Saddle Arabia ascended the stairs in the Royal Sisters' Castle Atrium. They bowed/curtsied in one accord.

Princess Celestia bowed likewise, dressed elegantly in flowing silken attire. Royal pleasantries were briefly exchanged. Afterwards, with the assistance of her guards, she directed the representatives down the hall towards where the majority of visitors had congregated for that year's Grand Galloping Gala.

As representatives from the Zebrahara marched up the stairs in the previous delegates' place, Princess Celestia glanced out the corner of her vision.

A solemn figure stood—darkly—several paces away, her head bowed in melancholic repose. Luna's gown and tiara were exquisite, but her expression was anything but. The edges of her somber visage were laced with the subtlest of frowns, increasing by the hour along with the shadows that clung to her icy frame.

Celestia did her best to maintain an air of amicability. Even as she greeted the Zebraharan ambassadors and those to follow thereafter, she kept a wary eye trained on her younger sister. A pale sheen of worry clung to the elder's features.

“It was Celestia who first took notice. It was only natural. Something—some sort of shroud had been cast over her beloved sister.

“At first, she just assumed it was simply fatigue. After all, it was no small task to guard over the heart of Equestria—the jewel of the harmony-blessed plane. With the exception of a few estranged acquaintances and distant relations of mixed blood, Celestia and Luna were the only remaining alicorns in the entirety of the world. Mortuana was long-considered departed—along with Onyxus and Mesmer. Whitemane and Mi Amore Cadenza weren't even born yet—but their lives would be far removed from the legacy of the dual monarchs of Equestria.

“No, as fate would have it, Celestia and Luna were all that remained of the alicorn migration that chanced upon this world. While their forbearers were beings of pure harmony who took on alicorn form, Celestia and Luna were foaled into it. This plane was their world, and as they continued to exist—immortal and unique—it also became their sole responsibility.

“Controlling the heavenly bodies—the sun and the moon and then some—was a monumental task all on its own. That being said, neither of them ever purposefully volunteered for the task of monitoring the dreams of their subjects. That was a labor thrust upon Luna. As the younger of the two—and the lesser powerful—she chose the night to oversee because it was considered more suited to her quality. In time, her burden doubled that of Princess Celestia's. And despite Celestia's insistence that she help her sibling with the labors, Luna assumed complete control of the extenuating duties placed upon her by fate.

“Contrary to popular belief, Luna was never truly a grim pony from the start. Quiet, contemplative, reserved? Most definitely.

“But it was following that infamous saros that her role in Equestria's security only grew darker and darker—both literally and metaphorically. Who knows just how much interminable substance her mind absorbed in those formulaic years of assuming the Sentry of Dreams. All of Equestria's fears, anxieties, hopes, fantasies, and whimsies—all channeled relentlessly into her comprehension. The stress had to have been unbearable at times. It's only natural that she employed the assistance of her sarosian familiars as dreamwalkers. But in time—sadly—even that would not be enough.

“When the change happened, it didn't show in cracks. Luna's frame of mind wasn't a fragile thing that could crumble apart so easily. No, much like the eclipses that she and her sister forged time and time again, Luna became the vessel for something. And by the time it filled her inner being...

“...it was too late to stop the shifting tide.”

Two cold blue eyes opened. Full of stars.

Entranced in thought, Princess Luna stood up from her throne.

Encircled by pillars that supported a wide open temple of polished moonstone, she trotted slowly forward across a narrow strip of purple velvet. She passed flickering torches of violet manalight—their dim glow casting a hazy sheen off her silver hoof guards.

She reached the edge of the temple, staring out across smoky maria that marked the edges of enormous craters in the lunar surface.

Beyond the pale expanse—a miniature horizon—the sunlit curve of the world rose into view.

Within moments, daytime would end for the convex world and all its continents.

Luna would have twelve hours to sanctify that same world in her protective shadow.

Twelve hours too few.

Her wings coiled tightly as her jaw muscles clenched in subdued frustration.

“The public consensus of Luna's actions has always been that she committed the Grand Betrayal out of jealousy. 'She was jealous of Celestia's sun-loving subjects' or 'she was jealous of the mirth and warmth of the daytime' is what's gone around and around for centuries.

“But the actions she committed—since night one—suggest a soul not inspired by envy. But rather fear. Concern. Worry.

“Deep down, Princess Luna was convinced on every conceivable level that creating eternal night would be beneficial for the whole of Equestria. For the whole world. This wasn't mere jealousy.

“Insanity? Perhaps. That's not to say that Luna should be completely sympathized for the actions she committed. But—it must be understood—something in her muddled contemplation convinced her that a coup was necessary. What exactly was responsible for that frame of mind may never be fully understood. Both the initial banishment and the eventual exorcising of the spirit of Nightmare Moon veritably stripped her of the persona that exacted the Betrayal to begin with.

“So... perhaps something did possess her. A spirit? A consciousness? If so, where did it come from? And—if it went away after banishment and exorcising, is there a chance it might come back?

“In any case, nearly a thousand years ago, Luna was consumed entirely. And her chosen subjects—the sarosians—saw her only as a matriarch with a brilliant new plan. The spirit of Nightmare Moon had consumed her, but in so doing it had consumed them as well. This has always been a tragedy on a massive scale—the dimensions of which are largely forgotten by those dwelling in modern Equestria today.”

Deep within Ponymonium...

Inside a massive cavern—stretching further than mortal eyes could conceive—illuminated predominantly by bioluminescent algae farmed along the pallid floors, ceilings, walls...

...rows upon rows of Sarosians stood perfectly equadistant from one another. They faced in one direction, their slitted eyes focused on one figure and one figure only.

Princess Luna—clad in full moonstone regalia—trotted out upon a raised dais. She spoke in a booming voice, using an epic slant of the traditional Royal Canterlot Volume to address her subjects. With each word, strobes of harmonic energy issued from her crown—the alicornia of her horn glimmering from top to bottom.

She spread her wings—casting a majestic shadow over the penitent crowd—and they all bowed in reverence.

As one.

“And the sarosians...? They were in on it?”

“What do you mean by 'in on it,' Rainbow Dash?”

“Did Luna... like... tell them that she was undergoing this... uhhhh... change? Did they notice it? Were they alarmed at all...?”

“What each individual sarosian felt at the time—I couldn't pretend to tell you, Rainbow. Nopony can. The only historians with that sort of insight were the sarosians themselves, and they were almost all entirely expelled from Equestria. Most by their own choosing. The ones who stayed behind were... those interned as prisoners of the Solar Civil War. Princess Celestia made several... multiple attempts to reach out to them. Y'know—for answers, during their prolonged reformation. But they would not communicate. Nor would they abide by the elder Princess' attempt to adjust them back into Equestrian society. Several of them died without producing offspring. That is how dedicated they were to Nightmare Moon. They refused to exist in a nation without her.”

“I see. So—long story short—all of the sarosians were on board with Luna's transformation into Nightmare Moon.”

“That's the practical way of explaining it. I mean—after all—the Lunar Empire had to get its army from somewhere.”

The halls and corridors of Ponymonium rang with clanging metal and hissing steam. Chambers that once housed libraries and schools had been transformed into forges. Hefty stallions pounded hammers against burning strips of stone and metal. Sparks showered and embers sizzled.

Moonstone swords, blades, and runes were fashioned at an alarming rate. The mass-produced weapons were firmly examined and tested by elderly sarosians, all squatting in tight lines with nary a break to be had, much less requested.

Elsewhere, able-bodied equines—from teenagers to young adults to middle-aged specimens—lined up to be suited with silver sets of armor. The pale plates and helms were transformed to a burnt-black shadow by unicorn/sarosian half-breeds who marched down the lines of those assembled, casting spell after spell to ready the troops for nocturnal battlefield superiority.

In the deeper, darker pockets of Ponymonium, leafy-eared alchemists hovered in the darkness, their fanged features briefly illuminated in snapshot flashes of lunar enchantment. Beneath them—reflected in the dark-lensed goggles affixed to their velvet faces—were streams upon streams of freshly-etched runes. Moon dust was poured over these sigils, and one by one the spellbinders leaned down, breathing hot breath against the arcane formations.

The runes steamed, and a faint glow traced the sharpest points of their otherworldly articulation. Once in a while, an able-bodied officer in immaculate armor would stroll down the alchemic tables. He or she could grab a random rune, load it into a cylindrical tube, and aim at a pockmarked wall of ashen debris. A monosyllabic phrase would be shrieked—high-pitched and murderous—and the thunder that rolled in response was enough to send cracks forming in the walls. As the dust settled, bigger and bigger craters formed in the off-quarried cave surfaces. Fanged smiles curved in satisfaction.

“What historians can attest to is that there was virtually no resistance to Princess Luna's insistence that her flock arm themselves for war. If sarosians resisted the formation of the Dark Vigil, it's lost to time and collective consciousness. No doubt a few brave souls realized something was amiss and spoke out against it. But I shudder to think what their fate was.

“No, Rainbow Dash, the sarosians were more than well-prepared to follow Princess Luna to the ends of the world. You and I have seen first-hoof that this is exactly what happened... even long after Nightmare Moon's defeat.

“You have to understand—Luna was more than just a ruling monarch of Equestria. She essentially gave birth to the entire sarosian race. She dove deep into the miasma within which their essences—their souls were flailing amok. She drew them back with her into the realm of the living. Luna is—by all accounts—the mother of every sarosian who has ever existed.

“That's a thing Celestia could never claim herself: being a mother—a matriarch in the literal sense. When war broke out, Celestia had the majority of Equestria by her side. But she didn't have an army of foals willing to die for her at the slightest command.

“Luna and the sarosians: they were family. And—no doubt about it—Princess Luna was ill. The assimilation of her being into Nightmare Moon was nothing short of a mental affliction. And the hardest thing about families living with sickness is knowing when to stop and seek help. Historians write up and down that the sarosians accomplished what they did—dedicated and unwavering—out of pure evil. While I won't pretend to make some sympathetic moral stance on their motivations, one thing is for certain...

“They did what they did out of love. They followed Nightmare Moon beyond the brink based on total adoration.

“And that's the true tragedy, really.”

Sarosian craftsponies huddled together inside a cylindrical chamber lined with luminescent rune-stones. The projected arrays of countless sigils swept across the velvet bodies of those within the center of the room. Sweating and toiling, they applied the finishing touches to a suit of armor, breathing incantations and enchanted vapors over the blackened metals.

An alicorn-shaped shadow blotted out the rune-lights within that lunar auditorium. With stifled squeaks, the sea of sarosian servants parted ways. They bowed in reverence as their monarch marched firmly through them.

She approached the suit of armor. With silver-plated fetlocks, she reached out and lifted the helm. A pair of dimly-glowing eyeslits reflected off the priceless headpiece. To her, it looked as if a hollow golem was staring back, its skull-esque chamber gaping towards her. Inviting her into the void contained therein.

The vessel that once housed Princess Luna smiled, and it too had fangs.

“The Betrayal was something that took an insidious amount of time preparing. For all intents and purposes, Princess Luna had planned for any eventuality. You and I and the rest of Equestria know that this ultimately wasn't true. To respond to the unthinkable, Celestia had to do the unthinkable herself, and only in banishing her sister to her own harmonic satellite did she end the war altogether.

“But—in going in—Luna was prepared for one thing and one thing only: complete and total domination of the Harmonic power that the remaining alicorns possessed. Luna had every intention to seize the Sun, seize the Elements, and—perhaps if the first venture was as successful as she planned—she would no doubt have pursued the Harmonic Prism within the Midnight Armory.

“As you and I well-know, Nightmare Moon had one chief goal: to cover Equestria in everlasting night. Many scholars believe—myself included—that this was only the first step of a grand plan. What had Luna envisioned thereafter? It is difficult to say. But one thing is for certain: she wanted to share that nebulously dark future with her children—the sarosians.

“And together, they embarked upon the most savage and ruthless campaign that has ever transpired on Equestrian soil. Even to this day.”

Princess Celestia stood calmly on her balcony. She gazed out—squinting—at a western horizon burning with red-tinged light. One by one, the treetops, farmlands, and villages of Equestria darkened—becoming one with the shadow that stretched from Everfree to the valley and beyond.

Her horn glowed as she pushed the sun into its furthest reach. Soon, it would settle upon the fringes of her alicorn might. The harmonic magic stretched to its limit, kissing the curved plane with the last vestiges of light. Soon—another powerful being would arrive as scheduled to grasp that same fabric of energy and re-form it into the moon. Thus—with the younger sister's blessing—night would begin and the moon would pass over in the day's place.

The sky above darkened—but the stars didn't twinkle into existence as usual. This struck Celestia strangely, and she peered up into the heavens with a confused expression.

Just then, the armor of the day guards positioned around her rattled. She heard the drawing of swords and spears and poleaxes.

Curious, she slowly stood up and turned around. A pale sheen washed over her royal features.

Before her—emerging menacingly from the Palace of the Royal Sisters—was a solid phalanx of sarosian soldiers armed with black armor and glowing runes. Their slitted eyes formed an eerie line, dimly reflecting the harnessed moonstones still-steaming from enchantment. A dark aura hung about their leathery wings and girded fetlocks. Suddenly, the shadow beneath them shifted—coming alive.

The day guards jolted forward, erecting a line of defense before Celestia.

The Princess merely stood tall, craning her neck so as to better ascertain what was transpiring.

More and more shadows coalesced, flowing forward from the forest of sarosian warmongerers. Within seconds, the miasma took shape, rising upwards with a flap of frightful wings—then settling back down with the unpeeling of silver-plated armor that brimmed with obsidian vapors. This armor housed a form—blacker than death—and deep within the silhouette there manifested fangs, giving a mouth to an unprecedented void. It wasn't until a pair of slitted eyes manifested that a gasp was summoned from the core of Celestia.

The elder princess mouthed one word—a name—breathed in both shock and sorrow.

Nightmare Moon replied with a serrated smile, and as tens of thousands of winged shadows descended from the dark clouds gathering above, she pointed at the dim horizon with the full purpose of extinguishing it.

The sun guard—and Celestia—were all engulfed in shadow.

“The Lunar Empire had manifested. The Solar Civil War had begun.”

The Siege of Whinniepeg

“Y'know, Twi, there's one thing I could never quite put my hoof on. Just how long did the Solar Civil War last?”

“The exact time-scale is lost to history, unfortunately, Rainbow.”

“Why's that?”

“Since the very moment that Nightmare Moon's invasion began, neither the sun nor the moon completed a full rotation.”

“Oh. Whoah. I... uh...”

“You didn't know that?”

“If I did, I totes forgot about it.”

“Afterwards—once Nightmare Moon had been banished and the fighting had completely stopped—scholars and astronomers took a survey of the stars in order to ascertain the true passage of time. With the assistance of Princess Celestia—who was ultimately in control of both satellites now—they came upon an estimate.”

“And that was...?”

“Approximately six-to-eight months.”

“Luna poop. Er... sorry. That's sorta inappropriate timing on my behalf, isn't it?”

“Staying on topic—the Civil War lasted over half a year for certain. And while other... less violent wars have transpired way longer throughout Equestrian history, none of those other conflicts brought the heavens to their knees quite like Nightmare Moon's attempted coup did. It was like the Dark Side accounted for both halves of the plane for a short time.”

“That had to have screwed things up big time. Like—all around the globe. Sorta like that one Summer Sun Celebration a few years back, only—uhhh—times two hundred.”

“Yes, Rainbow. And not just bad for ponies—but for all of nature as a whole. The winter that followed immediately after the war lasted nearly two and a half years. It was the worst conditions Equestrian citizens suffered since the windigoes that predated the foundation of the nation.”

“Why didn't Princess Celestia—I dunno—bring the sun closer to melt the winter away or whatcrap?”

“Because an alicorn's prime directive is to maintain harmony. If she broke the equilibrium of normal day-and-night cycles, she'd be just as guilty of manipulating the balance of power as her younger sister. It was Princess Luna's—that is Nightmare Moon's desire for eternal night that caused all the chaos to begin with. The victory of the Celestial Equestrian Union would all be for nothing if our wise matriarch gave into temptation and ruined the pattern she was expressly purposed to manage.”

“And... uh... just how did Celestia's side end up achieving victory?”

“Not easily...”

A gray overcast sky stretched far and wide. Thunder rolled over blackened mountains and shadowed treetops. Waves of energy periodically rippled through the clouds. The vapors parted ways, revealing slivers of perpetual twilight peaking down onto the stale countryside, but then the miasma sealed itself back up just as quickly as it had separated.

Bone white specks materialized high in the grim atmosphere. In powdery layers, a precipitous sprinkling of ash fell from the sky. They settled lightly on an expansive patch of dusty soil that clung to a sloping hilltop.

Another roll of thunder.

The soil suddenly started to move—one mound after another—lifting up with the slow pace of blooming flowers. Layers of dust shook loose, inch by inch, revealing quadruped forms. They were ponies—girded from head to tail in thick brown canvas armor. Their heads were helmed with studded brass goggles that glinted the same gray as the haze that blanketed the horizon.

The soldier at the front held a hoof up, signaling to the others. Then—unholstering a crossbow emblazoned with the solar crest—he trotted briskly forward in a hunched position. Soon, two dozen more infantry warriors climbed out of the dust and slithered behind him. The stealthy group made a solid line, clambering up the highest crest of the hill.

More thunder—much louder this time—and the falling ash danced wildly as more ripples of energy shook through the clouds above. At last, the line of soldiers made it to the hill's peak. Their goggles rattled with cacophonous vibrations—for just over the hilltop was a sarosian embattlement.

Nocturnal soldiers had dug in trenches tightly behind a line of artillery. Massive guns crafted out of a silver framework that matched their armor were aimed towards the valley below. One by one, the sarosians loaded massive shells into the firing chambers of the cannons. Each armament was fitted with a glowing rune, and a respective cannoneer pivoted the weapon at the required angle before hollering monosyllabic commands into the enchantment receiver.

One by one, the large guns fired loudly—echoing thunder in every direction. The clouds above split with brief screams of twilight, then closed—once again casting a grim blanket of darkness over a bloody valley below, overflowing with burnt forests, collapsed embattlements, and bodies upon bodies upon bodies upon bodies. Off towards the northeast—past a sea of corpses and bloodsoaked farmlands—a vicious melee continued wildly between phalanxes of gold and phalanxes of silver. Tattered banners with matching colors waved on both sides as the front wavered north-to-south-to-north-and-back-again. It was in the thick of the gold line that the sarosian artillery's latest salvo landed. Brief flashes of exploding moondust impacted the spoiled earth, momentarily casting a pale spotlight on the overcast clouds above. Screams anointed the copper-soured air, and bodies—or pieces of bodies—flew for meters upon meters before baptizing the writhing carpet of fallen victims.

The stealthy team of soldiers wasted no time. Taking the highest point on the hilltop, they formed a solid line, awaited the captain's signal, and fired a murderous line of crossbolts at the sarosian cannon line just a few meters below.

Legs, hides, and skulls were pierced all across the artillery camp. Within a blink, half of the lunar soldiers had fallen. In the next blink, the remaining loyalists spun with leather wings spread and returned fire—not with projectiles—but with a conjoined sonic howl.

This was enough to make the solar soldiers stumble. Their reloading of their crossbows was delayed.

Such was all the remaining sarosians needed. Many grabbed spears and scimitars and flew up at their attackers in leathery blurs. Others rushed to the center, arming muskets with lunar runes and chanting into them. A hot volley of silver-and-moonrock screamed uphill, impacting the enemy with hot splashes of scarlet.

By now, the hilltop had morphed into a vicious brawl—with solar and lunar warriors fighting hoof-and-hoof, sword-to-sword. The sarosians were still outnumbered, but the few who stayed downhill were picking off the extra numbers of Celestial defenders with well-aimed shots.

It was then that a distorted flicker of light ripped open like a tear in invisible cloth behind them. A tight unit of twenty unicorns materialized with a teleportation spell. Bearing celestial gold quests, they waited for when the sarosian flank was most blind. Then—with horns glowing through their canvas helmets—they launched a barrage of daggers and exploding shrapnel grenades at what remained of the artillery line.

Sarosians fell by the dozens. Before the bloodbath could complete itself, the remaining fighters sent howling shrieks towards the heavens. The solar soldiers weren't quick enough to silence them—and soon a thicker shadow spread over the hillside. A sarosian airborne division swooped low, answering the cry for reinforcements. They were still hundreds of meters away when they fired their first volley of rune blasts.

The solar soldiers fell in droves. Those who remained rushed to join the unicorn flank. Together, they formed a line and armed themselves with magical shields, bravely facing the diving enemy. The air filled with song—a murderous hymn—as the sarosians descended with their serrated assault. Within minutes, the battle for the hill would blend with the melee of the valley below as the front shifted once more... for the umpteenth time that day.

“There is almost nopony—historical or colloquial or otherwise—who looks back upon the Solar Civil War fondly. It was an unbelievably violent chapter in Equestrian history, a holocaust that leaves little to no room for romanticism.

“Were there heroes? Undoubtedly. And you're going to hear about a couple of them. But first...

“First it's important to understand that the cost for victory was paid almost entirely by the mortals who fought it. Rather than the immortals who wrought it. This—naturally—has garnered much cynical criticism throughout the past ten centuries. Why didn't Celestia try ending it sooner? Why didn't she break the rules of alicorn magic and manipulate the elements to help the solar army? Why did she allow the war to go as long as it did... as horribly as it did... while all of her loyal subjects paid the price of her sister's transgressions...?”

A deep, shuddering breath.

Princess Celestia slowly opened her eyes. Tears brimmed along the edges—but she blinked them away. And then...

...then she smiled. A very tender, bitter sweet thing. She leaned her majestic neck forward and placed the gentlest of kisses on the bandaged brow of a freshly-blinded soldier. He barely responded—simply stirred under the blankets weighing him to his blood-stained cot.

Princess Celestia stood up. Her hoof rested briefly against a table, where she placed a velvet case that housed a heart-shaped medal. Then—turning gracefully—she marched past a line of ten more identical cots... twenty... forty... eighty... one hundred and sixty...

The Castle of Trottingham had been converted into a field hospital, and it was filled to the brim with wounded soldiers in makeshift beds. The air was thick with suffering—both the scent and the moans of misery—and Celestia immersed herself in the heart of it, listening patiently to weary field surgeons while exchanging words with military advisers who were scrambling to keep up with her.

She paused only once—to bow gratefully to the Duke and Duchess of Trottingham—before retiring to the war room. There, she stood over a massive and constantly-evolving map of Equestria. Generals and commanders spoke adamantly with her, all the while gesturing to the shifting front. The sarosians were pushing the Celestial defenders south and east—bunching the solar army into the Canterlot Mountains and driving the bands of refugees into Dream Valley to the east. Soon, marauding bands of Nightmare Moon's most brutal minions were going to converge on the unguarded citizenry.

If there was hope to be had in reclaiming any of the northern cities, Celestia needed to mount a retaliatory invasion just west of Canterlot. Instead, she spoke with her most trusted generals, instructing them to send a defensive line southwest to the edge of Dream Valley.

Her advisers acquiesced, albeit with a trace of disappointment and exhaustion. Once again, Nightmare Moon was on the offensive, and the forces of the Celestial Equestrian Union was forced into a tactical retreat. Princess Celestia was being gradually forced into a long war.

She took the burden of her decision in stride. Remaining calm, quiet, collected. All the while, her gaze always seemed transfixed on some unseen pocket in space and time. As if she was gazing at someone. Waiting.

Hoping.

“From the sound of it, Princess Celestia was more concerned with keeping her subjects safe.”

“You're right, Rainbow. Celestia—above all—wanted to protect the peace and prosperity of the civilians suffering from the conflict.”

“But—like—if she instead attacked the Lunar Empire straight-on, wouldn't that have meant a faster victory? Even at the cost of innocent lives?”

“Lives were going to be lost no matter what she did. She sacrificed many mortal soldiers for the sake of preserving those who weren't fighting.”

“But you're making it sound like she was preparing for a long war. At the rate at which things were going, all of Equestria's defenders would have been chipped away.”

“Not necessarily. It was Celestia's advisers who interpreted her strategy as preparing for a long war. The truth is—it wouldn't be that long. Bloody? Yes—but Celestia had faith that it wouldn't go on forever. And she was right to focus on that intuition.”

“But just how did she know that?”

“Because, Rainbow, Celestia trusted that the culprit behind this invasion wasn't Princess Luna herself. Her beloved younger sister had sworn her life, her power, her entire essence of harmony on defending Equestria and maintaining the moon to her last breath. It just wasn't like Luna to ensure that the night lasted forever. Something else was at the heart of this Betrayal.”

“Nightmare Moon...”

“Celestia may not have understood the vile taint that possessed her beloved sibling, but she was willing to wait the demon out. What's more—she had reason to believe that the possession would not last long.”

“And what gave her that impression?”

Seated on a balcony...

...among what was left of the tattered and war-torn remains of the Castle of the Royal Sisters...

...Nightmare Moon perched like a gargoyle, flanked by silver-armored dream warriors in identical repose. Below her, the Everfree Forest slept under a never-ending darkness, emboldened by the swirling cyclone of thick clouds gathered directly overhead.

Through the eye of the storm, a narrow channel of twilight bled through. The stars above fluctuated and morphed, manipulated by enchanted tongues of moonwhinny carried aloft on ashen winds from all corners of the battle-torn countryside. The constellations reformed, flickering into snapshot facsimiles of moon runes that descended upon the castle below, absorbing themselves into the dreamwalk—thereby informing the Mother of Nightmares of the latest news from the front.

At long last, Nightmare Moon exhaled, awakening from her deep meditation. Obsidian vapors bled from beneath her blackened armor, curtaining around her in a vaporous cascade.

Twin eyeslits opened, bloodthirsty and twinkling with wrath. Fanged teeth glinted as she leaned forward, howling into the lower fringes of the gathered tempest.

Dark tresses descended from the spinning thunderclouds—revealing to be the most elite of elite warriors gliding on leather wings. The Dark Vigil spun around their Queen, chanting rhythmically with a vampiric cadance.

Nightmare Moon leapt into the song. She spread her onyx wings, gliding east towards the next campaign. Her scouts had caught sight of Celestial companies moving to converge at Dream Valley. If Luna guided her army there before a full line could form, then her children just might harvest thousands of souls for the ravenous nightmare before the true fighting began.

At some point in mid-flight, a single tear ran loose—but evaporated as soon as it made contact with the tainted silver of Nightmare Moon's helm. Vapors flickered around Luna's muzzle, and when they finally faded, the fanged smile of Nightmare Moon had returned.

She pressed onward to the next massacre.

“Nightmare Moon's greatest strength was also her greatest weakness.”

“And that was...?”

“Her armor.”

“Her armor...?”

“Yes, Rainbow. The armor of Nightmare Moon. It was forged in Ponymonium—built out of enchanted moonsilver. But the source of that enchantment is what's important here.”

“How so?”

“It came from the same place the sarosians did.”

“You mean from the dreamscape?”

“The realm of nightmares. A place that the sarosians came from—but could scarcely remember. As you might recall, it was Princess Luna who personally channeled the sheer willpower to pierce the veil of subconscious reality and dredge the sarosians from their hellish imprisonment.”

“During that one eclipse. The saros.”

“Right. Anyways, you know Princess Luna better than the rest of us, Rainbow. Does she seem so... nightmarish?”

“A little emo around the edges, sure, but pure as a purring kitten. Just what are you getting at, Twi?”

“Many pony historians believe that when Princess Luna first ventured into the dreamscape, she found more than just the sarosians.”

“She... found Nightmare Moon?”

“That—or the essence of what turned her into Nightmare Moon. Or—to put it more succinctly—some essence had found Princess Luna. It affected her... it changed her. And when she heroically robbed that essence off the beings who would become the sarosians, it's safe to say that it probably chose her instead.”

“Chose her for what?”

“I'd say the vessel that she became.”

“Nightmare Moon.”

“Or—more than likely—it wanted to become something even more powerful than Nightmare Moon. In any case, this is what must have driven Princess Luna into such violent madness.”

“Yeesh... then all those years spent in the dreamscape, monitoring the nightly visions of Equestria—”

“—only exposed her more and more to the same influence that brought about Nightmare Moon.”

“You... uh... you think that sort of a thing would happen again?”

“Doubtful. Both Luna and Celestia have walked those subconscious plains many time since. And—for the most part—mortal creatures are able to survive the visions on their own. No, Rainbow, I'd say that whatever poisoned Nightmare Moon has... more or less diffused from the get-go.”

“... … ...because of the enchantment used to build the armor.”

“Right. Luna—lured in by the essence—created a shell for Nightmare Moon. The armor. The helmet. The whole ensemble.”

“So, the armor is Nightmare Moon?”

“Not quite. But Princess Luna communed with it whenever she put the armor on. Do you remember when we confronted her? In the ruins of the Castle of the Royal Sisters?”

“You mean that night that you first came to Ponyville—when we discovered the Elements of Harmony and rainbow-zapped her and crud?”

“Yes. That whole night, Princess Luna was empowered by the spirit of Nightmare Moon. That is—the spirit that still remained within her. She morphed into an ethereal form. She took on the shape of mist to outpace us. She assumed the identities of the Shadowbolts to tempt you. You remember all this...”

“Well, duh, of course I do. But just what are you getting at?”

“That was Nightmare Moon we faced off against that night... but it wasn't the same powerful Nightmare Moon of the Solar Civil War.”

“... … ...because she didn't actually have her armor.”

“Right. Her ethereal essence assumed the shape and construct of the armor—but it was a failed attempt to intimidate and outsmart us. In the end—as Celestia expected—we found the Elements of Harmony and purged Luna of the spirit of Nightmare Moon before she could take control of them herself.”

“Which is something she wanted way back when—a thousand years ago. During the War.”

“Right.”

“What if she did get the Elements?”

“She'd have the most powerful artifacts this side of the plane. With control over both the sun and moon, she'd subdue the various nations of the world—starting with Equestria. Then, after spanning the plane to reunite all of the exiled armies of the Dark Vigil—”

“She'd get the Harmonic Prism and it'd be game over.”

“Right. But she failed now just as she failed in her Great Betrayal.”

“She had the armor—but not the Elements.”

“Right. Throughout the entire war, Princess Celestia had the Elements. And unbeknownst to her generals and advisers, Celestia foresaw what all Equestrian historians would later determine on their own. And that's that the power of Nightmare Moon's armor was fleeting.”

“Really? Like... couldn't Luna have just put the armor on at all times and been super-ultra-powerful?”

“No, Rainbow.”

“Why not?”

“Because wearing the armor for too long would completely detach her from the corporeal world. She needed one leg in Equestria at all times—metaphorically speaking—in order to properly grasp the next victory to be had in her blood campaign.”

“So... there were times when she had to take the armor off?”

“Yes. And they were growing more and more frequent as the connection grew more and more frayed. Celestia sensed this—she had that deep a connection with her sister.”

“Heh. That's pretty cool.”

“What's more... she knew that the only thing that could give Luna control over the transfer of Nightmare Moon's power was an artifact that—just like Nightmare Moon herself—was not of this world.”

“The Elements of Harmony.”

“Luna was growing more and more desperate in her attacks. Her strategies were becoming impulsive, desperate, costly. Remember—from the get-go—she still had far less troops than the Celestial Defenders.”

“Heh... guess the long war wasn't going to be very long after all.”

“It was never that simple, Rainbow. Luna acquiring the Elements was a very real threat—something that could very easily have happened if Celestia didn't play her cards right. But soon—Celestia knew—Luna would make the biggest gamble of all. Something that Celestia herself—dedicated to the alicorn code—was never willing to do from the start.”

“And that's control the heavenly bodies...”

“Luna was not herself. Celestia knew this. She also knew that—in order to appease Nightmare Moon—Luna was going to commit an act of desperation. Her only hope was to lure her into making that decision... of breaking the alicorn code first.”

“By summoning the moon—?”

“Right. And once that happened, Celestia would have had one single opportunity to talk her sister down from the corrupted position she was in.”

“And if Celestia failed?”

“... … ...I think we all know that she did, Rainbow.”

“She... … ...truly never wanted to use the Elements of Harmony on Luna, did she?”

“It broke her heart to do so, but it was her last resort. She knew the time was coming. She prepared for it. She prepared her troops for it. A plan was devised—one that was acted out on two fronts. The first—Princess Celestia would draw Luna to where the Betrayal first began: the Castle of the Royal Sisters. There, she would not come out of the battle unless she had Luna saved... or banished.”

“And what was the other front?”

“There was always the risk of a fate worse than failure. Celestia loathed the idea of being defeated by Nightmare Moon, but she nevertheless had to draft a contingency plan. If all else failed and Luna herself could not be dealt with... then the source of Nightmare Moon's strength—her armor—would have to be secured. And—as it so happens—Luna chose not to bring the armor with her when she confronted Celestia.”

“Why not? Seems like an edge.”

“This is why many still believe—myself included—that it was something speaking through the armor to Luna. In confronting Celestia directly, she stood to risk damaging the armor.”

“That would seriously buck up the 'vessel'.”

“Right. And Celestia must have gleaned this, which is why she cooked up a plan to deal with both her sister and the armor of Nightmare Moon simultaneously—in two places at once.”

“So... while Celestia went to confront Luna at the old castle...”

“...the Solar Army was sent to the functioning headquarters of the Lunar Empire.”

“Wait... do you mean—?”

“Yes, Rainbow, I'm talking about the Siege of Whinniepeg.”

A mother and her foal were shoved harshly to the muddied ground. Wincing, the earth pony mare scrambled back on all fours and gathered her offspring close. She had barely gotten her hoofing when she received yet another shove, forcing her to stumble into a faster trot. The foal scrambling after her began crying as the mother scooted them both towards a line of anxious refugees. The ponies were all being herded uphill by a gathered band of hovering sarosians. Soon, the group joined even more lines of marching equines—all being funneled into a makeshift camp encircled by barbed sheathes of finely-carved moonrock.

Once fenced-in, the Lunar soldiers kept the ponies under close guard, intimidating the shivering prisoners with eye-slitted glares and glinting fangs. Beyond the hilltop—along the edge of an alpine forest—a small town resided. The outlying farmsteads and shops had been set ablaze, and the possessions of those who once lived there had been thrown into smoldering bonfires. Deeper inward, a tall wall had formed around the heart of the city. Constructed decades ago, it resembled a frontier fort more than a village, and sarosians were converging on the spot in droves—carrying supplies both looted and owned. Ponymonium's finest reinforced the ramparts of a five-story brick-and-mortar keep, setting up spots along the high-scale walls with cannons, enchanted muskets, and all-manner-of serrated instruments.

Meanwhile, a caravan was being drawn through the front gates of the rounded walls and into the belly of the keep itself. The security was tightest around one particular wagon—where members of the Dark Vigil flew closely together with shields and scimitars armed at the ready. On top of the wagon was a large cubic container made out of moon silver, and the seams of its lids vented ethereal energy—like a blackened steam that twinkled with dim cosmic luminescence upon evaporating.

“Whinniepeg was a unicorn town—like most communities of the Northern Trots. But that city specifically was home to several Lunar Empire loyalists.”

“I didn't figure there'd be traitors to Equestria on the ground.”

“The war was far from simple, Rainbow Dash. Some of the ponies of Whinniepeg pledged allegiance to Nightmare Moon through sheer will. But many others did so—compelled by blood.”

“Blood?”

“The town was founded generations previous by sarosian/unicorn half-breeds, much like those few who lived in Ponymonium. Before Nightmare Moon attempted the coup, Princess Luna had briefed the chief families of Whinniepeg concerning her plans. She had their assurance that they would assist the Empire's efforts. Sure enough, after the first month of battle saw Nightmare Moon conquering the Everfree Forest, the loyalists of the Northern Trots staged a surprise attack on solar strongholds. They joined up with the sarosian push from the south, and the combined campaign pushed Celestia's army into the Canterlot mountains and Dream Valley to the east.”

“And just what did these... uhhhh... unisarosiacorns get out of the deal?”

“Why, the pride and honor of securing Nightmare Moon's armor, of course.”

Slitted eyes of twinkling violet reflected a sheen of silver. A fanged smile graced a unicorn stallion's fuzzy lips as he trotted slowly across the renovated throneroom of Whinniepeg Keep. All around him, winged sarosians were stripping the once-lavish chamber to its barest essentials.

In the meanwhile...

...a large moonsilver container was opened by burly members of the Dark Vigil. It took some effort, but they were finally able to pry the lid open. The air filled with a high-pitched hiss—like pent-up screams—and a fountain of ethereal black vapor billowed out across the throne room.

The unicorn braced himself, his silver mane and star-speckled velvet robes being kicked by an invisible wind. Once the wave of black vapors had run their course, he took a deep breath, then smiled in silent bliss. This time his slitted eyes reflected something blacker than night.

With the container open, the helm and armor and hoofguards of Nightmare Moon stood naked before the throneroom's torchlight—absorbing all shine into its onyx finish.

“Nightmare Moon had begun her flight to Everfree—drawn by Princess Celestia and the Elements of Harmony. She didn't know that the encounter would end in her defeat—and banishment. For all the Betrayer and her Empire knew, the hour of victory was at hoof. Nightmare Moon was about to summon the moon in a brave gamble to overwhelm her older sister and lay claim to the Elements of Harmony. Once she was finished, she would have to return immediately to her armor and commune once again with the spirit of Nightmare that so enthralled her. That's why half of her army needed to fall back to Whinniepeg and protect it. They did so with all of their devotion, stowing the enchanted armor in the very heart of the town's keep, and making sure it was guarded by the strongest and most competent sorcerer in the Empire's service.”

“Yeesh, Twilight. How come you know so much about this Whinniepeg stuff?”

“Because—Rainbow—my family happens to have had ancestors at that very siege.”

“Ooomf!” A unicorn stallion grunted—his armor rattling as he was shoved hard onto his knees. All four of his hooves were bound—in pairs—and bruises marked the exposed bits of his purple-coated body. Seething, he looked up through sweat and black eyes at the unicorn pacing before him. “... … ...I should hath known thou werest the prince of these accursed beasts, Lull Moon.”

“Thou shalt address me as 'Duke Ruse of Lull Moon,' Lieutenant.” The pale-mane'd unicorn spat. “Whilst thou still hath a throat to breathe thereupon.” Ruse's slitted eyes narrowed harshly at the solar soldier being forced at spear-point to prostrate himself before him. “Once the Mother of Nightmares hath finished her labors, Whinniepeg shall be her haven in Equestria.”

“Doth thou plan on bestowing mine eyes a tour?” The Lieutenant managed a wry smirk. “If so, avail me to thine gallows, for such becometh a better fate than suffering thine breath.”

With a flicker of telekinesis, Ruse smacked the Lieutenant's face with the handle of a scroll. He glared at the bleeding soldier—snorting at the fact that he barely reeled. “Thine guile alloweth thee little to brag about, Lieutenant...” He paused to unscroll the parchment and squint at the runic moonwhinny etched thereupon. “...Pulsar.” His slitted eyes glared down at the solar defender once again. “A most curious catch. Thou wast captured with very little difficulty.”

“Travaileth upon me to ignore the woes and tribulations of mine fellow equines?” Pulsar's nostrils flared as he shook against his restraints. The poking of spears forced him still—but fuming. “A pity more able-bodied knights found little resolve in their hearts to join mine charge. A fitting folly—for it did rid thee of a dozen brothers and sisters, did it not?”

Ruse retorted with a brief shriek—a sonic salvo that sent Pulsar collapsing to his chest. The unicorn loomed over him, threatening to strike with the scroll once again. “Thou art nothing but a zealous fool. But beneath all that insufferably stubborn meat there lieth the mind of a coward. Such is that which I shall penetrate upon the return of the Mother of Nightmares.” A fanged smile. “With the Solar Deceiver defeated, the secrets held by thine dream self shall give the Mother's army the secrets needed to purge Canterlot and Dream Valley beyond.”

Wincing, Pulsar glanced at the exposed armor of Nightmare Moon—still dancing with ethereal black mists—then back up at Ruse. “A fool thou art, Lull Moon, that the legacy of thine family shall forever be tainted with hollow feats at their most pretentious.”

Ruse hissed back. “A soothsayer, then? Save thine prophecies for when the dreamers render thee a screaming foal.”

“You... uh... you enjoy getting all melodramatic there, don'tcha, Twi?”

“Look, Rainbow, it's Lieutenant Pulsar of the First Celestial Legion. Shining Armor, Spike and I were told this tale at bedtime at least once a week for years on end. Forgive a proud filly for embellishing a bit, okay?”

“Pffft. Sure. Whatever. So—what happens next? Does Duke Ruse tie Pulsar to the railroad tracks?”

“No. This was long before the invention of railroad tracks and—Stop laughing!”

“Pffffffft—hahaha!—sorry. I'm Sorry, Twilight. I just can't help it.”

“And... for your information... Pulsar was a very brave and cunning soldier.”

“Cunning enough to get captured.”

“Of course. That's because he meant to be! It was all his plan from the start!”

“Riiiiiiight...”

“I'm not kidding, Rainbow Dash! Family records preserved his journal—even after over nine centuries! Lieutenant Pulsar was ordered by Princess Celestia herself to find a way inside Whinniepeg. Well, he accomplished that task with honors. And after having set up a massive reputation and having slain many sarosians in defense of his homeland—Lieutenant Pulsar had convinced the leader of the Whinniepeg defense that he was worthy of being kept alive. The enemies all expected his military mind to house the secrets to unraveling the eastern solar campaign, and once Nightmare Moon returned to put on her armor, she and her dreamwalkers would expose his consciousness—and subconsciousness—of all the information they could find.”

“Except that Nightmare Moon never made it back...”

“Except that nopony at the time knew exactly how things would go down, Rainbow Dash. Remember, this entire operation was plotted by Celestia to take into account the possibility she would not be able to defeat her sister. That armor had to be seized at all costs as a safety initiative to counter the rising power of Nightmare Moon. That's why Pulsar allowed himself to be captured in the first place. He had to get close to it.”

With an audible hiss, the black mists of Nightmare Moon's armor fountained outwards—rippling towards Ruse of Lull Moon, reacting to his proximity.

The nefarious unicorn casually dipped a hoof into the trailing miasma. His slitted eyes flickered like crescent moons. He smiled as he paced around the heart of the throneroom, fangs peeking through. “The Mother of Nightmare's moment of victory arriveth soon.” Ruse strolled slowly around the mounted armor, continuously admiring its immaculate black surfaces, wafting with shadows. “Verily, I await thine witness to her triumph with bountiful anticipation. Thine dreams shall be cloudy indeed to hath suffered such rapid diminishing of hope.”

Lieutenant Pulsar said nothing. He leaned forward in his restraints, his angry eyes narrowing on the armor, the helm, the billowing essence of Nightmare Moon. Unbeknownst to Ruse, the tip of the solar soldier's horn was glowing—ever so faintly.

“Doth it fall on the will of Mother to annihilate thee?” Ruse slowly shook his head, continuing his circle under torchlight. “I shan't pretend to declare. But suffice it to say that her almighty will entaileth the peaceful envelopment of all equine beings under nightfall—not death.” The half-sarosian sorcerer spun around to glare down at the manacled soldier. “There hath been no need for this war. Nay, no need for this killing.” His slitted eyes flickered once again as a tongue of shadows leapt from the armor and evaporated against his figure. “She simply wisheth to shepherd us into her most perfect dream.” He slowly shook his head. “Why doth that present such an obstacle to ye solar-savoring fools?”

Pulsar did not answer. He tilted his head in such a way that Ruse—even with his sarosian eyes—could not notice the faint glow to his horn.

“I always admired Pulsar. It's hard not to. I mean, besides being an excellent servant of the Court of Canterlot, he was Shining and I's great-great-great-great-great-great—”

“Yeah, I get it, Twilight—”

“—great-great-great-great-great—”

“Yeah, I ge—I get it, Twilight!!!:

“... … … but I just had two more generations to go. Thirteen in total.”

“Yeah. Awesome. It's super cool that you remember that. But you don't need to friggin' count it out to tell me all this.”

“Sorry... … ...”

“It's okay. Just—like—tell me what the heck Pulsar was even planning on doing? He was captured by those creeps, kept alive as a pet monkey in the heart of Whinniepeg—but for what? To listen to endless monologues?”

“Well, before going in, Pulsar knew enough about Ruse of Lull Moon to realize the servant of Nightmare Moon had a huge ego. One that could be entertained in such a way that Ruse would spare him.”

“Yeah. I can believe that.”

“Really?”

“I fought quite a few just like him between Darkstine and Rohbredden. A dime a dozen, those melon fudges.”

“Some things never change, Rainbow Dash.”

“But—for real, though—what was Pulsar's plan?”

“Everything that I've told you.”

“... … ...his plan was to hang out at Whinniepeg Keep within view of the armor and listen to that Lull Moon creep prattle on?”

“Well, there's one thing that Ruse and the rest of his subordinates did not expect. Something that Pulsar was hiding from all of his captors.”

“And what's that?”

“... … ...he had a twin sister.”

A pair of violet eyes opened wide. A serious face with a light-blue coat and a matching horn. A horn that was dimly pulsating every other second.

With nimble forelimbs, the mare slipped on a gold-tinged helmet. She spun about and marched down a narrow wooden interior—ducking below criss-crossing support beams fastened by thick plates of iron. The chamber she was in rocked and creaked, with the lanterns hanging overhead dangling loosely—casting a swaying beam of amber light across the rustic hovel.

She passed soldiers in matching solar armor who were busily arming cannons aimed out numerous portholes into a windy sky. A few ponies saluted as she passed by, and others shuffled aside to give her room to gallop up a steep flight of steps.

Soon, the mare emerged upon a wide-open deck. Gusts of air kicked at her exposed tail and mane hair under her armor. Voices shouted at one another as deckhooves galloped back and forth. Meanwhile, the unicorn soldier made a beeline for the bow of the vessel. Off the edge of the deck, treelines and mountains and rivers loomed far below. A gust of air—squadrons of armored pegasi soared by, swinging into tight formations with several other airborne platoons. Several meters away, a matching zeppelin flew north at even pace with that vessel. Then—beyond that—was another airship... then another... … ...then more.

No less than five dozen aircraft glided over the hills and valleys of Equestria, making way for the Northern Trots, with pegasi guardians filling the hazy spaces in between. A few smaller dirigibles floated above and below, with massive brass drums pounding—sending a battle beat throughout the atmosphere that spirited the entire armada forward.

At last, the ancient relative of Twilight Sparkle reached a well-decorated mare in a shiny gold uniform. She knelt low, spoke a few words, then gestured to her glowing horn.

The aged admiral stared down at her, nodded, then sent shouting commands to her subordinates across the ship.

“Captain Dawn Glint—younger than Pulsar by a few hours—but higher in rank by more than a few stars. The two were a priceless pair in most of the later engagements of Celestia's Solar Army, courtesy of an age-old family spell that connected the two in their youth. Throughout their schooling, Pulsar and Dawn Glint communed with a familial sensory spell, allowing them to perceive each other's stimuli from across long distances.”

“Huh. Did you and Shining ever practice that kind of magic?”

“That's... … ….not been a thing for centuries, Rainbow Dash. Besides, it's almost only ever worked with twins and historically required so much concentration and hard work that implementing it today is tantamount to committing foal labor.”

“Huh. Yeesh, unicorns are weird.”

“Jee. Thanks. Anyways—by tradition—Dawn Glint and Pulsar were practitioners of this type of connective magic. It's something that was never truly mastered by sarosians—even the unicorn hybrids. The practice existed before Princess Luna's 'children' ever manifested in the temporal world, and they never bothered to pursue it.”

“Sounds like your ancestors had an edge.”

“Indeed. Dawn Glint and Pulsar planned the entire debacle together. Pulsar—the rougher of the two—”

“By that, I bet you mean 'awesomer.'”

“Sure. Pulsar volunteered to be the one captured by the defenders of Whinniepeg. By situating himself as a 'guest' of Ruse of Lull Moon's capture, he was able to convey the condition and location of Nightmare Moon's armor at all times.”

“Snazzy.”

“For one, this confirmed that the armor was in Whinniepeg. Beyond that, it would help Dawn Glint zero in on its exact whereabouts so that they could endeavor to capture it.”

“And that's what the armada was for? That's so friggin' cool.”

“The final battle of the Solar Civil War was underway. With Celestia squaring off with her treacherous sister in the heart of Everfree, the Celestial defenders were ready for a full-on assault of the Northern Trots.”

“Is this where explosions begin?”

“Rainbow—you know as well as I do that I'm awful at making sound effects.”

“That's A-Okay, Twi. I'll fill in the blanks. Ahem...”

KAPOW!!!

THOOM!!!

KABLAAAM!!!

The air above Whinniepeg burst with flak and exploding cannonshells. Clouds parted as enchanted ordinance sailed high from their artillery encampments in the forested fringes of the occupied city. The keep of Whinniepeg and its surrounding ramparts were still a grazy haze along the bumpy northern horizon, but visibility was further limited by the constant explosions looming closer and closer to the encroaching armada until—

POWWWW!!!

One zeppelin within a stone's throw split in two, its dirigible shredded to billowing rags. Screaming bodies fell every which way as the chunks of the airship plummeted towards the rock-hard earth below.

Captain Dawn Glint clenched her teeth, gripping the railing of the deck. Her eyelids fluttered with each resounding cannonburst. She peered over the side in time to catch a volley from the lower decks firing into the north. Half-a-minute later, chunks of forest flew sky high.

Nevertheless, the sarosian bombardment did not cease.

Another zeppelin burst into flames off the starboard side. The admiral hollered to a deckhoof to her right. The soldier flipped the shutters on a bright torch, aimed off starboard.

A platoon of pegasi signaled back. With streaks of gold armor, they sailed after the collapsing zeppelin in an effort to rescue as many bodies from the collapsing craft.

The admiral shouted more and more commands, gesturing with her hooves. The officers around her signaled to the surrounding armada. Several airships lifted altitude with burning ballasts. Meanwhile, the remaining pegasi squadrons flew into action. A third of them dove low, approaching the southern edges of Whinniepeg straight on. The other groups flew east and west, swooping around to attack the flanks of the sarosian defense.

Dawn Glint's body shifted with the force of her ship's rapid climb. She watched as the enemy artillery bombardment exploded low—out of range. Then her vision caught sight of the forward-attacking pegasi bravely facing the immediate onslaught of the sarosian defense. At the same time, the flanking solar airship flickered with distant specks of yellow light. The forces had lit multiple manatorches, and were sweeping by at full speed, performing an aerial bombardment. Within the next minute, the pegasi vanished beyond naked sight. In their place... several dozen spots of flame gradually lit up—roaring into a blazing wildfire. The artillery embattlements had been encumbered by the fiery assault, and it was clear that the very forests of Whinniepeg would soon be a blazing inferno.

Such was the cost of this massive assault, among other things.

The artillery bombardment lessened—but not just because of the firebombing. With the pegasi squadrons sent to occupy the defenses, the air between Whinniepeg Keep and the Celestial Armada was undefended. A dark cloud billowed between Dawn Glint and the target below. A cloud colored like velvet fur.

In place of the shelling, there arose a nightmarish chorus. A bloodlusting chant, intensifying in volume.

The Dark Vigil was on an intercept course, and within minutes even Dawn Glint and her fellow deckhooves could make out the impenetrable glint of their incoming fangs.

Schiiiiiiing! Dawn Glint unsheathed her scimitar and readied herself. She stood tall and ready in golden armor, watching as the sarosians drew closer... closer...

“Hey Twi. How do you like my sword impression?”

“Honestly, Rainbow, can't you just let me tell this story like normal?”

“You mean like how your mom or dad would by the fireplace? Cuz that sounds sooooooo exciting.”

“Rainbow...”

“Yes yes. Go ahead, Twi. Dawn Glint was about to get medieval on sarosian hine-y. Literally.”

“Well, we all know that was inevitable. The truly grueling task was up to Lieutenant Pulsar.”

“Back in the castle?”

“Yes. He had to occupy Ruse's attention. He had to give the leader of the sarosian defense a reason to stay put—what's more, with the armor of Nightmare Moon left visible and vulnerable.”

“V'lyshymma l'vynyk!”

In droves, sarosians rushed through the heart of Whinniepeg Keep. Their bodies were black blurs under wavering torchlight as they grabbed every available sword and poleaxe from the armory before making a blinding rush for the battle outside.

“V'lym'al! V'lym'al! W'symml lym th'lysym'yl wyl'mym!”

A roll of thunder.

The invasion's latest cannon barrage landed closer and closer.

The Keep shook from foundation to ceiling, raining dust and sediment across Lieutenant Pulsar's shackled body. He winced as the dust showered over his exposed cuts and bruises. On either side of him, burly guards shifted nervously—antsy to go out and engage the solar attackers. Pulsar watched as the soldiers looked pleadingly at the Duke.

“Nym'sym.” Ruse of Lull Moon shook his head, glaring at the two guards. “Vy'fynym syly'ssa dym m'symmal dyl H'Luun.”

With deep breaths, the two guards stood tall—remaining at their post.

Pulsar braved a weak squint in Ruse's direction. “Hast thou no honor? They shall live the rest of their winters in shame knowing they fought not in the Empire's losing battle.”

“Thine frail imitation of confidence is too threadbare to warrant humor,” Ruse said, standing closer to the armor. His slitted eyes narrowed as he aimed a glowing horn at the vaporous surfaces. “Verily, this stronghold wath chosen by the Mother of Nightmares herself. With wisdom, cunning, and guile of otherworldly merit didth she establish dominance hereupon.” The shadows surrounding the armor danced wildly under his examination, and he gave the solar soldier a sideways smirk. “To attempt landfall here is to secure one's own grave. I would weep for thine brothers and sisters in arms were it not for their exceeding foolishness.”

“Art thou ready to die for thine overconfidence?” Pulsar raised an eyebrow. He tilted his head back to obscure the faint glow of his horntip from Ruse. “An Empress who wouldth lead her children into eternal night is tempting blindness on a massive scale. Perhaps she hath the foresight to pass the gap ahead, but dost thou?”

“I would most happily die for my Queen,” Ruse said. As the Keep shook again, he gestured in the nebulous direction of the sarosian chants. “All of mine siblings of the night would—gladly—in a heartbeat.” He pointed down at Pulsar. “That is why all the defenders of the Celestial Deceiver shall know nothing more than failure. Thou art too obsessed with living. But oblivion...” His eyes narrowed. “...the substance of terror that preyeth upon us all? The Mother of Nightmares hath made us well acquainted with the unsightly price of possessing consciousnesses. And a fitting audience we have made—having been bred in the pit of despair, between worlds bereft of thine ill-valued sun.”

“Thou speakest of oblivion,” Pulsar said. “And yet—even now—thou bearest the sightly burden of the vessel that prattleth to me thusly. It is a gift—fleeting, yes—but an eternal shame that in thine hollow superiority thou wouldst ruin the bliss of awe and discovery for everypony.”

“Everypony... is nothing,” Ruse said. “The Mother of Nightmares is everything.” With a twirl of his starry cape, he gestured gallantly at the armor, still-frothing in shadow. “Thou and all thine kind will soon learn to bow to her glory...” A furrowed brow. “...even if it taketh eternal slumber to lower your heads.”

Pulsar remained calm. He channeled the tiniest bit of magic into his horn. Seeking. Connecting...

“And Dawn Luster was listening in on all this?”

“Dawn Glint, Rainbow.”

“My bad.”

“And—it wasn't quite that she could listen in. She had something of a mental picture of where Pulsar was located... and that he was talking to somepony of great lunar prestige.”

“So she just put two and two together.”

“Precisely.”

“What was she planning on doing next? What were the both of them planning on doing? Seems like there was one heck of a battle raging.”

“There was. And the whole reason the armada pressed forward the way it did was because Dawn Glint needed to eliminate the distance between herself and Pulsar in order to bridge the gap.”

“Bridge the gap? What—you mean a teleportation spell or something?”

“Very good, Rainbow. The entire operation depended on the two reuniting. Pulsar was giving direct access to the heart of the Keep where the armor of Nightmare Moon was being kept. The Siege—while noble and ambitious—was just the outward shell of the mission. The key to victory was getting Dawn Glint inside. Once the Solar Army could lay claim to the armor, the sarosian cause would fall.”

“Sounds too good to be true.”

“Well, I'm only telling you this so you could know what my ancestors witnessed.”

“So she did reunite with Pulsar?”

“Not easily...”

P-POW!!!

More shells exploded on either side of the lead airship.

The admiral gnashed her teeth. After shouting commands at her fellow deckhooves, she made a gesture to Dawn Glint.

The Captain readied herself closer to the bow. A quartet of armored pegasi joined her side, forming a tight circle.

The admiral motioned towards both the port and starboard cannoneers. The guns swiveled forward, facing the wall of leather and fangs flying inbound.

Dawn Glint's eyes reflected a sky full of flak and smoke. But—all of a sudden—the entire world turned even darker. A collective gasp flew from the mouths of everypony on board.

The sun had gone completely dark—replaced by a brilliant full moon.

Nightmare Moon had to have been engaging Princess Celestia at that very moment. Now was the time.

The admiral hollered, flinging her hoof forward.

BL-BLAMMM!

A barrage of cannonfire emanated from the airship. Soon, the rest of the armada fired in matching blasts. A wave of fire and metal surged northward, straight into the incoming mass of sarosian warriors.

The Dark Vigil was quick—and nimble—they split east and west, allowing the mass of ordinance to sail through their center where they had been previously flying.

But the Solar Army anticipated this. No sooner had the initial salvo ended that the armada's guns went silent. The sarosians—slowed and split up by the incoming fire—attempted to continue their intercepting flight. They were blind to the gold-armored pegasi flying up on their flanks, returning from their swift firebombing of the Whinniepeg battlements.

Within a minute, the air clamored with clashing swords and showering sparks. Splashes of blood and flashes of fangs kissed the moonlight. The sarosians broke formation, morphing into a berserker melee as they fought their feathered opponents with shrieks and serrated silver. Soon, the entire air was a hideous large-scale bloodbath, blotting out the starlight.

The admiral shouted, and the flagship dipped low to avoid the bulk of the midair battle. Dawn Glint grimaced as the deck was showered with blood and bodies. A few sarosians swooped low, attempting to pick off the deckhooves on board—but crossbows and sword swings made ragged meat of them.

The ship pierced through the main battle, and soon the soldiers on board could see Whinniepeg once again. The city was now on fire, with the southern wall of the Keep battered in multiple places. A few more ships lowered past the melee, and they pivoted so that their port guns were fully-focused on the lunar encampments below.

Thus began the next round of artillery barrage—with both sides exchanging shells and sending shrapnel flying in every direction.

Another command from the admiral; the flagship fired a fierce volley into the heart of Whinniepeg for thirty seconds straight. Before the onslaught ended, she turned to Dawn Glint—her aged eyes reflecting the Captain's glowing horntip. She nodded, gesturing boldly into the fray.

Dawn Glint nodded back. She shouted to her pegasi comrades. The four of them held her tight, galloped forward at full speed, and leapt off the bow of the airship.

With precise timing, the admiral called off the cannonblasts. A solid channel of unencumbered sky welcomed the five ponies. Captain Dawn Glint was carried swiftly through the air—still smelling of gun powder and burning metal. There were flashes from down below as runic weapons discharged, targeting the five targets out in the open.

Dawn Glint would have conjured a shield spell, but she had to concentrate on her connection to her brother. Thus—the pegasi bravely sped her forward, using sheer agility and guile to outfly the moonrock projectiles.

The weapon blasts zipped by them, filling the winds with dark enchantment. Dawn Glint's horn glowed brighter and brighter. She focused on the Keep ahead.

Foul shrieks. Dawn Glint saw velvet coats and glistening fangs in her peripheral vision. A pair of bloodied sarosians flew in to stop the squadron. Two of the pegasi on Dawn Glint's right savagely beat the lunar soldiers back with armored hooves. One to her right reached over and sliced one attacker's neck before his partner was bucked off in a splash of blood.

Dawn Glint's armor rattled. Explosions were going off above and below them. The lunar cannons were firing—filling in the space that the armada's artillery no longer made. Within seconds, the five solar agents would be blown to bits.

The pegasi closed in tight, clinging to Dawn Glint. They tightened their wings, allowing gravity and inertia to carry them forward. There was only one last means of conveyance now.

Dawn Glint clenched her teeth. A high-pitched hiss emanated from her throat. Her horn brightened like a second sun. Then—just as a shell of moonrock flew furiously towards them—she bridged the connection with her brother. A bright gold portal opened up before the five of them, revealing torchlight and stonework and Lieutenant Pulsar's prone figure.

Duke Ruse of Lull Moon was speaking: “—even if it taketh eternal slumber to lower your heads.” His slitted eyes widened upon the sight of the sudden portal. He stumbled back into Nightmare Moon's armor. “V'myrma h'luss!!!”

“Rrrrrnnnghhh!” Dawn Glint and the four pegasi barreled through the portal. She somersaulted, stood beside her brother, and telekinetically unsheathed two gold broadswords from her sides. Schiiiing! “HAAAA—”

“... … ….”

“... … ...well? Twilight?”

“Just seeing if you were paying attention.”

“I am! I friggin' am! What in fuzzballs happened next?”

“Meh. Spike's not here. He was the one who always liked the fight scenes.”

“Twiliiiiiiight...”

“Heheh. Okay. Anyways. So yeah. They dropped in on Duke Ruse of Lull Moon.”

“And?”

“Aaaaaaaand—”

“—AAAAAAAAUGH!” Dawn Glint spun with both blades swinging.

SCH-SCHUNKKK!

The two guards flanking Dawn Glint reached for their weapons, but couldn't use them. It's not that they weren't trained to fight, but rather they had just lost their heads.

Duke Ruse's leafy ears drooped as his slitted eyes reflected the bubbling blood of his fallen comrades. “H'ymal thym'sym...”

“Rrghhh...!” Lieutenant Pulsar stumbled to stand up. A swift sword-swing by his sibling cut the bindings on his fetlocks, and finally he could stand upright. “Punctuality becometh thee.”

“Stay thy tongue.” Captain Dawn Glint tossed the broadsword towards her brother—who caught it in a telekinetic grip. “A lone moon riseth.”

“Our moment is at hoof, thusly.” Pulsar cracked the joints in his neck and stood at ready beside his sister and the four solar pegasi. “Nightmare Moon's armor—”

“—shalt never be seized!!!” hollered Ruse, before tilting his muzzle towards the torch-lit ceiling of the throneroom. “SKREEE-EEE-EEE-EEE!!!”

The siblings and their fellow soldiers winced. They made to rush the Duke—

—but caught sight of a throng of sarosian warriors rushing into the chamber, answering their leader's call.

“In the Name of the Mother of Nightmares!” Sch-Sch-Schiiiiing! Ruse of Lull Moon levitated a rotating fan of silver knives from beneath his starry cape. “Slay them!” He pointed at the targets in question with the first of many-many blades. “Slay them verily!”

“Captain Dawn Glint and Lieutenant Pulsar charged the Duke and they... fought for the armor.”

“Twilight... … ….”

“Euggggggh... fine. Captain Dawn Glint and Lieutenant Pulsar galloped—”

—forward at full speed, raising their levitating broadswords and deflecting the first onslaught of thrown knives.

Cl-Clank!

Clank!

Dawn Glint hollered through the resulting sparks. “Hold off the attack! My brother and I shall dispense with the Duke!”

“Haaaaaugh!”

“Raaaaaugh!”

The pegasus soldiers of the solar army met the incoming Dark Vigil with a clash of armored hooves and scimitar swipes. Shrieks, hisses, and clanging metal filled the chamber from wall to wall.

Meanwhile, the Duke...

“Hrrrrtt! Hrnnngh! Haaah!”

...backtrotted up toward the raised dais that housed the armor of Nightmare Moon, all the while flinging serrated slivers from his floating fan of knives down at the solar siblings.

Lieutenant Pulsar led the charge, raising the flat side of his broadsword vertically like an enormous buckler. He squatted low to the ground and raised his haunches—

“Yaaaaaaaaugh!”

—for Captain Dawn Glint to properly vault over him, sailing towards the Duke with a violent downswing.

Ruse leapt backwards with a pulse of telekinesis.

THUNKKKK!!! The length of Dawn Glint's sword slammed heavily into the raised steps around the dais, loosening craggy chunks of masonry.

Ruse's eyes pulsed in time with his horn as he sent the airborne bits of rock sailing back at Dawn Glint.

“Hrttt!” Dawn Glint twirled her sword. Clank! She deflected one rock. T-tink! And second and—THONK!—the heaviest chunk of rock ricocheted hard off her helmet, sending cracks down the gold finish. “Aaaaaugh!” Dawn Glint reeled back.

“Deceiver's teat mongrel!!!” Ruse flew half of his remaining daggers at the mare.

“Rrrrrrrrr—!!!” Pulsar came charging through with his broadsword cutting ahead of him. Crk-crk-crk-crkkk!!! He sliced through the steam of blades like butter and swung hard at Ruse. “Aaaaa—!”

Ruse side-hopped the swing, twirled, and flung his entire cape at the stallion.

“Oooomfmmfff!!!” Pulsar's flailed wildly, blinded by the fabric.

“Begone!” Ruse fired a stream of burning mana straight at the stallion. Bzzzzzzzz!!!

The cape encumbering Pulsar caught flame. The stallion hollered in pain and fright, dropping his sword and falling backwards down the steps.

Dawn Glint gasped as his brother's body rolled past her. Gnashing her teeth, she spun and flung her fractured helmet at Ruse like a missile.

The unicorn's slitted pupils shrunk. With a pulse of his horn, he teleported away—

—and meanwhile Dawn Glint's helmet flew through his previous position and slammed full-force against the armor of Nightmare Moon.

CLANGGG!!!

The shadows of the room rippled, intensified, and receded. By the time the Duke had materialized at the far end of the throne room, tendrils of distorted dark energy emanated from the armor of his violent matriarch.

“SKREE-EE-EE!!!” He shrieked in dismay, fangs flickering in the torchlight. “No! Cease thy desecration!” His look of horror melted into bitter cold hatred, and soon he was galloping towards a pile of tomes across an alchemy station. “I shall dispense with thy impurity forthwith!”

Meanwhile, Pulsar was on his back, kicking and thrashing about in a desperate bid to shake the burning robes off of him. He wasn't anywhere near successful—until Dawn Glint rushed over and yanked the fabric off with her teeth before stamping it out with armored hooves.

“Kafff! Koff koff! Hckkkt!!!” With smoke-stained tears, Pulsar squinted up at her sister. “Dawn Glint! The armor—”

She smacked him atop his frazzled skull. “Clumsy knave!” She hissed through her teeth. “That's twice tonight that I have saved thee!” She turned towards the Duke. “Never take thy eyes off...” Her words drooped out a gaping muzzle.

Both siblings watched as Duke Ruse of Lull Moon ran back to the dais, levitating several arcane books around his figure. Runic symbols of lunar origin materialized above his horn as his eyes glowed.

“From the blackest heart of nightmares...” He opened one book wide and aimed it down at the siblings like a cannon. A ring of spinning sigils burned outward from the mana-brimming pages. “BE CLEANSED!!!”

PHOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSH!!!

The solar siblings gasped. Pulsar grabbed his sister close and shot a beam of telekinetic energy down point blank at the floor of the throne room. A crater formed beneath them as they were both propelled awkwardly above a burning swath of violet-tinged magic.

Across the room, clashing sarosians and pegasi looked towards the source of bursting energy. They gasped with their last breaths—PHWOOOOOOMBBB!!!—before falling as skeletons aflame.

Ruse gnashed his teeth. The silver tips of his billowing mane caught fire as he twirled another arcane book and aimed it high at the airborne pair of siblings.

PHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSH!!!

Dawn Glint and Pulsar kicked against each other. With quick levitation spells, they glided in opposite directions. Meanwhile, the latest violet discharge burrowed a swath of destruction through the ceiling and far wall of the rumbling throneroom.

Chunks of stone and masonry fell. The remaining sarosians and pegasi galloped—screaming—in a desperate attempt to outrun the collapse. Bodies became pulpy puddles of viscera and the howls of anguish filled the rattled halls. A massive groan thundered across the Keep's foundations; its southern wall toppled over in agonizing slowness. Moonlight flooded the dusty interior, demarcated haphazardly by the shadows of distant airships and winged soldiers fighting in the night sky over Whinniepeg. More and more cannonshells landed all around, bringing their violent echoes inward as Dawn Glint and Pulsar regained their hoofing—pacing wearily across from Ruse upon the dais.

“Pretenders of a false light...” Ruse seethed, tossing the last burnt book and rotating a fresh one in its place. As new sigils brightened with luminescent menace, they revealed fresh lesions forming across his velvety flesh—leaking with hot blood, much like his muzzle and ears. “...thine Princess' last sun hath set!!!” He hollered into the surrounding conflagration of the lunar empirical stronghold. “The Age of Eternal Night cometh!!!”

“Surrender thy heinous arts, Duke!” Pulsar hollered back. His eyes darted between his sister and his enemy as he nervously levitated his broadsword by his side. “Behold! It consumeth thee so! What Matriarch of the Night blesseth her children with such a bevy of curses?!?”

“Thou canst not stop the Nightmare!” Ruse hissed. His slitted eyes took on the same color as the weaponized tomes. Porous holes formed in his leather wings as he outstretched them with his remaining ounce of intimidation. “Our future hath been found written on the endless walls of before-birthing! Blessed H'luun found it! Thy Solar Deceiver wisheth only to snuff it out!”

“Mercy hath run out for thee,” Dawn Glint said, glaring with steely eyes. “Both fate's... and mine.”

Pulsar glanced at his sister.

Dawn Glint aimed her sword up at Ruse. “We give thee one last chance to drop thy stubborn defense—”

“Drop thy putrid bodies!!!” Ruse spat blood, pivoted fully towards her, and aimed the now-burning-book. “V'samma vynlm H'luun!!!!”

Pulsar held his breath and galloped over to his sister. Sliding into a locked stance, both siblings held their swords up in a criss-cross of gold metal.

FLAAAAAAA-AAAA-AAAASSSSSH!!!

Pulsar and Dawn Glint strained against their telekinetic grip of their swords. Nevertheless—through sheer strength and determination—they managed to brace their weapons against the punishing stream of black magic. The air around them bristled with violet mana, nipping at their fur and limbs. Wounds formed magically across their flesh. Their armor cooked, burning hot red and forcing the two to shirk the metal slabs off one by one as the cone of damaging energy fountained closer and closer to their shuddering centers.

“Wait wait wait...”

“What, Rainbow? I thought you wanted the exciting version of this.”

“There's no friggin' way two mortal equines—talented unicorns or not—could have withstood that much concentrated black magic for that long.”

“So? You've survived worse.”

“Of course I have! I'm awesome!”

“Eunghhh...”

“But your ancestors—”

“They were awesome too!”

“I'm not saying they weren't, Twilight. But somehow I get the feeling their goose was simply cooked. Which is impossible, because you and your family know so much about this tale.”

“Well—if I didn't make it clear from the get-go—Dawn Glint and Pulsar weren't in a battle against the Duke or his sarosian allies for that matter.”

“They weren't?”

“Nope. They were in a battle against time.”

“Against time? I... … ….wait. Waaaaaaait... I know where this is going.”

“An adventurer with experience you are, Rainbow. Anyways—there were Dawn Glint and Pulsar, defending themselves against Ruse's onslaught of Black Magic. Their hooves—”

—scraped against the floor, forming shallow grooves, as they were forced back by the constant deflection of their conjoined broadswords against the energy stream.

“Rrrrrrrrrrghhhhh...!!!” Ruse sneered wickedly, his fangs fitted to a malicious smile.

A new steam lit the air. Dawn Glint and Pulsar looked up to see the gold hilts of their weapons melting. More and more streams of violet energy was pouring through the spaces in their defense. Both soldiers tasted the unmistakably bitter taste of blood forming in their mouths and throats.

“Brother...” Dawn Glint wheezed, her tears evaporating. “...n-now, more than ever, it prevaileth upon me to tell thee—”

“Preserve it for our reunion with Mother and Father in the Harmonic Plains, beloved sister,” Pulsar grunted back. His eyelids fluttered—preparing to shut against their inevitable demise...

...when the shadows above them—above Ruse, above the throneroom, above all of Whinniepeg vanished entirely. Gone was the moon... the stars... the twilight... the murky clouds and permeating miasma of the sarosians' enchantment.

In its place, there stretched a blue sky—crisp and lively and bright.

Ruse gasped. He instantly stopped his spell, dropping the charred tome in question before him. With a slack-jawed expression, he gazed up at the blinding sunrise. His wounded face winced as blood-stained tears trickled down his mouth.

“H'Luun...”

A sad shudder. His ears drooped and his squeaking voice joined a rising chorus of high-pitched mourning that resonated across all corners of the Northern Trots.

“H'Luun thym'll sym thym...”

“She did it...” Pulsar shuddered, gaping at the blue sky as songbirds and cheers filled the void left by the dissipating air battle. “...our wise and radiant Princess did it—”

Dawn Glint shot up, jumped over him, and flung the remains of both broadswords at Ruse. “Yaaaaaugh!”

“!!!” Ruse barely had time to react. Schlunkkk! One of the flung swords sailed into his chest, protruding outward from his upper flank. “Hrtttt!” His eyeslits turned blood red as he flew back from the savage impalement—

Th-Thappp!

—and landed in a bloody heap besides Nightmare Moon's armor. The dark mists surrounding the blackened silver billowed and danced wildly, as if enraged at the sudden departure of its host.

“Foul traitor!!!” Dawn Glint spat at the wounded Duke. “Thou hast lost!!!”

“Grkkkt... I... I have...” Belching bile and foam, the seething Duke turned his head towards the ruined floor of the Keep. His crimson eyes caught sight of one remaining tome. “But... shall... n-not...”

“Wait—!” Pulsar winced, hobbling up to his hooves.

“...f-fail!!!” Duke's horn pulsed. The tome flew into his grasp. He opened its pages and pressed them hard to his eviscerated chest. “M'shrynmh L'fynym thym'ym H'Luun...”

“No!” Dawn Glint galloped up the steps towards the dais.

As the book brimmed with runic energy, it lit up Duke's lacerated insides. A silver glow billowed out his ears, eyes, and gaping maw. “H'RUHN'MALLL!!!”

His body smoked like a snuffed candle. A ring of silver light sliced into being around the armor.

Dawn Glint leapt for him—only to be intercepted by Pulsar's charging body. The two siblings barreled sideways in the direction of Pulsar's inertia... away from the dais—

THOOOOOM!!!

—as it imploded into an infinitesimal pinprick of light. What was once Duke Ruse's living body ribboned outward into a pulpy cocoon that spun several scarlet revolutions around the central nub of energy before exploding outward in a spray of meat, bone, and viscera.

POWWWW!!!

In the next blink of light, a perfectly spherical swath of the Keep had vanished—armor and dais and all—teleported cleanly far away. As the thunder settled for miles in every direction, Pulsar and Dawnglint could only gawk helplessly at the absence of their target. They spent the next few minutes leaning against one another, catching their breaths, drinking in the measure of their failure amidst an overwhelming aura of victory.

“Within hours, the entire sarosian army had been driven out of the vicinity of Whinniepeg. There were no prisoners. It's not that the Solar Army took no quarter. Any remaining soldiers or wounded victims of the sarosian defenders at Whinniepeg took one look at the rising sun and took their own lives by any means necessary. They had failed their Mother of Nightmares. They'd rather face the eternal dark than subservience to a mortal foe in the 'Solar Deceiver's light.”

“Yeesh. That sure is one emo army.”

“A dedicated one, Rainbow Dash. Dedicated in both blood and spirit—in a way that nopony left to celebrate a liberated Equestria could possibly understand.”

“Doesn't make it right.”

“It was a tragedy, Rainbow Dash. A tragedy with wounds that still run deep today. In all my foalhood years of being told the tales of my ancestors' bravery, I never once liked the sarosians. But I couldn't bring myself to hate them either. They were as much a victim of the spirit of Nightmare Moon as Princess Luna was. Only—while Luna was banished to the moon—an entire civilization of lost children had to deal with their own exile.”

“So—ultimately—they made off with the armor of Nightmare Moon.”

“That's the general consensus, yes.”

Somewhere...

In a dimly-lit cabin... …

Swaying and creaking with the waves of some deep ocean... … …

… the blackened silver of Nightmare Moon rested on multiple pedestals.

Tendrils of shadow rippled off its polished surfaces. The helm, the barrel plating, the fetlock guards.

And—with each passing moment—those shadows grew fainter and fainter.

For its bearer was long, long gone.

“With his final breath, Duke Ruse of Lull Moon teleported the armor he was tasked with guarding far... far away. Where, exactly? For months, nopony knew. There were search parties: bands of Celestial airborne warriors sent to hunt down any remaining bands of sarosians.

“It wasn't until half-a-year after the end of the Solar Civil War that a band of scouts discovered a crater in the center of a snow-filled valley outside of Torontrot. Gathered around the deep impression left in the earth were chunks of masonry that masked the missing foundation materials belonging to Whinniepeg Keep. A battalion of the Lunar Imperial army was known to be camped in Torontrot at the time of Nightmare Moon's defeat. So—the safest hypothesis was that those sarosians seized the armor, secured it, and carried it with them as they fled the Solar Army.

“The Exodus of the Dark Vigil was no secret to Equestria and its inhabitants. It was more than obvious to everypony—soldiers and citizens alike—that Princess Luna's children were swiftly fleeing the nation as one collective group of refugees. Even pioneers in the outlying colonies bore witness to their flight. From all of the collected observation, the sarosians were witnessed heading eastward—traveling by air, boat, earth... any means that they could achieve to put as much distance between themselves and Princess Celestia.

“Beyond that—well—you know the rest, Rainbow Dash. Or perhaps it's safe to say that we now know the rest. The sarosians kept going and going until they reached Rohbredden and the Edge of the world. There, they split into two groups: the 'Seventh Tribe' at Bleak's Plummet and the Dark Vigil who would cross over to the Dark Side and become the 'Bloodwings.'

“Thanks to Xarchellus, we now know that the Bloodwings are the ones who still possess the armor of Nightmare Moon. They also have the Book of Saros—another priceless icon of sarosian culture. Unlike the sarosians of Bleak's Plummet, these members of the Dark Vigil have been living in the dark for generations. Literally.

“For them, there was no escape for the Mare of the Moon on the Thousandth Year. For them, Princess Luna never reformed and stood once again at Princess Celestia's side. For them, the Mother of Nightmares is still an exile on the moon—banished for her 'passionate heroism' in the Solar Civil War.

“For them—undoubtedly—the only feasible purpose in life is to seize the Harmonic Prism from the Midnight Armory and use it to somehow restore their Queen and Matriarch to the Nightmare Moon persona that they worship and bring eternal night to the world.”

Rainbow Dash stood, contemplative and cool, atop a pile of crumbled stones along the fringes of Blobstain. All around, the foundations of the earth rhythmically thrumped from the incessant beat emanating from the blood-pink ocean lingering just a few blocks curveside. A twilight veil of stars twinkled overhead, partially obscured by the aura of torchlight kindled by the dihmers and goblins milling about the ram-shackled town.

The spirit of Twilight Sparkle levitated just a few feet from her anchor—just as she had been for the past few hours. She continued speaking:

“But the true aspect of the Bloodwings and their aspirations are... foreign to me, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight swallowed. “Nevertheless, I've told you all that I know about the sarosians—as a race, as a culture, and as a long-lost-army likely still thirsting for vengeance.” She looked at Rainbow with a foalish expression. “It may not sound very humble, but—just short of having an actual elderly scholar of the Canterlot Library magically here and present—this is the most information you could possibly ever receive about the ponies you are planning to meet up with.” She put on a hopeful smile. “But then you've one-upped all of that. You've known Princess Luna personally for so long. You've likely had more conversations with her than any other mortal in over a thousand years.”

Rainbow Dash nodded thoughtfully, gazing off.

“If there's any expert set to prepare you for the task ahead... it's you.” Twilight's eyes narrowed. “At least—perhaps—you'll have been a bit more properly informed about their history so as to make better judgments.”

“Hmmmm...” Rainbow exhaled. “Ancient history.”

Twilight gestured. “From what we witnessed from the sarosians of Bleak's Plummet, those emotions and feelings from the Equestrian Exodus still dig deep.”

“Yeah, but Xarchellus' flock weren't battling creepy armies for over nine centuries,” Rainbow Dash said. “Lexxic... Nat'rdo... the rest of the Bloodwings?” She slowly shook her head. “They can't quite be dancing to the same dance... … … can they?”

Twilight also shook her head. “I'm afraid I can't help you there, Rainbow.”

“Well, you've helped me enough.” Rainbow's wings flapped as she paced in mid-air. “If... … … and this is a big 'if'... … … IF the Bloodwings still remember the history of the Solar Civil War—albeit their side of it—maybe I can try to convince them... s-somehow... that Princess Luna and the spirit of Nightmare Moon were never truly one-and-the-same! That Nightmare Moon influenced and perverted their Matriarch to create the 'Mother of Nightmares' out of bogus pretense!”

Twilight Sparkle sighed long and hard. “And exactly how are you going to achieve that?”

“How else?” Rainbow tilted her neck up and pointed at her ruby lightning bolt pendant. “With the enchantment that Princess Luna put into the Element of Loyalty!”

“You can't make that your 'get-out-of-jail-for-free card' forever, Rainbow.”

“No, of course not! All I'm saying is—” Rainbow Dash paused in mid-gesture. She turned, blinking, to her right.

Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were all bunched up in an ethereal line, staring beady-eyed at Rainbow.

“... … ...what???” Rainbow grunted.

“Uhm...” Fluttershy fidgeted. “We were just wondering... uhm...”

“When are you going to go to the Herald and tell them of your decision, already, darling?” Rarity chanted.

“In a minute!” Rainbow gnashed her teeth. “Yeesh. Can't take a moment to think without you impatient melon fudges biting my tail off!”

“Y'all been gabbin' about elementary school information for a good while now,” Applejack said. “Reckon it's time to get a move on?”

“Hey!” Rainbow frowned and slapped her own chest. “How long have I been farting about without giving stuff a second thought, huh? Longer than you guys have been conscious enough to roll your eyes at me, that's for sure! I mean—sheesh! Gimme a friggin' break! I've earned this!”

“It's okay, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie waved with a gleeful smile. “What's another two years?”

Rainbow turned to face Twilight. “So, anyways, I was thinking—” She stopped. She turned to squint icily at Pinkie Pie. A beat. Two beats. Rainbow cleared her throat and faced Twilight yet again. “I was thinking... what if Princess Luna's enchantment could coax a reaction out of Nightmare Moon's armor?”

“How so?”

“I mean—that stuff was designed for one host and one host only.” Rainbow gestured. “Princess Luna. She's the 'vessel,' yes?”

“Right...”

“Well... I'm willing to bet that if I got the Element of Loyalty close enough to the armor that Ruse of Lull Moon defended, there'd be an observable reaction. Cuz... like... if Luna put her magical essence into my pendant, then the armor's gotta recognize that, right? I mean... duh, no of course the armor won't recognize anything. That's stupid. Because it's metal. Dumb metal. But that power of Nightmare Moon that resides within it. I mean... that's gotta go splish-splash as soon as I get close, ya think?”

“That's... … ...more than a long shot, Rainbow.”

“Yeah.” Rainbow bore a devilish smirk. “More like a 'moonshot.'” She giggled raspily. “Am I right?” She turned and held her hoof up to Pinkie. “Up top!”

“Woooohooo!” Pinkie made to high-five her but her spirit went sailing through. “Whoah—!!!”

“Rainbow, we've been over this.” Twilight Sparkle shrugged. “What worked with Xarchellus and the saroians of Bleak's Plummet probably won't work here! What empowered Luna's enchantment in your pendant was contact with direct moonlight. Well—we've been robbed of that for untold months now! Here—on the Dark Side—there's no telling if the spell will have the same effect!”

“Not on the Bloodwings themselves, maybe, but on Nightmare Moon's armor...?” Rainbow looked at Twilight with a playful smirk. “I'd say it's a sure-fire bet.”

“It's a gamble, is what it is.” Twilight brushed her mane back and sighed. “But so is this entire crazy idea.”

“Whew-wee...” Applejack took her ghost hat off and fanned her ghost freckles. “...flyin' up to the Bloodwings' very own doorstep.” She shook her head. “Still can't believe yer mullin' over it, Rainbow.”

“Oh, let's not kid ourselves, Applejack.” Rarity gave a melodic sigh and looked at their anchor. “The decision's already been made. Hasn't it, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow took on a tall posture in mid-hover. “I gotta give it a chance, Rares. If not for our sake—or Urohringr's sake—but for the Bloodwings' sake as well.”

“Rainbow, I'm all for you bein' all heroic'n'all...” Applejack fidgeted, plopping her hat back on. “But are ya sure that these here Bloodwings can be saved?”

“They were the ones to open the door first, Applejack,” Fluttershy stated. “Thanks to this... 'dream council' there is an invitation.”

“Yes. That's what frightens me.” Rarity shuddered all over. “Everything about this just screams 'trap.'”

Pinkie Pie popped up, her muzzle scrunched in fuchsia confusion. “But what would the evil batties want with silly ol' Dashie? Aren't they after the defeat of the love-bugs and emo-shards?”

“Her pendant.” Rarity pointed at Rainbow. “It's an Element of Harmony—the only one that exists in its physical form.” She brushed her mane back, exhaling thoughtfully. “Maybe they sense it and feel it could give them an edge in retrieving the Harmonic Prism.”

“They've got enough fetch quests on their plate!” Pinkie Pie rasped. “What with the 'pricks-of-Endrax' or whatever it is they're all mad for!”

“Dun mean they won't grab anythang else of value,” Applejack said. “Especially in a scrap that's been goin' on for this long and this bloodily.”

“I know that the Bloodwings are terrible,” Fluttershy said. “But they're obviously quite desperate. And—contrary to popular belief—I find that desperation has the power to bring out the best in ponies... not always the worst.” She smiled calmly at the others. “Maybe what they see in Rainbow Dash is hope—a glimmer of a faulty past, perhaps, but that at least gives Rainbow Dash a platform to reach out to them. This Nat'rdo individual sounds like a very kind pony. I think we should give her a chance.”

“T'ain't Nater-whoever that I'm concerned with,” Applejack said. Her emerald eyes narrowed. “It's Lexxic.”

The whole group shuddered.

“Right there's a proper pile of rotten fruit.” Applejack tilted her hat back. “It seems awfully sketch to me that he's bein' reduced to errand boy just for diplomacy and such. Seems the kind of feller more privy to wranglin' than messagin'.”

“But isn't that a good enough sign...?” Fluttershy blinked at everypony. “The Bloodwings' most notorious has been forced to lay down arms for a show of good faith.” She smiled. “If the Dark Vigil of Nightmare Moon is willing to humble themselves, then why can't Rainbow?”

“Traaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap...” Rarity sing-songed.

Pinkie Pie whistled innocently.

Applejack folded her forelimbs and glared off towards the Blob.

Twilight sighed. She turned to face Rainbow. “In the end, Rainbow... we trust you.” A gulp. “You and your judgment.”

The group—albeit mixed in their mood—collectively nodded.

“So...” Twilight Sparkle floated closer to their anchor. “...what do you say? Are you still gung-ho about this...?”

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes. A long... withery breath. “... … ...aw Luna Poop.” She flapped her wings hard and glided towards the heart of the dihmer settlement. “Let's just tell the Herald already. I'm bored out of my friggin' skull.”

“Thatta girl, Dashie!” Pinkie hoof-pumped before being dragged along by the lavender force field. “When it doubt, lethargy-it-out!”

“Eugh...” Rarity folded her arms as she was dragged along through the torchlight. “...how I do abhor backtracking.”

All That Is Left...

A steely-eyed blink. Logan leaned back with a long, contemplative breath—a breath that gradually grew into a deep bass groan... before deflating into a sigh. He reached a hoof up to scratch his stubbly chin. Then—finally—with a shrug to the twinkling stars above, he grunted: “What the Hell.” Nostrils flared. “Beats lingering around this diarrhea stain of a city waiting for a shard of Endrax to come to us.”

Rainbow Dash nodded at him. “I'm glad you're so...” Her ruby eyes narrowed. “...pragmatic about it all, Big Show.”

“It's my gift,” he muttered. “Aside from my prince-like charm.”

“Bleachkkk...” Flynn dry-vomited, marching up to stand closer to Rainbow Dash. “So, I think we've already argued to death the sheer dense stupidity of this plan.”

“Yes.” Rainbow nodded, deadpan. “Yes we have.”

“But let's cut to the chase.” His good eye narrowed. “Who are you taking with you? Not that I'm trying to unvolunteer myself or nothing—”

“No, it makes a whole lot of sense, buddy,” Rainbow Dash said. She hovered before the group within the crook of a dilapidated chunk of buildings. “I seriously doubt our previous track-record of hoofing it is gonna work well with the rendezvous. Nat'rdo strikes me as a lot of things—but I wouldn't count 'patient' as one of them.”

“She's right, baldy,” Logan muttered aside at Flynn. “Our fat asses would just slow things down. Besides, you left your broken-down jetpack back in Rohbredden.”

“Oh yeesh...” Ariel blinked, looking at Flynn. “I forgot you even had one of those.”

“Ach!” Kepler nodded, adjusting his newly-fixed spectacles. “Didn't that inferrnal device sufferr horrrible malfunctions everry day that you employed it?”

“Not to mention its exhaust smelled like whale farts,” Logan added.

“Oh, too true.” Ariel nodded.

“Okay enough about my old jet pack!” Flynn snarled, waving both forelimbs with a scowl. “Even I like to forget that I had one!” Sighing, he looked up at Rainbow Dash. “I'm guessing you'll only be taking fliers with you.”

“Please be taking fliers with you,” Ariel said. A delicate cough, and she waved her wingtips while fluttering her eyelashes.

Rainbow rolled her eyes before melting into a friendly smile. “Well, duh. I don't particularly plan on doing this thing solo.” A clearing of her throat. “My ghostly girlfriends don't count.” A beat. She spoke out the side of her muzzle: “Stop pretending to be offended, Rarity.”

A whistle. Everyone looked at Wildcard—who was already gesturing: “We have your back. Do not worry.”

“That much is clear,” Rainbow said with a nod. “But—in actuality—I should be more worried for those who come with me.” She looked at the group as a whole. “This invitation was given to me specifically. So far as I know, the Dream Council of Dreaming Dreamers or whoever are extending mercy to the bearer of Princess Luna's enchantment. This—by extension—means the mercy of Lexxic... which sounds like a very friggin' rare thing.” She gulped hard. “I... I've no idea if that mercy extends to others who show up to the rendezvous alongside me.”

Ariel's eyes narrowed. “Did Nat'rdo say you had to come alone?”

Rainbow gestured. “She didn't say I couldn't come alone.”

“Mehhhhhhh...” Logan rubbed his temple. “...I pray to the gods of cinnamon buns that I live long enough to gloat about how right I was about all this nonsense.”

“Relax, sweet cheeks,” Ariel said to him. She trotted a few steps toward Rainbow Dash, smiling. “Well, of course, I'm coming with you.”

“Right-oh-rooni.” Rainbow Dash patted her shoulder. “That makes you Number Two.”

Ariel raised an eyebrow. “Number Two?”

Rainbow shrugged. “I mean—heck—we all know that Wildcard volunteered first!”

Wildcard nodded with a proud rattle of his dark goggles.

“Mrmmfff...” Ariel folded her forelimbs as she glared at him. “Just because he's mute doesn't mean that he's quick.” A metal talon tapped the back of her shoulder. Ariel spun around and jumped at the sight of his impending beak. “Dammit, WC! Stop showing off!”

The griffon merely smirked.

“The three of us will be faster than greased lightning,” Rainbow Dash said. “If things go south—or in this case towards Alpha—we'll be more than equipped to get the flying mcfuzz outta Bloodwing sight.”

“You say that as though you're counting on that to happen,” Flynn said.

“Just... attempting to maintain a sliver of caution,” Rainbow Dash said. “But months... years of flying through warzones have left me a bit wary.”

“Obviously not wary enough,” Logan muttered.

“Big Show, the decision's been made,” Rainbow Dash said firmly. Her eyes narrowed down on him. “There's history here. History in me. History in the Bloodwings. History in the enchantment Princess Luna put in my pendant.” She held a hoof up to the ruby lightning bolt in question—glistening with twilight beneath her fuzzy chin. “This is the bridge... the link between two worlds... spanning the 'Penumbral' gap.” A soft sigh, and she managed a thoughtful smile. “With all of the bleak crap that we're up against, it really behooves us to seize hope while it glimmers within sight. I would hate myself forever if I didn't at least try.”

Logan nodded, exhaling in defeat. “I just wish my fatass could hover alongside you—axe and all.”

“Given your hardened spirit, I'd really dig having your surly guile beside me as well.” Rainbow waved a hoof. “But... gravity just doesn't agree.”

“You're too fat, fatso,” Flynn grunted.

“Clam it, nerdspawn. I'll sit on you later.” Logan pivoted back to look at Rainbow. “Just how deep do you plan to go with this?”

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “Meaning...?”

“How far are you going to follow the murder ponies' invitation?” Logan gestured. “There's only so deep you can slide headfirst before choking the venus fly trap.”

“If I can actually meet up with Nat'rdo and her fellow council members—as in face to face—well... that would be for the best.”

Ariel shuddered. “Sounds really damn deep to me.”

Wildcard nodded.

“Guys. Guys.” Rainbow held her hooves up. “Relax. The gals and I have thoroughly thought this through.”

“Perrhaps an ounce of charrm and intellectual prrattle could smooth theirr rrough edges,” Kepler stated.

Rainbow blinked at him. “Buh?”

“Farr be it frrom me to wax prretentious about my own gifts, as meagerr as they may be...” Kepler smiled bashfully through his tusks. “But I darre to think that I may be of use to you in this venturre as well.”

Rainbow looked at Ariel and Wildcard, then once again at Kepler. “I'm sorry, Keps. But...” She smiled awkwardly. “What I really really need for this trip are fliers. And you're more of a... glider.”

“Ha-HAH!” Kepler winked. “So we agrree on one thing!”

“It's not that I don't believe in your... uh... speech level?” Rainbow's eyes briefly crossed. “Ahem. But in all seriousness: you'll be much more useful here.”

Kepler was already nodding. “No doubt endeavorring to extrract morre favorrs frrom Kirrbo and his fellow Smelt-Blooderrs.”

“It'd be really... really appreciated if you got to work with getting buddy-buddy with the goblins here in Blobstain,” Rainbow said. “There's no telling just how long I'll be doing the leather-wing-shuffle with the Bloodwings. I mean—if it turns out that they're actually willing to play ball with the Harmonic Prism, then maybe we could send for the rest of you.”

“I'm not particularly fixing to lay my big butt down with the Dark Vigil,” Logan said.

“Big Show—”

The stallion calmly raised both hooves. “We'll be working on a contingency plan...” His eyes narrowed. “Assuming all goes to shit.”

Rainbow nodded back. “The dihmers—”

“—have the key to crossing the ocean of gunk. Right.” Logan snorted out one nostril. “But reaching out to them is like lockpicking with an elephant's tusks. We'll be better off getting information out of the goblins through Keps.”

Flynn spontaneously muttered: “Not all the dihmers are a dead end.”

The Herald collectively looked at the unicorn.

“Huh?” Ariel blinked.

“What means you, frriend?” Kepler asked.

Flynn's head jerked up, his eyes blinking as if coming out of a deep sleep. “Oh... uhm...” Ears drooped on either side of his balding crown. “I just meant... th-that...” A gulp. “M-maybe not all the dihmers are as dense in communication as we... assume they are.”

Silence.

“So yeah.” Logan looked back at Rainbow. “We'll figure out how to cross the ocean. Through the goblins.” He smacked Flynn with a blind hoof.

“Ow...!” Flynn rubbed his scalp as his metal eye rotated angrily. “Sonuva—”

“Brrilliant!” Kepler beamed. “Sounds like a plan worrthy of being spun in motion!”

“Myself... Wildcard... Rainbow Dash...” Ariel thought out loud.

“Yup yup yup!” Rainbow Dash yup-yup-yup'd.

“... … ...so that's it, then?” Flynn asked.

Rainbow nodded. “I'd say so. Yes.”

Flynn's good eye narrowed on Rainbow. “... … ...are you sure you won't be taking anypony else?”

“Yes.” Rainbow's nostrils flared. “I'm sure.”

Logan glanced at Rainbow, then at the rest of the group. He kept silent.

“So... unless there are any further issues to address...” Rainbow looked around.

Wildcard was shaking his head.

Rainbow nodded back. “Kewlies. Let's get some rest, then. There's a long flight ahead of us. For the rest—a lengthy discourse with goblins. To tell the truth, I don't honestly know which involves the greater amount of exercise. Or vomit.” She spun tail and flew towards a shadowed niche of abandoned buildings. “Ni-ni!”

The group gradually split up. Both Logan and Wildcard lingered... their gazes looking towards an outcropping of rock where a particular griffon stood perched.

“... … ...” Seraphimus stared back at them. As they too shuffled off, her charcoal brown eyes looked in the direction of Rainbow Dash's departure. The air shook with the rhythmic throbs of the alien ocean, fluttering at her neck feathers. Leaning back, the former Right Talon of Verlaxion stroked her beak in thought.

“It was... alarmingly different this time,” Seraphimus said in a low breath. “Rainbow Dash was acting as if... I didn't exist.” She leaned against a crooked wall of bricks, folding her forelimbs as she stared across the shadows of the dark interior. “All the while she and her allies discussed the most crucial leg of their chaotic journey. There was an opportunity—one that she was expressively given—to mention me. And yet, she didn't. Normally, I would be enraptured to be excluded from this putrid group's conversation. But... something about this meeting felt... pathetically hollow.”

She snorted, shaking her feathery head.

“Where I come from...” Seraphimus continued “...there is a metaphor about ignoring 'the elephant in the room.' I cannot help but think it applies here. And it infuriates me to be the center of such a situation. Or—in this case—the hollow of the situation. And... most of all... I loathe the fact that it appears to be biting at me so. I've trained my whole life to live and let such banal things be. But, suddenly, I cannot.”

“Righ, reckon I've got one queestion for ya, sheila.”

“... … …?” Seraphimus' head turned to look across the room.

Jacko squatted before a stretched length of reptilian leather, tanning it. His large ears wobbled as he squinted back at the griffon. “Why in the bloomin' 'ells are ya tellin' me all thees, aye?”

Seraphimus grunted. She lowered on all fours and began pacing across the mangy Fur-Blooder interior. “Damned if I know...”

“Don't get me wrong.” Jacko smirked, serrated teeth showing. “I'm propah stoked you're given me a how-do-ya-do...” He cleared his impish throat, delicately. “But, didja have to scare off all me Fur Bloodah cobbahs in the process?”

“Do not blame me for your companions being innate cowards,” Seraphimus grumbled, pacing by a window. “Besides, you appear to be the only one doing any goddess-forsaken work around here.” Several impish heads poked nervously through the windowsill from outside. Seraphimus took one look at them, scowled, and let loose a hawk-like shriek. With childish gasps, the Fur-Blooders scampered away from her sight. Seraphimus cracked the joints in her feathery neck and resumed pacing. “Back to what matters. She's going on a suicide mission and she's elected to exclude me.”

“Which sheila are we gabbin' about again?” Jacko asked.

“Rainbow Dash,” Seraphimus said like she was spitting up poison. Her pacing increased in speed and anger. “Named after an illusion of light and a physical tactic used by a common caitiff.” She grunted. “Neither of which will assist her against a veritable army of bloodthirsty midnighters.”

“Bloody Hell...” Jacko chuckled. “Your beak is filled with more marbles than me grandpappy's pantaloons.” He looked up from his leatherworking. “Might theah be a chance you're overthinkin' thees, love?”

“Do not call me 'love,'” Seraphimus muttered. “And what's to overthink that's not been overthought before?” She paused and folded her arms again. “To death.”

“Well...” Jacko leaned back and scratched his bald goblin head. “You're heah, ain'tcha?”

Seraphimus blinked at him.

“Reckon a stone-hearted buggah like you wouldn't be seekin' me gab unless you had two streeps to flip over thees Rainbow bird.”

“Hrmmffff...” Seraphimus' beak almost formed a smirk. “I am not concerned over Rainbow Dash.”

Jacko eventually nodded. “Too right.”

“It's... simply the principle of the matter.” Seraphimus huffed, glaring out the window into the decrepit town. Dihmers shambled in random droves from street to crumbling street—reflected in her cold, searching eyes. “She supposedly traveled the world, bringing entire nations to their knees—mine included—and now... for what it's all worth... she's risking everything on a blind gamble.” She swallowed. “A foolhardy flight into the ravenous mouth of the beast.”

“And she deedn't invite you, aye?”

“No. She did not.”

Jacko shrugged. “All the bettah, ya reckon?”

Seraphimus raised an eyecrest at him.

The goblin waved: “Ya geet to leeve longah, sheila! Certainly makes eet less likely you'll have your pretty head clobbered off by the time ya help me into Peetra!”

“That...” Seraphimus icily turned about and paced some more. “...has not been agreed to yet. Not even remotely.”

“Awwww dun geet all sour puss on meh, love—!”

The griffon spun to stab her eyes at him.

Jacko's ears drooped as his teethy mouth rolled carefully: “Er... liaison!” A cough. “'ow about thees, pretty bird? You tell ol' Jack-o boi heah just exactly what kind of mince-up your fruity-hair'd friend is flyin' into and I'll use me expert goblin brain bone to tell ya how eet ranks on conceptual dumbassery?” A grimy wink and a grimier smile. “Considah thees round free on the house.”

“We are no longer trading information.”

“No. Reckon we're committin' home invasion. But oi...” Jacko shrugged to the walls before returning to his leather. “Who's countin'?”

Seraphimus exhaled heavily through her beak. She leaned against the rickety doorframe, staring out upon the broken streets of Blobstain. “She and her closest allies are flying off to meet Lexxic, so that they'll be escorted to the Bloodwings' lair.”

Crassssh! Jacko fell completely into his leatherworking kit like a tiny epileptic buffalo on drugs.

“... … …?” Seraphimus calmly turned to gaze at his sprawled-out figure.

“B... b-bah... bloody 'ell!!!” Jacko thrashed and wrestled with ghosts before finally kick-vaulting up into a standing position. By the time his wobbly ears settled, he sprinted over to Seraphimus and tugged on her tail. “Ees your friend bloomin' bonkahs?! You call 'er back thees instant!”

“She hasn't gone anywhere yet.” Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. “Let go of my tail.”

“She's right bugger'd in the bowl to think theah's any sense in talkin' through the murdah minds of them bat-sos!” Jacko suddenly stumbled forward on his grip. “Gah—!”

Seraphimus finished yanking her own tail to herself. “I've killed corrupt Prefecture Governors for less—”

Jacko teetered back into a standing position. “Now dun get 'ot undah the collah, shiela...” He stepped back with arms up. “I'm simply tryin' to warn ya... to warn your daft friend through you that thees Lexxic drongo ain't to be trifled with!”

“I agree,” Seraphimus grumbled. She looked out the doorway yet again with steely eyes. “Everything I know about the midnighters... everything I have heard about him, his tactics, his kin... points to this being an absolute disaster.”

“And your flyin' horse mate ain't budgin' on her suicide scheme??”

“Not even remotely,” Seraphimus said. “Funny... not too terribly long ago, I would have been more than happy to just stand by and let her fly into an utter demise.”

“Well... uh... uhhhhh...” Jacko tapped his fingers together pensively. He craned his neck towards her, tilting one ear up like a blooming flower. “What changed?”

“Blazes if I know,” Seraphimus grumbled. “Maybe she's bewitched me. She does possess a near-incomprehensible magic.”

“Ah...” Jacko nodded. “Penumbral ju-ju, I reckon?”

“It doesn't matter. Magic—blighted or not—is not her greatest asset. Her stubbornness is. Honestly, I have no idea how in Verlaxi—” Seraphimus grimaced. “... … ...how in the Spring Havens' name she managed to get this far.”

“Oi...” Jacko fanned himself. “Then perhaps... buggah all...” A shrug. “She's not deservin' of your worry. Or anybody's, for theet mattah.” He put on a nervous smile. “Maybe you should just let 'er go and do the crazy-crazy, pretty bird. It's worked for her before, righ?”

Seraphimus looked at him.

“Oh... doesn't mattah, aye? You're simply concerned about 'er.”

“For the last time. I'm not concerned about Rainbow Dash.” Seraphimus fumed, looking out the doorway again. “As I've said before, it's the principle of the matter.”

Jacko cupped a small hand beside his stupidly big ear. “Come again, love?”

“Don't call me that,” Seraphimus muttered, but then resumed pacing. “To get to this point—to come as far as Rainbow Dash has gotten—she's had to go through Robhredden.” She scuffled to a stop, glaring down at the imp. “She's had to go through me.”

“... … ...” Jacko slowly nodded. “I see...”

“I have never faced defeat before—not in all of my years of defending my homeland. But then Rainbow Dash shows up and—against all odds, utilizing blighted abilities beyond my comprehension—she changes everything... destroys everything I have ever worked to preserve.”

“It... ehhh...” The Fur-Blooder scratched the back of his head. “...makes a gobb-o wondah why you even hang out with the hobby-horse these days, aye?”

“Because...” Seraphimus' headcrest deflated as her eyes fell to the floor. “...because I've since come to understand the scope of why she did what she did.”

“Eezzat so?”

“Verlaxion... the goddess that I presumed to serve... was a deceiver...” Seraphimus shuddered as she said it. The emotion was gone, but the weight remained as heavy as ever. “She had sculpted insidious plans into motion for countless centuries. And while Rainbow Dash shattered the foundation of the empire beneath my former deity's... sc-scales...” A cold breath. “...she freed us all the same from a future of enslavement.”

Jacko blinked, as if having witnessed a continental shift.

“Damnation...” Seraphimus hissed bluntly into the shadows of that dilapidated hovel. “Damn if it doesn't poison me to say that out loud...”

“Too righ...” Jacko pointed at her. “...but ya did have to say eet, aye?”

Seraphimus threw him a sharp glare. “What do you even know about it?”

Jacko shrugged with a coy smirk. “Reckon t'ain't much I need to, pretty bird.”

Seraphimus was silent.

“So...” It was Jacko's turn to pace. “The bright horsie shiela took everything from ya—but in the name of cleanin' up your roost dan undah Penumbra.” He nodded. “Good onya. I can get behind that. Ol' Jack-o knows a thing or two abouts sweemin' een the streep debt, aye?”

“I am not indebted to her,” Seraphimus mumbled.

“Oh, of course not! You're jeest arsed to considah every bloody thang she does een the futuah, geevin' the fact that she's humpin' the legacy of your hometown on her vulnerable li'le horse shanks!” Jacko pointed. “Theah's a right buggah'd peeckle ya've hollowed out for yaself shiela. Gives me hope of sweet-talkin' your honorable side into makin' the treep to Peetra that you owes me!”

Seraphimus' eyes narrowed burningly.

“Hahah! Too righ!” Jacko coughed out the side of his mouth. “One lick at a time.” He glanced aside while twiddling his sharp fingers together. “Seems to me that eef she had to blow through you to geet to where she's et now...” He raised an eyebrow at her. “...and you're about the toughest bird me eyes have evah scraped upon.” He shrugged with a toothy grin. “Why the 'ell aint'cha tacklin' thees Lexxic bollocksin' togethah?”

“Because—'tough bird' or not...” Seraphimus stood up straight. “I am not aiming to commit suicide.”

Jacko squinted. “Why do me brains geet the feelin' this was just a recent change in the soul pool?”

Seraphimus stared at him. “Keep. Talking.”

“Erm. Right...” Jacko paced past her, gesturing. “Reckon it may not be suicide, aye? Maybe there's a gleamin' bucket'o'starbeams at the eend of this heah road your friend ees travelin'?”

“How so?”

“Thees Lexxic drongo...” Jacko hopped up—with a little struggle—and finally sat in a nearby window sill. Even still, he wasn't head-to-head with the former Talon Commander. “...ehhhh... perhaps thees ees a shiny silvah opportunity, ya reckon?”

“Just seconds ago you were convulsing on the floor at the sheer mention of his name,” Seraphimus droned.

“Truer words have nevah been spittled!” Jacko held a hand over his chest. “Forgive an old bludgeah, aye? Fear and tremblin's in me blood—beside Fur, of course. Hah!” He slapped his knees and smirked coyly. “None of us gobb-o's can evah truly shake the jettahs! Been clingin' to us since we rose from the Marrow, savvy?”

“Uh huh...”

“But just think about eet...” He squeezed his own skull with impish fingers. “Think long and hahd...” His eyes narrowed with each leg of his speech. “Lexxic. Leadah of the bats-o's. So bloody brilliant and frightenin' and scary thet he drives the change-o's and shard-o's away.”

“But not the dihmers.”

“Point being...” Jacko pointed. “He's more than proven himself to be a high horsie of horror. He dun need any buggah but heemself to get by. At the rate he's goin', the bloody Sarcophagus and all ets loot could vereh well be 'is! So... why in Peetra's Flame is he botherin' to mosey on down and give your Rainbow shiela a friendly how-do-ya-do?”

“It is very likely a trap.”

“Or...” Jacko raised a finger. “...theah's somethin' that he knows. Or that his uppah branch yabbos know...” His eyes hardened in earnest. “...that—for the first time evah—puts heem in a place of need.” A dry chuckle. “Bloody 'ell, shiela, that's what us gobb-o's would call a prime opportunity for profit! And where theah's profit, theah's more branches of Peetra's Flame to spread!”

“Hrmmff...” Seraphimus' headcrest lifted. “Then perhaps you should be going out to meet him.”

“Pfft! Me?” Jacko laughed scratchily, teetering on the window. “Ohhhhh not ol' Jack-o! The Metal Mum, mayhaps! But Queen Avril ain't leavin' Peetra for anythang less than the world splittin' in two! Splittin' again, as t'were. Hahaha—Whoah!” He nearly fell out of the frame but caught himself at the last second. “Ahem... and as for me... I ain't got the wings. But you do, pretty bird.”

“I can't be expected to share Rainbow Dash's burden,” Seraphimus muttered. “I've seen the depths to which her blighted magic has driven her. I do not envy that madness.”

“Who says ya have to, love?” Jacko spread his arms out. “But after all she's given ya... after all she's robbed ya... after all the bloody bumps ya've taken to get heah in Blobstain... don'tcha owe it to yourself to see if any of the crud was worth eet?” He leaned his head forward. “Can ya leeve the rest of your life in thees heah darkness without knowin' whether or not the horse who screwed ya ovah has a futuah of her own to buggah off to?”

“... … ...” Contemplatively, Seraphimus gazed out into the cold, twinkling starlight.

“She's headed straight for you,” Fluttershy calmly said.

“Rainbow Dash?!?” Ariel's voice echoed across the small clearing between buildings where the Herald had made their camp. “Do you have the last of the mushroom provisions?”

“Uh huh,” Rainbow Dash said. She calmly squatted over a patch of dirt, digging her hoof in the sediment and making random broken quarter-circles. “Enough to satisfy the three of us.”

“More like the one of us!” Ariel exclaimed. “Those provisions are for you and you alone, Miss Vegetarian!”

“I got it.”

Ariel briefly looked up from her rummaging through the camp supplies. “Wait...” Her fuzzy muzzle scrunched. “...what would that be called? A Mushroomtarian? Toadstoolvore?”

“Fungivore,” Twilight Sparkle muttered into Rainbow's ear.

“Egghead says 'Fungivore,' Ariel,” Rainbow said, still digging tiny lines in the dirt.

“Yeah, that's nice.” Ariel rummaged and rummaged. “You got the helm that Flynn salvaged from Hoverplank?

“It's packed nice and tight,” Rainbow muttered, her tail flicking against a canvas satchel. “For what it's worth.”

“What about the boomstick? There should be a few runic bits of ammo left—”

“Ariel.” Rainbow finally looked up, eyes hard above a deadpan expression. “I am the packiest of packed, a'ight? I couldn't possibly be more packed than I am at this very moment.”

“I'm just... y'know...” Ariel shrugged from a distance. “...double checking. Triple checking—”

“I've been ready to go anywhere—and everywhere—for ages now!” Rainbow exhaled heavily. “All I had left to do was decide. And the deciding's been done! All I'm doing is waiting for you guys!”

“Right...” Ariel nodded. A long beat. “...maybe we need more runestones.”

Rainbow sighed. She looked at her ghostly friends. “What the heck is Wildcard up to?”

“You remember what he 'said' earlier, darling,” Rarity said. “He's off fetching a few things with Kepler.”

“Always a resourceful partner, that cat-bird,” Applejack added.

Fluttershy said, “She's headed straight for you.”

Rainbow returned her attention to the dust below. “Have any of you girls ever been so dang ready to go someplace and do something but then when the moment came it felt as if the stubborn world slowed down around you and you were suddenly the only one chill about it all?”

“Oooh! Oooh!” Pinkie Pie flopped around like a fuchsia cloud, waving her hoof. “Every time the Cakes bake banana bread!”

“The Grand Galloping Gala comes to mind,” Rarity said, fluffing her mane.

Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie collectively nodded and murmured.

“Dang spiffy...”

“Ooooh, the Gala!”

“You've got a point there, Rarity.”

“Heh...” Rainbow Dash smirked off to the side while carving more patterns. “The Gala. Friggin' Equestria...”

“The afternoon of that day took foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!” Pinkie Pie pulled at the ghostly muscles around her eyes. “I simply couldn't contain my excitement—I had to funnel it somewhere! Where was a good trampoline when you needed one?”

“If I recall correctly, you had a trampoline,” Twilight said. “You were bouncing on it all morning.”

“Oh yeah!” Pinkie beamed. “Super!”

“I was ready and willin' to go by dawn.” Applejack tilted her hat back. “I had doubled all the chores the day previous so I could have the whole darn day free.”

“Wow, Applejack...” Twilight Sparkle gawked at her. “Did we hang out much that day? I literally cannot imagine you sitting around and doing nothing all afternoon.”

“Well, if you ask me, sounds mighty relaxin'. Guess we'll never know.” Applejack turned to glare at Rarity. “Because somepony decided to kick us into overdrive—goin' through a whole heapin' slew of dressin' up and gussyin' up!”

“Unh!” Rarity recoiled in faux shock. “The sheer audacity! I'm the only reason we ever stood to turn heads that evening, darling!”

“Ayyyyyyyy!” Pinkie snickered. “Way to take the stage, Rare-Rare!”

“What she means, Pinkie, is that she exclusively opened Carousel Boutique for us so we could prepare for the Gala,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Mmmm. Yes.” Rarity's eyelashes fluttered. “That too.”

“And how can we ever possibly forget the amazing dresses that she made for us?” Twilight added.

“You mean the dresses that ended up in tatters and rags by the end of that awful disaster of a night?” Rainbow droned.

The girls laughed and giggled.

“Ya ask me, it was an upgrade!” Applejack smirked. “By the end of the evening, it felt like we was draggin' victorious war banners behind our tails!”

“Signing the armistice at Donut Joe's!” Pinkie cooed. “An ending I'll never forget!”

“Well, we still got the best out of my creations,” Rarity said in a breathy tone. “I have fond memories of our enthusiasm right before arriving in Canterlot.” She hugged her marshmallow self with a rosy smile. “That coach ride out of Ponyville was still so... charming and splendid—was it now?”

“Mmmmmmmm... a regular whizz-banger of a chat we had!” Applejack said.

“Quite so.” Twilight Sparkle nodded. “I remember explaining the history of the Gala—”

“Don't you mean trying to explain?” Pinkie giggle-snorted.

“I sabotaged that with the force of an angry alicorn,” Rainbow Dash said in a mischievous voice. She drew more quarter-circles. “I think you got as far as the inbred niece of Puddinghat inventing a new waltz before I started rambling about the Wonderbolts, and then Rarity gossiped about Soarin's supposed love interests and Fluttershy started talking about having run into members of Spitfire's extended family back in Cloudsdale...”

“Wow...” Twilight blinked wide. “That's... some good memory you've got, Rainbow.”

Rainbow's nostrils flared as she stared deadpan into the designs in the dirt. “I spent a long... long time remembering little moments like that, Twilight.” Her ears drooped slightly. “For ages, I never thought I'd be sharing them with you girls again.”

Silence.

Rainbow's companions exchanged somber expressions.

“I... uhm...” Rarity cleared her throat daintily. “...I suppose the night of the Gala is the most awkward analogy to make in regards to our current predicament.”

“Maybe it'll... work in reverse?” Applejack said with a shrug.

“How so?” Twilight asked.

“I mean that the Gala was never seen as a 'predicament'—not until it happened, of course. This here meetin' with Lexxic is sure-as-sugar a tight pickle. But maybe that means we'll for sure make it through right as rain! Sort of... the opposite of th-the Gala!”

“... … ...” Twilight squinted tightly in the direction Applejack like an award-winning actor starring in a metaphysical heist flick.

“Hey, I'm doin' my best, ya hear?” Applejack tugged her hat back with a huff. “Believe me—if I had a horseshoe, I'd toss it over our collective shoulders!”

“She's headed straight for you,” Fluttershy said.

“I do believe that Rainbow Dash has planned out any and all eventualities at this point,” Rarity said. “You can only think something so much to death. If it isn't obvious by now, I suspect that Rainbow has fully emerged from the contemplation stage and into—”

“The suicide stage?” Twilight droned.

“Enough with the rampant cynicism, Twilight!”

“You said it was a trap, Rarity.”

“Yes. But the decision's been made. I... uhm...” Rarity fidgeted. “...I-I'm trying to be f-fabulous about it! Like a Runway with slightly voracious audience members!” She ghost-sweated with a nervous smile. “Eheheheheh—quick! Pinkie! Change the subject!”

“Hey Dashie!” Pinkie smiled, hovering upside down over Rainbow's shoulder. “Whatcha drawin'?”

“Her usual hoofnail clippings,” Applejack said.

“Ew. Gross,” Rainbow droned, continuing to sketch the curves in the dirt. “And before you ask any more questions about it—I haven't got answers.” She huffed. “This is just... strangely relaxing for me...”

Twilight Sparkle drifted over by their anchor's side. “You weren't always bent on drawing these patterns, were you?”

“Uh uh.” Rainbow shook her head.

Rarity glanced between the two. “What does she mean by that?”

“Rainbow didn't pick up the habit until after speakin' with the spider lady.”

Pinkie blinked. “Is that true, Dashie?”

Rainbow slowly nodded. “It was shortly after experiencing the vision with Abaddon that... I got obsessed with these circles.”

“Circles?” Pinkie squinted at the dirty mess. “They barely look like croissants to me!”

“Maybe... it's a metaphor...?” Twilight remarked. “Symbolism related to Urohringr?”

“The Sundering, darling!” Rarity chirped. “All of those dreaded planes lost and drifting—”

“Only one plane got lost from the Sundering, Rares,” Rainbow said. “The one that we're on.”

“... … ...” Rarity froze within her own smile, sweating. “...I knew th-that!”

“Maybe it dun mean a thang?” Applejack said.

“And by that... it means everything,” Rainbow droned.

Applejack blinked. “Beg your pardon?”

“That doesn't make much sense!” Pinkie said.

“Exactly.” Rainbow nodded. She leaned back and dusted her hooves off. “Which is why I think he takes a liking to it?”

“He? He who—?” Pinkie's eyes widened. “Ewwwwwww... maybe you should leave the half-baked croissants alone, Dashie.”

“Yeah. Probably good advice.” Rainbow exhaled. “Besides, Seraphimus wants to talk to me.” She tilted her head aside. “Right, Flutters?”

“She's headed straight for you,” Fluttershy repeated one last time.

The other four spirits turned to look—then jumped with mixed yelps as they found themselves staring down the beak of the former Talon Commander.

“Rainbow Dash,” Seraphimus spoke firmly. “We need to talk.”

“Yeah. I figured.” Rainbow stood up and turned to face her. “'Supitcha?”

Her charcoal brown eyes narrowed icily. “I am going with you to meet with Lexxic and the Bloodwings.”

Silence.

Rainbow's friends exchanged wide-eyed expressions.

“Okaaaaaaay...” Pinkie squeaked.

“I was... not expecting that,” Twilight Sparkle remarked.

“I did,” Applejack calmly breathed.

“Oh hush!” Rarity insisted.

Fluttershy looked at Rainbow. “She did not hurry along the way here, Rainbow. I do not believe she's made this decision lightly.”

Rainbow kept her gaze locked with Seraphimus. “You're probably wondering why I didn't ask you to come during the previous meeting.”

“Does it matter?” Seraphimus looked the mare down. “Ever since I woke in this goddess-forsaken place, you have pursued all avenues possible to give me a second lease on life.”

“Jee, you're welcome.”

“Such is not the aim of this conversation.” Seraphimus paced around the petite pegasus. “To bring me to this point of understanding, you keep preaching pedantically about 'harmony' and 'heroism' and the 'bigger picture'.”

Rainbow's head turned to keep up with the griffon's meandering. “That's an abridgment if I ever heard one.”

“Well???”

Rainbow shrugged with a crooked smirk. “You won't get any argument from me.”

“You insist that all that you've done for me, Rohbredden, and the world-at-large has been committed under the constraints of your ultimate quest to save all life.” Seraphimus' talons scuffled through the dirt-lines as she swiveled to face Rainbow. “Now you seek to distance me while you embark upon your most foolish venture yet???”

Rainbow glanced briefly at her ruined sketches beneath Seraphimus' limbs, then back up at the former Talon leader. “I've put a heck of a lot of work into bringing you out of your bottomless funk, yes. But let's not kid ourselves. You've never exactly been... buzzed to be a part of my Ogres and Oubliettes group here on the Dark Side.”

“Ogres and Oubliettes???” Rarity murmured.

“A game for colts,” Twilight leaned in, whispering. “Spike loved it. I'll explain later.”

Rainbow continued: “You saved our hides quite a few times back there, Sera. But only for the sake of survival. You also had a lot of chances to leave...” She gestured. “I left that in your court. I'd figure I would do the same here.”

“Because you don't have faith that I would commit,” Seraphimus said.

“No—because that's not the issue. Look—I have enough loyalty to spare the entire friggin' plane, okay?” Rainbow held a hoof to her chest as she smirked. “I'm just that awesome. But with you...?” She pointed. “It was never a test! Because there was nothing left to prove!” She sighed, her ears drooping. “...not once you stopped screaming and begging for death.”

Seraphimus stared at her.

“There were times when... like... you were super Tartarus-bent on having Big Show smash your skull in with his axe just because.” Rainbow shook her head. “But that's not the case now. I wish you knew just how... jazzed that makes me.” She cracked a smile... but lost it just as quickly. “But that's not the point. You're free, Sera.” Her ruby eyes narrowed. “You're free... and I don't want to take that from you. Not after all you've been through.”

Seraphimus' eyes remained steely and unflinching. “You are endeavoring to undergo a task that will surround you with unpredictable foes.”

“Uh huh...”

“Murders. Vagabonds. Creatures born into misery and from misery.”

“Sure...”

“They can turn on you in any moment, and you'll be powerless to fight them all off.”

“Well... pffft... I wouldn't know about all that...” Rainbow shrugged with a smirk. “I've got a Wildcard.”

“You will need someone experienced with defeating dishonorable miscreants to help you survive such a gauntlet.”

“I've also got Ariel coming with us.”

“... … ...as I said, you will need someone experienced with defeating dishonorable miscreants to—”

“Seraphimus, if you're so friggin' worried about me, you can just come out and say it—!”

“I am not worried about you,” Seraphimus growled, her headcrest raising slightly. “I could not care the least about what horrible fate you endure.”

“Wait for it...” Applejack pointed.

Seraphimus exhaled, her wings uncoiling slightly. “If this insufferable domain is to become my home, it will plague me forever to think that the forces which conveyed me here were as fleeting as the snow in Silt Prefecture.”

Applejack smiled. “There it be.”

Seraphimus took a step closer to Rainbow Dash. “What travails next—between you and the Bloodwings—has the potential to reshape the entire climate of this putrid place.” Her beak hardened. “I need to know—once and for all—if your wisdom can pass this ultimate test. Only then can I finally ascertain... how truly alone I am here.”

“... … ...” Rainbow smiled. “Love you too, gal.”

Seraphimus snorted, leaning back. “Do not expect me to accompany you with the willingness towards dialogue. That is Jordan's proficiency.”

“Uh huh. Spoken like a true Bard.”

“I simply wish to maintain the security and proficiency of the upcoming exchange.”

“And after that?”

“And after that—” Seraphimus jolted in place, blinking—as if not expecting to have a question of the future breached so casually. If at all. “Mmmm...” A flick of her feline tail. “... … ...we shall see.”

“Indeed we shall.” Rainbow held a hoof out. “Welcome to the club.”

“Pssssst...” Pinkie hissed into Rainbow's ear. “Dashie, don't cross the streams!”

Seraphimus looked at Rainbow's hoof, then back at her face—just as disdainfully. “... … ...I see that this will be a most annoying journey.” She marched off with an angry ruffle of her feathers. “Damn this whole mess. I am going to slay that insect in his sleep.”

“'Insect?'” Rarity remarked. “Who do you suppose she's talking about?”

“Probably the goblin she was talking to a few blocks away for the past hour,” Fluttershy said.

Applejack nodded.

Twilight looked at them, then at Rainbow. “This trip's getting more interesting by the second!”

Rainbow nodded, then called out to Seraphimus. “Be sure to pack your toothbrush!”

“Cease the jocularities, Rainbow Rogue!”

“Ehhhhh...” Rainbow leaned back. “Classic Sera.”

Ariel peaked her head out from behind the camp's supplies. “Hmm? What's that? Need dental care, Rainbow?”

“No. But a few more runic charges would be snazzy.” Rainbow looked back at the mare. “Sera's coming along.”

“... … ...” Ariel blinked. “... … ...I don't know what bothers me more. That? Or the fact you're shorthoofing her name now.”

“Well, what am I going to call you? 'Ar-Ar?'”

Ariel sighed long and hard. “Fine. Cool. Whatever.” She marched off under a cloud. “Guess I'll go tell Wildcard.”

“Odds are he already knows,” Rainbow huffed. “Friggin' bodyguard on steroids—”

There was a shrill whistle. A shadow passed overhead as a bundle of rune-stones were dropped at Rainbow's hooves.

Rainbow gazed up into the starlight, saluting and smiling. “See? What did I tell ya?! Cancel the runes, Ar-Ar!”

“Don't you start calling me that!”

“Well...” Flynn shuffled up to a veritable wall of junk. The relentless “hearbeat” was a deafening thunder down beneath the cliffs of Blobstain, but he didn't try too hard to speak over it. “...here ya go. Have at it.”

Seraphimus stared at heaps upon heaps of random bric-a-brac: rusted armor, even rustier weapons, splintery chunks of furniture, worn-out tools, animal bones, animal carcasses, and many-many more indiscernible things thrown awkwardly into the encroaching pink edges of the blob. The unnatural sea washed in and out with its own creepy tide, coating some of the materials with an unquestionably toxic layer of goo. Those closest to the cliff's edge were drier—if not broken from an evidently high fall.

“It is safe to pick from this?” Seraphimus asked.

“So long as you don't touch any part of the flesh-eating death Blob full of living corpses, then, yeah... sure... I reckon you'll be right as rain,” Flynn said.

“No, I mean...” Seraphimus turned to squint at him. “Is this considered property? Do any of the communities here lay claim to the material?”

“Are you friggin' serious?” Flynn grimaced, his metal eye rotating outward. “We're a thousands of miles from Continental Rohbredden and you're still playing police bird?”

“Just answer the question, mercenary.”

“The Dihmers tossed this crud off the cliff themselves,” Flynn said, pointing up... up... up at the teetering buildingsides looming rigidly against the starlight above them. “They've got no need for the stuff. So it's got nowhere to go but into the Blob, it seems.”

“And the goblins? They don't barter for it?”

“Look, Commander, if the Dihmers don't want this crud then it's lower than dirt.” Flynn frowned. “Have you not been paying attention?”

“Your point is well-made.” Seraphimus marched forward and started picking from the first pile of trash. “You and your foul scent are dismissed.”

“Goddess I'm glad I'm on Team B,” Flynn groaned. “Boring as balls but at least it doesn't have you.”

“How precisely did you stumble upon this bounty of... banality?” Seraphimus asked.

“I... just happened to... observe this shit being tossed off the cliff,” Flynn muttered, kicking at the floor with a reddening expression.

Seraphimus' trained ears instantly caught the wavering tone of his voice. “... … ...just like that?” She squinted icily at him. “Complete happenstance?”

“Look...!” Flynn gestured wildly. “What the Hell do you want from me?”

“She probably wants to know what hardass stick crawled up your butt and made itself a new home,” Logan said, suddenly waddling up to the scene. “Well, maybe not her, but I'm sure as Hell curious.”

“What's it to you, Obesitron?”

“Awfully close to the drink here,” Logan snorted. “Feeling parched for an eternity of pink death?”

Flynn gestured wildly at the griffon. “She asked if I had found any salvageable resources!”

“That you just happened to find being randomly tossed off a cliff.” Logan smirked. “You weren't looking for anypony at the time, were you?”

“... … ...you've been talking to Ariel, haven't you?”

“Should I have been?” Logan shrugged. “Somepony's gotta remind that girl that more creatures exist besides rainbow-colored ones.”

Flynn huffed, turning-tail and marching off. “I don't need any of this shit. I'm bailing.”

“About dayum time.” Logan huffed and shrugged his shoulders. “I love his bald ass, but boy if he's not one cinderblock short of a nut silo from time to time.” He turned slowly about and approached Seraphimus. “Need a hoof with that?”

“Save your breath,” she grunted.

“Heaven knows I always try.”

“I know what you're here for. Don't think I don't keep stock.”

“Do you, now? And here I thought I was the only one who dreamed of a magic counter in the sky.”

“Mmmm...” Seraphimus tugged and jerked at a spear before finally prying it loose from the nearest pile. Schiiiing! “You've come to express your concern...” She turned the weapon about, examining it close to her beak. “...over Rainbow Dash, the party, and the mission as a whole.”

“Wrong. Polly want an empty box?”

“... … …?” Seraphimus spared him a quizzical glance.

Logan shrugged with a slight smirk. “You're at negative ten crackers by now. That's a lot to make up.”

“Are you not thinking that I'm a risk to Rainbow and the rest?” Seraphimus murmured. “And you're prepared to employ more intimidation and the threat of violence?”

“Oh, all that fluff?” Logan waved. “Naaaaah...”

“Why not?”

“I only threatened to crush your skull in because we were marching through a whole wasteland of nothing and I needed to entertain myself.”

“Liar.” Seraphimus huffed. She reached back into the pile and started pulling at a rusted round object that resembled a shield. “You've pledged your entire life to some sacred Harem.”

“'Herald', but close enough for government work.”

“And you know very well that a psychotic defender of Rohbredden sovereignty is the one true threat to all that you've worked so hard for.”

“No, I'm pretty sure Lexxic is the one true threat,” Logan said. “That—or Ariel's advances. And my axe can only do so much about half of that... not without its fair share of revenge while I'm trying to get my beauty sleep.”

“By the Blight...” Seraphimus huffed as she struggled to yank the antique buckler loose. “I can never understand you moronic heretics and your psychotic dependence on obtuse jocularity—!”

THNKKK!!! With one motion, Logan reached in and forcibly yanked the metal slab out. In the exposed twilight, it looked far too bent and battered to be practically used. He nevertheless offered the item to Seraphimus. The griffon simply turned away.

“The same thing...” Logan casually tossed the shield aside. “...could be said about you and your insistence on eviscerating each and every one of us.” His brow furrowed. “And yet one outshone the other, didn't it?”

“... … ...”

“Hooooooorayyyy jocularityyyy!” Logan belched.

“How... do you know...” Seraphimus flew up, perched on a mound of garbage, and started rummaging through the junk. “...that I won't...” She tossed heaps of metal objects to every side as she searched for use-able armor. “...slaughter the Rainbow Rogue...” She picked up a helmet and grasped it before her deadpan face. “...the first opportunity that I get?”

“I do believe we're well beyond that, Miss Tall, Dark, and Emo.”

“Isn't that a gamble?”

“Not half the gamble you're taking.” Logan shook his head. “And this isn't about Rainbow. If it was—it'd have ended ages ago.”

“Is that so?”

“Do you honestly think all of us dumb-bucks combined—Wildcard included—would really... really have stood a chance against stopping you if you had that same intent all this damned time?”

“... … …” Seraphimus peered down at him.

“Things changed long ago, Toots,” Logan said. “The trolls...” He pointed into the air. “The trolls... yes. Yes, I'd say that was around about the time.”

“I've learned a lot since then,” Seraphimus muttered. She glanced at a tiny patch of metal in the helm that afforded a scant reflection—foggy at best. “Seen a lot since then.”

“Yeah... I'll settle for that.” Logan leaned back, folding his forelimbs with a smirk. “You don't have to say: 'I was wrong.'”

Silence.

Then—

“Tell me something, mercenary...” Seraphimus began.

“Oh please.” Logan grunted. “Don't put me on the same level as Baldy.”

She continued, unfaltering: “If Rainbow Dash were to perish...” She raised the helmet it, sizing it to her own feathering crown. “...or—better yet—if she had already perished...” She slowly lowered the headpiece to fit over her skull. “...thereby nullifying your entire quest here in this insufferable underworld...” She let go—and the rusted helm wobbled, its front half catching on her protruding beak. “... … ...would you quit your exhaustive travels and just... settle for a life? Here? On the Dark Side?”

Logan took a deep breath. “No.”

She looked down at him, the helmet wobbling wildly. “No?”

“It just ain't in the cards.” Logan shrugged. “I mean... how could I?”

Seraphimus nodded—and in so doing, she lost grip with the helmet. It went teetering down the junk pile with multiple bounces.

Clutch! Logan caught it before it could strike the dirt below.

“...because you will have known too much,” Seraphimus murmured, her eyes full of cold stars.

“Damn straight.” Logan held the helmet up to his face. “And even on my lonesome—without being the Austraeoh... without even having the ghostly Elements of Harmony on my side... I would still look for a way to keep the Harmonic Prism from falling into the wrong hooves.” He squinted, aimed his hoof, and—THUNK!—punched a chunk of it off the front. “And accomplish that righteous task at all cost.”

Holding his breath, Logan tossed the helmet back up to Seraphimus.

Thppp! She caught it in one talon.

“Sound like someone you know?” Logan asked.

Seraphimus sighed. She placed the broken helmet back on. It fit over her beak this time. “Almost.”

“Well maybe now you know that I didn't come here outta worry for Rainbow Dash.”

The two stared at one another.

The alien ocean throbbed. Thundered. Boomed.

“I hope you find what you're looking for in this, Toots,” Logan said, already turning around. “But even if you don't—you look after yourself, okay? And come back in one piece” He marched the long winding path up the cliffs. “This isn't just Rainbow's quest. It's not for me, and it sure as Hell ain't for you.”

Seraphimus exhaled a fuming breath. “I have you to blame for this, you know.” Her beak hardened. “Not her.”

“You're welcome!”

She clenched her eyes shut. Reaching up, she gripped the helmet and made to toss it out into pink oblivion...

But instead stowed it away, moving to rummage faithfully through more detritus.

“Okay, so...” Ariel—packed with a canvas bag of tight possessions—perched on a craggy buildingtop facing the Omega horizon beyond the fringes of Blobstain. “...a sarosian and a pegasus walk into a bar. The bartender says: 'Lemme guess! A mug of cider and a glass of moonshine!' The pegasus says 'Just two mugs of cider, thanks.' The bartender looks confused. 'Two ciders?' he scoffs. 'Doesn't your lunar friend want something to quench his nocturnal thirst?'” Ariel smirked. “That's when the sarosian looka up and says, 'Yes, but I already sucked the blood from ten ponies on the way here. I just need a palate-cleanser.'” She winked, eyes bright and prodding.

Rainbow Dash and Wildcard gazed blankly at her from where they finished tying up their belongings. They proceeded to exchange unamused expressions.

“... … ...” Ariel delicately coughed. “I read that one in one of Mortuana's old libraries up in Wyvern Point. Guessssss it's a little bit on the old side.”

“Yeah, ya think?” Rainbow Dash's voice cracked.

Wildcard gestured: “Do not tell any jokes among the Bloodwings.”

“Pfffft. Hey... give me some credit!” Ariel stood up, lifting the weight of her pack. “I held it in the whole time Echo and Nicole were in the party!”

Rainbow brushed past her. “Girl, I'm still in the party and I wanna hit ya.”

“Oh?”

“...not in the good way.”

“Oh.”

Wildcard whistled loudly.

All three looked up towards the sound of rustling metal, metal, and more metal.

A hulking heap of shields, swords, daggers, and plates formed a bulbous black cocoon around the sweating figure of Seraphimus. Nevertheless, the former Talon Commander stood tall under the unsightly weight.

“I know,” she grunted. Sweatdrops. “I underprepared.”

“Pfffft...!” Ariel's cheeks bulged as she held the laughter in with a hoof to the snout. “Grkkk—who needs outdated jokes when we've got a living one playing shotgun with us!”

“One of those, I could not locate,” Seraphimus explained.

“I rest my case,” Ariel chirped, eyes rolling.

“Sera...” Rainbow paced towards the griffon with a goofy smirk. “Lexxic can afford to bring an army with him. We can't!”

“It would be foolish to approach this precarious rendezvous without proper equipment.”

“I don't need us to be equipped,” Rainbow said. “I need us to be fast on our feathers.” Her eyes narrowed. “We were hopelessly outnumbered long before we even stumbled here in a banged-up gondola. Trust me—I know how it feels to live with those odds all the friggin' time.”

“That is...” Seraphimus started shaking under all the weight. “...incomprehensible.”

“Want to know the first step?”

“By all means.”

Rainbow held a hoof to her pendant, tilted her neck up, and—

ZAAAAA-AAAA-AAAAAP!!!

—a steady beam of harmonic energy barreled into the junk on Seraphimus' shoulders. Under the relentless onslaught, the equipment loosened and fell awkwardly on all sides of the griffon, raining the crumpled buildingfront and surrounding courtyard with bits of metal junk in multiple directions. Within the span of ten cacophonous seconds, Seraphimus stood only with a shield, a spear, and her helmet.

“Mmmmmm... there...” Rainbow nodded, gesturing at the former Commander. “...that should be adequate.”

“As you wish.” Seraphimus turned towards Wildcard. A nod. “Jordan.”

Wildcard nodded back. His flesh and metal talons sharply signed something in the air.

Rainbow blinked. “I... uh...” She turned blankly towards Seraphimus. “...I'm afraid that I don't understand that phrase.”

“Be glad that you don't.”

“Alrighty.”

“Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan...” Ariel pointed nebulously towards Omega. “...we go now?”

“So...!” Rainbow marched up the remaining buildingside. “Twilight's lectured all the lectures. Kepler's rolled all the R's. Logan's farted all the farts...”

“Poetry in motion,” Ariel droned.

“All that's left is to...” Rainbow reached the edge. She gulped. “...take off.”

Ariel nudged her, smiling sweetly. “Don't pretend you've never been here before.”

Wildcard reached over and rested a brotherly talon on Rainbow's shoulder.

The mare sighed, reaching up to pat his arm. “Right as always, Dubya.” She threw on a devilish smirk. “I guess 'all that's left' is only ever all that's to start with.” So—with a daring breath—she kicked off the edge and spread her wings. “Zoop!”

Wildcard and Ariel immediately glided after her. The three became streaks of colors against a bleak landscape, slicing against shadow.

Ten seconds passed. Twenty. Thirty—

“Seraaaa?!?!” Rainbow's voice called back.

“Oh! But of course.” Seraphimus shook out of the contemplative moment, ran forward at full speed, and briskly took to the air after them.

And the parties were officially split.

No Party Like Omega

When Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes—and she did so often—she felt as though she was flying among the stars.

This wasn't entirely a new sensation for the mare. She had flown many a night on the Light Side. The prismatic pegasus was no stranger to having the seemingly stationary constellations as her only companion. A few times—especially early in her journey—she had greeted the morning with the sun behind her... having somehow inadvertently adjusted her heading in the absence of daylight. This was not something she liked to admit—to herself or to her ghostly companions. But it was a very real thing that happened in those blissfully early days before traversing Wintergate.

All in all, Rainbow couldn't help but get herself lost in the stars. In the beginning, it was all about kicking off Equestria and losing herself in the flight. If Rainbow had her way, she would never have flown east... or west or north or south or any cardinal direction for that matter. Since the day she was foaled, Rainbow always knew that the only direction that mattered to her was up. She was born in the sky—in Cloudsdale—and even that felt like a feeble platform at best. She never even touched the bare earth below until she was five winters old or so. If gravity and atmosphere would have allowed it, Rainbow would have kicked off and propelled herself straight through the heavens... finally becoming bosom buddies with those very same stars that so bedazzled her.

Now they entranced her once again. They surrounded her... bowing and dancing in a panoramic prance before and around her. Here—soaring over the Dark Side, although Rainbow scarcely registered the fact—there was little to no features of the earth below to reflect the cosmic glow. Every once in a while, there would be a speck of bio-luminescent randomness far beneath her wings, but for the most part it was perpetual nothingness—all encompassing emptiness stretching onward and onward towards the faintest bent line of an edge. Rainbow couldn't tell if her brain was playing tricks on her or if some gravitational anomaly along the brink of the world warped the already-faint light to form this faintly visible meridian, but it mattered little. Her vision purely drank the stars above.

The longer she stared at the heavens—and she had plenty of time to do so—the more detail she made out. No longer were the stars guiding beacons, but rather fluctuating entities with color, chemistry, and character. Rainbow spotted clusters of bright pulsating giants, emitting metallic blues and silvers. There were wavering, tapering nebulae—violet hearts with indigo arteries that swam invasively across rogue galaxies. Eventually, the occasional splotches of blackness became even more striking than the spectral gases that demarcated them. If Rainbow squinted hard enough into the obsidian swaths, she imagined seeing imperfections: notched lines etched into an otherwise onyx varnish.

Rainbow Dash was a lucky mare—lucky to have her friends anchored to her, lucky to have the Herald by her side, lucky to have Luna's blessing enchanting her pendant. She had only gotten as far as she had on the Dark Side through sheer support from her comrades-in-arms. Even Seraphimus—for all of her headache-inducing stubbornness—had proven to be an invaluable ally, especially as of late. Rainbow hated to complain, or to take a long look at her current circumstances and nick-pick for all of the perceivable imperfections.

And yet—despite all these truths—a secret part of her regretted the fact that she couldn't make it here... alone. Because she missed this.

She missed this. This wind. This speed. This thrill of exploration, discovery, adventure.

These stars.

Rainbow inhaled slowly. She closed her eyes sharply against the cool, beating air. Her mind locked on the pinprick after-images of the constellations emblazoned against her eyelids. If she meditated long enough, she'd imagine the heavens boring into her skull, where her mind could embrace them. Cuddle them. Own them.

She felt like she hadn't flown in decades. The truth was that the only times Rainbow really had to fly over the Dark Side was on brief scouting missions before and after the discovery of Darkreach. That... and the brief heart-palpating moments when she and her friends had to outrun trolls, chaotic wildlife, fake-sarosian-moon-lasers, and... some super giant tentacle world-worm thingy.

But flying... really flying: it was the crux of Rainbow's journey. It was the crux of Rainbow's circumnavigation of that tiny drifting sliver of Urohringr. It was Rainbow—all she was and all she knew and all she did.

And there simply wasn't much of that—not since Axan carried Rainbow and the rest of the party over to the Dark Side's surface with her final breath. Since then, it was a great deal of stop-and-go... slow-and-go... talk-and-barely-even-half-go...

And Rainbow knew that concessions had to be made—for the sake of both personnel and resources. Rainbow knew that speed had to be sacrificed for the sake of sensibility, security, and—ultimately—success. After all, if Rainbow Dash had taken off—alone and determined—and flown like a living bullet straight for the Midnight Armory at the thunderous Speed of Awesome...

...she'd end up in a crater. Or worse. She was up against so much... just so much.

Biding her time, exercising patience and restraint in managing herself, her companions, and their supplies, choosing to use mind over momentum... was the only way to achieve something even remotely close to victory in the wake of that damnable Trinary War.

But that didn't change the fact that she missed this... this speed and this space and this sheer simplicity of throwing herself smirk-first into the madcap dash—a namesake that Rainbow still found ways to live up to every once in a wild whiplash. There was no way that she would ever abandon her friends, the Herald, or even Seraphimus. But the fact of the matter was that she had no choice in the matter—not logically, emotionally, nor existentially. And when all the things in life—even the best things—are bereft of agency, even the most pacifist creature desires complete and utter escape.

And Rainbow Dash was no monk.

She reopened her eyes at some point. The stars were below her now. She must have rotated upside down in the middle of blind flight. For the first time in ages—since before Wintergate—Rainbow Dash felt truly lost. Lost and alone. Her heart skipped a beat.

And then Ariel spoke.

“So... how the Hell do we keep from going off course?”

Rainbow Dash's eyes danced to her right.

An upside down Ariel was staring at her. Two griffons soared parallel to her in the starlight. Even from a distance, Rainbow could make out Seraphimus' rolling eyes.

“Mmmm...” Rainbow Dash remained in her gliding position as she reached her forelimbs down and into her saddlebags. “Well, let's find out, shall we?”

Ariel's muzzle grimaced. “Gonna twirl upright, maybe?”

“Nah.” Rainbow rummaged casually through her satchel.

“Show-off,” Applejack could be heard drawling.

Pinkie Pie giggle-snorted.

Rainbow smirked ever so slightly. With very little effort, she pulled out a canvas bundle. Unraveling the fabric, she exposed a dark glossy sphere to the winds.

Wildcard whistled. He talon-signed in mid flight.

Seraphimus looked from him to Rainbow Dash. “The leftover pearl? From your dragon companion?”

Ariel grumbled beneath the whipping air: “You mean the Divine Matriarch who gave up her immortal life to save us from your epic buck-up beyond the edge?”

Wildcard coughed.

Seraphimus merely blinked.

“The least amount of turbulence on this flight, Ariel, the better,” Rainbow Dash murmured.

Ariel folded her forelimbs and flapped her wings with greater indignance.

Rainbow finally pivoted upright, all the while giving the immaculate sphere a light rub with her fetlock. Almost instantly, a crimson plume of light erupted from the stone—flicking off towards a fixed point along the dim black horizon.

The light reflected doubly off Wildcard's goggles. The Desperado glanced in the direction of the leaping beacon. He gestured swiftly, pointing his talon between two specific points.

“Right you are, Dubya,” Rainbow rasped, giving the stone another stroke. The magic flame leapt again from the object, and she adjusted her glide to more properly follow the direction that the scarlet pulse indicated. “Seems like we were off course for a moment there.”

Seraphimus' headcrest furrowed. “Off course from what?”

“The Bloodwings, genius,” Ariel muttered. She and Wildcard followed Rainbow's adjustment, and soon Seraphimus had to as well. “The dragonstone tells us where the shards of Endrax are located.”

“In theory,” Seraphimus emphasized.

“Three fixed points. Three shards. Three separate beacons.” Ariel shrugged against the winds. “Seems pretty clear cut to me.”

“Nevertheless, it is still a technical conjecture until more empirical evidence presents itself,” Seraphimus said.

“Wise foresight,” Rainbow said. As she flew at the front of the group, she held the stone directly in front of her muzzle with both forelimbs. Her eyes darted between the horizon and the stone, using microscopic manipulations of her flight to follow directly after the enchanted flickers. “But the brightest beacon has shifted towards Omega as we moved from Abaddon's Lair to Blobstain.”

“You've witnessed this?”

“I don't spend all our travel hours planning some unwritten novel,” Rainbow Dash muttered. Once she was satisfied with the direction they were now headed, she reached back and slid the dragonstone—bundled in canvas—back into the saddlebag. “Believe it or not, I pay attention to stuff.”

“What choice do you have, darling?” Rarity stated. “Everything is a blank black slate!”

Rainbow was already exhaling through a bittersweet smirk. “Axan always planned to help me through the Dark Side.” She tied the saddlebag shut and flew forward, her aerodynamic body at ease. “I guess she's ultimately doing just that.” A gulp. “Beyond the grave.”

“How grim,” Fluttershy muttered.

“Just like her.” Rainbow stifled a chuckle.

“Assuming you're right,” Seraphimus said. “And that stone helps us get to the Bloodwings' lair, how do you intend on returning to Blobstain?”

“What, did you forget to use the little murder bird's room before we left or something?”

Seraphimus maintained her composure—breathily: “I simply mean to make sure that we have a contingency plan in case an emergency retreat is necessary.”

“Well, we'd have to invent bread out here on the Dark Side in order to have crumbs, but I couldn't fit it into our schedule.”

“Are you always this facetious when you've got the wind in your mane?” Seraphimus asked.

“How'd you know?” Rainbow glanced smugly at her. “For the most part, I ran from you on hoof.”

“And she still whooped your hiney!” Ariel stuck her tongue out.

“Charming,” Seraphimus droned. “If this is how you always perform long-distance flight, it's a miracle you made it through the Blight—much less a single ocean.”

“Well, how would you get us back to where we started?” Ariel scoffed at Seraphimus. “In case such was needed to play the coward's game in a pinch?”

“I've been carefully tracking our airborne movements ever since we left that insufferable city of ascetic vagrants and con artists.”

Ariel squinted. “Is that a fact?”

“I've spent my whole life patrolling fields, mountains, and tundras of vast white snow.”

“... … ...”

“In addition...” Seraphimus pointed at her own skull. “...keen avian senses. Even from this far, I still taste the rhythmic frequencies hailing from that accursed pink excuse for a sea.” A slight shudder. “It haunts my bones.”

Rainbow craned her neck. “Wildcard? You too?”

The Desperado was already nodding.

“And you've also been tracking our adjustments?”

Wildcard confirmed this with a slow salute.

“Huh...” Ariel blinked. “...all this time, too? Must be migraine-inducing.”

“You...” Seraphimus seethed briefly. “...have no idea.”

Wildcard merely shrugged and waved his metal talon from side to side.

“Neato keano.” Rainbow smirked, facing ahead. “I wonder what other badass secrets you griffons are holding onto.”

“Wildcard? A hundred million, I'm sure.” Ariel winked at Rainbow. “He just doesn't have the ego to spill all of them in casual conversation.”

Wildcard merely smiled.

Seraphimus sighed. “We'll get nowhere in this venture without full complicity.”

“Well, I for one am glad to have griffon awesomeness times two,” Rainbow said.

“Figures.” Fluttershy smiled, winking as she flew closer to her anchor in a ghostly streak. “Even long ago in flight camp—you were telling me how you always wanted to be a griffon. Just like Gilda.”

“Ah-Ahem!” Rainbow Dash dramatically cleared her throat while Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity giggled. “We'll try to keep our path straight and simple from here on out. Ya hear that, Ariel? No showing off!”

“Hey! I can behave!”

“See that you do,” Seraphimus said. She flew closer to Rainbow and spoke to her before an annoyed Ariel could interject. “If I recall, we passed south of the Bloodwings' lair long before we approached Blobstain.”

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash merely stared at the griffon.

The former Talon Commander rolled her eyes. “Sorry. Further Alpha of the lair.”

Rainbow nodded. “They should be closer towards Omega and Edgeside from where Blobstain is.”

“By the Spring Havens...” Seraphimus muttered, staring down at the pitch-black countryside looming far below their flight. “I can scarcely grasp the absurd lexicon involved in mapping this purgatorial place.”

“Blessed Celestia...” Rarity fanned herself. “I wish she would avoid that word.”

Pinkie's muzzle scrunched. “'Mapping?'”

Rarity groaned, facehoofing.

Rainbow ignored them both, replying to Seraphimus. “It's not hard. Need a crash course?”

“No, I do not need—”

“Pretend you've just arrived at the Edge!” Rainbow smiled stupidly, gesturing with both hooves. “And the End of the World is right behind you.” She swung her right hoof. “Towards your right is Omega. Towards your left is Alpha.” She nodded into the horizon. “Straight ahead would be the far end—Curveside!”

“Only right this moment...” Seraphimus gestured. “...we're facing Omega.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “You know what I meant. I was giving an example.”

“Shattering the air to make room for more confusion, is more like it.”

“Sera,” Rainbow groaned. “I'm trying to help you help me—”

“Right now, we are approaching the Omega horizon of the plane while moving thirty-seven degrees Edgeside.” Seraphimus gestured towards the eight o'clock position. “If there's ever any doubt, we can clearly see the far end—Curveside—over there.”

Twilight Sparkle drew closer to Rainbow. “Not to mention the exact location of the Midnight Armory.” A bright, eggheady smile. “Courtesy of the gifts you got with the Utaan beacon.”

“Oh right! That word!” Pinkie blinked. “That's an important word, right? It's only two syllables, so it's got to be special!”

Rainbow maintained focus on Seraphimus. “And here I didn't think you paid attention to anything in our travels.”

“I always paid attention,” Seraphimus said. “I simply had no reason to care.”

Wildcard couldn't help but nod in agreement.

“And... uh...” Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. “...what about now?”

Seraphimus looked forward in their flight. “I am simply employing my talents.” A slight shake of the head. “Not my sincerity.”

“That much is certain.”

Wildcard smirked.

Seraphimus was deadpan. “You might find—Rainbow Dash—that cold objectivity will be more valuable than the whole of your precious 'Herald Seven' combined.”

“It's five now,” Ariel muttered. “Axan wasn't the only one to sacrifice her life.” Steely eyes. “How useful was your 'cold objectivity' at the Battle of Bleak's Plummet?”

Wildcard winced.

Seraphimus didn't even look at Ariel. “I see it was a mistake thinking I could open my beak.”

“Sure, the Herald's short a few badasses.” Rainbow Dash wrestled control of the conversation. “We can manage. Besides...” She waggled her eyebrows at Seraphimus. “...it only means we've got two slots to fill!”

Ariel looked like she was going to gag.

Wildcard gestured: “Perhaps her ego could fill two slots at once.”

“Hah!” Twilight Sparkle laughed, covering her ghostly muzzle. Even Applejack smirked.

“You're not wrong, Dubya!” Rainbow Dash flew upside down again, gazing at Seraphimus with a crooked smile. “How about it, Sourpusshima? Wanna get an Odrsjot tattoo? Hmmm? A complimentary dark side tramp stamp?”

“I. Would rather die. A thousand deaths...” Seraphimus sneered. “...than ever be a member of your asinine fan club.”

“Hey, that's not so bad.” Rainbow Dash yawned into the winds. “It's taken just a few thousand deaths for me to be me.” Th-Thwpp! She twirled upright and kicked ahead of the group with flapping wings. “Keep up speed, dudes! A good bloodflow will keep us awake and alert!”

“Are you really... really in that much of a hurry to meet Lexxic?” Ariel asked, fidgeting slightly.

Wildcard cocked his head aside curiously.

“There's the rub, Ariel.” Rainbow's eyes filled with stars, stars, and more stars. The dim glow combined into a gray malaise. “Dragonstones... avian senses... old Cylindrimanian maps from Darkstine? None of that really matters.” She clenched her jaw. “I'm pretty sure—in the end—it's all about Lexxic finding us.”

Ariel bit her lip.

Seraphimus was silent.

“Awwwwwwwww fudge...” Rainbow dipped and climbed in a matter of seconds. “How about a few barrel rolls for the heck of it...???”

Rainbow Dash was lost in thought when Ariel's voice pierced the wind at random. She looked towards the Heraldite, watching as the mare gestured at the landscape below. Ariel was pointing out a series of shallow canyons and porous cave features blurring by below. A moment or two passed by, with Rainbow staring blankly at the dim earth... not understanding the significance of what was being referenced.

At last, Ariel—flabbergasted—spelled it out for her: they had all seen that particular landscape before. Ariel remembered it from when Rainbow and the Herald were marching behind the dihmer hunting party heading back to Blobstain.

The striking thing about this was that such an event must have transpired several days ago. True, it was difficult to measure “time” in a place like the Dark Side. But—if Rainbow Dash and Ariel had to guess—the last time they had passed that spot was something close to a week ago. At least.

And it had just taken the four of them something close to twelve hours to pass by again, heading more or less in the reverse direction. In nonstop fight. Wildcard and Seraphimus both corroborated Ariel's observation. After much concentration, Rarity also confirmed it. Backtracking the same route by flight had been accomplished with the speed of greased lightning.

Rainbow Dash had always assumed that scaling the Dark Side by wing would be the swiftest way to reach the Midnight Armory. Not until now—however—thanks to Ariel's revelation did she truly grasp how much faster it would have been to accomplish her mission by air.

In theory, of course. Rainbow Dash knew that flying straight for the Armory would be a veritable death sentence. There were countless hazards along the way: oceans of smothering ooze, beastly creatures of unmitigated chaos, an epic war of massive scale. All of these things were far too deadly, too immense, and too unpredictable to properly avoid with any assurance of survival.

But part of her still felt... somewhat nauseated by the whole comprehension. Illogical or not, Rainbow felt almost as if she had been doing things wrong. Being lazy. Tempting fate. Wasting time. The fate of Ponyville, Equestria, Urohringr... her friends hung in the balance. And she wasn't doing her damnedest to get to the Midnight Armory immediately.

Rarity wasn't the only pony who despised backtracking. Rainbow Dash groaned. Barely a “day” into the group's flight, and she felt interminably burdened by surmounting anxieties. Retracing her steps just... wasn't very “awesome.”

True, Rainbow had done it before. Hiking towards Wyvern Point in the northwest mountains of Rohbredden was technically backtracking. But out of that expedition, she had won the companionship of Mortuana, the Herald... and Axan.

The southern excursion to Searo's Hold was a wild detour that Rainbow Dash had never asked to be a part of. Still—she had needed to heal from her wounds. And had she never faced off against Lady Pestiferous and her gang... she'd never have come so close to Roarke—and there was no taking that back.

Plus, that one about-face in Gray Smoke—after the run-in with Khao of the Central Herald—was a journey of sheer necessity. Kera needed to be rescued at all costs. And while there were a few occasions after first meeting Zaid when Rainbow very much wanted to strangle the ex-cultist, there was no denying how important it was that fate brought her and her companions in close contact with Nevlamas.

But here—in the Dark Side—Rainbow Dash felt terribly curtailed. After all, there was no Noble Jury to ferry her and her companions over the erratic landscape. There was no safe cloud upon which to coast high above the many hazards and perils of a land bereft of harmony. Here, she was essentially stumbling in the dark—like an infant filly trotting blindly down a long dark hallway.

On top of that, everything was so bleak... so uniform... so depressingly featureless that it took a monumental amount of clambering before the tiniest hint of progress could be noted. Flynn or Wildcard or Kepler would spot a slight hilltop of acid-scarred stone and it felt like discovering a new continent. Logan would trip on a random fissure and it was as if war was declared. Every tiny discovery was a momentous bombshell echoing up the throat of a deep, deep well, and Rainbow had gotten terribly used to amplifying even the smallest of crawling lengths gained.

And it hurt... it positively stung to realize—now that she was back in her windy element—how infinitesimally minuscule those conquered lengths truly were. Once upon a time, Rainbow Dash flew over entire kingdoms in her sleep. Now she was struggling to hop the tiniest river and confront the most broken down village of fools.

It didn't help to understand that she needed the Herald and the Herald needed time, patience, and caution to provide Rainbow the assistance that was necessary to survive this domain. It was stupid, but Rainbow almost wished they could just build themselves an airship—the Hoverplank 2.0 or something—and use that to zoom around at the speed of daring.

But... Rainbow Dash also knew how foolish it was to pine for another “Noble Jury”—both the airship and the companionship. Floydien's “Nancy Jane” served Rainbow and her friends in the exact time and places where it was needed. This was not the Light Side. This was not Ledomare or Xona or Stratopolis or Durandana or Val Roa.

This was the Dark Side. The Dark Side did not need the Noble Jury. It needed the Herald of Angels—for that was what had been rendered to it. It was what had been rendered to Rainbow Dash.

There was a time when she needed neither—when she didn't need anypony. Those were the days when she could fly without looking back... where she could go for days without touching the ground. Clouds would be her beds. Mists, her pillows.

But...

Even then... Rainbow Dash never really made the best use of time. As far back as Windthrow... Emeraldine... Darkstine...

...it was as if Rainbow Dash wanted to shirk progress in her travels. A noble distraction, perhaps, for in those days all Rainbow concerned herself was ignoring the fact that her days were numbered. She never truly believed she would reach the Edge of the World—much less grasp the Harmonic Prism. She just wanted to keep moving... keep experiencing... keep living. Her friends were dead, and she was next.

But after the Grand Choke...

After the Grand Choke, so much had changed. In a mere blink, her entire future had a different design to it. She had something to live for; something to restore. Rainbow experienced nausea then too—and an insurmountable wall of regret over all the distance she could have covered if she hadn't stopped for anything.

Then again, not stopping for anything wouldn't have brought Rainbow to the point where she could see and hear and talk to her friends once again. There was no telling—not for sure—if Rainbow would even still be alive had she done nothing but fly. Did she seek out the beacons of the Machine World on purpose? Or did they call her to them?

Some message from Ilrifa, no doubt. A tugging force that far-predated Verlax. Maybe something as old as Urohringr was willing Rainbow Dash into this entire odyssey. If so, then was her abominable pace all over the place—from Ledomare to Alafreo to the Dark Side—also part of the plan?

The only thing worse than backtracking was overthinking things. Rainbow Dash solaced herself by looking at Twilight Sparkle. In mid-flight, the ghostly egghead was chatting amicably with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. The three laughed as they reminisced about some random Ponyville memory or another. The smile on Twilight's face showed that she hadn't a worry in the world—which, for a ghost, spoke volumes. It was cathartic.

Rainbow smiled—if only lightly. Assuming everything hit a brick wall... assuming hope was a futile thing and the obstacles ahead—the Bloodwings, the Dream Council, Lexxic—proved too much for Rainbow to endure, at least she had enjoyed a chance to reunite with those whom she loved so dearly... whom she would gladly have given her life for... whom she still would.

Her eyes trailed aside, glazing across blonde bangs, a laughing muzzle, freckles that shone in the stars. Rainbow allowed her eyes to slice into the winds, and as the resulting tears squeezed loose, she thought about hers... leaking from ice blue pools that she had hidden for far too long behind metal and menace. But for a short time—blissfully short and precious—she had shared them with Rainbow. She had shared so much.

Maybe stalls and detours weren't such terrible things after all.

And... in some strange way... it was even refreshing to know how quickly... how awesomely Rainbow Dash could scale all of the lengths, distances, and hurdles that at one time seemed insurmountable. Assuming she and her friends and Equestria and Urohringr and Scootaloo and all of the other adorable fuzzballs squatting around the campfire survived this entire mess, what was there to stop Rainbow Dash from returning—returning to everything—for a swift victory lap? Just to see how laughably short it all was?

A charming thought. A daring thought. It brought a smirk to Rainbow's lips, and—as always—she slipped the goggles on. The time for tears was over.

For now.

“Here...” Seraphimus reached over the flat bed of stone with her talon. “...this is what I propose.”

Rainbow Dash and Wildcard perched beside her on the edge of the plateau where they had made camp. Ariel was soundly sleeping on a bedroll a few paces away.

“When you sense Lexxic's party approaching us...” Seraphimus had three rocks placed in the center of the stretch of earth. She prepared to place a handful of pebbles closer to the cliff's edge. She paused—however—glancing at Rainbow Dash. “...and you will be able to sense them, yes?”

“I think you're finally catching on, Sera,” Rainbow said with a wink and a smirk.

Seraphimus exhaled heavily, then finally place the rocks down. “When the Bloodwings approach...” She dragged the pebbles towards the three lone samples in the center. “The three of you keep evenly-spaced apart. About half-a-dozen meters per creature, no less” She pointed at the encompassing space. “You'll be out in the open, inviting Lexxic and his cretins to surround you.”

“Then...” Rainbow Dash was already grimacing. “...we'll be surrounded.”

“True, but they'll have to thin their numbers on all sides to do it.” Seraphimus gestured. “You keep the spaces between the three of you. Rainbow—assuming you're the one front in center, speaking to Lexxic—you'll have absorbed the maximum focus of the group. But—” Seraphimus whipped out one final pebble and dragged it in from the far side. “—should the conversation go poorly, and the Bloodwings attempt to commit violence, Jordan can give me a signal.” Her rock swooped in and collided with the thine line of pebbles surrounding the initial three. “I'll rush in from the flank—taking out two to four midnighters... easily. That'll thin their numbers on that side and the three of you can rush it.” The former Talon Commander leaned back with a breath of finality. “Using my element of surprise, the four of us can fly off before they have a chance to intercept.” Her headcrest tightened. “...and pray to the powers that be that we can outfly them on the way back to Blobstain.”

Silence.

Rainbow Dash exchanged looks with Wildcard. She turned back towards Seraphimus, squinting. “And they made you the Commander of Verlaxion's Right Talon?”

Seraphimus stifled a groan. “We are working without trees. Without erratic limestone topography. Without snow cover. And without proper ranged weaponry.” She held a talon towards the mosaic of rocks she had made. “For all that it's worth, this is the best I can do.”

Rainbow snorted. “Quite frankly, I'm more impressed that you found all these pebbles so quickly after we made camp!”

“Mrmmmfff...” Seraphimus folded her forelimbs. “It would—quite frankly—astonish me to hear you come up with a better plan.” She raised an eyecrest. “Given our sheer lack of resources.”

Wildcard hand-signed. “She is right, though. This really is the best plan if we were attacked randomly by Lexxic and his followers.”

Rainbow replied with the only phrase she could afford with her unopposable pony hoof: “True?”

The Desperado nodded. “Plans like this worked back in Rohbredden while fighting pirates and criminals. She was good at making them.”

“I'm totally not denying that,” Rainbow said, shaking her head. She turned to look at Seraphimus again. “But there's not much about it that's... too likable.”

“You mean how it has absolutely no means of anticipating an extraordinarily large force of midnighters meeting us?” Seraphimus shook her head. “If we're dealing with a third of the Trinary War's armies... I'm afraid I cannot help you.”

“Heh... wouldn't that be flattering. If Lexxic brings all the boys.” Rainbow smirked. She cleared her throat. “No, I don't mean the sheer impossibility of numbers or the certainty of death. Heck... I deal with that nonsense every Tuesday. Always have—even before butting heads with you.”

“How quaint.”

Rainbow gestured at the lone pebble representing Seraphimus. “I just don't like how an idea like this involves us deceiving Lexxic about our numbers. No offense, Sera, but I doubt even a badass death seagull like you could hide from a bunch of Luna's finest... who have had generations upon generations of hardcore acclimating to the Dark Side.”

Wildcard sighed and signaled: “They may have sensed all four of us already, and we have not even seen them.”

“Exactly.” Rainbow nodded. “Do you imagine how pissed off Lexxic and his buddy-buddies would be if they knew we were trying—even in vain—to pull a fast one on them?”

Seraphimus droned: “I wasn't aware that you cared that much about his feelings.”

“Don't be stupid. I know you too well.”

“Mrmmmmm...”

“And besides...” Rainbow gulped. “I'm more concerned about staying on Nat'rdo's good side. She's part of the cool kids I'm needing to impress. Lexxic—for all his might and awesomeness—is still just an errand boy.”

“A very violent and successful errand boy,” Seraphimus said. “Who wields authority over the army protecting that elusive 'Dream Council.'”

“All too true. Which is why—so long as he's the one playing chaperone to the Bloodwing vacation resort—I wanna keep from ruffling his feathers too badly.” A brief silence. Rainbow rolled her eyes and griped aside: “Fine... leathers. Yeesh, Twilight. You never miss a beat, do ya?”

Wildcard gestured.

To which Seraphimus responded: “Jordan shares my sentiment. It still behooves us to anticipate the worst.”

“Right.” Rainbow nodded. “Which is why we should all face Lexxic and his bloodsuckers together.”

“I...” Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. “...fail to see how having us all potentially surrounded would be a wise course of action. Unlike you, I do not worry about this Lexxic's supposed temper. If I hold back as backup for an escape via the flank—and he senses this—no doubt a veteran soldier such as himself would appreciate such a cautious tactic. No doubt... a soldier such as Lexxic is implementing the same himself.”

Rainbow's muzzle twisted. “You think he's actually intimidated by lil' ol' me?”

Seraphimus sat up straight. “Not every force who opposes you is as... … …arrogant as I've been about it, Rainbow Rogue.”

“Hah!” Rainbow barked. She grinned stupidly at Wildcard, then her invisible friends. “Hah hah!” she kepler'd, then smiled rosily at Seraphimus. “As charming as it is for you to reach such truly freakish levels of humility after all we've been through, Sera-chan, I'm not really one to gloat about it. At least... not while we've got so little precious time to rest here at camp. After all, we've got an even bigger baddie than you to make friendly with. Ahem... no offense.” She clustered the four stones representing the party tightly together. “Sooooooooooo... here is what I propose.”

“How I quiver with anticipation,” Seraphimus droned.

Wildcard scooted closer.

Rainbow gave him room to see. “You guys come in close. And you stay behind me... at all times.” Rainbow's ruby eyes remained trained on the two griffons. “If things should go bad—and, believe you me, my friends will know in advance if they're about to—then I will send the signal to Wildcard.”

“And after that...?” Seraphimus asked.

“After that...” Rainbow Dash took the forward-most rock and flicked it through the pile of surrounding pebbles, knocking them every which way like marbles. “...I will fly up—straight skyward—as fast as equinely possible.”

“The 'Austraeoh' escapes to live another day.” Seraphimus nodded, deadpan. “I understand why you would choose to flee.”

Rainbow glared at her. “I'll perform the sonic rainboom.”

Silence.

“Y'know...” Rainbow gestured. “...the sonic rainboom?”

More silence.

Wildcard whistled. He briskly talon-signed: “It is a bright and thunderous explosion of air, pegasus magic, and spectral—”

“I know what it is,” Seraphimus snarled, frowning. “Brye Chandler described to me—more than once—the blighted power that destroyed the path to Verlaxion's lair at Frostknife.” A long sigh, and she looked at Rainbow. “And you used it on my troops at Starkiss, as I recall.”

“Cool.” Rainbow slapped Seraphimus' shoulder. “Glad to have you in on the fanclub.”

Seraphimus muttered out the side of her beak.

Wildcard “spoke” to Rainbow: “Are you betting on this working with the Bloodwings?”

“The only other pegasus in history that I imagine being capable of pulling off the rainboom was Commander Hurricane.” Rainbow leaned back. “And she vanished long before the sarosians came into being.”

Wildcard looked at Seraphimus, signing: “It could work. It could throw them off their guard.”

Seraphimus cold charcoal eyes reflected his talons. “Your deep faith is hardly surprising, Jordan.”

“Look, I'm not wanting to wipe anypony out,” Rainbow said. “I'm hoping against hope that this meeting goes as well as it could possibly go... … ...as Nat'rdo wills it.” She blinked. “We're not the only ones who wanna get to the Midnight Armory in one piece!”

“All ulterior motives aside, I cannot support your trust in her,” Seraphimus said. “Not to the extent that you seem bent on pursuing it.” She gestured. “Aside from a few fleeting visions, you know next to nothing about her or this dream council...” Her eyes narrowed. “You don't even know if this isn't more than a mere trap.”

Rainbow merely bit her lip.

“But... seeing as we're headed towards a meeting anyway...” Seraphimus sighed. “...I acknowledge that your plan could very well be the strongest.”

“Hey... fancy that—”

“Don't start gloating,” Seraphimus griped. Her gaze sharpened. “What follows?”

“Hmmm? Oh! You mean after the sonic rainboom!”

“Precisely...”

“Just as in your plan, we make a run for it.” Rainbow held her hoof up. “But... we split up.”

Wildcard grimaced. His talons swiped the air: “We split again?”

“Well, it makes sense this time,” Seraphimus interjected. “It'll potentially force them to thin their pursuing numbers.”

“We go about it this way.” Rainbow gestured. “Wildcard and Seraphimus—you pair up. You both have a bunch of experience in working together against murderous flankholes back in Rohbredden. Plus—your griffon senses give you an advantage. I doubt any of Lexxic's soldiers will be any match for you once you take wing—I don't care how much experience they've gotten.”

“But what about you and the nymphomaniacal one?” Seraphimus asked. “What is your edge?”

“My friends, of course.” Rainbow smiled smugly. “With their ghostly butts by my side, we'll shake Lexxic's melon fudges off. Then—once we've put distance between us and the baddies...” She gestured nebulously towards Alpha. “We'll find you... and return to Blobstain.”

Wildcard and Seraphimus exchanged glances.

At last—after a shared nod—it was the former Commander who spoke. “Sounds like a competent plan.”

Wildcard sliced the air: “If... the meeting does not go well.”

Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane. “I'm super glad we got talking about it over with.”

Wildcard gestured: “It went strangely quick.”

“Yeah...” Rainbow nodded. “...maybe because neither Logan nor Flynn are here with their smarminess.”

“Or perhaps because your insufferable filly-fooler is asleep,” Seraphimus droned.

“Hmmm? Oh. Right.” Rainbow looked over at Ariel—curled up like a feline on her mat. “Yeah... well...” She turned to wink at the two griffons. “I won't tell her if you won't.”

Seraphimus slowly nodded. She realized Wildcard was staring at him. Looking over, she saw twin reflections of a beak... smirking. She shook it off with a ruffle of feathers, then shot up on all fours with a huff. “I'm on guard first.”

“Of course you are,” Rainbow belched.

“Do not sleep for too long.” Seraphimus flapped her wings and flapped off. “We need energy... not an excuse to delay the inevitable”

“Story of my life.” Rainbow yawned. “Since we arrived in this toilet bowl world, anyway.” She yawned again.

Hours passed.

Later, Axan's dragonstone flickered—and Rainbow Dash and her companions flew along with it.

It took them over a increasingly erratic landscape. Gone was the slate black uniformity that encompassed the first half of the aerial sojourn: boring and bland and banal. Here and now, the blurring earth below knifed repeatedly in slanted plateaus, resembling an ocean of dark blue wax that had frozen in the middle of a choppy storm.

The stone had a charred, singed look toward it. With each passsing cleft of rock, it looked more and more as though some violent magic had blasted its way towards Alpha at a savage angle. The sharp edges of the cliffs were laced with irremovable black blemishes. A few times, Rainbow and Ariel dove down low enough to get a better look. It was then that they saw even darker marks—at times silhouettes—in the shape of large animals and quadrupedal beasts. Soon, it became apparent that the carbon imprints of countless wildlife had been unceremoniously plastered against the rockface some undetermined length of time ago.

Ariel and Wildcard looked nervously at Rainbow. The mare said nothing—mirroring Seraphimus' own cold silence. The group continued flying—regaining their lofty elevation as they did so—and in time there were more clues as to what had so heinously stained the lanscape.

There were thin, deep, and rigid canyons dug randomly into the perforated earth. It looked as if a giant carving knife had sliced its way across the belly of the plane. Rainbow Dash was immediately reminded of the pin-needle slices she had witnessed early on while crossing the Grand Choke, but this phenomenon wasn't nearly that large of a scale.

Besides, Rainbow and her fellow companions knew quite well what had most likely caused these strange indentations. And yet—as they peeled their eyes towards Omega—they saw nothing bright in the sky. No sign of a lunar anomaly levitating to greet them.

At first, they were thankful. Then—as the hours of flight stretched onward—they were anything but.

The Bloodwings had to have known that they were coming. Rainbow had slept—briefly, but she experienced slumber nevertheless. And yet there had been no additional dream visitations from Nat'rdo or any of her cohorts. This was disconcerting, for Rainbow assumed that greater proximity to the Bloodwings and their lair would have allowed for a far clearer telepathic communication.

But no. All was silent—just as all was dark and featureless in the sky. It was no secret that Rainbow Dash had agreed to meet up with the Bloodwings' champion strategist...

...but there was simply no sign of him. Not even a hint. Rainbow had no doubt that Axan's dragonstone was leading her to the home of the Bloodwings, so she had no doubt that they'd encounter the faction eventually. But the fact that the chaperone hadn't shown his face yet made her wonder...

Did they pick up on the fact that Rainbow Dash knew their location? Were they playing this out and standing back as passive observers? If so, should Rainbow and her friends have gotten themselves lost and off-course on purpose... so as to falsely telegraph the true nature of their devices?

Rainbow tried to breathe calmly. Meditatively.

She was overthinking things. She was always overthinking things these days. At this rate, Rainbow would turn into Twilight Sparkle long before returning home to Ponyville. In fact, she might do Twilight something extra and grow alicorn wings. Then she'd have something to brag about. A silly trophy that would drive herself insane.

No...

She just had to relax.

And lately... ever since emerging on the Dark Side... there was only one way for Rainbow Dash to relax.

Rainbow Dash stopped dragging her hoof through a thin layer of dirt, ending the last of many... many curved lines and half-circles. She squatted, hunched over the patch of earth on the corner of the camp where she and the other three had chosen to rest after so many hours of flight.

Curves and lines and half circles and mutated crescents...

Shuddering through a sigh, Rainbow leaned back and observed the mish-mesh of random designs carved through the sediment. Her ruby eyes danced left and right... up and down... bouncing between the lines before rolling back around to repeat the meandering motions.

One by one, her ghostly companions peeked their fuzzy heads around Rainbow Dash from all floating sides. They squinted at the work of “art,” if one could call it that.

“Reckon I give up,” Applejack muttered, tilting her hat back. “I was gonna say it looks like a heap'o'apple slices, but t'ain't juicy enough.”

“That's the worst game of tic-tac-toe I've ever seen!” Pinkie hollered.

“Pinkie, please,” Rarity cooed. “It is obviously not that. Besides, why would Rainbow Dash even play with herself?”

“Boredom?” Fluttershy blinked at the others. “I mean... if I could touch dirt again, that's what I would do.”

Twilight Sparkle looked pointedly at Rainbow. “Back in the city... deep in Abaddon's lair...” Her violet eyes narrowed. “...did she say anything about this? Were there... any lyrics to her song that would explain why this keeps manifesting in your head?”

“Nope.” Rainbow shook her head. “Not even a hint. But...” Rainbow squinted as he pointed at the collage of curves. “...I'm starting to think this isn't from her song.”

“You don't think the spider bite did this to you, darling?” Rarity remarked.

“It kinda sorta looks like what a spider would see!” Pinkie grinned, pointing at all of the layers of curves. “Y'know, cuz of how kaleidoscop-y their eyes are!”

Twilight glared at Pinkie. “Spiders have simple eyes, not compound.”

“Oh. Really?” Pinkie rubbed the back of her head while smiling nervously. “To tell the truth... I maaaaaaaaybe wasn't looking at them hard enough the entire time were down there! Eheheheh...”

“If t'ain't from Abaddon...” Applejack looked at Rainbow. “...then maybe it's from all that Austraeoh mojo flowin' through ya?”

Rainbow clenched her teeth, hissing. “... … ...I still don't know.”

“Well, don'tcha want to nip this thang in the bud?” Applejack hovered closer to her anchor. “Think... Rainbow. When have you encountered these important symbol-thingies before?”

“Usually... uhhhh... inside or outside one of the entrances to the Machine World,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Y'know... where I'd duck in to make contact with the beacon's flame?”

“Did you see something like this the last time?” Fluttershy asked. “Before we reached the Edge of the World?”

“No. Pretty sure I didn't. Not this symbol. Besides...” Rainbow pointed at the mess, exhaling in frustration. “This is different.”

“How so?” Rarity asked.

“It's... it...” Rainbow gulped, wracking her brain. “It never stays the same.”

“How do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“Well, the dang thing is different each and every time I feel compelled to sketch it,” Rainbow explained.

“And you are sketching it often, Dashie!” Pinkie grinned. “Turning into a regulart artist here! Artistraeoh! Hah! Get it?” She winked, waving a dainty hoof. “Ehhhhh... that one's for free.”

“Are there any similarities between the sketches you've made?” Twilight asked. “Maybe we could uncover a pattern.”

“Why would I wanna do that, Twi?”

“Because...” Twilight floated around her and hovered above the painting. “...maybe you'll find the actual symbol that you're looking for.”

“I... really don't think I'm looking for another symbol,” Rainbow Dash stammered.

“But...” Rarity's muzzle scrunched. “That doesn't make sense! You said they were all different each time you sketch them, right?”

“Yeah...?”

“Well...” Twilight folded her forelimbs. “Only one of them has got to be what you're looking for—”

Before Twilight finished that breath, she vanished. In fact, all of Rainbow's marefriends vanished. They blipped out like melting snow in fast-forward, leaving Rainbow with a reeling wave of dizziness. As she collapsed on all four limbs, she spotted a dragonequus floating by, wearing a striped shirt and a black beret.

“Or maybe...” Discord drifted sideways, casually puffing on a cigarette at the end of a long black holder. “...they're all the right symbol.” He winked.

Just as soon as he appeared, Discord vanished. Twilight and the rest of Rainbow's friends reappeared—and they all looked just as bewildered as their anchor.

Rainbow's eyes widened—flickering red-on-yellow for the briefest of breaths. Her gaze was immediately drawn towards the sky above Omega. A tiny patch of starlight—smaller than a pinprick—fluctuated before Rainbow as it streaked earthward. Staring straight at the anomaly brought on the same dizziness and nausea that had surfaced when Discord briefly appeared.

A soreness formed in the back of Rainbow's throat. She couldn't help but tremble.

Wildcard was the first to notice. He stopped what he was doing and shot up into a standing position, gripping Bard's staff. Ariel saw his readiness, then turned with a worried look towards Rainbow. Seraphimus blinked in confusion at the group.

“Uhm...” Fluttershy sheepishly floated closer. “...Rainbow?”

“I know, Flutters.” Rainbow steeled herself, facing Omega as the cold air rang with rhythmic chants. “He's here.”

Author's Note

Special Thanks to Swan Song for the Symbol

First Son of Nightmares

They came with a chorus. Two parts: a single caller and a legion of responders, echoing melodic moonwhinny into the otherwise placid night. As they descended, their gray bodies split into two separate trains, branching out in curved arcs covering the Edgeside and Curveside fringes of the camp, ultimately surrounding Rainbow and her friends before two blinks could pass.

The speed at which they encompassed the area was more than a little bit alarming, and Rainbow and her companions quickly found that all opportunities to flee the scene were eliminated long before they could even be considered. To say that they were caught off guard was an understatement, and Rainbow heard Seraphimus hissing a few pronounced curses under her breath as she rushed to slap on her helmet and grab her spear.

In the meantime—Ariel and Wildcard backtrotted until they stood tightly on either side of Rainbow Dash. Bard's staff kissed the air while Ariel brandished a runestone cylinder—faintly glowing with the gifts of Xarchellus from Bleak's Plummet. Beyond the wings and necks of her friends, Rainbow spotted fewer and fewer stars—blotted out by the dark and velvety bodies of the sarosian cyclone closing in on them.

All the while, the two-part chorus roared louder and louder, echoing. Resonating.

“Vyln'laym!”

“HYM'VAL DYLM!!!”

“Vyln'laym!”

“HYM'VAL DYLM!!!”

“Vyln'laym!”

“HYM'VAL DYLM!!!”

Ariel bit her lip, sweating nervously. Her body was assailed with noticeable trembles, but she stood her ground.

Wildcard's goggles reflected bodies and bodies and bodies and slitted eyes. He gripped the staff, poised calm and cool.

Seraphimus' helmet rattled over her feathery head. In quiet strides, she stood closer to Rainbow and the others, training her spear at the swirling bodies.

The Loyalty Pendant shook where it was fastened to Rainbow's neck. She took steady breaths, attempting to measure the forces closing in, but swiftly losing count. She tried spotting a single body out from the mess of them—one that might trigger a reaction in her harmonic essence—but she had very little luck.

Helpless, Rainbow stole a glance at Fluttershy. Fluttershy looked back, and all the ghostly mare could do was give a confused shrug. Applejack, Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie blinked with mixed concern and apprehension.

“Vyln'laym!”

“HYM'VAL DYLM!!!”

“Vyln'laym!”

“HYM'VAL DYLM!!!”

At last...

...there was a shift in the tornadic flight. The one caller hollered in a higher pitch:

“Vyln'symmal van'alla saym hayll!”

”HYM'SYM THYLL'M SYL BRAAS!”

This was followed by a unified grunt among all the minds and muscles gathered in that sarosian circle.

“HYUTTT!!!”

Simultaneously, the entire battalion dropped to their hooves like anvils. There was a resounding, thunderous clap from the mass landing, issuing dust and pebbles across what remained of the feeble camp. Once the echo faded, the world became dead quiet. Like a snowbank. The immediate and purposefully impenetrable silence that was manifested after all of that cacophonous chanting was more frightening than any horror Rainbow had witnessed from the Dark Side thus far. It didn't help that the Bloodwings had formed a solid circle all around them, staring icily with a glistening wall of slitted eyes and hungry fangs.

What's more, the Bloodwings all brandished something that neither Rainbow nor her friends could ever have anticipated.

Smiles.

Ariel blinked.

Sarosian faces peered and peered, grinning like hungry jackals. Their complexions made them all look the same—but they were clearly not. With scars and piercings and raised tattoos, every individual warrior was different, and yet all of these grotesque details being spilled across a multi-faceted canvas of velvety fur and leafy ears made it very, very difficult for Rainbow to parse through the entire lot. On one hoof, it should have been blissful to be in the presence of so many ponies once again. But upon gazing at the leathery wings and serrated teeth and predatory eyeslits, it was more than abundantly clear that this was a special breed conceived in darkness and rendered the same.

The air became stiflingly hot. The Bloodwings were all exhaling in tandem with one another, and the sheer heat made the fur and feathers of Rainbow's little party bend and curl. There was no way this was being done by accident.

Ariel grimaced—no doubt reacting to the rancid taste in the air from their combined breaths. Seraphimus kept her cool while Wildcard cocked his head curiously to the side, studying each and every face with as much attention as he could spare. The seconds limped on with the sarosians simply standing there... staring at their prey within that humid circle.

“Well...” Pinkie Pie gulped, turning to smile nervously at her anchor. “...I guess Sera was right about the 'surrounding' part!”

“This...” Rarity squeaked, reaching aside to hug Twilight, clinging with pale little fashionista shivers. “...is so unsettling.”

“Everypony...” Twilight Sparkle fought the urge to hyperventilate, her wide eyes dancing across the fangs, fangs, fangs. “...j-just stay calm!” She threw on a fragile smile as all of her years of collective knowledge concerning Nightmare Moon crumbled under the weight of the tense moment. “Rainbow Dash will think of something...!” Her gaze darted over as a trembling Rarity hugged her even tighter. “What awesome plan are you coming up with, Rainbow?!?”

“... … ...” Rainbow studied the surrounding bodies. She remained deadpan, her jaws clenched tight. At last, her eyes pinned themselves to Applejack.

The freckled ghost took a deep breath. “They're doin' this on purpose, sugarcube.”

“Ya think?!?” Pinkie Pie wheezed.

Applejack frown. “What I mean is—they're layin' it on thick to scare us. Cuz that's all they've got.” She looked at Rainbow again. “Not sure if this helps any, but reckon they're mighty uncertain about what to make of ya, Rainbow.”

“Uncertain?” Fluttershy squeaked, cowering low. “Do you mean... th-they're scared?”

“Not quite... but... not exactly confident either...?”

“That's...” Fluttershy gulped. “...a-almost reassuring! Eheheheh...”

“Pfft!” Pinkie waved a hoof. “Could have fooled me!”

Rainbow continued to say nothing. She stared fixedly at Fluttershy.

When Fluttershy sensed it, she sat up straight with a nervous quiver. “I... I-I'm sorry, Rainbow.” She gritted her teeth. “But I can't tell which among the group is—”

“W'ynlppa yln H'luun!!!” The voice came from beyond the immediate circle of Bloodwings.

“Meep!” Fluttershy flattened herself down and covered her head.

Rainbow and her companions turned towards the direction of the speaker. As if immediately sensing their curiosity, the surrounding warriors laid it on thick: squeaking through their grinning muzzles. Their voices were like cricket song—with breathy, menacing edges. Their heads and necks jabbed forward with each pronounced chirp. Scars and piercings glistened in the starlight. Soon, the mass of velvety malevolence parted like an ocean's current, and Rainbow could see a large, muscular figure trotting icily towards her.

“Ywm..” Fangs showed within a hissing maw. “ W'ynlppa yln H'luun...” The figure drew closer, and the first thing Rainbow could make out was an array of geometric scars criss-crossing over his chest, neck, flank, and even his face. The scarring looked too evenly-arranged to be anything but self inflicted, and within the narrow spaces afforded by the fleshy “grid,” Rainbow spotted what looked like runes. Likely made by hot brands, as evidenced by the missing patches of fur accompanied by sheared flesh. “Hresssssssh... as so she claims...” The closer he trotted, it was crystal clear that this stallion was massive, with veiny muscles that ran intimidatingly down his forward limbs and fetlocks. In a brief, nostalgic blink, Rainbow Dash envisioned Basso of Luxmare—granted, Basso after he had fallen in and trotted out of a giant rusty meat grinder. “...a dream of the eldersss.” At last, this tower of a Bloodwing stood before Rainbow, staring down at her with grinning, glinting teeth. “Or perhaps a dream unto deception.”

The chirps and squeaks of the surrounding warriors increased tenfold. They beamed with sadistic pleasure, inching inward closer and closer as their bobbing necks accompanied a climbing chorus of intimidating vulture noises.

“WELL?!?!” The stallion shouted, sneering down at Rainbow. “How about it, Penumbran?!? W'ynlppa yln H'luun?! Or W'ynlppa yln H'cylsialym?!?”

At the sound of the last name, the sarosians collectively hissed and howled. Several others obscenely stuck their tails up while spitting on the stone earth beneath them.

“... … ...” Rainbow merely raised her eyebrow at the stallion.

Eventually, that sonic salvo dissipated. Rainbow's companions stood uneasily, weapons drawn.

“Hressssh...” The scarred specimen leaned towards Rainbow, eyeslits narrowing. “I am Lexxic. All-Feared and All-Bloodied. Lead Commander of the Sons of Nightmare. You live only by the grace of my patience. So tell me... Penumbran... Daughter of the Deceiver... Why should I lead you and your putrid friends to the Tree of Mothers?”

The Bloodwings leaned in, hungry for a response.

Ariel looked nervously at Rainbow Dash. The boomstick in her grip shook visibly.

Rainbow didn't say a word. She looked at Applejack.

Applejack's eyes reflected Rainbow's knowing expression. Nevertheless, she did her the favor of shaking her head.

Rainbow exhaled. She briefly glanced at Wildcard—for half a second. She slid him a wave of the hoof without the sarosians seeing.

Wildcard half-nodded. Tightening his muscles, he released his metal talon from Bard's staff and gripped Seraphimus' shoulder.

“Well?!?!” The stallion hissed. With twitching eyeslits, he loomed over Rainbow's petite figure. “Answer me!!!”

Weathering a calm breath, Rainbow Dash turned towards the stallion, flapped her wings until she was hovering at eye-level, and—

WHAMMMM!!!

—headbutted the warrior savagely in the skull.

Despite the sheer weight of his everything, he easily fell backwards like a sack of manure. “Eeeeef!!!” His outburst was several octaves higher than it had pretended to be just seconds before.

In a lapse of breaths, the circle of sarosians violently jolted forward—

“H'ruul vassa!!!” a voice shouted from deep within the velvety thickness. In an instant, the Bloodwings all obeyed by jerking backwards, holding their ground despite evident shudders of a unified hot temper.

Seraphimus had also made a move to lunge—but Wildcard's metal talon anchored her in place. Frustrated, she glared back at Wildcard, but the Desperado calmed the former Commander with a single look. The two griffons stood their ground, mirroring the angry sarosians around them.

As Ariel gaped in shock, Rainbow marched around in the claustrophobic circle afforded her and her friends.

“Is this some kind of a joke?!?” Rainbow frowned at the gathered Bloodwings as her ghostly companions watched in stunned silence. “My friends and I risked everything to answer the Dream Council's peaceful invitation, and you insult us with this lame display?!”

“Rrrrrghh...!” The muscular stallion stumbled to roll his bulky body back into a standing position. “H'cylsialym'lynn syp thynnt!!!”

“H'ruul vassa!” A smaller stallion covered in jagged scars rushed over and yanked him back to the ground. His voice was the same that issued the command that halted the bloodwings earlier. He snarled into the muscular one's ears. “H'ruul, Masser'myn.”

“Shym'lyll s'rylm, L'azarias'ym!” the large one snarled, not severing his frown from Rainbow Dash. “S'lynna my'wymll ysmm.”

“Nym'll. Syl'na h'ruuls'ym.” The extra-scarred sarosian stood up. Judging from the space that the rest of the warriors were giving him, it was clear he commanded high authority. The lines in his muzzle—those that weren't adorned with jagged scars—were permanently hardened, as if the creature only knew how to frown. He addressed Rainbow in a low, breathy accent: “You have made your point clear, Penumbran—”

“And you haven't!” Rainbow Dash shouted back, leering fearlessly in the Bloodwing's scarred face. She resumed pacing, snarling at the encircling group as a whole. “What kind of games are we playing, here?! I demand to speak to Lexxic! The real Lexxic! I've been summoned by Nat'rdo herself! Unless you want to disappoint the Dream Council by informing them you drove off the Blood of Luna with your stupid big-headedness, then you're going to give me the answer I deserve—!”

“What we deserve...” breathed a voice from beyond, cold as ice, but chill as an early evening moonrise. “...what we all deserve... is to find our way home.”

Rainbow's friends all flickered out of existence. She felt a wave of dizziness flutter briefly through her, and in that sane blink Discord rippled in and out with a coy wag of his eyebrows. Rainbow's friends returned, and she found herself—as they all did—listening to the voice slowly drifting in closer.

“Incidentally, a place that we never chose to leave to begin with. Instead, being robbed of the opportunity to ascend beyond all the hungry claws of this insidious, paltry world.”

The Bloodwings instantly silenced, standing at attention. Even the massive, muscular stallion stood tall and rigid—despite the fresh Rainbow-shaped welt still-plastered across his muzzle. The extra-scarred one let loose a single shriek, and the group parted down the center.

Rainbow's heart rate increased. She looked down the channel that the velvety bodies had made. A pale visage blotted out a portion of her sight, like cutting a space through harmony with scissors made of ice.

“Long ago...” He spoke. “A very long time ago...” His words were slow—like his steps—and the soft eloquence threw Rainbow off balance, among other dizzying things. “...the Mother of Nightmares had to learn how to wield the weight of the moon. Is was a lot heavier then. Ponymonium, the Final Home of Saros, had yet to be carved out. What's more, her children had yet to be 'gifted' vessels, so she was a novice when it came to the... gravity of such responsibility.”

Rainbow couldn't see his body, but she could see his head. Or—at least—that which was attached to it, pale and unwieldy and white.

“And... she struggled—our beloved Mother did. For she was always the younger and feebler of the surviving monarchs. H'cylsialym—the older—mastered the Sun. No doubt she had much wisdom to impart. Instead, she told H'Luun that friendship—a social bond—was enough to empower her into mastering the spell.”

Ariel's and Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. Wildcard goggle's reflected a bone-pale plate of glossy metal.

“So our blessed Mother, in a desperate move to prove herself worthy of ruling the land of Equestria, corralled those whom she had come to perceive as the closest and strongest of her peers. She chose members of the winged guard—all stallions, for she trusted their natural strength and tenacity. And she ordered them to form a circle around her all night, for hours on end, as she struggled to raise the moon.”

Two pale forelimbs scraped over dusty rock and earth. Two rear fetlocks—midnight black—kicked a few pebbles upon approach. A scraggy tail flicked, most of the hairs having fallen loose—the rest reduced to pale, wiry strands.

“Nothing happened for the longest time. The moon refused to be conjured, much less budged. But finally—within minutes of dawn—the Mother of Nightmares issued dominance over the lunar body. Ecstatic and rejoicing, she turned to her stallion guards—the friends she had ordered to gather and give her strength. And—she found that they had all fallen asleep during the long night. Their presence meant nothing. Just as H'cylsialym—the elder—meant nothing in the advice that she had given. The presence of friends was merely meant as a placebo... to influence and encourage H'Luun to tap into the inner strength that she always innately had.”

At last, he came to a stop—standing at a measured distance from Rainbow Dash, just beyond the edge of the sarosian circle. Rainbow could see no eyes, for the plate blocked them. She could see no ears, for the plate blocked them too.

The plate—which was all she could stare at—was enormous for the stallion's poor skull. It fused to a spot just above the frame of his nose, and it fanned upwards like some prehistoric crest, stretching several tortuous inches above where his scalp should have been. The object was flat: a slab—like a tombstone. Once upon a time, perhaps, it would have formed a perfect triangle, but some dark purpose had engineered notches into the perimeter: five of them. Two pairs of holes had been gouged at equidistant points along the lateral edges, and one had been formed at the very top. Within these notches were horizontally housed narrow cylinders, tapering sharply at the forward ends, and brimming with a dim magic.

And—of course—as evidenced from every dizzying breath Rainbow spent gawking at the plate, it was unmistakably comprised of pure chaos metal. As much as a drain this was on Rainbow, it was likewise a drain on the stallion. The front half of his body was pale—almost matching the color of the helm itself—with blue spiderwebbing veins and leprotic lesions forming a patchwork pattern across his naked, hairless flesh. However the back of his body—the parts furthest from the plate—were still covered with night-black fur, a healthy coat he was no-doubt born with. This gave the stallion an eerie pattern, monochromatically divisive, like a living domino on legs.

And he smiled—a calm and collective expression peeking out from beneath the damnably heavy slab that hid everything else he had to offer.

“It was a deception—the first of many—that motivated the Mother of Nightmares into her first act of supreme magic. But did she rebuke her elder sister for it?” He shook his head, and the dizziness lightly shook Rainbow with each sway of the plate. “No. For each subsequent night that she raised the moon, she ordered her guards to return to her side. She turned the lie into tradition... if only to save face. To maintain the pretentious 'order' of regality. And that is how easy a lie can become a culture.”

He waved with a pale hoof.

“Do forgive me for the charade, Rainbow Dash. The true quality of a character can be ascertained by how one responds to deception—or the attempt of such. I, for one, feel a great deal more at ease after seeing how you handled it.” He snorted lightly from beneath the helm as he turned towards the position of the muscular stallion. “Of course... if Masser here had carried himself less comically, then maybe it would have been a finer 'deception.'” His muzzle twisted beneath the weight of the plate. “'Hressssh'... really? Would I ever... ever carry myself as a mindless troll?”

Several of the Bloodwings chuckled and laughed.

The massive stallion with grid-like scars fumed. “You put me on the spot, Brother!”

“Even still, Second,” mused a warrior among the smirking company of Bloodwings. “It as all you yammered about on the way here!”

“'This Penumbran pretender is a nopony!'” scoffed another one, flopping his leafy ears like quotation marks. “'Let me challenge her to a duel! I'll learn her some respect!'”

“That... that was before I knew her infernal skull was made of rock!” Masser turned back towards their leader, sputtering. “Please, Brother! You know I'm not good at the T'chyrym'lynna's game! Why didn't you choose Bosonn or Hyggs—?”

“EEE-EEE-EEE!!!” With a soul-splitting shriek, the leader tilted his head forward. All four cylinders dislodged from the notches of plate and soared forward. Rainbow watched—dizzied—as the five objects hovered like weaponized daggers, their sharp ends preparing to drill into five spots along the larger stallion's skull and neck. “INSOLENT WASTE OF SEED?!? YOU WOULD QUESTION THE WISDOM OF THE FIRST SON OF NIGHTMARES?!?”

Silence.

Masser's eyes bulged in abject terror. A fine sheen of sweat bubbled along his flesh, reflecting the five daggers—glowing with lunar runes. “Brother... pl-please... I-I... I was just—!”

Immediately, the leader dropped his vicious veneer. “Now that...” He leaned back with a smile, as the floating daggers floated back and retracted into his helm's notches. “Is how you put on an act, brother.”

The air filled with laughter and shrieks. The Bloodwing line swayed back and forth, smiling and chuckling.

“Let that be a lesson to you, brother!” one of the sarosians from earlier barked. “Don't try to show off in front of the First!”

“Ywm, Masser'myn!” his companion echoed. “Damned imp-brain! Ha ha ha ha!”

Ariel blanched in confusion. Wildcard scratched his head while Seraphimus merely glared in fuming silence.

“Heheheheh...!” The leader leaned in to nudge Masser. “Had you for a second, there, brother.” His nostrils flared. “Don't urinate in front of our guests. Penumbrans will drink anything.”

“Erm... yes. Y-yes, Brother,” Masser's large figure cowered as he exhaled in relief. Soon, he frowned at the others. “Stop laughing...”

“Nice show you put on, Masser!” one warrior spat, grinning with fangs. “You've practically mastered the Flux!”

“Yeah!” the stallion by the first's side wheezed with hysterics. “We should have you sneak into T'chyrym's nest and steal the shard all on your lonesome!”

“'Hresssshaaa! I'm a troll! Let me in!”

“Haaaah ha ha ha ha!”

The laughter reached a fever pitch.

Masser snarled, his remaining coat hairs bristling angrily from beyond the gridded scars.

The leader cleared his throat, swinging his head about. “L'azarias'ym...”

The extra-scarred stallion let loose an ear-piecing shriek. “H'ruul sy'ly'ssa!”

The warriors instantly silenced.

Wind. Shadows. Stars.

“Thank you, brother.” The leader turned vaguely in Rainbow's direction. “Rainbow Dash...”

“That's right,” her voice cracked. She warily eyed the now-silent group.

“You have my assurance: no more games. I must apologize, but my brothers have not had much rest since their last campaign and morale is the most limited resources of all in these times.” He continued, speaking from a distance. “I am Lexxy'kyn, First Son of Nightmares, Commander of M'ynylwm sym'lyl yln H'luun—the Dark Vigil of the Mother of Nightmares.”

“Yeah, I... uh...” She nodded. “I figured.”

“Daring and clever,” Lexxic breathed, his weighted head swaying left and right. The smile beneath the plate remained, like an icy pool curved into a crescent. “A tribute to Penumbrans everywhere. That's a start.”

Chuckles rippled through the Bloodwing line. The extra-scarred stallion squeaked—silencing them yet again.

Lexxic gestured towards the sarosian in question. “This is L'azarias'ym, Second Brother. Also my most trusted soldier. For solar-simplicity's sake, you may refer to him by his battle tongue: 'Azarias.'”

Azarias merely glared at Rainbow Dash.

“And this...” Lexxic pointed at the tall, muscular pony. “...is Masser'myn. Third Brother. 'Masser,' in battle tongue. I assure you—his proficiency in bloodshed outweighs his theatrics.”

Fanged grins haloed the scene.

Masser rolled his slitted eyes, groaning. “I am never going to live this down...”

“Carry embarrassment with pleasure, brother,” Lexxic mused, tilting his head towards him. “It's a fine color on you!” He exhaled. “Or so I would imagine.”

“Lemme guess...” Rainbow Dash squinted at the leader. “You just go by 'Lexxic' in this 'battle tongue.'”

“I can,” he replied with a nod of his helm. “It fits better in the screams of our prey—or in the iambic dance of a song, as no doubt the spider queen has preached to you.”

A tight lump formed in Rainbow's throat. Her ghostly friends glanced at her nervously. Nevertheless, she composed herself before speaking: “You had scouts around Abaddon's Lair?”

“No, but her symphony hangs on you like a torn banner.” Lexxic's nostrils flared. “No doubt still pissing in your bloodstream. You must have a firm belief in the Penumbral light behind you to let so many foul juices into your system since crossing.”

Rainbow leaned her head to the side. “Are you saying that going to such lengths to hear her song was a dumb thing to do?”

“I've yet to find out,” Lexxic said. “But I do understand the steep cost of sacrifice. It helps to search for parallels in situations such as this.”

“Even if all you're doing is acting as chaperon?”

“A breeder can be a chaperon,” Lexxic said firmly, his helm glinting paler with the starlight. “A blood colt can be a chaperon. But the Dream Council sent neither. They sent me.” His muzzle clenched. “I could be elsewhere, assuring further victories for the Dark Vigil. Instead, the First Son has been dispsensed with this otherwise menial task. So be it—but to impart this weight I must know if it is likewise shared.”

Rainbow lightly nodded. “Perhaps it's the role of Nat'rdo and the Dream Council to come to such conclusions.” Her eyes narrowed. “Did they tell you my name?”

“Yes. They gave me your name.” Lexxic nodded back. “They must have thought it a sign of trust. Little did they realize I knew far more about you before I ever considered acquiescing to their request.”

Rainbow ignored the intimidating implication of that. “And what about the Dream Council? Do they know that your obedience was only ever a consideration?”

“For their sake... for all of their sake...” Lexxic smiled. “...and for the sake of the war effort, it was nothing more than unfailing loyalty.”

“And for my sake?” Rainbow asked.

“An actual sign of trust,” he said. “That when push comes to shove, and when the security of my Brothers in Blood are on the line, you will know that it is by my grace—and not theirs—that you and your Penumbran familiars have been allowed to cross this line.” The daggers secured to his helm pulsed with runic emphasis. “There is so much at stake now—and we are so painfully close to victory—that I will suffer no distractions to steer us away from Sy'kymylls'ym yln Thy'mma.”

Rainbow's lips pursed. Her eyes darted aside.

Twilight Sparkle hovered close. “'Sarcophagus of Ages',” she whispered.

Rainbow blinked.

Twilight rolled her eyes, then hissed louder: “The Midnight Armory!!!”

Rainbow exhaled sharply, then turned to face Lexxic once again. “The... last thing I want to do is prevent you and the rest of your brothers and sisters from getting to the Harmonic Prism.”

“But?” Lexxic smiled.

Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie winced.

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. Switching gears, she put on a smile herself. “Maybe we... uhm... got off on the wrong hoof.” She held a hoof to her pendant and moved forward. “Let's make one thing clear. 'Blood of Luna' isn't just some passing phrase. I don't know what Nat'rdo told you, but my pendant—the Element of Loyalty—actually carries the enchanted blessing of—”

Rainbow Dash had barely taken three steps when—

—her friends vanished completely. This time, they stayed invisible, with Rainbow Dash trembling under a persistent wave of dizziness. Her teeth chattered, and her eyes turned red-on-black.

From a distance, Masser, Azarias, and other sarosians craned their necks, squinting curiously. All the while, Lexxic remained still. His smile a placid one. And yet—to Rainbow—it looked as though a hole through reality was being gouged by some vaporous energy, resonating from the leader's helm. In the midst of all this, Discord swam like a snake in slow motion, bracing himself behind Lexxic with an admirable expression.

“How fashionable...” He poked a ghostly lion's claw through the helm, marveling at the chaos metal in its purest form. “...a little too Guillermoats del Trotto for my taste, buttttt...”

Rainbow winced. Slowly—carefully—she took one hoof-step backwards.

The dizziness instantly stopped. Discord vanished; her friends returned. Twilight and the rest fidgeted about nervously, as if recovering from the sudden re-materialization.

Ariel and Wildcard noticed Rainbow's silent distress. They stepped closer.

Rainbow held a hoof up, stopping them in their tracks. Gulping, she spoke raspily to Lexxic from afar. “Anyways, you get the idea.”

“Do I?” Lexxic cocked his weighted head aside. “Perhaps you should come closer, Rainbow Dash. Explain it further. After all, we're friends here.”

“... … ...” Rainbow's tongue rested against the roof of her mouth. At last—after much deliberating—she exhaled hard. “I think we both know that's not happening.”

Masser and Azarias looked curiously at Lexxic.

The leader slowly nodded. “Indeed.” A slow breath. “I have been commanded by the elders to bring you safely to the Tree of Mothers. Whose grace is whose—it matters not. My oath is my honor and as the Son of Nightmares, I shall not falter. Neither will my brothers.” He signaled Azarias.

“S'ylanna ulpal!” the Second hollered.

“HYUTT!” Half of the bloodwings took wing, forming a defensive perimeter above the site. The others stood at ease, trotting and chatting casually with one another.

Lexxic spoke firmly above the rising commotion. “We shall give you time to pack your camp, gather supplies, and join our formation! A long flight is ahead of us—but it will be much shorter, provided you abide by our speed and song.” He lowered his head, tilting the helm at an awkward angle to the stars. The five daggers within pulsed twice, and then he spoke again: “What interesting company. I'm guessing you did not pick them up in Petra.”

Wildcard and Seraphimus exchanged thoughtful glances.

“Is there...” Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed. “...a reason they should be from Petra?”

“Your arrival from Penumbra is nothing short of a miracle, Rainbow Dash,” Lexxic calmly said. “An inconvenient miracle, perhaps, but nonetheless spectacular. To the Dream Council's credit, they are ultimately correct to be so intrigued. But—seven miracles? Now... that carries with it no small amount of gravity.”

Rainbow's ghostly companions looked at one another.

“Did he just say 'seven?'” Rarity murmured.

“Yes.” Fluttershy nodded. “He did.”

“How in tarnation does he know how many folks are in Rainbow's travelin' party?!” Applejack wheezed.

Twilight gaped at her. “What? Don't you know?”

Applejack blushed through her freckles. “No. I don't.”

“Finished deliberating?” Lexxic asked.

Rainbow threw him a weird look.

“Hey... uhm...” Ariel stepped forward, speaking up. “About this 'Tree of Nightmares' place...” Her eyes narrowed as she approached the Commander of the Bloodwing army. “Once there, will Rainbow Dash be given a safe place to stay—?”

Swooooosh! The extra-scarred warrior sailed in between Ariel and Lexxic, brandishing a scimitar in the Heraldite's face. Schiiiiing! “Do NOT speak to the First Son unless spoken to!” Azarias hissed, every jagged line in his face creasing with menace. “Or I will slice you to ribbons and feed you to the blood colts the moment we reach the roots!”

Ariel jolted backwards, nearly dropping her boomstick. “H-hey! Chill out!” She frowned back. “I'm only looking out for—”

“Your so-called Penumbran 'avatar of Luna' is only being given such grace because of the Council's wishes—but above all the First's devotion!” Azarias fumed. “Know your place, breeder.” He gave Ariel's runic musket a pitiable shove with his sword. “And don't pretend to wield magic that you have no business touching!”

Rainbow Dash blinked. She couldn't help but mouth that two-syllable word with a twinge of ironic familiarity.

Meanwhile, Ariel blinked, then clenched her teeth as she stared Azarias down. “What did you just say to me—?”

“Second...” Lexxic's voice carried with the wind, soothing. “Secondddd...”

Azarias' nostrils flared. He stepped back, glaring at one horizon after another and fuming.

Lexxic maintained his distance as he spoke to him. “Just because one of them headbutted Masser does not mean we must return the favor. They are meant to be our guests, remember?”

“I am a warrior...” Azarias sneered over his shoulder. “A weapon of the Sons of Nightmares! I don't do 'guests.'”

“Then count your winged dreams that the burden does not fall exclusively on you.”

Azarias took a deep, deep breath... finally calming. “A thousand pardons, Brother.”

Lexxic took a few steps closer, causing Rainbow to shift uneasily. However, he remained far enough that her friends did not vanish. “Go check on Bosonn and Hyggs,” Lexxic commanded. “Make sure that they are maintaining order in the flanking companies.”

“Yes, First,” Azarias saluted, then flew off in a scarred streak.

As the Second joined the encircling crowd of Bloodwings, Lexxic faced Rainbow's position. “I suspect that makes us even.” His crescent smile formed once more beneath the helm.” “For now.”

Rainbow calmly breathed. “I didn't know we were having a competition.”

“It would be a shame to let you down. Nevertheless, the Dream Council would be disappointed if I brought you to the Tree with your... feathers ruffled.” He tilted his helm back. “I shall make sure that no more of my brethren attempt to challenge you or your party again.” A pause, and Lexxic motioned his crown towards Ariel. “I suggest you temper that one's passions in the interim.” With that he trotted off to join Masser's side.

Ariel was left standing slumped and flabbergasted. “What... He...” Snorting back anger, she heaved the boomstick back over her flank with a grunt. “Who do they think they are, anyways?”

“Ariel... girl...” Rainbow Dash floated towards the mare on gently-flapping wings. She wrapped an arm around her withers. “...can we... not spontaneously approach the leader of the bloodthirsty dark side warlords without asking?” She winked. “For the next foreseeable future? Pretty please?”

“I was just asking a question!” Ariel's voice cracked. “What are we here for if not to look after you?!”

Wildcard gestured: “Yes. We are indeed looking after Rainbow Dash. However. We have to play it cool.”

“But why the Hell was that shredded dude giving me grief?!” Ariel frowned. “Twice in a matter of minutes these guys have proven to be a bunch of posturing jackasses! And what's with El Capitan Freako and his diabolical bonnet—?!”

Seraphimus' serrated talon gripped Ariel's shoulder. “I am going to do that which neither Jordan nor Rainbow have the good sense to do and tell you to kindly shut up!”

Wildcard and Rainbow winced.

Ariel shook... shook... then spun around in a huff, forelimbs folded.

Seraphimus navigated a calm breath. She turned towards Rainbow. “What do your... friends make of this?”

“On it.” Rainbow turned all the way around. Her eyebrows raised. “Girls?”

All five of them exchanged ghostly glances. One by one, they floated towards their anchor.

“They're all armed with runic weaponry,” Twilight declared. “Not as much as Enix's group at Bleak's Plummet, but they've got moonsilver hidden neatly within their armor. Judging from the positions of their scabbards, it seems that their melee weapons take priority.”

“There aren't any more beyond visual range,” Fluttershy said. “That is—I don't sense any companies of sarosians monitoring us from a distance. This really is the entirety of Lexxic's welcoming party.”

“They're all a lot happier than I imagined!” Pinkie Pie said. “And they even have a sense of humor!” Silence. A beat. She blinked at the rest of the group. “What?! I know that's not a pinkie sense but come onnnn!”

“Have you noticed that... uhm...” Fluttershy squirmed. “...th-that all the warriors are stallions?”

“My goodness...!” Rarity held a hoof to her chest. “You're right, Fluttershy! I did not count a single mare among them!”

“And did you hear what that nasty-nasty dude called Ariel?!” Pinkie made a barfy face. “'Breeder?' Bleachkkk!”

“Yeah yeah.” Rainbow nodded. “I've heard it before.” Her brow furrowed. “Now what about Lexxic?”

“What about him?!” Rarity looked like she could faint. “He's creepy! And oh that horrible stigmata spreading throughout his whole body!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I mean what do you sense about him?!” She slapped her hooves down, startling the girls. “What's with that crud on his head? What's the dealio with those dagger thingies? What is he desiring beneath all his words?”

“Hmmm? Oh!” Rarity piped up. “Well, darling, for one—his crown is most definitely made out of that same terrible metal from when we encountered the trolls!”

“Just like the metals Rainbow has found before in her travels?” Fluttershy asked.

“I would think as much.” Rarity gulped. “Which begs the question...” She looked worriedly at their anchor. “How are you handling it, darling?”

“Yeah, Dashie!” Pinkie nod-nod-nodded. “Is it just me, or did we kinda sorta go poof when you tried to walk towards him?”

“You all... vanished,” Rainbow said in an off-tone.

“And...” Fluttershy's eyes narrowed warily. “...Discord?”

Rainbow took a deep breath. “Yup. He was there. In you guys' place.”

A collective shudder rolled through the group.

“Then we might have a problem...” Twilight Sparkle was already wringing her hooves together. “If a sarosian like him has that much chaos metal attached to his body... … ...then how are you even going to approach him?”

“Who says I'm gonna?” Rainbow's jaw clenched. “Lexxic himself made the case clear. He's just escorting me to the... 'Tree of Mothers' or whatever.”

“Is it...” Fluttershy tensed up. “...really going to be that simple?”

Rainbow rubbed her chin in anxious thought.

“Twi-Twi!” Pinkie floated over. “Tell us you sensed something with his spooky cake knife juggling!”

“You mean those... daggers of his?” Twilight's muzzle twisted. “I don't even know where to begin!”

“Humor us, sugarcube,” Applejack said.

“Well... m-my understanding of chaos magic is very limited. But...” She looked over at Rainbow Dash. “I definitely sensed some lunar magic in them. But—I guess anypony could have seen that.”

“The runes, you mean?” Rarity said.

“Precisely.” Twilight nodded. “It must be some kind of... hybrid.” She gulped. “A mix of both lunar and chaotic finesse.”

“Sorta like the stuff Flynn used to power his Hoverplank!” Pinkie said.

“But far more powerful,” Twilight said. “It resonates like nothing else I've witnessed since Rainbow drew me from the Yaerfaerda beacon.” A sigh. “I won't... quite memorize this magical signature until I have more exposure... so to speak.”

Rainbow turned towards Fluttershy. “Do you sense Lexxic? At all?”

Fluttershy bit her lip.

“Just give it to us straight, darling,” Rarity said.

Fluttershy sighed in a melancholic tone. “No.” She hung her head. “I can't.”

Rainbow looked to Twilight. “But... you can sense his magic.”

“I might be able to get a fix on it,” Twilight said. “But... if we can't ever get close to him...”

“Oh, I'm pretty sure I can get close to him,” Rainbow said. She ran a hoof through her mane. “Just not so sure that I should.”

“Let's push that thought as far away as possible, Rainbow,” Rarity said.

Rainbow looked back at her. “You sure I can afford to?”

Rarity stared back in silence.

At last, Rainbow looked at Applejack. “What about it, AJ?” She nodded. “Any reads?”

The farm mare was deadpan. “Do I even need to say it out loud?”

The other three glanced between the two, curious. Concerned.

Rainbow's ears drooped. “He's just as blank to you as he is to Fluttershy, huh?”

“You ask me, it's that consarn doohickey of his!” Applejack charaded a “crest” over her own blonde scalp. “Whatever it's made out of—it's the plum opposite of harmony! I can't even glean a titter from his heart or soul! Assumin' he has either!”

“He has a sense of humor,” Pinkie said. “That should count for something.”

“... … ...” Applejack sighed out her nostrils as she contemplated that. “Not sure if that brings me any comfort, no-how.”

“Just... rely on your own strength of character, AJ.” Rainbow gave her a confident smile. “From your experience—do you reckon that he's trying to deceive us or not?”

“I reckon...” Applejack blinked. “I-I reckon...” She blinked again.

The other girls looked on with bated breath.

At last, the freckled pony deflated. “I reckon I ain't got a clue.” She looked helplessly at Rainbow Dash. “Chaos hogwash or not—that there's a cryptic feller. Mighty charmin' when you least expect it, but his reputation precedes him. And t'ain't a good one.”

Rainbow nodded, scratching the back of her head. Slowly, she turned about—noticing that her three flesh-and-blood companions were staring at her. She whistled and gestured to Wildcard, then to the camp.

Wildcard nodded, immediately rushing to start packing. Ariel and Seraphimus were slow to follow him, lingering behind with curious gazes thrown in Rainbow's direction.

“One thang is for sure, Rainbow...”

Rainbow slowly turned back to Applejack.

“Dun think it's any high-flyin' secret...” Applejack's green eyes narrow. “...but looks to me that this Lexxic varmint knows a lot more about you than you know about him.”

“I... uh...” Pinkie whispered, ears drooped in an alarmingly grim manner. “...I got that sense too.”

Silence.

“So what do we do?” Rarity asked.

“Rainbow...?” Twilight looked at their collective icon of loyalty.

Coincidentally, Rainbow had a hoof pressed to her pendant. “So Lexxic's got a fancy schmancy hat. Big deal.” A devilish smirk. “We too brought an equalizer, and it's taken us way farther than he's ever gone.”

“Woohoo!” Pinkie's body parts perked up once more as she bounced in her ghostly spot. “That's the spirit!”

“Technically speaking, we haven't a clue how 'far' he's been or what he's accomplis—” Fluttershy began. “Mrmmmffff!”

Pinkie had shoved her fetlock in the pegasus' mouth. “Don't ruin the moment, Miss Tree!”

“Right.” Rainbow got up, trotting towards Wildcard and the others. “Let's jig.”

The Gifts of Sacrifice

Rainbow Dash flew in formation. And for the first time in ages—perhaps since those humid days spent in Durandana—that formation wasn't her own.

Rainbow and her friends were surrounded. There was no more proper way of describing it. Lexxic flew at the front of the group, accompanied by his “Third,” Masser. Azarias—the surly and scarred “Second”—flew behind Rainbow in the center of the flock. From there, the stallion was able to shriek and hiss commands at the Bloodwing company as a whole—which was evidently his station within the First Son's battalion. The rest of the sarosians formed three layers of V-shaped fans above and below Rainbow's spot in their star-lit flight.

It was more than obvious how Lexxic had intended to structure this formation. Rainbow knew that it was merely a means of protecting and securing herself and her friends along the swift glide towards Omega. Still—with so many glinting fangs and scarred hides completely encompassing her, it simultaneously felt like an intimidating cluster of inscrutable threats from all sides.

There was also no denying how... claustrophobic Rainbow Dash felt. Flying—for her—typically meant a sense of freedom, speed, and exhilaration. Suddenly, that was no longer the case. Flying with the sarosians, Rainbow felt hideously boxed-in. And it wasn't exclusively because of the spaces between them. In fact, the Bloodwings kept a polite and respectful distance—much to the gratitude of Ariel, Seraphimus, and Wildcard.

But Lexxic—and his position ahead of the group—constantly put pressure on Rainbow to temper the speed of her glide. She feared that if she flapped her wings and propelled herself too far forward, she might get within proximity of his chaos metal—leading to a deadly, plummeting fainting spell. No doubt Ariel or Wildcard might catch her in the event that such a thing were to happen, but with the Bloodwings now accompanying them, Rainbow Dash felt an intense need to maintain a good, strong impression.

The whole time—while flying—Rainbow kept her eyes trained on the First Son of Nightmares. In many ways, she couldn't help but... stare at this phantasmagorical specimen. Despite all of the gossips and rumors foretold about him, he still managed to defy all expectations—both in display as well as character. Granted, she had only gotten to witness him for the better part of two hours, but there was no denying that this creature was quite unlike anyone she had met before. The mare's fuzzy brain attempted stirring the mental broth, and the best she could conjure up was a drop of Lady Pestiferous, a dash of Razzar of the Lounge, and a goopy bucket of Keris' shiny charm glossed all over the otherwise black shell. Two-thirds of that mixture spelled imminent worry, but Rainbow could only surmise that they were tiny portions of the stallion at best, and everything else encased within that undeniably mystifying egg was a big heapin' helping of “huh???”

She spent half-an-hour in mid-flight just gawking at Lexxic's headcrest alone. Upon first glance, she'd never have guessed that the unwieldy helm was anything remotely aerodynamic. And yet—now that she witnessed Lexxic gliding along effortlessly with the plate—she almost imagined it as more of an aid than anything. The metal slab was certainly slanted back at just the right angle to slice along through the air currents. If there was anything pushing Lexxic down, Rainbow imagined it was the insufferable weight of the thing.

Nevertheless, he carried on quite naturally—no small feat, considering how weak and infirmed the front half of his body looked. The longer Rainbow observed, the more reasonable an assessment she made of the stallion: his front limbs were considerably scrawnier and ganglier than his rear half. There was no denying the impact that the metal slab had on his body—or, perhaps, whatever had been hidden beneath the slab.

Lexxic had spoken briefly of “sacrifice.” Rainbow suspected that she'd forever linger on the cusp of that statement's meaning. Unless, of course, someone among the Bloodwings was willing to explain just what that “sacrifice” entailed. It didn't subtract at all from the First Son's confidence. He made sure to keep at the very front of the group, as if his crest was slicing the air clean for those in formation behind. All the while, however, he kept the Third—Masser—close by his side. The veteran adventurer in Rainbow Dash could only respect that choice. Perhaps she wasn't the only one who needed to be scooped up by a fellow flying companion if the need presented it.

As time blew by with the twilight winds, Rainbow's observing gaze shifted. She made a study of the other sarosians around her—or, at least, she tried to.

In truth, sarosians had always been something of a cryptic subject matter for her. All those days spent traveling the Seven Seas and beyond with Echo wasn't of much merit—for even Ryckmun himself would gladly admit that he was never an authentic example of his own kin in the first place. Nicole wasn't much of a traditional representative either, having more in common with Bard than Nightmare Moon. Rainbow didn't glean too much from Xarchellus and the “midnighters” of Bleak's Plummet—because she couldn't afford to. Chandler was hot on her fetlocks and she was in a hurry to go beyond the edge and cross over to the Dark Side. While listening to Twilight Sparkle and her lectures on sarosian history was nice and all—it still couldn't accurately prepare her for the uncertainties of the Bloodwing faction there on the Dark Side. Besides that—egghead's gonna egghead, and Rainbow could scarcely compute.

No, if Rainbow Dash was going to have any hope in understanding these mysterious, vicious warriors, she'd have to digest them like she digested everything else in her long travels around the world—through sheer exposure and eye-witnessing. For all she knew, this flight towards the Bloodwing lair might end up being the only time she could afford this. All she could do was make the best of it.

Masser—or “Masser'myn,” as he was referred to whenever the Bloodwings spoke in moonwhinny, which was all the time—was more or less the brutish caricature that Rainbow Dashhad expected when Queen Chrysalis first ever name-dropped the “Bloodwings.” He was... indeed... quite “massive,” which Pinkie Pie jokingly pointed out in annoying repetition for the first ten minutes following their initial encounter. Rainbow's head still stung from when she felt compelled to headbutt him in mid-speech. Truth be told, it was quite a gamble that she took, but it all seemed so damnably clear an option when she realized that it would be rendering the Bloodwings the same degree of respect that she was being given when Masser first strolled up under his stupidly superficial charade.

The thing that bothered Rainbow the most about it was that Lexxic allowed the stageplay to transpire in the first place. Sure, it may or may not have been Masser's own dumb idea, but the fact that Lexxic humored it that much was... off-putting. Granted, Rainbow was judging the Bloodwings mostly by her still-dissolving predisposition concerning them. She wondered what would have happened if she hadn't ultimately slammed her skull against Masser's—if she had instead just allowed the thespian nonsense to continue, unhindered, under the hollow pretense of peaceful negotiations. She came to the conclusion that it's the sort of thing someone like Twilight Sparkle would do—or anypony else that well-acquainted with Canterlot politics. In essence, Lexxic—through Masser—may have just tested the degree to which Rainbow operated by the “customs of the Solar Deceiver.” Perhaps, then, the headbutt was key—for she had passed that test, for better or for worse.

As for Masser himself, the stallion was... big. Big and scarred. Once again, Rainbow Dash observed the grid-like geometry of the raised tattoos forming a checkerboard collage across his flesh and fur. It extended even onto his flank and backside. No doubt, such body modification must have taken a lot of years... and a lot of pain. Rainbow imagined that a culture that entrenched in warfare had to have needed some artistic outlet for so much anguish and misery. For what she could tell, Lexxic's company stumbled upon just such a form of expression. As she looked around, she saw that Masser wasn't the only one with unique scarring. A few sarosians had similar grid-patterns etched into their flesh, raising patches of skin above the rest. While nopony had quite the elaborate array that Masser brandished, there were imitators. Rainbow took notice of burn-marks set within the individual “squares” of these tattooed manifestations. The brandings took on tiny, elaborate patterns, and she suspected they meant something beyond the scope of her comprehension. Something affixed to pride, no doubt, as opposed to shame.

The scars on Azarias—or “L'azarias'ym”, heard in moonwhinny—were a different matter altogether. Granted, Rainbow didn't get a very good long look at the stallion in question. He was flying the center of the group from behind her, and every time Rainbow glanced back—Azarias would answer with an angry glare in return, as if insulted by the fact that Lexxic's guest would look anywhere but straight forward. Rainbow Dash knew better than to push her chances. But from what she did see of Azarias, the scars on his body—and there were plenty there, more than even Masser's—were implemented in a very chaotic fashion. Dozens upon dozens of slash marks blanketed the poor stallion's flesh, leaving very little room for anything but a truly threatening veneer. This—above all else—is the sort of savage presence Rainbow expected from the Bloodwings, but what she didn't expect was just how swift and orderly Azarias' command of his fellow warriors was. Lexxic may have been the one in charge, but Azarias was the sarosian who kept all the Bloodwings in line. All it took was a single shriek or a prolonged glare, and the formation came together quicker than a blink. This meant that—beyond both the menace and the mystery that the Bloodwings entailed—there was an impenetrable sense of order. Without that, Rainbow guessed, the army wouldn't have lasted as long as it had against the innumerable changelings and the indomitable Night Shard.

That isn't to say that the Bloodwings were completely and utterly mechanical in their disposition. Quite the contrary, they came across as very loose, casual, and even jovial. So long as they maintained formation and followed the shrieking commands of Azarias—as hoofed over by Lexxic—they chirped and squeaked and hissed amongst themselves, smiling and grinning and chuckling with fangs that reflected starlight eternally.

Judging from their expressions (and Applejack's interpretations), many of their shared jokes were being made at Rainbow's and the Herald's expense. It became no small secret that the sarosians were sizing her up, and ultimately determining her and her companions to be trifling mince-meat at best. Nevertheless, it was quite clear that the First Son's command held them back from capitalizing on any superiority complex. Rainbow observed this the very moment Azarias dove in between herself and Masser post-headbutt. She couldn't help but wonder that—if Lexxic wasn't here—maybe the sarosians would simply gut her and her friends right there... just because they could.

And yet, Rainbow (and Applejack) got the impression that the Bloodwings wouldn't murder her without any express purpose. If nothing else, they'd make a game out of it. A challenge. A sport. She didn't know enough about the Bloodwings to call them “honorable,” but there was something there—glued together by Lexxic's inspiration and Azarias' enforcement—that made the Dark Vigil something far less brutish than Rainbow had initially perceived. She knew better than to try her luck against all of that, so she kept her conversations relegated among companions alone.

“Anything, AJ?” Rainbow asked for the umpteenth time that flight.

Applejack once again shook her head. “Nothin', sugarcube. And believe-you-me, I've been tryin' somethin' fierce.” Her freckled face scrunched, as if she was channeling telepathic apples waves straight at Lexxic's butt. “Reckon he's a brick wall to me. Ain't nothin' piercin' through that creepy exterior of his.” At last, she wheezed, like having ran a twenty kilometer marathon using just her brain. “Almost like the plate is a dag-blame'd shield!”

“Could that be it?” Rainbow asked, keeping her breath low, beneath the winds. Wildcard and Ariel glanced at her curiously before inferring that she was talking to her closest friends. “Maybe you girls would be able to sense him if the helmet thingy was off?”

“I don't think it's that simple, Rainbow,” Twilight Sparkle said, shaking her head. “I'm the only one who can come close to sensing him—and this... aura of chaos energy is absorbing his entire figure in my mind.”

“I don't even sense him at all,” Fluttershy said. “It's... as if he doesn't exist! Whatever's blocking us, I don't think it's the slab alone.”

“They've got a point, darling,” Rarity spoke. “Just—take a good long look at his body!”

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “What about it?”

“Well, obviously you've observed how... unnaturally emaciated his front half is!”

“That's putting it lightly,” Twilight huffed. “It looks diseased.”

“What's yer point, Rares?” Applejack asked.

“The point is...” Rarity gestured. “I'm no expert on the prolonged effects of chaos on average ponies, but I don't think Lexxic's condition is simply a result of physical contact.”

“Did you not see the giant creepy tombstone nailed to his skull?!” Pinkie Pie wheezed.

Rarity rolled her eyes. “If you'll allow me to finish, darling.” She looked at Rainbow Dash in mid-flight. “I think the helmet is just the cover of something.”

“Just what is it covering?” Rainbow asked.

“Something... erm... dare I say more 'intense,'” Rarity remarked, tonguing the inside of her muzzle. “Something beneath the skin, perhaps.”

Twilight's eyes narrowed. “You mean something inside him?”

“Precisely.”

“Oh gosh...” Fluttershy curled her forelimbs to her ghostly chest. “As if the painful-looking tattoos on these sarosians weren't disturbing enough...” She grimaced. “Lexxic wouldn't let something so toxic inside himself! Would he?”

“It... would make some sense,” Twilight said with a thoughtful nod. “You saw those daggers he was controlling earlier...”

“You mean the thingies that glow with the lunar runes?” Pinkie asked.

“Right. Sarosians aren't naturally capable of controlling magical in the temporal plane. Usually, their finesse manifests in the dream world. But Lexxic was able to wield those projectiles like he was a high-level unicorn.”

“If you ask me,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “That sounds broken as buck.”

“Maybe so. But there's nothing in this world that's so complex that it can absolutely defy explanation.” Twilight looked at Rainbow. “Rainbow, you spoke often of your old friend—the elk pilot of the Noble Jury with the strange speech...”

“Right. His name is Floydien,” Rainbow said with a nod. “And his speech was never 'strange.' It was just... pleb-impaired.”

“Whatever. Didn't you tell me that he was experimented on in such a way that it gave him magic electrokinetic powers?”

“Right. The Ledomaritans did a number on him.” Rainbow sighed into the starry winds. “Same with his squirrel buddy—Simon. May he rest in peace.”

“Oh gosh...” Fluttershy whimpered, tears forming. “I forgot that he d-died!”

“Shhhh! Keep to the conversation at hoof, please, Fluttershy.” Twilight turned towards Rainbow again. “Anyways, they were friends of yours—ordinary and devoid of magic—who suddenly could pull off stunts worthy of unicorns. What's to say it isn't the same for Lexxic here?”

Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane. “We're a long friggin' way from Luxmare, Twi.”

“You know what I mean.” Twilight gestured at the sarosian Commander gliding ahead of them. “Through some device or another, Lexxic has augmented himself.”

“Sounds like a savage industry,” Rarity remarked. “Imagine an entire army of them.”

“Reckon t'ain't somethin' that needs to be worried about,” Applejack said. She looked at the others. “If it were possible for Lexxic's... doohickeyin' to be recreated, dunt'cha think he would have had his partners in Bloodwingin' doin' the same by now?”

“AJ's got a pointtttt!” Pinkie sang, spinning a barrel-roll. “Unless of course they already tried and a bunch of them kicked the bucket!” She stuck her tongue out. “The BLOOD BUCKET.”

Rainbow blinked. “Lexxic spoke earlier of 'sacrifice' when we first met.” She looked at the others. “Maybe he's done something that none of the other warriors of the Dark Vigil could accomplish.”

“Maybe it's why they made him their commander...!” Rarity remarked.

“Maybe...” Fluttershy fidgeted. “...this is the 'edge' that Abaddon and her Winter Children spoke about. The special skill or strategy that Lexxic had to finally push back Tchern's drones and the Night Shard”

“I... I don't know...” Rainbow's eyes narrowed as she stared at Lexxic's flying figure. “Let's not jump to conclusions. After all, we just met this dude—like—twenty farts ago. We have yet to discover just what it is that makes him and the Bloodwings tick... assuming we'll ever be capable of finding out.”

“Perhaps it would be for the best that you focus on meeting Nat'rdo and charming the Dream Council,” Rarity said with a hopeful smile. “Stop allowing Lexxic to distract you.”

“Gotta admit, though...” Rainbow shrugged with a slight smirk. “...he's accomplishing it without having to even try—”

A wave of dizziness. Once the fog settled, Rainbow could make out a pivot of Lexxic's plate, as if the sarosian was suddenly looking back at her in mid-flight.

Her ruby pupils shrank. She gulped dryly. “... … ...this is going to be a long trip.”

All this time, Seraphimus and Ariel—to Rainbow's left—were listening intently on Rainbow's side of the conversation. When it seemed as if she had reached a break in the discourse, Ariel was the first to speak up:

“So, what's the verdict?” Ariel spoke in a hushed turn amidst the winds.

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “What verdict?”

“Is this cretin to be reasoned with?” Seraphimus' cold voice droned. “Surely your 'spirited companions' have poked and prodded the midnighter leader with their otherworldly senses.”

“It's... not quite clear...” Rainbow's forelimbs rubbed together pensively in mid-flight. “They're not really able to pierce through the friggin' chaos metal he's wearing.”

“Oh.” Ariel blinked. “Well that sucks.”

“Let's just... try to be chill about it, alright?” Rainbow's voice cracked.

Seraphimus glared forward into the leather shadows all around them. “We are being corralled into the headquarters of the bloodiest and most savage faction this world has to offer.” She tilted her helmet back. “Forgive me if I do not share your juvenile affinity for 'chilling.'”

“Lexxic's done nothing to us to earn the 'cretin' monicker yet, Sera.”

“His reputation precedes him.”

“... … ...I know that,” Rainbow said through clenched teeth. “But it would be in our best interest not to start anything until we safely reach the company of Nat'rdo and her bosom brain buddies.”

“We know nothing about their hierarchy,” Seraphimus said. “For all we know, maybe Lexxic wishes to execute us—and—Nat'rdo once he has us all in the same place.”

“What... that... it...?!?” Rainbow Dash fought the urge to laugh and growl all at once. “You see, Sera, this is why you were only ever the Right Talon of Verlaxion. Diplomacy just really isn't your strong suit.” She shook her head with a dumb smirk. “'Right Smolder of Verlaxion' just wouldn't fit you. Would it?”

Seraphimus opened her beak to reply—

“If Lexxic's armor thingy is made of chaos metal,” Ariel spoke up. She looked worriedly at their party leader. “...does that mean all your everything will go kerplunk once you get near him?”

“Have you seen me get near to him yet?”

“No.”

“Well there you have it.” Rainbow squinted ahead at the Bloodwing in question as they all glided along. “I tried once—about an hour ago when we first met up. But the moment I took my first step, my friends disappeared.”

“Like... those times when whatshisname showed up?”

“Who? Discord? He appeared at the same time, too. It... it happened even longer ago.” Rainbow gulped. “When we nearly got zapped to death by the Bloodwings' moon.”

“That wasn't the moon,” Seraphimus grumbled.

“Anyways...” Rainbow sighed. “Lexxic appears to be buffed by the one thing that friggin' floors me.”

Ariel shrugged with a crooked smile. “Guess you won't be headbutting him anytime soon.”

“I don't have any desire to.”

“And what of Lexxic?” Seraphimus murmured, motioning ahead. “What if he desires to start an altercation.”

“Then I'd be screwed.”

“Curious that he hasn't,” Ariel said.

Rainbow looked at her. “Huh?”

Ariel looked back. “Just saying... if that crown-thingy is potentially your coup de grace... Lexxic hasn't capitalized on it.”

Seraphimus spoke as quiet as a whisper. “Maybe it's for the best that we not discuss it here and now...”

Rainbow stared long and hard at Lexxic's figure. “You know what's funny?”

Seraphimus didn't look remotely curious.

Rainbow spoke on anyways: “... … ...I got this impression that he does know.”

Ariel's brow furrowed.

Twilight and the rest of Rainbow's friends exchanged anxious expressions.

Lexxic—ahead—flew calmly and gracefully. The only times he spoke was in quiet hisses and squeaks to Masser by his side. He looked every bit the only one in control of the entire formation, leaving Rainbow Dash helplessly floundering for something—anything—to glean on.

She realized that any and all contemplation about this particular leg of her journey had gone far past alteration. The decision was behind her, and now she was at the mercy of fate. Or—in this case—maybe Lexxic himself mattered more than fate. It made her wonder just what Nat'rdo and her kin could offer, if anything. But—given that the Dream Council's request had even made somepony like Lexxic bend to obey—it potentially meant that there was hope for achieving a place of communication and diplomacy with this army of the Trinary War after all.

Sometime later, Rainbow became aware of murmuring... chuckling voices. They ran with the wind, coming from within the Bloodwing formation.

She looked to her right. Wildcard flew parallel to her and the rest of the Heraldites. But further to the right—beyond him—were two able-bodied specimens of Bloodwing menace. They were currently studying the griffon closely, their slitted eyes washing over his beak, feathers, and—most of all—his metal prosthetic.

Pinkie smiled goofily. “Looks like somebird's got a faaaaanclubbbbbb.”

Rarity shuddered. “Wrong time and place—if you ask me!”

Squeaks and hisses danced between the two warriors as they muttered in moonwhinny. They flew closer and closer in formation to Wildcard's position.

“... … ...” The Desperado maintained his glide. Pure stars reflected off his goggles.

“Sy'lysymylym thysl'aym thrym'wym,” one warrior murmured. “Hany'lym sym'ly frym'sym.”

“Ywm...” The other nodded. “Hy'myl yln Myl'sypher'ym!”

“Hahahaha... ywm. Ywm—sy'myl ynla Myl'sypher'ym my'nal thym!”

“... … …?” Wildcard finally pivoted his head to face them.

The two sarosians jolted from the griffon's black-goggle'd gaze.

A ripple of laughter flew through the formation.

“Hahahahaha!”

“Hah hah hah... hy'ml syl'ym mym, Wyl'hyggs'ym! My'bosonn'yll!”

“M'rylyma sy'thylym H'cylsialym thy'ma syln?! Ha ha ha!”

One of the two sarosians—blushing—cleared his throat. “We have... never seen your kind before,” the stallion said. “It is not typical that we meet a strange creature and don't attempt to kill it.”

“Or eat it,” his flight buddy offered with a fanged grin.

“Yes. Haha! True.”

“The only way to understand something is once it's dead,” the other Bloodwing sneered with a malicious fanged grin. “Unless—of course—it dreams. But that's the job of High Branchers.”

“But for us lowly blood stallions...” the first licked his lips. “It's either death or dinner!”

“Sometimes both!”

“Hahahaha—SOMETIMES! Hee-hee-hee-eee-eee-eee.”

Wildcard winced slightly from their sonic laughter.

“Do forgive the twins for their tactlessness, Penumbran,” Lexxic's voice suddenly rolled along the winds from the front of the formation. His helm was still aimed at Omega as he casually spoke: “Here in this land—blessed by eternal night—all curiosity is morbid.”

The Desperado merely shrugged.

“Not one for talking, hmmm?” One of the two warriors smirked. “You're starting to resemble dinner more and more with each twinkling star!”

“Hah hah hah hah!”

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. “Try asking him yes-or-no questions.” A smug grin. “It's how I got started on the right hoof with this dude.”

The warriors exchanged glances, then looked as one at Wildcard.

“That arm of yours...”

“...the one made of metal...”

“...is that goblin tech?”

Wildcard shook his feathery head.

Shrieks and hisses.

The warriors flew in closer. “Is it powered by the lifelights?”

“Like the Shard vessels?”

Wildcard shook his head yet again.

“You're making fools of yourselvesssss,” Masser grumbled from ahead of the flight.

“Chip in the Armor—we are!” one cursed back at the Third before turning to face Wildcard once again. “Can you fight with that infernal thing?”

Wildcard nodded.

“It's dexterous enough for combat?”

Wildcard nodded.

“Show us! Show us, Penumbran!”

In answer, Wildcard brandished a middle talon under the starlight.

Ariel and Rainbow simultaneously face-hoofed. Seraphimus rolled her eyes, muttering Jordan's name under her beak.

But the Bloodwings: they roared with laughter, even the two twins who shrieked hysterically with fangs a'glinting.

“So they have spines down in Penumbra after all!”

“For a thick sack of game, he's all talk and no talk!”

“I'd love to see Sypher go up against him!”

“Eee-eee-eee! A duel! A duel between Night and Penumbra!”

“Lexxy'kyn!! You must set such a thing up, Brother!”

“Alright, Hyggs... Bosonn,” Azarias groaned from the center of the group, forcing the laughter to dissipate. “Lay off before I let him insert that metal claw where it deserves to be.”

“Please, Second,” Lexxic's voice rolled once again, and all leafy ears were instantly trained on him. “Let them indulge in conversation. I find it most enlightening.” Rainbow shuddered as he sensed his helm pivoting against the wind up ahead. “This is a momentous occasion—after all—to entertain the company of such unseemly creatures. At first, I too assumed they were both cryptic outcasts of imp society—but then again, the texts do maintain that the Solar Deceiver's land is indeed home to an unimaginable bestiary of accidental life. It stands to reason that some survived over the eons to make their away across any and all conceivable barriers—including the ones that once impeded us.”

“What happened, exactly?” one of the twins chirped, grinning stupidly. “Did a horny panther get tossed into a bag full of buzzards?”

Wildcard's beak clenched hard.

“If you must know, Wildcard here is a griffon,” Rainbow Dash spoke up. “There's an entire kingdom of them who live not too terribly far from Equestria. And they're so friggin' badass that a single one could take on twenty ponies and come out without a scratch!”

The closest Bloodwings in formation all stared at Wildcard with a sudden warrior's hunger. He silently stared back at the collective group.

Rainbow's ears drooped. “Uhm... of c-course, I may have exaggerated slightly...” She gulped. “...out of personal bias.”

“Hah!” Lexxic's voice echoed from ahead. “So they are 'griffons!' Praise the Narrow! You saved me the embarrassment of calling them 'hippogriffs!'”

Laughter rolled through the formation.

“You see, Second...” Lexxic tilted his helm back towards Azarias. “...there is opportunity to be had in letting idiots speak ahead of you.”

Azarias' scarred face formed something resembling a pout. Hyggs and Bosonn merely laughed it off.

Clearing her throat, Seraphimus threw her voice towards the twins. “Truth be told, griffons hail from all across the world beyond the Edge.” Her charcoal brown eyes narrowed. “Including the continent of Rohbredden, where we are given supreme power of law enforcement.”

Dead silence.

The two twins looked at Seraphimus with nauseated expressions—laced with utter repugnance.

The Former Talon Commander's headcrest pulled back. “Is there something amiss?”

The Bloodwings drifted slightly aside, giving the griffon space—as if she was contagious with something.

Ariel squinted curiously at the sarosians' movement. “She knows what she's saying,” the Heraldite says. “She and Wildcard go way back—longer than the rest of us... have... … … known him...” Her words trailed off under a breath of confusion, for the Bloodwings had grown even more uncomfortable than seconds ago. In fact, they looked everywhere but at Ariel and Seraphimus.

Dumbfounded, Ariel looked at Rainbow. Rainbow could only shrug.

Lexxic spoke up. “Tell me, Wildcard, if you would be pleased to let me call you that—do griffons outnumber ponies in Penumbra?”

Wildcard cocked his head aside. He looked curiously at Lexxic, who wasn't looking back. The Desperado then looked to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow paused... … … before nodding—encouraging him to reply.

Limply, Wildcard fumbled in mid-air for a bit... then shook his head.

Lexxic replied instantly, still gazing forward. “Does griffon civilization—assuming there even is one—contain as many nations as ponies?”

Wildcard again shook his head.

“And am I to assume—perhaps—that there are more ponies in offices of executive powers than griffons in the nations that they both share?”

Wildcard fidgeted a bit... before eventually nodding.

“Ah...” Lexxic himself nodded. “...then not much has changed in modern times than when the ancient texts were first written.” He looked aside at Masser. “A curious thing that griffons haven't capitalized on their innate superiority in the years since the Exodus—especially considering the 'badass' fact that a single one of them can more than endure an assault by twenty members of equinity's best.”

“Hey, it's not what you think,” Rainbow Dash's voice cracked. “Griffons and ponies live together in harmony on the Light Side.”

“Oh, it's not a matter of what I think,” Lexxic said. “But a question of what griffons think—and why it has encouraged them after so many years to become veritable servants to their weaker, softer, friendlier familiars. Makes one wonder how the Mother of Nightmare's children would have fared—had our forebearers stayed in the shadow of her tragic banishment.”

Wildcard raised an eyecrest.

“Maybe not all things on the other side are as competitive as they are over here,” Rainbow grumbled.

“Do you have wars in Penumbra?”

“Well...” Rainbow fidgeted. “Yes...”

“No you don't,” Lexxic said. “You have family squabbles. With the same classes that have always been in power sending the same riff-raff who have always been bereft of it clashing against one another again and again. A string of conflicts without anything changing. So it was before the Book of Saros was written, and so it shall forever be.” His dizzying helm tilted. “Or am I to assume that the bulk of your conflicts have not been waged by ponies since the Deceiver's Aggression?”

Rainbow bit her lip. She and Ariel exchanged awkward expressions.

“Hmmmm... perhaps this wasn't as educational as I thought,” Lexxic said. “I doubt that my brothers and I are the only ones who have been fighting the same war for generations, Rainbow Dash. No matter which way you look at it, it's still the same tragedy... only being fought at a different tempo.”

“What if I told you there was a reason for that?” Rainbow Dash said in a hopeful turn. “A reason for repetitive cycles of death on a dying plane?”

“I think I would be intrigued to know more.” Lexxic nodded. “If it weren't for the fact that you came from Penumbra.” A pale crescent of fangs, and he tilted his head towards the rest of the formation. “So much blame is put on the Solar Deceiver—and rightfully so. But she's simply an extension of a plague as old as time. Only in a land full of light can you truly be blinded.”

The sarosians murmured and hissed with nodding heads.

Rainbow's jaw muscles tightened. “If all I've got to share is plagued nonsense, then why do you think Nat'rdo and her Council are so heck-bent on hearing what I've got to share?”

“You may wish to temper your use of that card before you wear it out, Penumbran.”

Rainbow blinked.

“I cannot pretend to know what the Dream Council desires in you,” Lexxic said. “Nor will I pretend to care.” His threadbare tail flicked. “The merit of their judgment proceeds them on a road of corpses. The only wise thing they've done in a thousand years is give the strategizing of this war to competent hooves. But—for the measure of this untimely escort—those very same hooves are being held back. It is expedience—and not faith—that propels me.” A nod of the helm. “Otherwise, you would not even be here.”

Rainbow's voice droned from behind a sarcastic expression. “Should I be thanking you.”

“Right now, all I want is your forgiveness,” Lexxic said.

With a double-take, Rainbow rasped: “What?”

“I promised you a swift flight to the Tree of Mothers, but I'm afraid we must make a stop—here and now.” Lexxic waved his hoof towards curveside. “A reconnaissance team comes to intercept us. It is of supreme importance to the war effort that we pause to confer with them. I'm sure you will understand.”

“Oh... uhhhh... yeah.” Rainbow nodded. “Sure.” She turned to look at Fluttershy, whispering: “Do... you sense anyone?”

“Yes, Rainbow.” Fluttershy nodded back. “Two ponies—winged adults. They're heading straight for us.”

“How long ago did you notice them?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy fidgeted. “Honestly?” She gulped. “I hadn't noticed until he said something.”

“That's... not a good thing, is it?” Pinkie squeaked.

“That feller's plate is fudgin' up our senses somethin' awful,” Applejack said. “We're gonna have to work harder to concentrate whenever he's around.”

“Agreed,” Rarity said.

Meanwhile...

...Lexxic was already communicating with Masser. Rainbow, Seraphimus, Ariel, and Wildcard listened in as the two descended into rapid, breathy moonwhinny.

“M'elyrym s'yla sym'al, Lexxy'kyn?”

“Ywm. H'lysaa my'nal s'wynsym thy'nyl. M'saalt'ym sym Wy'croww. My'lyss thyn wrym m'ylan th'lym hy'sal.”

“M'ylaan'syl?! Th'lym hy'saal'ym th'ynl wrym t'chyr—!”

“H'jnor, Masser'myn!” Lexxic hissed emphatically, silencing the Third.

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow.

Lexxic's helm tilted back ever so slightly. A heavy breath, and he spoke as calmly as before. “Fn'ymbrym'll fn'yllym sy'wyssyl myn'wyn'v. Y'sylym thyn?”

Masser nodded. “Ywm, Lexxic'kyn.” The large stallion threw an oafish look over his shoulder towards Rainbow and the Heraldites. He turned back to Lexxic. “Wyssss... h'lsyvym M'saalt'ym sym Wy'croww thy'mynal?”

“H'vassym hy'wym thy'nal.”

“Ywm, Lexxic'kyn.”

“Sy'wym.” Lexxic spoke back at the center of the group. “L'azarias'ym! Vy'lassym hy'wym thy'nal sy'wym!”

“Ywm, Lexxic'kyn!” Azarias nodded, then raised his voice boomingly to the group. “Y'rym'thy'nal l'syll!”

The entire formation shrieked in cadence, fangs a-glinting. Their leather wings bent at an angle, and the airborne battalion descended sharply.

Rainbow Dash and her companions awkwardly glided to match the sarosians on all sides.

Fluttershy pointed out two dark specks against the starlight, coming in fast from curveside. Rainbow observed them—seeing how they slowed their approach, arriving at a plateau below Lexxic's company.

All the while, Azarias and the rest of the Bloodwings sounded of against one another.

“Hy'wym!”

“Y'RYM THYN!”

“Hy'wym!”

“Y'RYM THYN!”

At last, the group—led by Azarias—came within hoof-touch of the rocky plateau below.

“Y'rym thyll'm syl braas!”

“HYUTTT!!!”

The group of warriors all landed in one accord, pronouncing thunder in all directions of the Dark Side.

“Sweet Celestia...” A frazzled Rarity fanned her ghostly self as she descended along with her anchor. “Are we going to have to hear that every time?”

“Shhhhh...” Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes on the edge of the plateau, facing Omega. “...I want to pay attention to what's going on here.”

“How did Lexxic know there was a patrol incoming?” Ariel whispered.

Wildcard gestured: “A schedule?”

Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. “But to be intercepted this delicately?”

Rainbow waved for them to be silent. She craned her neck.

Up ahead, Azarias could be seen trotting up to form a line beside Lexxic and Masser. There was a break in the starlight, and two sarosians—sweaty and breathless—came to a gliding stop. They stopped before the First Son of Nightmares... saluting with unshorn fetlocks.

“Brother...!” one stallion stammered, fangs showing in his gaping muzzle. “We... we did not expect you out this far from the Tree—”

“A matter of supreme importance,” Lexxic said calmly, nodding at the gesture. “Supreme importance to the Council.”

“I... I don't understand, Brother,” the other sarosian wheezed, still catching his breath.

“Neither do I.” Lexxic cocked his helm to the side. “It's been many battles since we've crossed paths, brothers. I'm sorry to say that I have lost your scents.”

“Report in, bloodlings,” Azarias hissed in a fiercer turn. “Or have you lost procedure before the First Son?!”

“Oh... oh—but of course!” The two stallions stood at attention. One sarosian spoke: “M'saalt'ym. Sixth Root.”

“Wy'croww.” The other saluted. “Also Sixth Root.”

“Saalt. Croww.” Lexxic nodded towards them. “Good names. Hearty name. Your blood courses strong, brothers”

“Th-thank you, Brother.”

“What is your business in these stretches, bloodlings?” Masser asked.

“Sixth Root Reconnaissance,” Saalt explained. “We... w-were in a company of five. Sent out to explore the burnt hollows.”

“In these parts?” Masser asked. “They were purged at least twenty flights ago.”

“Affirmative, brother,” Croww spoke, calming down. “But such were our orders.” He cleared his throat. “Sy'tommsyl himself charged us with—”

“The First Son knows who commands the companies of the Sixth Root, bloodling,” Azarias snarled. “Now tell us what happened to the rest of your unit.”

Croww fidgeted, leafy ears folding. “N'shydym...” he breathed.

The entire company hissed and growled amongst themslves. Velvety coats bristled in anger. Rainbow looked around in silent observation.

“A bright ruby vessel—monolithic in class...” Croww shuddered. “It came straight from the bleaks. We didn't even catch the glint of its glass before they were upon us.”

“The first volley took out three of our brothers,” Saalt added. His fangs showed in mixed sorrow and anger. “Our captain—Wry'mikym—split us up so we could evade the second attack. I found a hiding spot on a hill facing the brinks. From there... I-I saw Wry'mikym's lifelights. They absorbed him.” He gulped. “Later... Croww found me. After the vessel left for the bleaks, the two of us followed protocol—making straight for the Tree.”

The group shrieked and howled with vengeful emotion.

Azarias snapped at them. “Ly'symanna thry'ssym!”

Everypony went silent.

Rainbow watched as Lexxic tilted his head towards Masser. “You have suffered a terrible tragedy, brothers. We all have.” Two out of five of the daggers housed in his helm flickered in a repeating pattern.

Masser's eyes reflected the lights. He immediately turned to face the two stallions. “The Night Shards are cowards. There is no way five scouts can combat a monolith.” He strode forward and rested a reassuring hoof on Saalt's withers. “You managed admirably against a dire threat.”

Saalt took a shuddering breath, nodding at the Third. “I-I only wish I could have come back with the rest of our brothers' bodies. They don't deserve to rot out there.”

“No.” Masser shook his head. “They don't.”

Lexxic suddenly let loose an ear-pitched shriek.

The two soldiers jolted, startled and caught off guard—

—meanwhile Masser yanked Saalt around so that he was restraining the struggling sarosian to his muscular frame.

“Eee-eee-eee!!!” Saalt shrieked, slitted eyes quivering. “Brothers! Why—?!”

Sw-Sw-Swissssh! The five daggers flew forward from Lexxic's helm, streaking with runic light.

Saalt gasped—“H'Luun—!”

Nopony in Lexxic's company moved. Azarias held his hoof up, watching—as did the dumbstruck Herald—as the five projectiles surged straight for Saalt's held body...

...before taking a sharp right turn and sailing towards Croww instead. Croww—whose attention was resting on Saalt and Masser the entire time—was suddenly baptized in a mist of his own blood. By the time he afforded a blink, the stallion was nothing but a torso... collapsed on the ground between four amputated limbs.

Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy shrieked.

Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth.

“Holy sh-shit—!” Ariel shouted. Without thinking, she spread her wings to fly towards Lexxic—

—when both Seraphimus and Wildcard yanked her in place.

“Wait...!” Seraphimus insisted.

Within seconds of the violent butchery... the four equine legs of Croww burned over with green flame, turning into what resembled giant grasshopper legs. What remained of the stallion—a quivering torso at best—rolled over to reveal a glossy black carapace. Slitted pupils vanished under the malaise of compound eyes. A stag beetle's horn protruded from the once-sarosian's skull. Sputtering emerald blood, the changeling thrashed about... before letting loose a prolonged hiss as dangerous smoke poured out from his wounds—

THKKK!

The changeling gasped. The smoke trails vanished as soon as they were formed, and his entire torso went slack. He collapsed on the ground, his twitching eyes gazing off for miles on end. It wasn't until a few moments later that Rainbow noticed the fifth projectile—still being magically wielded by Lexxic—spinning sharply into a fixed point in the back of the metamorph's neck.

“H'ysaam! H'ysaam!” Saalt shrieked and thrashed in Masser's grip. He choked, coughed, and spat up bile before heaving with utter terror. “Wy'croww! Wy'croww!! S'lymm r'ym thym syl H'Luun!”

“Do not make a scene, brother,” Azarias sneered, approaching the prone torso still being drilled by Lexxic's weapon. “You did not know it—but you are the only survivor of Wry'mikym's patrol. Best that you not dishonor their legacy with the frail yelps of a blood colt.”

“Hysssssskkkttt...” Saalt fought tears. With enraged eyes locked on the changeling, he hissed. “Ssss'vaylym thry'kylm ryk'ryk thynl T'chyrym!!!”

“Yes, brother.” Lexxic replied, marching icily towards the paralyzed entity before them. “He does indeed deserve the full arsenal of your curse. Of all our curses. But even that would not be enough.”

Rainbow watched as the other four daggers swept in—diving low like bats. With their sharp ends, they penetrated the torso of the poor creature, levitating it up before Lexxic's helm like a butterfly pinned to an invisible wall. Putrid green juices fell to the stone plateau between it and the leader of the Bloodwings.

“Just what would be enough... hmmmm?” Lexxic tilted his head back. The twitching creature hovered close enough that it's frightened eyes reflected his crescent teeth. “What... would be enough, little liar? Burning every cowardly nest after they've been holed out? Slaughtering a den of her eggs for every dozen... hundred... thousand upon thousands of my brothers that you've thoughtlessly slaughtered with her insufferable Flux?”

Lexxic's voice held menace—calm and calculated—and bequeathed with the most meditative of smiles.

“How... wonderfully comforting it must be... to be thoughtless. To be born unto confusion and rendered chaos until the night consumes eternal. You came here under one pretense. One order. The instruction and your life are one in the same: to kill, to consume, to deceive. She must have sent you to destroy me. Hmmm? Do you know that? Of course not. It was not expected of you—nor was victory. It wouldn't matter.”

He leaned in until his head hung coldly besides the twitching changeling.

“Only now, it does. Everything matters. Without her... without this...” His fifth dagger pulsed, digging a little deeper into the spot on the back of the changeling's neck. It afforded one last gasp—sputtering—its eyes pulsating in boundless terror. “Without the neural gland that powers you—all of you—you're not quite so... thoughtless anymore... are you?”

Wildcard and Ariel watched, breathless. Seraphimus' eyes narrowed coldly in contemplation. Rainbow fought trailing waves of dizziness to keep observing what transpired ahead of them.

“Hyssssssshhhh...” Lexxic's fangs showed in a soft grin. “...yes... misery. Misery and fear. And I know that you're trying... I know—with every ounce of your paltry being—you're trying to contact her. Please... do keep trying. But all you'll find—with those same tortured senses that I refuse to rob from you—is nightmares. And only before you realize the futility in serving such a deceptive mother... will I rob you of the one thing that makes us different... the one thing that you'll never have. The knowledge of how to succeed without.”

Chrkkkk! His dagger punctured a deep layer of chitin. The changeling vomited blood, then went completely and totally inert. Even still, the dim light of being—refracted through absolute terror—remained affixed in his compound eyes.

“Ah...!” Lexxic retracted all five daggers to his helm, dropping the changeling like a wet sack of meat to the stone earth. He turned to smile at the rest of the Bloodwings. “Now there's a thought!”

The sarosians laughed and chirped merrily.

Rainbow looked out the corner of her eyes, spotting her ghostly companions with frozen looks of shock and nausea plastered across their spectral faces.

“Azarias...” Lexxic motioned to the scarred Second. “I think you know what to do.”

“Yes, Brother.” He was already unraveling a large leather satchel. Rainbow watched as the stallion scooped the paralyzed torso of the changeling and dropped it—bleeding and drooling—into the bag before tying it shut and heaving it over his shoulder.

“A curse is still a blessing!” Lexxic said, gesturing to Masser. As he spoke, Masser let go of Saalt's trembling figure and marched over to the severed insectoid limbs. “Depends on where you fly—the bleaks or the brinks. Nevertheless, we mourn our fallen brothers as we praise future victories in their name! A fortune that we would have intercepted Tchern's cowardly pissling after sacrificing all our supplies to get here!” He paused in speech.

Masser held the severed limbs, looking to Lexxic.

“Brothers...” Lexxic gestured to Masser, smiling proudly. “...feed.”

Masser threw the legs into the heart of the group. A shrill shriek sounded, and the velvety bodies dove in, ripping and tearing the sinew from the severed portions of the changeling. The air filled with the smell of pulp and foul breaths as the Bloodwings hissed and chirped gleefully between bites of their fresh meal.

Fluttershy and Rarity looked away. Pinkie Pie looked ready to gag—although her spiritual figure had nothing to upchuck.

Ariel—looking green in the gills—tapped Rainbow's side and tried whispering something to her.

However, Rainbow gently quieted her, craning her neck to observe Lexxic.

The First Son of Nightmares was trotting over to Saalt—who had collapsed into a quivering heap on the ground.

“By the Narrow...” Saalt stammered, shaking all over. As Lexxic approached him, he clambered at the stallion's pale forelimbs, looking up with tearful eyes. “B-by the Narrow, Brother, I-I didn't know...!”

“Shhh-shhhhh...” Lexxic grasped the stallion's shoulders. “Don't dwell on it, brother. Not all who fly by hymn enjoy the gift of the sacrificial sight.”

“He... it used me...” Saalt clenched his fanged teeth. “It threw on Croww's skin and used me to get here! To get to you! I... I'm a failure, Brother.” He gulped, then burst out in a sob. “I-I'm a f-failure and I almost got me killed—”

“I would not have let your failure end me, M'saalt'ym, son of nightmares.” Lexxic raised the stallion to his hooves and tilted his muzzle towards his ears. “No mistake—large or small—can. As for your failure: you still serve greater purpose in living. And fighting.” He slapped the stallion's side. “Let your tears run their course. When we return to the Tree, I shall let you carry the creature personally to the Pit. Tell the keepers that the First Son gave you permission to oversee extraction.” Lexxic cocked his head aside. “Would you like that?”

Saalt fought sobs, sniffling. “Yes.” A tear-stained scowl. “Yes, Brother, I would.”

Lexxic's crescent smile shone. “Yes, I thought as much.” He turned around. “Second!” He motioned towards Azarias. “Once the feast has finished—prepare us for the final flight to the Roots!” He scuffled to a stop, then tilted his dizzying helm towards Rainbow. Smiling. “Unless our present company would entertain scraps?”

Laughter emanated from the munching, bloodied group.

Rainbow slowly shook her head.

Chuckling, Lexxic trotted over to chat closely with Masser.

Wildcard and Seraphimus exchanged silent glances. The Desperado gestured: “So he sees changelings.”

Seraphimus nodded. She looked at Rainbow. “Is the spider queen's song making sense, now?”

“Please...” Ariel belched, holding a hoof over her chest as she fought vomit. “...I-I'd rather have the spiders back at this point.”

“Hold that thought, girl... and your lunch.” Rainbow waved at Ariel before turning to her friends. “Fluttershy...”

Applejack and Twilight had to shake Fluttershy out of a spell of nausea. She looked sickly at Rainbow.

The petite pegasus' lips pursed. “Did you... sense the changeling?” She shrugged. “Before Lexxic did? Up until the very end, at least?”

Fluttershy whimpered. “I didn't sense he was a changeling at all, Rainbow. I... I'm sorry...” She slowly shook her head. “I haven't got the same vision that Lexxic has.”

Rainbow gazed off in contemplation.

“How much more barbarism are we going to have to witness from these ruffians?” Rarity squeaked.

“I dunno...” Pinkie Pie bore an uncharacteristic frown, looking at the bloodied satchel hanging over Azarias' back. “At least they put the poor guy out of his misery.”

“Actually...” Fluttershy began.

Applejack shook her head. “They didn't.”

Rainbow blinked.

“You mean...” Twilight gestured in disbelief. “The changeling's still alive?”

Fluttershy nodded sadly.

“'Fraid so,” Applejack added. “And... not sure I've sensed somethin' sufferin' as bad as that thang is right now.”

“What in the goopy-gazonkers are they planning on doing with it?!” Pinkie Pie bellowed.

Rainbow took a deep breath. “I'm not sure I want to find out.” She clenched her jaw. “But I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to—one way or another.” She moved towards Ariel and the others. “Eyes forward, guys. Get ready to fly again.”

The Tree of Mothers

The air felt warmer as the party approached Omega. Rainbow couldn't tell if it was the well-fed spirits of the blood-stained sarosians in tight formation all around her, or the vacillating temper of her own inner being after having witnessed the slaying of a changeling while doing nothing.

She did nothing. Rainbow Dash didn't even lift a wing to intervene as she watched Lexxic tear the drone limb from limb. Sure—she didn't realize that the one Bloodwing scout was an imposter until the very last millisecond, but that hardly felt like an adequate excuse. Not in her mind, at least. She was there on the Dark Side for the same reason she had arrived at every other landscape in the Light Side behind her: to spread peace and harmony. And—hopefully, if she played her cards right—to do something positive for the fate of Urohringr in the long run.

As the flight carried on for upwards of an hour, Rainbow tried to rationalize that the butchering of Tchern's drone—while awful—was for the best. Well, perhaps not the “best”—but according to everything Rainbow Dash knew about the Flux, the creature was only bound to do all it could to slaughter Lexxic and his kin the moment it had been exposed. It was probably a fortunate thing that Lexxic discovered it when he did. As for what he did to the creature upon his discovery—well—Rainbow easily wished it had gone differently.

Although, what other course of action could have been taken? Would they have been able to reason with the changeling? Was there any possibility in reaching out to the metamorph—and its brothers and sisters via the hive mind that Tchern undoubtedly employed?

Or... perhaps... this “Flux” was something that impeded any and all hope of reaching out to the drones on an individual level. Rainbow heard it in Lexxic's speech: the creature was nothing more than a motion of Tchern's will—or perhaps the Flux.

But... was that the truth or simply the reality that Lexxic's cruelty made manifest? Who was to say that changelings would have behaved any differently had he not rendered each and every one of them the same miserable violence—which most assuredly he had... long before Rainbow even arrived there....?

Rainbow couldn't help but feel like she was a tiny speck looking in on the immeasurable canvas of an incomprehensibly large landscape. Chrysalis—in the end—had been approachable, and Rainbow certainly thanked the lucky stars for that. But—then again—Rainbow had chanced upon Chrysalis multiple times... and on each occasion she chiseled into the Queen's otherwise unwavering grip, inch by inch, until it all crumbled at the climactic meeting in Val Roa.

Tchern had untold eons of unfettered control and dominance over her hive—hardened through generations upon slaughtered generations of loyal changelings holding up their end of the Trinary War. She hadn't suffered the same tribulations Chrysalis had: crossing back over to the Lightside, encountering Verlax, navigating the Grand Choke, and finally hijacking the Xonan infrastructure. Tchern—for all intents and purposes—was incalculably stronger than her sister. On top of that, she had this so-called “Flux” going for her... and according to Abaddon and the Winter Children, it was making the changelings stronger and more unpredictable than ever.

Rainbow needn't think further back than the lone drone in Darkreach who had single-hoofedly crippled the Herald from the Inside Out. The metamorph who impersonated the ill-fated “Croww” was no doubt just as dangerous and formidable... and Lexxic had taken it out in just one glance.

If nothing else, this should have reinforced Rainbow's faith in the risk she was taking. If all changelings were as dangerous and undetectable as the only two examples she had encountered thus far, then there was no telling what an impossible brick wall the rest of Tchern's brood would be to engage... much less approach. The Night Shard—of course—were a virtual unknown. But the Bloodwings...?

The Bloodwings were quite likely Rainbow's absolute best option. They were formidable. They had shared history with her Equestrian past, albeit distant. On top of all that—through Lexxic—they evidently had the tools to keep her safe from Tchern's lot. Perhaps from the Night Shard as well.

All of this made it incredibly taxing that Rainbow Dash... simply did not feel at ease with them. It was more than Lexxic's chaos metal or the innate cruelty of the bunch. It was the fact that—on top of all of their grim potential—these ponies likewise had the potential to be joyful, friendly, honorable... and sad. If she let herself be surrounded by these Bloodwings long enough, part of her—especially the daredevilish Cloudsdalian from weather flying days immemorial—could easily... easily come to like them.

Rainbow Dash looked up towards where Lexxic flew at the front of the group. It was no longer just him and the Third. Saalt—the only survivor of the recon expedition—flew between Masser and the First Son. Rainbow couldn't hear their words from afar (they were likely speaking in moonwhinny, anyways), but it was clear that the three were in deep concentration. Rainbow spotted Saalt hanging his head, fighting tears as he glided against the cool high winds. Lexxic's lips moved calmly beneath his helm. As Saalt shuddered in contemplative throes, Masser reached a hoof over in mid-flight and patted Saalt's withers. Rainbow watched as the melancholic sarosian gradually calmed over time.

With a muddled breath, Rainbow cast a glance behind her.

Azarias flew in an easy glide, his slitted eyes bouncing left and right—keeping tabs on the formation in its entirety. Rainbow could tell that the stallion was gifted in guarding any and all Bloodwings under his and Lexxic's command. But she was less concerned with observing the Second at that time. Instead, Rainbow's eyes fell on the sack in her possession. It was an old satchel—worn with age, perhaps generations old. Warm green fluid seeped out every other minute. Nevertheless, the bag remained limp and lifeless—despite its contents.

Clenching her jaw in thought, Rainbow looked at her companions. She discovered that Fluttershy, Applejack, and Twilight were also staring at the bag that housed what remained of the drone. After a few moments, the ghostly mares realized Rainbow was staring at them. After returning her gaze, they somberly nodded.

Rainbow cleared her throat. “Is... it still alive?” she asked hoarsely.

Seraphimus and Wildcard looked over, listening in on the conversation—or at least Rainbow's half of it.

“It most certainly is, sugarcube,” Applejack muttered. “I can't really penetrate its thoughts none... but reckon the poor thang ain't exactly thrilled to still be breathing.”

“I'm trying to get a read on its magic,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Based on what I remember sensing back in Darkreach. But... I-I've got nothing to report.”

“I doubt there's any magic left in the poor creature, darling!” Rarity exclaimed. “Remember what Lexxic did to it?”

“What was this... 'neurotic glop' he was talking about anyways?” Pinkie asked.

“'Neural gland' is what Lexxic said,” Twilight corrected. “Odds are—after centuries upon centuries of fighting, the Bloodwings have finally been able to dissect the changelings and find out what makes them tick.”

“Or more specifically, what makes them mimic the tickin' of others,” Applejack suggested.

“Right.” Twilight nodded. “So... they uncovered this organ... found a way to cripple it...”

“And SPLAT!” Pinkie gestured. “No more fart-flaming into other creatures!”

“Pinkie...” Fluttershy sniffled, eyes moist as she frowned at the mare. “Do you mind?”

Pinkie winced. “Sorry, Flutters! But the dirty deed's been done by the death dude!”

“I don't think it's right to make light of all of this... even if it helps us to blow off some steam.” Fluttershy sadly glanced back at the satchel being carried on Azarias' flying figure. “Maybe its motor functions have been paralyzed... but it still probably sees, hears, smells, tastes most of what's happening right now and around it.”

“This is just so dreadful...!” Rarity blanched. “I-I know I don't have much... empathy for Tchern's swarm and what the creature was potentially trying to do to us, but... but this is j-just cruel!”

“It sure fits into what the Spider Queen was explainin' about Lexxic,” Applejack said. “Didn't she and Merula say that he was slaughterin' her own children too? All across the Dark Side?”

“Bat ponies really don't like bug ponies!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Or... y'know... just bugs.”

“Actually, the Winter Children are arachnids—” Twilight started.

“And just what was this 'pit' that Lexxic was talking to Saalt about?” Pinkie blinked. “I know I heard that part right, at least!”

Rainbow Dash slowly shook her head. “Can't be a nice place. But I'm guessing it's where they're taking the changeling. Er...” She fidgeted in mid-flight. “...what's left of 'em.”

“You mean its suffering isn't going to end the moment we get to the sarosians' lair?!” Rarity exclaimed. “Good Goddess alive, Rainbow! Are you sure we should be making friends with these ruffians?”

“Would ya rather make kissy-kissy with the changelings instead?” Applejack remarked.

Rarity shuddered. “I... truly do not know at this point.”

“The fact of the matter is—Rainbow has made her decision,” Twilight said in a breath of finality. “She chose to reach back to the Bloodwings who first reached out to her. Lexxic may be at the forefront of our mind right now, but let's not forget about Nat'rdo. Let's not forget about the Dream Council.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie nodded. “We gotta tell them what happened out here! They gotta be shocked when they hear about it!”

“I... think that the head haunchos runnin' the sarosian shindig here know darn well 'bout how Lexxic deals with changelings,” Applejack muttered. “Why the heck else do ya think they hired him?”

Pinkie rubbed her scrunched muzzle in thought.

Rainbow noticed Fluttershy staring persistently at Azarias' satchel. “Fluttershy... girl... there's nothing that can be done for the poor dude at this point.”

“It's not that, Rainbow.” Fluttershy gulped. “I mean..” She sniffled. “Yes... I'm still sad about it. But... I-I'm simply trying my best to... to get an impression.”

“An 'impression', darling?” Rarity asked.

Fluttershy nodded. “A texture. A flavor. Anything that will stay permanently in my senses.” She looked at the others with a glimmer of hope. “That way... perhaps I can sense the changelings before Lexxic does.”

“And... if that somehow works?” Pinkie asked, blinking innocently. “What then?”

Twilight and Applejack looked at Rainbow.

“I... uh...” Rainbow squirmed in mid flight. “...I-I don't know how wise it is to beat Lexxic to the punch.” She clenched her jaw. “Even if I could.”

“Beating Lexxic at what?” Seraphimus spoke up. Wildcard gave her a glance.

Rainbow looked over. “Just... ruminating.”

Seraphimus arched an eyebrow. “Care to let us in?”

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “Since when have you been so keen on sharing my thought processes?”

“We are in a very delicate, very tense situation,” Seraphimus replied, speaking quietly so as not to be overheard by the surrounding sarosians.

“Yeah.” Rainbow nodded. “I noticed.” She cocked her head to the side. “I've also noticed that you've been very serious and observant about everything lately.”

“Aren't I always?”

“Not when it comes to me and my own missions. Don't mind me, Sera. I'm not complaining. Just curious...”

Seraphimus' beak clenched. “You've struggled and obsessed so long to get me to contemplate things on your level, Rainbow Dash—and now you question the fact that I'm following through?”

“Stranger deceptions have been known to happen,” Ariel spoke in, yawning.

Seraphimus glared at her. “Go back to sleep, harpy.”

“I only sleep when Rainbow does.”

“How convenient.”

“Is this some sort of... test for you, Seraphimus?” Rainbow asked.

Wildcard raised a curious eyecrest.

“How do you mean?” Seraphimus asked.

Rainbow folded her forelimbs in mid-glide. “Just what were you up to mere moments before you told me you wanted to join with this party?”

“... … ...” Seraphimus merely stared at her.

“Who'd you go to talk to for advice?” Rainbow bore the tiniest of smirks. “Don't tell me you didn't. Crap like that doesn't get past me. Even when I'm an idiot...” She gestured blindly at the ghostly mares. “...I've got my boo!haunted!house friends to fill me in.”

“That's right, Seraaaaaaaa!” Pinkie Pie waved, grinning wide. “We got your number, girl!”

“She can't flippin' hear ya, sugarcube,” Applejack grumbled.

“Maybe not with that attitude!” Pinkie cheered.

Seraphimus took a deep breath, finally replying to Rainbow: “If you must know, I was having a discussion with the locals.”

“The dihmers?” Ariel's muzzle scrunched. “Well, at least you were in like-company.”

“The imps,” Seraphimus hissed, ultimately calming. “Given the right circumstances, they can be quite informative.”

“I didn't know you had the metal to spare,” Rainbow said.

“I beg your pardon?”

Rainbow's eyes narrowed at Seraphimus. “Those bipedal nosejobs are greedy as buck. Surely, they would have charged you out the bird-ears for info.”

“That... was not the case...”

“Hrmmmfff...” Ariel smirked wryly. “Then you've been duped.”

“I do not believe that to be the case.”

“How do you kn—?”

“Believe it or not,” Seraphimus' voice raised. “Being the Right Talon of Verlaxion trained me to be a good judge of character!”

A hissing sound. The three travelers looked to see Wildcard gesturing at his former Commander to lower her voice. A few pairs of slitted eyes looked their way, but soon the Bloodwings resumed paying attention to their flight.

Seraphimus cleared her throat delicately. “All characters—save for one.” She looked towards Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash nodded. “So what did these imps tell you?”

“Lexxic is more than he seems.”

“Pfftchyaaa...” Rainbow arched an eyebrow. “Did they tell you that he can fly, too?”

“You're missing the point.” Seraphimus gestured ahead towards the front of the group. “Yes—he is constrained by the will of this so-called Dream Council. Perhaps by more. This much is obvious. But—it also does not change the fact that in all things dealing with the Trinary War—and the Dark Side abroad—it is Lexxic who is feared by many. It is his name that is spoken in fear, anger, and earnest.”

“He really runs the show beyond their lair,” Wildcard gestured.

“Precisely, Jordan.” Seraphimus nodded. “With his surmounting legacy becoming bloody enough and poignant enough to outweigh the infamy of both the Flux and the Night Shards combined...” Her charcoal eyes narrowed. “...one begins to question exactly why he would bother to be tethered to any particular kind of authority to begin with?”

Silence.

“Maybe...” Ariel shrugged, blinking into the wind and starlight. “...it's a matter of honor?”

“Or it's to play face,” Seraphimus emphasized. “Rainbow Dash is the biggest factor for change to enter this realm in generations. If the Dream Council anticipated her—that'd be one thing. But they didn't. Her arrival was a complete surprise, intercepted by... this supposed 'dream walking.' And now everything else dealing with the Trinary War campaign has been put on hold so that she can be escorted to where the Dream Council is in person. Honestly, I find it a sheer marvel that Lexxic followed through with his instructions in the first place. When the Council of Verlaxion ordered the capture of the Rainbow Rogue, I was intensely skeptical of the matter. I sent my Lieutenant to investigate, but I didn't see it as being worth my while—or Rohbredden's as a whole. At least not at first.”

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash looked at Lexxic's figure, despite the dizziness that preyed upon her senses. “... … ...he's sizing me up.”

“He came to meet you. Personally.” Seraphimus' beak clenched. “He may not believe in the Dream Council's pretense... but there's something about you that he does believe in.”

“Or maybe it's not about belief...” Rainbow's gaze fell upon the rigid shape of his chaotic helm. “...but about what he's witnessed.”

“From what the imps of the dihmer establishment have told me, Lexxic does not commit to any decisions lightly.” Seraphimus folded her forelimbs in mid-flight. She glared into the winds. “If he's wishing take an assessment of you, Rainbow Dash, I in turn wish to take an assessment of him.”

“Yeah, well, something tells me that he won't let you get close to him.”

“I don't need to.” Seraphimus glanced over. “You, however...?”

Rainbow bit her bottom lip. “... … ...not sure that I can.”

“It'd be curious if that spells disaster.”

“If so—he hasn't capitalized on it.” Rainbow glanced aside. “Is that what you wanted to know about?”

“Have you and your... familiars drafted a plan?”

“We... uh...” Rainbow looked aside at Applejack and the others. “...we don't really know where to begin. Lexxic sensed the changeling before we did.”

Wildcard nodded. “I figured that much,” he gestured.

“I mean... imagine having that kind of a gift on our side!” Rainbow exclaimed in a whispery tone. She flew closer to her three physical companions. “It'd certainly make avoiding changelings all that better!”

“So, the end goal...” Seraphimus raised an eyecrest. “...is to ride Lexxic's coattails?”

“Pffft! No! Of course not!” Rainbow sputtered. “Besides... there're things that I can offer that the Bloodwings could benefit from!”

“Like what?”

“... … ...I haven't figured that out yet.”

“If your ghostly friends can't do better than Lexxic, then why would the Bloodwings want to downgrade?”

“For one, Sera, we don't know enough about the state of things yet,” Rainbow countered. “I just... g-gotta speak with the Dream Council.” She took a deep breath. “Then we'll work stuff out from there.”

“That's a wise idea, Rainbow,” Ariel said. “One hoof at a time. Be patient with the elders.”

“Patience takes time,” Seraphimus droned. “And I'm not certain we have the luxury of enjoying it.” She motioned with her beak at the sarosians. “The Bloodwings as a whole—maybe. But Lexxic...?”

Wildcard sighed. He talon-signed: “I have to agree with her on that.”

“Well, we'll get nothing by being impulsive neither,” Rainbow muttered. “Let's get to the tree. I'll try to dig up some solution in the middle ground.”

Wildcard whistled and pointed ahead.

“Speaking of which...” Ariel slurred, her muzzle hanging open inch by inch.

The starlight up ahead was being broken in narrow strips—like innumerable branches stretching upward from the blacker-than-black horizon.

Rarity did a double-take. “Oh goodness! Are we there yet?”

“You mean you didn't sense a big tree looming ahead of us?!” Pinkie cackled.

“N-no! I mean...” Rarity blanched. “It's that blasted helmet of his! It must be blinding me!”

“Whoah nelly...” Applejack waved herself with her hat. “...that doesn't bode well.”

“Rainbow...?” Twilight began.

“Shhh!” Rainbow insisted, craning her neck to try and make out the unveiling environment ahead. “One freak-out at a time!”

Try as she might, Rainbow couldn't immediately pick out any intricate details. It was as though the entire landscape towards Omega was suddenly bathed in impenetrable shadow. Even the starlight had a difficult time piercing through. If Rainbow squinted, she felt as though she saw a black mist intensifying around them—dimming even the starlight upon approach.

The enigma only increased the further she and Lexxic's flock flew forward. She was about to ask for keen insight from her companions—when her nostrils were tickled by a bitter scent. Like burnt wood and simmering embers. The acrid stench grew thicker and thicker, reminding her of the industrial byproducts of Darkstine or Gray Smoke.

Something was burning. Everything was burning. Wood and metal and meat and animal fat—all forming a hazy fog that curled wing feathers and stung eyes. The sarosians flew into the haze unhindered. In fact—more than anything—they looked positively reinvigorated by the pungent pollution invading their nostrils along with Rainbow Dash's. Flash noticed leafy ears perking and bright fangs piercing the surmounting soup.

“T'ldrymm yln M'wrynwryn,” Masser could be heard purring. Rainbow saw his wings flapping with pronounced vigor up ahead. “It only ever gets more majestic every time I see it.”

“If only the majesty extended inward as well as out,” Lexxic mused, causing Rainbow and her friends to blink curiously. The First Son tilted his helm to the side. “It would appear that the warriors of Fourth and Fifth Roots have situated here in our absence.”

“What?!” Masser sneered, his shoulder hairs bristling visibly.

“Eee-eee-eee!” Hyggs shrieked, or perhaps it was Bosonn. “Thrym sy'lymma Lyw'Malaak! Sym thrym'yl ryk'ryk!”

“Settle down, brothers,” Azarias growled—forcing the angry commotion to fade before it rose too much in volume. “Leave the politics to the First Son.” Rainbow noticed the Second ever-so-briefly glancing at Rainbow before addressing Lexxic. “We will be within earshot of our own patrols soon, Brother.”

“Quite right. But let us not squander everything on procedure. Every return home is a victory.” The smiling crescent, and he leaned his pale head towards the scout they had picked up in their flight. “Brother, would you care to lead us in song?”

Saalt gave the supreme commander a double-take. “M-me, Brother?”

“I certainly wasn't referring to your sister.”

The entire formation laughed uproariously. Ariel bit her tongue, frowning.

“I... uh...” Saalt trembled in mid-flight. “I-I've never led a battle chorus before, Brother.”

“Consider it the first...” Lexxic reached out to touch the flying stallion's shoulder. “The first of many—and make them all worth fighting for.”

That seemed to make Saalt steel himself with both pride and enthusiasm. “Ywm, Lexxy'kyn.” The sarosian's slitted eyes narrowed as he tilted his head slightly heavenward, like a wolf preparing to howl. What came out of his fanged muzzle was something remarkably harmonic—with structure. A firm meter, worth diving to. “Sy'mhanna Vry'mhanna myl frym wrym~”

“Vy'lyma sy'lyma dyl thrym!!!~” the rest of the group punctuated, their bass breaths perfectly matching the same key.

“Sy'ryhma Myl'rynna myl srym lymm~”

“Vy'lyma sy'lyma dyl thrym!!!~”

If Rainbow and her friends were trying to make sense of the moonwhinny lyrics, they soon lost their place in the repeating sarosian syntax. Much of Saalt's leading-lyrics were unique, meandering into more and more flowery syllables before falling back to the same—or the same-sounding—words that he had first led the “song” with. The group's interjectory chorus in response was far more repetitive, and emphatic. The entire practice was in every perceivable way much like a sea shanty, which Rainbow had caught wind of more than a few times while traveling the Seven Seas west of Rohbredden.

There was no denying that the hymn—no matter how repetitive—gave the entire formation a new sense of vigor. The air shook like a snare drum between them, and the combined grunts of the chorus resonated through ever bone and leathery wing. Ariel, the ghostly mares, and even Wildcard looked more than a bit rattled from the sheer volume of the combined vocalizations, and it no longer seemed an odd thing to Rainbow Dash that such a chorus—if altered slightly into a more sinister tone—would elicit legitimate fear from the enemies of the Dark Vigil. She tried imagining that hymn being sung across an entire army of thousands upon thousands of Sarosians, and her poor petite brain broke.

As the song continued, so did the formation's flight. The jagged shapes of the megastructure ahead of them grew in greater clarity—as if the sheer song was parting the mists between the Bloodwings and their one-and-only homne. Rainbow squinted, trying to concentrate in spite of the atmosphere echoing all around her. She was looking for wood, bark, leaves—all of the context clues that spelled out “tree” in her cute pony mind. Likely Applejack's, too.

What she saw instead—or thought she saw—was a mountain. A jagged mountain. An absurd abstract formation of branching stone and granite tributaries solidifying skyward like an upside down fork of lightning, frozen in black bronze. Whatever she was looking at—it was huge. Stupidly huge: the largest and most striking structure she had ever seen since arriving in the Dark Side. Yes, the prehistoric city where the Winter Children had nestled in was a grander and more epic thing than this, but at a glance none of those skyscrapers truly stood out. Besides, most of the dead metropolis' grandeur was below perceivable surface level.

The Tree...

I was a thing of majesty, and while it blended as well as it could with the grim aesthetic that Rainbow had come to expect from the Dark Side, there was this creeping sense that it simply did not belong there. There was nothing about it that evoked “Light Side” either. Rainbow Dash couldn't remember any tree—or forest—in all her travels that mirrored the likes of what she was starting to observe there. Maybe all of its cousins in Equestria—or wherever its genetic origins lay—had all died out. In any case, being “planted” in the Dark Side was likely the worst-best thing for it. Not a leaf was to be seen, or any shade of green (or any other color for that matter). It was as if something in the soil or earth or sediment of that place was supremely toxic and had long leeched the megastructure of any and all prosperity.

Nevertheless, it grew—or it once grew. But now it was a petrified effigy of whatever indomitable spirit had ever first possessed the Dark Vigil to perform their edge-crossing-exodus in the first place. The trunk—the center foundation of the thing—was easily the strongest and most prestigious part of the Tree. It had to have scaled no less than seven hundred jaw-dropping meters from the solid earth below.

Rainbow and her friends wondered how in Celestia's name they hadn't seen its shadowed branches scraping the starlight much sooner during their approach. But—looking down—Rainbow peered through the rising mists to realize that the entire floor of the world had been sloping lower during the latter end of their flight. If the Dark Side had a sea level, that particular portion of Omega would very easily be underwater. Upon closer examination, the earth beneath them showed considerable signs of erosion and scarring. If Rainbow squinted, she could even make out a veritable sea of inert wooden stumps—a massive butchered forest, petrified with age and neglect. It reminded her of what she and her fellow Heraldites had discovered when scouting beyond the fringes of Darkreach. It occurred to Rainbow that the Bloodwings may have once relocated their headquarters, pushing further curveside towards the Midnight Armory—where they eventually planted the Tree of Mothers. Either that, or the forest that once supplied their industry once stretched so far and wide that it spanned beyond the current nest of the gigantic Land Wyrm that the Herald had to cross to get there—which was mind-boggling in both its grandeur and its tragedy.

An eon's supply of trees, all massacred for a never-ending war. Only one remained—and its eternal value was in its death.

Indeed, as Rainbow could now make out, the substance of the trunk and branches was of such a dense and petrified nature that it only resembled mountain granite. The petite pegasus realized she was silly to have expected the texture to resemble the natural bark or wood that she had grown accustomed to on the Dark Side. Perhaps if examined up close—within a snout's distance—she might spot the tell-tale signs of a once-living organism, but time and gigantism and a dismaying coating of soot had rendered the entire skin of the structure a thick onyx black.

Yes, soot, for smoke was constantly and forever rising from countless pits and camps and crevices beneath the group. Ariel coughed and wheezed while Seraphimus and Wildcard held their beaked breaths. Rainbow's ghostly friends felt like they needed to choke—for the columns of rising ash was so damnably thick in portions. Studying closer, Rainbow caught hints and glimpses of some... subterranean level beneath the surface of the earth. It had been carved out over the generations—no doubt—and seemingly filled with some eternally-burning compound. At first glance, it resembled a bed of hot coals, or perhaps even the molten metal of a ginormous furnace. Somehow, this was all maintained in an ever-expansive “basement” level beneath the ground along the Alpha fringes of the valley. The earth resonated with intense heat, and the thermals fought upwards against Rainbow's wings as she struggled to descend along with the dauntless Bloodwings. Between the lyrics of the moonwhinny hymn, she heard the tell-tale ringing of metal clashing against metal. She looked down to see velvety black specks—hammering away—minding their random stations along the vaporous fringes of the open patches of subterranean blazes. The entire heated expanse was utilized as an elaborate open-air foundry, with countless sarosian souls employed in blacksmith roles, no doubt conjuring newer and newer blades, armor, and tools for the endless Trinary War.

Just past these smoldering stations, the smoke faded. The air also cooled, and Rainbow could see a flat-flat stretch of earth, its stone surface polished to a near-reflective sheen from countless decades of being trotted and galloped on. That's because this was the location for an encampment. The Encampment—Rainbow judged—for what blanketed this sunken plain was the largest and most prestigious smattering of barracks, armories, mess halls, and tents that she had seen in her entire life. The mare had spanned an entire continent embroiled in war, and between both the accumulated might of Ledomare and Xona—including No Mare's Land—she had still never witnessed an arrangement of this enormous scale. Unlike the Tree and the “foundry” system, every single building and tent and lean-to looked relatively fresh or new. Rainbow judged that with each birthed generation of sarosian soldiers—there was likewise a new resupply of materials for the war effort. Not all things about the Bloodwings' lair had to be static and unchanging; it simply wouldn't make sense.

As the group passed over the military camp—that stretched on for the better part of forty square kilometers—Rainbow heard more grunting and hissing... enough to rival the battle hymn that heralded Lexxic's return. The formation had dipped low enough for her to see individual bodies below—and there were thousands of them... several of whom were arranged in lines, exercising and training in countless battle drills. She saw the glint of blades and spears and shields, accompanied by the dim glow of runic enchantment. Every once in a while, there was the startling thunderclap of multiple rifles. Rainbow and her friends caught sight of targets exploding at the far end of well-organized firing squads. In some spots, sarosian practioners stood with etched sigils, summoning runic shield spells and other anomalies of questionably glowing energy. Twilight's eyes widened, reflecting lunar silver and otherworldly purples—but the group was moving far too swiftly towards the Tree and she pouted as her anchor strung her along.

By now, several other flying squadrons had come to fill the air above the massive camp. Many of them dwarfed Lexxic's group, gliding in tightly-gridded formations, singing their own separate aerial hymns as they transferred supplies from one location to another. As Lexxic and his company glided past separate groups, there was an exchanged of glinting fangs and high-pitched shrieks. Rainbow Dash saw smiles—all of them proud—and her group's hymn continued, carrying them deeper into Omega, possessing a singular cadance against the increasing cacophony of war preparations.

It was a chilling sensation: being around this much life... especially that which was obsessed with death. The last time Rainbow had witnessed so many ponies crammed into one place at once—it was Kunmane, back in Rohbredden. Here, there was no festivity, but the energy was still quite similar. Despite the abject misery of the Trinary War, there was an undeniable excitement to the air. Some heightened passion gripped the Bloodwings like a vice and kept their hearts pumping long into the night.

No more intense was this excitement felt than within the aura immediately surrounding Lexxic and his pale visage. As the First Son's group flew over camps and barracks and field training, the air resounded with reverent shouts and hisses and chirps. Lexxic responded to each outburst with a smile or a wave or a nod of the weighted head—always blind, and yet somehow always seeing. It wasn't until then that Rainbow Dash realized that Lexxic wasn't singing along with the chorus of his subordinates. It was as though he was above and beyond the song, and he took it upon himself to reflect the praise and acknowledgment of all his brothers.

His brothers, for surely there wasn't a “sister” among them. Rainbow looked and looked, but saw no sign of any mares within the army. Every single Bloodwing was an able-bodied stallion, and the air was positively vibrating with their intense, competitive testosterone. It gave a perpetual bass echo to the grandeur of the sarosian camp, and it only intensified as Lexxic's formation carried itself—and its song—to the base of the Tree.

As incredibly enormous as the structure was, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but feel that an appropriate word for the monolothic headquarters would be: “stumpy.” If she were to shrink the Tree down to a more “natural” scale, it would resemble a dead widowmaker lingering in the backyard of some abandoned farm on the outskirts of Ponyville—maybe something worth carving one's name into or hanging a foal's swing from. Rainbow felt that the Tree—perhaps—could have grown even taller, but had instead been forced to terminate at a much shallower (albeit still impressive) height, ultimately appearing more wide than it was skyscraping. The branches that spread outward from its midsection and upwards, however, were far less “shy.” They carved a lateral path outwards, defying gravity for dozens upon dozens of meters. They were thick too, and Rainbow imagined several hundred ponies being able to fill its interior—for she instantly assumed it was hollow.

This theory was supported by countless lights brimming from outside and inside the branches, suggesting “windows” that had been carved out over time. There was an undeniable hint of “life” all along the body of the tree, and it only grew more complex and more uniquely colored the higher the luminescent specks scaled. Flying closer, Rainbow Dash could make out auspicious structures—balconies, perhaps—extending outward from the occasional branch that leveled out with the horizon. From these platforms, winged figures alighted and landed, their bodies accompanied by runic glows and flickering spells.

The formation flew ever closer to the Tree, and at this point it was growing more and more difficult for Rainbow to observe any details of—much less even see—the topmost branches. So, instead, she took note of what loomed below. To her surprise, there was even more to see within the shadow of the massive trunk. This was mostly due to the roots—which were massive megastructures in their own right. They resembled the scraggy, sprawling, rivering nether structures of a cypress tree... only scaled upwards by a factor of one hundred. Rainbow suspected that the the biggest, thickest, mightiest roots dug deep underground—penetrating far into what was otherwise iron-tough rock and earth. But there were still several noodling strands that rose up and out and sometimes even back into the petrified soil, forming a very complex and very elaborate web of rivering lattices, some as thick as ship's barges and others as thin at pipelines. And between and beneath and betwixt the sea of these steel-like strands, a city had been erected.

A massive city, shaded from starlight by the nethers of the Tree, expansive and huddled and no-doubt filling the entire circumference of the megastructure in three-hundred-and-sixty degrees of creative urbanity. Here, sarosian bodies milled about, trotting to and fro with supplies, serving meat and fats from fresh-kills. The carcasses of slaughtered Dark Side creatures—marking several species Rainbow and her friends couldn't even count—hung on the fringes of butcher stands. There were tents and huts and other small structures where ponies squatted over alchemic arrays of pale sedimentary dust—slowly and intricately crafting tell-tale runes for the war effort. Freshly-smithed blades and armor were rolled in from the encampment, and Rainbow observed as suppliers shrieked into the root-shadowed streets, summoning able-bodied warriors to come and get their newest equipment.

What Rainbow couldn't see were any signs of a competitive economy. There were no shops, no markets, no signs of trading or bartering—a stark contrast to the Impish industry that had strangle-held the dihmers back in Blobstain. Even under the gnarled roots that formed the base of the Tree—hidden from nebulae and twilight—the Bloodwings functioned as one well-oiled machine... albeit a machine on its last functioning cogs. There was no sign of art or embellishment or recreation. Instead, the gaps between the war were filled with hymn, with some sort of culturally-inherited mirth, with the looks of pride and swagger on the faces of so many battle-hardened stallions.

And—even still—not a single mare. Not here in this township—the heartiest place Rainbow had seen in the entire Dark Side.

But there were foals. The mere sight of them elicited a gasp from Ariel—which also brought numb shock to Rainbow, having travel for so long without spotting a single youngster and only now realizing it. At some point—Rainbow Dash grasped at straws to tell when or where—the formation must have passed over some invisible dividing line, and now there were foals intermixed with the grown adults. There were only colts—of course—which didn't particularly surprise Rainbow.

What did surprise her—however—was that all of the coats were armed. Some even more so than the adults who busied themselves with manufacturing, butchery, and rune-etching. Rainbow and her friends saw tiny “companies” of colts—all equipped with spears and armor—marching in line under the hymnal command of slightly larger colts... probably teenagers in charge of the juvenile battalions.

The very sight of this last detail sent a shudder through Rainbow's friends.

“Blessed Celestia...” Rarity shuddered. “...is nothing sacred?”

“Are you kidding me?!” Pinkie Pie blanched. “Those cute little trot-trotters are being forced to fight as well?!”

Applejack scratched her blond head. “They dun seem too terribly sad about it.”

“That's not the point!” Fluttershy sniffled. “Who would ever think of throwing foals into a horrible, horrible war?!”

“For the Bloodwings, war is everything,” Twilight said in a quiet tone, barely discernible beneath the aerial hymn all around them. “The only thing more important is victory.”

“Fluttershy...” Rarity looked at her friend with a despondent expression. “Can you tell just... h-how many youngsters are there?”

She shook her had sadly. “Not while we're still this close to Lexxic.”

“Judgin' from how many are fritterin' about beneath us in just this part of this place...” Applejack looked at the others. “...I bet they're plum everywhere.”

“And also carrying swords,” Pinkie said, pouting.

“Still no mares,” Twilight said, silencing the group. “They have to be somewhere,” she said. “This is far more sarosians than I expected to still be alive on the Dark Side! It's practically a living and functioning nation full of them!”

“Can't get them babies poppin' out with only stallions,” Applejack said. The group looked at her strangely. “Just sayin'...” She shrugged. “...I mean, they can certainly try, but wouldn't get far without more than a few mares thrown into the mix.”

“Twilight, darling, were Nightmare Moon's troops...” Rarity fidgeted, struggling to find a word as they passed more and more branches above and beneath them. “...w-were they always this segregated?”

“Are you asking me if they always had a military consisting only of stallions?”

“Precisely.”

“No. No, they did not.” Twilight's eyes narrowed. “In fact, Equestria has always—statistically—had more females in the population than males. In almost every generation. Scientists believe that it's all due to initial genetic manipulation by the first generation of changelings mixing with the pre-Equestrian citizenry.”

“Ohhhhhhh...” Pinkie Pie nodded. “Funny. I always wondered why every classroom I grew up in only had one or two colts in it!”

“So—long story short—there were lots and lots of mares serving in the military on both sides of the Solar Civil War,” Twilight explained. “This was especially true in the Lunar Empire, considering...” She fidgeted in midair.

Rainbow Dash glanced at her.

“Considering what, Twilight?” Rarity asked.

“Well...” Twilight's lavender muzzle scrunched as she looked at the sarosians beside, above, and beneath her as they pierced the depths of the Bloodwing home. “...Princess Luna... and especially Nightmare Moon always employed a very matriarchal form of governing. With a few exceptions, all of the executive officers were mares. The ruling representatives were mares. Even the governors of the Northern Trots—who sided with the Lunar Empire—were primarily comprised of female ponies.”

“That seems to have carried over,” Fluttershy remarked. “When Rainbow describes Nat'rdo and her fellow Dream Council, all I imagine are mares.”

“And isn't this here place called the 'Tree of Mothers?'” Applejack's brow furrowed. “And ain't the Bloodwings obsessed with the 'Mother of Nightmares?'”

“Maybe we're over-thinking it,” Rarity said. “M-maybe something's just been lost in translation.”

“Or... just how long ago do ya reckon this here tree was named what it was named?”

“... … ...”

Rainbow Dash considered speaking up—but she heard a murmur from Ariel to her left.

“Anything?” she asked. “They got a beat on what's really going on here?”

Rainbow cleared her throat, struggling to produce sound above the mighty hymn echoing around them. “Nothing more than we can see and hear.”

Ariel fidgeted in mid-air. “I don't like this, Rainbow Dash.”

“Easy, girl,” the petite pegasus breathed, eyes darting about as the shadows and roots increased. “We're just now piercing the horizon of what the Bloodwings have to offer.”

“Why else do you think I'm feeling like throwing up?”

Rainbow Dash saw a metal talon glinting in runelight.

She looked towards Wildcard in time to see him sign: “Am I the only one with the biggest question of the day?”

She merely squinted at him in curious patience.

The Desperado's goggles reflected her face as he continued: “Where the Hell is the moon?”

Seraphimus responded to him: “I've been thinking the same thing.” She looked up... up... up at the imposing trunk of the Tree, blending into the soot'd blackness above them. “There's no earthly way they could have hidden that monolithic satellite.”

“Well, obviously they did,” Rainbow Dash said. “And it's not a 'satellite,' Sera. At least not in the traditional sense. Which means they could hide it in a non-traditional way.”

“I think we've yet to ascertain the full cunning of these creatures,” Seraphimus said. She turned to look at Rainbow. Her expression was curiously enthusiastic beneath her helmet. “I, for one, am impressed.”

Rainbow blanched, facing ahead as the branches parted ways to exposed a large hollow chamber, lit with runes for some sacred purpose. “Okay... now I'm starting to freak out...”

A Count of Rings

The hymn of Lexxic's brothers increased in bass resonance, echoing off the domed interior of the hollow chamber deep within the bowels of the Tree of Mothers' roots. There was also a sounding percussion to this leg of the song, with each vocalist bursting with grunts of finality. The group dropped in one accord, including Lexxic. Rainbow and her friends awkwardly followed suit. And finally—after countless hours of dizzying flight—the group had touched down. Silent and settled.

On Bloodwing territory.

Here, they were softly bathed in runic light. Rainbow, Ariel, and the others looked up to see a smooth ceiling, curved like the inside of a skull. Fine pinpricks of glowing sepia stones had been spaced apart across the interior surfaces overhead. Judging them to be moonrocks, Rainbow Dash imagined that they must have once glowed with a pristine silver aura—perhaps when they were first ever enchanted. But time and exhaustion had worn them down to a yellowing flicker of brown malaise. Twilight Sparkle pointed something out, and Rainbow Dash—squinting her eyes—took notice of the faint shadows of equine shapes and astrological intaglio etched into the worn surfaces of the dome. As best as she could make out, there was once an elaborate mural of mares—pilgrims, warriors, sorceresses, and governors—all wrapped around a starry banner in exaltation of a crescent moon. But most if not all of it had been lost to the soot of time, neglect, and military industry.

Even here—as Rainbow Dash looked around and noticed—multiple stations had been erected where stallions of various dispositions hammered away at armor in need of repair. Or they were busy curing leather. Or they were carefully packaging up weapons of war to be housed into chariots for multiple sarosians to carry towards faraway encampments and military bases.

Rainbow looked up at the ceiling once again, then back towards where she entered. The dome was carved into a nexus of branches that all converged on one spot, making what was—or once was—a perfect entrance to the majestic Tree. If she focused long and hard, she'd notice more runes and etchings in the nearest roots that threaded their way overhead to where she was located. No doubt—once upon a time—this was a very sacred place built over hallowed grounds: where sarosians could converge and ruminate over the quest to restore glory to Nightmare Moon.

But at some point—centuries ago—all of that was lost. The mirth was devoured by purpose, necessity, and utility. How long had the Bloodwings been engaged in the Trinary War? Eight Hundred years? Nine hundred? Rainbow wondered if half of the Bloodwings even knew what they were fighting for anymore—only that they were simply fighting.

And then Lexxic spoke and even Rainbow's heart bristled with that queer scent of conjured enthusiasm: “Rejoice, brothers! For we are home! Something our enemies will never have!”

The air filled with chuckles, cheers, and chirps. Limbs flexed and wings coiled at rest. Dozens of fellow warriors came out of the rootwork, exchanging smiles and pleasantries with the freshly-arrived members of Lexxic's personal battalion.

Here—in the copper-tinted light at the bottom of the Tree—Rainbow Dash gazed upon every soldier and messenger and grunt she could see. After a moment or two, she exchanged glances with her ghostly friends—and they all nodded. For they realized the same thing: barely any of the Bloodwings were older than thirty winters. The majority of sarosians had to have been in their late teens or early twenties. Masser, Azarias—they certainly had more years to them... as well as scars. As for Lexxic himself? Rainbow couldn't honestly tell—the helm and its impact on him obscured so... so much.

“M'saalt'ym,” Lexxic addressed the still-frazzled scout. “A mighty fine song, brother. You should be proud.”

Saalt let loose a shuddering sigh, bowing low before Lexxic. “I only w-wish I had more to be proud of.”

“Don't suckle long on the teat of failure,” the First Son advised. “There's no sacrifice to be had in torture with no gain.” He tilted his head towards the Second. “Azarias. Does it still bleed?”

“Ywm, Lexxy'kyn,” the extra-scarred warrior nodded, giving the moist satchel a shake. “It still hasn't cast its lifelights.”

“Praise the Narrow.” Lexxic tilted his helm back towards Saalt. “Perhaps, brother, you would care to do the honors?”

Saalt's fangs showed. “You would... let me place it within the pit?”

“A most harrowing task, but well-deserved.” Lexxic's smile loomed beneath his helm—a passive thing. “Perhaps you will find an opportunity to meditate. The screams carry a cadence of souls tenacious enough to evade the Ruby Song. No doubt you will hear Wy'croww among them.”

Tears lined Saalt's slitted eyes, but he stood tall and resolute, blinking them away with a firm nod. “I shall provide them my song instead.”

“A most hearty plan.” Lexxic rested his hoof on the Bloodwing's shoulder. “All is not lost, brother. The bastards of Flux have made an incredible enemy today.” He tilted his helm back, whistling. On command, Azarias trotted over and hoofed the bag containing the remains of the changeling to Saalt. “Dear Third...”

“Yes, Brother?” Masser spoke up.

“Would you be so kind as to accompany Saalt to the Pit? A brother such as he could use the companionship in his delivery.”

Masser nodded. “Absolutely.”

“While you're at it—I would like a report on the latest supply of totems.”

Masser's jaw clenched.

Lexxic tilted blindly towards the dome ceiling. “Is something the matter?”

“You know very well how much I loathe speaking to keepers.”

Lexxic smiled. “And I know how much you loathe being castrated before an audience in the Hall of Honor!”

The warriors around them laughed and squeaked.

Masser shuddered, ultimately smirking at the displaced air left by the half-hearted threat. Swallowing his pride, the massive Bloodwing marched off with Saalt towards a spot beyond the roots. “All of these insidious threats to my loins, dear Brother...” He shouted back past his tail. “One of these days, you're simply going to drop the pretense and leap upon them!”

“I love you, Brother, but not that much,” Lexxic replied, rewarded with more laughter. “Besides, I seriously doubt you wish to spend the rest of your days pissing ghostly serpents!” He casually signaled the Second.

“At ease, brothers!” Azarias sounded off loudly. “You are dismissed! Remember to Rendezvous at the Hall of Honor before last light!”

The soldiers saluted back, relaxing and congregating in sporadic groups. Around that time, a new voice pierced the echoing chamber.

“Lexxy'kyn! First Son of Nightmares!””

Lexxic's chuckling breaths had barely ended—he replied without looking. “Ywm thy'lna, Sy'lukas'ymb!”

Rainbow and her friends looked over to see a group of Bloodwings trotting down the steps of a raised dais at the far end of the chamber. The platform was round, hugging the carved ends of the hollow where the entrances to the first level of the inner tree were located. Rainbow could make out a large charcoal-black circle filling all but a thin round strip of a circular outline. Among the group trotting down this marked platform, two stallions trotted at the head—a dark dark stallion with an intimidating gaze and a gangly, pale stallion with a wiery, snow-white mane.

The latter spoke, his breaths nearly as ragged as his wrinkles. “By the Narrow's fortune! You have arrived just in time!”

“Can't this wait, Lukas?” Azarias grumbled, nodding his scarred head towards Rainbow and company. “The First Son has an official directive to tackle.”

“A directive by whom?!” Lukas frowned—only one fang showed beneath his wrinkled lips. “Why in Nightmare's name the elders are listening to the Dream Council at a time like this is beyond me!” The aged stallion looked nervously at Lexxic. “Brother, the Fourth and Fifth Roots have been pulled back to the Tree!”

“Indeed, Fifth. So the lances sensed.” Lexxic nodded. His helm pulsed dimly in five spots. “I can only assume Lyw'Malaak is responsible.”

“Eee-eee-eee!” Lukas hissed. “I swear! That insufferable bitch is trying to sabotage everything! What could be so damned important that two whole armies would be pulled back from the bleeding grounds?!?”

“A discussion for another time, Fifth.”

“B-but Brother!” Lukas' eyes twitched as he neared hyperventilation. “Scouts have been running into drones of the Flux consistently between the brink and Petra! If the hive has indeed shifted—then we'll need the Fourth and Fifth Roots to march back and—”

“Another. Time. Brother...” Lexxic's tone dipped low—scraping the bone cold hiss of the moment—which chilled Rainbow's soul like none of his words had done before. She felt a wave of dizziness assault her—even from that distance—and once it had cleared she sensed him tilting his helm in her direction. The menace had been drained from his tongue as he then said: “I must deal with the directive. Then... I shall grapple with the repercussions of Malaak's stupidity. No sooner.”

Lukas gulped, bowing slightly. “My apologies, Brother.” He squinted with no small amount of disgust at Rainbow and her friends. “By the Narrow... is... is this the so-called 'Penumbran trespassers?'”

“As far as the elders are concerned, they're our 'Penumbran guests.'”

Lukas' fang showed again. “I can't say I'm very impressed.”

“How amusing,” Seraphimus spoke boldly. “I was about to say the same.”

Lukas' bright features turned twice as pale as his eyes widened. The Bloodwings accompanying him did double-takes, teetering on the brink of nausea. Within seconds, the bulk of noise and commotion inside that chamber dwindled as every sarosian possessing ears paused to balk at the source of the feminine pitch that had just been sounded.

Ariel blinked at all that. She looked at Seraphimus, and for once a proud smirk adorned her muzzle. He folded her forelimbs as she squatted closely beside the former Commander.

At last, it was Lexxic who broke the silence by clearing his throat. “What interrupts your duties, brothers?” His helm tilted back. “I assure you—if these strangers were changelings... I would have gutted them by now. But since they are here—and still alive—I have obviously chosen to tolerate them.” The veins in his pale muzzle thickened. “And so shall you.”

As if that wasn't enough to hammer down the message, Azarias let loose a shrill whistle.

The chamber once again echoed with murmurs and hisses and the flapping of leather wings. The Bloodwings returned to their tasks at hoof. Most of the members of Lexxic's battalion who had remained loitering about now trotted off towards various destinations. Bosonn and Hyggs—now joined with some like-minded Bloodwings of the curious persuasion—remained in the wings, craning their velvety necks as they observed something from afar.

Rainbow followed their slitted eyesights. She realized that the tall and dark stallion—the one who had approached Lexxic alongside Lukaas—was currently trotting towards her and her companions. She pivoted to directly face the sarosian specimen... having to tilt her head up to see into his grim veneer. The stallion was about as tall as Masser, but far leaner in frame.

“See something you're interested in?” Rainbow Dash murmured.

“H'lymna y'rymml sylna thrym, Myl'sypher'ym,” Azarias said to the stallion.

He kept staring down at Rainbow Dash. Silently. His cold gaze swept across the rest of the party. He held his hoof out, pointing at the floor of the cavern between them.

“Remove your equipment, tools, weapons—and place them on the floor before you,” Lukaas spoke up. “Sypher needs to inspect them.”

Ariel squinted at that.

“And if we refuse?” Seraphimus asked.

This so-called “Sypher” glared at the former Talon Commander. It wasn't so much an “angry” look but rather a curious one—like an avalanche might regard a squirrel for daring to get in its screaming path down a mountain side. Rainbow heard a constant, persistent hissing sound. Her eyes traveled down Sypher's deadpan expression—and locked onto a moon-silver box fitted into the nape of his neck. A collar stretched around the stallion's throat, affixed to the box. As Rainbow stared she became aware of multiple stitches keeping the delicate article in place. There was a great deal of scarring—all dark purple and veiny and issuing outward from the center of the sarosian's vocal cords. Or perhaps—where the vocal cords once were.

It took the entire time that Rainbow Dash spent studying this dark sarosian for his companion—Lukaas, the Fifth—to muster the humility and courage to reply to Seraphimus. “You will not refuse,” he spoke in grunts, as if it made him vomit to so much as look the griffon in the eye. “Although it would please me to see you invite the scent of your own bowels exposed while still alive-”

Azarias cleared his throat.

Lukaas bit his own tongue, ears drooping submissively as Azarias marched closer to him.

“Sypher is in charge of security for the Tree of Mothers,” he said in a raspy tone. “While he answers to the First Son, his directive is one given consistently by the elders—the same protectors of the Book of Saros who summoned you per request of the Dream Council.” Azarias' eyes narrowed with even more intimidating chill than the dark sarosian possessed. “Maybe you don't respect us... but I'm certain you can respect the reason you were brought here.”

Seraphimus didn't take long to respond—and she did so calmly. “Ah. A state-issued keeper of the peace.” A nod of her feathery head. “Now that... I can truly respect.” She removed her helmet and deposited it on the floor, along with the shield and spear that she also salvaged from Blobstain.

“Let's play nice, guys...” Rainbow said, already peeling her saddlebag off and placing it on the floor.

“Yeah yeah...” Ariel huffed, unholstering the musket and placing it onto the floor—along with a full clip of lunar runes.

Lukaas whistled, blinking at the weaponry brought over from Bleak's Plummet. “Sy'ma thr'ymma. Sy'lymma syln Fn'ymbrymmii th'yum m'shrynmhii...”

“Ny'ml. S'rym syla ryk-ryk F'nymbrym...” Azarias shook her head. “A paltry imitation at best, Fifth.”

Lukaas nevertheless rubbed his wrinkled chin in thought, gazing at the weathered runestones.

All the while, Sypher studied each item as they were laid down with close attention. His muzzle—tight and restricted above the silver box that shackled his throat—was forever frozen in a menacing scowl. The only expression he gave was that of intense scrutiny, his slitted eyes darting about and noting every detail. He looked over Seraphimus' things... then Ariel's...

“Th'ryssa!” Bosonn could be heard whistling. “Ee-ee! Myl'sypher'ym my'thyml F'nymbrym ry'm sym sym...!” Rainbow noticed him, Hyggs, and several other bloodwings crowding together, necks craned, watching with deathly-curious smirks as...

...Sypher approached Wildcard. He took a brief look at the griffon's laid-out possessions, then up at the Heraldite in question. The bloodwing and the Desperado looked eye to goggle.

“... … ...” Sypher glared.

“... … ...” Wildcard stood ice still.

Ariel and Seraphimus glanced over.

In the ensuing silence, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy bit their lips.

Sypher slowly—wordlessly—raised his hoof. He pointed at the metal object in Wildcard's prosthetic grip.

Wildcard did nothing.

Sypher's dark brow furrowed.

Rainbow gulped. She made to clear her throat—

Clak-CLAKKK! Wildcard extended Bard's staff, its lengthy end wobbling just half-an-inch from smacking Sypher's skull.

“... … ...” Sypher didn't even flinch.

Exhaling, Wildcard twirled the staff until it was held width-wise. He then tossed it at Sypher.

Sypher effortlessly caught it in the crook of his hoof. He took his gaze off Wildcard just long enough to turn the weapon around a few times, studying it. When he was satisfied with his observations, he tossed it back at the Desperado.

Wildcard maintained his locked gaze, twirling and then collapsing the staff before laying it beside his things.

“S'ymvallymmmmm..” Bosonn grinned wided. Exhaling with relief, he and Hyggs and the others laughed and chirped and murmured from a distance. “Hahaha! Fn'ymbrymal syln Myl'sypher'ym mrym thym sy'lym!”

“Heeheehee-ee-ee-ee!”

“Ee-ee-ee!”

At this point, Rainbow Dash was laying down the last of her things.

“Ahem...” Applejack drifted closer, her eyes reflecting Sypher's dark shape growing closer and closer. “Could make things a mite less troublesome to fully comply, sugarcube.”

“Way ahead of you, AJ,” Rainbow muttered. In pulling out the contents of her saddlebag, she gripped a large canvas bundle wrapped around a familiar round object.

“Oh dear...” Rarity held a muzzle over a worried expression.

“How... are we going to explain that?” Twilight stammered.

“Shhhh!” Pinkie drifted closer to their anchor. “Trust Dashie! She'll come up with something!”

Rainbow's friends were dead quiet as Sypher stepped over to her. The tall dark stallion looked at her goggles, at her blankets, at her rations, at her own supply of runestones. At last—he leaned over the canvas bundle. His sharp gaze darted to the mare herself.

Rainbow steeled herself with a calm breath. She leaned forward and—with a few swift movements of the hoof—unraveled the canvas covering to reveal Axan's dragonstone.

Sypher's eyes narrowed on the alien object. He tilted his head slightly—the first time his rigid stance found itself altered.

This—apparently—was a signal to Lukaas. “What is that?” he asked.

“Quick... think...!” Twilight paced in ghostly circles. “...a good-luck charm? An heirloom? Something precious from the Penumbral Lands—!”

“She could just tell 'em what it actually is,” Applejack suggested. “Especially considerin' it could help Lexxic's gang find the rest of them shards—”

“It's a compass,” Rainbow said.

Ariel and Seraphimus looked at her. Wildcard remained still.

“... … ...” Applejack blinked. “...well, reckon that's at least half true.”

Lukaas' eyes narrowed. “What kind of a compass?”

“A very good one,” Rainbow said.

Silence.

“We done here?” she asked—but then was covered in shadow.

Sypher was looming over her. He leaned down. This close, Rainbow could hear distinctly unique waves of hisses emanating from the seams of his neck-box. It took her a second or two to ascertain what he was looking at, for she finally made out the reflection of a ruby lightning bolt in his slitted eyes.

“If you must know, it is an Element of Harmony,” Rainbow said coolly. “A very important artifact from Equestria. Older than even Princess Luna herself.”

Several offended shrieks echoed from the sidelines—

—but Azarias silenced them with a wave of his hoof.

Sypher pointed at the pendant around Rainbow's neck. Then—with a clenching of his jaw—he pointed at the floor beside the rest of the group's things.

Twilight and Rarity gulped.

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “It does not come off.”

Sypher took a step closer. Icily, he repeated the gesture.

Lukaas spoke firmly. “You will do what is required by the elders' security measures—”

“If this comes off, there will be no security...” Rainbow gnashed her teeth. “And no elders.”

Azarias blinked.

Sypher remained unfazed.

Lukaas failed to contain his rising growl: “Penumbran, if you refuse to respect our customs—”

Rainbow gestured towards Lexxic. “If he gets to wear his stupid foalday crown...” she barked, “...my pendant stays the buck on.” She slowly—menacingly—shook her head. “Do not confuse what I'm saying with a request. Or you will regret it.”

Lukaas opened his muzzle to retort—

“Fifth, I must say, I'm disappointed,” Lexxic's voice rolled across the chamber.

Rainbow and her friends watched as the First Son of Nightmares walked at a broad distance, making a half-circle across the interior, until he stood a few spaces behind the bloodwings facing off against her.

“This is a creature from Penumbra—a lost lamb of the Solar Deceiver...” A hearty chuckle. “...and yet her threats are far colder and bolder than yours are!”

Lukaas fumed, glaring down at the floor. “The elders aren't giving us much to work with...”

“Don't be a coward. You haven't seen much bloodshed as of late, Fifth. Being old is one thing—a notable if not rare accomplishment—but feeble?” Lexxic shook his head. “If this is what senility looks like, I—for one—am glad to never have to taste of it.” That crescent smile—softer this time—and he nodded towards Sypher. “Very well done, Fourth. But do as she says. The pendant stays on.”

A low-throated hissing escaped the box. Rainbow watched as Sypher tilted his head aside, glaring thinly back at Lexxic.

“You heard me. Opportunities were had—and yet we're both here.” Lexxic tilted his helm to the side. “You—of all brothers—should understand the importance of a priceless neckpiece.”

Chuckles in the distance—no doubt from the twins' group.

Sypher took a deep breath—with a few hisses billowing sideways. He pointed at the Herald's belongings, then at the party members themselves... before marching off with firm hoofsteps.

Azarias sighed heavily, glaring at the group—a bit more prolongedly at Ariel and Seraphimus in particular—before leaving to disperse Hyggs and Bosonn's crowd with impatient gestures.

Having more breaths to spare for the moment, Rainbow Dash picked up her belongings one by one. When she picked up the dragonstone, she saw a bright flicker of light—almost blinding her. Pausing, she gave the stone a slight shake-and-swivel, watching for more pulses of luminescent energy. She found tongues of flame issuing out from the heart of the pearlescent stone... and shooting straight up.

Rainbow tilted her head, gazing straight through the domed ceiling and—presumably—towards the absolute peak of the tree.

Twilight and the others crowded around, their ghostly gazes following Rainbow's.

“So...” Fluttershy curled her forelimbs together. “...does that confirm it?”

“Is it here?!?” Pinkie asked.

“Uh huh...” Rainbow's voice cracked. “It's here, alright.” Her ruby eyes scraped the soot-stained mural. “Now the question is... how will we get to it.”

“Can we get to it?” Rarity asked.

Twilight sighed. “One thing at a time.” She looked at Rainbow. “Took quite a gamble—what with your Element of Loyalty just a moment ago.”

“Don't you mean they did?” Rainbow's jaw tightened. She bundled Axan's stone back in its canvas cover. “I won't expect Lexxic to thank me or nothing,” she continued, whispering. “But I just saved their entire friggin' tree.”

“And yerself, darlin',” Applejack said.

“Yeahhhhh...” Rainbow sighed, putting her things back into her aged, worn-out saddlebag. “...you were always the best at baking pies, Applejack.”

“Hey!” Pinkie frowned.

“Humble pies, I mean,” Rainbow added with a smirk.

“Oh...” Pinkie waved a hoof, smiling. “Well, in that case...”

“Surely...” Lexxic's voice wafted over. “You do realize, no living soul that bleeds here has ever seen one.”

Rainbow blinked. She turned to face the First Son of Nightmares. “Huh? Seen what?”

His smile loomed from afar. “A compass,” he said. “Besides, I doubt a real one would work quite so well. We're awfully far away from the polarized crystals that undoubtedly line the brinks on Penumbra's side.”

Rainbow's lips pursed. “Then how would you know what one is?”

“The same way I know of most convenient lies,” Lexxic said, smiling calmly. A slight tilt of his head. “I'm well-read.”

Twilight and Rarity exchanged glances.

Rainbow exhaled, nodding. “Are you, now?”

“A luxury...” Lexxic paced over slightly. “...that the majority of my Brothers—from the Third and downward—do not share. Naturally—you must be thinking: 'Why would these sons of Nightmare let the matter go once they were told it was a compass?' The answer is simple. I told them to do so.”

He took one step too many.

Rainbow's friends vanished. She caught her breath in the back of her throat, stepping backwards with a jolt of dizziness.

Wildcard and Ariel's muscles tightened, ready to spring—

—but Lexxic had already scuffled to a stop. His muzzle hang open. “... … ...and so there it is.” He tilted his helm back, deadpan. “No. I suppose I don't have to thank you either.”

Twilight and the others reappeared shortly thereafter. Rainbow rubbed her head, squinting suspiciously at the Bloodwing leader from afar.

“Well...!” Lexxic stood tall and proud, his smile slowly returning. “I do suspect patience has been tested in every corner of bleeding. An exercise that needn't tarry longer—for all our sakes.” He turned around with a flick of what few wirey tail-hairs he had remaining. Rainbow watched as Lexxic trotted up a series of wooden ramps carved into the same root structure that formed the circular dais at the rear of the chamber. “Surely, you wish to commence with the culmination of your journey as much as I will it.”

“I really wish she'd stop calling her 'shirley,'” Pinkie grumbled, her hair looking uncharacteristically flat as she glared at the stallion.

“Come, now, Pinkie, darling,” Rarity insisted. “Happy faaaa-aaa-aaaces!” Her marshmallowy cheeks bulged with the effort.

“I don't think I like this creepio-meanio,” Pinkie said. “He doesn't deserve it!”

“Butttttt...” Fluttershy smiled like a hide-the-pain horsie, or maybe an unknown electrical engineer. “Ittttt's the thoughtttt that countttts!”

Pinkie's lips curved, only for her to hiss through bright teeth. “Mmmmmeh.”

Applejack took one look at Pinkie's sagging figure, fanning herself. “Whoah nelly...” She looked at Twilight. “Reckon the pinkie sense is finally piercin' through that chaos helmet of his.” The farm filly gulped. “Not sure I like the looks of it, though!”

“Well, we've come this far.” Twilight turned towards their collective anchor. “Rainbow—?”

“Yeah, I know the drill.” Rainbow finished fastening her saddlebag. “Into the lion's den and keep crawling until we come out the poop chute.” A devilish smirk. “And then some!” She turned back towards her partners. “Go time?”

“Go time.” Ariel fell in first.

“Perhaps...” Seraphimus followed second. “...with less fecal metaphors, please.”

Wildcard flapped his wings, taking up the rear as he hand-signed: “It wouldn't be the Heraldic Seven without them.”

“I can't see whatever it is that Jordan is signing but I'm absolutely certain I detest it,” Seraphimus muttered.

“You detest everything,” Ariel said.

“Depends on what I see inside this damnable tree.”

Up ahead, Lexxic called out to the Bloodwings collected nearby. “Sy'lukas'ymb. L'azarias'ym. Hsyl'm thryln sy'mal hrymwrym thyln.”

Azarias stopped all that he was doing and glided up to join his superior. Lukaas—however—hesitated slightly as he stumbled up the ramp. “But Brother...!” His frazzled features flickered under dying runelights. “With the Fourth and Fifth Roots still setting-up camp, won't you need me to—?”

“Sypher has things well under control. I need you beside me and the Second,” Lexxic said. “I shan't do this alone. More than anything, the elders are going to wish to see a sign of commitment to their directive, or else it may prove impossible to appeal to them on far heavier matters.”

Lukaas shuddered, nevertheless bowing noticeably. “Y-yes, Brother...”

“Now come along, W'ynlppa yln H'luun!” Lexxic said, gesturing for Rainbow and her friends to follow. “This is a rather inopportune time for cold feathers.”

Lukaas' backhairs stood up on end as he clenched his jaw. The sound of that title was clearly the equivalent of scratching talons on chalkboard for the stallion. Other Bloodwings lingering nearby appeared similarly repulsed. Azarias just threw it off with a sigh while Lexxic...

Lexxic trotted briskly along, disappearing behind a notch of the tree, entering deep beyond the soot-stained mural into the heart of the structure itself. Rainbow—feeling the gravity of the moment increasing with each breath—clambered quickly behind, with the rest of her friends following in suit.

Rainbow Dash didn't quite know what to expect as she trotted into the Bloodwings' stronghold.

So—in a perfect leap of idiocy—her mind chose to imagine anything and everything. Rainbow's thoughts lingered on all of the copious amounts of testosterone she had been drenched in since meeting up with Lexxic's escort and flying with them to this destination.

A faint memory from foalhood tickled Rainbow's nose—of the lockerrooms back at Cloudsdale's Junior Speedster's Flight Camp. There was an inordinate amount of stallions in her class: which was perfectly fine, since Rainbow moreover felt comfortable hanging around with them instead of the mares her age. Rules were rules, and she had to go wash up with the mares—a reality that bored her to no end. But whenever she so happened to pass by the stallions' lockerroom, she would catch the inescapably pungent scent of musk, sweat, and all other colors typically associated with virulent stupidity.

For the Bloodwings' lair, Rainbow Dash imagined all of that—only with an added dash of copper, rust, and rotting meat.

So it was with ample surprise that Rainbow Dash found her nose assaulted with a thick cloud of incense upon entering the Tree of Mothers. A veritable haze hung close to the ceiling—twinkling with a faint enchantment, suggesting that there was runic manipulation to the scents being filtered through that ancient, ancient place.

In fact, the interior smelled so delightful that it made Rainbow realize just how utterly rancid the realm outside was. How long had she been assaulted by a tactile fragrance akin to roasted dog vomit? The weapons of war, the butchery of alien meat, the bleeding of a still-living changeling. It was no small wonder that she and her friends hadn't vomited ten times over along the way to the Tree. Rainbow chalked it up to being so fixated on avoiding side effects of the nearby chaos metal. Her friends agreed. “Chaos sinuses,” was what Pinkie Pie suggested, still looking edgy and disgruntled—even as they entered deep enough to chance upon the source of the incense.

A sarosian was quietly, dutifully lighting narrow strips of scented filaments lodged into narrow holes that were bored within the wooden walls of a large second-story chamber.. To Rainbow's and her friends' flabbergasted surprised, the pony turned out to be a mare. She was—in fact—the first female Bloodwing that the group had the pleasure of stumbling across, and she looked the very epitome of dull. A dark velvet coat, a dark silk mane, a monotone expression that contrasted coldly against the warm orange hues of the incense sticks that she was lighting—the pony looked like she fit more into the worn wooden notches of the tree's walls than in the curious spaces between.

Upon crossing paths with the visitors—including Rainbow Dash and all her fantastically bright colors—the mare made no show of noticing. The newcomers—both ghostly and otherwise—watched as the mare continued lighting new incense sticks with quiet, wordless precision. Her demeanor and the manner in which she carried it mirrored that of the dihmers. In fact, Rainbow imagined that if the pony had all her coat and mane hair removed, there'd be no telling them apart. When the mare finished lighting the available sticks, she trotted off towards a bench. Rainbow thought—seriously but not seriously—that she was preparing to wound herself as part of some ascetic ritual. Instead, the mare reached for a length of cured leather. She then proceeded to stitch and sew a saddlebag together.

Fluttershy gestured for Rainbow's attention. Rainbow glanced at her in mid-trot, then followed the ghostly pegasus' pointing hoof. Her ruby eyes narrowed as she realized that the one mare was not alone. There were rows upon rows of sarosians—all female. All deadpan. All straight-laced with their dark manes fitted up in tight buns. They were seated at dozens... hundreds... maybe even a thousand work benches of identical construction. Every other row was working on a different project: stitching saddlebags, sewing canvas satchels, assembling undercoats for armor.

This interior group of Bloodwings was working on an industry for the war effort—much like the procedures being taken outside. Only here—inside this massive chamber—there was so much geometric precision to it. The entire process here was devoid of the same mirth, randomness, and asymmetricaly-organized chaos that characterized the war camps outside. The camps that were filled with stallions.

“Eugh... dear gods...” Ariel's muzzle scrunched as she fought the urge to vomit. Wildcard could be seen weaving a metal talon disdainfully before his muzzle. “Now I know why they're burning incense.”

Rainbow arched an eyebrow curiously. Then it hit her. Rainbow Dash battled a wave of nausea, brought on by an impenetrable wall of horrid body odor. She instantly hated herself for remembering the locker-rooms back at Junior Speedster's Flight Camp. This was a million times worse. This was hundreds of generations' worth of sweat, grease, and smegma layered on top of one another. It was coated into the walls, floor, and... ceiling of the place?

Rainbow Dash looked up and spotted something that reminded her of Bleak's Plummet. The ceiling was covered from wall to wall with leather-winged mares dangling in repose. Even as they hung—above the sweating workers below—they were likewise silently sewing articles of clothing and satchels and pouches together. Sarosians with baskets—also female—flew among them, collecting finished product and flying off towards untold destinations within the tree... no doubt to compartmentalized the fresh supplies and distribute them outside.

“Even when in 'rest,'” Seraphimus murmured—neither enthusiastic nor saddened by what she saw. “These midnighters are working.”

“C-can we just keep moving, please?” Ariel stammered, refusing to look up. “Wherever the Dream Council is—I pray to the stars it's not on this level.”

“What makes you think any other floor will be more pleasant?” Seraphimus said.

Before Ariel could respond to her—

“Is something bothering you about Bloodwing efficiency?” Lexxic asked, his tone as calm and coy as always.

“It's...” Ariel frowned, but took one look at Rainbow Dash. She sighed, trying to relax. “It's not my place to comment.”

“No,” Azarias grunted. “It isn't.”

Ariel glared daggers at the Second, but remained silent from then on.

Meanwhile, Rainbow and her ghostly friends passed a corridor adjacent to the large work chamber. There, they were greeted by a curious sight. Mares and stallions were working together—packaging supplies into crates and placing them on chariots that soon would be carried out. Despite working in such close quarters, there were no words exchanged between the two sexes. The stallions trotted about in armor, looking energetic and busy. The mares—however—constantly trotted with their heads down... even more so when they crossed paths with the soldiers.

But then... as a few of the mares congregated along the hallway in lonely groups—away from the stallions—Rainbow heard them speak for the first time.

“Bulla kemp. Bul bulla melem hool theem.”

Another mare nodded, replying in a dispassionate tone. “Embelum bulla buhrem.” Rainbow saw her unravel a scroll as the group matched supplies to their notes. “Bul buhleem rehmel bulla kembel.”

“Boh bulla. Buhkeem.”

Ariel blinked.

“That...” Rainbow's muzzle twisted as she lingered slightly in mid-trot. “...doesn't sound like Moonwhinny.”

“Because they're not speaking Moonwhinny,” Lukaas spat aside, as if grossed out by Rainbow's ignorance. “It's New.”

“New?” Rainbow turned to squint at the Fifth. “What the buck is 'New?'”

The pale stallion snorted. “Whatever the Hell they want it to be.”

Neither Lexxic or Azarias had anything to add to that.

Applejack, Twilight, and Fluttershy exchanged curious looks.

“Oh sweet merciful heavens,” Rarity murmured. Pinkie Pie floated closer as the fashionista—visibly wincing—pointed at the group of mares. “Look at their necks...”

While trotting, Rainbow's gaze followed Rarity's gesture. It was then that she noticed on the mares' necks—all of them—a round circle filled with darkened flesh. The velvety fur was noticeably absent in these identical patches, resting specifically between the collar and the left ear. While the imprints lingered on each and every one of the female sarosians, they looked far too rough to be natural. They weren't cutie marks.

“Looks like branding,” Wildcard hand-signaled.

Rainbow clenched her jaw in response. She turned to see if Ariel had “read” the Desperado's observation. Judging from her calm canter, Rainbow suspected she hadn't.

“Long ago,” Lexxic sounded off, approaching a dimly-lit chamber at the end of a long series of intersecting wooden corridors. “But not too terribly long ago... our lives became one with the War... and the War became one with our lives. Horrible as it sounds, it remains noble where it needs to be. The rest—naturally—becomes the filth of labor. And the filth stops... … … right about here.”

As he said this, he and Lukaas and Azarias approached another raised dais, much like the one outside. The mural etched above wasn't quite as stained with soot, and the runestones placed strategically within the intaglio of ancient sarosians still glowed with a hint of silver.

And yet, Lexxic tilted his helm back, making sure his smile could be seen by Rainbow and her familiar. “For now.”

Seraphimus and Ariel blinked.

Rainbow—meanwhile—looked down at the surface of the circular platform. A large circle was etched into the wooden surface. However, instead of a charcoal-black stain filling the extent of the rounded frame, it was only a sliver that hugged one hundred degrees of it, tapering at the ends but thickest at the four-o'clock position.

“A crescent,” Twilight said.

“F'lywmym rym'lywm syln thrym'l,” Azarias could be heard speaking ahead. Rainbow looked forward to see the extra-scarred stallion addressing male Bloodwing warriors who were standing guard at the entrances to the next upper level of the tree. The Second pointed back at the group of four following Lexxic and Lukaas. “W'ynlppa yln H'luun ylym Fn'ymbrymii. Hym'wyml thyln srym Natr'do ryssa thym.”

“Slyn...” One warrior fidgeted nervously in his armor, looking at the four. “L'azarias'ym... sym thryml Fn'ymbrym...! Sykk'lym syl'ymma H'cylsialymii ryk-ryk...!”

Azarias growled, clearly frustrated. Before he could lunge in the stallion's face—

“You are quite right, brother.” Lexxic approached the guards, smiling beneath his helm. “I commend all of you on doing your duty to both the elders and common sense. I know that it is not easy. Nevertheless...” He waved a hoof. “H'wym syml wrym th'lynwynd.” A tilt of his helm. “S'lym swym h'jemii. Ywm...?”

A slight shudder...

...but the guards ultimately relented.

“Ywm, Lexxy'kyn.”

They lowered their spears and trotted aside—something Lukaas watched with a twitching gaze for every second it transpired.

Lexxic turned to Azarias—who turned to Rainbow and company. “Come...” He gestured towards the looming passageways. “Let us not tarry any longer than we need to among the keepers.”

Without saying a word, Rainbow and her party trotted up and briskly followed after their guides. The guards—standing aside—glared at them the entire time.

Here... it smelled far better.

There was no incense required for this—but Rainbow and her friends could notice some curiously pleasant scents nonetheless. There was a bit of spice in the air. What's more, it was far brighter... with functioning moon runes planted on metal poles that glowed with cool silver-and-blue brilliance.

It was crowded here—but not as much as in the level below. Once again, Rainbow and her fellow travelers encountered mares. But these mares were... different from the laborers down below.

For one, they could smile. Fangs showed in the rune light as the leather-winged ponies spoke with one another. Chuckles could be heard. The air turned melodic with squeaks and chirps and other more pleasant sounds that Rainbow didn't know sarosians could make until now. They had neatly-brushed coats, and their manes—while still fixed in tight buns—were a great deal shinier than the occupants of the Tree below.

In the same vein as the other laborers, these mares were likewise hard at work. But the pace was considerably less rigid, and the work benches and stations were comfortably paced apart.

As Rainbow passed by, she and her companions—Twilight especially—noticed that the sarosians were working on spells. Their stations were covered all over in glowing scrolls, marked sigils, and finely-etched runes. The mares had tiny strips of lunar metal affixed to their necks and collars. Others had tell-tale layers of moon dust fused to their leafy ears. As they leaned over their spellcraft and murmured key words in ancient moonwhinny, the air around them glowed with otherworldly energy—and the bits of dust and metal affixed to their bodies pulsated in a matching hue of both light and color.

Rainbow—still trotting after Lexxic and his subordinates—watched as this glowing enchantment was harnessed into collected portions of dust. These were then mixed in with dark ash, presumably scavenged from somewhere beyond the Tree, before being bottled and carried downstairs in discreet packages by female laborers.

Room after room, Rainbow passed and trotted. Occasionally, she'd pass by what resembled bunks, supply closets, mess halls, and even a lounge or two. The air was cool—heated only by the mirth of the conversing mares. What's more, these equines looked about at eye level, their slitted eyes filled with hope and ambition and multiple, multiple tasks to accomplish. Several stopped what they were doing to gawk at Rainbow Dash and her companions—standing absolutely dead still with flushed expressions of confusion and curiosity—until a female foreman shrieked at them in moonwhinny and it was back to work.

Yes, moonwhinny—the same tongue as Lexxic and his brothers. Fitting, as the runes and sigils spelled the language out at every enchanting station. As the workers turned about, Rainbow took note of the marks that had been stenciled permanently into each of the mares' necksides: a round circle with a black crescent resting within.

“It would seem that you caught the keepers at a busy time,” Lexxic mused, leading the way towards another ascending chamber up ahead. “As the schedule fits—they're preparing another armament.”

“Is all that dust...” Rainbow murmured allowed. “...actually from the moon?”

“You tell me,” Lexxic tilted his helm back. “I've never seen the moon before!” He tilted it forward. “Have you, Fifth?”

Lukaas groaned loudly. But before he could humor the First Son with a reply—

“Halt!” a female voice boomed authoritatively throughout the chamber from far ahead.

Azarias and Lukaas skidded immediately to a stop.

Lexxic took a few more steps before slowly, casually acquiescing.

Rainbow and her friends looked past the three stallions. They saw a stern-looking mare trotting down the raised dais, accompanied by four guards in shiny silver armor. Four female guards.

“That's far enough, Lexxy'kyn,” she said.

The mare was tall, with pronounced cheekbones and a blue complexion throughout her velvety figure. Rainbow glanced at her neck, seeing a round circle filled in halfway with dark coloring. She glanced down at the surface of the dais and—sure enough—observed a large matching seal.

“L'azarias'ym... Sy'lukas'ymb...” The mare acknowledged the Second and Fifth. “I appreciate your show of duty. I shall take custody of W'ynlppa yln H'luun from here.”

“Custody?” Ariel spoke up for the first time in minutes. “Are we prisoners or are we guests?”

“As far as I'm concerned, you are nothing.” The mare glared at Ariel, then motioned her head towards Rainbow Dash. “But she?” A deep breath. “That depends on the Dream Council and their findings.”

“Nat'rdo,” Rainbow Dash said. “Do you know her?”

“As well as I'm allowed to. Now...” The stern mare approached Rainbow directly. “Remain still—”

Clakka-Clakk! Bard's staff stretched out between them.

The female guards brandished their spears. The lead mare held her hoof up, looking pointedly at Wildcard. “Stand yourself down, creature.” Her eyes softened—if only slightly. “Her time of being harmed has passed.” She breathed. “Long before she stepped into the Tree of Mothers.”

Wildcard merely glared through his goggles.

Rainbow sighed. She flicked her tail—batting the Desperado in the beak. Disgruntled, the griffon leaned back on the staff, standing beside Seraphimus.

Everyone watched as the mare resumed her slow trot towards Rainbow. She towered above the mare, and yet she approached the last distance between them as if she was trotting on eggshells. Her slitted eyes anxiously reflected a ruby pendant.

“Look...” Twilight whispered to the others. “...she's wanting to examine the Element.”

“Do...” Fluttershy squirmed. “Do we let her?”

“Reckon it's the only way to pass on forwards,” Applejack murmured.

The mare's hoof reached forward... forward...

FL-FLASH!

A burst of silver-light pulsed from Rainbow's necklace. While it was far from threatening, it nevertheless summoned a jolt from the mare and her armored companions. Several laborers looked over from their stations, full of bright eyes and brighter fangs. A pronounced hiss of awe and alarm filled the room.

“Huh...” Rainbow glanced down and gave her pendant a casual pat with her hoof. “Neato.”

“Hresssh...” The bluish sarosian shook, looking uncharacteristically timid. “H'Luun...” Her leafy ears drooped. “W'ynlppa thrym sy'wrym... wylna thy'malym???”

Lukaas blinked in awe at the exchanged. Azarias looked far from impressed. Lexxic...

“She performs an impressive headbutt.” His fangs formed as punctuations to a crescent. “Perhaps she will try it on Nat'rdo.”

Snapping out of it, the mare frowned at him. “You have done well, Lexxy'kyn. Your services are no longer required in this matter.”

“A great relief.” His helm bowed ever so slightly. “Since it required the entirety of my services to render.” The lilt in his voice dropped to a menacing low. “Need I remind the Imperial Security that my services and the war effort are one in the same.”

“Enough, Lexxy'kyn—”

“But even that wasn't enough,” he was hissing now, chilling the air around them as a touch of dizziness kissed the back of Rainbow's head. “But Malaak was given an excuse to lasso in the Fourth and Fifth Roots.”

“Enough!” The mare barked, her armor rattling as angry eyeslits glared at him. “This is not the time and place to discuss war strategy!”

“Is it ever?”

“The elders will deal with you when they summon you.” Her nostrils flared. She looked towards the Second and Third. “L'azarias'ym. Sy'lukas'ymb. You are also dismissed—”

“Funny...” Lexxic turned, his smile back as he aimed it at his subordinates. “She uses battle names like a saddle. But she's never been in battle.”

For once, Lukaas had a good chuckle.

Rainbow half-expected the mare to snap at him, but she simply faced Rainbow and her friends, even as Lukaas' laughter rolled on. “There is much I must do to prepare you for the Council. Please...” She gestured towards the guards and the looming doors behind the dais. “...allow me to escort you.”

“Uhm...” Rainbow's brow furrowed. “I don't think I got your name—”

“You will know it. Please. Let us move,” the mare insisted, icily.

Rainbow merely blinked.

At last, the mare sighed, speaking to Rainbow, barely above a whisper: “I would rather not speak further in the presence of him.”

A beat.

Rainbow... eventually nodded. She motioned to the others, then trotted across the dais.

Seraphimus and Ariel followed.

Wildcard was nearly halfway across the platform when—

Th-Thap!

—a floating dagger pressed against his lower feather crest, stopping the griffon in place.

“Not you, I'm afraid.” Lexxic tilted his face towards him. The smile below his helm was a thin one—exasperated. “That's as far as you go.”

Wildcard merely cocked his head to the side.

“Huh?” Ariel looked back, standing awkwardly along with Seraphimus. “I... I don't get it...” She looked at the armored mares. “Why him—?”

The female guards had tensed up. With their slitted eyes locked on Wildcard, they gripped their spears and polearms with cautious readiness.

Rainbow looked closely at them, then at Wildcard... and the First Son who was restraining them. She cleared her throat and said, “I'll be okay from here on, Jordan.”

“???” The Desperado looked at her.

Rainbow bore a crooked smile. “I... don't think you're invited to the slumber party, dude.”

Ariel blinked, lost in confusion.

Seraphimus glanced at the scene, then down at her limbs. She currently stood well past the center of the half-filled seal that marked the platform. None of the mares had made a move for her.

“I think...” Seraphimus spoke firmly, retracing her steps until she retreated to Wildcard's side. “...I shall accompany Jordan for the interim.”

“Accompany him?” Ariel's voice cracked. “Accompany him where?”

“To...” The Former Talon Commander looked from Rainbow to the female guard … and finally to Lexxic. “...wherever it is that we may have the good grace to pass the time.”

Lexxic calmly nodded. “A wise decision.” Sch-Schlack! His one floating dagger zipped back into place within a blink. He patted Wilcard's backside before trotting between the two griffons. “Perhaps... you will care to regale me with Penumbran tales of bloodshed and political strife. My brothers could certainly use the amusement.”

“Wildcard...” Rainbow awkwardly called out to them. “Sera—”

“Fear not, avatar...” Lexxic waved a hoof without looking back. Azarias and Lukaas joined him and the Rohbreddenites. “Besides, they would not even be of good sport. I assure you, as the First Son of Nightmares, that they will be safe. Please... go now and speak with those who live in what they call 'dreams'.”

Ariel exchanged glances with Rainbow before stammering after Lexxic: “You mean... you're not going up with us...?”

Lexxic stopped dead in his tracks. He turned all the way around, bearing a sarcastic smile beneath that pale helm. “No,” he eventually breathed, shaking his head. “I am most certainly not.” Then—just as slowly—he turned back towards the descent, exiting with half of Rainbow's party in tow.

“Ariel...?” Rainbow placed her hoof on the mare's shoulder. “...keep your head in the game, girl. Something tells me we've got a lot to carry on our shoulders soon.”

Ariel gulped, nodding as she turned to follow the other mares—armored and otherwise—up the ascending passageways. “Looks like very few around here are sure of that...”

Sarosians of Gibbous Sanctum

With Wildcard and Seraphimus lost from sight, Rainbow Dash kept her eyes locked on the blue-coated mare in armor before her. Even as they traversed a winding corridor drenched in shadows, she waited patiently for her and Ariel's new chaperon to speak.

It wasn't long until Rainbow was repaid for her steadfastness. Once their guide had ascended half a flight, the mare came to a scuffling stop. Wordless, the other two female guards trotting along with the group relaxed in place, gripping and leaning on their spears.

Rainbow watched as the sarosian representative removed her helmet, revealing a peppery mane of mixed blue-and-gray threads. Tossing her hair loose, the mare took a breath... more of a long-winded sigh. It was around that moment that Rainbow's nose noticed a spicy scent wafting down from the next level of the Tree just beyond the ascending corridor. It was pleasant, homely, and calming. Like lavender mixed with cinnamon. Even Ariel looked more at ease, her wings and tail hanging limp as she too took a moment to properly inhale and exhale.

Now that Lexxic was no longer nearby, Rainbow's head felt clearer. Heavier. She felt more sure of herself—her muscles and her might and her motion. Her five ghostly friends even appeared brighter and more colorful than they had been over the past two dozen hours. How long had her entire world been... drained because of him...?

What's more, Discord was nowhere to be found.

So invested was Rainbow Dash in reveling in these renewed sensations that she didn't realize their new guide was coming out of a fog of her own. The two made eye contact—ruby to slitted—and it was Rainbow Dash who jumped the gun. “It's like you just ran a marathon,” she said. Her eyebrow arched. “And here I thought I was the one who flew in from all the way across the plane.”

“Do forgive me, W'ynlppa yln H'luun,” the mare spoke, shuddering slightly. “Every time I have to speak with the Commander... is an exercise.”

“Do you not trust him?” Rainbow asked, causing the guards beside her to fidget in their armor.

“It's not that.” Their guide frowned. Her leafy ears drooped. “I simply... do not like him.”

“He leads your troops, doesn't he?”

“And you think we—the Dark Vigil—approve of this war?” The mare's eyeslits were intense, stabbing. “Or of any war?”

“You've certainly lived with one long enough,” Rainbow said with a shrug.

The mare stood in stern silence.

Ariel spoke up: “You just called her the 'Avatar of Luna,' didn't you?” Her eyes narrowed. “Does that mean that you believe—?”

“At the moment, I do not believe in anything,” the mare interrupted her. “The Imperial Guard only concerns itself with necessity. I leave 'truth' to the Council and the Elders.”

“Well...” Rainbow shrugged, producing a tiny smirk. “Maybe they will be just as impressed as you were by the Element's zappy-zap thing just now.” A playful wink. “Blessing kiss of the Mother of Nightmares and all that.”

The chaperon's lips pursed. Her eyeslits darted about—as if she was attempting to piece together the juvenile jargon Rainbow had just used.

“Quickkkk!” Pinkie Pie hissed ghostily into Rainbow's ear. “Reset button! Hit ittttt!”

“Ahem...” Rainbow delicately cleared her throat. “Let's start over, shall we?” She smiled, holding a hoof out. “My name is Rainbow Dash. I'm from Equestria.”

“So you're not just Penumbran...” The mare's eyes narrowed, ignoring the gesture. “...you've been foaled under the Deceiver's Glare.”

Twilight and Rarity exchanged glances, mouthing those last few words.

“I... like to call her 'Princess Celestia,'” Rainbow Dash said. “And—y'know... she's not perfect. But she means well. Better than I think you guys remember. Butttttttt... I know that's not easy to be convinced of after nearly a thousand years on the run and battling crazy evil armies under the stars.”

“No.” The mare shook her head. “It's not easy.”

“Glad we can... agree on one thing.”

“Perhaps... more than one... I hope.” The mare stood tall and at attention. “Since you have proven more than respectful, I must pay your sign of good faith with equal return. I am Captain Xandraa of the Imperial Guard. So long as you reside in the Tree of Mothers, both your liberties and your well-being are my responsibilities. From now on, you are not allowed anywhere unless I expressively give you both consent and accompaniment. Is that understood?”

“Absolutely.”

Xandraa's fangs showed. “If you choose to violate the restrictions that have been placed upon you and your companions, it is my place to restrain you by any means necessary. Even lethal.”

“That... doesn't particularly surprise me,” Rainbow said, nodding.

Ariel cocked her head aside. “Are we guaranteed litigious solicitors in the event of a trial?”

“... … ...” Xandraa merely stared at her.

“S-sorry...” Ariel smiled bashfully. “Just... tr-trying to break the tension.”

“There is no need for tension,” Xandraa said—more like hissed. “We are all sisters here.”

Rainbow Dash looked at the half-filled circle branded into Xandraa's neck. For a brief moment, she looked back past her flank—down the curved passageway of stairs that led to the lower levels and the laborers still sweating away within. By the next breath, Rainbow turned back towards the Captain and threw on a crooked smile.

“Hey, who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? Even if she is on the bottom half of the world.”

“Hmmm... funny...” Xandraa's cheekbones almost broke into a grin. “...we always thought of Penumbra as the 'underbelly.'”

“Ha ha ha!” Ariel slapped her own knee.

Xandraa and her two fellow guards glared at her again.

“Eh heh heh...” Blushing furiously, Ariel trotted backwards, huddling low behind Rainbow Dash.

“Is... uh...” Rainbow coughed delicately, looking back up at the Captain. “...is my griffon friend truly not allowed up here?”

“You mean the one whom Lexxic detained?” Xandraa stared down haughtily at the petite pegasus. “I assume he is male?”

“You got that right.”

“No. He is most certainly not allowed to ascend any further up the Tree.”

“I see.” Rainbow cocked her head aside. “Isssss... there a reason for that?”

“That is not for me to explain to you.” Xandraa swiveled around and paced up the steps at an icy pace. “Come. I have detained you and your friend long enough, avatar. The Dream Council await.”

Rainbow trotted briskly after their guide. “Will they explain things?”

“I can only assume so.” Xandraa's leather wings tightened under the armor. “Granted... they will most likely expect many explanations in return.”

“Well, Luna's nip—!” Rainbow instantly blanched, and then blurted: “Land's sakes! Uh... boy howdy do I have lots of... uh... Penumbran gab to give 'em!”

Applejack looked at her anchor funny.

Rainbow waved her silent with a wing, cleared her throat, and continued speaking to the Captain. “But... as for my griffon friends. Both of them—”

“They will not be harmed,” Xandraa said.

“You know this for a fact?” Rainbow arched an eyebrow. “Considering how you seem to feel about Lexxic—”

“That creature is many things,” Xandraa muttered, the hard lines in her muzzle growing harder. “Arrogant. Egotistical. Crude. Brutish. Unorthodox...”

Rainbow blinked curiously. “But...?”

Xandraa sighed in defeat. “He has proven time and time again to be a stallion of honor. To his fellow brothers in arms—yes. But, more importantly, he's proven honorable to the authority of the elders and the sanctity of the Book of Saros.”

“Ah. So that's why you tolerate him.”

“Grnnnghhhh...” Xandraa audibly grumbled.

Rainbow smiled, muzzle wide. “Right. Questions for the Dream Council to answer.”

“And I don't envy the labors ahead of them...” Xandraa slowed slightly as they approached a dim light from the summit of the winding corridor. “We are entering Gibbous Sanctum, the High Polished of the Tree.” She looked back over her shoulder. “Stay close to me and my mares. And do not speak to anyone until we have reached the Dream Den.”

“Oh... by all means...” Rainbow Dash. “I mean... heck... I'm not really all that chatty myself. But Ariel here?! Pffft! Can't get her to stop yapping!”

“Huh?!” Ariel suddenly snapped to it. She frowned. “Hey! Don't start making—!”

“Stuff it, Ariel! Sheesh!” Rainbow rolled her eyes, wearing a dumb grin. “Again with you!”

Ariel huffed, cheeks red and pouting. “Now I know how Wildcard must have felt around Bard.”

“You're welcome,” Rainbow said.

“Hrmmmfff...” Xandraa led them into the scented glow of the next floor. “Penumbrans...”

“...and they would vote on security measures for the Talon to enforce in multiple Prefectures,” Seraphimus was explaining. She, Wildcard, Lexxic, and his subordinates trotted out of the main body of the Tree, emerging once again upon the bottom-most dais that stood before the open roots at ground level. The steam and smoke of various industries wafted towards them—obscuring the already dim runelights within the dome above. “While the council consisted of separate and equally represented tribes, the establishment and ratification of laws was performed state by state.”

“And it was your position to enforce the enacted laws of... this Rohbredden continent...?” Lexxic remarked.

“That is correct.”

“As the... Right Talon of...”

“Verlaxion.”

“Ah. Indeed.” Lexxic nodded, his helm bright and pale like a lighthouse beacon in the haze. “A most curious coincidence that a creature with such noble function would find herself here—having crossed both the brinks and the bleaks to arrive so inexplicably at my home.”

Seraphimus raised an eyecrest. “I take it you don't believe me.”

“Mmmmm... your words hold merit.”

“Can you be quite certain of that?” Seraphimus asked. “It's an awful lot to take in—much less willfully digest.”

“I imagine I am quite the sight,” Lexxic said, smiling as he gestured a hoof towards the helm. “Am I any less believable?”

“The... surface certainly begs questions...” Seraphimus looked his facade up and down. “The substance—even more so.”

“Heheheh...” Lexxic chuckled. “It strains us. To be burdened with explanation. To have to guard with tongues as much as with tassets.” He nodded. “I admire the zeal it takes to hold one's own, in spite of the inevitable hurdle. To shamelessly deposit the suspension of disbelief in another's court is a maddening offense, indeed.”

“I don't particularly care what you make of my history,” Seraphimus said, pacing towards the edge of the dais while Lukaas and Azarias looked on. “Goodness knows, I hold less and less regard for it myself.”

“Curious.” Lexxic pivoted vaguely in her direction. “For it is a lot to give up... to embark on such a perilous quest.”

Wildcard glanced over at him.

The First Son of Nightmares continued: “To give up the nation of a Goddess in order to dive into darkness, forsaking light and mirth and more.” Lexxic's helm tilted slightly to the side. “Or perhaps did something burn all those beautiful bridges for you?”

Wildcard glanced at his former Commander.

Seraphimus looked halfway towards Lexxic from where she stood. “You should be asking Rainbow Dash those questions.” She exhaled hard through her beak nostrils. “She's been on a longer 'dive' than me.”

“And am I to believe that you support her?”

“... … ...” Seraphimus turned to face him completely. Her charcoal eyes narrowed. “For a blind stallion, you're curiously perceptive.”

Lukaas' muscles tightened. Frowning, he made to snap at the griffon—but Azarias held him back.

Meanwhile, Lexxic was chuckling. “Ha ha ha ha... And who ever said that I was blind?”

Seraphimus had no reply.

“Since we're in the mood to presume things...” The First Son paced towards her. “Humor me, if you will: there are six tribes to you nation, yes?”

“Five, technically,” Seraphimus said. “From a congressional standpoint.”

“Ah. Right.” Lexxic tapped an invisible block in the air. “That's the part that caught my attention. Let me see...” He tongued the inside of his pale muzzle before pronouncing: “Earth Ponies, Unicorns, Pegasi, Griffons, Sirens... … ...” His words trailed off.

Seraphimus filled it in: “Wyverns.”

“Right. The wyverns. Their governmental representation was practically non-existent by the time you left, if I recall your explanation correctly.”

“It's quite complicated...”

“Is it, though?” Lexxic tilted his helm. “When a race's time is up—it's up.”

Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. “They could no longer sustain a population sizable enough to possess equal congressional representation.”

“And—no doubt—the rest of your nation's governors made ample consolation in order to restore the past norms...”

Seraphimus clenched her beak tight. She looked away.

Lexxic tilted his face up—as if responding to her motion. “Did they not?”

“Actually...” Seraphimus fumed—but her voice was laced with as much guilt as anger. “...in a fit of paranoid xenophobia, many of the wyverns were hunted down in their very homes... and falsely charged with crimes that they did not commit.”

“Mmmmmm... so there it be...” Lexxic turned towards Lukaas and Azarias, grinning. “The burn from the Glare.”

Seraphimus' crestfeathers lifted somewhat. “Rohbredden is far away from Rainbow Dash's homeland and her beloved 'Celestia.'”

While Azarias and Lukaas shuddered from the mention of that name...

...Lexxic replied without hesitation. “And yet, it sears all the same, anywhere in Penumbra.”

“Is your home entirely devoid of cruelty?” Seraphimus asked.

“Cruelty with a purpose is a weapon, and we have spent all our lives sharpening it. As is our station. Honestly, Commander...” Lexxic drew closer to her. “...I suspect you know—as well as I do—that there are some creatures that exist solely to be hated. And we—the sons of Nightmares...” His fangs showed. “...we were foaled into suffering. It's our lot in this corporeal world, which is why—so long as we exist—we shall always be in exile.”

“Yes.” Seraphimus nodded. “Rainbow Dash has informed me much about the Civil War that your kind were plunged into nearly a millennia ago. A pity to have enjoyed so little peace and too much strife.”

“Oh, it didn't start with war, Commander,” Lexxic said. “The misery began with our foaling. For we were never meant to exist in the physical to begin with. It's the world... that has warred with our essence since the first screams at starlight.”

Wildcard's feathery brow furrowed.

Seraphimus likewise looked confused. “I'm... afraid you have me at a loss...”

“No offense, Commander, but I didn't expect any better. And I doubt I can from Rainbow Dash.” Lexxic leaned his smile at an angle. “Tell me—regarding the wyverns. When your kin hunted them down... did they kill every last one of them off?”

Seraphimus visibly blanched at that. “Goddess, no...”

“Mmmm... then you are indeed at a loss.” Lexxic paced towards his Second and Fifth, speaking as much to them as he did to Seraphimus. “Cruelty exists in every creature. Efficiency... is something else. This war... this society... this civilization would never have come to fruition...” He paced until he had turned around to face Seraphimus once again. “...had the powers in charge several ages ago...been fully committed to proper endings.” He weathered a bittersweet sigh. “So long as those wyverns live—their pain shall live... and no scarcity of life will ever stop the spirit for retribution or vengeance. Whichever comes first—it matters not. Misery will fill the gaps in between, and what was once cruel imprisonment will turn into a war for an exile—and then some.”

Seraphimus slowly shook her head. “Not every ill-begotten race is the same as you.”

“I'm quite aware of that.” Lexxic chuckled. “And that's why all who pale in our shadow should be afraid.”

Wildcard's beak muscles tightened. Her rubbed his neck with a metal talon—contemplatively.

“I rather like him,” Lexxic said, pointing straight at the Desperado—actually making the silent griffon jump. “He has an awful lot to say.”

Seraphimus exhaled. “You'll find he's short on words.”

“Which speaks volumes.” Lexxic tilted his head in Wildcard's direction. “If only half my brothers were so committed in speech—we'd have won the war five campaigns ago.”

“What—are you recruiting?” Seraphimus asked.

“I suppose that depends,” Lexxic said.

Silence. Wildcard... performed several talon motions in the air.

Lexxic leaned back, looking deadpan beneath his helm. “Am I to assume he's conveying information?”

Seraphimus translated: “He says 'I only serve one Commander. She's speaking to your elders right now.'”

Lexxic let loose a sad breath. “Another soul in exile.” A slight smirk. “I suppose that's the best qualification yet.”

Wildcard looked none too happy at that response.

“But—where are my manners...?” Lexxic waved a hoof. Lukaas and Azarias joined his side as he marched slowly down the dais and into the roots of the Tree. “The elders have suspended their instructions for the time being—save for the one that still has me posted here. For once, I have time—and not drones—to kill. I might as well fill that length with something meaningful.” He waved at the two griffons. “Come. No doubt you have much to see in order to... report to your 'commander.'”

As Lexxic began trotting away, Seraphimus drifted closer to Wildcard. The two former colleagues stood side by side, staring on with cautious glares.

“His eloquence... is ever so slightly eclipsed by his malice,” Seraphimus declared.

The Desperado nodded. He hand-signed: “Thank you for reminding me.”

“Who says I was reminding you,” Seraphimus replied.

Wildcard gave her a double-take.

With a calm gait, she followed after Lexxic. A nervous Heraldite shuffled quietly behind.

Velvet.

Silver.

Dark mahogany.

Rainbow Dash wasn't certain if she had stepped into the upper lair of the Bloodwings or a luxury hotel suite. She, Ariel, and Rainbow's ghostly companions stared all about—gawking—at the lush furniture, cushioned seats, and extravagant upholstery of the Tree's interior curving before them. The interior was dim—but a comfortable dim. Tiny silver pinpricks of light glittered across the darkly-painted ceiling. Dark etches of cosmic swirls and nebulaic constellations were studded with runic stones—enchanted to glow just faintly enough to cast a silver-bluish sheen across the hazy interior. Incense burned in multiple places. While downstairs—in the hall of New-speaking laborers—the incense was a deterrent to foul odor, here it was a luxury... and an opulent one at that. Mixed scents of spicy and calming fragrances caressed Rainbow and Ariel from all angles. Both mares didn't know whether to giggle or fall asleep; the cool dim glow from above certainly didn't help them keep their wits as vigilantly as they preferred.

Sheer curiosity—and duty—kept them trotting after Xandraa's figure. The corridors here were very thin. No longer did they trot down long gaping hallways that pierced the center of the Tree. Instead, it felt as though they were rounding the massive circumference of the structure. As a result, they passed several bends—and each obstruction concealed-then-revealed newer and more colorful examples of the Bloodwings' lofty eccentricity.

For one, many of the mares Rainbow and Ariel saw were old. Well past fifty to sixty winters. For their age, they looked healthy—far healthier than most of the soldiers under Lexxic's command. Some were even plump, teetering on obese. Their manes were splendid works of art, many of which were braided in ridiculously elaborate fashions, predominantly gray or smokey charcoal in color. Still, Rainbow couldn't get more details concerning the mares' physicality, because most sarosians here were dressed in silk and satin fineries: gowns and robes and dresses that sent Rarity reeling with each incarnation. The fashionista cooed at all the splendor—noting from the condition of the stitching that the silver-and-purple ensembles were clearly hoof-me-downs, likely carried on by generations upon generations of matriarchal possessions.

The ponies here took little notice of Rainbow Dash and Ariel. Xandraa trotted slowly through the corridors, her pace and stature calm—likely so as not to stir up any concern. If so, it worked: barely any sarosian took more than one glance at the guarded procession. They simply went about their business—which consisted of lounging about on cushioned seats, reading from various scrolls while gossiping, painting on leathery canvases, and various other... hobbies.

At one point, Rainbow and her friends came upon a chamber filled with beautiful and delicate music. They found a cluster of about two dozen mares—both young and old—forming a living crescent around a musical instrument that sounded like a harpsichord. There, a tiny pony sat. A filly—the first Rainbow had seen since departing from Bleak's Plummet. A few more female foals in purple velvet dresses squatted around her. They and the adults listened intently as the child performed the final movement of a jaunty ballad. When she was done, the audience hissed and applauded lightly. An elderly mare leaned in to hug the instrumentalist from behind, murmuring words of encouragement into her ear with warm moonwhinny.

Rainbow craned her neck, eyes narrowing. When a few of the sarosians moved about or talked, she could see their rich collars shifting. They had one thing in common with the sarosians from further down in the Tree: branding. In this case, a half-filled circle... same as the seal that marked the lower entrance to this place. It was the same mark that Xandraa possessed on her flesh.

“Gibbous Sanctum,” Twilight Sparkle remarked as the group moved along. “It's just like—”

“The moon phase. Eeyup.” Applejack tilted her hat back. “Well ahead of ya, Twilight.”

Twilight pouted. “Well, forgive me for thinking out loud.”

“Dun mind my sass.” Applejack huffed, glaring at all the lavish ornamentation of the place and ponies around them. “I just get awful sore in places that feel so... so... Manehattany.”

“Manehattan?!” Rarity scoffed. “Don't be so daft, Applejack! This place shames the likes of Manehattan in terms of splendor and artistic quality!” Her eyes were positively starry as she stared about. “Not even Trottingham is this luxurious!”

“But that's the point!” Applejack frowned, pointing down past the plush rugs beneath them. “Downstairs was practically Tartarus compared to hereabouts! Where do these ponies get off livin' high-and-mighty off the backs of their own destitute brothers and sisters?”

“Just because the Bloodwings live in balance does not mean they live in fairness,” Fluttershy said in a melancholic tone. “Mother Nature has always done it better than ponies. And what's so 'natural' about the way the Dark Vigil has been living for a thousand years?”

“It just dun sit right with me, is all,” Applejack grumbled, floating forward with her forelimbs folded. “These ladies are settin' themselves up for a mighty big fall.”

“I dunno—if you ask me, they seem set for life!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She looked towards Rainbow Dash. “Tell us—Dashie—before Rohbredden, didja witness a nation of creatures living as wacky and bonkers as this?!”

Rainbow Dash's eyes locked on hers. Her brow furrowed—but she said nothing.

“Pinkie...” Fluttershy floated closer. “She can't talk right now, remember?” She gestured at the chaperon ahead of them. “Xandraa asked...”

“Oh riiiiiiiight...” Pinkie stuck her tongue out. “Cuz Celestia forbid that Dashie should rain on these hoity-toity-buttdinskies' parade!”

“Just what are they doin' up here anyways?!” Applejack blanched. “A whole lot of lyin' around and yawnin' and nothin'?”

“Maybe we should go back downstairs to the war camp,” Rarity said with a waggle of her eyebrows. “Surround Applejack with hard-working military stallions. Help her get her essence back.”

“Meh.”

“Girls... girls...” Twilight chided. “Let's not get distracted by what we like or don't like about this place. Focus on what's beyond the surface!”

“How can we?!” Pinkie pouted. “Tombstone-Head's got all our senses confuzzled!”

“But he left Rainbow's presence minutes ago!” Twilight exclaimed. “Haven't you noticed the difference?!”

Pinkie held a blank expression. Her ears perked up. “Oh yeah...!”

“Come to think of it...” Rarity rubbed her ghostly marshmallow cranium. “...I-I'm feeling a great deal of clarity!”

“Oh gosh...” Fluttershy looked around at the many ponies. “I-I didn't even realize it... b-but I was making a mental headcount of the ponies all this time! It feels just like it did back in Blobstain!”

“So, that confirms it, ya reckon?” Applejack remarked. “As soon as he goes away, we gain our second sights back...?”

“Seems the most sound hypothesis to me.” Twilight pointed at the inner curve of the corridors that they were passing. “Somewhere—beyond those walls—is a massive entanglement of magic.”

“What do you mean by 'massive entanglement?'” Pinkie Pie asked.

Twilight shook her head. “I don't know. But it feels like a mix of the spells that were cast back at Bleak's Plummet...” She gulped. “...and the time that the weapon fired at us and the dihmers.”

“Ya mean the fake moon?” Applejack's freckles contorted. “Ya sense it now?”

“That—or what's left of it for the moment. It's hard to say.” Twilight looked at Rarity. “Rarity? What do you sense?”

“This is simply fantastic, darling...” Rarity rubbed her head, breathless. She gaped at the other mares. “There is a great hollow... as if this far up the Tree—it turns into a stump... with a massive central chamber that opens up to the sky about ten stories above us!”

“Ten stories...?” Fluttershy remarked. “So we're not even that far up the tree.”

“Actually, I suspect we're about halfway,” Rarity remarked. “That last ascending corridor we took—along with Xandraa to get here...?”

“Yes...?”

“That's precisely where the hollow starts. Here—the Gibbous Sanctum and onward—is elevated above the chambers with the laborers.”

“It's like separate districts to a city,” Twilight suggested.

“Exactly.” Rarity nodded. “This Sanctum appears to be a set of interiors hollowed out of the curve of the tree that remains around the central core. I sense more stairwells leading upward into at least two other levels. That's around where the branches start.”

“I sense ponies spread sporadically above us,” Fluttershy interjected. “Some located far out beyond where these walls are located.” She looked at Rarity. “Perhaps they live in the branches?”

“Seems as good a place for living quarters as any,” Rarity said. “As if this portion of the Sanctum wasn't opulent enough! Oh! I wonder if Rainbow will get a chance to sleep there!”

“I-I don't know, Rarity...” Twilight looked nervously at Rainbow Dash. “Unless Rainbow's ready to get a fresh new tattoo to her neck, I doubt the sarosians here will be letting her sleep anywhere past the last seal...”

Rainbow blinked at Twilight. In mid-trot, she looked over at Applejack.

Once Applejack realized she was staring—“Oh! Uhm...” She fidgeted as she floated alongside her anchor. “Hard to put a read on what any of these here mares are feelin'... although I get the sense that they've been feelin' the same thang for years on end.” She shrugged as she glared at the richly-dressed ponies they passed. “Comfort? Creativity?” She tongued the inside of her cheek. “Boredom....?”

“Boredom?” Fluttershy asked.

“You heard me, darling.”

“Do these mares even know that there's a horrible horrible war going on?” Fluttershy's breath shook as she weathered the emotion. “That ponies living on the floors beneath them are sweating to death? Or that there are shanty-towns full of self-harming ponies just a stone's throw away? Do they even have windows to look out of here?”

“Plenty,” Rarity droned. “But most of them look inward—into the hollow.”

Fluttershy's nostrils flared. “Well... I don't know what to say! That just... All of this j-just... makes me feel so... so peev—” Twilight's forelimb wrapped around her muzzle from behind. “Mrmmff! Mrfft-mrffitte???”

“Eheheheheh...” Sweating nervously, Twilight looked over at Applejack. “And what about our current guide, Applejack?”

“... … ...” Applejack rubbed her muzzle, staring at the middle-aged head of security.

“Any day now, darling!” Rarity said.

“Shhhh... just gimme a second!” Applejack insisted. “Lexxic's been cloudin' my noggin somethin' awful. Reckon I'm a bit rusty.”

Rainbow Dash stared after Applejack as she navigated the corridors. She remained quiet. Patient.

At last, Applejack spoke: “She's not feelin' as frustrated as I expected.”

“Guh!” Fluttershy finally freed her muzzle from Twilight's hoof. “You were expecting frustrated?”

“I figured all of the sarosians would be mighty-angry to have Rainbow Dash march up and profess to be the avatar of Luna and such...” Applejack shook her head. “But this Captain Xandraa yokel ain't quite so fussy about it.” Her green eyes narrowed. “In fact—if I didn't know better—I'd say she was happy to meet Rainbow Dash.”

“Happy?” Twilight blinked. “You sure?”

“Sure as sugar, Twilight.” Applejack nodded. “Happy... but also a mite bit scared.”

“Well, that's to be expected,” Rarity said.

“Reckon it's why she's not wantin' Rainbow or Ariel to speak with the other mares around here.” Applejack looked back at the others. “Somethin' about Luna's enchantment in Rainbow's pendant could stir up quite the commotion.”

“How does she feel about Lexxic?” Twilight asked. “Can you tell?”

“It dun work that well, Twilight,” Applejack droned. “My senses—that is.”

“Can you try? Huh? Try and tell?”

Applejack rubbed her head, wincing somewhat. “It's foggy... what—with it bein' minutes since any of us last seen Lexxic. But... I'm sensin' some anxiety... but it's fading.” Applejack gulped. “Fading with each step we take towards where she's takin' us.”

“This 'Dream Den' that the Captain was talking about...” Twilight looked at Rarity. “Do you sense something that could match it up ahead?”

“As a matter of fact...” Rarity tilted her horn ahead. “...there's a round, spherical chamber—slightly larger than these corridors.” She looked at Twilight with a smile. “The tree is noticeably knotted along its midsection, facing Edgeside. I suspect that's where the so-called 'Dream Den' is located.”

“Oh, how I miss being able to see what's ahead of us!” Fluttershy remarked. She then looked at Pinkie with a smile. “How about you, Pinkie? Are your senses catching anything?”

“Nope! Not a thing!” She then stubbornly looked at her flank. “Except my dumb tail keeps curling and uncurling rapidly. What's up with that—?”

Just then, a petite female body bumped hard into Rainbow's figure. WHUMP!

“Ooomf!” the mare fell hard to the ground. Several scrolls fell to the side while a pair of glasses fell to the other.

“Ee-ee-ee-ee!!!” Xandraa spun about, frowning down at the figure. “W'lymshrym thrym'll, Shriike! Lym'symll thrym syln wylma ryk-ryk!”

“I-I'm so sorry... so v-very sorry!” The mare rolled on her back, hoofy-kicking the air. “A thousand p-pardons, Captain!” More and more scrolls dropped out of her bulging saddlebags as she fought to upright herself. “I was in a h-hurry to g-get to the Supply Requisition Center!” She finally rolled back onto her belly, fumbling around as her slitted eyes squinted. “Guess I didn't see where I was going...”

“No...” Xandraa's wings curled tightly as she fumed. “You didn't.”

“But d-don't worry! I'll fetch m-my things and be out of your mane...!” She squinted and searched... squinted and searched. “...as soon as I can see them, that is...”

“Uhhhhh...” Ariel reached down, grasped the fallen glasses, and hoofed them to the mare with a polite smile. “I think these are yours.”

“Huh?” Suddenly, the mare's eyeslits were refracted into large, globulous blinking orbs—set within the silver frames of her delicate spectacles. After a few absent-minded blinks, she smiled, fangs showing. “Oh! You are too kind!”

Ariel pointed at the fallen scrolls spread across the floor. “Need help with those?”

“No thanks! I got 'em.” Something glowed in the center of her forehead—a horn. The scrolls levitated upwards, sliding neatly—or not so neatly—back into the sarosian's bulging saddlebags.

Rainbow Dash did a double-take, noticing the mare's lack of wings.

“Holy crap!” Ariel stammered, flabbergasted. “A unicorn!”

“Mmmhmm. Yes. Quite.” The sarosian droned, plucking up the last of the fallen scrolls. Her glossy silver mane was frazzled and splitting beyond the pin of her ponytail. “I do believe the term befits the rarity of the matter—” She took one look Ariel—more importantly her feathers—and she jumped, dropping half of the scrolls back onto the ground. “Holy crap! A pegasus!”

“Shriike...” Xandraa hissed once again, slowly this time.

“Holy cr-crap!” The unicorn was now gawking at Rainbow Dash. “Two pegasi! I never... ever thought in my life I would actually pluralize that!” She giggle-snorted, then cooed as her refracted eyeslits turned starry. “Oooooooh... so many colors...”

“Shriike!” Xandraa barked—making several mares glance over from where they lounged on the sidelines.

“Eeep!” Shriike stood tall and straight with a rattle of her glasses. She saluted hard. “Y-yes, Captain!”

“... … ...surely you are needed elsewhere.”

“Oh! Uhm... uhhhhh... uh...” Shriike squirmed where she sat, touching two hooves together as her leafy ears drooped. “Well, to be perfectly honest, the elders sent me on a super important mission.” She gulped. “Not saying that it's... m-more important than your super important mission... although I can imagine h-how you would have gotten the wrong idea, seeing as I just bumped into you super hard as if my mission somehow held dominance over yours, which I would never ever intend to imply—of course—despite the fact that I-I just... suggested it while... uhhhh... t-talking out loud—”

“Enough rambling, Shriike...” Xandraa could be seen rubbing her temple, as if this wasn't the first time having to endure the sarosian-unicorn's pedantic dialogue. “Please... just carry out the elders' orders...”

“I'm... uh... I-I'm not sure I even know how to,” Shriike stammered. “That is... uhhh... I-I'm not even sure I'm prepared. So... uhhh... I-I started reading treatises on Solar Deceiver politics in hopes that I could figure out how to start on the right hoof. I... uh... I-I guess that's why I wasn't looking where I was going.” She gulped. “And that's why I ran into your guest h-here...”

“Not my problem, Shriike,” Xandra sighed.

“But you're so seasoned and wise, Captain!” Shriike remarked, spectacled eyes blinking. “What would you do if the elders told you to rendezvous with the supposed Avatar of Luna?”

“What, you mean her?” Ariel pointed at Rainbow Dash. “That's the Avatar of Luna. The pony you just ran into!”

“Guaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!” Shriike leaned back, forward limbs kicking at the air between them as if to find solid ground. “No way!” She fell back on all fours, more scrolls spilling out of her saddlebags. “That's amazing!”

“Mmmmmm...” Rainbow shrugged. “Wrong a-word, but close enough.”

“I-I didn't know what to imagine! A glowing gold centurion?! A burnt-out husk?! A reptilian that fed on the fetlocks of foals?” Shriike leaned forward, nose scrunched beneath bulging lenses. “But this is so... so... pastel.” A blink. “And petite.”

Rainbow looked her up and down. “You're not quite so ginormous yourself, kiddo.”

“Mmmmm... and what curious lexicon too,” Shriike remarked. Upon noticing numerous shuddering bodies in her peripheral, she blushed. “Errr... sorry, Captain...” A nervous titter. “I forget how much that word triggers ponies.”

“I thought you said that you were on your way to Supply Requisitions...” Xandraa remarked.

“I-I was! Because I-I needed to fetch some night rose incense!” Shriike took a long, deep breath. “It always calms me. I mean—how else do you prepare to meet somepony who may or may not be the living embodiment of the end of all things but also maybe-possibly the vessel for complete lunar victory?”

“That's why I'm escorting her to the Dream Den,” Xandraa droned. “So that the Council may begin their assessment.”

“Oh! Oooh!” Shriike did a little hop. “You're escorting her to the Council too?”

The Captain's jaw muscles tightened. “Don't tell me...” Her glare stabbed back at Shriike's four-eyed gaze. “The Maria Matrons sent you?”

“Yes! I have been ordered to—oh wait, excuse me.” Shriike fumbled, fumbled, then finally yanked a pen and parchment out from her saddlebag. They floated beside her as she smiled gallantly. “I have been ordered to record the conversation between the Dream Council and the self-proclaimed avatar! So that the highest elders—”

“—can review. Got it.” Xandraa's nostrils flared as she swiveled about and marched on towards their destination. “I certainly wish they had informed me.”

“Oh... but... b-but Captain...!” Shriike made to scamper after the group. “Dang it...!” She danced back, scooped up the fallen scrolls with her telekinesis, then shoved them inordinately into her saddlebag as she struggled to keep up. “It's st-standard procedure in the event such as this!”

“There has never been an event such as this,” Xandraa grumbled. “Procedure is whatever the elders deem it to be.” Her eyes narrowed under her helm. “Evidently, it's no longer procedure for them to keep me updated on the last-minute development of protocol.”

“You needn't be so upset, Captain!”

“Hressssh...”

“You're doing your part and I'm doing mine! 'Sisterhood Made Strong In Security!' Isn't that the old motto?”

“You've been reading too many of those damned scrolls.”

“Well, what else am I going to do?! I'm never allowed outside!”

“And for that, you should be eternally grateful,” Xandraa muttered. There was the faintest hint of a smirk beneath her fangs. “Besides... you wouldn't fly far.”

“Oh hardy har har...” Shriike stuck her tongue out. She tossed her mane back—only for it to settled back in place, still frazzled and frayed. “...I see that helmet's still good for being an echo chamber for that biting wit.”

“W'lyssa H'Luun, what I wouldn't give for some new recruits around here,” Xandraa groaned.

Shriike shrugged. “We just need more High Polished seed! But that's the Medical Department—none of my concern. Thank H'Luun...” She saw Rainbow Dash looking back at her, and she blushed furiously. “Uhhhh... uhhhh—a-anyways!” The unicorn saluted in mid-trot. “Greetings, Penumbran stranger! I'm Chief Shriike, acting head Imperial Clerk of the Requisitions and Supply Department!”

“Yeah...” Rainbow nodded, raspy. “I gathered.”

“That is... the 'Chief' part is sorta temporary... at least they told me. Uhhhh... the previous Chief died—old age, not an assassination, mind you. Not that... uhhhh... assassinations are per the norm around here. But I can imagine how you would think that... what—with being a bloody violent denizen of the Solar Deceiver's Burning Glare and all—”

“Shriiiiike,” Xandraa snarled.

“Oh! Uhhhhh... right! To the Dream Den! Uhhh... I'll... uhhhhh...” She galloped ahead, bumping past a well-dressed mare or two and summoning hissy chirps. “I'll lead the way!”

“I have got that covered, clerk!” Xandraa barked.

“But you need somepony to hold the door!” Shriike shrieked back. There was the sound of a table being knocked over. “Oh gosh! I'm so sorry, ma'am! How long w-were you working on that airship-in-a-bottle? Please don't say 'all your life!' Oh blessed H'Luun, I can't live with twice-in-a-week!”

“So... uhhh...” Pinkie Pie looked at her anchor. “...they've got unicorns living in this tree.”

“Unfortunately,” Applejack drawled.

“Hey!” Rarity pouted.

“Just sayin', sugarcube...” Applejack smirked back at the rest. “...they're a lonnnnng haul from their descendants.”

“Just who are those descendants?” Pinkie tapped her scrunched nose. “She's not lookin' awfully 'batty' to me!”

“It's like Twilight said,” Fluttershy remarked. “Lots of sarosians bred with non-sarosian Equestrians. Especially in the Northern Trots.” She nodded. “It stands to reason that they joined the Exodus of the Dark Vigil after the Solar Civil War ended.”

“And bein' so few and far between nabbed them a seat this high in the Tree.” Applejack exhaled in a huff. “Perfect.”

“Don't be so quick to malign the specimen.” Rarity fluffed her mane with a smile. “You heard her yourself! Some rarities still exist on the Dark Side!”

“I dunno...” Rainbow smirked, following far behind Xandraa. “...she reminds me of a certain egghead.”

“Oh? What egghead is that?” Twilight said. A blink... two blinks... and then it was her turn to fold her forelimbs and protest: “Heyyyy!”

Rainbow Dash giggle-snorted, which summoned a glance from Ariel. The petite pegasus cleared her throat. “Don't mind me. Just doing character analysis with the girls.”

“Regarding who?” Ariel pointed up ahead, keeping her voice down. “Four-eyes?”

“Yuh-huh. I'm tellin' ya, girl, this place is only getting weirder and weirder.”

“Yeah. Perhaps.” Ariel smirked, trotting ahead. “But—you ask me—she's kinda cute. In a dorky way.”

Rainbow's eyes twitched. “Oh no...” She slowly shook her head as she caught up with the group. “Celestia on a bike—Don't you friggin' start, girl!”

Rumble In the Den

“Slowly... easy... eaaaasy does it,” Rainbow Dash said. Her gaze fixated on the next sarosian body strolling up to her. She stood up tall, lifting her chest out prominently so that the ruby lightning bolt of her pendant was placed furthest from her center of gravity. “You don't have to touch it. Just reach your hoof out... gently... just a few more smidgemeters...”

As she spoke, yet another elder stretched her fetlock nervously towards the pegasus. Once the gray-tinged fetlock was within a whisper's brush of the object, a dim pulse of light emanated between the sarosian and the pegasus. Like so many individuals before her, the mare recoiled. Fangs protruded from wrinkled lips—an instinctual response—and she backed away with bristled back fur...

...only for another elder to trot up in her place, mimicking the gesture, reacting with no less shock and awe. All the while, a quiet murmur hummed through the place, carried on the pensive breaths of the contemplative elders. Even after so much time and ritual had passed, they stood at a cautious distance from their host, craning their necks to observe Rainbow Dash and her alarming neckpiece from afar.

“How many more ladies are gonna wanna get the zappy zap from Dashie's bappy bap?” Pinkie asked. “It's like the entire recreational bridge club of Mareami had a convention up in this Dream Den!”

“S-some of them have even trotted up more than once,” Fluttershy remarked.

“Gaaaaah!” Pinkie Pie pulled at her ghostly eyelids. “Are you serious?!”

“Just calm down,” Twilight Sparkle insisted. Her gaze reflected a sullen sea of fangs and eyeslits. “Let them take all the time that they need. Rainbow's in no hurry.”

Pinkie frowned. “Isn't she?”

Rainbow glanced over at Nat'rdo. The one “familiar” sarosian of the bunch stood in the center of elders, yet somehow apart. While they all hunched over and murmured with pensive breaths, she stood tall and resolute, her glossy teal mane glinting in the runelight. The moment Rainbow looked at her, she looked back—forcing the petite pegasus to wince and look vaguely back into the dim depths of the place.

“You ask me, I'm mighty glad they're takin' their sweet time,” Applejack said. “Shows that they didn't just ask Rainbow here to give her the cold flank. They was really fixin' to know all about her connections with Princess Luna and whatnot.”

“I agree.” Rarity nodded. “Besides, the more time spent up here...” The Fashionista's forelimbs curled as she shivered. “The less time spent down th-there... brbrbrbbrrrrr...”

“It's also rather comfy here,” Fluttershy said with a slight smile. “Everypony looks graceful... calm... thoughtful...”

“They look thoughtful alright,” Pinkie said, squinting anxiously at the crowded and chattering sarosians along the far ends of the room. “For all we know, they're being 'thoughtful' about cooking Dashie up in a big nasty stew!”

“No Evil Enchantress songwriting, Pinkie,” Twilight chided. “We haven't the time for that.”

“Awwwww! But what if I take out the instrumentals—?”

“Let's just be slow and steady about this. Like Rainbow's being.” Twilight looked at their anchor. “How are you holding up? Good? Nervous?”

Rainbow looked silently at her. While more and more mares took their time approaching her and summoning the enchanted light, Rainbow wordlessly glanced over at Applejack.

The farm filly cleared her throat. “Well, they ain't exactly fixin' to put yer head on a plate, Rainbow. Buttttt...” She squirmed a bit where she hovered. “You haven't won them over. Not yet, at least.”

Fluttershy blinked. “Do they think she's a problem?”

“That's gonna be up to Rainbow Dash to work on, I reckon.” Applejack tilted her hat forward. “And how she brings up the Harmonic Prism.”

Twilight perked up. “... … ...is that what they're thinking about?” A blink. “What Rainbow Dash means to the quest for the Midnight Armory?”

“Call it... a hunch...” Applejack said.

“It's always hunches with you as of late!” Pinkie said.

Applejack's eyes were thin. “Just what do you call 'twitchy tail?'”

“Touche.” Pinkie waved a hoof, smiling. “But my hunches come in combos.”

“They've been sorely lacking as of late,” Rarity remarked.

Pinkie shrugged. “Don't blame me! I can't control the twitch-a-twitch!”

“It's probably for the best.” Fluttershy gulped. “Pinkie's senses always come in handy when we're in danger.”

“One thing at a time.” Twilight looked over at the Captain and her two guards. “At least Xandraa seems to be taking this in stride.”

“Reckon so.” Applejack smirked. “That darn talkative clerk of theirs hasn't spoken a peep since these mares began marchin' up to check out Rainbow's pendant.”

“Just what is she writing in that scroll of hers anyways?” Pinkie remarked.

Rainbow's eyes darted towards Shriike. The Imperialist Clerk stood a few spaces away from the Captain. Her refracted eyes were thin and concentrated—locked on a nearby group of elders. Rainbow observed as Twilight flew halfway towards the limit of her reach, hovering like a specter behind Shriike. The unicorn's eyes scanned the pages.

“Well, Twilight?” Rarity asked.

“I hate to say it...” The bookworm looked up with a sad expression. “...but I can't translate Dark Vigil Moonwhinny script.”

“You suppose she's recording the other elders in the room?” Fluttershy remarked.

Rarity looked to the side. “Applejack?”

She was already nodding. “Feels the case to me.”

“Well, what are they saying?” Pinkie asked.

Twilight shrugged, flying back over to the group. “I haven't a clue.”

“Well, we can't just let this go on forever!” Pinkie remarked. “I'm not saying we rush these theatrical geriatricals—but Dashie put a lot on the line to come here and it's only fair that she get some answers!”

“The sarosians deserve answers too,” Fluttershy said.

Applejack pointed. “Now that we can't very well force.” She sighed. “Wouldn't be proper to have a buncha ticked-off bat ponies.”

Rarity nodded. “Just think of how the Luminards reacted.”

“Yeah, but...” Pinkie Pie blinked brightly. “Bleak's Plummet! Dashie succeeded there!”

Twilight looked at their loyal friend. “Maybe it's about time to make a move.”

Rainbow calmly took in all of her companions' words. She looked to Ariel.

Ariel looked back, blinking blearily. The entire proceeding—in all of its anticlimactic inaction—was almost putting the Heraldite to sleep. However, she shook to full attention upon receiving Rainbow's gaze. “Mmmmm... yes? What?”

“First of all... keep chilling.”

Ariel winced. “If I chill anymore, I might collapse through one of those nearby cushions.” She fought a yawn, watching as another old mare trotted up to summon the glow of Rainbow's enchanted pendant. “How long is this square dance going to last?”

“I'm going to try to start a conversation. Just...” Rainbow tongued the inside of her muzzle. “...don't go berserk if somepony gets uppity and start tossing zealous insults my way.”

“You're expecting that?”

“Not my first rodeo,” Rainbow said. She glanced at Twilight and Rarity. “Not... my first theologically complicated and socially awkward rodeo.”

Twilight and Rarity nodded wearily.

“Hey...” Ariel shrugged. “...I know when to take a backseat.”

“No you don't.”

Ariel blinked. “...is that a challenge?”

“Aaaaaaand thanks for proving my point.” Rainbow whispered aside. “Now clam it.”

Ariel pouted, cheeks reddening.

“Ahem...” Rainbow looked over to Xandraa. “Cap'n, my Cap'n?”

Rainbow sensed Shriike's lensed eyes blinking her way.

Xandraa looked down at the petite pegasus. Even from a few feet away, she towered intimidatingly. “Yes, Penumbran?”

“You... uh...” Rainbow squirmed, her muscles starting to buckle from holding that pronounced pose for so long. “You know these Dream Den gals better than I do. How would a freaky outsider such as myself start out on the right hoof with them?”

“You mean in breaching conversation...” Xandraa remarked.

“Righto.”

The Captain took a breath. “Diplomacy is not my strong suit. The elders maintain laws and I enforce them.”

“Uh... huh...”

“You seem to have a stable head about you, Penumbran,” Xandraa said. “Perhaps you should simply ask them the questions that rest upon your soul.”

“Seems legit...”

“Be mindful...” Xandraa's eyeslits glinted sharply. “You so much as threaten their peace of mind with the Solar Deceiver's accursed spirit, and I will remove your skull from your neck.”

“Well...!” Rainbow bore a crooked smile. “No pressure th-there!”

“For your sake, I would hope not.”

Ariel leaned in, whispering to Rainbow: “How come all the militant chicks love to threaten you?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Started at Foxtaur.”

Ariel squinted. “What's a Foxtaur?”

“These new words are absolutely making my night,” Shriike could be heard from the sidelines. She licked her muzzle and wrote on, smiling geekily. “And the nimrods over in bookkeeping said I'd be bored...”

Rainbow sighed. “This might take a while.” She looked forward. “Okay, ladies, I was wondering—Gah!”

Nat'rdo was staring in Rainbow face, the lines of her muzzle illuminated ominously from the glow of the enchanted pendant. “If I may ask a question.”

“Uhhhh...” Rainbow gulped, ears flattening as she leaned back awkwardly. “Wowsers, you're young.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Rainbow coughed, waving a hoof. “Questions! S-sure! Ask away!”

“That pendant that you wear...” Nat'ro pointed below Rainbow's chin. The magical aura dimmed as Rainbow stepped cautiously away from her. “May we be permitted to remove it?”

“Uhhhhhhh...” Rainbow immediately sweated. She could make out her five friends vehemently shaking their heads in her peripheral vision.

“So that we may study it more closely and then properly ascertain the nature of the enchantment placed upon it,” Nat'rdo clarified.

“That... isn't going to happen,” Rainbow Dash said. She swallowed. “I'm sorry if that comes across as rude for me to say. But...” She glanced towards the guard mares. “...it will be bad news bears for everypony in this room if this pendant came off of me.”

Captain Xandraa jerked to attention, brow furrowed. Shriike's eyes blinked nervously behind their thick lenses.

“D-don't worry...!” Rainbow Dash waved a hoof, raising her voice for everypony to hear her well. “It's for my protection as much as anypony else's! It's just that...” She fidgeted in place. “...if this thing comes off, I'll die. But it's worse than that... others might get hurt before I ultimately kick the bucket.”

“Others hurt?” Nat'rdo calmly asked. “By the pendant?”

“By me,” Rainbow said.

The mares of the Dream Den exchanged glances.

“The harmonic energies in this pendant cancel out a curse that I happen to carry,” Rainbow said.

“A curse...?” rasped the breathy voice of an aged mare. Rainbow looked into the group but—among all the thick shadows and hoods—she couldn't make out which of the elders was speaking. “...you're telling us that you bring a curse into our Polished sanctum?”

“It's no harm to anypony so long as I wear this!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, giving the lightning bolt a slight rub. A dim glow of ruby luminescence emanated from the pendant, causing the group to stir in mixed wonder and worry. “My curse is... chaos-based, you see. This pendant... uh... cancels it out with its alicorn construction.”

Several murmurs in moonwhinny echoed across the room.

Nat'rdo turned towards Captain Xandraa and her two guards. “No wonder—then—that Lexxy'kyn found her so easily.”

One of the guards nodded. Xandraa said nothing.

“It begs the question...!” An elder shuffled up to Rainbow and Nat'rdo. A stern, wrinkled face peered out through the hood of her cloak. “...why the war stallions didn't attempt removing it from you before entering the Tree of Mothers!”

“They... they tried,” Rainbow said, exchanging glances with Ariel—who nodded. “But... uh...” A shrug and a smirk. “Like I said—that's not happening.”

“Those stallions...” Another mare huffed. “They are not doing their jobs.”

“It would fill them with foalish pleasure to have a Penumbran bomb go off in the Sanctum,” another grumbled.

Nat'rdo turned, hissing at the other mares. “You underestimate the intuitiveness of the Dark Vigil's Commander! If he had removed her pendant, he would have failed in his honorable promise to escort her to the Tree!”

“And what if the Penumbran is playing him—and us—for fools!”

“You saw the echo of the dream!” Nat'rdo raised her voice. Her eyeslits sliced into the group, silencing their vitriol. “The very same dream that I channeled! In all visions—both dredged and conjured—the W'ynlppa yln H'luun was wearing this same pendant!” She pointed beneath Rainbow's neck. “If she guards it so strongly in her subconscious, no doubt it reflects the truth for why she guards it in the corporeal plane!”

Twilight and Rarity looked at Applejack. The farm filly held a hoof up, insisting on patience.

Sure enough—

“I object to the casual use for such a glorious term!” An elder spoke up—angrily. Rainbow watched as a tall mare with bleached white fur hobbled out from the group, leaning on a moonstone cane for support. Her face was long and her fangs even longer as she hissed: “'Avatar of the Blood of H'Luun!' There hasn't been such a thing for a thousand years! There hasn't been such a need for a vessel of such importance for even longer!”

Nat'rdo faced the rowdy elder. “Byraag, the Book of Saros says—”

“Don't lecture me on the sacred texts!” Byraag slapped her cane down onto solid flooring. “Avatars served their purpose in the Resistance! And when the Mother of Nightmares was banished, each and every one of them gave their lives to see to it that the Dark Vigil performed a safe Exodus from the Burning Lands!” She shook her stick at Rainbow Dash from afar. “Now this creature... hails from those same seared valleys! She bears with her a piece of the weapon! That very same weapon that sealed our Mother in the moon of her making!” Turning about, Byraag glared across the surrounding bodies and hoods. “A thousand years is more than enough time for the Solar Deceiver to take written records of the Book of Saros and twist such words to try and appeal to us in this... most heinous attempt at lowering our guard!”

The elders murmured louder—more anxiously.

Pinkie Pie grimaced, exchanging worried looks with Fluttershy. “Wuh oh...”

Rarity looked at Twilight. “Wish one of us thought about the fact that the Element of Loyalty could be seen as a 'weapon.'”

“I did,” Applejack muttered, tilting the brim of her hat forward.

Before Rainbow could stammer forth a defense for herself—

“There was nothing witnessed in Rainbow Dash's dreams to indicate that she was on a mission of malice,” Nat'rdo said. “If there was, I assure you...” Her eyes narrowed. “I would have picked up on it.”

“And you think the Solar Deceiver's power only extends to the physical?” Byraag shook her cane again. “I'm telling you—this is an elaborate plot!”

“To what end, Byraag?” hummed an eloquent voice.

Byraag looked over and instantly snorted. “Save me the bleeding of your engorged heart, A'othe. I'm dizzy enough without you throwing this discussion into a pedantic circle.”

“A shame.” An old mare shuffled over. She had a round face and peppery blue hair that cascaded over a meditative smile. “If you dreamt as much as you drool, you old hag, you'd be gleaning something from the wise words of our Dream Knight.”

“Ee-ee-ee!” Byraag made to swing her stick, but lowered it at the last second. “Hrmmmfff...” she snorted, glaring at the other speaker. “By all means, A'othe, you poetic lump of bones. Humor the witless Penumbran.”

“The only one lacking wits is you, Byraag, but thankfully that isn't the core of tonight's analysis or else we would be here for weeks.” A few chuckles echoed across the aged sorority as A'othe turned to smile faintly at Rainbow from afar. “To what end would the Solar Deceiver be sending a single agent—clothed with the blessing of the Mother of Nightmares, no less—other than to reach out and appeal to our common histories?”

“Are you deaf?!” Bygaar barked. She pointed her cane at Rainbow Dash. “The Penumbran herself even said she was cursed!”

Another elder nodded. “She could be waiting for an invitation into Crescent Sanctum... to launch an attack on the Maria Matriarchs!”

“With what? Her bare fetlocks?” A'othe gestured. “Look at her! She's a child! Scratch that—foals would have good sense to be bigger at that age!”

“H-hey!” Rainbow's voice cracked. Ariel giggled.

“Nay—a weapon of the Solar Deceiver, she may be, but a weak one at best.” A'othe shook her head. “An artifice meant to influence us unto our own destruction, perhaps...” She squinted at Rainbow from afar. “But I feel that too may be reaching.”

“She is adamant about her presence here,” Nat'rdo said. “Whatever power has sent her, it is something she firmly believes in.” She looked at Rainbow Dash. “And her sense of self-preservation supersedes much. She didn't even desire to come here until I and this very same Council decided to reach out a hoof.”

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “Are you a mind-reader?”

“She's a dream-reader,” A'othe said firmly. “The best among us.”

“Hrmmmfff...” Byraag rolled her eyes. “Not for lack of trying.”

Nat'rdo sighed, eyes avoiding Rainbow's scrutinous game. “The official term is 'Dream Knight,' of which I am most qualified to serve.”

“I heard.” Rainbow nodded. “Sounds badass.” She arched an eyebrow. “Also rare.”

Nat'rdo's ears reared back as she grumbled: “Rare indeed.” She turned and paced back towards the thick of the group. “And as the Dream Knight—in sworn service to the Maria Matriarchs and the Mother of Nightmares—I have no reason to believe that Rainbow Dash poses a willful threat to the Dark Vigil!”

“Aye...” Byraag waved her cane. “But what of unwillful?!”

Rarity did a double-take. “Buh?”

“She could very easily be brainwashed,” spoke another elder. “A witless pawn of the Solar Deceiver!”

“A thousand years is a long time,” continued Byraag. “Long enough for the Knights of Burning to engineer their own bastardization of the dream-walk!”

Nat'rdo pointed incredulously at Rainbow Dash. “Are you trying to say that she can traverse the Mother's incorporeal stream on her own?!”

“Hmmmm...” A'othe rubbed her chin in thought, looking Rainbow Dash up and down. “She did prove quite resilient when you pierced her visions, did she not?”

“Th-there's a reason for that!” Ariel blurted. The room went silent as stone. Blushing, she looked over at Rainbow. “I-I mean... isn't th-there, Rainbow?”

Rainbow was already face-hoofing. “Rnnnnnghhh...” She slowly looked up at the group. “Nat'rdo, your 'Dream Knight,' isn't the first creature to enter my head.”

“What do you mean?” asked an elder. “Who else... what else...?”

“Let's see...” Rainbow Dash counted off wingfeathers. “...two Divine Dragons... a Siren Queen... one—no, make that two Alicorns outside of Equestria... uhhhh...” She looked at Twilight and the others, then back at the elders with a goofy smirk. “...and then some.”

“How...” Byraag squinted at the mare. “...how far have you been traveling to get here, Penumbran?”

“Far,” Rainbow said.

“I asked how.”

“Very... very far.” After abject silence, Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Look, I've butted heads with chaos dragons and suplexed cyborgs. So I'm more than equipped to deal with the Book Club of the Damned. So just...” She waved a hoof. “...take your sweet time. It's all cake to me.”

Shriike giggle-snorted. When Captain Xandraa squinted down at her, the unicorn clerk shook her head. “Don't pay attention to me.” She licked her floating pen with a smile and prepared the scroll once more. “I hope this goes on forever.”

A'othe paced closer towards Rainbow Dash. “...are you... on a mission to serve the Solar Deceiver?”

“Not... … ...” Rainbow Dash fidgeted, her eyes swinging left and right like a clock's pendulum. “... … ...exactly.”

“But you do... serve her...?” A'othe asked, eyeslits peering.

“Can't help it, really. I was born under her rule,” Rainbow Dash said. “And from the look of things, she hasn't exactly been mean to anypony, so I never had a problem with calling her Princess.”

The group stirred with mixed reaction.

“But...” Rainbow tongued the inside of her muzzle. “...not gonna lie. I... wasn't too terribly fond of her for a while there...”

Twilight Sparkle gave Rainbow a double-take. The other girls looked similarly surprised.

A'othe lowered her hood, squinting curiously. “Continue...”

“It's just that...” Rainbow Dash brought a hoof to the article hanging around her neck. “This right here? This pendant?” She clenched her teeth. “It was assigned to me. The Elements of Harmony—they became entwined with the souls of me and my bestest of best friends. We never asked to become the vessels of Harmony. It just... became our destiny n'stuff. And... y'know... at first? I was pretty much on board! It felt really badass to suddenly be a defender of Equestria and whatnot.” She gulped, her voice taking on a weary tone. “Until... one day... when a very old evil showed his ugly face around town. And Cele—... our Sun Princess' harmonic 'weapon' was needed to banish him. The rest of my friends lined up to do the deed. Me? I was... away... my mind having been zapped by the same evil they were prepared to zap back to stone. And...” Her nostrils flared. “It killed them. It killed each and every one of them... just for having and using the Elements of Harmony... w-without me.”

Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie looked sad. Applejack calmly threw Twilight a glance. The unicorn in question bit her lip, as if never perceiving things from this angle before.

“... … ...for months, I blamed it all on... the Princess of the Sun,” Rainbow Dash muttered, observing Twilight's sad expression in her periphery. “Heck, I hated her. It was the simplest way I had to channel my frustrations... frustrations that were really aimed at myself. I also wanted nothing to do with this stupid pendant thingy, but... it was the only piece of the Element of Harmony that survived and it was the only thing that could keep me from succumbing to the curse of chaos I had suffered shortly after... my fr-friends' death.” She was silent for a bit—before looking up with a bittersweet smirk. “It might interest you to know that I got along more with Princess Luna than with her older sister all the while.”

Shrieks and chirps filled the room. Byraag fell back on her haunches in shock while A'othe blinked hard. Nat'rdo calmly looked at the group, as if waiting to gauge their reaction to that the entire time.

Even Xandraa craned her neck with interest while Shriike struggled to keep the scroll levitating upright.

“I apologize...” A'othe delicately cleared her throat. “...but... did you just mean to suggest that... the Mother of Nightmares has returned to the seared lands?”

Ariel glanced at Rainbow.

“Oh...” Rainbow's ears flattened. “Oh right... eheh...” She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “Yeah... so that there's a doozie, huh...?”

A loud bass roar.

The barren earth shook under leathery limbs and raking claws.

A six-legged reptilian beast thrashed left and right, howling into the twilight. But try as it might to spring forth from the ground and gallop to freedom...

...several chains yanked and pulled down at savage hooks that had been embedded into symmetrical spots along the creature's bleeding hide. Rows of nostrils set within its headcrest sputtered and wheezed as it lost its struggle with the far-smaller hunters reeling it in. From all sides, Bloodwing stallions hissed and shrieked, yanking on their ends of the chains and slowly hauling the pained beast towards an outcropping of hollow rock set within the shadow of the Tree of Mothers. It took the coordination of no less than two dozen of the Dark Vigil's finest, but they soon succeeded in kiting the wounded beast underground—where their hisses and chirps turned into victorious jeers lobbed at the heaving animal. It was soon lost in the dancing firelights of that subterranean hovel, from whence the stench of death and ashes consistently vented.

All of these images reflected off Wildcard's goggles as the Desperado calmly strolled alongside Seraphimus and Lexxic.

“That looks like a fine catch,” Seraphimus remarked. The group walked over the blood trail left by the beast. “No doubt it will feed your soldiers for a fortnight.”

“We've already caught the current season's game,” Lexxic declared. “There won't be need for another hunt for several cycles.”

Wildcard looked curiously at the First Son of Nightmares.

“Then I fail to understand...” Seraphimus waved vaguely towards the noisy cavern. “...why bring it to slaughter? Is it for leather? Ivory?”

“We don't intend to slaughter it,” Lexxic said, trotting slowly with Azarias not far behind. “We need it nearby for when we cut into its calves.”

Wildcard raised an eyecrest.

“By calves, I suspect you mean...” Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes narrowed. “...its young?”

Lexxic nodded calmly. “The canyon pounder gives birth regularly. A set of organs deep inside its torso produces mammary glands that are conveyed out from its scaled carapace along a sheet of regenerative cartilage. Once the pounder's milk is completely consumed, it sheds the glands along with its skin at the next molting. It's a useful mechanism devised by nature, but also sinfully wasteful.”

“So you've learned to capitalize?”

“Vegetation is... sorely lacking for the canyon pounder to graze on. But they haven't the good sense to go extinct. So...” A slight smile formed under the First Son's helm. “...we hunt its calves after each mating season, and we take the mammary glands and all of their content to properly supply our rations.”

“I see.” Seraphimus nodded. “But why the... bloody ritual?”

“You mean bringing the mother into the presence of the litter's slaughter?” Lexxic breathed. “Experience and observation has taught us much. You see... the canyon pounder has a deep psychological response to distress of its young. Special chemicals are released from the heart muscles, and this—combined with an intravenous diet—results in greater production of milk in the regenerative glands.”

“The longer it spends around its dying calves, the more it makes for us,” Azarias said.

“Quite right, Second.” Lexxic nodded in mid-trot. “Besides... the 'ritual' makes for good sport with each retrieval.”

Loud squealing issued from the cavern, followed by a deep bass howl in response. As the noise echoed across the surrounding supply camp, Seraphimus looked at the flickering entrance, then back to their host. “You mean that mother has undergone this multiple times?”

“How else are we to get more milk? She has plenty to give after all.”

Seraphimus exhaled slowly, beak clenched. “It seems... seems...”

“What? Cruel?” Lexxic tilted her helm towards her. “Each and every time we catch a pounder, we expose it to the evisceration of its young. And each and every time we set it free, it returns to the same breeding grounds—just to be caught once again.” A slight chuckle. “Honestly, Penumbran, which is crueler? Those who do the best for their brethren? Or inane creatures who are too stupid or selfish to throttle themselves to death against the rocks upon release?”

Seraphimus and Wildcard exchanged glances. At last the former Talon Commander spoke to Lexxic: “I can't help but get the distinct feeling that you're trying desperately attempting to faze us.”

“I am simply displaying to you the essentials of what keeps our industry in motion,” Lexxic said. “To be shocked by that is to be shocked at the necessities of living. But—nevertheless—there is a certain truth to your assessment. And it pleases me to know that repugnance does not consume you.”

Seraphimus cocked her head aside. “And why is that?”

“It gives me hope that this entire wild charade isn't a banal exercise in criticism,” Lexxic said. “Coming from a source that has no business whatsoever in the affairs of this War.”

“You may be alarmed to discover that Rainbow Dash's business is the business of everything—the War and then some.”

Lexxic suddenly pivoted on scraping hooves to face Seraphimus. “And you believe that?”

“... … ...” Seraphimus stared calmly back at the stallion's pale slate, seeing the faintest outline of a reflection, greatly faded. “... in my experiences with her, I've found... good reason to challenge many preconceptions that once qualified as 'beliefs.' But at the end of the day, what I hold true to is still of my own choosing... and I choose to have an open mind.”

“And yet your openness of mind has become the estuary of her Penumbran ambition,” Lexxic said. “What talons were use to carve that basin, commander? Yours? Or hers? Is there enough depth to fathom that an even greater shore encompasses it entirely?”

“I have the faculties to entertain higher notions,” Seraphimus said with a nod. “And yet, I suffer the experience of knowing that cruelty and zealotry land their volleys very low.”

Azarias blinked at that. He looked quizzically at the First.

Lexxic merely smirked. “Hrmmfff...” He tilted his helm towards Wildcard. “I already know where he lies.”

Wildcard's beak tightened.

“Loyal to a fault,” Seraphimus muttered. “I'm not surprised whatsoever that you would admire him.”

“Duly noted,” Lexxic remarked. “We're few and far between, commander. Creatures with no room left for surprises. I imagine I am not the only one who envies those who stand to be flabbergasted by this world.”

Seraphimus said nothing.

“I know that—volunteer or not—you have taken it upon your duty to be Rainbow Dash's scout. I admire an obedient soldier, so I shall give you this.” Lexxic leaned towards her, his breath lowering. “I frankly do not care what your Penumbran superior wants from the Bloodwings. You may very well think that it is of concern to me, but I assure you that you are wrong.”

“I shall... keep that in mind,” Seraphimus muttered her feathered face nevertheless sprinkled with confusion.

But Lexxic wasn't done. “What is of concern to me... and what should be of concern to you...” His helm pivoted slightly towards the body of the Tree looming ever-above. “...is what Rainbow Dash means to the elders.”

Seraphimus took a breath. “Assuming they don't kill her on sight for being a supposed agent of your ancient enemy, they could... possibly see her as an emissary of your very first Matriarch.”

“Maybe she's a demon. Maybe she's the messiah.” Lexxic's helm slowly shook. “Neither matters.”

“Neither matters...” Seraphimus repeated in abject monotone.

“Because...” Lexxic continued the thought for both of them. “...in the end... it's all about how they will use her to wrest control.”

Seraphimus nodded. “From the Night Shard and the Flux.”

“Hah!” Azarias laughed, his fangs showing. “Hah hah hah hah haaaaah hah hah hah!”

Lexxic formed a crescent moon beneath that helm, chuckling breathily.

Azarias laughed even louder once his leader cracked a grin.

Seraphimus and Wildcard exchanged confused glances.

“I stand by what I said,” Lexxic exhaled. He rested a hoof on Azarias' scarred shoulder to quiet his laughter. “You two are great soldiers.” He turned and trotted once more along the path in the center of camp. “But—perhaps—you should leave the intuition to your superior.” A shuddering breath. “Granted—if she has enough of it—then I may have little to be concerned about.”

Seraphimus moved after him, wanting to comment on that—

Swooooooosh! A massive velvety figure touched down. Literally.

“Brother...!” Masser exhaled, sweaty from a long and fast flight.

“Ah! I knew the air needed more muscle!” Lexxic reached out and brushed the Third's withers. “Come! Walk with us! We were recently talking about your favorite topics! Milk and blood! Take a pick, brother—”

“I'm sorry, Brother, but...” Masser fidgeted, glancing at the two griffons.

“Speak on, Masser. There is nothing to hide.” Lexxic tilted his helm back. “They have no way of hurting me.”

“It's not that...” Masser gulped. “I just came back from the Pit...”

“Escorting M'saalt'ym.”

“Yes. A messenger flew in from the brinks. He had word from My'spyd'ylm.”

“Yes?”

“The Sixth says that a company from the Third Root is inbound.” Masser waved both meaty fetlocks. “Not the entire Root! Just one company—to escort the twelve.”

Lexxic slowed slightly in his trot.

“The twelve?” Azarias hissed. “You mean those cowards who were nearly pardoned by Lyw'Malaak?”

“Right after their failure at the reclaimed nest,” Masser said. “My'spyd'ylm was able to intercept them before they could return to Lyw'Malaak's camp.”

“And it's a good thing too,” Lexxic murmured, rubbing his chin with a pale hoof. “With all of the shenanigans she's been pulling as of late, that would have been victory for the upper branches. A small victory, but enough to gloat on.”

“It can't be a coincidence...” Azarias sneered, his leafy ears folding back. “The recalling of the Fourth and Fifth Roots? Along with the attempted pardoning of the failing dozen?”

“According to My'spyd'ylm's messengers, the company from the Third Root will have escorted them here in the next cycle,” Masser said. “They should arrive brinkside at the outer supply station.”

“Then I must arrange a meeting,” Lexxic said. “I want them at the Hall of Honor by next feast. The timing is of supreme importance.”

Azarias flapped his leathery wings. “I'll see to it right away—”

“No,” Lexxic raised a hoof. All three were still, waiting on the First. “I shall go. And you shall accompany me.”

“But...” Masser looked nervously at the two griffons. “What of these Penumbran outsiders?”

Lexxic turned towards him. “What of them, Third? I can only hope you will keep them entertained.”

Masser did a double-take. “Me?”

“You know as well as I do that if I left them with Azarias, they would be limbless by next cycle.” Swooooosh! Lexxic flew skyward with a faint beam of chaotic/runic energy. “Do take care, brother! And fear not the female! Her plumage hides that which would be detestable!”

“Ee-ee-ee-ee!” Azarias said—with a trace of sadism.

As the top two sarosians of the Bloodwing military hierarchy made their leave, Masser stood awkwardly in their shadow. He turned to look down at the two catbird creatures, sweating through his geometric scars.

“Grmmfff... hrmmm... so... uhhhh...” His leafy ears twitched, and he put on a crooked fanged smile beneath penetrating eyeslits. “...do you like blood?”

Seraphimus and Wildcard merely coughed.

“Mmmmm...” Masser clenched his jaw. “...really, though, that's about all I've got.”

“...and so... after we talked to the big effeminate sea serpent... lake serpent...?” Rainbow Dash shook her head and continued. “...and after my friend Rarity gave him a piece of her tail to fix his mustache, we came across this canyon in the middle of the Everfree Forest where a rope bridge was lying in tatters, needing to be fixed. So I flew over to take care of business and—like—the smokey essence of a lurking evil broke off into three pieces and floated down in the form of a bunch of fake high-flying pegasi who called themselves the Shadowbolts who tried to recruit me to their team... as if they were nearly as awesome as the Wonderbolts. Pfffftchyeahright! No friggin' way that was gonna work on me. Anyways, they interrupted my repair of the rope bridge, saying that they needed me to be a part of their team and—”

Rainbow Dash's words trailed off.

She blinked.

She looked at the mares of the Dream Den ahead of her.

“I... uh... I'm not losin' any of you, am I?” Rainbow's voice cracked.

A sea of wrinkled faces spilled out of their hooded cloaks on waterfalls of confusion and vexation.

“What's a lake serpent?” one elder asked.

“What's a mustache?” another stammered.

“Rainbow... Rainbow...!” Twilight finished pulling at her ghostly face to spin and frown at her anchor. “You're getting too mired in the details! They just need to know about Princess Luna's return! They don't need to know all about our first real true adventure as friends!”

Pinkie Pie pouted. “What's wrong with giggling at the ghosties?”

“Rainbow can't sing it like you can,” Fluttershy droned.

“They're gettin' mighty impatient, sugarcube,” Applejack said in a tone of urgency. “Better step it up!”

“Yes, darling!” Rarity nodded. “Just go back to the last time you mentioned Nightmare Moon and leap to the moment we used the Elements on her!”

“Last... time I mentioned her...” Rainbow Dash turned towards Shriike. “Heyyyyy... stenographer? When was the last time I mentioned Nightmare Moon?”

“Uhhhhhhhhhh...” Shriike sweated. She rolled through one scroll, googily lenses reflecting columns of her own penwriting. “Uhhhhhhhhh...” She sweated and rolled some more. “Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—”

Ariel leaned in, whispering in Rainbow's ear: “Your past could use an editor.”

“Okay, look!” Rainbow hovered in place, waving her hooves. “Bottom line—Princess Luna's back. After a thousand years, the stars aided in the escape of the Mare in the Moon! No longer imprisoned, Nightmare Moon showed up in Equestria to make the night last forever! But then my gal-pals and me took on the Elements of Harmony and we zapped Nightmare Moon. Only this time...” She pressed a hoof to her pendant for emphasis. “...we freed Luna from Nightmare Moon's influence! She remained Luna! The Princess! The younger and loyal sister to Princess Celestia—”

More than half the room instantly hissed.

“Yeah yeah—like it or not, that's her name! And for all your hating on the so-called 'Solar Deceiver,' the very real truth is that Princess Luna calls her by 'Celestia' these days. And you know why?” Rainbow folded her forelimbs as she hovered indignantly in place. “Because they love each other. And they've forgiven each other! That's right... after so many long years... after so much pain and abandonment... and after a friggin' civil war... Celestia and Luna are once again ruling Equestria as beloved sisters! The way they were always meant to!”

Rainbow rubbed the lightning bolt once last time, producing a faint ruby glow.

“And this thing I carry with me—for better or for worse—carries the touch of Luna. Her blessing... her magic... her harmonic gift to me... so that I can stay alive and not be consumed by chaos. For months... years... I've used it to talk to her at every full moon... and I've even used it to help make things right with the rest of the Exodus that lingered on the other side of the plane. That's right! You've got Penumbran sisters, yo! They eventually gave an ear to all the things I had to tell them! I don't see why you can't too!”

“Uhm... Rainbow...?” Twilight whispered, wincing. “...Luna was able to talk to the sarosians of Bleak's Plummet directly, remember?”

“Yup!” Rainbow kept her plastic smile on, eye twitching. “I don't see why the whole fluffy lot of you can't give an ear too!”

Twilight face-hoofed.

It was clear that Nat'rdo wished to grab hold of the conversation, but most of the other elders were too quick. They hissed and sputtered in anger, and Byraag was loudest of all.

“First you sully our minds with this convoluted story of pretend heroism! Then you insult the sanctity of this Roost by invoking the Deceiver's spawned name! And now you insist that the very Mother of Nightmares has betrayed her true high calling?!”

“The stars aided in her escape so that she could bring nighttime forever!” another elder snapped.

“For the first time in millennia, our Mother nearly achieved her goal...” Byraag shook her cane. “And you mean to tell us that you and your dead allies thwarted her?!?”

“Thousands upon thousands of fallen heroes...” moaned another elder. “And for what?!”

“Oh goodness...” Fluttershy winced. She spun towards their anchor. “Quick, Rainbow! H-hug them! Or something!”

“This is going to rubbish fassssst,” Rarity squeaked.

“Look, if...” Rainbow held her hooves out. “If you would just listen—”

“We've had enough of your seared lies, Penumbran!” Byraag huffed, her entire wrinkled face encompassed in a frown. “What did you even hope to accomplish by coming here and shoveling such filth into our ears!”

“I can't believe I'm saying this, Byraag, but you make a good point,” A'othe said, stepping once again into the conversation. “What is she hoping to accomplish?”

“Rrrrngh...” Byraag pivoted to frown at A'othe. This time, the surly mare had the majority of the angry elders on her side. “Haven't you muddied things enough in humoring this creature, A'othe?”

“She's telling us things that are outright heretical,” A'othe declared. She tossed her curly mane back and bore a plump smile. “All things considered, we should have Xandraa gut her right here. On the spot.”

Xandraa shifted in her armor. “Standing by.”

Ariel jerked at attention; Rainbow held her still with a hoof, eyes on A'othe.

“However, that would be an awful shame,” A'othe said. “And I don't mean the fact that it would stain your favorite pillows, Byraag, although that too would be somewhat discomforting.” She squinted at Rainbow Dash. “It just... doesn't make sense that a singular agent of the Solar Deceiver would come all this way—crossing the brinks themselves—just to commit abject suicide.”

“If she follows the order of her Burning Knights, she's as good as dense!” Byraag hissed.

“And thank you for proving my point, you sour bottle of sycophantic snores!” A'othe spat, trotting over to Rainbow Dash's side. “That is our young guest's singular sin!” She bravely rested a hoof on the petite pegasus' shoulder. “She's dense!”

“Uhhh... thanks...” Rainbow's muzzle twisted. “I think.”

“Not to say that her negotiating skills are entirely tragic,” A'othe said. “This is simply a very tragic room. I should know—I see Byraag standing in it.”

“Rrrrrgh...” the pale mare growled back.

Nat'rdo stepped closer, sighing. “A'othe, madame, if you would get to the point—”

“When it comes to the tale that our guest is trying to tell us, it isn't a matter of... matter.” A'othe pointed to her own scalp. “But it's a matter of perspective.”

“What are you suggesting, A'othe?” Byraag asked.

“We must induce sleep,” spoke a weathered, wispy voice from the sidelines.

Every body in the room turned.

Rainbow Dash and Ariel craned their necks.

Out from one of the cubby holes—an obese old mare was being helped out onto all fours by another elder. She had long flowing gray hair, and neck folds that hung off her upper frame. Her head looked round and pronounced, and her eyeslits had glossed over completely with thick cataracts.

“Oh st-stars,” Shriike could be heard murmuring in legitimate surprise.

Rainbow took note of it, all the while staring at the sudden awakening.

“Lady Prunus,” A'othe did a curtsy in the presence of the mare.

“Induce sleep,” the old pony repeated. With the help of guiding hooves, she waddled slowly in the vague direction of Rainbow Dash. “And encircle her in the dream walk.” She took an awful lot of effort to inhale and exhale, doing her best to stand tall and composed. “Allow her mind to reveal the details that her words fail to.”

“Prunus, with all due respect...” Byraag murmured in a sullen tone. “...putting us all in that insufferable creature's memories? That could very well be the ultimate trap.”

Rainbow leaned towards Nat'rdo. “Who is this...?”

“Lady Prunus,” Nat'rdo leaned back, her tone serious and reverent. “The Dream Knight before me.”

Rainbow's eyes rested on the elder's large, wrinkled figure. “... … ...talk about one heck of a dropped ball.”

“She is crude,” Prunus declared, her jowls wavering with each forced breath. “Headstrong. Impulsive. A bittersweet bedmate to guilt and responsibility.” She slowly nodded. “But she has a message to share, one that I suspect we would be remiss to ignore.”

Byraag snorted. “This is a pathetic waste of our time!” She frowned at the other elders. “The Dark Vigil doesn't have time for Penumbran distractions of this nature!”

“In case you haven't noticed, you insufferable ninny...” A'othe's fangs showed as she frowned back at Byraag. “The Dark Vigil doesn't have time at all!”

The room fell deathly silent.

Captain Xandraa hung her head, glaring into the floor.

Applejack looked intently at her.

Rainbow cleared her throat. “Sorry to rain on everyone's sleepy parade... but...” She shrugged. “...what does this entail?”

“I put you into a deep sleep,” Nat'rdo said. “The elders collectively meditate, and—by your grace—we enter your mind's memories and experience what you know via the dream.”

“And you all can do that?” Rainbow asked.

“I can,” Nat'rdo said. “My skills are adept enough to both induce sleep and ferry the visions. But the tables will essentially be turned. You will be the host and we will be the guests.”

“I do not want any part of her mind,” Byraag grunted.

“Then sit this one out.” A'othe smirked. “I, for one, wish to show proof of service to the Maria Matriarchs.” She looked at the rest of the elders as a whole. “Who else is with me?”

The old mares looked at one another, murmuring intimately. Heads were nodding, group by group.

“Lady Prunus...” Nat'rdo faced the eldest of elders, curtsying. “...your wisdom—as always—is appreciated. Would you do me the honor of assisting me with the sleep inducement? You've often spoke about wishing to re-live the days of training.”

“No, Dream Knight.” The old mare shook her head. “That honor shall fall upon you. I have spoken my peace.”

“Much thanks, my Lady,” Nat'rdo said. “May I be so bold as to ask your assessment of the Penumbran outsider?”

“Is that really necessary?”

For once, Nat'rdo looked speechless.

Prunus tilted her head in Rainbow's direction, smiling vaguely. “She has a nice smell about her.”

Rarity and Fluttershy smiled.

Ariel nodded. “I could have told you that.” A prismatic tail whapped her in the face. “Ow!”

Contractually Obligated Clip Chapter

Rainbow Dash sighed. "Can I even get inside the stupid Armory?!” She turned away from a tall stained-glass window displaying a dark ziggurat surrounded by a chaotic environment. “Me?! A mortal pegasus?!"

Princess Luna stood before her in the royal chamber of Canterlot Castle. “There is no guarantee of that, Rainbow Dash.” She spread her wings as she spoke in a majestic tone. “The alicorns built the holding place of the Harmonic Prism to be impregnable.”

“Then you pretty much told me all of this for nothing.” Rainbow Dash plopped down on her haunches, staring up at the glass diorama yet again. “Cuz it's a lost cause. Even if I flew as fast as I could...” She blew out the side of her muzzle. “I'd likely die before I got there. What kind of hope is that?”

"The only hope, Rainbow Dash," Luna said. "We are sorry, but there is no greater light we can provide for thy path.” She trotted over to Rainbow Dash's side. “It simply came to our attention that if thou wouldst endeavor to make such an epic journey, there may indeed be a goal for thee."

Rainbow's ruby eyes hardened on the image of the Midnight Armory. “A long, cross-world flight. Incalculable odds. Unknowable dangers. The edge of the world.” Her jaw tightened as she raised a fetlock to her pendant. “A land that sees no light. Chaos and monsters. A giant black pyramid guarding an untouchable relic." Her sullen breaths morphed into raspy chuckles.

Princess Luna raised an eyebrow.

Rainbow turned and gazed up at her with a devilish smirk. “Sounds like fun."

“We... do not know whether thou art being serious or facetious,” the Princess remarked.

“A little of Column A and a little of Column B.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “One thing's for dang sure, I'm doing absolutely friggin' nothing by sitting on my butt here.” She turned to her right. “Isn't that right, Belle?”

Bellesmith stood where the marble floor of the castle rippled off into the grassy hills of Blue Shelf. The curved ceiling gave way to a bright blue sky with birds and bugs flitting about. The roars of wild manticores echoed in the distance, somewhere beyond the shimmering mana-fences.

“Er... wait...” Rainbow Dash glanced back and forth between both of her dear friends. “That's not...” Her brow furrowed. “... … …okay... somepony's been crossing the streams.”

As she said this, Belle's broken horn shrank into her forehead. Her chestnut brown hair was replaced with a flowing teal mane. Hard yellow eyeslits gazed—wide and befuddled—at the visage of Princess Luna.

“It... it is her...” The last vestiges of the Ledomaritan technician dwindled away as Nat'rdo took full form of the equine specimen. “It really... truly is her...”

“Hmmmm?” Rainbow Dash casually looked up at Luna. “Oh. Right. Totally. Y'know what always bothered me, though?” She trotted over and casually pointed at the frozen alicorn's posterior. “This... black bit on her butt. Like... where do the dark splotches end and the cutie mark begin?! Friggin' anomaly of a royal patootie, if y'know what I'm saying?!”

Nat'rdo turned to gawk at Rainbow.

Rainbow blinked back. “... … ….this isn't just an ordinary dream, isn't it?”

The sarosian slowly shook her head, still flabbergasted.

“How... uh...” Rainbow scratched her chin, gazing up at the noticeably fragmented palace all around her. “...how long ago did you guys induce sleep n'stuff?”

“A few minutes ago,” Nat'rdo murmured, daring to stroll closer to Princess Luna. “It may feel like weeks to you, but I assure you we have just begin. You are currently sleeping within the Dream Den.”

“And... Ariel?”

“Your companion is safe,” Nat'rdo droned. “You are safe.” She trotted until she stood in the shadow of Luna, gazing up at her. “We are all... s-safe.”

Rainbow stared intently at... Nat'rdo staring intently. “Go ahead and touch her. She won't bite.”

Nat'rdo gulped. “This is merely a mental construct. A reflection of a memory. Your memory.”

“Yeah? And what of yours?” Rainbow tilted her head aside. “Does it match up?”

“D-difficult to say...” Nat'rdo shook in place, gazing up and down at the Moon Princess' complexion.

“Hey... hey...” Rainbow moved over and rested a hoof on the Dream Knight's shoulder. “Just relax.”

Nat'rdo turned to face her. She stood tall and composed—as best as she could. “I should be the one telling you that.”

“Not every day we run into our Goddess incarnate.” Rainbow smirked. “Oh look!” She pointed past Nat'rdo. “And Luna's there too!” She giggled and slapped her own knee.

Nat'rdo blinked.

“Snkkktt... sorry... just...” Rainbow cleared her throat, composing herself. “Been a long time since I could make a dumb joke without seeing Twilight or Rarity roll their eyes at me.”

“I... beg your pardon?”

“Eh... don't let me derail things.” Rainbow gestured at the portions of the environment still lingering around them. “Welcome to Canterlot Castle!”

“Canterlot... Castle...”

“Yes'm. The Midnight Wing, to be exact.” Rainbow's eyes crossed. “Or was it the Shadow Wing? The West Wing...?”

Nat'rdo tilted her head up towards the nearest stained-glass window, squinting her eyeslits. “Equestria. The Burning Lands. Seared by the Deceiver.”

“More or less.” Rainbow shrugged. “If this is when and where I think I it is, then Celestia's no longer ruling things from her throne. She's stuck in Ponyville, guarding the chaos rift.”

“I see...” Nat'rdo turned towards Rainbow Dash. “You're remarkably... calm about all this.”

“About what? Having my brain poked and prodded?” She stuck her tongue out, pacing past Nat'rdo. “Look... a big part of spanning a world is learning how to span yourself too.” She waved a hoof, and an inner wall of the Castle ballooned brightly outward, forming a large spherical window overlooking the desert plateaus of Val Roa below. “Hah! Sweet...” Rainbow trotted into the observation deck of the Noble Jury and hopped up onto her trusty hammock. “Ahhhhhhhhhhh...” She plucked an apple off a basket from a nearby shelf and took a juicy bite while reclining lazily. “Mrmmmfff... besides... mrmfff...” She swallowed. “I've flown all of those angsty circles. Why go through all the reruns that one hates, dreit?”

“'Dreit?'”

Rainbow motioned Nat'rdo towards the nose of the airship. “Come. Sit down. Chillax.”

Squirming, Nat'rdo trotted from palace-space to Nancy-Jane-space. “A thousand apologies, avatar. I am usually most adept at this, but...” She turned and looked over her shoulder at the distant figure of Luna. “...this is a bit overwhelming.”

“You should get out more.” Rainbow took another bite of the apple. “Mrmfff... or in the Council's case, get in more.”

“You are the first Penumbran we have ever shared the dream walk with.” Nat'ro turned to look up at Rainbow in the hammock. “Not in any of our lifetimes have we been able to share memories possessed by someone who has seen the Burning Lands.”

“Well, enjoy a front row seat. I'll try not to scalp for ticket prices.”

Nat'rdo exhaled—for what it was worth in the dream-verse. “You are quite composed when it comes to your subconscious.”

“Thanks. I think you're sexy too.”

“I trust we can give you some sway in where and how you access your memories,” Nat'rdo said. “But remember—it is we who are ultimately in control here.”

“Hey...” Rainbow took another bite of the apple and shrugged. “Mrmmfff... whatever floats your dream boat.”

“Questions beg to be asked.”

“Fire away, Nate.”

“Why was the Mother of Nightmares speaking to a royal subject such as you in the daytime?”

“Because by then—she was in charge of both sun and moon. She still is, as a matter of fact.”

“And the Solar Deceiver...” Nat'rdo blanched. “...is okay with this?”

“There really wasn't a choice.” Rainbow Dash squirmed a bit in the hammock. “The... uh... the chaos rift that f-formed in Ponyville needed a powerful alicorn to contain it, and the Sun Princess was the first on hoof... and strongest on hoof. That meant that Luna had to step up and do the same task her older sister had been doing for a thousand years.”

“Then Princess Luna is the supreme ruler of Equestria.”

Rainbow gestured as if she was comparing weights on opposing fetlocks. “... … ...it's kinda even-stevens back home. But I guess you could say that Princess Luna is head haunchette by proxy.”

“She has not attempted to usurp complete power now that her sibling is disposed?”

“She doesn't want that anymore. That's the whole friggin' point, really. Also—Luna's older sister isn't completely out of the game. She just can't... perform the labors as big badass alicorn like she used to.”

“I see.” Nat'rdo rubbed her head with an aching expression. She paced a bit in place “Mmmmm... More questions, avatar.”

“More answers, boo.”

“Who am...” Nat'rdo cleared her throat, glancing at her own figure. “Who was I just a moment ago?”

“You were Bellesmith.”

“Bellesmith...”

Rainbow nodded, biting the last of the apple until all that was left was its core. “Good friend of mine. Mrmmmfff... Best friend of mine.” She swallowed. “Also—the last pony who had access to that memory of Luna and I just a moment ago.”

“You mean she's another soul who has explored your mind?”

“Errrr... not directly, I don't think? Meh... it's hard to say.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Ledomaritan technology was all managliders and zappy guns. Hey! Check this out!” She whistled down the corridor.

Duke Zaap Nator waddled up, wearing a glossy black maid outfit to match his breathing apparatus. “Submissively humble inquiry: You rang, she who would be madame?”

“Yeah...” Rainbow tossed the apple core into his grasp. “Take out the trash, bozo.”

“Punctual affirmative: At once, she who is most awesome.” After a curtsy, the Duke waddled off, summoning a strange look from Nat'rdo's dream self.

“Hahahahahaha...” Rainbow hoofy-kicked, swinging in the hammock as her giggles came to a slow stop. “Awwwwwwwwwww that's sweet.”

“It would behoove us to stay on point,” Nat'rdo said.

“Girl, just point and click.” Rainbow laid back, staring aside at the sarosian. “You're the Dream Knight who's desperate to gather info for the Council. You tell me where you want to go.”

“Further...” Nat'rdo glanced behind, but most of the Castle had melted away at this point. “...f-further instances of interacting with Princess Luna would be most beneficial.”

“All you had to do was ask.” Rainbow swung her lower leg out, kicking the inner hull of the Noble Jury. Clang!

Like clockwork, the rocky mountains of Val Roa sped out from beyond the observation deck's window. Durdandana blurred east, followed by the rest of Alafreo, the Strip of Flurries, Xona, Ledomare, Silvadel, Darkstine and Emeraldine. At last—after Wintergate blurred by—the window zoomed in on the capital of Equestria, flying through a balcony window and framing a pegasus and an alicorn pacing across the marble platform.

Nat'rdo's yellow eyes once again widened as the Princess of the Night floated into direct view.

“Verily, the earth is a long, flat plane.” Princess Luna trotted gracefully in the sunlight as a duplicate Rainbow Dash followed close behind. “The latitudinal length far exceeds the longitudinal width."

The petite pegasus' muzzle twisted. "Eh?"

Luna looked aside. "East and west hold greater distance than north and south."

Rainbow nodded. "Oh, I see."

"The world floats in a piece of the cosmos dominated primarily by chaos energies. The Elements of Harmony have always served as a beacon of purpose through which life has thrived in spite of all the contradictory factors. As for the Sun and the Moon, they are bodies of luminous mana that the alicorns brought to this plane."

"So, wait.” The past Rainbow looked both confused and surprised. "The Sun and Moon weren't always around?"

"Like so many things, Rainbow Dash, they were provided to this landscape when our own flesh and blood first arrived here. There are several ponies of alicorn descent spread throughout the world, but only our sister and we possess the powers of our forbears. With the magic at our hooves, we have kept the Sun and Moon in constant motion, illuminating the landscape from right here in the center of the bright half of the world, the kingdom of Equestria. For several thousands upon thousands of years, we have served as the sentries to this world, warding chaos and keeping dark energy at bay."

"That's... quite the commitment.”

"Indeed."

Nat'rdo's brow furrowed. “I am... at a loss.” She looked towards the host of those memories. “What are you both talking about, exactly?”

“Oh, y'know...” Rainbow yawned, relaxing further in the hammock. “...universal cosmology and all that jazz. Basically, I was coming to grips with the fact that the chaos inside was killing me slowly and I hadn't long to live. I was curious about how 'far' the horizon went, and it led to Luna teaching me about the Midnight Armory—what you guys call the 'Sarcophagus of Ages.' It's all pretty sweet—makes you wonder how I chose to forget most of it by the time I met Whitemane and it was her time to ramble about it all to me. Heh.”

“White... mane...?”

“Over there.” Rainbow pointed towards the stern of the Noble Jury.

Nat'rdo looked to see a pale silhouette sitting on the edge of the highest balcony in Verdestone, overlooking rural fields of Emeraldine stretching for miles and miles on end.

“Another monarch...” Nat'rdo gasped. “Like the Mother and the Deceiver?”

“She's half-alicorn. But all-cool. Plus... like...” Rainbow shrugged. “She's always kinda sorta here, in some capacity or another.”

“In your mind, you mean.”

“Yup. Just chilling.” Rainbow waved at the pale silhouette. “Yo Whitemane! How are those chamber maids doin'?! Still hot as all get out?!”

Whitemane—scarcely a flickering shadow now—turned, smiled, and called back: “Tell me, Austraeoh, what is it that you see, child?”

“Ehhhh...” Rainbow laid back in the hammock once more. “She's kind of on 'repeat' these days. Can't blame her; Emeraldine was a long-ass time ago. Her sister Mortuana, however, still makes more waves in my mind as of late.”

“Her s-sister...???”

“Oh look!” Rainbow pointed out the Noble Jury's round window. “I sorta dig this part!”

Nat'rdo looked to see the past Rainbow Dash shuddering with the weight of her and Luna's conversation.

"The Element Bearers..." The prismatic pegasus sat along the edge of the Castle balcony. "Twilight and the rest of us. We were the first to possess the Elements in spirit, weren't we?"

"Nay, Rainbow Dash." Luna shook her head. "Thou six were the strongest, but hardly the first.”

Nat'rdo stood closer to Rainbow, squinting out the Noble Jury's window with a quizzical expression. “Why does the Mother of Nightmares talk with such... eccentricity?”

“That's a dang good question.” Rainbow scratched her chin. “You gotta understand—she had just been freed after a thousand years of imprisonment on the moon. I'm sure her brain got just a little bit borked while attempting to re-acclimate to past traditions.” She exchanged glances with Nat'rdo, then gave a hopeful smile. “But she got better...!”

Luna continued speaking to the past pegasus. “In truth, the Elements of Harmony have been blending with the living population of this realm for eons. When thou, Twilight, and the rest of thy ill-fated companions acquired the six Elements, thou completed the final stage of Harmonic Acclimation."

"Harmonic What-now?"

"It was the grand purpose of the Harmonic Prism since it was brought to this world at the beginning of all life here," Luna continued. "Through Acclimation, the same spirit that gave alicorns vigor, energy, and peace of mind would be passed onto the sentient mortals of this world. Someday, Rainbow Dash, Celestia and we shall no longer be around, and it will be up to ponydom itself to maintain peace and harmony in the center of this pocket of the universe."

"So, then, this world is kind of like a garden?"

"And a most exceptional one at that, full of both beauty and terror, and yet ultimately favoring life, which hath been our goal from the start. We stand upon the edge of a new beginning for this world. It is a shame, however, that the final stage in its foundation would prove to be such a dark chapter. If Twilight and thy other friends had lived, we may have witnessed something even better than Harmonic Acclimation."

"And what would that have been?"

"Unification. Thou six were more than just mere mortals. The Elements were meant for thee; together, thou could very well have spread peace and harmony across the land in greater intensity than my sister and we are capable. The kingdoms beyond Equestria would have been united under more than just light. Ponydom would become whole, and would form a utopia that would banish chaos forever."

Back in the Noble Jury, Rainbow sat up with a jerk, causing the hammock to swing. “Whoah... whoahhhhh-ho-ho-ho! Harmonic Acclimation and Unification! Whoops!”

Nat'rdo did a double-take. “Whoops? Whoops what?”

“Oh, nothing. Just... two friggin' mega whoppers that I've kinda-sorta forgotten about after all these months and months of explosions and butt-kicking.” Rainbow Dash took wing and fished all around the observation deck. “Yo... help me find something to jot some notes down on.”

“Rainbow Dash...”

“Verlax got me all hung-up on The Sundering. I can't forget that Luna, Celestia, and the rest of the alicorns had their own friggin' vision of the plane in mind—”

“Rainbow, one does not simply 'jot some notes down' in a dreamscape,” Nat'rdo said.

Rainbow turned to blink at her. “Why? Is there stationary here that 'does not sleep?'”

“Information is processed far more abstractly.”

Rainbow gestured at the interior of the Noble Jury. “Does this look abstract to you?”

“This is simply the product of our combined subconsciousness.” Nat'rdo waved a hoof. “The reason why it looks and feels so 'real' is that my abilities as the Dream Knight are being bolstered by the rest of the Dream Council in attendance.”

“You mean...” Rainbow blinked, glancing all around. “...they're here too?”

Nat'rdo touched a hoof to her forehead. A portion of the Noble Jury's hull peeled away to reveal a sea of dark silhouettes, like an audience of ponies gazing down from an operating room's theatrical seating.

“Whoah, freaky...” Rainbow bore a crooked grin. “Praise Celestia this all didn't start with that one time I arrived at Flight Camp by crashing into a stack of garbage cans.”

“Please, avatar...” Nat'rdo hissed, fangs showing. Rainbow noticed the figures in the distance shuddering visibly. “The less that you use that name—”

“Hah! You think that's bad?” Rainbow grinned devilishly and waved her hoof. “Get a load of this!”

The balcony of Canterlot Castle beyond the Noble Jury's window blurred away. In its place, the pastel interior of a bakery materialized. A long, long table full of dessert treats appeared, and Princess Celestia sat at her seat while Mr. and Mrs. Cake repeatedly attempted filling the floating tea cup that the monarch was sipping from. After several repetitious gestures on behalf of the lowly owners of Sugarcube Corner, Princess Celestia faked a sip—causing them to spill the teacup unto overflowing.

Celestia winked and whispered: “Got ya!”

A fountain of hisses emanated from the Dream Council in attendance beyond.

Nat'rdo shook from head to tail. “Avatar, if you would please...!”

“Fine... fine...” Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash nevertheless swiped left. Sugarcube Corner was replaced randomly with her past self suplexing a Searonese bounty hunter across the forest floor of Foxtaur. “But—in all seriousness—at one point or another you're going to have to see her for real.” Rainbow's gaze hardened. “At least if you wanna get the full picture of what's truly happened back in Equestria.”

“If it must come to that, then so be it.” Nat'rdo pivoted towards the round window of the observation deck and raised her hoof. She paused, glancing over her shoulder. “May I...?”

Wordless, Rainbow merely nodded.

Nat'rdo performed circular gestures with her fetlock. The images beyond the window frame flickered through a multitude of convoluted memories. There were flashes of Nealand sand, fog over Durandana, tasty grasshoppers in a bowl, a raging minotaur slaver, snow falling across railroad tracks...

“Guh... wh-what...” Rainbow Dash rubbed her head, feeling slightly dizzy. “...are you looking for?”

“Further explanation of this... curious cosmology you seem determined to carry with you.”

“Truth demands to be carried.”

Nat'rdo turned to give the pegasus a dull glance. “Take it from a Dream Knight: perception is everything.”

“And take it from an awesome pony. Experience is everything and then some!” She then kicked the hull of the Noble Jury with a grunt. Clank!

The entire cabin reeled as images outside the round window spun. Nat'rdo had to grab onto a metal rung, holding for dear life. Even the dark bodies beyond the rippling visions shifted uncomfortably. “As stated before, I must wrest control at certain points—!”

“Not when it comes to this!” Rainbow barked. “Like it or not—this is where only I'm in control!” She squinted through the blurring images, images, images. “Hah! There!” She hooked her hoof in the air like she was reeling in a fish.

The landscape beyond the window sank beneath a sky full of flak, explosions, and shrapnel. Deep in the wounded earth below, Rainbow Dash stood on a metal platform before a metal altar surrounded by broken metal mechanisms. Zaid nudged Kera forward—and the little Xonan filly hoofed Rainbow Dash a book.

"You ready for this, Rainbow?" Kera held the book out.

“Look, I've never been much for ceremony." Rainbow grabbed the book from the foal's hooves. "At my Hearth's Warming Pageant, I bucked Chancellor Puddinghat off the stage."

"Really?"

"No, but that would have been a lot more awesome." Rainbow casually tossed the book at the altar. "Zoop!"

Flassssh! The book bounced off.

"Gaaah!" Rainbow yelped.

With a gasp, Madame Nightshade rushed forward and grabbed the tome before it could plunge into the metal darkness below.

“Whoops!” Rainbow Dash inside the Noble Jury winced beside Nat'rdo. She batted at the air like she was wrestling with shadows, making that particular vision blur away. “Wrong visit to the Machine Layer! Morrrrrrre like...” She charaded like she was yanking hard on a rudder wheel, before finally settling on an image of her surrounded by a vast interior full of faintly glowing gold metals. “Ah, there we go.”

Nat'rdo's yellow eyes narrowed with scrutiny.

Deep beneath the bowels of Darkstine, past Rainbow Dash traversed a complex mechanical chamber. She smiled with epiphany, speaking out loud to herself.

“It is a machine.”

A lavender glow spread across the metal. Each dormant mechanism came alive, one by one, as the pegasus ascended towards an array of levers—which she promptly pulled.

“And I am the spark.”

Upon her close contact, pendulums swung. Gears spun. Steam and electricity and flames brimmed the edges of each mysterious apparatus. All the while, the pony's eyes danced yellow-on-red and back to ruby.

“Where... is this?” Nat'rdo asked breathlessly.

“Beneath us,” Rainbow calmly answered. “All around us.” She waved her hoof, flickering to an image of her, Astral, Red Turnip, Rockspot, and dozens of freed ponies traversing platinum platforms suspended in a cave full of machina. “The plane—the world we all live on—is artificial.” Another flick of the fetlock. She and Nat'rdo could see her past self and Gold Petals flying through metal corridors with chaos beasts hot on their tails. “Somepony... or someone built this thing ages ago.” Rainbow Dash rescued Bellesmith and Pilate from a crushing fate. “So long ago, that there's barely any record of it.” A lone pegasus climbed a tall metal tower awash with the tempestuous crashing waves of the Grand Choke. “But the essence of this world occasionally pokes through the surface. It's older than history itself... and it longs to be reunited with the rest of something far bigger. Something... that this plane broke off from long before the likes of alicorns ever imagined it existed.”

Nat'rdo blinked. She turned to look at the vague shadows beyond the vision. They too were stirring with abject vexation.

“Look... I know that it's a lot to take in...” Rainbow Dash was casually flickering between the rain-soaked buildings of Stratopolis and the enchanted tome found beside the petrified bones of an ancient pegasus. “Goddess knows it's been a veritable migraine for me, and I've been dealing with it in portions for the last two years or so.” She stopped on an image of the Last Seed—the final metal tower beyond the twilight veil of eastern Rohbredden. “To make it as short and succinct as equinely possible... I've learned a lot about what makes this world tick... and I know that the very last tick is coming soon.” She turned to face Nat'rdo directly. “Unless... harmony is restored to this entire world. For some reason or another, I'm the Spark... the vessel needed to carry this harmony. This isn't something that the Princesses of Equestria planned. All things considered, they never fully figured it out. Even Whitemane and Mortuana—their closest familiars—knew the truth only in faint bits and pieces. But me?”

Nat'rdo looked at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow smirked. “I've got bigger fish to fry then wars between sarosians and changelings and... … ...whatever the Night Shards are. But...” She gulped. “...it does involve the Harmonic Prism. The same thing that you and everyone you serve with is Jonesin' for. All this time, you've been fighting... killing... dying over the Sarcophagus of Ages. Thanks to the actions of an ancient Dragon Matriarch named Endrax—you can't get in. But me? I-I've met her siblings! I was even directly brought here by the honorable sacrifice of one of them! Plus... I've learned things about that which empowers this plane. I think... I believe that I've got a leg up on this whole friggin' quest to get the Prism. If we could... I dunno... help each other... then maybe I can get to the Prism and do what I can to save this world. That's a world I can save for you as well. Because... believe it or not... the war is over. And I'm not talking about the Trinary War.”

She took a few steps closer, gazing intently at the Dream Knight.

“The Civil War ended ages ago. Luna? Celestia?” Rainbow shook her head. “All the cards are off the table. There's a bigger picture at play now... bigger than even the Trinary War. I know that's... crazy to imagine. Heck, it must be positively insulting to the likes of you. But... there's gotta be a way I can convince you... Lexxic... the matriarchs... everyone in the Dark Vigil that peace and harmony can be realized! We just gotta... work together.”

Silence.

Nat'rdo stared at Rainbow Dash.

Then she stared past her. The mare's eyeslits narrowed. “Are those my fellow brothers and sisters surrounding that tower?”

Rainbow Dash blinked. She closed her eyes, took a long and meditative breath, then forced herself to smirk. “Yup.” She turned to face the twilight vista beyond the Noble Jury's window as well. “The flock at Bleak's Plummet. They're more like your long lost cousins, but still—”

“I take it that you have dealt with our kind before?” Nat'rdo paced before the window. “Please...” She waved a hoof, causing the images to ripple. “...can you recall more detailed memories?”

“Well, I guess I could—”

“Never mind.” Nat'rdo twisted her fetlock, causing the images to twirl in a blur. “I do believe I have it.”

Rainbow teetered dizzily. By the time she felt like the Noble Jury had stabilized, she could see starlight glinting off the moist eyes of Xarchellus, Enix, and dozens of other sarosians perched along the exposed structure of Bleak's Plummet among the rippling black waves.

The Rainbow Dash from a few months ago stood straight and tall with her fuzzy chest thrust out. A silver glow emanated dimly from her Loyalty Pendant, and it fluctuated in time with the echoing words of a wise and stately alicorn. Xarchellus and the rest of the gathered elders and warriors listened intently as the Princess of the Night spoke among them:

“I am honored by your pledge, as well as your commitment to Harmony.”

Nat'rdo's eyes narrowed. “The Mother of Nightmares speaks? But... h-how? She does not appear to be present in this vision.”

“She speaks through a connection made with my pendant,” the present Rainbow casually explained. She pointed at her past self's glowing artifact. “It used to be that the Element of Loyalty could only pick up Princess Luna's voice during a full moon. But on the edge of... … …Penumbra, I got to speak with Princess Luna an awful lot more.”

“So...” Nat'rdo's leathery wings tightened. “...a resulting effect of the enchantment our Mother placed upon your neckpiece.”

“Right.” Rainbow smirked. “Avatar of H'Luun and all that jazz.”

Princess Luna continued addressing the sarosians in the dark and misty vision: ”It fills my heart with immense joy to know that such a tenacious flock would wish to gather once again under my protective wings, in full rejection of the tools and trades of violence that brought them to such a remote niche to begin with."

Rainbow gestured at the lead elder of the Sarosians. “That's Xarchellus. The uppermost... uhhhh... Maria Matriarch of the Vigil that stayed behind on the edge of Penumbra.”

Right on cue, Xarchellus responded to Luna's voice: “We have been misguided for so very long, Moon Maiden. But as you have so humbly rejected Nightmare Moon, so must we follow your righteous charge and attempt—with full mind, body, and spirit—to bring things back to the way they once were. And the only way to do that would be to return home: a necessary exodus to salvage what is left of our culture..”

"And I welcome such an honorable decision,” Luna's voice said through the pendant.

Princess Celestia's voice chimed in: "And the Princess of the Sun likewise expresses joy and pride in the choice made by the esteemed Matriarch and her council."

Luna added: "My older sister speaks the truth. We are both gladdened by this turn of events, and we encourage it."

"Indeed."

“You see... back on the Light Side?” Rainbow turned to face Nat'rdo with a smile. “We managed to work things out with only minor headaches!” She blinked.

Nat'rdo was wincing hard, her back hairs bristling. Rainbow noticed the dark silhouettes from beyond reacting in a similar fashion.

“Right.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Sorry I gave no... sunny-side-up trigger warning for the Solar Decepticon's voice.”

“She was working alongside her sister...” Nat'rdo rubbed her scalp achingly.

“Yep.”

“And the maria matriarch and her fellow subordinates...” The Dream Knight's yellow eyeslits scanned the velvety faces, faces, faces. “They were so ready to follow along.”

“Yep yep.”

“... … ...even after hearing the voice of our Mother's older sister?”

“Yep yep yep!” Rainbow pointed with a wink. “And you can put that on a gravestone!”

Nat'rdo looked at Rainbow. “It all seems far too... t-too...”

“What, easy?” Rainbow's ears folded back as she waved a hoof out the Noble Jury's window. “Believe-you-me... getting to that point was not without its bumps and bruises.”

The vision beyond the observation deck blurred, rippled, then settled on the upper deck of the Princess Stardust. Battered and bruised bodies were spread all across Flynn's ship, but the sarosians had gotten the upper hoof. Enix and her fellow nightbloods were about to crack the skulls of the Herald with whalebone bludgeons when—

Past Rainbow's pendant pulsed, booming Luna's enchanted voice everywhere:

"OH FOOLISH WAYWARD FOALS! BE STILLLLLLL!”

The nightbloods froze in place, gasping. Their ears were throttled by the nightmarishly familiar voice, and their eyes were singed by the pulsating light that matched the matriarch's broadcasted roar:

"N'WYNLMMUU Y'LNHMEM H'JYMWYN NYL H'LUUN!"

Within seconds, every warrior was kneeling, bowing, or lying prostrate in complete and total reverence as the Princess of the Night continued her speech. Past Rainbow and her fellow Heraldites took the opportunity to wearily recover.

Nat'rdo shuddered, her leafy ears drooping. “Such...” A fanged gulp. “...magnificent authority.”

“Careful, girl.” Rainbow smirked, eyebrow arched. “Don't turn this dream into a wet dream.”

Nat'rdo paced closer to the observation deck's window, eyeing the penitent warriors of Bleak's Plummet. “You were able to channel the voice of the Mother of Nightmares...”

“Haven't we been over this? Yes. Yes I was.”

Nat'rdo turned to look at Rainbow Dash. Her expression was sad, and Rainbow sensed a foalish shiver to the elders' shadows in the distance. “Why haven't you bothered bestowing us with such exalted grace?”

“Because...” Rainbow fidgeted, gazing down to where her real-world pendant would be beneath her neck. “...I can't.”

Nat'rdo nodded sadly—but knowingly. “While she is no longer imprisoned in the moon, the Mother of Nightmares is nevertheless blocked by the substance of the plane.”

“If this place gets no moon... my Element gets no moon,” Rainbow Dash explained. “Up until the very brink, Princess Luna gave me her wisdom, her insight, and her well-wishes. But she couldn't give me her voice.”

Nat'rdo pointed at Rainbow's neck. “But she still bestowed her blessing...” The mare's yellow eyeslits narrowed. “...to her avatar.”

Rainbow smirked. “Now you're getting it.”

“Hmmmm...” Nat'rdo breathed calmly. She turned and looked at the vision beyond the window again. “And what of our other half? These... vigilantes of 'Bleak's Plummet?'”

Rainbow Dash casually swiped her hoof, cycling forward through images of Rainbow and the Herald conferring with Xarchellus' flock, the sarosians listening to Princess Luna, and at last the final battle with the Rohbredden Central Guard.

“We got them to lend us a hoof with a bunch of angry ponies who were tailing us all the way to the world's end,” Rainbow Dash said. “They were brave... they were selfless... and they gave us the time we needed to make it over the edge.”

“Then they sacrificed themselves for you...?”

“No. I mean—not all of them. Most of them fled west and away from the twilight waters. Only a few of the warriors hung back to help us out. I guess you could say that they were buying time for Bleak's Plummet as well as they were for us.” Rainbow Dash faced Nat'rdo directly. “You see, after much talk with Princess Luna, Xarchellus and her flock decided to make a return exodus.”

“Return... exodus...?”

“That's right.” Rainbow nodded. “Back to Equestria... back to where it all began. The birth of sarosians... the creation of dreams... the Solar Civil War...” She shrugged. “Letting bygones be bygones, the rest of the Vigil decided to make peace with Celestia and the past. It's... a heck of a long trek.” Rainbow gulped. “And... I-I still dunno how they're gonna make it easily past the windigoes and the Grand Choke. But...” A nod. “They're homeward bound. That's for sure.”

Nat'rdo squinted at the mare. “Is that what you would wish for us?”

Rainbow's lips pursed. She paused... then rubbed her own scalp in thought. “I mean... if it were possible... that would be great. Heck, I'd be all for it... but—”

“The Edge.”

“Y-yeah...”

“It is a most formidable obstacle,” Nat'rdo said.

“True.” Rainbow squinted. “But you guys spanned it before, right? And it wasn't just a few sarosians... but a whole friggin' mountainfull of you guys! Just... what's your secret, huh? How'd you do it the first time?”

Nat'rdo paced past Rainbow Dash. Within seconds, it was clear she was ignoring that last question. “Did it bother this Xarchellus at all... that the Mother of Nightmares was clearly defeated within a year or two of their mutual conference?”

Rainbow sighed, her whole body drooping. She pivoted to face Nat'rdo across the fragmented interior of the Noble Jury. “Just what are you getting at?”

“The Mother's words... her actions... her motivations...” Nat'rdo swiped a hoof, causing the images beyond the window to flicker through trace memories: Lerris on fire, the festival in Kunmane, Roarke's silver blue eyes. None of them gave her any solace. “...they do not match our voluminous records of the Midnight Diviner's own words. In fact... your recollection of her suggests a completely changed matriarch.” She turned to look over her tail at Rainbow Dash. “...how could such a radical change in purpose and motivation be the result of anything but brainwashing?”

“Dude...!” Rainbow frowned, swiping her own hoof. “I'm telling you—she's a changed mare!”

Right as Rainbow's words ended, the vision beyond the observation deck settled on the heart of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash stood, suited up with a midnight blue saddlebag heavy with supplies for a long trip. Princess Luna stood beside her. As ponies gathered in a thickening circle around them, they gazed up at an elaborate bronze statue depicting six heroic young mares.

"What you did here was a good thing, Your Majesty," the past Rainbow Dash said. "Many ponies really needed this."

Luna looked at her petite royal subject. "And what of what thou needeth, Rainbow Dash?"

"You've already given me everything."

"We only wish we could giveth thee more."

Rainbow could only fidget.

Luna cocked her royal head aside. "Did thou find the service to be fitting?”

"Oh, totally. Though, uhm..." Rainbow squirmed in the shadow of the six-figure statue. “I have only one thing I don't really agree with."

Luna stood gracefully between Rainbow and the bronze mares. “It was agreed that all of the ponies that brought harmony to Equestria should be remembered."

Before the conversation went any further, Rainbow of the present stood between the vision and Nat'rdo. “Instead of terrorizing ponies and attempting to create everlasting night, Princess Luna's been helping me every step of the way! Heck—she's helping all of Equestria now that her sister can't occupy the throne like she used to!” She kicked the hull of the Noble Jury and zoomed the vision closer in on the concrete-and-steel sarcophagus within the heart of Ponyville. “I mean... Celestia's locked up in there now!” She pointed at the structure. “If Luna wanted to, she could take over all of Equestria and lock the entire plane in eternal night super easy! But she's not! And you know why?”

Nat'rdo simply looked at Rainbow.

Rainbow bore a soft smile. “Because she believes in Harmony! She believes in peace and tranquility! She believes in... in... sunshine and rainbows and all that warm-comfy stuff!”

Nat'rdo spoke camly: “Does she believe in 'the Spark?'”

Rainbow raised a fetlock... lingering. “She... believes in me...” Her nostrils flared. “But most of the time she's having to play catch-up when it comes to my quest and stuff.”

“Have you not been fully complicit with her?” Nat'rdo asked. “Concerning your desire to access the Harmonic Prism within the Sarcophagus of Ages?” Her eyebrow raised. “And the supposed cosmological importance attached to such?”

“Look—she's the one who... like... set the quest marker above the Midnight Armory to begin with.” Rainbow snorted. “The way I see it, so long as I don't mess up the entire plane or... unleash a herd of dragonequines upon the mortal realm—I'm pretty sure she's on board!”

“That's an awful lot of trust.”

“Hey... I'm not the Avatar of H'Luun for nothing!” Rainbow struck a pose, winking. “But—ahem—in all seriousness... we're on the same team. Me and Princess Luna, that is.” She held a hoof out, as if to shake Nat'rdo's fetlock. “And I'd really like it if you were too. Not just you—although that's pretty smexy in and of itself—but the Dream Council! The Maria Matriachs! Heck—even Lexxic himself!” She smiled a friendly smile. “The Solar Civil War is long over! The Trinary War is only hurting everypony. The world's dying—but it can be saved. If only... we could all come together, y'know? Nightblood? Dayblood? Pantyblood? Who cares? We're all ponies at both the start and the end of the day! Why not spread that same commonality over the night as well?”

“... … ...”

“So whaddya say?” Rainbow Dash addressed both Nat'rdo and the silhouettes of the Council behind her as well. “Can't we come together over this? Can't we learn to set ancient differences aside and work for a common cause? I'm not saying we put our tails between our legs and hoof everything over to Tchern and the Night Shard—but let's say we turn this stupid war into an awesome adventure to do something right for a change?”

“... … ...” Nat'rdo looked at Rainbow's hoof, then at Rainbow again.

Rainbow remained frozen in place, bearing a hopeful smile.

A breath—and Nat'rdo suddenly kicked the hull of the Noble Jury herself. The entire vessel reeled, throwing Rainbow off-balance. By the time she recovered, she threw a hapless glance out the window of the observation deck, just in time for a vision to settle on the ruined Castle of the Royal Sisters in the middle of the Everfree Forest.

“You still don't have the sixth Element!” Nightmare Moon thundered, standing in all her ebony glory, clad in silver-blue armor and bearing her enchanted helm. “The spark didn't work!”

“But it did!” Twilight Sparkle insisted, surrounded by five colorful mares. She turned to face them, her eyes filled with tears that reflected the crystalline shards floating around their lithe figures. “A different kind of spark. I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all...”

Twilight turned to face Nightmare Moon with a determined stomp of her hooves.

“...are my friends!” As she spoke, a once-dormant stone levitated above her and the other mares. It glowed with a luminescence that nearly blinded the Princess of the Night from across the decrepit castle chamber. “You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the... the spark that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element: the element of... magic!”

Within seconds of her saying this, the bright stone above them vanished in a flash. In its place, six uniquely-articulated pendants of Harmonic energy materialized, consisting of the shards that were floating around each mare. They formed necklaces that appeared around the necks of five mares—including Rainbow Dash. Upon Twilight's head, however, the pendant materialized into a crown. Resonating with brilliant energy, the six friends levitated towards the sundered ceiling of the former Castle. The aura around them brightened, then ribboned into a penetrating rainbow pattern that shot towards Nightmare Moon like a lash, enveloping her completely.

“Nooooooo!” Nightmare Moon howled in despair, rearing up and kicking at the crushing cocoon of colored light in utter futility. “NOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

Rainbow Dash winced—her eardrums were being savagely pierced. Not just from Nightmare Moon; the screaming was echoing all around her. She spun about and gazed beyond Nat'rdo's flinching figure to see the silhouettes of the entire Dream Council writhing and thrashing about in abject agony.

She tried hollering at them—begging them to calm down, but it was too late. The dream unraveled like a loosening ball of string. The hull of the Noble Jury collapsed. The hammock burned to ashes. The metal hull stripped away and Rainbow and Nat'rdo's bodies were sent—flailing—towards an insurmountably bright nexus of light.

FLAAAAAAAASH!

Rainbow Dash gnashed her teeth. Her ears rang with dozens of hissing, shrieking voices.

Her bloodshot eyes opened wide to the dimly-lit interior of the Dream Den. Beyond the confused expressions of Ariel and her ghostly friends, she saw a sea of angry, angry, angry elders.

“W'ysymlym ryk ryk thy'myl!”

“Wry'm thym syln H'cylsialym ly'msym!!!”

“Syl'thynyl yln rym'ly sylm!”

“W'rhynnym ryk ryk! Thym! Thym!!!”

Shriike—a frazzled mess—struggled to keep up with all of the echoing expletives. “Wait! Wait!” Her fangs showed as she scribbled desperately across long swaths of scroll paper. “Slow down, you nimrods! I can't keep up!”

Captain Xandraa trotted into the center of the room, grasping desperately at random mares in an attempt to restore order. “Elders... elders please!” She held her hoof high. “Be calm! None of you are in danger—”

“And what would you know about danger?!” Byraag howled. The pale mare spun and pointed an angry hoof at Rainbow Dash. “Captain, you allowed a vile assassin into our Sanctum!”

“Defiler!” another elder hissed.

Yet another mare spat at Rainbow from afar. “Agent of the burning day!”

“Good heavens...!” Rarity floated closer to Rainbow. “What in Celestia's name did you show them, Rainbow Dash?”

“They... uh...” Rainbow rubbed her aching head as she sat up. “...they saw us all zapping Nightmare Moon back in Everfree,” she muttered.

Twilight Sparkle's ears folded. “Oh boy...”

“It's true! Isn't it?” Byraag marched towards Rainbow's seated figure, fuming with each hobbling step. “Some 'peace' you made with the Mother of Nightmares! Harumph!” She pointed the tip of her moonstone cane straight between Rainbow's eyes. “All you did was subjugate her with blunt force and oppressive power!”

The other mares nodded and hissed with angry accord.

“You used the royal sisters' harmonic essence as a vile weapon and forced the gift of Nightmares out of the Moon Princess' body!” Byraag shook the cane, spitting. “Admit it!”

“She...” Rainbow Dash winced, struggling to stand up—still feeling foggy. “...was going to make n-night last forever!”

“A most glorious and peaceful reckoning for all of Equestria!” Byraag thundered. “And beyond!”

“Stop echoing the Book of Saros like a precocious little filly, Byraag,” A'othe said, stepping up. “It's more than obvious that she and all other ponies foaled under the searing Deception would not approve of—”

“Let her speak for herself, you insufferable bleeding-heart!” Byraag dismissed A'othe, then frowned down at Rainbow once again. “You never had the Mother of Nightmare's interests in mind, did you?! Not when you coerced Xarchellus, and not when you entered this Sanctum!”

Rainbow frowned back at the elder. “Princess Luna herself no longer desires eternal night! She's renounced her actions as Nightmare Moon—”

“Only because you and your fellow agents of Deception glassed her mind of all righteousness!” Byraag howled.

Numerous mares echoed her sentiment.

“If that's true...” A'othe stammered. “Then why is she even here?!” She gestured towards Rainbow on the floor. “She only has one of six pieces of the weapon! What—does she intend to glass our minds as well?!”

“For all we knew—she almost could have!” Byraag shook her cane. “We all shared our collective consciousness with her! Hadn't the Dream Knight relied on her intuition and brought us immediately to the searing truth—”

“She had no intention...” Nat'rdo hobbled up with the help of two other elders. “...of obliterating our minds...” She looked clearly worn out by the entire experience, and when her gaze fell on Rainbow, it was a weak expression at best. “...but she was most certainly desperate to convince us of a perceived truth.”

“It's n-not just... a matter of p-perspective.” Rainbow shuddered, finally standing up—with Ariel's help. “I've encountered evidence... been granted visions from messengers older than all civilizations on this plane.” She gritted her teeth. “Yes, Luna and I duked it out once. But that's all behind us! So much crap... is all behind us! There's a very real issue in the coming future that's gotta be dealt with!”

“Maybe...” Ariel perked up, holding Rainbow as she looked earnestly at the elders. “M-maybe go into my mind! See what I and the other members of the Herald have seen! You'll know that Rainbow Dash isn't just blowing hot air!”

“Prfffft!” Byraag rolled her eyes. “Please, child. We all know what's in your mind.”

Ariel frowned. “I'm serious! Will you all stop being a bunch of stuck-up—”

“Ariel...” Rainbow groaned.

“Elders...” Nat'rdo limped until she stood besides Captain Xandraa—who lent her a supportive hoof. “Please... be calm. I assure you—this pony may indeed be misguided... confused... perhaps even self-righteous. But she is not a danger to us!”

“Listen to your Dream Knight,” spoke a raspy voice. Eyes fell on Prunus, who was slowly waddling towards the heart of the crowd. Her glazed eyes stared through all of them. “This is no time for rash emotions. That is the substance of our warriors beyond the Tree. But here, we must lend a civilized ear to this avatar—”

“She is no avatar!” Byraag snarled. “She is a seared sinner! A burnt bastard child of Penumbra!” A crooked smile crossed her muzzle. “But if she is indeed to be a 'vessel,' send her to the Lower Roots! Let her be a suitable chalice for—”

Suddenly, one of the two guards accompanying Captain Xandraa stepped forward with a booming voice: “Enough, Byraag. This conversation is over. I must now speak alone with W'ynlppa yln H'luun.”

The entire room shuddered—save for Prunus and Nat'rdo.

Byraag and others spun to face the outspoken guard. “You?!? But this creature—!”

“Leave this Roost,” the guard said. Piercing silver eyeslits brimmed from under the helmet. “All of you. Now.”

Captain Xandraa let out a shrill whistle, clapping her hooves.

Instantly—and without any hesitation—Byraag and the rest of the elders filed out of the Dream Den, like pre-school foals who were deeply in trouble.

Rainbow Dash and Ariel watched in silent confusion. They saw Nat'rdo and Prunus slowly shuffling towards the exit.

Prunus lingered a bit, looking at the guard who had spoken. “If she is indeed deceived...” Blind eyes shifted beneath thick cataracts. “...it is a most marvelous imagination that has been planted.”

“Perhaps so.” The one guard nodded. “Your work—as always—is appreciated, Lady Prunus. You have trained your protege quite well.”

Nat'rdo performed a half-curtsy before the guard, then continued walking out with Prunus. A pair of piercing silver eyes rested on Ariel.

Rainbow looked at Applejack—who calmly waved a reassuring hoof. Clearing her throat, Rainbow stood on her own four hooves and gave Ariel a pat on the withers. “Go ahead and step outside for a bit, girl.”

“But—”

“I think it's for the best...”

Ariel bit her lip, but ultimately relented. She left the Den, along with Shriike—who also looked just as confused and frazzled. At last, Captain Xandraa made for the exit, accompanied by the second guard. She swiveled to look at the first.

“Milady...”

“It's alright, Captain,” the one guard spoke. “You have done your duty admirably. Now I must do mine.”

Xandraa gracefully bowed. “As you wish.” She and the other guard exited the Dream Den, closing the large round doors behind them.

It was now just Rainbow Dash and the lone guard, surrounded by incense and dim runelights.

“To have come this far after having personally banished the Mother of Nightmares,” the guard spoke calmly and in an eloquent voice. “It is an insult to everything that the followers of Saros hold dear.”

“What I did to Nightmare Moon wasn't personal,” Rainbow Dash said. She gulped. “Nor was it duty.”

“No. I suppose it was destiny. As is this.”

The guard reached up and removed her enshrouding helmet. Soon, Rainbow Dash could see a middle-aged mare with slight wrinkles along her brow and beneath her eyes. She had a pale blue coat, and the mane that she tossed loose was full of smokey curls, bespeckled with ornaments that resembled tiny glittering diamonds. The mare looked both opulent and wise, and yet her silver eyeslits carried a weight of immense wisdom and intellect.

“It has long been written in the Book of Saros that 'on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in Her escape.' Do forgive us, W'ynlppa yln H'luun, but time has not been quite so easy to measure opposite of Penumbra.”

“Yeah, I can imagine that...” Rainbow's eyes fell on the mare's neck. Within her circular brand, there was the profile of an alicorn. Rainbow immediately recognized it as the night sky image that she had grown accustomed to throughout fillyhood: the Mare-In-the-Moon. “So... uhhh...” She looked up to smile pleasantly at the sarosian's face. “Who am I forgiving, exactly?

“Please, avatar. You may be quite brusque in your communication skills, but you're not nearly as dense as you pretend to be.” The mare trotted closer, carrying a regal stance befitting the likes of Luna or Celestia. “My name is Mistress Faatail. Forgive my silence until now—but I needed to bear witness to your character in person.”

“I see...” Rainbow briefly glanced at Twilight and her friends, then back at the elder. “And which member of the Maria Matriarchs are you, exactly?”

“The only one diligent enough to speak to you face to face. At least... as of right now.” An aged smile. “Perhaps that can change.”

“Yeah...” Rainbow nodded with a wary look. “...perhaps it can.”

Awkward silence.

“Heeeeeeee...” Rarity cupped her squishy ghost cheeks while stars brimmed in her eyes. “I really like her maaaaaaaane.”

Talking Maria Matriarchs Syndrome

The runelight of the Dream Den caught the moonstuds in Mistress Faatail's mane with a resplendent shine. Even when just standing, she exuded grace and elegance, both indicative of and apart from that lavish interior. Rainbow Dash could tell that—for all of the opulence of Gibbous Sanctum—the Mistress hailed from someplace further above. She even had a superior scent about her: sweet and otherwordly, flourished with unseen flowers that Rainbow had never smelled before. It pierced the incense of the room like the bow of a ship with a full wind in its sails.

“What is your preferred form of address, Penumbran?” she asked, casually strolling about the Dream Den.

“Well, I'm pretty fine with 'Rainbow Dash,'” Rainbow replied.

“A name true to light.” The elder nodded. “And the bending of it.”

“Uh...” Rainbow squeaked. “Thanks?”

“It's no wonder the Solar Deceiver tricks so many with it.”

“Uh huh.” Rainbow droned. “Thanks.”

Mistress Faatail moved from cushion to cushion, absent-mindedly tidying the place until the arrangement looked more symmetrical—for no reason. “Was the name assigned at foaling or earned at marking?”

Rainbow opened her muzzle—but lingered in confusion. She looked aside at her ghostly companions.

Pinkie shrugged. Rarity also shrugged. Applejack hunched over, deep in thought. Twilight—

“Maybe she means when you earned your cutie mark,” Fluttershy suggested.

Rainbow looked at Mistress Faatail once again. “I was foaled with the name.”

“Ah.” The elder nodded in thought. “So traditions have changed back in the Old Matriarchy.”

Rainbow shrugged. “It has been a thousand years.”

“Epochs and blinks are both the same to those who can measure them. In darkness—that gift is not afforded to everypony.” She pivoted to face Rainbow directly. “'Faatail' was assigned to me at birth. It is the seventh time an elder has carried that name. In the previous six rotations, the Faatails before me have performed their duties of lorekeeping and judiciousness with great zeal. And like the six before me, I am bound to accomplish little to no change.”

Rainbow nodded slowly. “Yeah... sure... but—” Her brow furrowed. “...seems like you know it.”

“Knowing isn't the issue.” Mistress Faatail shook her head with a shimmer of moondust. “It's the doing.” She waved an elegant hoof in Rainbow's direction. “Take yourself, for instance. You may be one pony—”

“I've got friends,” Rainbow interrupted with a devilish smirk.

The elder nodded. She repeated: “You may be one pony, but you've scaled impossible obstacles to reach the realm of your exiled cousins. I greatly suspect the name 'Rainbow Dash' will live on with a grand legacy. And you did not need six prior versions of yourself to boost your potential.”

“Sure, but...” Rainbow shrugged. “What's in a name?”

“Everything.” Mistress Faatail exhaled. “Nothing.” She strolled about the den. “Tell me—did you get to... socialize with Commander Lexxic and his brothers?”

“Not... a whole lot...” Rainbow spoke in a cautious tone.

“Did you interact with them enough to catch wind of how they address one another?”

“Well, sure. They've got names.” Rainbow blinked. Her ears perked up. “They have 'battle names'.”

“That is correct.” Faatail nodded. “Lexxy'kyn. Masser'myn. Myl'sypher'ym.”

Rainbow pointed. “Don't forget Azarias...!”

The elder's muzzle tightened briefly, then relaxed. “The point is...” She looked fixedly at Rainbow Dash. “For the longest time—nine hundred and seventy-eight winters, to be exact—the soldiers of the Dark Vigil fought for the Mother of Nightmares as one. Titles were re-used. Brothers and sisters carried the same names on different battlefields. Names of the militant class were simply a means of differentiating comrades on the warfront. They were never intended to assign permanence. It has been maintained—since the very first moment of the Exodus—that the fabric of night would never allow the stars to spell out our essences until we freed the Mother of Nightmares from her own exile.”

“But now...” Rainbow cocked her head curiously to the side. “...it's different?”

“Lexxy'kyn changed all of that. He changed a lot of things.” With a fuming breath, Mistress Faatail paced along the outer edges of the rune-lit domain. “In many ways, I understand why. And it has indeed been reaping great benefits and rewards for the effort to claim the Sarcophagus. Lexxic is—with every fiber of his being—working to achieve victory. Victory, after all, is the goal that everypony has in mind. It's the reason why the Dark Vigil arrived here to begin with. Acquiring the Harmonic Prism—the tool of the alicorns—is the sole means we have of bringing glory back to the night. The Prism is the Equalizer, and in the hooves of the Mother of Nightmares, it could make her grand vision a permanent reality.”

Rainbow's lips pursed. She looked at Applejack—who gave their anchor a patient glance. Rainbow gazed once again upon Mistress Faatail.

Eventually, the elder continued: “But victory means change. And... if you are here...” She turned, her slitted eyes reflecting the pendant around Rainbow's neck. “...and if the powers that be in the Old Matriarchy have allowed you to bring a piece of the searing weapons here to our realm...” A melancholic exhale. “Then it would seem that after all this time... after all this death and after all this suffering... … … change has happened on its own without us.” Her fangs showed. “And that is far from a victory.”

Rainbow gulped. “Equestria is at peace. Isn't that a victory?”

“What has that 'peace' cost, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow was at a brief loss for words. “I mean... we only gained awesomeness, really. Princess Luna's back. There's still a day-and-night cycle. As for the stuff that happened afterwards with—”

“Was the Old Matriarchy embroiled in constant war over the past thousand years?”

Rainbow glanced at her friends. She fidgeted her hooves against the soft floor, then cleared her throat. “Uhm. No. Not really, no.”

Mistress Faatail's ears drooped; she almost looked disappointed at that.

Rainbow blurted: “Look, it can't be... friggin' easy having fought for centuries upon centuries in a goddess-awful bloody war over an alicorn pyramid.” Her voice cracked. “And I know it's really gross and horrible to say that all of that fighting and death and loss was... w-was a lost cause, but—”

“You need not dance around the truth, Rainbow Dash,” the elder said. “Perhaps with the Dream Council, the Captain, and even the clerks—but not with me.” Mistress Faatail was deadpan. “I know quite well that the loss is simply that: a loss. As stated before—so many generations have passed with so much suffering. Rotations of names... buried in darkness... until Lexxic. And even then... even now...” Her words trailed off, as did her gaze.

Rainbow leaned forward. “You know that you're fighting for nothing?”

Silence.

“You're... the highest of the highest, aren't ya?” Rainbow sputtered. “'High-Polished' and whatnot? What's the place you live in even called? 'Full Sanctum?'” She pointed. “I see the mark on your neck! That's the Mare-In-The-Moon! I lived with it above my head throughout fillyhood! You must be the cream of Nightmare Moon's crop!”

“In a manner of speaking—”

“Then if you know that all of this war and fighting and suffering is for nothing... why don't you stop it?!” Rainbow blanched. “Aren't you gals the ones who are really in power?”

“I am one of many,” Mistress Faatail replied sharply. However, the edge in her voice wore off as she spoke further: “And—in truth—I have been... minimized in my authority for the past several winters. Such is a consequence of my outspoken stance, perhaps, but that hasn't stopped me from looking for methods by which I could convince my familiars about an inevitable turn in the pages of history.”

“What kind of turn?”

“The stars have aided in her escape,” the elder stated. “She brought about Nighttime Eternal. And yet...” She pointed at Rainbow's neck. “You're here. And you carry with you a piece of the weapon. That means our Mother is back, and yet there is no way that she would have willingly allowed any permutation of the weapon to remain in tact. That can only mean one thing. Nighttime eternal was never achieved, and the Mother of Nightmares has been defeated.”

“Yeah, but that 'defeat' wasn't a... defeat.”

Mistress Faatail said nothing.

Rainbow took note of it. “You...” She leaned her head aside. “...agree with me, don't you?”

Applejack cleared her throat.

But it was too late. Thankfully, the most Faatail did to show offense was bear her fangs. “I cannot hold sway over that. None of us can. At least—not from here. And not without the Equalizer.”

Rainbow leaned back. “You... somehow knew that time was of the essence.” She gestured nebulously beyond the walls of the Tree. “...you knew that out there—beyond all the fighting and the war with the Night Shard and Changelings—the clock was ticking and the quest that brought the Bloodwings here would no longer matter.” Rainbow Dash exhaled. “Because Nightmare Moon would return and—a worse-case scenario for you—she might actually make friends with her older sister.”

“The greatest fear the Mother's foals have is that she might succumb to the flame of the Solar Deceiver without her entrusted army to be by her side to defend her.”

“Yeah? And what if I told you that the 'succumbing' wasn't really such a bad thing? But the opposite?”

“Such is a debate that has no end. I assure you.” Mistress Faatail breathed calmly. “What matters now—for us, for the Mother's foals, and for all who fight for the cause—is how to bring this war to a close. And what the Equalizer now means to everypony.”

“You... couldn't have just grappled with all this overnight,” Rainbow Dash said. “From the sound of things, the other elders have been pushing you out of the spotlight. You needed something to leverage your position with your sisters.” Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “That's why you're here, isn't it? That's why you pulled that stunt with Captain Xandraa—pretending to be a guard and all.”

“It wouldn't be the first time,” Mistress Faatail said.

“Oh?”

The elder shook her head. “I felt compelled to witness the works of Lexxy'kyn up close. Even beyond the seal beneath Gibbous Sanctum.”

“Is that...” Rainbow leaned forward. “...a big deal?”

“Immensely.” Faatail paced about, gazing towards the floor as if bearing shame befitting a young child. “I have sullied my polish by so much as touching the lower levels.” Her fangs bit into her bottom lip. “Stallions and breeders have gazed upon my visage—albeit masked—without even knowing about it.” She finally looked up with a pale expression. “If the rest of the elders found out, those who gazed upon me would be rounded up and executed.” A gulp. “Much worse... I would be forced into a lower station.”

Rarity and Twilight scrunched their muzzles.

“Yeah...” Rainbow squirmed slightly. “I can see how... th-that's a heck of a lot worse than dozens of other ponies being killed outright.”

“I cannot afford to have any of this revealed,” Mistress Faatail exclaimed. “Captain Xandraa has put herself on the line to assist me in many instances. Her loyalty is priceless, and I shudder to put her at risk as well.”

“Well, no offense, lady, but why in the flippin' heck are you telling me?” Rainbow barked.

This time, Mistress Faatail did frown. She turned to face Rainbow directly. “Your very presence here is a daring act of courage and good-faith and—above all—trust.” She arched an eyebrow. “Is it not fitting that I return the same?”

Rainbow blew out the side of her muzzle. “A'ight. Fair.”

“Besides, there is a great deal more at stake than the livelihood of our traditions. Both mine and yours,” the elder said. “You being here proves that.”

“So now what?” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I'm here. I've got your ear.” She gestured. “Now go yank the leafy ears of the other elders, bring them here, and we can blow the lid off of everything!”

“It... is not that simple.”

“Pfffft...” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “When is it ever?”

Mistress Faatail squinted icily. “Are Penumbrans always this facetious and flippant?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Helps me manage all the madness.”

“Yes...” the elder slowly nodded. “I suppose I can understand that.”

“Well, I'm glad that you're...” Rainbow shrugged. “...so understanding.”

“It would fill me with great contentment to share your testimony with the rest of my sanctum,” Mistress Faatail said.

“How the heck are you going to manage that without revealing the fact that you sneak out for forbidden twilight strolls downstairs?”

“Let me be concerned with that. For the time being, I have more questions to ask of you.” The elder's gaze hardened. “So that I may better ascertain the nature of your arrival—even better, the nature of the Mother of Nightmare's standing back home.”

“Tch...” Rainbow waved a fetlock, nodded. “Ask away.”

“When you confronted the Mother of Nightmares in the ruins of the ancient diarchal palace, why did it appear as though she was wearing her moonsilver armor?”

“I dunno.” Rainbow shrugged. “I never thought much about it—wait.” Her muzzle scrunched as she threw a confused expression in the elder's direction. “How the heck did you know about that? Were you in the dreamscape along with Nat'rdo and the rest?”

Mistress Faatail shook her head. “The Dream Weaver noted every detail.”

“The who did what?”

The elder navigated a heavy breath as she explained: “While it is the Dream Knight's job to steer the dream, the Dream Weaver—a slightly lesser-gifted dreamwalker—spends the entire venture recounting the envisioned details vocally into the realm of waking. A record-keeper, in this case our trustworthy Imperialist Clerk, records the words down into a written testimony of the vision. I assure you, Rainbow Dash, myself and everypony present were quite adequately illuminated as to the passing details of your vision.”

Rainbow looked aside at her friends.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie nodded.

“She's telling the truth, Rainbow,” Twilight said.

“It was... quite enthralling to listen to,” Rarity added with a nervous grin.

“Not to mention very confusing in places,” Fluttershy added.

Meanwhile...

“Rainbow Dash...?” Mistress Faatail addressed her, visibly confused as to why Rainbow was gazing aside into open space.

“Ahem.” Rainbow smiled in the elder's direction. “Okay. Got it. I'm on board. So... uh... Nightmare Moon's armor?”

“Yes.” The elder nodded. “Could you explain why it is that she was so splendidly girded without her actual corporeal armor?”

“You mean the stuff that you've got here in the Tree of Mothers?”

Mistress Faatail jerked back, blinking.

“I mean... I just sorta guessed that it was here.” Rainbow gulped. “Really but not really. But... with the Exodus and all... it kinda makes sense...” She smiled wincingly. “... … ...right?”

“Indeed...” The elder squinted. “It does.”

“After all, you guys scooped it away at the... uhhhh...” Rainbow looked at Twilight Sparkle. “...the Siege of Whinniepeg?”

Mistress Faatail's fangs glinted in the runelight. “Quite fascinating that you of all ponies would remember that.”

“Yeah, well...” Rainbow shrugged. “...you've got books here, right?”

She nodded. “The words of Saros—among many others.”

“Well, we've got a lot of light back where I'm from.” Rainbow winked. “It'd be a crime not to read, y'know?”

The elder was deadpan.

“Right.” Rainbow cleared her throat. “Scratch off attempting egghead humor.” She coughed, pacing closer to the elder. “Nightmare Moon... looked every bit as I imagined her... as any young filly or colt would have imagined her. She was tall, dark, scary—and wearing this wicked cool silver armor. I should know. I dressed as her once for Nightmare Night.”

“Nightmare... Night...?” Mistress Faatail squeaked, her coat hair starting to bristle.

“'Moving on!'” Twilight Sparkle hissed. “'Moving on!'”

“Moving right along!” Rainbow Dash smiled nervously, standing in place. “So... yeah! She was totally wearing armor! Silver with a bluish tinge.”

“I do not see how she could have acquired such...” Mistress Faatail rubbed her muzzle in thought, gazing off across the dim den. “...her especially-crafted gear dwells within safe containment under the Dark Vigil's protection.”

“Well—I mean...” Rainbow shrugged. “She was on the moon for a thousand years. That's plenty of time for an immortal mare like Luna to self-teach blacksmithing and make new armor of her own.”

The elder nodded. “A very logical possibility.”

“But... y'know... Nightmare Moon was always... er...” Rainbow charaded with her forelimbs. “...morphing around and turning into a starry black mist and back into an alicorn again and stuff...”

“How very fascinating.” There were literal stars in the elder's eyes. “It would appear our Mother has learned new gifted abilities since the time we were all separated from her.”

“Still didn't hold a candle to Harmony,” Rainbow said.

Mistress Faatail jerked her gaze towards Rainbow with an angry expression.

“Darling...!” Rarity squeaked, wincing.

Applejack shrugged. “But it's true.”

“Sorry, but it's true,” Rainbow echoed, holding her ground. “Maybe things would have been different if all of you had stayed. But... I-I think we both know that just wouldn't have happened. Not easily.” Rainbow gulped. “Blood being bad between the armies of Celestia and Luna—right at the end of the Civil War.”

“You really... truly participated in an assault on our Mother?” Mistress Faatail's voice wavered, momentarily fraught with disbelief. She pointed a shaky hoof at the pendant beneath Rainbow's neck. “Using that... that thing?”

“This thing is what keeps me alive,” Rainbow Dash said firmly as she touched the necklace in question. “You can thank it for the fact that I've arrived here in one piece—filling you in on all the crud you've missed on the Light Side.”

Mistress Faatail threw her gaze aside. She said nothing.

Rainbow Dash continued. “And... uh... as for blasting your beloved Matriarch with rainbow glitz and glam...” She brushed her mane back as she spoke. “I didn't think nothing of it. She was threatening my home with everlasting night against everypony's will. What's more—Princess Celestia had gone missing. I figured that if zapping Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony might bring things back to normal, then by raisins and peanuts I was gonna make it frickin' happen!”

“Spoken like a true solar defender,” Mistress Faatail muttered.

Rainbow shrugged casually. “Guilty as charged.” She then leaned forward with a serious expression. “But it's only because of what happened afterwards that I can so easily live with what I've done.”

The elder looked squarely at her.

Rainbow said, “Princess Luna returned to her normal alicorn self. She was no longer Nightmare Moon. Once the rage and madness of that... that freaky spirit had left her, she was glad to be reunited with her older sister. In fact, my friends and I watched as she and Celestia embraced. They were so friggin' happy that they were crying.”

Mistress Faatail's slitted eyes narrowed. “I do not recall that detail being conveyed...”

“Uhhhh...” Rainbow held up a hoof. “Cuz your dream gals flipped their gizzards before the vision could even get to that part!” She flashed a look towards the door. “Where's Miss Hottie? Nater-gal! Bring her back in here and we can transcribe it to you—!”

“Cease.” The elder froze Rainbow in place with a gesture. “Desist.” Her eyes hardened. “I believe your account.”

Rainbow couldn't help but squint at her. “... … ...are you sure that you do?”

“We may differ in opinion as to the true nature of the 'freaky spirit' whom you banished,” Mistress Faatail muttered. “But I have faith that you can fully relate the texture of that which you've witnessed.”

“Princess Luna is back, Ms. Faatail,” Rainbow Dash said in an earnest voice. “She's made peace with her sister. She's taken charge of ruling over Equestria. She controls the sun and moon.” She took a bold step forward. “And—if you ask me—she would rather each and every one of her 'children return home peacefully, having left this war behind... having left this stubborn violence behind... and—most of all—having left the stupid armor of Nightmare Moon behind...”

“All of these things...” Mistress Faatail paced her response. “...make a great deal of sense.”

“Then what's the problem?”

Silence.

“I... think I get it,” Rainbow Dash continued when the elder hadn't spoken. She tilted her head upwards with a knowing squint. “All of this—this war, this Vigil, this containment of the armor—it's not about being loyal to Princess Luna. It's about being loyal to Nightmare Moon.”

“Only a victim of the seared lands would choose to simplify things that pathetically.”

“Is it pathetic?!” Rainbow frowned. “Tell me—was it or was it not Princess Luna who performed the first dream walk and brought the very first sarosians into the waking world?”

“It was indeed Princess Luna.”

“See?!” Rainbow nodded, stomping a hoof down. “There we go—!”

“But it was Nightmare Moon who guided our essences along the path into corporeal existence.”

Twilight Sparkle looked puzzled at that.

“What...” Rainbow rocked a confused look. “...kind of a take is that?”

“The only interpretation that matters.” Mistress Faatail looked calmly at Rainbow. “The accounts and testimonials written in the Book of Saros.”

“... … ...'kay.” Rainbow Dash slowly nodded. “And... uh... who wrote the Book of Saros?”

“Why—the sanctified souls blessed enough to have been the Mother of Nightmare's personal company shortly upon their corporeal manifestation.”

Rainbow was already in the process of dragging an exhausted hoof across her muzzle. “Mmmmmmmm...” She managed a muffled: “Just them?”

“Well, no.” Mistress Faatail slowly shook her head, seemingly confused at Rainbow's confusion. “The subsequent generations of our Mother's most trusted allies added further testaments.”

“Right. Got it.” Rainbow started pacing about with a flick of her hoof. “But of course you've got your own sacred narrative.”

Mistress Faatail's brow furrowed. “Is there truly no existing manifest of the Book of Saros in the seared lands?” Her nostrils flared. “I expected the Solar Deceiver's purge to be grand in scale, but not so all-encompassing as to censor such priceless information.”

“Rainbow Dash...” Twilight Sparkle hovered close to her anchor. “Please. Please be delicate about this.”

“Let's not forget the lessons of the past,” Rarity insisted. “I hate to lay in the name so heavily—but I'm certain we all remember the Quade with great vividness.”

“Oh gosh...” Fluttershy visibly squirmed. “Is this how it all started? Somehow, it makes more sense.”

“Sadly, not all ponies make sense, Flutters,” Pinkie Pie muttered.

“Rainbow... if it helps...” Applejack floated into view. “She's dead-set on what she's talkin' about. That's for darn sure. But... she did come here for a reason. She stands to have her head filled.” Applejack's eyes hardened in earnest. “She wants to have her head filled.”

“There's a window of opportunity to be had here, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “Maybe this 'Faatail' is closed off in a lot of places, but she's still our one and only opening to the Maria Matriarchs as a whole.” Twilight shook her head. “We can't risk losing this chance. And neither can they!”

“Just... be patient with her darling,” Rarity said. “We know it's hard—especially after all you've done to get here, but—”

“Lay on sprinkles! Not glaze!” Pinkie suggested. “Pretend she's on a diet! An information diet!”

“Rainbow Dash?” Mistress Faatail remarked after a period of uncomfortable silence had passed. Her slitted eyes followed Rainbow's pacing movements. “Perhaps... there is something you are attempting to process?”

Rainbow Dash scuffled to a stop. She sighed, hanging her head as she gradually pivoted to face the elder. “I don't suppose... I could be lucky enough to read the Book of Saros...?”

Applejack smirked. “There's a good start, sugarcube.”

Sure enough, Mistress Faatail looked pleasantly surprised at that inquiry. “You can... most certainly be granted a copy of it. The sort of manifest that we share here in Gibbous Sanctum and beyond.”

“You mean ponies in the lower levels don't get to read it?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“They are occasional subjects to dictation,” Mistress Faatail said. “When the need for clarity fits.”

“And...” Rainbow squirmed left and right. “...what of the soldiers outside?”

The elder looked as if she was about to vomit at such an insinuation.

“Right. Right. Got it.” Rainbow cleared her throat. She slowly trotted towards the elder once again. “Anyways... long story short... you... uh...” Her eyes narrowed. “...you believe that Nightmare Moon willed the sarosians into the corporeal world? Instead of just Princess Luna reeling them in?”

“H'Luun's legacy roots itself in the seared lands,” Mistress Faatail declared. “Nightmare Moon is the living embodiment of nightmares. She hailed from the realm in which my sisters and I were originated. We share the same essence—albeit Nightmare Moon's is rooted deeper. When H'Luun reached into the realm of nightmares, Nightmare Moon reached back. We were merely a consequence of that spark. The moment we came into the corporeal realms, we formed a bridge between that which was blinding and that which was cleansing. In time, Nightmare Moon and H'Luun became one. She transformed into the Mother of Nightmares, and with great clarity of wisdom and purpose she sought out to bring perfection to the seared lands. Something that could only be accomplished with the pacifying shroud of Nighttime Eternal.”

While Twilight, Rarity, and the others were scratching their heads...

“Ah...” Rainbow Dash merely nodded. “I see. So then Princess Luna—”

“If she is currently robbed of the spirit of Nightmare Moon, then she is merely the alicorn she once was. Nothing more.”

“If that's the case...” Rainbow pointed vaguely out the door. “Then how come every mare I've stumbled across in this place has practically wet themselves over the enchantment that Luna put on my pendant?” She shook her head. “It wasn't Nightmare Moon who made me an avatar.”

“No. It indeed was not.” Mistress Faatail breathed calmly. “And yet—she is still a portion of the Mother of Nightmares. While not perfect and whole, there no doubt still dwells a portion of the Mother's wisdom and power within her. But H'Luun is not complete.” The elder shook her head. “Not without the miasma and the shell.”

“The... miasma and the shell...?” Rainbow breathed.

“The Mother of Nightmares is complete in three parts,” Mistress Faatail explained. “H'luun, the vessel. Nightmare Moon, the miasma. And the armor, the shell.” She gestured with an aged fetlock. “Each of the three portions are equally deserving of reverence, but there lies no divine purpose in them unless they are combined.”

“Oooh! Oooh!” Pinkie Pie bounced in place. “Like a trinity!”

Rarity made a face at her. “That makes absolutely no cosmic sense.”

“I know!” Pinkie Pie stuck her tongue out. “But it sounds cool!”

“So...” Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin in thought. “...if Nightmare Moon and Luna are now separated—”

“The portions are completely apart,” Mistress Faatail declared. “Which puts the Mother of Nightmares in the bleakest position yet.” Her leafy ears drooped with genuine sadness. “Even when banished to her own moon, H'Luun was still the vessel for Nightmare Moon. But now that your... solar weapon has undone the miasma's anchor, H'Luun lies even further from reclaiming the shell and restoring herself to her ancient glory.”

“All this time...” Rainbow Dash gestured. “You guys were keeping watch over the armor of Nightmare Moon here on the Dark Side.” Her eyes narrowed. “You hoped that you could fight your way inside the Midnight Armory, grab the Harmonic Prism, and return back to the Light Side so you could use the Prism to undo the banishment that the Elements of Harmony had done...”

Mistress Faatail nodded. “H'Luun—both the vessel and the miasma—would be rescued from the moon. She would don the armor—the shell—and the Mother of Nightmares would be restored in full. Surrounded by her children, she would retake Equestria and rule the plane under pure moonlight.”

“But... I'm here now,” Rainbow Dash said. “With news of Nightmare Moon's defeat.” She blew out the side of her muzzle. “I must be a real buzz killer, huh?”

“Your presence here is not entirely a portent of doom.”

“H-how so...?”

Mistress Faatail paced slowly around the pegasus. “Perhaps you interpret H'Luun's blessing as merely a means of keeping you alive. There may in fact be truth to this. And while I find it reprehensible that the vessel of the miasma and the shell would be allied with the Solar Deceiver in this day and age, I see all of this as a cry for help.”

“Buh?”

Mistress Faatail scuffled to a stop, staring closely at Rainbow Dash. “You are W'ynlppa yln H'luun. You are an avatar... an extension of the vessel that is H'Luun... clothed in a portion of her glory... thus blessed by a portion of the Mother of Nightmares herself.” Her fangs showed. “By sending you, I believe that H'Luun is seeking to reunite with both the shell and miasma. Even if she never told you as much—even if neither of you believe in that—I am whole-heartily convinced that your arrival is a manifestation of the greater will of the whole. The Mother of Nightmares wants peace and restoration. Even with the stars aiding in her escape and nighttime eternal being curtailed, she is working to restore glory to the plane... through you.”

“That... could be something we can work with, darling,” Rarity said in one ear.

“It certainly puts us in a position for negotiating,” Twilight suggested in the other ear.

All the while, Applejack rose front and center in Rainbow's vision. “We seriously can't pretend to take advantage of their ignorance. It'll just blow up in all of our faces at some point or another. Can we really afford to do that here with Lexxic and the like breathin' down our necks?”

Rarity and Twilight squirmed guiltily, gazing down at the floor.

Rainbow looked past Applejack, taking a firm breath. “Mistress...” She stepped closer towards the elder. “I'm not going to front.” Her brow furrowed. “I have not and will never ever do anything that would bring Nightmare Moon back into power.” She waved a hoof. “I have no intention of helping the Bloodwings use the Harmonic Prism to cover the world in eternal night.” She waved the other hoof. “And I seriously do not believe that Princess Luna would want the same. Not anymore. The Solar Civil War is over. It ended a thousand years ago. The cause? The thing that you and all of your sisters and brothers are fighting so desperately for? Forget it. It's long lost.”

To all of this, Mistress Faatail looked away. She tried to summon anger, but all she managed were trembles instead.

“But...” Rainbow strolled even closer, her voice softening slightly. “...I do believe that I'm here for a higher purpose than all of this. Higher than even Luna knows. Not that she's dumb or ignorant—just misinformed. Just as I've been misinformed for the longest time. But with each flap of the wings, I get further and further clarity.” She pivoted until her vision could make out the faint golden outline of the Armory, twinkling like a ghost in the dismal distance beyond all the layers of the Dark Side. “There's still lots of reasons to get the Harmonic Prism. Just as you want to restore the Mother of Nightmares, I wish to restore an ancient and priceless essence. Only what I'm seeking involves the entire fate of the plane we live on—and then some. There's something older then Solar Civil Wars and nightmares and the essences that anchor to any of that. It's something even older than the Elements of Harmony, but it's used that as a vessel all the same. That's the real reason why I'm here. I'm not just an avatar of Luna... but of something waaaaaay bigger. Something called 'Austraeoh.' Princess Luna knows about it—she doesn't entirely understand it, but she knows about it. Dozens of conversations over the past year or so have helped us understand it more. But at this point I'm convinced that nothing good will come about this journey until I get that friggin' prism and return it to the spot in Equestria where chaos is attempting to tear everything to bits. There's something bigger than all of us that needs to be restored. Something bigger than you, and something certainly bigger than me.”

She turned to face Mistress Faatail directly again

“And even if all of that is a load of haddock,” Rainbow Dash continued, shaking her head. “I sure as heck don't want the Harmonic Prism falling into the hooves of the changelings or the... whatever of the Night Shard. I've already butted heads with Tchern's sister Chrysalis on the Light Side—and even she no longer wants the world to fall under what her sister's Flux-babies have in store. I know very little about the Night Shard, but I do know that something has been messing with the souls' conveyance to the Harmonic Planes. And if the Night Shards are using spirit energy like ammo, then they're the trashiest of trash in my book. I can't have them getting inside the Midnight Armory first. None of us can. But you...?”

Rainbow Dash gestured towards the ornamental architecture of the Dream Den around them.

“...you and I share a common ancestry. You know what's been lost and what's at stake. You know that—even if every war fought was lost—there's still a destination on the Light Side to return to. It's where Luna is. It's the location of where sarosians first set hoof in the corporeal realm. It's where everything first branched off and turned into this stupid conflict that's still murdering millions of your fellow flesh and blood to this day. Well, maybe together we can end it. We can end the Trinary War, hop back over to the Light Side, and make peace with the Solar Civl War as well.” Rainbow threw on a hopeful smile. “We just gotta stop being so... stubborn and bent-out-of-shape about mistakes that were made in the past—mistakes made mostly by alicorns, if we wanna be really honest about it!”

Applejack waved her hoof from side to side.

Rainbow Dash mimicked the gesture.

In the meantime, Mistress Faatailed muttered: “You want me and my kind to accept defeat at the hooves of the Solar Deceiver.”

Rainbow Dash didn't hesitate: “Uh huh.”

Mistress Faatail frowned. “You expect us to pierce the Sarcophagus of Ages and procure the Harmonic Prism—not to restore glory to the Mother of Nightmares—but to accomplish a completely different agenda in the searing lands and beyond.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Pretty much.”

“And on top of all that...” The elder's fangs showed as her tail flicked angrily. “...you wish to impose your own nebulous agenda that clouds over everything that the Book of Saros has taught us since corporeal infancy—!”

“But...!” Rainbow Dash pointed with a smirk. “Part of you believes that I'm onto something.”

Mistress Faatail was dead silent.

“How do I know this?” Rainbow trotted so close that she could nearly touch the elder's fangs with her hooves. “Cuz instead of bearing those pearly chompers, you could have dug them into my neck just seconds ago when I first made my declaration. But you haven't. You're holding back. You're listening. That's something that none of the elders would be willing to do, I bet.” Rainbow Dash folded her forelimbs. “Now why is that?”

“... … ...”

Rainbow Dash arched an eyebrow. “You and I both want pretty hopeless things. We're both on stupidly long and impossible quests. It's something I've been adventuring for... and something you've been waiting for. Even if we can't entirely spell it out.”

Mistress Faatail sighed long and hard. Her eyeslits gazed far beyond Rainbow's visage. In a melancholic tone, she murmured: “There needs to be a change.”

“Heck yeah, there does.” Rainbow leaned in, this time whispering. “And there has been some change... but it's all been brought about by Lexxic.”

The elder's jaw clenched.

Rainbow murmured further: “Bet that really steams your beans, huh—?”

“Eee-eee-eee-eee!!!” Mistress Faatail let out a surprisingly loud sonic shriek. Several cushions blew past Rainbow Dash, striking the wall behind.

Rainbow—a little wobbly from the ordeal—watched with blinking eyes as the elder paced angrily on her half of the room.

“It's all going by so fast!” Mistress Faatail sneered, burning lines in the floor of the Den with her angry eyes. “He seeks victory at all costs... but with all his gambles, he may very well achieve defeat at total expense! We only have so few resources, and instead of laying low to restore our strength, he's burning everything at the greatest heat to charge the target in an act of offensive desperation! Yes... yes... it may work, but—”

“What will you be returning the Harmonic Prism to?” Rainbow Dash interjected.

Mistress Faatail jerked to a stop, staring at her.

Rainbow continued, “Nighttime Eternal has been prevented. Princess Luna reigns in Equestria—not Nightmare Moon. The 'miasma' is gone. Even if you brought both the armor and the Prism back, what would it accomplish?”

“...there...” Mistress Faatail seethed. “...th-there is still glory to b-behold...”

“Yes. There is. But face it, ma'am...” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “It's not in what you hold dear. Heck...” She held a hoof over her fuzzy chest. “It's not even in what I always believed in.”

“... … ...”

“I've been sent personally by Princess Luna. I am the closest thing to her avatar—at least the closest that you will ever get.” Rainbow paced closer with each softly-spoken sentence. “You want to win this Trinary War, I understand that. But the deadline has passed and—for whatever reason—you guys have thrown everything onto Lexxic's shoulders. Maybe... just maybe...” Rainbow took a deep breath, then delivered: “Let me shoulder some of that too.”

Mistress Faatail's eyeslits narrowed.

“Lexxic's clearly got skills. So do I.” Rainbow's friends looked at her as she spoke firmly to the matriarchal representative. “But together... we just might be able to do the impossible. With Lexxic's smarts and my 'spark,' we'll not only get the Prism but make the best out of it. Not just for the Mother of Nightmares, but for everypony. Because—like it or not—the sarosians are stuck on this plane. And the fate of this plane is important above all—whether it's lit by a sun or by a moon or nothing at all.”

Silence.

At last, the elder murmured: “I do believe... that you can be of great assistance in procuring the Harmonic Prism.” Her eyes rested on Rainbow's pendant. “And I also believe that such is an opportunity that must not be wasted.”

Rainbow glanced at Applejack—who nodded. “Thanks for...” She smiled back at the elder. “...being on the level with me.”

“But forgive me, Rainbow Dash.” Mistress Faatail breathed sadly. “I do not believe—even for a second—that you represent something larger than the sum of your role as W'ynlppa yln H'luun.”

Rainbow could only nod. “And I respect that. You're the seventh or eighth Faatail born into the teachings of the Book of Saros or whatnot.” She gestured randomly. “I couldn't just... fly in from out of nowhere and convince the thousandth 'Zetta' that her belief system is upside down. For what it's worth, I've been there before... metaphorically speaking.”

“And became of such instances?”

“Well...” Rainbow cleared her throat delicately. “I'm here, aren't I?”

Mistress Faatail merely nodded.

A beat.

“So what happens now?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Nothing happens now,” Mistress Faatail responded. “I must go and speak with the other elders. I will share with them the knowledge that I have acquired here—both from your visions and from your muzzle.”

“I...” Rainbow Dash was already wincing. “...d-don't know if I should find that reassuring or not.”

“Because such was not promised.” Mistress Faatail leaned back with a breath. “At least one divine truth has been echoed in this Den. Change is a rare thing in the Trinary War, especially among the Dark Vigil.”

“But not with Lexxic.”

“Correct.” Mistress Faatail nodded sadly. “A deadline has already been passed—with the return of H'Luun. Only I—seemingly—have had the courage and wherewithal to admit that. My high-polished sisters never accepted the prophecies hinted in the Book of Saros, but maybe now—with the manifestations you bring—they will lend an ear.”

“And if not...?”

“We still have a new deadline. Imposed by Lexxic... and the mission that has been pressed upon him.” Mistress Faatail's eyes narrowed. “Like it or not, we are all short on time. I only hope that the rest of the Maria Matriarchs will see your presence here for what it is—a tipping point.”

“Uhm... what exactly are we tipping over?” Rainbow Dash asked nervously.

“Ourselves into action.” Mistress Faatail clenched her jaw. “And into owning responsibility.”

“Hey...” Rainbow nodded. “I'm all for that.”

“I can see as much,” Mistress Faatail said. “And that's how I'm convinced you aren't here as a treasonous agent of the Solar Deceiver.”

“Well... uh...” Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head. “...I'm glad we could come to a center of sorts!”

“It's a tiny victory.” Mistress Faatail trotted over and knocked on the door of the dream den. “But every bit—like winters—are worth counting.” She looked over at Rainbow. “Not many bother to measure time as they should.”

Rainbow Dash winked. “Kinda puts 'nighttime eternal' into a less than favorable light, huh?”

The elder had no response to that.

Summoned by her knocking a few seconds ago, Captain Xandraa opened the door from the outside. She peered in, looking patient and calm in her loyal armor.

“I heard you knocking, Madame.” The Captain's brow furrowed under her helmet. “I also heard what sounded like a shriek earlier. Is everything alright?”

“No, but it shall be attended to.” Mistress Faatail reached over and started putting on her guard's costume, bit by bit. “I must go and speak earnestly with the rest of the Maria Matriarchs. In the meantime, Rainbow Dash here will remain under the protection and company of Lexxy'kyn.”

Each and every one of Rainbow's ghostly friends did double-takes.

“Whoah...” Rainbow blinked, frazzled. “Wait, what?”

Mistress Faatail calmly looked over at her. “Was it not you who suggested that mutual triumph for all of us would be achieved if you likewise 'shouldered' the burden pressed upon Lexxic?”

“Uhhhhh... s-sure, but—”

“Then it is most beneficial that you remain in company with the Commander of the Bloodwings.” Mistress Faatail's eyeslits hardened. “Good company. Thusly—if anything comes out of my deliberations with the rest of the Highest Polished, for better or for worse—you will be in the best position to assess your function with him. Mark my words, Rainbow Dash. If change is to happen in our generation, it will happen with Lexxic. Nopony else.”

“I... uh...” Rainbow Dash fidgeted. “Ma'am, I-I just got here, and my friends are sorta split up at the moment. I'll do my best, of course, b-but I'm not certain how well I'll be able to protect your best interests.”

“Who said it was entirely about protecting us?”

Rainbow Dash blinked at that.

Mistress Fataill placed her helmet back on and tucked her moonstud'd mane in, once again becoming a “normal guard” of Gibbous Sanctum. “There is exceeding pressure on Lexxic's shoulders, but it doesn't all come from the Night Shards and the Flux. In some ways, I wish that were the case. But as fate would have it, he is the fulcrum upon which the future of the Mother's foals reside—be they the daughters of destiny or the sons of nightmares. Could they be both? It's hard to say. But if you—the W'ynlppa yln H'luun were to be by his side—then perhaps that will make the fulcrum less likely to shatter upon the turning of the hinge.”

“Ma'am... with all due respect...” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I'm going to need more to work with if you want me to help you. I need to know more about what's at stake here and how it came to be so—”

“You will have to wait for a motion from the elders before I can help you,” Mistress Faatail said. “Be patient, Rainbow Dash. And have faith.” Her eyes pierced from beneath the helmet. “I'm exercising it for you in this instance. Can you not do the same for me?”

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash stood up straight and resolute. “I'll do my best, ma'am. If it'll help things simmer down a bit around here, then I'm all for it.”

“Do not expect it to be easy or simple,” the elder said. “Lexxic and his kind... aren't exactly the kindest to female representatives.”

“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash droned. “I caught on to that.”

Captain Xandraa looked between Rainbow Dash and the elder. “Mistress, if I may...” She bowed slightly. “I'll remain at her side at all times. I'll be sure to protect the W'ynlppa yln H'luun from any wayward actions by the Commander or his fellow Bloodwings.”

“Captain, I appreciate your wisdom and your loyalty. But no.” Mistress Faatail shook her head. “I cannot have you do that.”

“But—”

“You are needed here,” Mistress Faatail said firmly. “In the Tree of Mothers. We live in incendiary times, Captain, and I need you guarding that which is most precious... as well as most flammable.”

“As you wish,” Captain Xandraa sighed. She threw Rainbow Dash a wary glance. “Nevertheless, I feel that there must be some sort of sentry posted. It's not that I question the avatar's loyalty, but she is still a misguided Penumbran and there is much that stands to be properly relayed—”

“And I agree. However...” Mistress Faatail paced a bit by the door. “...giving Rainbow Dash an Imperialist Escort would be an obvious affront on Commander Lexxic's authority, and it would summon too much attention in the time it will take me to speak to my sisters.” A pause, and then the elder brightened. “Captain Xandraa...” She faced the lead guard directly. “I would like to enact the Rite of Census.”

“The Rite of Census...” Captain Xandra shifted in her armor. “Yes. That could work.” Her eyes hardened under her helmet. “But Lexxic and his subordinates could still find that invasive.”

“That depends on who you assign for the task,” Mistress Faatail said with a knowing glance. “I trust that you will use your better judgment. Or perhaps... your worse judgment.”

Rainbow Dash blinked curiously.

But Xandraa appeared to be on level with the elder. “Yes. I understand, Mistress.”

“Then it is settled.” Mistress Faatail turned to face Rainbow Dash directly. “I shall get back to you in less than ten cycles. In the meantime, I suggest you... humor the Commander's customs. I understand that there will be an assembly in the Hall of Honor soon. That will be a good place to start.”

“Er... yeah... sure thing...” Rainbow Dash gulped. “But—like—how long is 'ten cycles?'”

Mistress Faatail sighed as she and Captain Xandraa trotted out the door. “Too long...”

“—so in conclusion, it's really not the ink that's the problem, but it's the prolonged degradation of moon pulp!”

Shriike sat on a couch with Ariel, talking... and talking and talking and talking.

“The material simply doesn't hold together! Especially not long enough for the next two or three generations to read the translated manifests of the Book of Saros! But now...”

Shriike adjusted her spectacles, smiled, and spoke while waving both front fetlocks.

“...if we just switched to spider silk instead—especially the type produced by the song-weavers—then we'd have far more long-lasting material that could not only absorb ink but could also survive a detailed lamination process! But Lexxic and his bloody buddies keep insisting on murdering the spawn of the spider queen! If we could simply lift this hunting-and-slaughtering band—for just a hundred cycles or so—then surely we could procure enough of the silk to improve permanent bookkeeping by five hundred percent! I'm very much a huge proponent of this idea! In fact, I've submitted proposals for it several... several times! But somehow the letters always get lost in the shuffle! Snrkkk... not my doing, mind you. I always do my job. So, in conclusion, if we just ditched the moon pulp for spider silk and began a new lamination process—”

“Twenty-four,” Ariel muttered, leaning her frumpled muzzle into a bored fetlock.

Shriike blinked bulbously at her. “I beg your pardon?”

“That's twenty-four.”

“What's twenty-four?”

“The amount of times you've stated 'in conclusion' since the moment you began talking to me.”

“Well, sounds like somepony gets hung up on filler clauses!” Shriike chuckled. “Believe me, it's a rookie mistake. But I'm certain that by the end of our conversation, you'll have a greater understanding of—”

“Conversation?!?” Ariel blanched, sitting up with a frown. “What conversation?! All this time it's just been you rambling about scroll parchment and the failing industry of moon lumber and putting a pause on the culling of spiders!”

“Well, sounds like you've been picking up on the finer details!” Shriike cocked her head aside. “So what's the problem?”

“You really don't have many ponies to talk to in this Tree, do you?”

“Heh...” Shriike leaned back casually on the seat. “...well, if all ponies of Gibbous Sanctum were like you, politeness would be a rare commodity indeed.”

Ariel's muzzle twisted in disbelief. “...you're actually serious.” She motioned with her head. “Just how much do those glasses weigh and why are they hooked into your cerebral cortex?”

“Pfffft. Shows how much you know.” Shriike's horn flickered with emphasis. “I cast a mild levitation spell on them at all times. But I couldn't expect a presumptuous Penumbran to know that.”

“Rnnnnghhhh...” Ariel face-hoofed long and hard.

“Hrmmfff...” Shriike stuck her nose up while folding her forelimbs. “I think somepony owes me an apology.”

“... … ...y'know what I think?”

“What?”

Ariel looked up with tired eyes. “... … ...I think you'd be much cuter with your muzzle stapled shut.”

“Hah!” Shriike barked. “Is that how you run your harems under the Solar Deceiver's burning gaze?”

“Girl, you wouldn't even step hoof in my harem!”

“I—”

Ariel sat up, snarling. “You wouldn't even be allowed to use your spit to grease the harem wheels that support the harem wagon that carries the harem strawberries to my harem island!”

“Hahahahahaha!” Shriike laughed.

Ariel's eyes twitched. “What is it now?”

“Silly Penumbran...” Shriike waved a hoof, eyes tearing beneath her thick spectacles. “You can't make berries out of straw!”

“Rnnngh...” Ariel plunged her muzzle into her fetlocks again. “Somepony... anypony... just disembowel me now...”

At that precise moment, Captain Xandraa and Rainbow Dash trotted over.

Rainbow whistled. “Hey girl. Up and at 'em.”

“Oh, thank Goddess!” Ariel jumped away from Shriike and hovered felicitously at Rainbow's side. “Please tell me we're going to go charging into a changeling den or something.”

“Nope. But close enough.” Rainbow sighed. “Looks like we'll be hanging out with Lexxic for a bit.”

“A bit?”

“Uh huh.”

“How... long is 'a bit?'”

“As long as it takes for...” Rainbow Dash looked off towards where an unassuming “guard” was trotting across the opulent lengths of Gibbous Sanctum. “... … ...friends in high places to win us more friends.” She gulped. “Celestia-willing.”

Ariel merely blinked.

Rainbow waved a hoof. “I'll explain later.”

“Thanks.”

“Don't thank me yet, bae.” Rainbow shuddered. “Not sure I can even explain it to myself.”

“First thing's first, though,” Captain Xandraa spoke, trotting over to stand above Shriike. “Imperial Clerk.”

“Huh? O-oh!” Shriike's nervous stutters returned as she found herself once again in the shadow of a superior. She hopped awkwardly onto all fours and saluted. “At y-your s-service, Captain, my Captain!”

“At ease.” Xandraa snorted. “I have news for you. The Maria Matriarchs wish for us to enact the Rite of Census.”

“The...” Shriike blinked. “The Rite of Census! Why... th-that's so unexpected! Errr... n-n-not that it's m-my place to expect or not expect things, Captain! Eheheheh...” She adjusted her spectacles and struck a proud pose. “I'm Shriike! The Acting Imperialist Clerk! It's my job to just record things! Not... uh... th-think things.”

“Rainbow Dash will need to be chaperoned while she is in the presence of Lexxic,” Xandraa declared. “It is the will of the Maria Matriarch that she remains in Lexxic's company as often as possible for the time being, so such will be required of the Imperialist representative as well.”

“Oh... s-sure thing!” Shriike pulled out a parchment and pen, levitating them before her licked lips as she jotted the instructions down. “I shall go forthwith to... uh... t-to the central processing and receiving center and summon a volunteer for th-this most illustrious task!”

“There will be no volunteer,” Xandraa firmly said. “I am choosing you.”

The pen and parchment fell to the floor. Shriike trembled, her everything drooping. “M-m-me, Captain?”

“That is right.”

“But... b-b-but...”

“Is there a problem, clerk?”

“N-no! None whatsoever, Captain, b-but—”

“Good. I expect you to enact the Rite of Census with full dedication.” Captain Xandraa nodded. “...if nothing else.”

Shriike swallowed, staring a thousand miles ahead. A deep pit within her squeaked out: “Ishallperformwithutmostloyalty, Captain m-my Captain...”

“Splendid. As it should be.” Captain Xandraa bowed slightly before Rainbow Dash. “Avatar...” And she trotted off.

Ariel exchanged glances with Rainbow Dash.

“What... just happened?” the Heraldite asked.

“I... am officially ch-charged with accompanying the W'ynlppa yln H'luun at all times...” Shriike whimpered, shivering from head to tail. “...as an official recorder of her interactions with the Blood Wings outside the Tree.”

“Yeah. Cool beans. Sounds fair.” Rainbow cocked her head aside. “So what's the problem?”

“I've never d-done it before?”

“What, recorded interactions?”

“N-no...” Shriike's ears folded back. “...been out of the Tree.”

Rainbow shrugged. “So you get a little starlight. So what? Being outside isn't so bad. Just a bit smelly, though. But you look like a versatile mare.” She reached over and gave the clerk a good-natured slap on the withers, accompanied by a wink. “I'm sure you can handle it!”

“Yeah... s-sure...” Shriike wheezed.

Rainbow Dash walked off.

Meanwhile, Ariel leaned in to whisper in Shriike's ear: “Maybe you'll get a chance to ask Lexxic about the spider silk.”

Shriike bit her lip. As the two outsiders trotted off, the Imperialist Clerk begrudgingly did her duty: slowly standing up and following them. As she did so, she pressed a hoof to the tattoo on her lower neck, sighing. “Oh... how I'll miss your beautiful beautiful shine...”

Now, Something Completely Different

Heavy, stern hoofsteps echoed across a winding corridor within the fringe wings of Gibbous Sanctum.

Captain Xandraa ducked her lofty head, passing under an inner knot set within the gnarled woodwork that comprised the Sanctum's walls. As she passed a flickering old runelight or two, she caught something peculiar in her peripheral vision. Turning, the Captain faced a narrow entrance that led into the brightly-lit supply compartment—which was becoming progressively cluttered as a certain unicorn rummaged desperately through her tools and belongings. Papers and other forms of stationary flew and rustled to the ground, causing the Captain to groan. She trotted briskly through the entrance.

“Dutiful sister...!” Xandra threaded her way into the room, gazing past the rows upon rows of shelves filled to the brim with scrolls and writing equipment. “Are you not ready yet?”

“No,” Ariel droned. “She's not.”

Xandraa did a double-take, noticing the pegasus sitting casually against a cramped wall with her forelimbs folded. Instead of questioning the visitor, she turned to squint at the Imperialist Clerk fumbling to fill her saddlebag in the center of the room.

“You are a keeper of Matriarchal Records...!” Xandraa said firmly. “By duty and by blood, you have been allowed residence within Gibbous Sanctum!” She tried on a smile, but it came across as crooked on her otherwise rigid muzzle. “Nopony of lower station will be allowed to so much as touch you—save by purpose of saving your life from uncertain peril—”

“But it's that uncertain peril that b-bothers me!” Shriike stammered. She clumped a wad of writing paper together, got halfway through shoving it into her bag, blanched at its flimsy texture, and threw it back onto a shelf before grabbing another wad. “What if I get m-m-my blood sucked out by a d-drone of the Flux?! What if a st-stampede of sm-smelly beasts crush my precious body to a precious p-pulp?! What... what if I get a d-disease from so much as breathing the air down by the roots?!” She spun and shook a scroll towards the Captain like it was an angry old mare's cane. “Those br-brutish Blood Colts are practically foaled in the same muck that chaos trolls b-bathe in!” She realized whom she was committing the gesture to, and her refracted pupils shrank to pinpricks. “Erm... th-that's th-theoretical ch-chaos muck, ma'am!” She shakily saluted.

Sighing, Xandraa reached out and slowly lowered the unicorn's hoof down to her side. “I know a thing or two about the metals from the bleaks, clerk. I doubt you will be traversing anywhere near them.”

“But... b-but the P-Pit!” Shriike gulped. “I personally transcribe requisition forms over the transfer of totems to and from that h-hellish place every day—!”

Xandraa leaned down until she was glaring dead-center in Shriike's spectacles. “Do you honestly believe that somepony like Lexxic would bring the W'ynlppa yln H'luun to a place so important to him?”

“... … ...” Shriike nevertheless gulped. “Uh... n-no...” She adjusted her spectacles, her vision full of Captain. “I suppose he would not. Eheh...”

Xandraa once again stood at full height, nearly grazing the ceiling of the supply compartment with her leafy ears. “I understand that this is a daunting experience for you, clerk. But you will not die simply for setting hoof past the roots and beyond. I myself have ventured outside the Tree for duty multiple times, and I am only stronger for it.” Her eyeslits narrowed. “Rejoice in this opportunity that you have to serve the maria matriarchs—for it is a capacity in which they are not blessed to serve themselves. But us? This is our place. This is our function. And who knows better how to reward us for abiding by our function?”

Shriike sighed, hanging her head. “The Mother of Nightmares...”

Xandraa's jaw tightened. As seconds ripped by, she arched an impatient eyebrow.

Shriike snapped out of it. “Oh... uhhh—!” She stood up straight and saluted again, the tip of her horn glowing slightly. “The Mother of Nightmares... ma'am!”

“Mmmmm...” Xandraa turned towards the exit, pausing briefly. “Keep in mind... you are to stay by Rainbow Dash's side at all times. Your job is to keep record of her conversations with Lexxic, yes. But there's more to it than that.”

“Captain...?”

Xandraa's gaze narrowed on her again. “If for any bizarre reason the Commander of the Bloodwings was to bring Rainbow Dash—and you by proxy—to a place wrought with 'uncertain peril,' then that would merit a reason for someone—namely you—to inform me forthwith. As in immediately. For there are some things that the Maria Matriarch absolutely will not condone, and for the time being you shall be their eyes and ears. Such is the aim of the Rite of Census—at least in this case. Do I make myself clear?”

“If... it's to avoid something th-that'll make you panic—as in panic panic, and not my usual panickiness—then I'd better get my butt back up in this nice warm safe Tree and tell you.”

“... … ...yes, that'll do.” Xandraa turned to leave. “Best of luck.”

“Should I break her leg or should you?” Ariel asked.

Xandraa stopped—if only to blink at Ariel. A grumpy snort, and the Captain let her be, trotting briskly off down the corridor.

Once she was gone, Ariel took a breath and stepped towards the center of the compartment, and Shriike in turn. “You heard the boss, little hornlet. The only basket-case you should be stuffing is yourself—with good ol' fashioned guts. Let's hop to it, already.”

“But... b-but I can't just stumble out there like a c-completely incompetent nimrod!” Shriike shrieked. “I've got to be prepared for all of the dialogue I'll inevitably have to scribble down! In... various dialects of moonwhinny... spoken by violent vagabonds...” She gulped. “...with rancid breaths...” Another gulp. “And a thirst for blood!”

“Well, all you guys are the 'Bloodwings.'”

“But my blood's the sweetest!” Shriike's spectacles rattled as she spun to gape at Ariel. “You don't understand, Penumbran. On this side of the world, ponies only ever suck their way upward.”

Ariel smirked. “I'd say sunlight kisses plenty of suckups where I'm from.” She waved a hoof. “Relax, sassafras. If worse comes to worse, you'll be surrounded by a bunch of awesome, badass flank-kickers. Also Seraphimus.”

“Just what an imperialist clerk needs!” Shriike huffed, rummaging through various pens and ink containers. “A plethora of otherworldly posteriors to suffocate her!”

“Jee. You're welcome,” Ariel droned. She blew out the side of her muzzle. “Anyways, you heard your concrete boss, girl! Let's hoof it!”

“B-b-but I can't decide...!”

“Unnnnghhh...” Ariel pulled at her face muscles. “Can't decide what?!”

“Well, I mean, I have room for plenty of hoofnotes! But this will b-be my first time d-directly transcribing from field Bloodwing m-muzzles! And not just those old waifs who are allowed to m-meet with the New-Speaking keepers down below! This is the real, raw deal! I... f-feel woefully unprepared! So... I-I think I should bring my field manual on proper Imperialist field note taking! But if I bring the field manual on proper Imperialist field note taking, then I won't have room for actual field notes! Plus, if I had to borrow this much parchment, then I'll need copies of the requisition forms in case we get caught by Camp Captains on patrol who wish to interrogate and examine us for Flux contaminants and—”

“For the love of plot!” Ariel marched over and batted a bunch of the papers out of Shriike's hooves. “Ya half-baked moronicorn!! You gotta buck the burrrr out of 'bureaucracy!' Or else...”

Shriike blinked through the falling rain of letters. “Or else wh-what?!”

“I'll kick what's left!” Ariel jerked forward, sneering into Shriike's muzzle. “Your aucracy!!!”

“Wuaaaaiee!” Shriike flailed. “Uhhh... uhhhhh...” She did a nervous little jig in the center of the room, swept up half a mountain of paper, and stuffed the meager bit into her bag. Grabbing half-a-dozen pens in her fanged teeth, she spat them into her saddle's pocket and leapt out of the room. Once in the adjacent hallway, she froze in place... wincing... wincing... wincing... then finally breathing with relief. “Oh... oh wow...”

“See what I mean?” Ariel trotted out into the hallway, standing beside her. “Isn't action better than inaction?!” She gestured past the runelights. “You wanna survive the world beyond the Tree? It's about moving forward. Thinking on your hooves. All of this anxious build-up means nothing in the long run. More often than not, you'll lose a bunch of crap along the way, and you'll look back realizing that you didn't need half of it! Just depend on your wits, girl! Simple as that!”

“Yes... oh so very... simple.” Shriike's trembles died away as she breathed firmer and firmer. “And freeing. I feel so... so liberated. And courageous!” A half-hearted chuckle. “I have no clue whatsoever why I let you get me so worked up earlier!”

“Yes, well, you were just—” Ariel did a double-take. “Huh?!”

“Whew! Well... let's not waste anymore time, Penumbran!” The clerk cinched her saddlebag tight and trotted gaily forward. “Last one to the Roots is a nimrodddd!”

Ariel gawked after her. A deep growl raised from the center of her being, and she had to bite down the middle of her own fetlock to silence it. “Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnn...!” Spitting her hoof loose, she trudged after the sarosian unicorn, her unamused eyes just brimming with murder. “I dunno how Rainbow Dash made it through a single continent. Diplomacy skills of a friggin' saint, I swear to Mortuana...”

“I'm super... super glad for all the hospitality that you and your sisters have shown me, Nat'rdo,” Rainbow Dash said, pacing slowly through the opulent hovels of Gibbous Sanctum. She looked like she was going to say more, but her facial features drooped with noticeable misgivings.

Nat'rdo, trotting beside her, took notice. “But there is a problem?”

“I... don't feel like any progress has been made.” Rainbow's ears twitched. The two passed a group of elders lounging as they watched a little filly in a silver dress slowly paint a starry landscape onto a propped piece of canvas. “I showed up here. I made a bunch of ladies mad. Then I got to speak alone with an even more important lady... and I-I honestly can't tell if I impressed her or just made her pissed as well.”

“Mistress Faatail wishes you to bide your time until she has finished speaking with her fellow maria matriarchs—presumably for a future meeting.” Nat'rdo remained calm, composed, and deadpan during their conversational stroll. “That is hardly indicative of an angryor frustrated elder.”

“Even still...” Rainbow's muzzle twisted as she gazed a thousand miles ahead of them in mid-trot. “I feel like she expected something of me... something she did not exactly get. She sensed Princess Luna's enchantment. You all did.” Rainbow looked aside. “So what more is there?”

“Your presence here—and the memories you carry in your dreams—signify huge changes in the fate and constitution of the Mother of Nightmares,” Nat'rdo declared. “The very reason the Dark Vigil is here—the cause of why we've been fighting this damnable war for a dozen generations—is suddenly deserving to be redefined.”

“Do you believe that??” Rainbow asked.

Nat'rdo softly exhaled. “I have seen what I've seen.”

“Yeah, but...” Rainbow scuffled to a stop and faced her directly in the runelight. “So have the others. They've seen what's in my memories. They've heard me tell the tale of what's happened to Princess Luna.” Her ruby eyes narrowed. “Shouldn't they already be determined to kiss this stupid war good bye and head back home to be with their Mother?”

“It is not quite that simple, Rainbow Dash,” Nat'rdo said. “I don't know how things transpire currently in the seared lands, but this particular society cannot exactly change from its traditional ways so quickly.”

Rainbow cocked her head to the side. “...or what if the Mother of Nightmares simply isn't that important anymore.”

Nat'rdo's fangs showed. “That is a bold and—frankly—insulting insinuation.”

“Is it?” Rainbow arched an eyebrow. “Nightmare Moon's gone. Princess Luna is back to her normal self. She's blessed my pendant with an enchantment that all of you have sensed for yourselves. There's no reason to remain camped here, engaged in this crazy conflict.” A blink, and Rainbow's ears drooped. “Unless...” Slowly shrinking pupils. “...you can't just walk away from things.”

Nat'rdo was silent.

Rainbow swallowed. “Exactly why is it that Mistress Faatail wants me to stick by Lexxic's side the whole time she chats it up with her sisters?”

“I am not one to presume the wisdom of the highest polished,” Nat'rdo declared.

“Well, I haven't got a stupid brand on my neck, so I feel free to presume from here to Ragneighrok,” Rainbow droned. “There's a lot more to this refusal on behalf of the Maria Matriarch to see the war stallions face to face, isn't there?”

“Their stations are far too low,” Nat'rdo abruptly explained “They are simply not allowed—”

“Caste systems aside...” Rainbow's gaze was piercing. “...they wouldn't ever see eye-to-eye even if they tried, would they?”

Nat'rdo fumed, avoiding Rainbow's face. “It's more than stubbornness that runs deep. There are things in the Dark Vigil that are even deeper than blood.”

“Coming from you, that says a lot.” Rainbow's face washed over with pity. “That's gotta suck, girl.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You're a Dream Knight,” Rainbow Dash said. “How horrible it must be to see so much... but be able to do so little.” She sighed. “Especially when your entire culture needs it the most.”

“Things would have been a great deal different...” Nat'rdo hung her head slightly. “...had I not been the one chosen to be Knight.”

Rainbow blinked at that. She switched gears slightly, bearing a hopeful smile. “But you're so friggin' good at it! Give yourself some credit! You brought me here, didn't you?”

Nat'rdo looked at her. In a calm voice, she said: “Pay attention to Lexxic, Rainbow Dash. Keep your ears open, and your mind opened wider. He is going to tell you things that nopony within the Tree ever will, but his intentions will lack the righteousness and integrity that would otherwise have come from higher places.”

“Why the sudden heads up?” Rainbow blinked. “You're acting as you're responsible for him.”

“We all are,” Nat'rdo said quietly, glancing towards the other mares in the distance of the Sanctum. “But you won't hear that so commonly admitted.”

Rainbow glanced at the elegant mares lounging about the opulent surroundings. Her eyes darted back to Nat'rdo. “When all is said and done... the decision for what the Vigil does or where it goes... …. … is up to the Maria Matriarchs...” Her ears twitched. “...isn't it?”

“We made our decisions long ago,” Nat'rdo said. “It is far too late to change certain things. But that doesn't stop many of the highest polished from trying.”

“Well, maybe they should switch from trying to doing.”

“Which brings us to where we are,” Nat'rdo said. “Or—more specifically—to where you are.”

Rainbow's jaw went slightly slack as her ears folded back. “Jee... for a culture dead-set on not changing... you guys really like to put the spotlight on a Penumbran newcomer.”

“Perhaps it's the final proof you need—that your presence here has indeed impacted the elders as a whole.”

“When you say 'as a whole,' you really only mean just yourself and Mistress Faatail.”

“Do not be quick to despair.” Nat'rdo began trotting again. “Lady Prunus was also quite impressed.”

“'Ayyyyyyy...” Rainbow smirked, trotting after Nat'rdo while sporting a sarcastic breath. “Lady Prunus! Wowwwwww... I'll be selling out seats within the season.”

“Be respectful,” Nat'rdo muttered. “She's more than just my mentor.”

“Yeah? Who else?”

Nat'rdo didn't have an immediate reply.

So Rainbow continued. “I really hope—no matter where this goes—that I wasn't a disappointment to you, Nat'rdo.”

That summoned a curious look from the Dream Knight. “Why should that be of any consequence?”

“Because I can tell that however things go down, we're gonna have to rely on ponies with deep character to get anything done.” Rainbow offered a kind smirk. “And so far, you've done all you can to let me get my voice across.”

“It did not start out quite so simply,” Nat'rdo remarked. “The first time I sensed your dreams, I considered you a threat.”

“Which only proves my point,” Rainbow said. “You've got the good sense to embrace change. That can go a long way.”

Nat'rdo sighed, looking blandly ahead. “Not all change brings good tidings.”

“Yeah, well...” Rainbow swallowed. “I guess one change has gotta outfly the other.”

“With the Mother's blessings.”

“Sure, why not.”

As they turned a gnarled corner within the narrowing Sanctum...

...a unicorn figure bumped straight into Rainbow Dash.

“Ooomf!!” Shriike fell back on her haunches, losing a scroll or two. “Hey! Why don't you watch where you're going, you insufferable—” She looked up and paled at the sight of Rainbow Dash and Nat'rdo. “... … ...totally-not-nimrod ponies.”

“Hey.” Ariel waved, hovering in the air behind the collapsed clerk. “We're ready to go. Please let us go.”

“Ariel, what the hay is this?” Rainbow remarked, gesturing at the klutzy clerk.

“Poetry in motion.” Ariel looked at Rainbow. “I spoke to Captain Xandraa a bit ago. She told us to meet up with Lukaas—Lexxic's Fifth—down by the roots.”

“She sent for the dude to meet up with us?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“A word of advice,” Nat'rdo began.

“Really?” Ariel smiled crookedly. “Because we could use a mountain of 'em!”

Nat'rdo took on a serious tone. “You will not wish to be deprived of Lexxic's own personal company for long. If for some reason he leaves you under the charge of his subordinates—you will be worse off. While Lexxic himself may be at odds with the Council, he is still Commander of the Mother's Vigil, and his loyalty demands an honor that will protect you.” Nat'rdo's eyes narrowed. “I cannot promise the same of all the Sons who serve him.”

Rainbow and Ariel exchanged glances, then looked at Nat'rdo again.

“I don't suppose there's a wild pack of chaos trolls we can hang with instead?” Ariel suggested.

“Ariel...” Rainbow quietly groaned.

“I bid thee well.” Nat'rdo bowed, then turned about and trotted towards the far end of the Sanctum. “When the time comes—and Mistress Faatail has afforded a new audience—you shall be summoned.”

“How will we know?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“You will know.”

Nat'rdo had left them.

“Well...” Ariel folded her forelimbs in mid-hover. “...that's not ominous or nothing.”

“I think 'ominous' around here counts as 'heavenly'...” She looked at the Heraldite. “So long as it's coming from the upper tree.”

“How will we pretend to count our blessings among Lexxic's brothers?”

“Do you really want to spend all this time up here in this cushy, hoity-toity place?”

“... … ...point well-made.” Ariel touched down with a smirk. “Let's go get dirty.”

“Dang skippy.” Rainbow Dash smirked back.

“Uhhhhh...” Shriike floundered on the ground with her hefty saddlebag like an overturned pill bug. “A little h-help here!”

“Hey, I got it covered.” Ariel scooped up a wad of papers and pens, walked over Shriike's body, and made for the passageway down to the lower chambers. “Let's boogie.”

“Couldn't have said it better.” Rainbow followed behind, calling back to the Imperialist Clerk. “Hurry up, slowpoke! Brand new smells await!”

Shriike huffed, puffed, then threw herself up onto hall fours. “Unghhh...” She trudged after the two, her ears and tail drooping. “...they better preserve my glorious ashes for the return exodus, or somepony's gonna get a strongly-worded letter.”

“And this...”

Masser led Seraphimus and Wildcard towards a smattering of circular-fenced arenas where Bloodwing warriors were clashing and sparring with various weapons under endless starlight.

“...this is where we train to be violent and spill blood,” the Third said. “You'll notice it's... very loud.”

Seraphimus nodded. “I see.”

Wildcard talon-gestured something.

Masser blinked blankly at him. “And... erm...” He motioned, then led the two griffons across the plateau of stone to an even larger circle where dozens of stallions were squaring off with one another. Weapons collided with showers of sparks while warriors screamed and charged and screamed and charged. “This is where we are violent and spill blood. You'll notice it's... also loud.”

Seraphimus nodded. “I... see.”

Wildcard gestured something else.

Masser bit his bottom lip with crooked fangs. He looked left... looked right... then finally found a tent looming in the distance. Awkwardly, he motioned the two griffons to follow, then trotted towards the tent.

“And... uhm...”

As the three approached the tent, they heard wailing and shrieking voices warbling consistently from within. A heap of bloody bandages formed a crimson pile outside one of the tent's entrances.

“...this is one of our camp hospitals, where we... … ...just spill blood.” Masser gulped. “It's usually the loudest here.”

Seraphimus and Wildcard exchanged glances.

“I am...” Masser's large muscular body shifted in place. “... … ...not as clearly gifted with communication as the First Son. This is the extent of what I have to present you.” He steeled himself, his scarred face serious and frowning. “It must be excused.”

“We are far from bothered,” Seraphimus stated. She waved a talon. “It is clearly a most efficient form of military preparation.”

“It is?” the large stallion asked. When he saw the griffons giving him weird looks, he stiffened and stood tall. “It is!” His fangs showed again. “All opposition we face are ground ruthlessly into dust and their souls stolen for the Pit!”

Wildcard did a double-take.

“I'm sorry...?” Seraphimus took a step forward, cocking her feathery head curiously to the side. “What's this you say about... souls and the Pit?”

“I...” Masser's leafy ears drooped. He paled visibly through his geometric tattoos. “I-I... erm...” After much fidgeting, he leapt forward, thunderously slamming both front hooves into the ground between them, forming fissures. “Behold! My truest strength on the battlefield! A war shriek that makes all enemies collapse in bloody heaps!!!”

With that said, the hefty stallion spun around and opened his jaws wide, launching a sonic shriek across the stone encampment.

“EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE!!!”

Both Seraphimus and Wildcard had to cover their ears. Nevertheless they watched—with legitmately impressed gazes—as a swath of sundered rock shattered its way towards Omega from the pressure of Messer's fixated outburst.

… … ...And then it struck a corner of the hospital tent in the near distance. Half of the fabric collapsed, and the occupants within yelped at a higher volume of agony and despair.

Messer immediately stopped shrieking. His muzzle twisted as cold sweat oozed from his pores. “O-oh...” He raised both front hooves, leather wings flapping. “...oh st-steaming defecation...!”

“Hressshhh!” A pair of stallions in bloodied surgical aprons fumbled and fought their way from under from the collapsed tent fabric. They peered out, frowning and spouting a stream of angry moonwhinny at the Third. “Thy'myl syln ryk ryk! Wy'sym lym thry'nyl symma k'lym!”

“Hry'symyl!” Messer bumbled towards them, lifting a tent pole in his mighty haunches—but only causing tears in the fabric as he struggled to upright the entire structure. “Grrnnngh!” The surgeons punched and kicked his fetlocks and fought over uprighting the tent as more bloody bellows issued from inside. “Sy'mylym thrym H'Luun! Yln'my wrym syl'na thrym!”

“H'jnor! H'jnor! Ryk ryk!”

“Eee-Eee-Eee-Eee!!!”

Seraphimus and Wildcard watched awkwardly from a few paces away. They looked at one another.

“I shudder to think how their funeral services go,” the former Talon Commander droned. “Assuming they even have any.”

To that, Wildcard used his metal talon to charade flatulence.

“I leave for one measly slumber party,” Rainbow Dash said, suddenly standing nearby with Ariel, Lukaas, and a jittery Imperialist Clerk. “And this is how fast things crumble without me.”

Seraphimus and Wildcard turned around. The Desperado waved enthusiastically at the sight of Rainbow.

“Rrrrrnghh!” The pale and balding Fifth marched up towards the chaotic scene. “What in the Narrow is happening here?!” Lukaas demanded, frowning. “Look at the condition of this infirmary!”

“Lexxic had... business to attend to elsewhere,” Seraphimus delicately explained in a monotone voice. She gestured a talon towards the sarosians floundering with re-erecting the tent. “He left us in the charge of the Third Son.”

“Hrmmm...” Lukaas exhaled hard out the side of his muzzle. “Yes, I suppose that would explain things.” He cracked the joints in his neck and trotted firmly towards the chaotic scene. “Let me fix this damnable mess. Stay here!” His snowy tail flicked in Rainbow's and Ariel's direction, and soon he had joined the clumsy scene. “Masser'myn!! Sy'my lyn ryk ryk! H'jornii sy'wythym yln h'jemii sy'rymsym!”

“Sy'lyssym wy'lm h'jem, Sy'lukas'ymb! Wym sy'lya h'jnorii—”

“Vrym h'jnorii thy'syma! Srym thym'l lyw sy'myn lym!!”

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Ariel calmly turned to face the griffons.

“Lexxic ditched you guys?” Rainbow asked.

“He evidently felt that a matter deserved his full attention,” Seraphimus said. “Something to do with a 'cowardly group of twelve' who had been pardoned by someone named Lyw'Malaak, and they are currently en route here, escorted by a company of Bloodwings from the Third Root.”

Wildcard gave Seraphimus a double-take.

The former Talon Commander glanced calmly back. “What? Do you truly think you're the only creature who listens, Jordan?”

The Desperado merely exhaled. Turning to Rainbow Dash, he gestured: “Lexxic clearly wants to intercept these twelve before anypony else.”

“You mean like the elders?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Wildcard nodded.

Rainbow breathed slowly, contemplatively. “There's a bunch of stuff at play here.” She gazed across the encampment full of sparring Bloodwings. “Most of it in the dark—and not just cuz we're on the Dark Side.”

“What of the Dream Council?” Seraphimus asked. “How did that meeting conclude?”

“Well—for one—I got to speak with somepony even higher.”

“Do tell.”

“Her name is Mistress Faatail,” Rainbow Dash explained. “She's a member of the Maria Matriarchs, the Highest Polished. We got to... chat for a little bit.”

“How fortuitous.” Seraphimus raised an eyecrest. “What became of that?”

“She wants me to stay close to Lexxic and observe how he runs things around here while she goes and talks with the rest of the elders.”

“And...?”

Rainbow inhaled. “That's it.”

“... … ...” Seraphimus stared blankly at the mare.

Wildcard slowly leaned in. He gestured: “That is all?”

“I'm not exactly jazzed about it either. But...” She brushed her mane back. “They didn't chop my head off or call me a 'rogue' or 'infidel'.” She looked pointedly at Seraphimus. “So—as far as my track record with cultures go—I'd put this... second behind Val Roa!” A crooked smile, and she blinked. “Nowait. Third. The Pegasus Sex Crater went pretty well, all things considered.”

“The pegasus what?” Ariel stepped in, eyes brimming with curiosity.

Rainbow pushed her back. “Point is...” She looked at the griffons again. “...we should be glad that some time has been bought rather than no time at all.”

Wildcard looked unimpressed. “Where exactly does that put us?” he gestured.

“For the moment...?” Rainbow Dash blew out the side of her muzzle and gestured at the stallions still fighting to fix the tent. “...right friggin' here.”

Seraphimus looked off, her charcoal brown eyes full of thought. “You come here... bearing noble truths and harmonic energy... and the matriarchal defenders of your moon goddess wish for you to spend time with their most vicious militant? A stallion whose blood and stature has been willfully deprived of the luxuries of the Tree?”

“That... would seem to be the case.”

The air about them filled with tender squeaks and high-pitched whimpering.

Wildcard and Seraphimus looked towards the source of the pitiable noises. “Who in the Blight is this?” asked the latter.

“Mmmmmm...” Shriike hunched down low on her haunches, wringing her fetlocks together. Two spectacled eyes peered bulbously about, fogging up from the brimming of unseen tears. “So... much... screaming...” She gulped. “And testosterone.” Her backhairs bristled slightly. “That's the worst kind of 'rone.”

“This...” Rainbow Dash pointed at the clerk. “...is Shriike, Imperialist Clerk for the Upper Sanctum-thingy. Captain Xandraa—with the help of Faatail and Nat'rdo—arranged it for her to accompany us and take notes.”

“Take notes?” Wildcard asked.

“Well, she's gotta do something else besides screaming,” Ariel said. She folded her forelimbs and frowned. “She'd better do something else...”

“Oh Mother oh Mother oh Mother—!” Shriike flinched from a stain on the floor. “Is that blood?” She adjusted her spectacles, then instantly calmed down. “Oh, praise the Moon, it's just water.” She blanched and panicked once again. “But where's it from?! What kind of rain falls out here?!?”

Seraphimus squinted at Rainbow Dash. “She has no wings.”

“And you have no hooves,” Rainbow retorted. “But you don't hear me complaining.”

“Why would they wish a clerk—and not a guard—to accompany you?”

“If they chose Xandraa or one of her finest, it might rub Lexxic the wrong way.”

Seraphimus glanced at Shriike, then at the stallions around them. “So instead they've chosen to have a listening ear placed within Lexxic's company. With you as the proxy.”

“I... guess that's one way of putting it?”

Seraphimus stroked her beak. “Rainbow Dash...” She spoke in a low, confident tone. “If I may have a word with you...” Her hawkeyes sliced their way towards Shriike. “Away from prying ears... while we can still afford it.”

Rainbow blinked at her. Eventually, she nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, sure.” She whistled towards Wildcard. “Jordan. Ariel. Try to... make our new party appendix feel at home with... not being at home.”

“Do I get a commission for this?” Ariel asked.

“Girl—”

“Right. Right.” Sighing, Ariel gave Shriike's flank a light shove. “Up and at 'em, greenie. You wanna broaden your horizons? Say hello to a friend of mine! His name's Wildcard!”

“Huh?” Shriike snapped to the moment, greeting the Desperado walking towards her and extending a talon. “Oh! Uhm... greetings from... uhhh... the Tree of Mothers! My name is Shriike and—” She flinched hard from his outstretched limb. “Gaah! Why is your arm made of metal?!” She flinched even harder at the sight of his face. “Gaah! Why is your head made of bird?!?”

“Relaaaaaax...” Ariel steered the shivering unicorn into a casual stroll with Wildcard shrugging alongside them. “He's a griffon! He doesn't eat pony meat! Not lately, that is. Say—Dubya—exactly how did you and Bard stay alive that one time you were both stranded for a month on the Aegis Archipelago?!”

A metal middle talon kissed the starlight.

“Wh-what does that gesture mean?” Shriike stammered.

“It means he likes you! You're slightly less tasty now!”

“Eee-eee-eee!”

“Hahaha!”

As their bodies and a flurry of angry talon-gestures drifted away...

...Rainbow and Seraphimus huddled in the far fringes of the encampment. Seraphimus drew in close, her charcoal eyes beholding a serious gaze.

“Lexxic is not some mere pawn of the Matriarchal Council that employs him. He has grown into something larger... deadlier... emboldened by both power and desperation. If there was ever a leash that held him in place, it has drawn itself invisible—or threadbare at the very most. He dedicates himself to the cause of the Vigil by duty, but that honor is nebulous at best. His true commitment is to his brothers, and—as time appears to abide—there are far more of them than those who pretend to command them. He likes nothing more than to flaunt his authority and experience, and when his audience runs thin... I fear that so will the walls keeping him in check.”

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. “He's been filling your ears all this time, huh?” Her jaw clenched. “I'm almost sorry it wasn't me who stuck around with him instead of going up to freak out a bunch of old mares with Luna's faded moon voodoo.”

“I do believe you were in the company of lesser strength, yes.”

“You really think that?”

“If I may posit a somewhat dramatic metaphor...” Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. “I see a lot of myself in Lexxic.”

Rainbow blinked.

“That is...” Seraphimus fumed, beak clenching for a bit before: “I see in Lexxic what I might have become... … ...had we successfully ended you at the World's End.” She gazed off. “And returned to Frostknife, steeled to fend off the windigoes with the strength and blood acquired.”

“So it's like that, huh?”

“Worse.” Seraphimus looked at Rainbow again. “Lexxic enjoys nothing more than to make shocking, grandiose statements of how he would ruthlessly deal with political and ethnic conflict. If he were in my place back in Rohbredden, he would have made a swift end to all of the midnighters and wyverns that he perceived as standing in the way of total victory and progress. If Chandler had lived...” Seraphimus slowly shook her head. “...he wouldn't have remained in power for long. Nothing can hold back that much righteous anger and hatred.”

“And you...” Rainbow squinted. “...agree with him?”

“In another life—one still clouded by a sycophantic belief in Verlaxion—I very easily could have. Even here and now... I must admit... I see the potential for efficiency in his harsh world-view.”

Rainbow blinked.

“But this is a different side of that world. One that's swiftly running out of time and resources. What's more... Lexxic is indeed a zealot—but to what, I haven't quite figured out.”

“To himself?”

“That much is obvious,” Seraphimus grunted. “But there's something more to it.” She stroked her beak in thought. “He possesses true and sincere admiration for his peers—his brothers. He's convinced that he's sacrificed a great deal for him, and I don't think that can be argued against... whether or not that's true.”

“Truth makes all the difference—”

“Not here, Rainbow Dash,” Seraphimus declared. “Not even remotely.” Her charcoal eyes hardened. “Here—it's all about passion... and solidarity. These were things not afforded to the armies of the Dark Vigil before, but Lexxic has given these Bloodwings something that they were never granted in nine centuries of prior campaigns. And that's an identity. They're willing to fight for that more than for any Moon Goddess who has ever lived. I don't think it's that big a stretch of the imagination to say that's far from what the Dream Council or their superiors had intended. But that's where Lexxic is at. That's where we're at.”

Seraphimus pointed in the direction of Shriike and the others.

“Now... it appears that the Matriarchs in charge have appointed a listening ear to accompany you and Lexxic—for reasons not fully explained.”

“You're right,” Rainbow Dash said with a nod. “While it's nice that Nat'rdo and Faatail have welcomed me—they have left things stupidly vague.”

“I think I'm starting to understand some of Lexxic's dire warnings...”

“Dire warnings?” Rainbow cocked her head aside. “About what?”

“The Council is using you, Rainbow Dash.”

“Using me?”

“To try to get a grip on Lexxic—or at least on how he thinks... how he exists.” Seraphimus shook her head. “They can't get any closer themselves... or else they refuse to. But you? You give them a bridge that they can't afford.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Maybe it's their way of extending an olive branch.”

“I would be more concerned with the fact that they can't bring themselves to extend it without you.”

Rainbow Dash leaned back, rubbing her chin. “... … ...I never wanted to come here and insert myself in the middle of some stupid power struggle.”

“And yet, here you are.” Seraphimus gestured. “And I don't think this will end in the right side winning. What you may need to ask yourself is...” Her eyes narrowed. “...which is the side that you need?”

“And will it be the side that will help me?”

“Indeed.”

Rainbow Dash weathered a shuddering sigh, staring down at the ground. “I gotta find a way to save both sides.” A swallow. “Or at least... ensure the side that wins and helps me is the right choice all along... for the sarosians as well as for me.”

Serpahimus uttered something resembling a snort.

Rainbow's brow furrowed as she looked up at her. “What?”

“This is not a place for optimism.”

“Why not?”

Seraphimus sighed, turning towards the rest of the encampment. “Perhaps I should have stayed back at that insufferable shanty town by the slime...”

“Keep your beak up, Sera...” Rainbow rested a hoof on her shoulder. “Having you here is helping me think clearly!”

“I've yet to be convinced...”

“For once, can't we just... believe that fate smiles upon us?” Rainbow shrugged with a smirk. “The spotlight is ours! That means we can make the best of things! A change for the better! We carry the harmonic light of Penumbra, after all! Shouldn't that count for something?” She and Seraphimus trotted towards the rest of the party. “It's one thing to have proper foresight—seasoned with a sneeze of cynicism—but let's not doom and gloom it, huh? I mean, if Fate incarnate had a big invisible camera, the last thing she's gonna do is suddenly and spontaneously cut away from—”

“Push!” Flynn's voice cracked, his horn glowing as he operated a drilling machine that chiseled away at a glittery cave wall. “Dammit, Big Show, PUSH!”

“I... am... friggin' pushing!” Logan hollered. As his voice echoed through the chamber, the large sweating stallion could be seen anchoring his axe against an enormous boulder that was all that stood between the Heraldites and an adjacent chamber. “What's taking you so damned long, baldy?!”

“I've almost got a full sample!” Flynn stammered, his metal eye focusing on a dimly-glowing meter set within the chassis of the drill. A translucent compartment filled with glittery minerals, and the drill vibrated at a higher frequency. “Just a few more minutes!”

“M-minutes?!?!” Logan groaned and strained as something pushed against the boulder from the other side. Cracks and fissures formed in the rock as flashes of bio-luminescence intensified from beyond the fragile barrier he was holding. “Dammit, Flynn! Don't you think we've got enough of that crap?!”

“Not until the meter is completely full!” Flynn panted. “If we return to Blobstain with any less, we won't have enough for the varnish! And her deal with the goblins won't pull through!”

“For buck's sake!” Logan shouted over his buckling withers. “If I find out that this is all about that mare you keep making goo-goo eye at—”

“Do you wanna be able to cross the Blob in a pinch or don't you?!?”

“Yeah! With your ass as a rudder, ya goddess-damned simp!”

“Will you shut up already?! I can't concentrate—!”

The roars intensified. In a pale blur, Kepler glided in and perched atop the boulder Logan was pushing against.

“Frriends!” The wyvern adjusted his spectacles and sputtered: “I brring discourraging news! The beast's mates appearr to have answerred its call! We arre soon to be outnumberred—”

“Keps!” Logan hollered, buckling under the strain. “You stupid diet manticore! Get your paws off the boulder before—”

It was too late. CRACK! The boulder split in two.

Milliseconds later—

P-POWWWWW!

—a phalanx of blue bio-luminescent tentacles birthed through, each accompanied by razor-teethed maws that snapped and bit in every direction, filling the cave from top to bottom.

CL-CL-CL-CLAKKKAAA!

“My starrs and garrterrs—!” Kepler went flying in one direction.

“Shiiiiiiit!” Logan went rolling in another.

“I got it!” Flynn beamed at the glowing drill now filled with the glittery material. “Dudes! I—” He turned around, his ears drooping as he faced a wall of incoming jaws. “—awwwwww poop.”

“Brrotherrs! Get down!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAH—!!!”

CRUNNNNNCH!

The Aegis Archipelago Job

The pen floated in the waning sunlight, resting against a portion of parchment and adding another line to an elaborate diagram. With two, three, four masterful strokes—the finishing touches were added to the hull of a small ship: a hollow cabin, a dense engine compartment, and a broad flat open deck. The pen floated back up, hovering over a title: “Princess Stardust.”

Two or three seconds later, the dim glow around the pen flickered then vanished. The pen fell down onto the diagram and rattled to a stop.

Flynn looked at it, his mechanical eye rotating in and out. The sound of lapping water rippled all around him as he licked his lips, charging mana into his horn—or at least trying to.

No luck. His horn remained dull and dead, penetrating a wild froth of forward-combed mane hair.

With a sigh, Flynn gripped the pen awkwardly in the crook of his fetlock and tried adding a few more illustrative details, but they were chicken scratches at best.

“It's your turn.”

He sighed.

“Hey... did you hear me, nerd splooge?”

Flynn looked up.

Seated across from him in a slender, lengthy rowboat was a fat-and-muscular silhouette. Cracking his neck muscles, the earth pony blotted out the setting sun as he hoofed over a pair of oars.

“I said it's your turn to row,” Logan huffed.

“Er... right...” Flynn cleared his throat. Sliding the pen into the binder of his notebook, he dropped the sketch safely into the dry belly of the craft and hoisted the oars into a pair of rowlocks on either side of him. “How long was that, anyway?” He stuck the oars into the calm waters of an enormous ocean stretching on all sides, engulfing the two lone stallions.

“Hrmmmm...” Logan rubbed the back of his neck with one hoof while lifting a pocketwatch in the other. “Kepler's little gift says about ninety minutes since we last switched.”

“Dayum, Big Show...” Flynn took deep breaths as he began stirring the oars into a gradual rowing motion, finding his own pace. “I dunno how you keep it up for so long.”

“A secret I intend to keep from the ladies.” Logan shifted his fat self until he was reclining slightly. A relaxed breath escaped his being. “Present company excluded.”

“Hardy har...” Flynn droned.

One of Logan's lower fetlocks kicked lightly at the sketchbook. “The Hell were you drawing this whole time?” He squinted down past his belly. “'Stardust?'”

“Hrmmm...” Flynn's natural eye squinted as he kept rowing the boat towards the setting sun. “Just an idea for a ship that'll make traveling this far out a lot easier in the future.”

“You know the drill,” Logan muttered. “If it's mana-powered, it'll croak.”

“The mana-batteries are simply a backup,” Flynn said, shaking his head. “It'll primarily run on steam.”

“A steamship, eh?”

“That's right.”

“Won't that fail all the same, though?” Logan scratched his stubbly chins. “If there's no wind for sails out here and even pegasus wings won't work in the air—”

“There's only one way to find out.”

Logan snorted. “You say that as if you can just build this shit anytime you like!”

Flynn shrugged in mid-row. “There may come a time.”

“Pffft. Yeah, right.” Logan rested his eyelids as he lay back, breathing easy. “When has our lives ever afforded a breather?”

“You seem to be doing fine right now.”

“I mean a real breather, smartass. Even when there's no assholes to punch in the muzzle, Morty's always got something new for us to tackle.”

“Let's not kid around, Big Show. All we're ever really doing is waiting,” Flynn declared. “But I think one day we'll be freer than birds. And you know why? Because this is gonna be it.”

“What's gonna be it?”

“Us. You. Me. Remna. The whole gang.” Flynn blew out the side of his muzzle as he rowed and sweated... rowed and sweated... rowed and—“I really think we're gonna be the generation that sees him show up.”

“Or 'her',” Logan exhaled.

“Sure. Whatever. Anyways...” Flynn squinted past the sun burning into the western horizon. “They show up. We help them get to where they need to go. Then we come back and... enjoy permanent retirement.”

Logan laughed.

Flynn continued: “Retirement and an opportunity to work on several important projects to help future Job Squadders... y'know?”

“Dude...” Logan sat up, eyes thin above a cynical smile. “If he or she arrives in our lifetime, we're royally bucked. Which—I don't mind. I'm happy to kiss this lousy continent good-bye. And everything on this side of the plane, for that matter.” His nostrils flared. “Break our butts day in and day out to save it from pirate scum, and what thanks do we get?”

Flynn's metal eye rotated. “Why so much doom and gloom?”

“Assuming we even make it to the other side, you really think we're gonna come back in one piece?!”

“We will if we have any intention of helping them make it back!” Flynn's good eye narrowed on Logan as he rowed. “And she does have to make it back... right? Or did I understand the Mountain Matron's briefings incorrectly?”

“Oh, you heard her right.” Logan nodded. “You just didn't read between the lines.”

“And just what haven't I read...?”

“All that'll matter is the Austraeoh,” Logan said. “If they would have come this far to cross over, then surely they've got the gumption to make it all the way there and back.” He shook his head. “Us? The jury's still out on that. Besides—why should it matter?” He reclined again with a sigh of resolution. “Assuming history ever records what happens to the Austraeoh, the likes of you and I will be hoofnotes at best.”

Flynn slowly shook his head. “I didn't join the Herald to die and be forgotten.”

“Then why didja join, bucko?”

Sweating, Flynn glanced into the calm lapping waters of the ocean all around them. “Why else? To save the world.” He exhaled. “This crazy... upside down... miserable world.”

“Keep your eyes on the horizon,” Logan said with monotone necessity. “Don't wanna lose all our progress.”

“I won't.” Flynn nodded towards a pile of navigational tools next to his sketchbook. “Worse comes to worst, the map and compass can—”

“The compass won't do shit out here,” Logan declared. “We're hella deep in it now, bud. Soon, even our farts will drop into the drink like anvils.”

“I hardly think that's a proven fact.”

“You really wanna do a science experiment on our asses out here?!”

Flynn sighed. “We've covered for every eventuality. The last outpost was—what—five nautical miles due northeast?” He gestured with one hoof. “Based on my calculations, we'll land on our destination in less than six hours.”

“You sure about that?”

“Dude, I've been keeping notes.”

“This is as far as we've ever gone, Flynn,” Logan declared. “It'd be super... super easy to screw up.”

“I know that.”

“I've butted heads with a shitton of crazy freakazoids all over Rohbredden and the Seven Seas.” Logan huffed. “The last way I wanna go out is starving to death on a tiny-ass canoe in the middle of the Blight. That's a real lame way to go.”

“You might starve to death.” The corner of Flynn's muzzle curved ever so slightly. “Me? I suspect I'll have plenty of food to live on for a month or longer.”

“Oh, real funny.” Logan rubbed his muzzle again, glancing towards the northeast horizon. “You don't suppose those chucklebucks gave us the wrong info, do ya?”

“Who? The Kihutajans?”

“Right.”

“Why would they wanna lie to us?” Flynn remarked. “It's their shipping lines that have been attacked and pillaged these past two years. If anything, they should be rewarding us for this job.”

“That's just the thing,” Logan grumbled. “There is no reward.”

“Yeah, well, there's technically no job either,” Flynn said, rowing. He spat out some sweat from his face and continued: “We're just doing this because we're such good... clean... altruistic heroes.”

“When you say it like that, you sound more cynical than I do.”

“Hey—kicking coral dredger butts and saving victims from Mudtop sounds like a Grade A way to add another hashmark to my legacy.”

“That just freaks me out...” Logan shuddered slightly. “What are slavers even doing this far west?”

“Isn't it obvious?” Flynn clenched his jaw. “The atolls out this way make for prime new supply lines so far south—establishing the Syndicate's hoof hold in the west.”

“Those hoity-toity fops in Kihutaja won't even know what hit 'em.”

“Right. Colonialists just aren't used to dealing with pirates. At least not this distance from Rust. That's where we come in.”

“Yeah.” Logan nodded. “Maybe if we waited a decade, they would have drummed up a reward.”

“Y'know that's not how it works, Big Show. Mortuana will reward us in her own way.”

“True. But she never told us we can't benefit from the mercenary life.” Logan pointed. “Y'know, the others—”

“I just don't have it within me to be a bounty hunter,” Flynn huffed.

“Have it your way.” Logan shrugged. “Be poor. Build your Princess Stardust out of toothpicks and use dolphins for propulsion.”

“Not a bad idea, actually.”

“Heh. Hey... speaking of bounty hunters, do you suppose we're behind or ahead of the others?”

“By my calculations?” Flynn squinted at the setting sun. “I'd say we're half a day ahead.”

“Ah. So—odds are—we're actually half a day behind. Got it.”

Flynn sighed. “Will you ever have faith in my math skills one of these days?”

“Not after that savage slobberknocker down in Cavern Prefecture.”

“You're never going to forgive me for that, are you?”

“That's the last time I ever try using one of your stupid-ass 'rocket packs' to get out of a scrape. Nearly blew my Little Big Show off, ya butt muncher.”

“You should have paid attention to the instructions I gave you.” Flynn smirked into the sunset. “Y'know, I've been planning a Version Two! Wanna see the specs?”

“Hell no!”

“Heheheheheh—” Suddenly, a loud click issued from the left side of Flynn's face. The stallion paused in rowing, giving the air a double-take. “Whoah... whoahhhhhh...”

Logan sat up, his muzzle scrunched in legit concern. “What is it?”

“Whelp... it was only a matter of time...” Flynn reached up. With a tiny jerking motion, he detached the outer lens of the mechanical viewer from the round base set within his skull. “And that, fillies and gentlecolts, is the end of that... for now.”

“Awwwwwwwww dude...” Logan shook his head. “That sucks.”

“Eh... I have many other organs I'd rather not fail. Plus, I'm sure it'll work again once we return home and away from the Blight.”

“Can you still row?”

“Pfffft... it's not my hooves that stopped working, fatso.” Flynn reached into a satchel, produced an eye-patch, and placed it neatly over his left eye socket. “Besides, I gotta pull my weight.”

“Well, at least you still got spirit.”

“Somepony's gotta carry it.” Flynn, now eyepatched, faced forward into the burning horizon, squinting towards the nebulous destination. “Blight, here we come.”

About three hours past sunset, and after switching row-duty four more times, they finally came upon a splotch of dark land that broke the reflected starlight across the massive ocean. They approached slow and quiet, lying down in the body of the craft the entire time. When they came close to the eastern shore, they pivoted north and slowly... slowly skimmed the coastline. There were no lights... no fires... no signs of equine presence of any sort.

But then they spotted a glint of something past the waterline that was reflecting starlight. Keeping their breaths steady, they approached the source—stumbling upon a lengthy object moored into the crook of a shallow lagoon. It was a vessel—smaller than most sailing ships—but at least ten times larger than the rowboat that the two stallions had used to get there. Metal railing and polished tools had reflected the starlight that exposed it to the pair of Job Squadders.

At first, they ran abreast of the vessel, floating still and silent, listening for anything stirring from within or beyond. When they heard nothing, they gestured to one another. It was wordlessly agreed that Flynn—the smaller of the two—would take a look first. With the help of Logan—who hoisted him—Flynn climbed up the hull of the vessel and alighted its bow. Logan tossed him a crossbow, and Flynn snuck stealthily across the deck, eventually finding a way into the upper cabin.

Logan remained on the smaller boat. He hoisted his axe out of hiding and perched in silence, bobbing, breathless.

At last, a body returned. Logan started—only to realize it was Flynn. Flynn gestured to the stallion that the coast was clear. Calmly, Logan rowed their boat just past the edge of the lagoon, mooring it behind two sandy mounds that obscured detection from both the southern shoreline as well as the heart of the island.

Hopping onto dry land, Logan hoisted both his axe and saddlebags for two. He hurried—keeping low and hushed—through the shallow surf of the beach in order to best hide his hooftracks. By the time he approached the strange vessel once more, he beheld Flynn's silhouette in the starlight atop the starboard hull.

A shrill whistle caught Flynn's attention. He looked down and reached out in time to grab his saddlebag tossed at him. Once he fitted it on, he slid down the hull and dropped until he was knee-deep in the shallow surf, crouching alongside Logan.

“So what's the deal?” Logan whispered.

“It belongs to coral dredgers, alright,” Flynn murmured, adjusting his saddlebag before tightening the springs of his crossbow. “I could smell traces of the stuff. Plus—signs of dredge coal. The raw deal. These buckers are working to start an entire friggin' enterprise out here.”

“You didn't inhale any of that shit, didja?”

“Not a chance.” Flynn shook his head. “Besides, wherever their actual supply is, it's been carted off long ago.”

“What the Hell does that ship run on, anyways?”

“Ponies, I'm guessing.”

“Huh?”

“The bottom cabin is filled to the brim with benches and oars.”

“Awwwwww buck me...” Logan grimaced in the starlight. “You're telling me that thing's a friggin' rowboat?”

“No doubt they're using the slaves from Mudtop to power the thing.” Flynn said, scanning the shoreline with his one eye. Several palm trees and thickets formed a lush barrier to the starlight. “It's how they got so far west... and so quickly too.”

“There seems to be a lot of wear and tear on the hull of this thing,” Logan said, brushing his hoof along the outer shell of the vessel. “The boat's seen a lot of action.”

“It's not newly-built. That's for sure,” Flynn added. “I spotted some maps inside the cabin that are dated back ten years.”

“Then these guys must have scoped this place out a while ago.”

“Seems like it.”

“So... is this it, then?” Logan studied the same treeline with a look of disgust. “Aegis Archipelago? As spoken of by those thugs we bagged in Rust?”

“What the Hell else would it be?” Flynn huffed. “I'm guessing the pirates took them inward—towards the heart of the island.”

“What? The coral, coal, or the slaves?”

“All of the above. They're all just commodities to these dickholes.” Flynn frowned. “I wanna crush this whole operation. I wanna crush it super hard.”

“Easy there, chief.” Logan muttered. “We gotta rendezvous with the others.”

“Doesn't mean we can't do some reconnaissance while we wait,” Flynn said.

“Mrmmfff...” Logan scratched his chin, looking once more at the tree line. “...I dunno.”

“Who knows if the others went off-course or not,” Flynn said. “Right now, we've got the cover of night—as we intended. We should take full advantage of it while we still can.”

“You're not wrong. Just... seems like a tough job for only two of us.”

“I know. But I'm not saying we face all the punks on our lonesome.” Flynn sighed. “...I really think we should have brought the noobie. This would have been a really educational job.”

“Yeah. You're not wrong.” Logan scratched his stubbled chins. “But she's so green. Plus... she's still recovering from what happened to her mother. Hell, we all are.”

“Yeah...” Flynn sighed. He turned to look at the shadowed features of the island. “There's gotta be at least thirty slaves stuck on this rock. Getting them to Kihutaja will be a challenge...”

“I'm sure they'll be willing to row to freedom, even if it's the last time they all touch an oar,” Logan said. He turned away from the large boat. “Unless, of course, they're thinking of building a resort here. I bet the crab meat is delicious.”

“Mrmmmfff... seriously, Big Show?” Flynn groaned inwardly. “Must you?”

“Yeah yeah.” Logan waved a hoof. “Just trying to liven things up a bit, Flynn. Is that such a crime?”

“When it comes to dealing with slavers,” Flynn grunted. “I've got no room for snickering.”

“Yeah.” Logan's throat tightened.

Silence—save for the crashing of waves. And even those were subdued this deep into the Blight.

“Let's find where these melon bucks are lazing about,” Logan said, hoisting his axe over his flank. “And then when the others get here, we'll kick their shit in. What say you?”

“Sounds like a job and a half.”

“Right. I'll take point.” Logan crept towards show, eyes locked on the trees. “You be the half.”

Flynn stifled a groan, keeping low and following after the larger stallion's stealthy figure.

The island's topography rose significantly as the two hiked their way inward under starlight. As it turned out, only the outermost layer of palm trees was the densest. As the two Heraldites moved inward, they encountered less trees and more boulders and rock croppings. It was an uphill climb, and soon it became apparent that the entire island—a cozily tiny anomaly at best—capped off as a stout dome.

That is—it was almost a dome. Towards the center of the conical peak, the terrain dropped sharply. Flynn and Logan took their time, surveying the environment. They discovered a massive dip in the center of the island. It was too large to call a mere “hole,” bordering more on a “crater.” The clearest way to descend was in spiraling downhill paths naturally covered with tall grass and lined with a smattering of sporadic palm trees. There was a ring of starlight illuminating the hollow declination, and then the innermost core of the island sunk so low that it harbored its own shadows.

“A volcano?” Logan whispered.

Flynn nodded. “From the looks of it,” he whispered back.

“Still active?”

“The entire basin is full of vegetation and trees.” Flynn swatted at a dragonfly as the two crept amidst vegetation. “Wildlife too. This place hasn't spouted lava in eons.”

“So where are these punks holed up?”

“You ask me...?” Flynn pointed down into the mouth of the descending pit. “Downwards.”

“Seems like a lame place to pack it in,” Logan said. “Not to mention obvious.”

Flynn glanced up at the ring of star-lit trees surrounding them up above. “I'm guessing they ultimately plan to form a defensive perimeter. Maybe in a few years and with enough supplies, they can do just that.”

“Guess it's a good thing we picked up on those rumors in Rust when we did.”

“Yeah.”

The two remained hidden in silence, squatting in the bushes as cicadas and other insects buzzed around the scene. Between that and the echo of crashing waves filtering into the hollow hill from all sides, it was far from a quiet tranquility.

“Hell, we could probably sing an opera and still sneak up on these bozos,” Logan stated.

“Don't get any dumb ideas,” Flynn muttered back. “If anypony gets a jump on us here, it'll be a real strain to gallop back to the boat.”

“How much further are we planning to go?” Logan craned his neck. “There's no sign of their encampment. I wanna find it as much as you do, but if we go in too deep—”

“I know.”

“There's gotta be a path they took to bring their supplies downhill. I bet if it was light, we'd find it.”

“Or if my horn worked, I could light it up.”

“Well, thankfully for both of us, you can't do that under the Blight,” Logan whispered. “It'd give away our position in a heartbeat.”

“You mean like that?” Flynn remarked.

“Huh??”

“Shhhh...” Flynn pointed across the dim air of the hollow. “Look.”

Logan did. Eventually, he saw it: a speck of flickering luminescence, slowly rising up out of the belly of the island.

“Verlaxion's sleet...” Logan cursed. “...is that a torch?”

“Good to know that you can still build a fire under the Blight.”

“Yeah. I guess. But what kind of an idiot would expose themselves like that?”

“A pirate who doesn't expect ponies like you and me to literally row their way out here from the nearest colonialist outpost.”

“Hrmmmfff...” Logan smirked. “Good eye there, chuckles.”

“Thanks.” Flynn adjusted his eyepatch, blinking his one good socket. “I try.”

“Seems like we have a volunteer. Shall we jump 'em?”

“That's what I'm thinking.” Flynn began creeping forward through the undergrowth. “I'll take point this time.”

Logan shuffled quietly after him. “You got a plan?”

“Not really, but I'm hoping they have less of one.” Flynn crawled faster. “Also, I'm the smaller of us both. Figure I'll make less noise.”

“Got it. Well, I won't be far behind.”

“I'm counting on it.” Flynn moved faster.

Logan hissed after him: “And whatever you do—try not to conk him out! We'll need somepony to interrogate for info before the morning sun rises!”

“Right right right...” Flynn made like a shadow, moving clockwise around the inner slopes, his eye locked on the flickering torchlight from a distance.

A surly pegasus stallion crept between bent palm trees. His wingfeathers gripped the base of a burning torch as his sun-bleached limbs carried him casually uphill. Scars and age-old bruises from countless scraps covered the pirate's deadpan muzzle. He moved with muddled purpose, eyes scanning left and right in search of something.

At last, he found it—a tiny “encampment” marked by a small stack of crates along the northeast portion of the crater. Beside the boxes, two planks of wood rested on a pair of rocks with a narrow space afforded in between. Flies buzzed around the location.

“Hrmmfff...” The pirate exhaled, slightly relieved to find the spot. He shuffled to the side, finding a wooden stake in the ground with a hole notched in the top. Placing the torch neatly into the stake, he turned and made for the makeshift bench. He turned around and rested his posterior above the space between. As his face relaxed, he slightly closed his eyes as his tail lifted and—

Schiiiing!

The sharp tip of a crossbow pressed into the back of his head.

The pirate's eyes widened as his every limb froze.

“Go ahead...” Flynn whispered, leaning in slightly from where he had emerged from a throng of bushes. “...finish your business. Then we can get to more important matters.”

A pitiable whisper escaped the stallion's lips. In no time at all, the air filled with a rancid smell.

Flynn did his best to keep from gagging. “See? That wasn't so hard after all.” He poked the pirate threateningly, urging him towards the stack of crates. “Over there. No sudden movements. Lift your wings and keep them still.”

The pegasus did as he was told.

“Now turn around and face me. Wings stay up.”

Reaching the crates on stiff hooves, the pirate slowly turned around.

By now, Flynn positioned himself with the stake-torch behind, obscuring his forward features to the pirate. “Your saddlebag. Remove them.”

Slowly—begrudgingly—the stallion obliged.

“The knife and rope too.” Flynn shook the crossbow attached to his right hoof. “Toss them before my fetlocks.”

The pirate's nostrils flared. As he threw the items towards Flynn's three planted limbs, he grumbled, “Continentalist bastard.” He huffed in a raspy voice. “Shoulda known.”

“I'm not sent by Frostknife,” Flynn countered. “If the Six Tribes wanted you dealt with, you'd be dead by now. They only send the Talon.”

“Then what is this?” The pirate snorted. “Hired hooves by a guild that Revan pissed on?”

“I'll be the one asking questions here.” Flynn shoved the pirate's possessions aside while he kept his crossbow trained on him and his upturned wings. “How many of you punks are stationed here?”

“... … ...” The pirate merely glared at him.

“Don't test me, bud,” Flynn snarled, glaring down the sight of his crossbow. “I'm a nerd with a mid-life crisis. The homicidal thirst is unquenchable.”

“You only got one shot with that thing before you have to reload—”

“Yeah, and you only got one scrotum. So you wanna take your chances talking smack?”

The pirate sighed long and hard. Eventually: “There are fifteen of us here. Including me.”

“Uh huh.” Flynn's one eye narrowed on the thug. “And how many slaves?”

“Slaves?”

“Don't play dumb. You haven't the leg muscles to row that bigass boat all the way here from Rust.”

“Maybe I'm a scout.”

“You'll be a pincushion in the next breath if it isn't giving me the info that I need.”

“There are... forty ponies here who are... not on the payroll,” the pegasus said. “You want some of them? We can negotiate.”

“Negotiate? Cool. I want all of them.” Flynn's fetlock twisted, threatening to trigger the firing mechanism of the crossbow at any moment. “Freed.”

The pirate snorted. “You're shitting me.”

“Nah, you were doing a pretty good job of at that a minute and a half ago.”

“Just where exactly do you intend to take the bastards?” the pirate said. “They're all spawn from Mudtop. They have no homes—just as they have no lives.”

“We'll be the judge of that.”

“You and who else—?”

“None of your concern,” Flynn spoke boldly. He took a threatening step forward, the crossbolt of his weapon glinting in the starlight. “Next, you're going to tell me where your main camp is located and who's guarding—”

Suddenly...

...two dark bodies dropped down from the palm trees above.

Flynn jerked to a stop. He looked over his shoulder, his one eye discerning equine shapes. “What—”

“Httt!” The pirate made a mad dash for him.

“!!!!” Flynn squatted low and fired. Thwffft!

The crossbolt merely grazed the pegasus' withers. Blood kissed the air hotly as the pirate growled and threw his charge into a full-bodied dive. “Raaaaaaaaugh!”

WHUMP!!!

The pirate slammed Flynn onto his flank.

Quick in reflexes, Flynn bucked the pegasus off him completely.

The pirate went tumbling sideways. His body ragdolled through the stake in the earth. The torch fell loose, its flames burning a swath through the tall grass. The air lit up, and the soiled faces of the two ambushing equines rushed straight towards Flynn. Within the next breath, their hooves were on him.

“Rrrrgh—!” Flynn clenched his jaw, struggling to reload the crossbow. The forelimbs of the other two complicated his efforts. Their fetlocks were thin and gangly, but he nevertheless struggled to fight them off. “Goddess damn it!” He pivoted his body and swung the frame of the crossbow across one face. “Get off—!”

As the one pony fell, the other leapt upon him in a desperate pounce. The two struggled as the fire spread around them, bush by bush.

By now, the pirate had gotten up. Snarling in anger, he rushed to his discarded things and grabbed a serrated machete.

Flynn sputtered, his one good eye reflecting the pirate's incoming figure.

“Been running low on rations...” The pirate spat, then raised the blade over Flynn's exposed neck. “You should feed us or a day or two, even if there isn't much meat on ya—” A metal talon suddenly clamped over his muzzle from behind. “Mrmmmffff!”

“!!!” Flynn gasped. The pony wrestling with him similarly locked up

“Mrmrrrrrrrrrr—!” The pirate's eyes widened as a shadowy griffon hoisted his body up in a violent arc, suplexing him viciously into the latrine at the center of the encampment. Smassssh!

The pony atop of Flynn let out a whimpering sound, just before—Claaaang! A metal staff knocked him upside the head. He fell aside Flynn like a sack of meat.

The third pony got up, hyperventilating. He turned and fled downhill—only for the staff to sail towards him like a javelin, pinballing his figure into the trunk of a palm tree and knocking him out cold.

A huff of breath. Flynn watched as Bard trotted into the firelight, cracking the joints in his neck. “Whew...!” He smirked down at the one-eyed Heraldite. “Y'know, for a bunch of yokels with an open-air shitter, that was a pretty dayum good woodshedding.” He extended hoof down. “On yer hooves, buddy. This train ain't stoppin' for no breathers.”

Flynn blanched, nevertheless accepting the Desperado's gesture. “Bard...?!” He stumbled upright before the pegasus. “This is one of Mortuana's directives. What the Hell are you doing here?”

“Jee...” Bard tipped his hat with a scowl. “Yer mighty welcome.” He turned and whistled aside. “Yo Dubya?! Ya done suplexin'? Get these blazes out already! Dayum slowpokin' ostrich...”

Wildcard waved back. After dragging the pirate's unconscious figure safely away from the flames, he reached into his bandoleer and produced a series of capsules. These—he flung into the flames, which burst in white clouds of extinguishing mist.

“Kaff! Kaff!” Bard moved himself and Flynn away from the fumes as the torchlight died down. “Whew-wee! I hate explosions. Dun you?”

“I... I knew Wildcard was coming along,” Flynn said, still panting and licking his wounds. “But I figured he'd be bringing along Remna.”

“Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint. Remna couldn't make it.”

“Why not?”

“Dubya said she was feelin' 'under the weather'. Whatever that means.” Bard glared at the griffon. “Y'know how he gets. Rambles on and on like a true blue parrot but never gets to the point.”

A metal middle talon reflected the last remaining flickers of flame.

“Yeah yeah love ya too, murder penguin.” Bard looked towards Flynn. “Anyways, he decided to drag along me in her place. He's mighty persuasive like that.”

“There's no mercenary pay in this, Bard.”

“So?” Bard smirked. “Freein' pony folk is pay enough. Ain't that what you Herald yahoos are all about?”

“Actually, we're holding out to escort a pony who's destined to save the world—”

“Yeah. Uh huh. In a pig's eye.” Bard adjusted the weight of his guitar, stifling a yawn. “Anyways. Where's Big Show? We done crushed this island's only shitter, so he can't be up to his usual habits.”

Huffing and puffing, a fat stallion galloped up the hillside, dragging his axe. “Dammit, Flynn! I leave you alone to be a hero for one measly second—” He scuffled to a stop, sweating and blinking. “Ah dip. It's the minstrel show.”

“Speak of the dumpling!” Bard struck a smug pose as Wildcard shuffled up to stand beside him. “Dang slowpokes! We've been on this island for half-a-day now! And still you gone and nearly screwed everythang to Blight's bottom!”

Flynn stammered. “I had no idea the one dude had... drop buddies in the trees.”

Logan turned to gawk at him. “You let two pirates get the drop on you?!”

“Look—they were silent as cats and they took their sweet time before jumping—”

“That's no friggin' excuse! You're getting sloppy with a capital 'S'! For 'suck shit and die'. You're lucky you're still breathing!”

“Big Show...”

“Honestly, Captain Nerd! Did you drink some of the seawater on the way here or what—?!”

Wildcard talon-signed in the air.

Flynn gave him a double-take. “What do you mean 'they weren't pirates?'”

“Can't fault ya for not noticin' in the midst of that slobberknocker...” Bard trotted over to where one of the ambushing ponies lay unconscious. “Maybe you noticed how frail-like their limbs were.” He turned the pony over in the starlight, exposing hollow cheakbones and poor teeth. “See? Malnourished as all hell.”

Flynn grimaced. “Cheese and crackers...”

“I'll be damned...” Logan muttered, his eyes wandering to permanent burn marks around the lower fetlocks of the specimen in question. “Mudtop spawn.”

Wildcard whistled. He reached down, lifting one of the pony's eyelids open as the figure twitched slightly on bordering consciousness. The cornea was bloodshot and red.

“Coral huffers too, from the looks of it.” Bard looked at the others. “Well, reckon that's one way to keep yer prisoners doin' yer bidding.”

“They got their own slaves doing guard duty for them?” Flynn remarked.

“Not a very good job at it, all thangs considered,” Bard said. “Three more of 'em got the jump on Dubya and me back when we first landed. Didn't require much of a fight to take 'em down. The way I see it, they ain't got long to last on this island, so the thugs make use of them and feed 'em coral to ease their passin'.”

Wildcard nodded. He gestured: “Then they get fresh bodies from Mudtop and bring them here as well.”

“Rinse and repeat.” Bard's nostrils flared. “The only true cargo that's precious to them at the end of the day is the dredge coal they're harborin'.”

Flynn rubbed the back of his neck. “At this rate, they'll have enough dredge coal to supply equine traffickers and pirates who'd intend to terrorize the Kihutajan Archipelago for years. Maybe decades.”

“That'll cement the Syndicate's hoofhold this far west for sure,” Bard said with a nod.

Logan sighed long and hard. “Where are all the slaves who were brought to this island previously, I wonder...?”

“Dubya and I didn't find no graves.” Bard shrugged. “But—then again—who buries slaves?”

Wildcard gestured something.

Bard muttered back, “Now that's just bein' redundant, Dubya.”

Wildcard shrugged.

“You said you were jumped earlier,” Logan said. “What did you do with those ponies?”

“Dubya and I bound 'em nice and tight. We left 'em in the shade out by where we made landfall.” Bard tilted his hat back. “They're mighty far from the center of the island, not to mention a comet's throw from where these pirates make port. Even if they had the strength to shout, I doubt anypony would hear 'em.”

“The thug said there were fifteen pirates total on the island, and about forty slaves,” Flynn stated. “After all this nonsense, I'm a bit doubtful of the authenticity of those numbers.”

Wildcard talon-signed to Flynn: “Did you find out where their main camp is?”

Flynn sighed and shook his head.

“Of course you didn't.” Logan muttered. “Now that we're back to square one, we should be ready for anything.”

“It's not exactly 'square one',” Flynn grumbled.

Logan went on: “If baldy hadn't royally bucked up the interrogation process, I'd have stepped in and really gotten us some good intel.”

“The Hell is that supposed to mean?!” Flynn blanched at Logan.

“No offense, bud...” Logan gestured at the unconscious bodies and still-smoldering bushes. “...but this didn't go nearly as pristine as your steamboat diagrams—”

“No, not that. 'Baldy!' The buck are you on about?”

“Pfffft...” Logan snorted. “Are you farting straight into my face right now?”

“I've got an okay mane of hair!”

“You've got yerself a comb-over at best, partner,” Bard said.

“So it's a little thin in the front.” Flynn huffed. “So what?”

Wildcard gestured: “It's a comb-over.”

“Might as well stop fightin' it, bro,” Logan said. “Buzz it all off.”

“Or wear yerself a hat,” Bard said. “It makes ya look badass.”

“Either would work better than a comb-over,” Logan said.

Wildcard nodded in agreement.

Flynn fumed. “Dudes, I can't believe we're having this conversation. This is hardly the time or the place!”

“Damn skippy.” Logan gestured. “A domed shine like that will give our places away in the starlight!”

Wildcard gestured: “I fear the fire has done just that.”

“Nah... his chrome skull is worse.”

Wildcard shrugged... but eventually nodded.

“Rrrrnghhhh...” Flynn shook in place, stamping a hoof. “I am not buzzing it off!”

“Not now you ain't.” Bard looked at Logan. “We've still got ourselves a camp to clear out.”

“Right. Seeing as I have seniority among the Job Squad—” Logan started.

“Pfffft!” Bard bore a sarcastic smirk. “Excuse you!”

“... … …and I'm also a card-carrying member of the Herald.”

“Hah... sure...” Bard waved a hoof. “Go ahead...”

“I'll be taking charge from here on out.”

“How about you take a flying leap into the surf?” Flynn muttered. “Displace the entire Ocean into the crater and flood the creeps out.”

“Oh! That's royal!” Logan scoffed. “That your best comeback, baldy?”

“Big Show...”

“Can we just make a game plan here, fellas?” Bard waved his wingfeathers. “Comin' from a longtime bounty hunter, a certain bit of professionalism is what it takes at a time like this—”

Wildcard let out a shrill whistle. Everypony looked at him as he swiftly talon-signed: “Bind these three ponies. Retrace the pirate's steps downhill. Find the entrances to the camp. Get a headcount. Locate the prisoners. Plan an attack. Minimize casualties.”

“... … ...errr... yeah!” Bard smirked, pointing at the other Desperado. “What he said.”

Logan and Flynn exchanged nodding glances.

“Works for us.”

“Sure thing.”

Wildcard gave a metal thumb's up.

“I'll go fetch the other slave,” Flynn said, trotting downhill.

“Yup!” Bard called out after him. “Could ya fetch my staff while yer at it too? There's a good bald spot!”

“Rrrrrrrgh...”

“Hey, the less strands that take root, the more room for eggheading!” Logan said while tying up the pirate and other slave.

“Shucks, I missed these snappy motherbuckers.” Bard looked at Wildcard, folding his forelimbs with a smirk. “Nice strategizin', by the way.” He arched an eyebrow. “Prattlin' off for days at a time, and for once you say somethin' concise and orderly just to show me up. Huh?”

Wildcard's talons blurred in response.

“Oh go blow your beakholes.” Bard rolled his eyes. “You'd be miserable without me.” His staff flew—thrown uphill—and slammed into his gut. “Ooomf!”

The griffon huffed a mute laugh.

As it turned out, with four combined trackers of shared veteran experience in infiltration working together, it didn't take very long for them to find out where the pirates had been holed up. They split into two groups—Heraldites and Desperadoes—and rotated their way cyclonically down the crater, both clockwise and counter-clockwise. They passed each other twice, silent as shadows, and ultimately met in the center.

Coincidentally enough, it was there in the belly of the crater where they first found signs of the camp's location. At first, it was a passing streak of light—then a persistent glow. Wildcard spotted it first—naturally. He stole Bard's attention who alerted Logan who then alerted Flynn. The latter-most stallion of the group found himself creeping up to an earthen mound, behind which all four squatted. There—hunched and hidden—they peered into the mouth of a cave.

The soil and vegetation gave way to obsidian rock and smooth volcanic glass. Despite its dark polished surfaces, the interior was quite well-lit. At just the right angle, the group could make out multiple burning torches. And—what's more... multiple ponies. Far more than they initially had the faculty to quantify. The Job Squadders remained huddled there for an extended period of time, making the best headcount possible from what little they could see of the interior.

“That's... a lot more ponies than the punk said, isn't it?” Logan murmured.

“Hard to tell,” Flynn replied, squinting. He craned his neck left and right. “Which are the pirates and which are their slaves?”

“We're not gonna get anywhere just huddling behind this mound and squinting like a bunch of freaky Midnighters in daylight,” Logan said.

“Hey...” Bard grunted. “Watch your muzzle.”

“Pffft...” Logan smirked at Bard. “What do you care?”

Bard let it slide with a sigh. “Thankfully... some of us came prepared.” He reached into his saddlebag and produced a spyglass. He extended the telescope and adjusted it while holding it before one peering eye. “Even if somegriffon can't use it on account of his 'edgy and mysterious' goggles gettin' in the way.”

Wildcard merely huffed.

“So...?” Flynn blinked up at the pegasus doing recon. “What do you see?”

“Hrmmmm...” Bard hoofed him the spyglass. “Take a gander for yerself.”

Flynn did just that. With his one good eye, he stared down the telescopic lens. Deep inside the cave, he discerned bodies of ponies shuffling and milling about. Both stallions and mares sat casually around crates of supplies and makeshift furniture. A few equines were slightly more muscular and healthier than the others, but other than that—he could scarcely tell the difference between the captors and the captives.

“Gettin' a good view, baldy?” Logan stabbed.

Flynn ignored him, observing more details. He spotted a blurry structure in the far distance of the cave. Adjusting the telescopic lens, he focused on the object in particular. It turned out to be an elaborate cage built out of wood and bamboo. What was striking about it—however—was that the “jail cell” door was wide open. While a few ponies lingered inside, several others trotted leisurely in and out, making it even more difficult to ascertain who was who. After a prolonged period of observation, he noticed black “marks” to the fetlocks of most of the ponies lingering around the cell and other spots of the cave. It wasn't long after that Flynn noticed several small shapes galloping about, chasing one another gleefully. He adjusted the lens once more, and no less than half-a-dozen tiny bodies came into focus.

“Awwww buck me,” Flynn hissed.

Logan sat up straight. “What is it?”

Flynn—scowling—hoofed the large stallion the spyglass. “See for yourself.”

Logan held the telescope to his squinting eye. He adjusted, focused, then exhaled. “Damnation.”

“Problem?” Bard asked.

“Yeah. Little snot-nosed ones.” Logan lowered the spyglass. “They've got foals in there.”

“Shucks...” Bard took his hat off and scratched through his brown mane. “If that dun complicate things a heap.”

“Could the Syndicate sink any lower?” Flynn frowned. “To ferry child slaves to this place?”

The Desperados were dead silent.

Logan wasn't. “They weren't ferried here, dude.”

Flynn blinked at that. He seemed at a lost to pronounce his own thoughts.

“It's not that big a stretch,” Logan muttered. “You yourself said their boat's at least a decade old. This camp feels a bit lived-in too.”

“Didja get a headcount?”

“I... uhm...” Flynn fumbled for a moment, his mind still wandering. “Maybe sixty ponies. Several of them sport the dark branding of Mudtop breeding on their hooves. But otherwise it's hard to tell them apart.”

“Sounds sorta like what I counted.” Bard craned his neck, looking towards Logan. “What about you?”

“I'd say less. Maybe fifty or so. But—then again—we can't see the whole cave from here.”

“About how many littl'un's?”

“Six. Eight. Roundabouts.”

“This... totally rules out a full frontal charge,” Flynn declared.

“Pffft. Please...” Bard snorted. “Dubya and I alone have handled more.”

“Yeah, but the innocent casualties...” Flynn gestured.

Bard rubbed his chin. “Hrmmmm... reckon t'ain't so easy to cast lots in this here shindig.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we already dun clobbered five of the ponies that the pirates reeled in here,” Bard said while Wildcard nodded. “Odds are there are more of them coral-huffers nested up in the trees around us. That means plenty of unseen ponies we gotta weed out both inside and outside the cave when all is said and done.”

“That makes this entire island a potential booby trap—both for us and for the ones we're trying to save.” Flynn exhaled sharply. “I dunno, guys. I think this requires a friggin' army.”

“These ponies aren't getting an army,” Logan grumbled. “They've been gathering here for over a decade and neither Frostknife nor Kihutaja give enough shits to do anything about it. We leave this place for 'reinforcements,' and that's just buying the Syndicate more time to screw the livelihood of the colonialist populace.” Logan threw a determined growl towards the cave entrance. “This up to the Job Squad.”

“Alright. Fine. Let's kick ass.” Flynn sighed. “Question is... how?”

“How else? I'd say we stick to the Herald's best, oldest, and most successful tactic.” Logan smirked at the others. “Send in Wildcard.”

“Yeah, yer real funny when yer lazy and stupid,” Bard muttered. “Besides the fact that he's only occasionally overpowered... we have one chief problem.”

“Yeah? What's that?”

Wildcard whistled lightly. He held his left limb up. The metal prosthetic dangled uselessly in the starlight.

“Awwwwwww...” Flynn's ears drooped as he shuffled over and cradled the griffon's limp limb. “That's a crying shame.”

“Yeah! What the Hell?!” Logan cackled in the shadows. “It was working earlier!”

“That's because I built in a backup electrobattery system.” Flynn examined the digits in the prosthetic, then looked at Wildcard's face. “But I'm guessing—after the manacore gave out—it didn't last very long in the leeching Blight.”

Wildcard exhaled slowly, giving a defeated nod.

“Well, shit.” Logan shrugged. “Our resident badass is a bench-sitter. What's our tactic, then?”

“Brainstorm!” Bard beamed, reaching back to his guitar. “How about I whip out this baby, squat before the cave, and lure 'em all outside with an entrancin' melody?” He winked. “Then y'all get the jump on the thickest of the thugs and we go chargin' in on what's left?”

“Pfft...” Logan waved a hoof. “That's your lame answer to everything.”

Bard pouted. “Well somepony's gotta live up to his name!”

“I agree that it'd be nice to lure most of the thugs out of the cave,” Flynn said. “But not with music.” He looked up at Wildcard. “If I may.”

The griffon nodded.

With a twist—and assisted by the Desperado—Flynn detached his metal limb. Crk-Crkkkt! “Okay... lookie here...” He waved at Wildcard assuringly. “...and I promise to fix you up with replacement parts before we part ways. But for now...” He cradled the prosthetic talon, pried at a panel with a tool, then opened the arm to expose a dormant manacore. “...the Blight may have snuffed out the leylines in this thing, but I'm certain the dust and lubricant lining the inner chamber can still be of use.”

“Care to hurry it up, baldy?” Logan insisted. “Not all of us can egghead at the speed of geek.”

Flynn carried on: “Well, torches work out here, right? So I'd say it's a safe bet that we're not so deep in the Blight that basic chemistry is completely bucked. I can repurpose some of the fluids in Wildcard's prosthetic to act as a burning agent.”

“To what end?” Bard asked.

“Well, I brought some smoke pellets and incendiary grenades with me,” Flynn explained, looking at the others. “If you give me a minute and a half, I can mix and match to conjure up some noisy fireworks for luring the guards out—and then a burning batch of materials to fill a good portion of the cavern with smoke.”

“Then the rest of us can jump in and make quick work of those who come to snoop around,” Bard said.

“Now you're getting the idea.”

Wildcard clenched his beak. With his good hand, he twisted claws left and right in uncertainty.

“Gotta agree with the death pelican,” Logan grumbled. “Ya sure this can work, Flynn? Seems a bit of a gamble.”

“Hey, I won't do this unless we're unanimous about it,” Flynn said. “It's just the best plan I can come up with. If you guys have any better ideas, I'm all ears... since I can't be all eyes.”

“We've got a brainiac who's half-blind...” Logan rubbed his chin. “And a griffon who's one-quarter-lame. None of us can fly or use magic, and we gotta liberate a cave full of punks and drug addicts.”

“Yeah, but the sun's gonna rise eventually.” Bard gestured. “Sooner or later, them folks inside the cave will figure out that six of their familiars are no-shows. We already done galloped off the starting line. Reckon it's only fittin' we finish this one way or another.”

“I assure you...” Flynn looked up, already extracting materials from the prosthetic. “I can get the explosives to work. What really matters if we're all up to accomplishing the rest.” His good eye thinned. “If we plan and coordinate things perfectly, we should still be able to do this.”

“I'd say it's worth it!” Bard stood up straight, smirking. “Hell—don'tcha believe in miracles?”

Wildcard nodded vehemently.

Logan's nostrils flared. “Right. Bard and I are the biggest muscle. We'll throttle the punks who get drawn out. Try to keep it nice and clean.”

Bard snorted. “What do you mean 'try?'” Cl-Clakkk! He extended his staff and rested it over his neck with a smarmy wink and smile. “We got this, pardner!”

Logan looked at Flynn. “You and the bird can use the moment to leap through the fumes and chaos, scour the cave's interior. Make quick work of any assailants who remain inside.”

“Work our way back to the mouth of the cave?” Flynn said.

“Right on.” Logan nodded. “We do a clean sweep of the cavern. Once all the thugs are down, we escort the rest of the ponies out—foals and mares and whoever else—then once they're safe, we go about sweeping the rest of the island and getting everypony to safety.”

“What about the dredge coal and coral and whatever-the-hell-else the Syndicate's got stashed here?” Flynn asked.

“Priorities are priorities,” Logan declared. “The most important thing is getting these slaves to freedom. We'll also have imprisoned punks to deal with.”

Flynn nodded. “We can make them row the families back to Kihutaja.”

“Exactly.”

“Boo-ya!” Bard hissed, slapping his hoof against Wildcard's talon. “Tie that up with a pretty bow and we'll be back in Rust for moonshine!”

“One keg at a time, red-nose.” Logan looked at Flynn. “Can ya really handle the boom?”

“I've lived around your farts long enough, haven't I, Big Show?” Flynn grumbled as he fished grenades out of his saddlebag, defused them, and mixed with the compounds being extracted from the prosthetic. “I think I know a thing or two about dangerous fumes.”

“Works for me.” Logan looked towards the mouth of the cave. “Goddess, I hope this goes well.”

“You and me both, big guy,” Bard said. “But we've been through worse scrapes before.”

Wildcard gave a light whistle.

Flynn slowed slightly in his task. His eye glanced up at the lip of the crater in the starlight above them. Then—after a shuddering breath or two—he returned to his work with hurried motions.

An hour later...

Flynn and Wildcard crawled through the underbrush looming right above the mouth of the cave. A curved mound of earth allowed them to perch atop the entrance like some natural balcony. There, they hunched down low—with the equine one of the two carrying a load of freshly-prepared concoctions across his flank.

“Hrmmmfff... never figured I'd be the group's Kepler for a night,” the unicorn muttered. He looked aside at Wildcard. “How are you holding up?”

Just prior to moving to their planned location, Flynn had manipulated Wildcard's inactive limb so that all but two joints had completely locked up. If the Desperado twisted the mechanism just right, he could use it like a rigid peg to stand on. With deft precision, the rest of it could be made to bend at a right angle. Other than that, the elaborate construction was rendered useless by the Blight.

In response to Flynn's query, Wildcard produced a thumb's up with his one natural arm.

Flynn exhaled. “I know you're used to going in, all big and badass,” he whispered. “But I'm gonna have to take point this time. You cool with that?”

The griffon calmly nodded.

“Weird, I know. End of the world, even.” Flynn reached for his freshly-conjured grenades... and paused. “... … ...” His one good eye traced the starlight lingering above the crater around them. He breathed quietly—tense and still.

Wildcard snaked into view, looking him straight in the muzzle with a worried expression behind his goggles.

Flynn gulped. “Nothing,” he murmured, quieter than a feather fall. “Just... got a feeling I guess.”

The Desperado attempted gesturing something with his remaining limb.

Whether Flynn “read” him correctly or not, it mattered little. “The others are counting on us. We've got a task.” He gestured into the mouth of the cave beneath them. “I toss the fireworks. We all wait for pirates to come out. Our two partners jump them. Once the fight engages, we leap down... rush into the cave... take out any stragglers... then fight our way back to the mouth of the cave.” His eye narrowed. “Slaves and innocents get corralled into a safe spot of the cavern. Then—once we're all grouped up—we'll sniff out any remaining flankholes.”

Wildcard was already nodding.

“Glad you like the plan, at least.” Flynn grasped three canisters dangling with leather bags. “Okay. Give 'em the signal.”

Wildcard pivoted his stiff prosthetic in the starlight.

They were still for a few seconds.

A dozen meters away—hidden in underbrush—a metal object glinted starlight back at them.

Flynn exhaled. “Good.” He crawled until he was hanging off the very lip of the earthen mound above the cave. “This is it.”

As he approached the edge, he could hear the raspy voices of ponies down below. They muttered to each other in a Seven Seas accent. There was even laughter—followed by coral-dusted wheeze or two. Hooves scraped. Somepony yawned.

Flynn dragged a leather bandanna over his muzzle. He sensed Wildcard doing the same behind him as the griffon held the unicorn's lower limbs steady. Wasting no more time, Flynn dangled his head and withers over the earthen ridge and lit the three canisters. Then—one by one—he tossed them so that they landed a few meters out in open starlight just before the cave's entrance.

The makeshift grenades burned and hissed for half-a-minute. Then—one after another—they brightened, flickered, and ultimately exploded in a flurry of noise and sparklers. The sheer noise of the objects was the loudest sound Flynn and his compatriots had heard in hours, and it sent a thunderous echo across the entire island crater.

The reaction to this bedlam was immediate. Wildcard pulled Flynn back. The two hunched closely above the cave, craning their ears to a bevy of clopping hooves and scraping metal. Voices shouted to one another and sailor curses lit the burning air. It didn't take long for six... seven... eight... and finally nine total ponies to come running to the entrance. There, just beneath the two Heraldites, they all stood with spears and scimitars at the ready. The equines blinked confusedly at the pyrotechnics as they continued to bristle and thunder with chemical fury.

“The flippin' blue buck izzat?”

“Those some of ours?”

“Oi! Red Shanty! You think this is funny?!?”

“I... don't think this is Red's doing...”

“Well, when did ya lumps seem 'em last...?”

Wildcard emphatically patted the back of Flynn's neck.

The stallion nodded, already dropping the next few grenades. These—he didn't have to throw. He just let them fall limp past the lip of the cave's mouth.

Cl-Cl-Clink!

All canisters landed on the obsidian surfaces just behind the nine thugs. They immediately spun about with surprised expressions. But not long after—

Hisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

The canisters released their contents, filling the air with a thick steamy haze. The pirates stumbled every which way, coughing and hissing through the sudden cloud.

“Bloody hell!”

“Verlaxion's sleet!”

“Everypony! Quick! We're being att—!”

The ground rumbled. Flynn and Wildcard looked to see Logan's big hairy mass thundering into the fog. He barreled through four bodies shoulder-first, knocking all of them to the floor. “Hrnnnghh—!” The steam twirled like a cyclone as he swung his axe. CL-CL-CLANKKKK!!! The lopped-off pieces of scimitars flew up out of the cloud and settled back down. Not long after—

“BOO-YAAAAA!” Bard came sailing in—considerably less stealthy—and he became a spinning tornado of madness, smacking skulls with his bo-staff and tripping pirates down to the floor. “Rrrrgh! Come dance, ya scurvy scrotes! The weather's fine! Hrnnntt! Mostly cloudy with a chance of woodshed!”

There were no rebuttals to this—instead grunts of pain and wheezing gasps as more and more bodies dropped to the floor.

Flynn and Wildcard waited.

The fight turned into a wild flurry of limbs amidst spreading smoke.

Flynn and Wildcard waited...

Galloping hooves echoed across the cave. A fresh slew of pirates rushed into the mess, squaring off with the large shapes of Logan and Bard.

That was it.

“Go... go!” Flynn pounced like a cat. Wildcard glided right behind him.

Flynn landed awkwardly on the stone floor. Cussing into his leather mask, he nevertheless pulled himself into a full gallop. One bruised pirate turned to gasp at him, then aimed a spear to skewer the unicorn—

THWUMP!!! The griffon landed hard on his body, slamming him to the floor. He gave his chest a savage kick then took off as soon as he curled over to wheeze for breath. Together, the Desperado and the Heraldite dashed into the depths of the cavern.

The obsidian hollow of the cavern opened wide with a raised ceiling. Bodies stirred nervously in the flickering torchlight, casting shadows against the already dark-and-polished surfaces. As a result of this, Flynn and Wildcard had difficulty telling the difference between actual equines and just the torch-made shapes of them.

The two scuffled to a stop in the center of the cavern. There was an awkward pause as they stood, surrounded by blinking faces, expecting thugs to rush them—and yet with nothing happening.

Flynn—sweating—shook traces of smoke off his body and pulled his bandanna down. “Don't worry!” he sputtered, short on breath. His ears tickled with the fight happening at the cavern mouth behind him. “We've come to rescue you!”

The ponies only looked more confused. Those with predominantly blood-shot eyes reeled dizzily on their hooves.

Flynn felt his one-eyed vision quivering with each heartbeat. He was about to say something else, when a pair of sleepy ponies shuffled up from the left.

“Nnnngh...” One of the two stallions stifled a yawn, using a crossbow like a cane. “What in the bloomin' stars is happening here—?”

Wildcard saw his weapon. “!!!” Instantly, the Desperado went into badass mode. Spinning his weight on his stiff prosthetic, he produced a billy club and flung it like a missile with his good talon.

“Dubya—!” Flynn stammered, his gaze locked on the blank-faced slaves.

Swoooooooooooosh! CLANG!!! Blood spouted out of the pirate's muzzle as he stumbled backwards from Wildcard's thrown projectile. “Grkkk! Buckin'—!”

WOOOOSH! Wildcard dove towards him, knocking his quivering body to the ground.

“Damn you!” the other thug drew his scimitar out and swung it towards the griffon.

Wildcard raised his locked prosthetic like a shield to block. Clank! A twist of the forelimb, and he locked the dormant metal wrist around the pirate's weapon. He soon wrestled with the thug in a tense struggle.

Meanwhile, Flynn heard gasps and shrieks of distress from the ponies witnessing the fight. He spun towards them, shouting: “Please! We mean you no harm!” He got no response.

The pirate—wrestling with Wildcard—threw a frenzied look at the crowd. Pushing his weight against the griffon, he spat to the echoing air: “Whatcha standin' around for?! These salty buggers have come for the coral!!!”

Several of the Mudtop-branded ponies exchanged worried glances. Within seconds, four of them came charging angrily at the two Heraldites.

“Awwwwww sh—!” Flynn swiftly switched into a defensive stance. He tripped one pony, punched a second, whipped out his crossbow in time to block a third's approached, shoved against him, then fired a crossbolt into the tail-hairs of the fourth. Thwifft!

“Grnnngh!” The fourth slave stupidly pushed and flailed at the full length of his stuck tail. His bloodshot eyes twitched as he practically foamed at the mouth. “You're... ruining... everything...!”

Before Flynn could respond—

WHAM! The first slave had gotten up and uppercutted him.

“Ooomf!” Flynn fell onto his backside. The first and third slave dove at him. He used one Mudtopper's weight to propel the equine over him—smashing his body into a stack of crates. Flynn somersaulted before the third could hit him. The slave's body reeled, too weak and skinny to maintain balance. Flynn gave him the “lightest” smack to the back of the neck he could afford and then aimed his crossbow at the second slave as he got up from the initial punch.

Chhh-Chhhtnkkk! Flynn spat over a freshly-loaded crossbolt. “I don't want to hurt you!” he emphasized.

The slaves—including the frenzied coral-huffers—took count of all the equines Flynn had just dropped. They soon retreated towards the wall, trembling noticeably. All except one burly stallion—who didn't have black marks on his fetlocks.

Flynn's one eye widened on the anomaly within the crowd. “Hey! You—!”

Exposed, the pirate cursed under his breath. He galloped briefly under Flynn's sight-lines, slid towards a cluster of foals, and raised a tiny yelping colt by the neck, using him as a shield.

Flynn sneered in frustration. He locked the crossbolt on his figure, marching icily forward. “Drop him!”

“Like Hell I will!” The pirate shouted over the sobs of the colt in his grasp. “Oi! Birch Belly!”

Another thug hobbled up from the thick of the crowd, brandishing a spear. He stood squarely beside the pirate and his hostage. “How 'bout you boys turn tail and leave?”

“Not happening.” Flynn hissed back. “Now let go of the kid before I aim at something that won't grow back.”

“You can't scare us,” the pirate growled. He pulled a dagger out of a bandoleer and pressed it to the kid's neck. “You're not the Talon! Only Talon members actually kill their—” His voice was cut short by the tossed body of an unconscious thug slamming into him from afar.

Both Flynn and the other pirate gasped. They looked aside.

Wildcard—standing beside another unconscious pirate and still reeling from his heavy throw—broke into a breathless sprint and pounced at the remaining thug.

“Eeep!” The trembling thug raised his spear lengthwise defensively. “Verlaxion—!”

CRACK!!! Wildcard came thundering through the weapon with a massive dropkick. The spear shattered and the thug's body slammed into the ground at a disgusting angle. Wildcard slumped to his knees, panting and sweating profusely. A whimpering, freed colt ran behind him, trembling.

Meanwhile, the pirate who had held the foal hostage threw the weight of his unconscious partner off him and stood up—Thunkkk!—only to have a crossbolt from Flynn impale his front left fetlock, pinning him to the cavern floor. “Aaaaaaaaaaaugh!” he shrieked in pain.

Wildcard panted, panted, looked up at the bloodied thug, seethed, and—WHAMMM!!!—clobbered him with a massive metal uppercut.

A sound resembling windchimes issued from several of the pirate's teeth littering the cavern wall. The rest of his body fell like a sack of potatoes with occasional twitches.

Flynn, catching his breath, reloaded another crossbolt and cocked the weapon in his grasp. He turned to glare across the crowd. “Any more punks hiding about who want a trip to the dentist's?” Cht-Chttkkk! He aimed threateningly into the torchlight. “Don't make us count all your fetlocks. We'll find you.”

After a few seconds, multiple slaves split their ranks, stepping aside and outing trembling figures. In total, three lasting thugs were forced out of hiding. They looked nervously at the attackers—mostly at Wildcard—and tossed their weapons into the center of the cavern before squatting submissively low on their haunches.

Flynn exhaled in relief. He marched over and stood above the pile of weapons, keeping his crossbow aimed at the three surrendering stallions. “That's more like it.” He threw his gaze towards the mouth of the cave where signs of a fight still echoed. “Dubya, help me restrain these punks so that we may join the others—”

Woooosh! Wildcard sprinted towards the mouth of the cave. Brandishing two billy clubs—one in his good talon and the other in his beak—he leapt violently into the melee and helped the other two Job Squadders overwhelm the remaining pirates.

“Oh. You got it. Sure.” Flynn shuddered, facing the surrendered pirates once more. “That works too.”

One pirate dared to speak while his colleagues looked worriedly at him. “We were only doin' our jobs, mate.”

Flynn frowned. “Wrong Squad, ya sea turd.” He brandished his glinting crossbow in the torchlight. “Now shut up before I remove your voice box for you.”

A mare wheezed from afar, holding two frightened foals close. “Have you r-really come to take us away from here?”

Flynn's good eye glanced over. “Yes.” He looked down at the dirt-faced colts and their trembling expressions. His vision danced back to the mother. “And you won't be going back to Mudtop.”

A whimper escaped the mare's throat. Similar sounds came from other ponies. Flynn watched as several of the slaves collapsed to the floor, sobbing with a mixed measure of emotion. Others simply stood in a coral-dusted haze, looking at the bodies of pirates lying unconscious across the cave floor.

The Heraldite's ears folded back. The sounds of combat from the mouth of the cave ceased, but he didn't bother looking over there to discern the outcome. His gaze lingered on the scared foals clinging to their sobbing mother.

An hour later...

Thwump!!! Logan tossed an unconscious thug—bound and gagged—against a dark stretch of the cavern wall beside eighteen of his comrades. A veritable pirate pile of writhing, restrained bodies glared daggers at their vanquishers.

“Whew...!” Logan dusted his fetlocks off and stepped back with a tired smile. “...this many pirates nabbed—ya think we stumbled upon a salt quarry!”

“They're just punks,” Flynn muttered, squatting on a bolder near the cave entrance and fixing the minor damage done to his crossbow in the fight. “Be glad they weren't real fighters.”

“You mean like those crazed freaks who nearly tore Remna's head off in Dust Prefecture?”

“Miserable bastards spent all their time shoving slaves around.” Flynn's good eye glared back at the captured crowd. “Never been in a real fight. Never met a soul like Wildcard.”

“Mrmmmf-mrmmmfrrrfff-mrmmfffkkt!” one thug cussed into his gag.

“Easy for you to say.” Logan gave him a heavy kick to the gut. Whump!

“Mrmmmff!” the pirate wheezed and keeled over.

“You think it's bad now—wait until you guys start shitting on yourselves. It'll be a smelly ride all the way back to Kihutaja, ya dog humpers.” Logan turned and strolled casually towards Flynn with a smirk. “You were off in your count, by the way.”

“So were you,” Flynn muttered.

“Yeah, well... better to be half-perfect than quarter-perfect.” Logan suddenly winced, rubbing his rear left fetlock. “Sonuva...”

“Something wrong?”

“Yeah. One of those ocean-pissers hit me really good. Think it's gonna bruise.”

Flynn's nostrils flared as he returned to his crossbow. “You're a tough guy. You'll walk it off.”

Logan arched his eyebrow. “Somethin' wrong, baldy?”

“Stop calling me that...”

“This whole job went like cake!” Logan exclaimed. “All of the pirates got clobbered! Wildcard swept the island for the last of the slaves and freed them! Bard's gathering the captives by the shoreline for rescue as we speak—!”

“Several of the Mudtoppers attacked me when we entered the cave,” Flynn said.

“Yeah...?” Logan cocked his head curiously to the side. “And you think you're the only one? Bard and Wildcard had their limbs full—”

“It just... weirds me out.” Flynn blanched up at Logan, ears folded back. “These slaves have spent so much time with the pirates. They... became like family.” He gulped. “They even foaled some of their children...”

“And imagine what kind of a bucked-up generation of sociopaths they would have made hadn't we rowed our way in and rained on the captors' parade?” Logan gestured out the cave towards a faint haze of morning light. “There are families of Colonialists out there who'll owe their livelihood to what we've done here today!”

“Still...” Flynn clenched his jaw, gazing deep into the dark of the cave. “...given enough time, the absolute worse qualities of ponies can become 'normal.' Then what about do-gooders like us? We're just the bad guys in their eyes.”

“Are you for real?” Logan snorted.

Flynn hung his head, sighing. “I'm sorry, Big Show. I was the least heroic of us overnight. Guess if I was a but busier, I'd have less ugly memories to parse through.”

“Heh...” Logan rested a hoof on his shoulder. “Dude, we're the Herald—”

“Bard isn't.”

“Most of us are the Herald,” Logan grumbled. “And the odd thing about promising to save the world... is that it doesn't mean that the world will want to be saved.”

Flynn slowly exhaled. “I committed to being a hero a long time ago. I was younger. More naive.”

“You had more hair.,”

“Point is...” Flynn looked up at Logan. “If I had known that the job wouldn't always come with feeling like a hero...”

Logan arched an eyebrow. “A little late to be picking the flowers, don't you think?”

Flynn looked into the dark of the cave again. “... … ...do you suppose they'll actually come in our lifetime?”

“Who? The Austraeoh?”

“Yeah.”

“I dunno.” Logan scratched the back of his neck. “I mean... maybe?”

“... … ...I'm starting to hope that they don't,” Flynn said.

Logan's forehead furrowed curiously at that. The large stallion fumbled for a question to address it—

—when galloping hooves echoed into the mouth of the cave.

Both Heraldites turned to look.

“The Hell...?” Flynn stammered.

“Bard?” Logan craned his neck. “That you?”

They could scarcely tell from the blinding dawnlight wafting in through the cave. However, the frantic silhouette turned out to be much smaller and ganglier than they anticipated. Before they had the wherewithal to stop her, a mare rushed in and embraced one of the bound pirates. There was a trembling, emaciated little filly clinging to her withers. The mother was a sobbing mess.

“Wavetrot! Wavetrot!” She nuzzled and kissed the pirate several times before yanking the gag out of bound thug's muzzle. “Look what they've done to you! Verlaxion damn these horrible monsters!”

“Mrmmff!” the stallion wheezed into her smothering kisses. At last, the bruised thug found the opportunity to wheeze: “Calm your teats, Carnatia. It was only a m-matter of time...”

“They w-were going to take us away, Wavetrot!” The mare shook and trembled, her bloodshot eyes filling with tears. “The one in the hat! His griffon servant! They were wanting to haul us to some Colonialist dump!”

“Maybe... uh...” The pirate's eyes darted multiple times towards the two Heraldites. He writhed in his restraints. “...maybe you should let them, Carnatia.” He threw on a nervous smile. “Take care of the little tyke while you're at it, aye?”

“How can you s-say that?!?” the mare howled. “After all you've done?! After all you've worked for?!”

Flynn rolled his eye towards Logan.

“Okaaaaaaaaay...” The larger stallion was already marching over to the scene. “Drama theatre's canceled for the day.” He reached over and placed a hoof on the mare's shoulder. “Now how about you go back to shore where you'll be cared for and fed—”

“No... NO!” The mare spun with a frenzied shriek, slamming the full weight of both front hooves directly into Logan's crotch. WHUMP!

“Grkkkkkk!” Logan dropped like a sack of meat on four bound pirates, making them all wheeze and groan.

“Holy sh—!” Flynn stumbled up to his hooves.

“I won't let you do it...!” Carnatia galloped wildly into the cave. “I w-won't let you bastards take all the coral!” The filly on her back gasped, holding onto her mother for dear life with panicked eyes.

“Damned... friggin'...” Logan hissed, rolling off the pirates and curling up on the cave floor with a severely pained expression. “...hell harpy... guh...!”

Flynn rushed over to him. “How in Verlaxion's sleet did you not see that coming, bro?”

“Like h-how you don't see your own concussion coming, ya little nerd-puke?! Guh!”

Just then, Bard came galloping to the mouth of the cave, wheezing and panting for breath. “Say, y'all... did a crazed coral-huffer come gallopin' up here, carryin' her helpless little sea-sprout?”

Logan lifted his angry muzzle to howl: “Does Wildcard spit or swallow, ya worthless farm turd?!?”

“Whoah whoah whoah...!” Bard backtrotted with a raised fetlock. “Did I stumble into a heated moment or what?!”

“What.” Flynn stood and frowned at Bard. “What the Hell, dude?! I thought you had all the slaves corralled!”

“I did! But the hooves on this lady...!” Bard leaned against a rock wall, wheezing. “She started losin' her shit and runnin' off like a crazed banshee! Even Dubya couldn't keep up! We lost her in the bushes. I reckoned she might have come back here...”

“Well, she did.” Flynn gestured at Logan's prostrate figure. “Much to his balls' chagrin.”

“Well, shucks... where'd she head off to?” Bard squinted into the dark cavern. “In there?”

“Yeah...” Logan wheezed, struggling to sit up. “...galloped in, all piss and vinegar.”

“Can ya see where she went in there?”

Flynn stepped into the darkness, peering. “It's too flippin' dark.” He threw a disgusted look over his shoulder. “Why'd you extinguish the torches?”

“Why else?! We done pulled all the slaves out! Plus, figured we'd need the resources for the first of many trips to Kihutaja—”

“Yeah—and you just gave her a huge place to hide! Dammit all...!” Flynn grabbed a nearby torch and held it in the crook of his hoof. “I'm going in.”

“Lemme go with you—!” Bard started.

“No!” Flynn called back. “Stand by roley-poley and wait to grab the Mudtopper once I've flushed her back out!”

Bard shouted something back, but Flynn couldn't hear. He was deep into the darkened cavern at this point, with only the dim aura of the torch to guide him through the obsidian bowels.

It took Flynn an embarrassingly long time to fully explore the depths of the cave. He and his fellow Job Squadders had already scoured the interior once, but that was back when all of the torches were still fully lit. Now, the Heraldite had only one source of light to guide him, and it was a nebulous maze that rippled and bowed for him into twisting directions with each step he made.

It also didn't help that each time he hollered into that echoing domain, he was gifted no response.

“Hello?!?” Flynn shouted, peering about with one eye. “Hey! Lady!”

Echoes. Echoes. Echoes.

But no reply.

Flynn clenched his teeth. He was far beyond the point of coddling or befriending this mare. The coral-huffer had complicated their entire job, not to mention put her own daughter in danger. Certainly, kicking Logan in the crotch was a plus, but he wasn't in the mood to forgive her.

“You've got it all wrong!” he hollered, greeted immediately by the sonic reverberations of his own outburst. Flynn moved into the noise, almost in a futile exercise of echolocation. He briefly wished he was a midnighter for once. “We're the ones who have come here to help you! That pirate who you...” He fidgeted in midstep. “...that pirate who took advantage of you! He doesn't want what's best for you and your child! But we're gonna take you to a place where you can live out the rest of your lives in peace! Far away from Mudtop! Far away from murderers and enslavers!”

The echoes reverberated.

Then silence.

“Don't you want that?!”

The echoes reverberated.

Then silence.

Flynn sighed heavily. He shone his torch around, marking a bend in the cave. He trotted around the turn, ducking low when he needed to. The torchlight flickered heavily with a rush of air.

“The moment I drag her out of here, I'm making her kick Logan again—”

Flynn's front fetlock bumped into a tiny body.

“Gahh!!!” He jolted to a stop, looking down.

A pair of sad eyes gazed up at him. A trembling figure. It was the filly whom Carnatia had dragged along with her inside. Now she stood on her tiny hooves with noticeable spasms, staring straight up at the stallion.

“... … ...” Flynn blinked his one good eye. “Uhm... hey there, kiddo.” He raised his torch high, gazing across the spacious interior. From the sights of stacked crates and supply containers, he realized he was in the portion of the cave that housed the pirates' supplies. That meant he must have trotted in circles three times before getting there. “Perfect. Just perfect.” Steeling himself, he lowered the torch and looked once again at the filly. “Don't you fret. We're going to have you out of here in a jiffy.”

The filly sniffled. “Why?”

Flynn's mouth hung open. He fought for words, ultimately clearing his throat. “Did you... see where your mother went?”

Something swung out of the darkness above the filly's head.

Flynn looked—only to receive a muzzle-full of crowbar. WHANG!

Spitting blood, the stallion fell back. He lost grip of the torch, which rolled across the cavern. Pitch blackness rolled over, accompanying the ringing in his ears. He covered his throbbing head with tense fetlocks, ready to fight off further blows. But none came.

An eternity later, he hobbled up to his hooves, dizzy and nauseous. He felt a body clinging to him and he almost kicked it—stopping the moment he realized it was the trembling filly. A voice was shouting in the distance. A stab of light flickered in the Heraldite's peripheral.

Weak and dazed, Flynn looked towards the source of the light.

It was Carnatia. The coral-crazed slave had picked up his torch and was approaching a far wall of the cave.

“It's okay, Wavetrot,” her voice echoed across the chamber. “Won't let them take it. Won't let them...”

“Hey...” Flynn barely whimpered. He rubbed his head, squinting towards the bead of light. “What...?”

At last, the stallion's one-eyed vision came into focus. He saw Carnatia—and the torchlight—approach a stack of raw flammable dredge coal. Her hoof raised—blackened with the brand of Mudtop—and she dropped the torch into the belly of the material.

“I love you. Sweetie I love you so much—”

“Wait—Don't!” Flynn shouted, but already he could see the sparks illuminating the far end of the cave. He darted towards the scene—but scuffled in place at the sound of a tiny shriek by his fetlocks. Holding his breath, he hoisted the mare in one fetlock and galloped blindly the opposite way on three hooves—

KABOOOOOOOM!!!

The initial blast wave threw Flynn forward. Somehow—with miraculous poise—he hugged the filly's body to his chest and curled around her. Milliseconds later, he struck a wall of the cave, then fell like an anchor to the cold floor below. Everything around them lit up as bright as the sun, then blacked out as the ceiling collapsed in portions, sealing the two of them away from the heat and chaos.

And into a grave filled with thunder.

At some point later...

Flynn couldn't begin to guess. Lifetimes? Dozens of them?

Light peaked into the alcove where he lay curled, cold, and nearly crushed.

Muffled voices issued overhead. He heard Bard's. Logan's. Voices of ponies he didn't know.

His eye fluttered open, peering into the stabbing beams of daylight. Images came into focus through stacks of crumbled rock: Wildcard's beak. Bard's hat. Blackened hooves and the worried muzzles of slaves.

An entire company had gathered to dig Flynn out from the rubble. He couldn't guess how long they had carried on with such an epic operation, but he wasn't in the condition to care. His forelimbs trembled, pushing a limp little body in their direction, making sure they saw the filly first and foremost.

“Mrmmff... take...” He wheezed for breath. Soot rained from his horn and noze. “T-take her...”

At last, their voices became clear as dozens of limbs reached down, raising the two of them out of the crushed remains of the cave—and into a blinding noonday sun.

“We got ya, Flynn.”

“You in one piece, there, partner?”

“He's got her!”

“He's got Carnatia's child!”

“She...” Flynn shook in a fitful daze, his eye locked on the tiny body as she was carried gently into the arms of several slaves. “...having trouble breathing.” He gulped. “Think sh-she's asthmatic.” A wave of hyperventilation. “Tried... tr-tried resuscitating her. For hours.” He sputtered. “C-could barely move...”

A pair of mares rushed up to the sun-lit scene, embracing the child. They held her out in the open as Wildcard moved in, leaning close and examining the filly. He reached in with a functioning talon, and his goggles' black lenses reflected a lifeless pair of eyes under those weak lids. The Heraldite's beak clenched. He looked towards the others.

Logan sighed. He hoisted Flynn up to his hooves and was patting his withers. “You... uh... you did the best you could, Flynn.”

Flynn was already blanching. “Goddess damn it...” He clenched his watering eye shut and shook his head towards the floor. “Goddessdammit! Goddessdammit!”

“Flynn...”

Bard trotted over. “Why dun'tcha sit down and get some air—”

“Rrrrghh—!” Flynn shook every limb loose, flaring a rabid sneer at everypony. “BUCK OFF!!!” He trotted away—only to realize that one of his front fetlocks was broken. “Graaaaugh!” He leaned away from the excruciating pain, limped, then hobbled off in an adrenalized march. “Mrmmmff... grnnnnngh—goddessdammitall!!!”

He made it about a dozen feet, nearly tripping over the corpses of three pirates lying side by side with impacted skulls. His shaking vision raked across their rock-pelted figures, but the only expression he could make out was hers. Staring up at him with beaded eyes. Asking a question filled with terror yet only one word. And he collapsed—threw himself against a rock, where his angry growls melted into a chorus of repeated sobs.

Bard made to rush to his side, but Logan held him back with a strong forelimb. He looked at the other two Job Squadders with a calm expression, ultimately shaking his head. The group gave Flynn space, taking the opportunity to dig fresh graves in the interim. When the time was right, Wildcard drew Flynn from his tear-stained spots and made a proper splint for his leg.

Sunset on Aegis Archipelago.

Fresh graves formed soft mounds in the earth. Most were dug inordinately beneath a smattering of palm trees.

But one grave lingered on the western edge of the island—right at the lip of the crater—where the last light of the setting sun would bathe it the longest.

This was where Flynn stood, with his left front leg hung in a sling. The stallion was covered with bruises—some on the outside. He stood facing away from the sun, his back to the Blight.

When Logan trotted up the hillside, Flynn scarcely registered the sound of his footsteps. Nevertheless, the larger Heraldite cleared his throat and spoke: “We've made a camp by the lagoon. The plan is—for the moment—that you and I will take off with the rescued captives at sunrise tomorrow morning. We'll take it slow... take turns on rowing duty... indulge in the bounty of rations.” A shake of the head. “We should get to Kihutajan shores in no time.” He gestured. “You can get that looked at. And then... perhaps some R&R, huh? I'm pretty sure Morty would be on board with it.”

“... … ...” Flynn stood in silence.

“In the meanwhile, Bard and Wildcard will stay here and guard over the pirates. Once you and I show the colonialists proof of what's been going down here on Aegis, they're bound to send ponies with us for the trip back to confiscate what's... left.” He cleared his throat. “There's no reason for any of the slaves to return.”

“... … ...”

Logan sighed heavily. “What...? You want me to dig you a grave too or something?”

“We came here to stop a bunch of punks and rescue enslaved ponies,” Flynn muttered. “In the end, we killed three of the pirates and murdered two of their captives.”

Logan stepped boldly forward. “A crazed lunatic mare endangering herself and her child over her husband's brainwashing boner hardly counts as 'murder' on our parts, Flynn.” His nostrils flared as he shrugged. “As for the three pirates caught in the cave's collapse—can't say I'm particularly weeping over them.”

“This was supposed to be a clean job, Big Show.”

“Well, sorry to break it to ya, baldy, but not all jobs are!”

Flynn turned to scowl at him. “And why not?”

“Uhhh...” Logan shrugged with bitter sarcasm. “Cuz them's the breaks?”

“We were sloppy, Logan!” Flynn snapped, his teeth showing. His hoof swung painfully in the sling, but he turned the wince into a snarl: “We got big-headed and lazy and we made stupid mistakes!”

Logan sighed, rubbing his face with a tired muzzle. “I didn't come up here to be grilled by the karma police...”

Flynn paced in angry circles, spitting: “We extinguished the torches before pulling all of the pirates' supplies out! We dragged them across a wide and spacious island, assuming they'd be on board with leaving! And Bard and Wildcard—how on earth did they just... let that crazy bitch gallop away?!”

“Hey, she wasn't just any run-of-the-mill whack-job! She took down an entire cave!” Logan threw on a crooked smile. “Even worse—you saw the number she did on my groin—!”

Flynn marched towards him, growling up into his face. “Don't even joke about it!”

“... … ...” Logan frowned coldly. “What else can I do? This shit happens...”

With a defeated grunt, Flynn resumed frustrated pacing.

Logan continued: “Yeah, I know we're not perfect, Flynn! But at least we're out here doing something! Would you rather none of these slaves have made it off this island?! Huh?! You've seen the shit that goes down in Rust and beyond! The pirates would have grinded these ponies to dust with all of their labor and rape and—” He pointed at the earth. “Do you honestly think she's the first of her kind buried here?! At least we had the good sense to mark it!”

“I can't j-just... let her go...” Flynn stumbled to a shop, overwhelm with shakes. “...you say you marked it? Marked it with what? Nopony on this island even knew her name!” He turned to gawk at Logan. “Am I suppose to just let her be another statistic in this ugly world?!”

“No, but you are going to let the weight of her go, pal,” Logan said. “Or else you'll get—”

“Oh buck off with that—”

“You'll get bogged down over all the stuff you couldn't do!” Logan frowned. “Instead of being urged forward with the memories of all the ponies you have saved!” He slowly shook his head. “That's what we gotta cling to in order to keep up with this crazy game!”

“Oh yeah...?” Nostrils flaring, Flynn marched boldly up to Logan. “I bet you wouldn't be saying all of this if it was Luram buried beneath all that dirt!”

WHAM!!! Logan's hoof flew savagely across Flynn's face.

The unicorn fell hard on his back. His injured fetlock slipped out from his sling. Conscious—but seeing stars—the smaller Heraldite sat up, hissing in pain.

He wasn't the only one wincing. Logan made to move towards him, but stopped in place. He rolled his eyes towards the reddening heavens, then sigh... rubbing his fetlock with a sullen expression.

“Look... I'm sorry for all the times I called you 'baldy.'” Logan snorted. “There. I said it. You happy? You're not just some... thin-mane'd geeky egghead. You're a priceless member of the Herald, and my best friend.” He looked up at him, glaring. “That being said...” He pointed threateningly. “Some things... some things can't be joked about. Won't be. Or else.” He rubbed his fetlock too. “Too dayum tired to bury you too, pal.”

Flynn merely sat there, grimacing in pain.

Logan saw it, and he rolled his eyes again. “Oh go... g-go walk it off.” He turned and trotted downhill with a grunt. “...that's all the likes of us c-can ever do.”

He bumped into Bard along the way. Bard blinked at Logan, ultimately watching him trot downhill. After a sigh, he turned and approached Flynn, smiling lightly.

“Hell in a hoofbasket—is this the Mangled Marathon? Reckon yer miles past the finishin' line, buddy.”

Bard squatted down to help put Flynn's hoof back in the sling.

Flynn grumbled, shoving Bard off. “I got it...” And he shakily attempted to do just that, fumbling and wincing in the process.

“... … …” Bard remained squatting by the unicorn, staring at him quietly. Thoughtfully. “Y'know...” He tilted his hat back. “...bein' clobbered by yer best friend ain't entirely somethin' to frown on. It usually means ya said the right thing.” A wink and a smirk. “Ya just said it to the wrong pony.”

“Logan will never understand where I'm at,” Flynn grumbled.

“Ya sure ya wanna die alone on that hill, partner?”

“Rnnngh...” Flynn hissed as he struggled to put the hoof back into the sling. “...for once in my life... I want to feel like the hero that I'm supposed to be.” He sighed, ears folding. “But each time I move towards it, I only sl-slip further and further away.” He looked forlornly at the nearby grave. “One of these days... I'm going to be required to be at my very best. We all are... but we really won't be anything but a miserable failure... just another filthy piece of this filthy world that I'm supposed to save. How can I expect to be anything better?”

Bard took his hat off, dusting the grass between them with a sigh. “... … ...y'know... reckon I dunno much about this crazy high-fangled 'Herald' business that Dubya and the rest of ya are entangled with. Doubt I'll ever live long enough to figure it all out, nor do I have a mind to.” He planted his hat back on. “But—and no doubt y'all have heard me prattle on about it—I see life as... as this train we're all on.”

Flynn looked up at Bard.

Bard gestured with a bittersweet smile. “And there's just... no gettin' off of it. Even when we want to. Even when... those around us we care about have long fallen off... and it's awful temptin'-like to join them.” He gulped. “Not until our ride has run its course. Like it or not, you're on for the long-haul. And you've got plenty of flank to kick along the way. The rest of the ponies on the train may not thank ya for it, but nothin' can change the fact that yer makin' the ride much... much better for them.”

Bard reached in. With gentle hooves, he put Flynn's limb neatly in the sling. He didn't even have cause to wince.

“Yer gonna move past what happened today... even if you dun get past it. And there's no rule written that ya can't bawl like an infant over it. Trust me—the rails get a mighty shine. But in the end, fact of the matter is—you'll be ridin' that train long enough to help other ponies not have to deal with the same mess. Now ain't that worth the ticket?”

Flynn leaned back where he sat in the grass. He sighed into the sunset, his nostrils still smelling dirt. And blood. “I hate it,” he finally said.

“Reckon ya do.” Bard stood up. “And we all have ways of dealin' with that pain. Me?” He tipped his hat. “Fancy myself somethin' of a songwriter.” He gave the guitar on his flank a tiny shake. “But I bet you have far more useful ways of spendin' the ride.”

“I wouldn't know.”

“Maybe not now. Next sunset?” Bard shrugged and turned around. “Who the hay knows.” The Desperado trotted downhill, humming to himself.

It was a curiously playful tune, rosy and hopeful—like the skies above. Flynn's tongue clicked with it. With a dull-eyed gaze, he looked at the injured fetlock resting in its sling.

Minutes After Rainbow Dash and Her Party Left to Rendezvous with Lexxic

That fetlock now flexed easily and healthily, although age-old stars still lingered in the twilight. Flynn's mechanical eye rotated inward and outward, looking as dull and emotionless as his natural eye.

“What now, brrotherrs?” Kepler asked, pacing his voice between the eerie heartbeats of the slimy ocean that bordered the Dihmer village. “Shall I prress into the goblins morre forr rresourrces and inforrmation?”

“Well, that's a start,” Logan muttered, stifling a yawn. He and the other two huddled under torchlight as emaciated, expressionless ponies milled about across the unkempt streets. “Damned if I'm gonna just sit here and get stared down by these heartless emojobs.”

“We must push them farr frrom ourr thoughts, I fearr,” Kepler declared, adjusting his spectacles. “It's clearr wherre theirr prriorrities lie.”

“Pffft.” Logan scoffed, “You mean nowhere?”

“Prrecisely,” Kepler said in a melancholic tone. “I fearr ourr only way of assisting Rrainbow Dash shall come strrictly frrom negotiating with these hyperrcapitalist imps.”

Upon hearing that, Flynn looked up from his scarred fetlock. Across the way—as if designed by fate—he saw a hauntingly familiar dihmer with a stubby horn. She was off carting junk around, minding her business. But even from afar, Flynn could re-imagine the color that her eyes beheld. Dull. Rosy. Bloodshot. Somewhere else, it would mean something pitiable. But here... amidst so much malaise and purposelessness—

“I think I know somepony who can help us,” Flynn murmured.

Logan and Kepler turned to blink at him.

“What's that, baldy?” Logan asked.

“Yes, do speak up.” Kepler smiled through his tusks. “Tell us what you have in mind, brrotherr.”

“Oh... nothing much yet.” Flynn sighed, standing up straight and humming through a bittersweet breath. “Just thinking about a song.”

Is Girt by Blob

One Day Before Rainbow Dash and Her Party Left to Rendezvous with Lexxic

Like all the other Dihmers, her coat was a splotchy mix of copper and gray.

Like all the other Dihmers, her cutie mark was hidden under intense layers of scarring.

Like all the other Dihmers, she trudged along on one task or another—in this case pushing a rickety metal cart down the road, collecting random scraps of junk left by goblins and equines alike. When she approached a limp body pressed up against a dilapidated wall, she paused. Marching over, she leaned in low and squinted her bright purple eyes at the statue-still stallion. He didn't so much at stir at her presence, even with the thuds of Blobstain rhythmically rolling through everyone and everything. He wasn't meditating... he wasn't quoting a mantra. In fact, he wasn't even breathing.

“It releases,” she murmured. Then—one by one—she stripped the corpse of all its possessions: satchels, hunting spears, a collar of thorns. She tossed them all into her cart, sorting it with the rest of the junk.

But then—unlike all the other Dihmers—she paused... and focused her gaze once more upon the stallion's figure. Her ears drooped, her breaths came in ragged spurts. Closing her eyes tight, she leaned in and pressed her muzzle momentarily to the stallion's forehead. Then—with practiced grace—she slid his body down until it lay with its back to the unkempt brickwork of the street. She crossed his forelimbs and straightened his body so that he appeared peaceful... even dignified.

“Poor drongo came a gutser, didn't he?”

Her purple eyes flew wide open. She shot up to her hooves, stumbling noticeably.

“Oi!” A gray-skinned goblin waved her down. “Calm ya teats, love. Ain't like me to keep score like the rest of yous glue sticks.” With a remarkably calm and friendly expression, he strolled closer to the scene and squinted down at the equine corpse. “Reckon the ruby lights bled outta him several blob booms ago.” He looked at the mare. “A bloomin' miracle ya got to 'em before eithah the Fur-Bloodahs or Leethah-Bloodahs did, ay?”

She said nothing. Avoiding eye contact with the stallion, she gripped the cart and made to push it further down the partially-ruined road.

The imp stood up straight. “Ain't got nothin' to say, Lingeroo?”

She scuffled to a stop, the crooks of her fetlock tightening along the handles of the cart.

His pointed ears raised inquisitively. “About business, I mean.” He gestured towards the dead stallion. “I know ya got nothin' to yab about ol' tomato sauce here.”

Her jaw clenched... then unclenched. “It lingers,” she said.

“Aw, dun be like thet, Lingeroo!” His sharped teeth showed in a curved smile. “After all the streeps we've fetched for each othah!”

“It lingers,” she repeated—this time with the hint of a growl.

“Now ya can't fool me anymore than the bloody dihmahs who trot all ovah ya!” He pointed a clawed finger. “Theah's more to the facade. Reason enough for all the blokes back at guildy-q to call ya 'Lingeroo'!” His eyes narrowed. “Yer mighty resourceful. Shame ya ain't Peetra material. Now...” He took a few bold steps towards the deadpan mare. “...what's the real reason ya haven't shown yer pretty face around us tradies lately?”

Silence...

More silence...

...then finally—

“It is drained,” she murmured.

“Come again?” He cupped a hand around one pointy ear. “We talkin' the drill or ya horse tubes?”

She spoke again—growling slightly. “That which drills.”

“Aw. A bloody shame.” He fiddled his fingers together. “Hrmmmm... what's it needin', exactly? A tune-up? A new chassis? A fine sharpenin' of the drill bit?”

“It requires that which glows.” She huffed, pivoting her head slightly towards him. “So that it collects that which is beyond the grasp of what lingers.”

The imp whistled, then waved a hand over his ears. “That one flew right ovah me melon, love. Could ya maybe drop the verbal muckin' around for a smidge?”

Her nostrils flared. “It lingers,” and she pushed the cart once more.

“Hah! But of course! Predictable ol' Lingeroo...” He waved at her as she left, nevertheless speaking: “But dun leave an old tradie hangin', ay? The drongos down in Watah-Blood Guildie-q could really use ya expertise! Of course theah'd be streeps in it for ya!”

“It silences.”

“Hrmmmf...” He folded his arms. “Easy for you to say.”

The mare left, so that the goblin remained the only living soul in that portion of the town.

There was a prolonged beat, and then the goblin calmly looked towards a collapse mound of bricks to the side.

“Feel like prancin' outta theah, glue stick? Any blob-beat now...”

“How did—” In stumbling out, Flynn tripped on a crack in the road, falling flat on his chest. Whump! “Ow! BUCK!” Wincing, he stood up straight and dusted himself off. “H-how did you know I was there...?”

“Yous Penumbrans got a deefferent smell about ya...” The imp gestured his thumb towards the nearest group of equines. “The dihmas—on the othah hand—every time they trot up it smells like a gobb-o just opened theah lunch.”

“I see...” Flynn looked awkwardly at the corpse that had been ever so hastily “laid to rest” on the side of the road. “...I imagine good smells are hard to come by around here.”

“The same can be said about creepy stalkahs.”

Flynn gave the goblin a double-take. “I'm n-not stalking h-her!”

The goblin squinted suspiciously. “Didn't exactly say you was, did I?”

Flynn bit his lip.

“Maybe ya haven't noticed, dipstick, but that sheilah ain't no regulah tub'o'glue. She's got herself a history of helpin' out my fellow tradies in a pinch.” His teeth showed. “If I find out some drongo from the world dan undah is fetchin' to turn her inside out, then me and my mates just might have a blue with the whole bloomin' bucket of yous.”

“Hey... hey!” Flynn held both hooves up. “I'm not trying to turn anypony inside out! Or any creature for that matter!” He sighed long and hard. “Besides, I've had my fair share of seein' folks bite it that way and worse.” He gazed off down the road that the mare had traversed. “I'm not out to set any new records.”

The imp's gaze settled on Flynn's metal eye. He eventually nodded. “Aye... reckon you wear the colors of a propah battlah.”

“I think we both started out on the wrong hoof.” Flynn put on a friendly smile, extending a fetlock. “My name is Flynn. I belong to the Heraldic Seven... mmmm... although we're actually just Five now... aside from my boss and a murder bird, of course.”

“Frostbeams...” the imp said with a cool smile. He shook Flynn's fetlock as he said: “The name's Plato. Plato of Chrome-Blood. Although I work mainly with our cousins—the Watah-Bloodahs down doin' trade bleakside along the Blob.” A wink. “I'm nevahtheless proud to say me name geets around.”

“Apparently ours does too.” Flynn's good eye narrowed. “Just how many goblins have heard about the 'visiting Penumbrans?'”

“Awr, reckon!” Plato smirked. “All the guildies know about yous colorful cloppahs! Ain't every blob-beat we gets shiny sticks of glue trouncin' in and mixin' with the usual chundah. Word ees that a certain Tail-Bloodah has taken a fancy for the one weeth feathas.”

“Yeah. Uh huh.” Flynn looked straight at the imp. “Did I hear right that you've done business with that mare from a moment ago?”

“What, ol' Lingeroo?” The goblin folded his arms with a coy smirk. “Who's askin', mate? The Seven or the One?”

“Let me ask you something first.” Flynn trotted closer to him. “Do you really believe that my friends and I are from 'Penumbra?'”

Plato scratched the back of his head. “I dunno.” A shrug. “Reckon theah's a heapin' chunk of Peetra's flame on the othah side. Could account for why yous so flickah-full of colors.”

“Well, we're not the first ones to have crossed the edge of the world,” Flynn said.

“Pfffft—Bloody oath, cobbah!” Plato gestured. “The bats-o's!”

“Yeah—no.” Flynn shook his head. “I mean besides them.” He waved a hoof. “Generations of ponies—not allied with any faction of the Trinary War—arriving here on this edge of the plane, hoping to spread harmony and peace.”

The goblin had a good long blink at that. He leaned back, whistling. “Won't lie to ya, mate. Them's the yabbin' of pure rubbish to me.” He stroked his chin. “Butttt... reckon I once woulda said the same about big talkin' chooks with cat bottoms to 'em.”

“Does any of the... the Petra goblins know about such a group of ponies?” Flynn blinked his one good eye. “Past or present?” He winced slightly. “M-most definitely past...”

“History ain't my guild, mate,” Plato said. “Dun exactly look like the Metal Mum, do I?”

“Huh?”

“Queen Avril—the leader out een Peetra.” Plato gestured. “Reckon some imp een her court knows a thing or two about what most us gobb-o's can't be arsed to remembah. Perhaps one of her kobold servants or some such.” He blew out the side of his mouth. “Though... what yer suggestin' would explain a thing or two about ol' Lingeroo.”

Flynn's brow furrowed. “Why do you keep calling her that?”

“Pfffft—Piece of piss! What—we gotsta keep the poor sheilah nameless? Thet only complicates things, ay? Nahr...” He shook his head, ears wobbling. “She's far too useful to the likes of me tradie cousins and I to just toss away like the rest of the tomato sauces heahabouts.”

“How so?”

“Varnish, cobbah! Varnish!” Plato smiled. “And not the rack off overexpensive shit that the Smelt-Bloodahs peddle! Oi, theah just comin' the raw prawn with pushin' that rubbish! But Lingeroo! Awr... that sheilah knows how to find the good stuff. And seein' that she's Dihmah-blood, she doesn't charge out the arsehole!” He leaned back with a proud smirk. “But I'm not one to look a geeft horse in the mouth, aye? I connect her weeth the Chrome-Bloodahs. Give her the mate's rate so she makes plenty of streeps for her troubles. Seems only right, ya reckon?”

“I... I-I...” Flynn was rubbing his bald head at this point. “I'm sorry. But you lost me at 'varnish.'”

“Bloody gartahs, glue stick! They burnin' yer melon to a creesp dan undah?” Plato flailed one arm dramatically. “I'm talkin' a hulljob for boats fixin' to cross the Blob!”

“So...” Flynn blinked. “...it's not just the the Smelt-Blooders who are working with the Dihmers...”

“Hell nawr!” Plato grinned. “That's what I'm tryin' to tell ya, mate! Us Chrome'n'Watah tradies—we've been pushin' this secret service on the side with ol' Lingeroo! Now, the Smelt-Bloodahs? Pffft... sure they've got somethin' of a monopoly with the main herd of them Dihmahs—what with their big ol' cruisah that comes to harbor every few fortbeats or so. But we're makin' streeps on the side for the Blob runners in the bleaks! And it's all thanks to that one glue stick who pretends to be less than she is, ya reckon?”

“Where does she get her varnish?”

“Hah! Trade secret! One she hasn't shared.” Plato winked. “And I gotta hand eet to thet sheilah. Thet's one way to make extra streeps for herself.”

“What... would a Dihmer like her use strips for?”

“Reckon thet's her business and not ours, cobbah.” Plato nevertheless sighed. “But she has been slow on the delivery as of late. From the sound of things, eet's got to do with her toolset.”

“Toolset?”

“Lingeroo's a regulah tinkah. Puts the likes of Gear-Blood to shame.” Plato cleared his throat, leaning in to whisper. “But ya didn't hear me say that. The Chrome-Bloodahs are tradin' with the Gear-Bloodahs this season.”

“Your secret is... uh... safe with me...”

“Wish secrets were safe with everyone.” Plato tongued the inside of his mouth, looking towards the distant buildings of Blobstain. “The longah we go without Lingeroo deliverin', the less progress we make with the Fur-Bloodahs and Tail-Bloodahs in the brinks.” He stroked his chin in thought, then looked at Flynn. A smarmy smile formed. “Tell ya what, mate. Reckon you two share more colors than most glue sticks.”

“We do?”

“We're smellin' the same lunch, cobbah. She ain't like the rest of them tomato sauces. Perhaps theah's a shared history. I dunno... but if you can reach out to her—use yer horsie knowledge or such rubbish—and help her get back on tradin' that special varnish that she's been fetchin', the gobbo's down at my Guildie-Q will make it worth your while.”

“Perhaps...” Flynn clenched his teeth, squinting his one good eye at the imp. “...even help us... with our own boat?”

“Needin' to prance outta town sometime soon?”

“It would certainly make things easier for us.” Flynn coughed delicately. “My friend Kepler has been bending over backwards with the Smelt-Blooders, but at this rate... I dunno when they're gonna throw him a bone.”

“Well, sounds like a good time for us to capitalize on business with Penumbrans!” Plato held his hand out. “You have my word, mate. If yous can get Lingeroo to fetch us more varnish, we'll make you somethin' way bettah than those Smelt-Blood drongos could even begin to promise.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“But nothin' bad happens to the sheilah, got it?” Plato's eyes narrowed harshly as he pointed with his other finger. “I've got the sniffin' feeling she risks enough as eet is for the good stuff. Wouldn't want some backwards yabbos muckin' things up when they don't need to be.”

“I'll... uh...” Flynn cleared his throat. “...I'll try not to needlessly ruin such a good source of income for you.”

“Contrary to popular prattlin'...” Plato winked and walked off with a smirk. “Peetra's flame ain't all about streeps, mate.” He gestured blindly at the corpse of the stallion as he faded into the grimy distance. “Sometimes eet's a certain shimmerin' something else.”

A Few More Minutes After Rainbow Dash and Her Party Left

“Uhm... okay...” Logan stared at the stallion. “What song?”

“... … ...” Flynn looked up from his flexing fetlock, blinking. “Hmmm?”

“What song?” Logan shrugged wildly beside Kepler. “You said you knew somepony that could help us, and then you mentioned a song.”

“Oh... uhm...” Flynn sweated.

“Do you believe we should endeavorr to become minstrrels, brrotherr?” Kepler asked. “To earrn prrofitable strrips?”

“No, I—”

“Did you hit your bald spot so hard while we weren't looking that the concussion convinced you that you're a tenor?” Logan droned.

“No! I—grnnktt!” Flynn spat, gesturing wildly. “Just forget about the 'song' thing!” He huffed. “... … ...I've been following somepony.”

Logan folded his forelimbs with a curious squint. “What do you mean 'following somepony?'”

“Like... keeping track of her movements... observing her habits... rushing in to help her when jerkly imps say rude and nasty things—”

“Oh.” Logan raised an eyebrow. “So you've been stalking, then?”

“What? No!”

“Ach...” Kepler pointed. “It most cerrtainly sounds like stalking, my frriend!”

“Look—bottom line!” Flynn gestured into the heart of Blobstain. “Out there is a pony who shows the signs of not being like all the other dihmers! In fact, I think she's got the emotion, tenacity, and liveliness to suggest she might be cut from a different cloth!”

Logan sighed and opened his muzzle to retort—

“You mean... a descendant of the Emerraldinians of Darrkrreach?” Kepler asked.

“Possibly. Maybe.” Flynn nodded. “That's... not b-been proven yet.”

“Well, what has been 'proven?'” Logan asked with a snort.

Flynn pointed. “That this one particular pony has been working closely with a certain guild of goblins.”

“Working on what?”

Flynn smirked. “Collecting and trading an extra special type of varnish used on boats to cross the Blob.”

Kepler and Logan exchanged glances.

Flynn continued, speaking between the heavy drumbeats of the tell-tale ocean in question. “It's a common fact that the Dihmers alone have found a way to make watercraft impervious to the chaotic slime that fills the horizon just Curveside of us. But... most of them have a trade that's been monopolized by the Smelt-Blooders here in Blobstain.” He looked at the other two Heraldites. “And just how well is that business panning for us?”

Kepler sighed, adjusting his spectacles. “Uncomforrtably slow, I fearr. Even forr my patience.”

“Right. And we all know that Rainbow Dash can't afford to have the likes of Smelt-Blood drag things out. We need more options—and a more viable way to get the hell out of Dodge at any moment. While the Smelt-Blooders are pledging to be helpful—what, with connecting us with the Dihmers who come to harbor every once in a while—we just may not get that window of passage.”

“This is all a matterr of timing,” Kepler said.

“Right.” Flynn paced as he spoke. “But I talked with an imp the other day. Plato of Chrome-Blood. He says that this one Dihmer mare fetches him varnish using special tools—not to mention a trade secret knowledge of how and where to find the stuff.”

“Ach...!” Kepler stood up straight, blinking excitedly through his bifocals. “Now that sounds like a most prromising avenue indeed!”

“There's just one problem...” Flynn gestured in mid-trot. “This mare hasn't been able to fetch the Chrome-Blooders their special varnish in a long while. Plato seems to think that it's because the mare's tools aren't operating properly. If that's true, and if there's a way we can provide assistance, then Plato has promised to help us get a boat fixed up to properly cross the ocean of slime.”

“Plleuurghhh,” Logan blew.

Flynn arched an eyebrow at him. “What? Why you plleuurghhhing me, bro?”

“These diet freakazoids are competing hypercapitalist buttmongrels, dude.” Logan scoffed. “Of course they're gonna promise you the stars—and more—for you doing them a huge favor. But it's another thing to deliver.”

“I don't believe this Plato guy is out to scam us.”

“Maybe now's a good time to remind you that you're an optimist with one eye.” Logan belched. “This is the Dark Side, baldy. Sunshine and rainbows is countless farts behind us. Stop pretending otherwise.”

“I'm not pretending!” Flynn stomped his hoof, fuming. “We're out here to do some good for this world—and for Rainbow Dash! Now—if we found an honest-to-goddess opportunity to make actual friends and allies in this shithole of an emo convention that they call a 'town,' don't you think we owe it to her to at least aim for it?!”

Silence.

Logan and Kepler exchanged glances.

The latter of the two cleared his throat and spoke: “What prrecisely do you prropose, brrotherr?”

“It's simple!” Flynn stood up straight, smiled, and gulped. “Logan...” He looked towards the fat stallion. “You... uh... should go speak to her!”

“... … … ...why me?”

“Because... … ...” Flynn fidgeted where he stood.

Logan blinked. “Yeah...?”

“You're... you!” Flynn gestured with a weak hoof. “And... when you're you, you're equal parts charming and intimidating.” He smiled crookedly. “Either is a good leg to stand on when negotiating with a stranger!”

“I get the intimidating part—but how exactly am I charming?”

“Oh... y'know...” Flynn waved. “You're... uh... … … jolly!”

“Jolly.”

“Right. Jolly.”

Logan frowned. “That's your way of saying 'fat', isn't it?”

“Well don't act like that's a big friggin' surprise!”

“You're afraid of talking to this mare for some reason!”

“I am not afraid!”

“Then throw your baldy unicorn ass in her face and do the negotiations yourself!”

“Logan, just talk to her!”

“I don't want to talk to her!”

“Why not?!”

“Because like all the Dihmers, she's bound to be full of misery, droning, and suicidal tendencies! None of which fit well on a salad!”

“Since when have you eaten a salad?”

“You just don't want to own up to the fact that you've been stalking her!”

“It isn't stalki—for Morty's sake, Big Show, I've been scouting out the locals for potential allies!”

“Uh huh...”

“It's precisely what the Austraeoh requires the Herald to do!”

“Yeah, with nerdy eyeglasses and nasal heavy breathing.”

“Go talk to her, Big Show—”

“No, you talk to her!”

“Well, somepony's gotta talk to her!”

One Hour After Rainbow Dash and Her Party Left

Knock knock knock!

She looked up from a bench where she sat in the corner of a ramshackle hut. Turning about, she fixed her violet eyes to the front of the shack where a curtain of leather hung like a makeshift door.

Silence—save for the beating of the ocean beyond.

“... … ...”

Exhaling, she faced the bench once more. The mare leaned over and resumed tinkering with several scraps of metal using tools held within the crooks of her fetlocks.

Not long later...

Knock knock knock knock!

She sat up again. She looked around the room. Violet eyes narrowed, scrutinizing.

Knock! Knock!

With a creak, she got up from her stool. She trotted around the tiny interior, checking the foundation, the floor, the dusty corner behind her threadbare sleeping mat. The knocking happened once again. Her search led her to the front entrance of the shack. She jolted to a stop. There—peaking out from underneath the leather doorflap—was a set of limbs.

Someone was standing immediately outside her shelter.

“... … …?” With a singular motion, she flung the flap open and stared outside.

Kepler smiled politely through his tusks. “Ahem...” His scorpion tail curled up as he stood straight and adjusted his spectacles. “A thousand parrdons forr the intrrusion, madame. My name is Keplerr, a memberr of the parrty of Penumbrrans who have chanced upon this most industrrious town. It has come to my attention that you may—in fact—be the one parrticularr Dihmerr who has employed herrself in trrading specially-collected varrnish with Plato of the Chrome-Blood Guild. Is that corrrect?”

The mare stared at him, then at the doorframe, then back at the wyvern. “It strikes.”

“Hmm?” Kepler blinked behind his bifocals. “'Strrikes?'” He looked at the doorframe, then at his own forelimbs, then at her. “Ach! My apologies...” A breathy chuckle. “You see—wherre I come frrom, which is considerrably farr away—it is customarry to rrequest one's attention by rrhythmically knocking upon the frront entrrance of a cerrtain parrty's domicile.” He cleared his throat and gestured. “Grranted, in yourr culturre, it stands to rreason that such a custom—albeit seemingly simple—may not in fact be thorroughly followed—”

“It leaves,” she said, releasing the flap and turning back to her bench.

“Oh! But if you w—” The leather curtain smacked Kepler in the face. He winced, coughed, and stuck his head in through the side of the doorframe. “I-If you would only be so kind as to hearr what I have to say, you might find my prroposal is most beneficial to you!”

“It collects,” the mare said, sitting at her bench with her back to the entrance. “And it lingers.”

“And it tinkerrs!” Kepler pointed with a smile. “At least, frrom the looks of it!”

The mare clenched her eyes shut. She sat slack at the bench, weathering a deep, deep breath. At last, she throated: “It leaves.”

“Oh, and quite a terrrible shame it would be if I werre to immediately abide by such dismissal!” Kepler gestured from where he stood in the doorframe. “For, you see, it has come to my attention that you have encounterred an obstacle. An obstacle that—forr whateverr rreason—has prevented you frrom conducting prroperr business with the Chrrome-Blooderrs! Now... what did you say... 'it collects?'” Kepler beheld a hopeful expression. “My frriends and I may possibly possess the tools necessary to help you bypass said obstacle! Then and then alone could you trruly 'collect', in the way of strrips, perrhaps. Would that not fulfill yourr temporral obligation to yourrself? Hmmm?”

She stopped fuming for just a moment, her expression suddenly puzzled as her violet eyes swept the dusty walls of that place. At last, she turned to face Kepler.

“It attaches...?” she mouthed.

The wyvern hesitated briefly upon hearing that. “I beg yourr parrdon?” Kepler stood tall and straight with legit curiosity. “Forrgive my pause—I do believe that is the firrst time I have hearrd an interrogative statement from yourr kind.”

“It attaches to that which squints,” she insisted.

“I... am attached to somepony who squints?”

The mare nodded. “It squints.”

“... … ...” The wyvern looked puzzled.

The mare stifled an inward groan. “It sees through one eye.”

Flynn suddenly poked his through the leather doorflap. “Your name for me is 'it squints?'”

“It leaves!” the mare immediately hissed in his direction.

“I-I'm sorry!” Flynn blushed red as a beet. He waved a hoof. “Pretend I'm not here!”

Logan stuck his head through the other side of the doorflap. “Way to go, casaneighva. Want me to go in there and fetch a urine sample for you to sniff?”

“Dammit, Big Show! I was just checking on—”

“On what?! If Keps here is gonna make a move on your marefriend?”

“She's not my marefriend—!”

Kepler's face muscles tensed. Without looking—WH-WHAP!—he batted both stallions back outside with a single swing of his scorpion tail. Retracting it, he relaxed once again, never taking his smile off the mare. “Please do forrgive my frriends. Theirr tact is not nearrly as integrral as theirr sincerrity. Errhm...” He stroked his chin, then spoke with a proud smirk. “It trrips over itself.”

“... … ...” The mare calmly nodded. “It trips.”

“Brrilliant! And who says language is imperrmeable?”

“It attaches.”

“Yes. A personal sin I have yet to shake,” Kepler said, holding a talon over his furry chest. “I have—forr farr too long—found myself inexorrably attached to the crreaturres I come acrross in my trravels, not to mention theirr customs and habits.” He pointed at the bench. “Speaking of which, it would appearr that you arre engaged in some meticulous worrk of your own!”

“!!!” In a sudden burst of panic, the mare flung a gray canvas tarp over the entire bench and all of its components. She locked in place atop the stool, staring wide-eyed into the shadows as if having exposed a horrible transgression.

Kepler saw her vulnerability immediately. “Fearr not, studious one...” He held his wing'd talons up non-threateningly. “I have no interrest in outing you to anyone forr what may or may not be a hidden pasttime.”

“It... lingers,” she murmured.

“Hmmm... perrhaps indeed.” Kepler smiled. “But I perrsonally believe ourr collective prresence on this plane is a prrecious commodity. What we do at the expense of time is no less imporrtant than what is committed underr severre expedience.” He waved towards the tarp-covered bench. “May I be honorred with examining yourr specialized hoofworrk?”

The mare fidgeted where she sat. Her ears folded on either side of her shaved skull. She closed her purple eyes, taking a long and contemplative breath. Then—with a breath that sounded melancholic at first—she slowly undid the tarp and exposed her hoofwork.

Kepler craned his neck inquisitively.

She shuffled slightly to the right, making room for the small wyvern.

Only with her permission did the Heraldite shuffle over. He used his tail to prop himself upwards slightly, getting a better view of the tools and metal contraptions lying across the bench. He adjusted his bifocals, staring intently at the various devices in mixed degree of construction.

“Ach...” He nodded his hairy head. “...a most elaborrate assorrtment indeed. Unforrtunately, I am at something of a loss as to the specific purrposes of that which I see, but I can alrready tell that these fabrrications are leagues above the tools that yourr familiarrs employ, if I may be so bold as to inferr...”

“It observes,” the mare stated.

“Indeed I do.”

With his attention captured, she hoisted two narrow strips of metal into view. She held one slab in her left hoof. “It abstains.” She waved the identical strip in her right hoof. “It abstains.” She placed both metal pieces on the bench and pushed them towards one another. They had barely traveled five inches before—Cl-Clak!—both pieces of metal slapped against one another and remained stuck. “It attracts.”

Kepler beamed with legitimate enthusiasm. “Magnetism! A most industrrious find!”

The mare held up a hoof, capturing his attention. She slid the two magnetized strips away, then brought into view what looked like an interlocking bolt mechanism. “It shimmers,” she said. With Kepler watching, she turned a tiny rotary dial on the device. A pale glow emanated from the metallic surface as she did so. “A dark glow. A true glow.”

Kepler watched in curious silence.

She slid open a drawer underneath the top of the bench, producing an identical mechanism. She turned the dial in the opposite direction. This mechanism also glowed, albeit with a darker hue—almost purple in the haze it generated. “It shimmers. A darker glow.” She held opposite mechanisms in either hoof. “It connects.”

Kepler merely mouthed what she said, looking confused.

Deadpan, the mare placed one mechanism on a counter above them. She then took a narrow tube of metal and slipped it into the hole of the mechanism on the workbench before her. Once the tube was slipped in, she used her hoof to spin the rotary dial multiple times. The pale glow intensified, issuing a humming noise through the hollow of the shack.

“It transfers.”

That said, she slapped the side of the mechanism. The inserted tube vanished in a twinkle of pale light. Kepler watched as tiny translucent serpents materialized, swam corkscrew paths upwards from the bench, and connected to the other identical mechanism. Within the next bilnk, the same tube re-materialized in the bench device's twin up above them.

“That...” Kepler blinked through his bifocals. “... … ...is quite the upgrrade frrom the firrst demonstrration.”

The mare held up her hoof. There was the hint of something in the corner of her muzzle—something that tugged at its otherwise granite complexion. She slid open another drawer, producing a cube of familiar pale metals plated together. “It expands,” she said.

“It... expands...?” Kepler remarked.

Calmly, the mare twisted a dial on the side of the box. Two triangular lids opened at the top with a hiss. She grabbed a pouch from a shelf, opened it, and poured a meager amount of sand into the hollow of the cube. Once she had emptied half the pouch, she tied it shut then slapped the triangular lids of the box shut.

Gently gesturing for Kepler to step back, she placed the cube down on the floor. She grabbed two tubes of silver metal, stuck them into opposite holes of the box, then twisted them.

Kepler jumped—slightly startled—as a ring of chaos serpents materialized, flying narrow orbits around the cube. Clakka-clakka-clakka! The air rang with otherworldly percussion as the multiple triangular plates of the cube flipped-flipped-flipped outward along all surfaces of the device. The cube increased in dimension by a factor of nine, becoming a crate large enough to sit on. Once it was finished, the mare pulled both tubes out, opened the top two triangular lids, and stuck her hoof deep into the cube. She slowly raised her fetlock, pouring enough transmogrified sand to fill at least six of the same pouches she had originally extracted the material from.

“It expands,” she said with finality.

“My starrs and garrterrs...” Kepler rubbed the back of his head. “So this is what you need the Goblin strrips for! It's not forr strrict business! You mold the materrials to crraft these wonderrs...” His eyes narrowed behind his spectacles. “You arre a chaotician. And an engineerr at that!”

The mare slowly exhaled, slapping the cube back shut. “It lingers as it collects.” She leaned against the device, staring through the surface of her workbench. “Yet it also constructs. The weight—it anchors through it. The world and its weight are one.” Her nostrils flared. “It cannot purge.”

“I am... slightly embarrrassed to say this, madame...” Kepler sweated noticeably. “But you arre farr beyond the capabilities of me and my familiarrs.” A sad sigh. “Perrhaps it was prrematurre to assume that we could assist you with yourr endeavorrs.”

Her response was rather quick. “It does not grasp a false glow.”

“...I beg yourr parrdon?”

She avoided his gaze, fidgeting slightly. “The shimmer...” She fought for a way—or a desire—for explaining it. “It constructs with a true shimmer. It does n-not utilize a f-false shimmer.” She bit her bottom lip slightly, as if each syllable pronounced was a mortal sin. “That which is bright... and not dark...” She slowly shook her head. “It eludes.”

Kepler cocked his head to the side. “... … ...our magic must indeed be 'false' to you.” He finished with a slight nod. “Especially if chaos energy is all you've ever dealt with.”

She finally looked towards him. “That which drills has drained.” A courageous breath. “It is not sustained by a true shimmer.”

“Perrhaps... therre is still hope... forr all of us...?” Kepler smiled politely. “If you would only let us see this drill of yours...”

Her fetlocks tightened to where they clung to the edge of the cube—as if she may fall at any moment.

“Madame... if I may be so bold...” Kepler gestured. “...do you trruly, honestly plan to be 'purrging' anytime soon?”

Her ears drooped. She hung her head.

“I did not think as much.” He paced through the shack, gesturing at her craftmanship. “So long as you purrsue that which you arre exceptionally good at, why not allow otherrs to help you? At the rrisk of sounding like a based merrchant, I verry serriously doubt you will get this offerr again anytime soon.” He turned to face her with a knowing smirk. “And you do wish to earrn morre of the trrue shimmerring metal frrom the imps, do you not?”

The mare looked up at him.

“Prrogrress, my good marre...” Kepler smiled. “Prrogrress manifests whetherr we apprreciate it orr not. And what I've witnessed herre is testament of its endurring naturre.” A shrug. “What betterr way do we have of purrging ourr lesserr... past selves?”

“... … ...” She gazed thoughtfully at him.

Two and a Half Hours After Rainbow Dash and Her Party Left

“One. Two. Three...”

“Shoot!”

Outside the shack, Flynn and Logan pointed their hooves at each other.

“Again.”

“Okay.”

“One. Two. Three...”

“Shoot!”

The two Heraldites stuck their fetlocks at each other again.

“Another stalemate.”

Logan sighed heavily out the side of his muzzle. “I don't get this game. Why do Wildcard and Seraphimus enjoy doing it so much when we're not looking?”

“Beats me,” Flynn muttered, leaning against a mound of bricks and yawning. “But something tells me you gotta be a griffon to truly appreciate it.”

“Pffft... racist rules, duuuude.”

Before Flynn could concur...

...Kepler came marching out through the leather doorflap of the mare's shack.

“Finally!” Logan grumbled. “Took your hairy ass long enough!”

“Why were you in there for so long?” Flynn hobbled close to the wyvern. “What were you even talking about?”

“Ach! A verritable plethorra of topics!” Kepler beamed. “She is a most genius engineerr of chaos metals! I've cerrtainly learrned a thing orr two about trransmutation and rre-distillation!”

“Yeah yeah, that's great...” Logan's brow furrowed. “But what about her drill and the varnish?”

“Did you say 'engineer?'” Flynn asked, his face slightly flushed.

“At ease, soldierr...” Kepler pushed Flynn back a few feet, then turned to Logan. “Big Show, can you prreparre us forr an expedition severral leagues towarrds Alpha?”

“Uhhh...” Logan rubbed the back of his neck. “...I don't see why I can't do some trade and fetch us a wheeled wagon for a long trip.” His eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“I have arrranged forr us to rrendezvous with ourr esteemed colleague at a serries of caverrns located well outside of Blobstain.”

“Uhm... okay...” Logan cocked his head aside. “May I ask why?”

“She intends to let us look at the drrill, which we both suspect rrequirres ourr own brrand of experrtise to prroperrly fix.” The wyvern gestured. “And—if we can indeed perrforrm such a task—she'll agree to let us sharre in the prrofits of the next batch of varrnish that she collects.”

“And... that's what those Chrome-Blood weirdoes need to help make us a boat, right?”

“Prrecisely.”

“Well... balls out for Miss Stubby!” Logan grinned from ear to ear. “Fetch Quest-a-Go-Go!”

Flynn glared at Logan. “Can you please not talk about her and testicles in the same sentence?”

“Could ya simp a little quieter, baldy? The adults are talking.”

“That rreminds me...!” Kepler held a claw up. “She has agrreed to help us in all mannerr of things!” He cleared his throat. “But on one condition.”

“Yes!” Flynn leaned forward. “Name it!”

Kepler looked calmly at him through glinting spetacles. “You arre not to talk to herr.”

Flynn leaned back. “What?! Why n-not?”

“Ach! Forrgive me, brrotherr.” Kepler bore a coy smile through his tusks. “But I thought such would not be a point of contention, seeing as you arre most definitely not committed to the function that one might colloquially call 'stalking.'”

Flynn's ears drooped.

“Dude...” Logan shoved Flynn with a smirk. “You just got schooled by a space walrus.”

“I... don't get it...” Flynn murmured—bordering on whimpering. “...but I-I did so much to get us this far...”

“It's herr tenacious qualities that arre allowing us to acquirre the much-needed varrnish forr crrossing this inferrnal ocean,” Kepler said, pointing in the direction of the rhythmic thunder's source. “Let us not confuse who's trruly helping who, herre.”

“I believe our best decision was putting on Kepler here on chivalry patrol,” Logan stated. He marched off. “Right, then. I'm gonna fetch us a wagon.”

“Hrmmfff...” Flynn folded his forelimbs with a pout, glaring at the wyvern. “Lemme guess—you get to talk to her for the course of this expedition.”

“Affirrmative!”

“How come she's cozying up to the likes of you?”

“Asexuality, my frriend!” Kepler bowed. “You should trry it sometime.”

“Hah!” Logan's voice echoed from a distance. “I like the new, sassy Keps!”

“Indeed! It abstains!” Kepler followed after the large stallion, leaving Flynn to sigh and sulk. “Hah-HA!”

It Suffices Which Lingers

Eight Hours After Rainbow Dash and Her Party Left to Rendezvous With Lexxic

With a yank of her hoof... then a second and a third...

...she successfully tightened the saddlebag strapped to her skinny figure.

A heavy exhale escaped her muzzle. She straightened a few things by her workbench, drew the tarp over it neatly, then left through the front doorflap of her small shack.

Standing outside, the female Dihmer gave the surrounding landscape a short, swift survey.

Emaciated and sickly equines leaned against the nearby structures of the “neighborhood,” slowly wasting away. Studious collectors trotted slowly in single-file, pulling wagons full of junk towards the nearest cliffs overlooking the Blob. Off in the distance—lining up in a blood-stained courtyard—dozens of locals squatted and repeated a ritualistic mantra over and over, exposing their fetlocks to the unfeeling twilight.

The mare closed her purple eyes, taking a long breath. Beyond the rancid smell of the place and the sounds of wheezing breaths all around, she found a calm path worth treading. Giving her saddlebag a slight shake, she reopened her gaze and trotted boldly forward, making for the southern entrance of the pathetic township.

She passed several goblin establishments along the way. For all of their pollution and rust and filthy upkeep, the imp buildings nevertheless stood far higher in quality than the Dihmer domiciles that lingered in the shadows. Clusters of pointy-eared workers stood in droves, either waiting for work or enjoying breathers between tiring shifts. Several of them snickered and gestured at the mare as she trotted by.

The Dihmer merely moved along, keeping her eyes forward and her gait steady. She had a destination to arrive at, and she had very little time to spare.

Nevertheless, her ears were distracted by the sound of scuffling imp feet from somewhere behind...

“Oi! Just a second theah, love!” a voice called out. “Hold on, mates! Gotta have a word! Reckon it'll only take one tenth of a blob beat at worst!” A pitter-patter of claws, and Plato of Chrome-Blood appeared at the mare's side, jogging to keep in even pace with the quadruped. “G'day, sheilah! Fancyin' yourself a new partnership weeth the glue sticks from dan undah?”

“It departs,” she stated in monotone, not even looking at him. “It goes to where it drills.”

“Well, good onya!” Plato tipped an invisible hat. “I can smell the glimmerin' varnish already! Theah'll be heaps of streeps in it for ya, of course, love.” He smiled through serrated teeth. “Them tomato sauces too, if theah of a mind.” His ears drooped slightly. “Hope you ain't hot undah the collah over me wranglin' them into a business arrangement. Figured both you and the Chrome-Bloodahs back at Guildie-Q could benefit all in the same.” A wink. “Peetra's flame in a bot'le, reckon?”

“It misses—that which has a false shimmer,” she murmured, shaking her head. “It does not matter if it collects or not. It only lingers.”

“If ya really felt that way about 'em, then why even bothah invitin' the yobbos along?”

“... … ...” Her purple eyes darted briefly towards him, then back at the rickety road ahead.

“Hey...” Plato held his hands up, slowing his pace. “...I know when I've poked the flank too much. Just know that—for what eet's worth—I'm bloody proud of ya!” He suddenly brightened. “Oh! Ace! Just remembered...!” He reached into his bandoleer, produced a strip of silver, and tossed it at her. “Heads up!”

With calm precision, she stopped long enough to reach a hoof up and catch the item in the crook of her fetlock. She examined it with a deadpan gaze. The strip had an X-shaped fissure down its center. As she turned it left and right in her grasp, tiny translucent serpents flitted in and out, hissing with a high-pitched whine.

“It came outta the smeltah that way!” Plato said from a distance. “One in ten thousand chance of bein' that clean a break that the streep snake-o's constantly swim around on the outside! We call eet 'serpent streeps,' and theah a sign of good luck!” He smirked. “Consider eet a commission for a job that I just know you'll do with flyin' colors!”

She took a calm breath, slipped the glowing currency into her saddlebag, and pressed on forward.

“It departs,” was her only response.

“Reckon so!” Plato waved and walked back to his group of imps. “Who knows, Lingeroo?! Thees heah may be the start of a beautiful industry between us and them freakish Penumbrans!”

The mare exhaled heavily through her nostrils. Nevertheless, her ears folded slightly as she left the southern limits of Blobstain.

Ten Hours After Rainbow Dash and Her Party Left

A red needle spun clockwise from north to south... then counter-clockwise from south to north... then it twirled spontaneously in both directions, making several haphazard revolutions within the space of a minute.

“... … …” Flynn sighed. Nevertheless, he tilted the compass that rested in the crook of his fetlock, watching with his natural eye in hopes that he could somehow get it to maintain consistency in its spinning.

“Why didn't you toss that thing the first moment you woke up on along the Edge?” Logan asked. He had to speak above the grinding of metal wagon wheels as a desolate landscape shifted slowly by under the starlight around them. “It's about as useful as a clown at a funeral over here.”

Flynn looked towards the stallion who was drawing the rickety vehicle that he sat on. The unicorn Heraldite squatted amidst a smattering of tools and surviving runes in the back of the wagon. It wasn't much, but they were nonetheless glad to carry whatever scant remains they could from their expedition on the Light Side.

“I want to see it work again,” Flynn muttered in answer to Logan's exclamation. He clasped the compass case shut before hiding it back into his saddlebag. “Someday,” he sighed.

Logan looked over his shoulder at his friend in the wagon he was drawing. “Won't it be enough that your ass survives long enough to reach the Light Side again?” He shrugged within the riggings of the vehicle. “There are lots of ways to find true north once we're back.”

Flynn managed the faintest of smirks. “I'm sure all that'll matter is true west.”

Logan snorted, fighting a snicker.

Flynn craned his neck curiously. “...what's so funny, fatso?”

“You really think Rainbow's gonna want to go back the way of Darkreach after the Midnight Armory?” Logan arched an eyebrow. “What—with the trolls and the floating rocks and the friggin' world wyrm??”

Flynn shrugged. “It's at least somewhat familiar territory. There's no telling what craziness waits for us in Omega. So why press our luck?” He sighed heavily. “Who knows. For the journey back, maybe the Winter Children of Abaddon would be willing to lend us a leg...” He shuddered visibly. “Or eight.”

“And I'll be damned if I'm gonna have to trudge all the way through windigo-infested Robhredden once again.” He looked back at the wagontop with a smirk. “Or Hell... you think my fatass would survive a trek through the Blight?”

“So...?” Flynn shrugged. “The Blight isn't so Blight-ish anymore. And I'm sure the windigoes aren't doing as bad a job as we fear! Not with the likes of Theanim Mane and Keris hanging back to keep the locals sane!”

“That's an even dumber concept than believing we're gonna get back to the Light Side the same way we came.”

Flynn hung his head, sighing. “You're right, as usual.”

Logan's ears drooped slightly. He blinked worriedly at the stone ground over which he was trotting. As he drew the wagon over a crest in the barren landscape, he summoned the courage to mutter: “Look, Baldy... I shouldn't be the one to crush your dreams. Believe it or not, it's not my job to ruin everypony else's pessimism. And even if it was, I take no friggin' pride in it.”

“Uh huh...”

“I just think it's... only healthy to expect this whole expedition to take the longest of hauls.” Logan cleared his throat. “Assuming everything goes as well as it possibly can between here and the Midnight Armory, of course.”

“Uh huh... ...”

Logan looked over his flank. “Is everything okay in your head, there, dude?” He arched an eyebrow. “You've been suprisingly wishy-washy as of late. Even for you.”

“Let it go, Big Show...”

“Let what go?” Logan held his breath as he crested a hilltop, then spoke normally once he was on even ground once more. “Ever since you stumbled upon this unicorn Dihmer chick, you've been ten shades of distracted.”

“I'm a 'stalking simp,' remember?” Flynn muttered.

“All jokes aside, Flynn...” Logan's voice lowered to a calm tone. “...we ain't much of a Job Squad unless we're givin' it our all. And I think something's leeching from the bucks you have left to give.” His jaw tightened as he trotted along. “Do I need to tell Rainbow Dash when she gets back that you've downgraded yourself to bench-sitter?”

“This expedition is tiring for all of us.” Flynn's jaw clenched. “Forgive me if I'm tripping over myself a bit. I'm sure it's no big secret that you, Ariel, Keps and the others are having to deal with the stress in one way or another.” He blinked, then waved a hoof. “Hell, even Wildcard. You think it's easy for him to carry on after what happened to Bard?”

“No. But at least he talks about it.”

Flynn squinted at the bigger stallion. “Are you even hearing yourself right now?”

Logan rolled his eyes. “He talks with Rainbow Dash, dumbass. Don't pretend you haven't seen them chatting it up—with her learning his talon-talk and all that jazz.”

“Ah. Right.” Flynn nodded. “Good for them.”

“...maybe it'd help you to share what's on your mind too.”

“Would you like me to pull the wagon for a bit?” Flynn suggested.

Logan rolled his eyes yet again. “No, I don't want you to draw the wagon for a bit.” He snorted. “I'm just trying to level with you, ya limp noodle. We suddenly find ourselves hiking out of town with the bulk of our gear, open and vulnerable to all manner of dark side misanthropy, and it would help to know that we're keeping our heads in the game! That's all! Can't I check up on troop morale every once in a royal fart?”

“My head is in the game, Big Show,” Flynn said. “All contours of the egg. You needn't worry about me.”

“... … ...” Logan suddenly murmured: “You're still thinking about that Dihmer chick who's helping us, aren't ya?”

Flynn suppressed the urge to growl. “She asked me kindly—and everyone else has asked me calmly—to just let her be.” He held both fetlocks up with a frown. “So that's what I've endeavored to do.”

“You're right. And—for once—I'm proud of you and your bleeding heart.”

“Then stop bringing it up!!!” Flynn barked.

Logan actually winced at that. The tone in Flynn's voice was decidedly more abrasive than when he usually snapped back at him.

The unicorn immediately took on an apologetic position: “I know you're trying to act caring'n'shiet, Big Show. But...” He fidgeted. “I was wrong, okay? I was wrong to obsess and trace her steps and step into her domain...”

“Well, it got us an opportunity to fetch a boat for crossing the Blob—”

“Are we going to bury this or not?!?”

“Pffft... hey, dude...” Logan waved in mid-trot, smirking at the wasteland ahead. “Shovel away.”

Flynn fumed. “I was wrong. I should have been... m-more professional about this.”

“You mean like Keps?”

“Just because he rolls his r's doesn't make the wyvern 'professional.'”

“Heh. Kind of a low blow there, eh, Baldy?”

“Point is—I've got a bunch of hangups. That's more than obvious. I shouldn't get strangers here on the Dark Side weighted down with 'em.” Flynn's natural eye stared dull and dismal across the rolling stonescapes. “Even if it would take so little... so very little to bless them with a better life. A harmonic life.”

“Uh huh...”

“I-I mean...” Flynn's teeth showed as he grunted towards the Alpha horizon. “...why do these ponies gotta constantly mutilate themselves?! Or rob themselves of opportunities to enjoy and revel in life?! Or make themselves exploitable prey to the likes of the goblins?!”

“Seems that they've been prey to far worse, bud,” Logan said. “This appears to be their way of dealing—”

“Nothing... absolutely nothing is worth giving up one's agency and potential for!” Flynn's voice cracked. “Imagine—instead of being ascetic sourpusses—these Dihmers rose up and fended off the Bloodwings?! Or made an alliance with the imps of Petra—made them take a stance in the Trinary War?!”

“These are... uh...” Logan shook his head. “...these aren't exactly areas any of us are qualified to make declarations about, dude.”

Flynn sighed. “I know. Just... it's just all the same, Logan.”

“What's all the same?”

“What makes the plight of the Dihmers any different than the near-extermination of the wyverns back in Rohbredden?” Flynn gestured. “Or the generations upon generations of slaves who were bred and groomed on Mudtop? Or all that shit happening all over the Seven Seas?” His nostrils flared. “For years, we fought the Syndicate at every turn—and what did it exactly do for everypony?!”

“Well... lots! Do I even need to count the number of ponies we freed from—”

Flynn gaped at him. “It didn't put an end to the corruption!!”

“Yeah, well...” Logan smirked. “Bard and Wildcard made a pretty big dent along with Rainbow Dash down in Shoggoth. With whatshername's help. Y'know... the Siren Queen everypony yammered on about?”

“You know as well as I know that the punks of the Seven Seas will find a way.” Flynn grumbled. “Whether it's some jerkoff from one of the Barges or a warlord from Mudtop or someone from within—like Chandler—there'll be some new asshole who'll carry the torch of toxicity and make life miserable for everyone else.”

“But you said it yourself, Flynn,” Logan stated. “Keris... Theanim... others who have been left behind? Those who can speak positively of Rainbow Dash's actions?” Logan's ears perked up as he spoke. “They just might be able to make a difference... to make peace out of the mess we've lived in all our lives.”

Flynn merely sat back in a huff, folding his arms.

“Yeah... sure... maybe the Job Squad could never really finish the job. Point is—with Morty's help—we lasted long enough to help out the Austraeoh in our lifetime. Now—thanks to her—we're actually making a difference for everypony. For this whole world.”

Flynn blew through his lips. Then he muttered: “She makes it seem so easy. If only we could all do on a small scale what she does on a big scale.”

“Hell yeah. Maybe I'd finally lose some weight!”

“... … ...”

“Oh! You mean helping out the Dihmers and shiet. Yeah. Yeah, that'd be cool too.”

“I know that getting Rainbow Dash to the Midnight Armory is of prime importance,” Flynn said. “And then getting her back to Equestria—so she can restore harmony—is next on the docket.” A slow, cold shudder. “It's just... so friggin' huge a task.”

“One hoof at a time, dude. Think of it only in terms of what's right in front of you,” Logan said. “Or else you'd go friggin insane. Hell, we all might.”

“It's not that. I just...” Flynn squirmed in the back of the wagon, staring down at his hooves. “...in focusing so much on the big picture, I just hope we don't have to ignore everypony lost in the shadows of all the little pictures.”

“Ouch. I think that analogy broke my head.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Do I, baldy?”

“It's one thing to save this world...” Flynn bit his bottom lip. “...but how many ponies are still gonna be stuck in slave camps... or in decrepit streets... or in d-dank caves?”

Logan glanced back at that.

Flynn shuddered. “I dunno. Maybe I just... need more sleep. You're right—this expedition is tough on all of us. Why should I be having such a crazy conniption all of a sudden?”

“Hell, what's 'crazy' these days?”

“Heh...” Flynn smirked ever so slightly. “Well said.”

“Anyways, I think I get it now,” Logan said. “This hasn't got anything to do with the Dihmer chick. Not directly, at least.”

Flynn exhaled like a weight had been pulled off his withers. “Thanks for being so understanding, dude.”

“... … ...but does it have anything to do with what went down in Aegis so long ago?”

Flynn jerked at the mere mention of that. His muzzle swam from shocked, to sad, then to a flushed... righteous anger. He leaned towards the front of the wagon, ready to snap once more at his best friend—

“Brrotherrs!” Kepler's voice called out from up ahead.

The group tilted their heads up.

A pale figure perched atop a pile of rocks along the Alpha horizon. The wyvern called out from afar: “I do believe I have uncoverred ourr destination!”

Logan shouted back: “Are ya sure?!”

“Most assurredly! The cave forrmation matches ourr Dihmerr frriend's descrription!” His scorpion tail unfurled in the starlight as he spun around and glided out of sight on spread wings. “Follow me, frriends! Excelsiorr!”

“Hrmmfff... who am I kidding...” Logan blew out the side of his muzzle. “He should be in charge of morale.”

“Why not?” Flynn added. “Lately, he's been in charge of everything else.”

“Heh... damn straight.”

“Follow that mini-manticore, fatso.”

“Don't push it.”

“Why push it when you can pull it?”

“Real cute, baldy.”

It wasn't long until Logan—in following Kepler—brought the wagon into the shadow of a sudden plateau that formed out of the stone belly of earth. Here, a sharp rise in rocks formed a steep cliff that stretched over ten meters in height, and an enormous boulder rested against the curveside face, partially obscured from invading starlight.

Kepler perched atop the boulders, posing victoriously. “Huzzah!” He stood up straight, adjusting his bifocals. “Conspicuous, it is most definitely not! But this location is so ambitiously rremote that I somehow doubt anypony would botherr to come out herre!”

“Yeah...” Logan unhitched himself from the wagon and approached the boulder. “...except those lucky enough to have been given specific directions on how to find it.”

“I wonder...” Flynn hopped down from the wagon and joined Logan in approaching the plateau's edge. “...did we cross over this location on our approach to Blobstain from Abaddon's Lair?”

“Ach! Highly doubtful, brrotherr,” Kepler stated. “If you rrecall, the grround we trraverrsed was quite saturrated with moisturre—enough to forrm multiple strreams flowing towards Omega!”

“It was also a lot closer to Edgeside,” Logan said. “Besides—Kepler's right. Feel how dusty the earth is beneath us.” He tapped the plateau's edge. “This ground is drier than a spinster's womb in winter.”

“Eugh...” Flynn face-hoofed. “Big Show, must you?”

“What?!? I can make that joke!” Logan shrugged with a smirk. “There're no feminists around! Besides, they all flew to meet Lexxic!”

“Uhm, grreetings?” Kepler arched an eyebrow, waving a talon. “I am herre...”

“Oh right...” Logan rolled his eyes, waving back at the wyvern. “Yeah, that friggin' figures.”

“Let's stay on topic.” Flynn faced the boulder. “How the Hell do we get in?”

“The instrructions—as given to me—werre to wait forr ourr Dihmerr associate to arrrive,” Kepler said.

“Well, looks like we beat her to it,” Logan said. “The Hell we do now? Wait here and... watch Keps twiddle his thumbs?”

“We can maybe take a survey of the surrounding areas,” Flynn said. “For security's sake. It'll pass the time until...” He fidgeted slightly. “...you-know-who-arrives.”

Kepler pointed past the two stallions. “I don't think that will be necessarrry.”

“Why not?” Logan replied in a dull tone. “Being aware of our surroundings is super important.”

“It arrives,” droned a feeble voice beside him.

The fat stallion jumped a full horse length to the side. “GAAAH!” Thud! “Sh-shit on a stick!” He held a hoof over his palpitating chest. “Put a frickin' bell on yourself, lady!”

“... … ...” She merely stared at him, deadpan. “It breathes.”

“Y-yeah...” Logan swiped the fresh cold sweat from his brow as the mare trotted past him. “...I'm w-workin' on it!”

Flynn beamed at the sight of her. But the moment he opened his muzzle—“!!!”—he immediately clamped it shut. Blushing slightly, he stood at a respectable distance and pretended to be looking at the wagon.

“... … ...” The mare resumed trotting towards the boulder. She craned her neck—looking up at the wyvern perched atop the entrance. “It has also arrived.”

“Ach! We have indeed!” Kepler climbed partially down the boulder, stopping only to squint and ask in a curious tone: “Might I ask how you made it herre so swiftly and silently?”

“It repeats,” she said.

“Huh...” Logan nodded, blinking. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”

“Bra-HAH!” Kepler jumped, glided, and landed on the ground beside the petite mare. “A marre of few worrds! A marre of trrue words!” He bowed slightly. “They should name you 'Lady Laconic!'”

“Actually—” Flynn raised a hoof. “The imps. They—” He began.

The mare looked back at him. So did Logan and Kepler.

Flynn bit his lip. “Ahem...” He stepped back with ears drooped. “...don't mind me.”

“You gotta forgive my friend,” Logan said. “He's kind of a stupid idiot when he's a stupid idiot.” He coughed not-so-delicately, then threw a broad gesture at the boulder. “So... uh... what the Hell.”

“It blocks,” the mare said.

“I can see that. I'm having flashbacks to back when I was addicted to fried foods.” Logan gestured again. “Soooooooooo... how exactly does a tiny little queefer like you move that bigass thing?”

“It diverts,” the mare explained.

Logan did a double-take. “Huh?!”

The mare trotted calmly past him and Kepler.

“Now... hold on just a sec—!” Logan moved after her.

“Shhhh...!” Kepler blocked his heavy hooves with his scorpion tail. “Patience, my frriend.”

Flynn craned his neck as he and the other two Heraldites watched.

The Dihmer trotted gently along the lip of the plateau. Her muzzle moved, as if she was silently counting her steps from the boulder to some nebulous spot along the way. Sure enough, about twenty paces into the shadow of the cliffface, she stopped suddenly. The mare knelt low, felt around with her hoof, then froze in place. A deep breath...

...and she blew at a patch of dust on the earth. Narrow seams formed, revealing a narrow hole that was blocked up with a plethora of tiny, easily movable rocks. One by one, she began pulling from the pile.

“It diverts,” she restated.

“Huh...” Logan scratched his head, then glanced at the boulder. “...imagine all the poor dumb-bucks who busted their heads against that thing, thinking it was their only way in.”

“Like what you would have done minutes from now?” Flynn stated.

“Hey! No fair...” Logan frowned. “I've got an axe.”

“That's your answer to everything.”

In the meantime, Wyvern shuffled over and knelt beside the Dihmer with a kind smile. “May I assist it?”

The mare emotionlessly nodded. “It burrows.”

“Ach! Splendid...” He reached in, pulling more and more rocks out, quickening her task of clearing the once-hidden hole in the foundation of the plateau. “I may not be able to fly quite like my companions, but these claws do come in use in severral instances!” He smiled thrrough his tusks. “All things in life serrve a divine purrpose at one point orr anotherr. At least—that's how I perrceive things!”

The mare merely nodded. “It vocalizes.”

“Indeed. And... it can simply cease at any moment.” Kepler did a little wave before continuing to dislodge the rocks. “All you need to do is ask.”

“... … ...it hears.”

“I would expect no less.” And—within a few minutes—a fresh path was unearthed, leading into the cave.

Eleven Hours After Rainbow Dash and Her Party Left

Kepler glanced left and right as he moved along. In the dim glow of a billowing torch, all he could make out was an uneven craggy surface of rock engulfing him on all sides. Every few dozen feet or so it would grow even narrower, as if the earth had swallowed him whole minutes ago and he was on his way towards a claustrophobic, acidic death.

“Ach... it is most definitely...” Th-Thump! He bumped his furry skull against a dip in the so-called ceiling. “Augh! Pestilence!” Hissing through his tusks, Kepler paused briefly to rub his skull and moved along, crouching lower. “...most definitely constrricting in herre.”

“It thins,” said the Dihmer ahead of him, trotting on three limbs as her right front hoof held the torch.

The wyvern exhaled. “A poetic underrstatement, if I everr hearrd one.” He glanced back past his tail. “I wonderr how my compatrriots arre fairring.” He snorted to himself. “By that, of courrse, I mean goodly Logan. Ha-HAH!”

Ha-HAH!

Ha-HAH!

Ha-HAH!

The passageway resounded for a full ten seconds, making Kepler wince.

“It echoes,” he heard from above.

“Not forr you, it doesn't.” Kepler smirked slightly. “Grranted, I suspect a lifetime spent prracticing the most humble of voices would afforrd such.”

A scuffling sound. Kepler looked behind to see Flynn scampering into view.

“D-Did I hear a yell right about now?” the balding unicorn stammered, shining a glowing horn down the passage. “Is our friend okay?”

“Ach! It was I who crreated the sudden echo, brrotherr. A thousand apologies.” Kepler gave a pacifying gesture. “As forr ourr guide—she is quite fine.”

“Right. Uhm... of course...” Flynn cleared his throat. “You... uh... you both go on ahead.”

“What about Logan?”

“We're.... … …he's going to take a while.”

Just then, a grumpy voice echoed up the winding corridor, piercing their eardrums.

Goddess damned stone!!

Goddess damned stone!!

Goddess damned stone!!

Wincing, Flynn turned and rushed back the way he came.

“Just hold on! I'll get you unstuck!”

Just hold on! I'll get you unstuck!

Just hold on! I'll get you unstuck!

Just hold on! I'll get you unstuck!

I can squeeze through myself, baldy!

I can squeeze through myself, baldy!

I can squeeze through myself, baldy!

Whatever! Just don't shout!

Whatever! Just don't shout!

Whatever! Just don't shout!

Why not?!

Why not?!

Why not?!

Because it makes an annoying echo, dumbass!

Because it makes an annoying echo, dumbass!

Because it makes an annoying echo, dumbass!

Who's echoing?! I'm not echoing!

Who's echoing?! I'm not echoing!

Who's echoing?! I'm not echoing!

YES YOU ARE!!!

Yes You Are!!!

Yes you are!!

Yes you are!

Yes you are.

Kepler was rubbing his skull achingly at this point. He hobbled faster, closing the distance between himself and their emotionless guide. When he finally caught up, he cleared his throat and spoke in as low a tone as he could afford.

“Perrhaps... eheh...” A friendly smile. “...there is merrit to be found in yourr culturre's adherrence to vocabulaic simplicity.”

She merely she shrugged. “It abides.”

“Ach. Swimmingly so, I imagine.”

She slowed a bit, having to traverse a steep stack of rocks that led to an open chamber. “It suffices for that which accomplishes an adequate foundation for that which purges.”

“I... see...” Kepler climbed patiently after her, using his tail for balance. “In an ideal society—emotionless or not—therre would be some... balance of laborr, would therre not?”

“It purges and it lingers.”

“Ah...” He nodded. “So therre arre classes.” His nostrils flared. “I am both pleased and saddened to know that.” A calm breath. “A pity that I can't afforrd the same ambivalence that comes so easily for you.”

“It fails which releases,” she said, standing atop a firm platform of rock. From below, Kepler observed her placing her torch into a fabricated holster within the upper chamber. “Or else it sustains.” She turned and reached a hoof down towards him with a deadpan expression. “It lingers—and yet it collects to clear the path for that which purges.”

“Ah... much apprreciated.” Kepler took her hoof, surprised at the mare's strength as he was lifted up into the belly of the chamber. “At least you arre...” He adjusted his spectacles, gazing curiously at his new surroundings. “...perrfectly awarre of yourr position.”

The chamber was a great deal wider than Kepler expected, at least after traversing a veritable small intestine of narrow corridors to get there. Cold blue stone arched into a craggy dome, and—to his surprise—there were several massive holes that resembled doorways. Kepler counted no less than nine of them, and they were arranged around the center of the roughly round chamber as if they led off in completely different directions. The way they came was the only one that stood out—marked by the pile of rocks before a sudden dip, which Kepler surmised must have been arranged by sapient explorers of that otherwise claustrophobic domain.

“Curriouserr and curriouserr,” the wyvern exhaled. “Somehow, I don't think you arre the firrst pony to venturre henceforrth.” He gave her a studious smirk. “Unless, of courrse, I continue to underestimate yourr sheerr industrry.”

She spoke, barely blinking. “It suffices for that which collects and that which also collects.” She held a hoof up. “It lingers which collects. It is a false glimmer that arrives to assist.”

Kepler shrugged. “I can live with that title—forr the time being, at least.” His eyes narrowed behind his spectacles. “I am at loss—howeverr--to locate a drrill.”

She pivoted away from him. Kepler watched as she trotted across the chamber, approaching a pile of rocks... which suddenly turned out to not be a pile of rocks. With one firm yank, the mare lifted a blue canvas tarp that had been covered all over with the dust that collected in that underground chamber. This revealed—almost magically—a complex arrangement of metal-and-stone contraptions that resembled a workbench and accompanying toolboxes.

“My starrs and garrterrs!” He stifled the urge to chuckle in astonishment. “It is a verritable laborratorry that you have stowed away herre!” He shuffled over, crouching low and observing the metalwork. “This seems... farr too larrge to have trransporrted in herre the way we came.”

“It constructs,” she said.

“Good heavens! Such a suffocating envirronment to do such a thing, too!”

“It lacks a shimmer which lingers,” she continued, picking up the one source of flame and trotting counter-clockwise around the room, lighting a few more torches that were waiting there in rusted holders. “Without, it collects nothing.”

As she said this, the spreading light glinted off the surface of a large metal device, round and plated, with a gigantic stone spiral emanating from its central chassis.

“Hah! Behold!” Kepler pointed. “Quite a beauty too, if I may say so!” He ran a claw along the curved structure resting against the floor. “Was this... carrved frrom stone?”

“It derives from that which maintains,” she said, placing the torch in a final holster. “It resists even against that which thunders.”

“... … ...” Kepler pointed. “You mean to suggest this can surrvive a dip in that insufferrably loud ocean of yourrs?”

She spoke simply: “It cannot account for those which do not release.”

Kepler's mouth hung open. He blinked. “Ach... I am at a lost. But—suffice to say—I now believe that this is an incrredibly strrong drrill.”

She exhaled through her nostrils. “It does not collect.”

“And I am...” Kepler squatted close to the device, staring up and down. “...at a loss to figurre out why.”

“It collapses which empowers.” She pointed at an open panel in the far side of the plated chassis. “It is deprived of that which sustains.”

“I see...” Kepler observed what appeared to be an empty energy core. He turned to smirk at the mare. “Almost like that which purrges being deprrived of that which lingerrs.”

“... … ...” She merely stared at him.

“Eheheh... my most sincerre apologies...” Kepler waved both hands with a nervous smile. “I should know betterr. Politics in the worrkplace—most uncouth!”

A rustling of hooves. A horn's light source bounced up from the entrance passageway down below.

“Guh! What the Hell?! Kepler?! Are you up there?”

Kepler hollered back. “We have arrrived, my frriend! Can we say the same forr Logan?”

Just hold your asses! I'm coming!

Just hold your asses! I'm coming!

Just hold your asses! I'm coming!

Flynn's sweaty, breathless face showed up down below. “Need I say more?”

“Do hurrry up, brrotherr. This device of ourr guide is in sorre need of rrepairr!”

“Httt!” With a mild grunt, Flynn clambered up the stack of rocks, giving himself a slight boost with expert telekinesis. He stood for a brief bit, panting and gazing at all the lit torches. “Well, boogers... it's a cozy little nest of stone up in here, isn't it?”

“If you ask me, a domain of grreat purrpose and self-application.”

Flynn pointed at the multiple holes. “What's with all the friggin' openings?”

“Ach...” Kepler scratched his chin. “If I would venturre to guess, they are makeshift mineshafts forr the purrpose of extrracting the materrial needed forr the prriceless varrnish overr the yearrs.” He looked towards the Dihmer. “Is that corrrect?”

“It lashes,” she said.

Kepler and Flynn stared blankly at her.

She stared blankly back.

“It... lashes...” Flynn murmured.

The mare simply nodded. “It lashes.”

More silence.

“O-kay.” Flynn slapped his hooves together, rubbed them, and approached the device. “Think I'll get that drill up and running now!”

“It appearrs to be lacking a prroperr enerrgy sourrce, brrotherr,” Kepler said.

Flynn was already focusing his mechanical eye on the innards of the contraption. “Awwww... shucks! This is an easy fix!” He gestured. “Just a right stone for enchantment and a good zap from my horn and I can totally get this thing up and running!”

“Arre we talking conventional vessels orr something of a sarrosian slant, brrotherr?”

“Well, it's super tempting to use some of the remaining runes. But we are dealing with a device built to work on chaos magic—like the strips she had back in her shack in Blobstain.” Flynn stood up straight, rubbing the back of his head and exhaling. “The ponies back in Darkreach perfected a way to mix unicorn magic with chaos. Remember Hoverplank?”

“How can we not? That lovely vehicle deserrved a grrave.”

“Hrmf. Do I know it.”

“Do you believe you can employ a similarr marrvel of engineerring herre?”

“That depends.” Flynn fidgeted slightly, looking halfway between Kepler and the mare, but no further. “If she had some chaos metal to spare...”

“Who arre you asking, exactly, frriend?”

“I'm... asking... no one?”

Kepler pointed at the mare. “Perrhaps you should ask herr.”

Flynn took a deep breath. He braved a look in her direction. “Would it... be possible if I used one or two strips of your chaos metal? So I can make the right fuse to work with an enchanted energy source for your drill?”

Kepler looked from Flynn to the Dihmer.

She stood silent for a short span, but was nonetheless deadpan when she finally stated: “It suffices.” Without hesitation, she reached a hoof into her saddlebag and produced a set of rectangular solids, brimming with a dim gray haze. “It encases,” she said, hoofing the items over to Flynn. “That which is raw and uncarved.”

Flynn cradled the pieces of metal, studying them closely. “I see...” He gave one or two shards a meager zap with his horn. Translucent scales bubbled to the surface, then faded into mist. “Whew boy... hope we won't have to prime this drill around Rainbow once she gets back.” He squatted beside the mechanism in question, reaching into his saddlebag and setting equipment out across the floor of the chamber. “Okay. I should be able to knock this out in a jiffy.” He pivoted to holler over his shoulder. “But it'll go a bit faster once Big Show spelunks his fat flank up here with my manavessels!”

Huff on a cactus, baldy!

Huff on a cactus, baldy!

Huff on a cactus, baldy!

Meanwhile, the Dihmer stood at a meager distance, sealing up her saddlebag. Before she had it entirely closed, she found herself grasping the fractured strip of metal that Plato had given her. As she held it in her grasp, tiny manifestations of chaos flew out and back in with tiny, whispery roars. Then, the strip was dull once more.

With a blank expression, the mare simply slid the shard back in and trotted around the circumference of the chamber to check on her torches.

Fourteen Hours After Rainbow Dash and Her Party Left

“What the Hell, Flynn?” Logan belched, trotting the lengths of the chamber for the umpteenth time since he clambered up there. “I thought you said you'd get that drill-thingy fixed in a jiffy.”

“Yeah, well...” Flynn licked his lips, sweating profusely as he lay beside the contraption, his forelimbs fetlock-deep into the innards as he struggled to rewire the thing. “...ran into some... grfff... c-complications!”

“I'm tellin' ya...” Logan squatted beneath a torch where his axe lay against the wall. “...you should have used one of the moon runes we got still.” He stifled a yawn and leaned back against the rockface. “Certainly, there's gotta be a perfect moonwhinny word for activating it.”

“This is not about the tech we're familiar with,” Flynn huffed and puffed. “It's about what she uses.” He paused—if only to wipe the sweat from his balding crown. “This thing runs on chaos strips—but repairing it requires unicorn precision and enchantment! It's as s-simple as that! I'm not about to turn this whole damn thing inside out so that it runs by our standards.”

Logan craned his neck curiously. “Ain't that what you're doing right now, pretty much?”

Flynn looked at Logan, then at the guts of the machine partially splayed out. “This... th-this isn't turning things inside out!” He shrugged. “It's just... y'know... chaotic surgery!”

“Uh huh...”

“Do you wanna stick your fat hooves inside this thing? If so, be my guest!”

“Pffft. And steal all your glory?” Logan shook his head with a plump smirk. “I'm not the one out to impress Lil' Miss Sunshine over there.”

“Ugh... Big Show...” Flynn's mechanical eye rotated in and out angrily. “Will you just drop it?”

“How can I if you don't let it go—?”

“I'm not kidding!” Flynn flung him an angry look. Sweat dribbled down his frowning expression. “I made mistakes—but I've backed off. It was never about trying to 'make some move 'or some crap. I've felt bad for these ponies since the moment we first made contact with them and for a brief moment I thought that maybe—just maybe—we could make a connection with one of them! It was forward and bigheaded of me, yes, but at least the effort got us this far and I'm doing my damnedest to make it work well for everypony! Can you at least respect that instead of just trying to press all my damned buttons?!”

“... … ...” Logan blinked. “Sure thing, dude...”

Flynn exhaled in a huff—as if a huge weight was yanked off his shoulders. “Good.” He returned to his work, rotating his mechanical lens to focus better on the mess of metal and conduits. “Now maybe I can make some friggin' progress.”

“But while I'm a cheeky bastard who enjoys pressing buttons, I still gotta say...” Logan squinted. “If this has anything to do with shit from the past—”

“Logan...” Flynn clenched his good eye shut. “Just leave it—”

“Not that easy, bro.” Logan's brow furrowed. “We've been together for too long for you to keep secrets from me. I know that you never got over the crap that went down in Aegis.”

“... … ...”

“I used to find it kinda funny—given what happened to Bard and Wildcard immediately after the job, that you would still be so bent out of shape about it when they ultimately suffered a lot worse stuff than either of us ever did. But I was just being callous and stupid. You went through a bad time, dude. That sucks. It sucks super hard. And—sure—you've carried yourself pretty damn well ever since. But I know a piece of you is still lying broken and battered in that cave that the crazy mare collapsed. You wanna ramble and whine about it? Do it around me. I'm big enough—I can soak it all in.”

Logan gestured across the cave.

“But don't rope her and the rest of her kind in on all that shit. They know nothing about the Light Side. They haven't been through the same crud that us Job Squadders used to see day in and day out. You wanna help them? Sure. I'd love to get them outta their funk top—hypothetically, at least. But you gotta understand that whatever you do for these ponies ain't gonna do shit for the ponies back home. And even if we magically rescue an entire culture of Dihmers from destitution, it won't take back the little filly you gave your all to resuscitate.”

Silence.

“You got that, bro?” Logan leaned in.

“Just... let me keep to my work, Big Show,” Flynn said in a defeated tone. “Machines and magic—that's my jam. It's what I understand the most... and it's where I'm most useful.”

“Well...” Logan leaned back, exhaling. “You're only half right about that.”

“Fine job you do of showing it.”

“Mrmmm... yeah...” Logan nodded. “That's also my fault.'

Neither Heraldite had anything to say after that.

Kepler half-heard the conversation as he shuffled across the chamber. He approached the Dihmer, who was squatting on the floor with several strips of chaos metal lying in orderly rows before and around her. She was in the process of carving and polishing the samples as the wyvern stood within speaking distance.

“Ach! How delightfully geometrric!” He smiled through his tusks. “I too grreatly apprreciate an orrderrly worrkspace when I am tasked with a perrsonal prroject!”

The mare barely looked up at him. “It functions.”

“Indeed so!” He unscrewed a canteen and held it out towards her. “Waterr, frriend?”

She merely looked up at him.

He cocked his head slightly to the side. “It hydrrates!”

A breath, and the mare waved a dismissive hoof. “It abstains.”

“Hmmm... a wise prrecaution, I suppose.” Kepler nevertheless took a sip himself. “Even on the Light Side, accepting sustenance frrom strrangerrs is neverr an assurrredly safe prractice. I only hope that you yourrself arre well prrovided forr.”

“It sustains.”

“I suspected as much.” Kepler squatted low to meet her eye-level, all while remaining a polite distance. “Although—I must declarre—you have gone out of yourr way to accommodate the whole lot of us.”

Her purple eyes darted up at him.

“Am I alone in making this obserrvation?” Kepler's eyes blinked behind his spectacles. “None of yourr fellow kind have endeavorred to talk to us unprrovoked, much less acknowledge ourr existence thrrough dialogue. And yet you have shown us yourr talents, escorrted us to yourr domain, and given us a golden opporrtunity to achieve ourr goals herre on the Darrk Side.” He smiled. “And in many ways, you too stand to benefit! I must say—it has to be an unprrecedented level of diplomacy forr all Dihmerr-kind!”

“... … ...” The mare looked into the space between them. Ultimately she sighed with a defeated droop of her ears. “It lingers.”

“Perrhaps. But why is that such an awful thing?” Kepler cocked his head to the side. “I cannot prretend to know the philosophical aspirrations of your kind—orr the lack therreof—but it has been my experrience that maximum prrogrress is achieved thrrough comrraderrie and benevolent association.” He took a deep breath. “You may feel whateverr you please about ourr interraction, but I would like you to know that what you have done—indeed, even what you may have sacrrificed—has brrought my frriends and I boundless satisfaction.” He held a hand over his chest. “And it has earrned my rrespect.”

Her nostrils flared. “It fails,” she muttered, returning back to her work. “It echoes as it squints.”

“Ha-Hah!” Kepler smirked. “I do suppose it was only a matterr of time beforre I rran parrallel with him.” He leaned back where he sat with a casual smile. “And you arre in yourr rright to feel annoyed by the two of us.” He looked over his shoulder. “Neverrtheless, I would like to assurre you that—despite his awkwarrd bumblings—my frriend has meant no disrrespect. Ach... his emotions and his trroubles arre often one in the same. But...” He looked at her once again. “That can be said of all us 'Penumbrrans.'” His eyes narrowed. “And even those berreft of light.”

She froze in the middle of her work, ears twitching slightly.

“It just so happens that my associates and I arren't all that verry good at supprressing ourr feelings and emotional prroclivities when it matterrs the most.” The wyvern gestured. “Mayhaps you could teach us a thing orr two about how we can imprrove upon that. But until such a day should arrrive, I prromise you that we shall rrespect yourr boundarries. You may have alrready noticed that he who 'squints' has managed to do so quite swimmingly as of late.”

The mare bit her lip. For a brief moment, it looked as though she was going to say something—

Vrmmmmmmmmmmm!

The rocks of the cavern lit up in a dim gray sheen.

“Ha!” Flynn cackled. “Hah hah hah!” He hobbled up to all fours, bucked the mechanism's plates shut, and pointed at its slowly rotating drill. “Suck on those teats, chaos! I've read your book!”

“A touch of dignity, if you would, good frriend...” Kepler shook his head with an exasperated sigh. “I endeavorred to prroselytize on behalf of yourr integrrity.”

“Integrity, smeggrity!” Logan hopped up, rubbing his hooves together. “It's drilling time, baby! Let's go fetch us some varnish!” He motioned for the drill. “Gimme gimme!”

“Uh uh, Big Show. This is my time to dance.” Flynn pointed at the seams between the mechanism's panels where it brimmed with blue-and-gray energy from within. “I just spent a veritable century putting this shit together! It's delicate. It's sensitive.”

“It's also herrs,” Kepler said, pointing at the mare in question. “It only stands to rreason that she wield it.” He looked over. “If she so chooses.”

“It... struggles,” the mare said.

All three Heraldites looked at her strangely.

“I beg yourr parrdon?” Kepler blinked.

She sighed—almost as if she was trying to explain it to children. “It struggles,” she repeated, standing up slowly. “It struggles because of that which resides.”

“Resides?” Flynn's good eye narrowed. “What resides?”

Just then...

...a loud, high-pitched, bone-chilling shriek issued from the many-many-many holes surrounding the chamber from all sides. Either it was the acoustics or the sheer echo of the outburst, but it sounded like a hundred million beasts were screaming into the cavern from all sides.

Flynn jumped, nearly bumping into the drill. Kepler winced visibly. Logan reached for his axe.

“The buck is that?!” Flynn's voice cracked.

The Dihmer looked at them as if they were twice as stupid as usual. “It lashes.”

The roar resounded—louder now. Closer.

Tiny chaos serpents issued from the active drill, splitting into nearly a dozen translucent worms—each of which flew down a separate hole in the wall. The air tingled as the aura of chaos intensified.

Logan grimaced. “Awwww hell no.”

But a Delicate Recreation...

Ten Hours After Rainbow Dash and Her Party Left to Rendezvous With Lexxic

She breathed in.

She breathed out.

She breathed in.

She breathed out.

Two hooves moved after two others.

Fluid.

Rhythmic.

Thoughtless... or as close to it as she could manage with all her being.

Slowly—and with methodical breaths—she endured the lengthy trek that took her bleakside beyond the limits of her usual place of dwelling.

As was typical, she performed the entire journey alone. There were few—if any—distractions along the way. Sometimes an audacious specimen of wildlife would attempt to pounce lone Dihmers wandering the wasteland. She was more than capable of evading such predatory attacks, but no such incident transpired at this time.

Which was almost disappointing. A chaotic eventuality—at least—might distract her from the thoughts being attached to the flimsy consciousness within her shell of a being. She tried counting the steps... focusing on the great vastness of the desolation before and behind and around her. But it was far too late. The canvas had been dirtied. Simply being out there in and of itself was a testament to her failure.

And so she lingered...

...between each breath.

… ...between each step.

… … …between each blink.

Until she chanced upon an event—an opportunity to adjust the paradigm and shake her back to a lower place of placid nothingness.

She arrived at her destination...

...but was mildly surprised to see that the three Penumbrans—wagon and all—had somehow beat her to it.

She scuffled to a stop, standing upon the crest of a stone hill. Looking down a dip in the landscape, she saw the plateau and the boulder that lingered in its shadow. The one who rolled his tongue was perched atop the rock while the one that belched and the one that squinted dismounted from the wagon and approached the false entrance to the cave, examining it closely. They were so easily distracted. She imagined that they would never find the hidden passageway, even if they tried.

Perhaps it was better that they remained in the dark.

If she never arrived...

...their weighted egos would be slighted. They would take offense. Furthermore, they would have no logical reason to ever speak to her again. She would be free of them forever—and for what? The sacrifice of further business with the Chrome-Blooders?

She failed. She was too attached to the industry that was placed upon her due to her lingering. But this...

This could have been the beginning of a long-awaited release.

She exhaled, clearing her lungs.

Soon, she cleared her thoughts as well.

She turned about...

Hooves scuffling... ….

… … ...and she made for the path that would eventually take her back to the ocean-side town.

As she trotted away, voices from the Penumbrans below wafted in her direction.

Among them: “Let's stay on topic. How the Hell do we get in?”

It was the voice of the annoying one. The one who squinted. Her ears folded and the lines in her muzzle tightened. But before she could mentally chastise herself for that...

...she sensed a few translucent shapes flitting out of her saddlebag in tiny gray streaks.

She paused in her return trek. She reached into her saddlebag and produced the source of the anomaly. It was the strip that Plato had given her. At her slightest touch, the cut metal object brimmed with chaotic energy—its tiny wyrms fizzling in and out of existence.

Such thoughtless creatures—and yet such purposelessness. Affecting and inviting nothing.

“... … ...” Calmly, she slid the strip back into her saddlebag. A loathesome breath... and she turned back around...

...and headed towards the cave once again.

The Penumbrans came well within earshot.

“Well, looks like we beat her to it,” the one who belched said. “The Hell we do now? Wait here and... watch Keps twiddle his thumbs?”

“We can maybe take a survey of the surrounding areas,” the one who squinted said. “For security's sake. It'll pass the time until you-know-who-arrives.”

The one who rolled his tongue met her eyesight, pointing towards the mare with a claw. “I don't think that will be necessarrry.”

“Why not?” The one who belched asked. “Being aware of our surroundings is super important.”

She spoke calmly as she passed his large figure. “It arrives.”

“GAAAH!” He jumped dramatically. This did not surprise her. “Sh-shit on a stick! Put a frikin' bell on yourself, lady!”

She merely glanced at him. “It breathes.”

Fourteen and a Half Hours After Rainbow Dash and Her Party Left

“Okay...” Logan trotted in front of her, slowly raising his forelimbs as his voice took on a noticeably patronizing tone. “...we're gonna go through this slowly. Bullet point by bullet point.” He pointed down one of the many-many holes surrounding the chamber. “It lashes...”

She stared deadpan at him. “It affirms.”

A roaring sound echoed once more from the narrow passages. Kepler and Flynn squirmed nervously, gazing in all directions.

Logan stood beside the still-humming drill. “It collects.”

“It affirms,” she replied.

The fat stallion's hoof pointed back and forth between the holes and the drill. “Do these two friggin' things conflict with one another or what?!?”

The Dihmer trotted calmly around the humming drill, nodding towards it with her head. “It shimmers which drills.” She turned and pointed towards the many-many holes. “It collects which varnishes.” A swallowing. “It pursues which lashes.”

“How...” Logan fidgeted where he stood. “...do you avoid the shit that 'lashes'?”

She blinked emotionlessly. “It is expedient.”

Another roar. Flynn and Kepler visibly shook, looking all around.

“Pfffft... well! There you have it, dudes!” Logan leaned back on his haunches with forelimbs folded. “She's fast! THAT'S her solution to whatever the buck is growling and spitting up a storm in there!”

“A moment, Big Show, if you shall humorr me.” Kepler cleared his throat and leaned towards the mare. “Whateverr this prresence may be...” The wyvern's eyes narrowed behind his bifocals. “...what prrecisely attrracts them?”

She pointed at the drill. “It pursues that which shimmers falsely.”

“... … ...” Kepler looked left, then right. His eyebrows raised. “The entity orr entities... arre attrracted to chaos enerrgy?”

“It affirms.”

Kepler and Logan looked at Flynn.

The unicorn stallion standing by the drill quietly reached over and switched the mechanism off. After a pronounced whine, the device puttered to dead silence. Still and dormant.

The beasts beyond the holes roared and sputtered and hissed...

...then were silent.

The entire cave was still once more.

“Hrmmmfff...” Logan huffed. “Buckin' cute.”

“Relax, fatso,” Flynn grunted. “This situation is quite simple, actually.”

“Simple? How in the whorish Hell is it 'simple'?”

Flynn gestured. “If these things are anything like most of the creatures we've encountered on the Dark Side, they'll undoubtedly be freakish, yes, but they're also very likely to be dumb as hell.”

“Yeah? And we're dumb as hell.” Logan snorted. “What's your point?”

“We don't have to have the drill on at all times,” Flynn said. “Only when we're doing the actual—y'know—drilling.” He pointed into the holes. “I'd say we go and find some of the raw material that makes the varnish, set up a defense perimeter, and then do the drilling as quickly as we need to before getting the hell outta Dodge.”

“How do we know that spelunking into all of... … … that...” Logan pointed at all of the holes, holes, holes “...won't just take us deeper into their lair or something?” His brow furrowed. “We could become the Order of the Heraldic Lunch.”

“There's no guarantee of anything, dude,” Flynn said, shaking his head. “But we've come this far... and we gotta figure out a way to give Rainbow and the rest of the gang an easy out. So what's stopping us?”

Logan exhaled slowly, scratching his head in thought.

Kepler stroked his hairy chin. “Ach... they most cerrtainly went silent the moment we switched the apparratus off. Perrhaps we will have morre contrrol overr this than we initially thought.” He smiled slightly behind his tusks. “Afterr all... if she made it thrrough such perrils on herr lonesome, than why can't we expect to fairr any betterr?”

Flynn looked at the Dihmer. “Do you know a good spot in these caves to extract the material for the varnish?”

“It knows,” she replied.

Flynn's good eye narrowed. “Could you... be so kind as to show us? So we can do the drilling?”

“If concurs.” She moved towards the drill, took a deep breath, and started hoisting it over her quivering flank.

Logan blanched. “...the hell are you doing?”

“It conveys that which drills,” she huffed, already sweating profusely. Her legs wobbled. “That which has a false shimmer hides what lingers from that which lashes.”

“Well, that's all good and fine, but...” Flynn clenched his teeth. “You're gonna snap in two at this rate.”

“It s-suffices...”

“Oh, for the love of butts...” Logan rolled his eyes. In one swift motion, the large stallion easily heaved the heavy object over his flank. “Move over, Little Miss Martyr. The least we can do is the gruntwork.”

“Easy with that thing, Big Show,” Flynn said, waving a nervous hoof. “We've no clue how fragile it is!”

“Yeah yeah. Relax, champ. It's not my first time carrying a chaos-powered drill through a cave filled with roaring monstrosities.”

“...really?”

“Hell no! But it helps to pretend!” Logan huffed, sweating as she looked at the Dihmer who brought them there. “Point and click, lady!”

She merely blinked at him.

“Ahem...” Kepler leaned in. “He means forr you to lead us towarrds the prroperr destination, if you would be so kind...”

She nodded at that. “It proceeds.” Without saying anything else, she hurriedly trotted down a passageway.

Hitching his breath, Flynn scampered to follow immediately behind her, glowing his horn to illuminate the path. Logan followed immediately after with the drill, while Kepler grabbed a torch and cautiously took up the rear.

And like that, all four departed from the chamber, and into the dark dark stone bowels of the plateau.

Seventeen Hours After Rainbow Dash and Her Party Left

Flynn foolishly thought that they would immediately chance upon the spot where they needed to be to drill for more varnish. In truth, he vastly underestimated just how far and deep the tunnels stretched. The corridors were long, winding, and claustrophobic. Nevertheless, the Dihmer traversed them at a consistent, thoughtful pace. At no point did her body language suggest that she was forgetful of the paths or getting lost.

This, of course, impressed the three Job Squadders immeasurably, and her concentrated motions was the only thing keeping their anxiety at bay. They had been spelunking deeper and deeper into the earth for hours, and yet there was no stopping to drill. While the paths didn't take them anywhere vastly descending, the journey nevertheless felt like they were sealing themselves away from the surface world forever. It occurred to the group that there'd be a daunting return trip ahead.

“Just how in the blue hell did she dig these paths?” Logan huffed and puffed, sweating up a storm from the weight of the drill he was lugging. “Or any of the friggin' dihmers for that matter?”

“I don't believe they did, old frriend,” Kepler remarked in a low breath. As they followed her, the wyvern gestured at hundreds upon thousands of tiny chisel indentations set within the circular walls of the passageways. “Harrk. Feast yourr eyes.”

Logan squinted through a sheen of sweat. “... … ...teeth marks?”

“Affirmative.”

“Those are some friggin' dentures...”

“No debris,” Flynn managed from ahead of the other two. The light wobbled from his horn as he glanced back over his flank. “No chunks of displaced stone lying around. Not even dust.”

“Then just where did these things dump all the crud?” Logan asked.

“Good question.” Flynn pointed at the smoothness of the walls they passed by. “See the polish? The random off-color splotches.”

“Ach...” Kepler nodded. “Acid burrns.”

“That's what I'm thinking—” Flynn said.

“It silences,” the Dihmer suddenly whispered from up ahead.

The three Heraldites scuffled to a stop behind her, bumping into one another goofily.

“Oomf..” Logan shook it off, squinting at her. “Huh?”

“It silences,” she repeated, still quiet as a mouse. Her body was pressed low to the floor of the cave.

“... … ...I can't tell how serious she is,” Logan muttered. “Would it kill ya to be a bit emphatic, lady?”

“Will you just shut up and get down, Big Show?!” Flynn snapped, already pressing himself to the floor. “She obviously senses something!” he hissed.

“Shhhhh...!” Kepler insisted as he and Logan also squatted low. “I'm feeling vibrrations! Getting strrongerr...”

“Right... got it...” Logan held the drill close, his muscles tensing up against a rock wall. “...quieting down.”

All four spelunkers were silent as the stone around them. Flynn and the Dihmer squatted a few meters forward. Logan—due to having to reposition the drill—hunched over with tunnel space to spare between him and the first two. Kepler nestled close to Logan's side.

The earth was still. The vibrations—which had been intensifying for the past minute or so—had dwindled to a low rustle. Soon, the group could feel nothing. It was almost as if they had all imagined the initial stirring to begin with.

Flynn arched an eyebrow. He lifted up slightly, opening his muzzle—

“It silences,” the mare whispered—barely audible.

Nevertheless, Flynn heard her. And he obeyed. He gazed down the tunnel, his flesh-and-metal eyes making contact with Logan's gaze.

Logan made a face. His muzzle twisted as he mouthed a few confused words. Just then, the wyvern behind him shifted nervously. Logan turned to see the hairs on Kepler's back bristling with sudden anxiety. Kepler's scorpion tail curled tighter as he threw the rest of the Heraldites a worried look.

It was around that time that a crackling sound emanated from one wall of the tunnel. It came from Logan's left, right in the space afforded between himself and Flynn.

As the noise intensified, Logan felt Kepler's claws pressing ardently into his withers. Holding his breath, the large stallion shuffled backwards, dragging the drill along with him. As he and the wyvern retreated, a spot along the wall formed tiny microscopic cracks... then noticeably large fissures. Steam billowed into the room with a pronounced hiss. Shortly thereafter—

CRASSSSH!!!

—a vertical slice of wall broke open, immediately resembling one the many-many holes that surrounded the chamber where the Dihmer's equipment rested far back. More steam gusted through, filling the air of the tunnel with a rancid smell. As the subsequent fog dissipated, a globulous mass of... something birthed its way into the narrow space afforded between the two halves of the group. It undulated and shook, dribbling with reddish-brown moisture that seeped across the floor and devoured the spilled pebbles in acidic toxicity. With mucousy motions, the organic blob pulled its remaining psuedopodia from the adjoining passage that it had evidently made with its caustic discharge. The specimen lingered there, inflating and deflating like a living lung, resembling in no small part a pile of severed lizard tails enmeshed in three-layers of translucent amniotic sacks.

To say that the Job Squadders were grimacing at this would be an understatement. Once it became clear that the thing would be sharing the claustrophobic chamber with the four of them, Kepler worked to extinguish his torch.

Flynn likewise dimmed his horn—

—only for the Dihmer to press a hoof to his shoulder.

The stallion was startled by that—for several reasons. He looked to her to see her gesturing for him to simply remain still.

Kepler froze in place, his spectacled eyes darting between the creature and his torch.

The monstrosity made no notice of the flame—or any light for that matter. It rested there, undulating. Every once in a while, puffs of steam would emanate from where its wet mass met the stone floor. The air rolled once, twice, thrice over with fouler and fouler stenches as the beast burned the remnants of the spilled stone all around it. Consuming.

This continued for the space of five agonizing minutes.

Suddenly, there was an even greater expulsion of gas and steam. The whole tunnel shook like a resonating chamber. A pronounced growl rose from the center of the beast, then shifted and wobbled as if the thing possessed an organic centrifuge. What happened next startled the group in its ferocity. Two or three separate weights shifted from within the beast and—

SPL-SPL-SPLORRRCH!

—three separate tentacles were conjured from within. There were no existing orifices for them. They simply sliced their way out of the creature's outer flesh layer, spilling acid and dirty fluids in the process. The every square inch of the tentacles were covered with what resembled tiny cat mouths—bearing razor sharp teeth. The fibrous tendrils lashed blindly towards nothing and everything.

CL-CLACKKKK!

They landed on the tunnel wall opposite of the fresh hole through pure luck, latching on and pulling the hulking weight of the beast closer. The split group watched as those same razor-toothed mouths vomited viscous dollops of acidic compounds. Then, with nightmarish ease, the beast ate through the rock wall like a hot knife might burn through ice cream. It went about this task with remarkable speed, yet slowly and methodically for some reason. Upon longer observation, the Heraldites realized that the major sack of the beast was somehow reabsorbing the remaining traces of acid, no doubt re-constituting it back into itself... as evidenced at the pearl-smooth burn marks left on the stone in its wake.

The grumbling resounded. The beast birthed newer and newer tentacles, retracting the old ones that had finished their initial tasks. In such a fashion, the creature departed into the womb of stone, carving out a fresh new tunnel with great ease.

The echoes of the creature's digging continued, forcing the group to remain silent and still until it was safe enough—or at least comfortable enough—to move. It was during this point that something shifted around the Dihmer's position. The other three sensed a flicker of pale silver light.

The Dihmer hitched her breath. Two hooves flew to her saddlebag, and she clasped her fetlocks over the shard that Plato had given her. The chaos serpents flowing in and out of them were immediately stifled. The silver glow died out.

But their existence had an effect. The echoes stopped altogether, and all was still from the fresh tunnel being dug.

...until suddenly it wasn't.

Shaking. Quaking. Thundering. Then—in a burst of steam—the nightmarish blob returned to the new hole it had made, settling and bubbling there like fresh pus settling beneath pierced acne.

Logan, Kepler, and Flynn flinched. The mare kept calm, clasping her saddlebag close.

The filthy epidermis of the creature rippled and vibrated. Tiny movements shifted noticeably beneath the pliable flesh, like an eye sweeping left and right, battling with cataracts. At any moment—the group thought—tentacles might lash out and fill the space of the tunnel with teeth and acid. But this did not happen.

Another rumble...

...and the creature returned back into the tunnel, like a water balloon filled with mud that drooped into a concrete recess. The echoes were softer this time, and the puffs of steam intermittent and timely. Within ten minutes, it had carved its way far enough for the group to feel more than safe.

“My starrs and garrterrs...” Kepler sweated beside the torch in his clawed grasp. “Does everrything on the darrkside rrequirre such a detestable aesthetic??”

Flynn reached out and gingerly touched the stone surface where the creature had passed. He exhaled with relief. “Guess it really does suck everything up.” His mechanical eye trained on the others. “Should be safe for us to traverse.”

“Hey...!” Logan hissed, dragging the drill with him as he approached the mare he was frowning at. “...lady! When were you gonna tell us about the demon cat nip you've got stowed away in your bag?”

Flynn's brow furrowed. “The Hell you on about, Big Show?”

“Don't play stupid, dude!” Logan pointed at her saddlebag. “The thing only came back cuz of her chaos lizards doing the loopty-loopty!”

“It supplies,” the mare said without an ounce of ego.

Logan grunted. “The hell does that even mean?! The hell does any of the stuff you say even mean?!?”

“It's rratherr self-explanatorry, frriend,” Kepler said in an emphatically hushed tone—as if suggesting Logan maintain the same. “The drrill rrequirres chaos metals to prroperrly operrate. It stands to rreason that she would need to carrry rreserrves with herr when collecting the varrnish.”

“A bit of forewarning would have been really friggin' nice!” Logan hissed, his “quiet” whispers nonetheless sounding like playground grunts. “I mean... like... before we even signed up for this whole mess! It would have been nice to know that we'd be dealing with zombie acid poop monsters from beyond the grave!”

“You gotta read between the lines with her kind, Big Show,” Flynn said. “It's the only way to make it work.”

“Besides...!” Kepler managed a hopeful smile. “She's evidently done this countless times without ourr chivalrrous assistance! It stands to rreason she's managed swimmingly despite what she's forrced to carrry in herr bags!”

“Yeah, but it's different now! She's got us!” Logan huffed. “And we've seen enough from these ponies to know that they only care about Light Siders as far as they can throw them off their tail! They don't even care about their own lives!” He swung an angry hoof. “I, for one, wanna live as long as I can to actually witness the Austraeoh fixing shit in this broken world! I dun wanna become living-poop-food needlessly because our guide can't be assed to think twice about common safety!”

“Dude...” Flynn's good eye narrowed. “...she told us to stay silent and keep low. She just now saved our skins. What's your friggin' deal?”

“What's your deal??” Logan gestured. “Doesn't it bother you in the slightest that she hasn't been fully complicit with us about the crap we're facing in these caves?! Facing a challenge is one thing. I'm no coward—but I hate being forced to be an idiot against my choice!”

“Come on...” Flynn shook his head, chuckling. “Aren't you being kinda ridiculous?”

“Ach...” Kepler fidgeted guiltily. “Logan makes a good point, frriend. Ourr Dihmerr guide has not been verry communicative with us. And it's morre than just a merre consequence of herr culturre. We—as the Herraldic Seven—function best when we have prroperr inforrmation at ourr disposal. If we werre still converrsing casually back in herr shack, it would be one thing. But we arre now in the thick of it—and therre is no turrning back.”

“Okay... okay...” Flynn sighed, waving his hooves. “...yeah, you're right. She should have told us these things way earlier. Or at least tried. But let's not jump to conclusions. She's not trying to maliciously use us as sacrificial bait or some shit.”

“I'm not saying that she's malicious, dude,” Logan said. “But rather that she simply doesn't care.” His eyes narrowed. “Do you remember anything back on the Light Side more dangerous than apathy?”

Flynn bit his lip. He hung his head with drooping ears.

“The next best thing, perrhaps...” Kepler spoke. “...is to addrress ourr concerrns to ourr guide.”

“Yeah. I'll start.” Flynn turned around. “Hey... uhm... sorry about all the noise, but could we chat for a sec—” His good eye blinked.

The Dihmer was meters upon meters ahead, traversing the long tunnel on her own, slowly creeping towards their intended destination.

“There...!” Logan gestured. “See what I mean?!”

“Ach...” Kepler rubbed his head. “Habits arre harrd to brreak when you'rre rraised without believing in them.”

“Or ambition.” Logan huffed, shouldering the weight of the drill once again. “Or a conscience.”

“Can we can it with the Judgement 101 and just get this over with?!” Flynn hissed.

“Hey...” Logan cracked his joints and moved ahead. “...I can get behind that. Light us up, dude.”

Flynn sighed. Nevertheless, he summoned more glow into his horn, trotting up behind Logan as the group attempted to catch up with the mare.

“Rrelax, brrotherr...” Kepler patted Flynn's side with his scorpion tail before moving ahead with the torch in one claw. “I, forr one, believe we arre making grreat strrides in communicating with herr.”

Flynn looked sadly ahead at the mare—a mere dot beyond the form of Logan at this point. “Or maybe... we're just fools for even trying.”

Eighteen Hours After Rainbow Dash and Her Party Left

A dark passage...

Leading to an even darker hovel... …

...the shape of a mare's shaven head leaned into the narrow space, peering within. The cave system behind her lit up as Flynn trotted up. Her silhouette increased in size and detail as she moved through the narrow passage, entering the larger hollow. Flynn followed, and soon his horn illuminated the full length of the chamber... which was indeed quite fully and lengthy.

That particular cavern stretched for about ten square meters—almost perfectly circular. In the dead center of the chamber was a boulder surrounded by a pile of rocks. The ground upon which the debris rested was slightly raised above the surrounding surfaces, resembling a dais of sorts.

“Huh...” Flynn's mechanical eye rotated in and out at the sights. “...that's... different.”

“What's d-different??” Logan huffed and puffed. The large stallion was strong, but this extensive underground trek put more than a bit of strain on his usual endurance. He sweated profusely, heaving the drill into the chamber through the narrow entrance. Once inside, he landed the mechanism—(CLUNK!)—on the ground and leaned against it, panting. He squinted through a curtain of perspiration. “It's just...” A gesturing hoof. “...j-j-just another dung hole.”

“Ach...” Kepler adjusted his spectacles, staring at the circular chamber. “I feel something is quite peculiarr about this place.” He pointed at the boulders and rocks in the dead-center. “It looks to me as though this was all carrved with specific purrpose.”

“Like... what?” Logan gulped, and panted some more. “Some other Dihmers dug this place out before us?”

“Not Dihmerrs, frriend.” Kepler ran his claws along the smooth floor surrounding the centermost rise. “These arre the same acid burrns that were used to forrge the tunnels that brrought us herre.”

Logan raised an eyebrow. “You mean the poop-balloons made this place?!”

“Affirrmative.”

“What in balls for?”

“It nests,” the mare calmly stated, currently in the process of scouring the walls.

“It nests?!” Logan blanched. “You mean this is home-sweet-home for those living-breathing colostomy bags?!”

“I don't see... uhhhhh...” Flynn stood close to the center, scratching his head. “...any poop 'eggs'.”

“I doubt they've begun breeding yet,” Kepler said. “Although I doubt that they'rre capable of laying eggs. I have my perrsonal bet on defecational asexual budding! Ha-HAH!” When nopony laughed at his “joke,” the wyvern chose to clear his throat and speak on, gesturing towards the boulder and neighboring rocks in the room's center. “Those rock samples arre undoubtedly sourrces of nourrishment to ween the newly-birrthed younglings.”

“Well, buck all that noise,” Logan grunted, moving to hoist the drill over his haunches again. “Rnnngh... we gotta g-get out of this forsaken place before the toilet orgy begins!”

“It remains,” the Dihmer immediately retorted.

“H-huh?!”

As the group looked at her, she gestured to the wall. “It varnishes.”

“What?” Flynn squinted his good eye.

She looked at him, pointing calmly to the wall. “It varnishes.”

When there was no response, she exhaled through her nostrils and motioned him closer. Flynn approached, and as the stallion unicorn's horn glowed closer to the wall...

“Whoah...” Logan stammered.

“My starrs and garrterrs...” Kepler mouthed.

Flynn blinked in surprise. His light spell reflected a full wall of glittery material. The rough surface was comprised of a completely different substance than the rest of the cave. It was as if naturally-made sparkly studs were mixed evenly with the craggy, uneven rock.

“It varnishes,” the mare said again.

“Yeah yeah... we get it. Finally.” Flynn gulped, waving his horn left and right, catching more and more glitter. “Is it... some kind of node?”

“Rresembles pyrrite,” Kepler remarked, holding his torch close. “Orr something of similar texturral composition. Therre's an abundance of deposits much akin to it in Dust Prrefecturre back on the Light Side.”

“Foal's gold,” Logan remarked. “Lots of dumbasses in Rohbredden died over that shit.,”

“Hah!” Kepler turned to grin at his companion. “You and I come frrom vastly differrent upbrringings, frriend!”

Flynn whistled. “The here and now, guys.” He looked towards the Dihmer. “Is this the stuff we gotta drill for the varnish?”

“It collects,” the mare said. “It collects and trades for that which sustains.”

“Riiiiight...” Flynn nodded. “So I guess we're on the right track. What happens next?”

The mare turned towards the drill. Her eyes lifted, making contact with Logan. “It belches.”

“... … ...” Logan gave her a blank stare. “I'm sorry...?”

“It belches.” She pointed at the drill. “It brings that which drills to collect.”

“I dun get it... what's belching?”

“I believe she's addressing you, Big Show,” Flynn muttered, eye rolling.

“Affirrmative.”

Logan's jaw dropped. “Awwww come on now! What, did you ponies burn all your dictionaries and snort up the ashes?! Can't you at least pronounce a two-syllable name—?!”

“Just bring the drill closer to the wall, dude, yeesh,” Flynn said, struggling not to face-hoof.

“One must admit...” Kepler smirked through his tusks. “It is quite accurrate.”

“Hrmmfff...” Logan huffed and puffed, dragging the drill over to the wall. “...I'll show you what's 'accurate',” he mumbled under his breath. “'It pisses out its mouth.' How's that for an accurate depiction of somepony?”

“It suffices.”

“Awwwwwwwww shuddup.” Logan grunted, heaving the drill until it pointed its large bit towards the glittery wall. “There. How's that?”

“It drills.” The mare slid in, gripping the controls with her hooves. She hissed under her breath, straining slightly as she pivoted the drill towards the midsection of the wall. “It collects—”

“Wait.” Flynn held a hoof up. A breath, and he looked at her. “...let me be the one who operates it.”

“Flynn, now's not the time to white-knight-it,” Logan said.

“I'm serious,” Flynn said. He faced the mare. “This isn't the same circumstances by which you've operated this thing before.” He pointed at the drill. “I've had to jury-rig a bunch of shit to it... to get it to operate off of a hybrid of chaos energy and traditional unicorn enchantment.”

“So...” Logan frowned. “...even you don't know how to operate it.”

“Dude! I more or less re-built this damned thing!” Flynn said. “What I'm saying is that I'm the only one who can properly work the drill at this point!” He looked at Kepler. “We've spent hours trotting deep into these friggin' caves. Do we really wanna risk the machine breaking and wasting all that precious time?”

“... … ...” The mare looked aside, then back at the drill. “It is a false glimmer.”

“Yeah. I know,” Flynn said, facing her. “You've worked with chaos metal before, but this is different. The only way I could have fixed it was doing it my way. You've done your job of bringing us here, but... I really really think I should be the one to do the drilling. Only because it makes sense, with all the alterations I've made.” He swallowed, holding both hooves out. “But not if you won't permit me.”

The mare looked at him, then at the drill, then at the stallion once more. “It squints...”

“...yes?”

She held her breath, then leaned the heavy machine over towards him. “It drills.”

Flynn exhaled with relief. With the aid of telekinesis, he hoisted the drill into his own grip. “I-I promise to be careful with it.” A goofy smile. “Won't break on my watch.”

The mare merely huffed. “It attempts.”

Flynn's ears instantly drooped.

“Hah...” Logan smirked. “It pisses through its eyes is harsh, bro. I take everything back. I kinda like it.”

“Mrmmff...” Flynn pivoted the drill towards the wall. “...you would.”

“Don't starrt just quite yet.” Holding the torch, Kepler marched towards the mare. “Just how much of the materrial shall suffice forr the varrnish?”

“It collects enough to fill that which drills,” she said.

“So... all the way to the indicated meter...” Flynn gestured at the translucent display with the dormant arrow set at its minimal level. “That should fill its entire chamber.”

Kepler squinted at the mare. “Just one rraw collection?”

“It is enough,” she said. “It trades with those that refine.”

“The goblins...”

She continued: “Those that refine provide more of the false glimmer for that which lingers.” She looked at Flynn. “And that which aspires to float.”

“Cool...” Flynn nodded. “Varnish get!”

“What about the poopinators?” Logan asked. He gestured towards the narrow entrance to that closed-off chamber. “Once the chaos energy in the drill starts... chaosing... won't those monsters catch wind?”

“It lashes for that which has a false glimmer.” She turned to look deadpan at Flynn. “It is expedient that squints.”

“So that's it?!” Logan wheezed, gesturing madly. “We just... gotta do it fast and pray for the best?!”

“I can do the 'fast' part,” Flynn declared.

“Heh...” Logan nodded towards him. “You'd better.”

“Ach...” Kepler shrugged. “Leave the prraying to me, I suppose.”

“It is expedient as it collects,” the mare said. She pointed at the chamber. “And it falls short that lashes.”

“What...” Logan scratched his head. “...do you suppose that means?”

“Well, in theorry, the beasts that populate these chamberrs are decently sprread out... what—with theirr passive attempts at carrving out morre tunnels. It stands to rreason that—in prrevious attempts—she's allowed time forr the crretins to achieve such a distance that—once she does the drrilling—she finishes beforre they manage to apprroach herr position.”

“Yeah...!” Flynn nodded. “The drill might be huge, but not so much its inner chamber! We can totally fill the thing with the substance needed for the varnish and be out of here in time to juke-out those blind blobby bastards!”

“I dunno...” Logan weathered an anxious sigh. “...it was a long... long passage that brought us here. It'll make one hell of a sprint if those things end up chasing us.”

The mare appeared to put some thought into what she said next: “It... suffices which squints and which rolls its tongue.”

“I do believe we have a majorrity vote,” Kepler declared.

“Unanimous!” Logan barked at him, then looked down at the mare as he held his hoof up. “I'm believing in you here, it pisses.” His eyes narrowed. “Karma can't be that big of a bitch that I die to cesspool spawn all because of somepony with no ego.”

“It manages which belches,” she replied.

“Couldn't have said it better myself!” Flynn said with a smirk.

“And I'm believing in you too!” Logan grumbled. “Let's get this over with, already.”

“I shall keep an ear and eye on the passageway,” Kepler declared, standing next to the corridor.

“I'll try not to... suck up all the oxygen,” Logan said.

“Good to know we all have our stations.” Flynn looked at the mare. “So... we ready?”

She exhaled. “It drills.”

With a flicker of his horn, Flynn lifted the drill upwards, levitating the heavy machine perpendicular to the glittery wall. “Hold onto your flanks!” A grunt, another strobe of his horn, and—

VRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYKKKKKK!!!

The bit spun. The chassis flickered with silver light from within. Half of the room fluctuated with a hazy gray aura.

“Whew...!” Flynn's mechanical eye rotated. Amidst his strain, he managed a sweaty smile. “Got a nice smell, doesn't it?!?”

“Just friggin' drill the wall!” Logan hollered over the noise. “Damn!”

“Drilling—!” Clenching his teeth, Flynn floated the apparatus into the wall.

CRKKKKKKKKKTTTTT!!!

Almost immediately, pebbles and flecks of dust spilled out everywhere in a cone from the point of impact. As smoke rose, it looked as though a miniature cloud was raining sparkles over the far end of the cavern.

“Ach!” Kepler grimaced, holding his torch away from the constant spillage. “Is it supposed to be making such a spectacularr display?!”

“Gotta hoof it to Keps, dude!” Logan shouted above the tumult. “It seems to be spilling everywhere!”

“Just... wait... for... it...!” Flynn hissed.

The silver light within the chassis flickered brighter. The others watched as a noticeable stream of motion drifted into being. Strands of the glittery dust were being sucked into two distinctly different sections of the machine.

“Brrilliant!” Kepler beamed into the torchlight. “It worrks!” A spectacled blink. “...it does worrk, yes?”

Flynn panted. His natural eye darted down towards the apparatus in his magical grip. He looked at the translucent meter set within the center of the control panel. It was subtle at first, but—sure enough—there was a noticeable wobble to the little arrow. Centimeter by centimeter, it began rising up the measured line. If he refocused his gaze, he could look through the meter and see the actual raw material gathering in all its glittery glory within the hollow of the machine's housing chamber, reflecting the aura of the chaos energy with a silver sheen.

“It collects!” The mare could barely be heard above the cacophony of everything.

“Yes! Yes—we're in business! Woohooo!” Flynn beamed.

“It's filling up??” Logan asked.

“Sure is!” Flynn nodded, sweating. Smiling. Sweating and smiling. “Quick, too!”

“Well done, brrotherr!”

“Reaching twenty percent! Twenty-five! Thirty—!”

Just then...

FL-FLASSSSH!

...a pair of translucent serpents leapt out of the machine, circled Flynn's body, then flew right back in with tiny otherworldly hisses.

Everyone was silent.

“... … ...” Flynn's good eye blinked. The drill was vibrating now at an alarming frequency. “Uhm...”

Then—from a distance—loud roars echoed. Kepler and Logan spun towards the passage that led into the cavern, hearing the gargling growls intensifying wildly by the second.

“It's... uh...” Flynn gulped. “...it's not filling quite so quickly anymore.”

Logan threw him a double-take. “What do you friggin' mean?!”

“It lashes,” the mare said. “It comes to consume the false glimmer.”

“Yeah yeah—I get that.” Logan looked past her at Flynn. “But why's it slowing?”

“I... I-I don't know...” Flynn winced. “It's climbing past thirty percent still... but at a snail's pace.”

“Yeah, but why, egghead! Why?!”

“I-I'm not sure! I fixed this thing before I knew that there would be gross-out creatures that fed on the energy source!” He threw a sweaty glance at the others. “In the past—when she worked this thing until it broke—it probably worked like greased lightning! But... s-something must be slowing my alterations now that there's... some k-kind of f-feedback between the energy core and the creatures!”

The roars doubled... tripled. Vibrations began rolling through the outer walls of the cavern.

“Well... shut it off!” Logan exclaimed.

“But the varnish—!”

“We can kiss this cave goodbye and find other spots to drill!” Logan stomped a hoof. “Just shut it off before they get here!”

“... … ...” Flynn's horn flickered and flickered. “... … …!” His face paled over with panic.

“What's the matterr?” Kepler asked.

“I... I can't get it to switch off!” Flynn's voice cracked. “The chaos fluctuations must have overloaded its inner wiring!”

“Then just smash it! Force it to shut down!” Logan's nostrils flared. “Better yet...” Schiiiing! He unsheathed his axe and marched over. “I'll do it—!”

“No, dumbass!” Flynn hollered above the collective noise, moving his body to block him. “Stay where you are!”

“We'll become poop-mod-poop if we don't stop—!”

“I don't know if I can get this thing operating again if we physically force a shut down!”

The mare raised her voice, if only to be heard: “It must finish which drills or it will not collect!”

“This may be our only ticket to cross the blob!” Flynn exclaimed. “Rainbow Dash's only ticket!”

“Betterr make a decision, brrotherrs!” Kepler hollered from the chamber's entrance. The ground beneath him was shaking now. “They shall surrely be upon us within minutes!”

“I'm tellin' ya...” Flynn pointed at the meter. “It's barely at forty percent! We don't have minutes!”

“Bro...” Logan brandished the axe. “None of us will be having necks, soon enough. We'll just have to find Rainbow Dash another way!”

“But—”

“You've got any better ideas?!”

Meanwhile...

...the mare had been reaching into her satchel. She pulled out Plato's strip of metal; already it was swimming with tiny, hissing chaos creatures. They glowed the brightest since the goblin had handed it to her. Her ears twitched—once or twice—but that was the closest thing resembling emotion.

Within the next second, she was looking up at the others, gripping the strip to herself.

“It distracts,” she said.

Flynn and Logan threw her surprised looks.

“H-huh?!” Flynn sputtered.

“It distracts!” she said louder, already moving towards the passage. “It distracts that which lashes! It is expedient!”

“No! Wait...!” Flynn tried reaching a hoof out, but his concentration on the drill threatened to wane. He channeled more energy into his horn, stuck there by the vibrating machine. “Dammit! Keps, stop her!”

“My dearr...!” Kepler grasped her fetlock with an ardent expression. “...such is verry noble of you, but no life is worrth rrisking unnecessarrily, not even y—”

FLAAAASSSH!

Both the drill and her strip of metal simultaneously billowed with dizzying energy. Kepler fell back on his haunches, momentarily blinded. Even Logan—situated across the chamber—reeled physically from the outburst. It took all of Flynn's strength to keep the drill from falling.

By the time the unicorn stallion could look back at the entrance, the mare was already marching out into the passageways beyond.

“It distracts that which lashes!” She waved the brightly-glowing strip. Translucent serpents and insects and other indistinct manifestations swirled in orbit around her resolute figure. “It drills that squints! It collects and trades for that which varnishes!”

“Don't...!” Flynn hissed through clenched teeth as his fellow Heraldites stumbled back to their hooves. “...please! For all that's good and harmonic—don't just throw your life away!”

“It does not live.” Her nostrils flared. “It lingers.” Like that, she turned and galloped away.

“No!” Flynn snarled, struggling with the drill. “Rrnnngh... goddess damn it!”

Kepler stood up, bracing himself against the wall. “Damnation...!” He picked his torch back up and made for the tunnel. “Worrry not, brrotherrs! I shall endeavorr to stop herr—”

“No you won't.” THUD! A heavy boulder slammed into the mouth of the exit, blocking it entirely.

Kepler jumped back, gasping.

Flynn threw a shocked look over his flank. “Big Show! What the Hell do you think you're doing?!”

“What's it look like?!” Logan rammed his shoulder into the boulder, shoving it even tighter against the passage. “Mrmmfff... last line of defense, dude!”

“But she just ran out there—!”

“You think I don't know that?!” Logan frowned, looking at Kepler. “And if Keps goes out there, he may be done for too!”

“We can't just feed her to the shit-wolves, bro!”

“She already made her decision!” Logan frowned back at Flynn. “You feel those vibrations?! Those gross freaks are rolling up here at any second! We split the party up any more and there'll be nopony coming back to Blobstain!”

“Dammit, Big Show! Do you even hear yourself—?”

“Do you?!” Logan had to shout above the surmounting noise as the entire earth shook around them. “I may not be the biggest fan of Little Miss Sunshine—but ages ago I took an oath! The same oath you took—to help out the Austraeoh at all costs! You ever wondered what it's like to struggle the way Rainbow Dash struggles? Well this is it, bucko! We can't afford to lose sight of the big picture! Nopony can!”

“I... I...” Flynn grimaced through his sweat. “I... I-I can't...”

“I know, bro...” Logan said. His ears drooped, but the lines in his muzzle remained hard. “And I think a lot of that is my fault.” He gulped. “We can hash it out another time—but for right now...” He pointed at the glowing machine. “You deadass stick to that drilling! How's that for a little picture?”

Flynn tore his gaze away from the other two. He leaned towards the machine, absorbing himself in the deafening noise. The meter was rising ever so slowly, but he didn't bother looking at it. His natural eye clenched tightly shut... but the mechanical one stayed open. He was powerless to change that.

“She...” Kepler panted, steadying himself against a wall as the torch billowed from the resounding roars beyond. “...she is gifted with mimetic knowledge of this inferrnal place.” The wyvern nevertheless gulped. “Surrely she will find a way to evade those beasts...”

Logan glared into the narrow space afforded between the boulder and the tunnels beyond. “Yeah, sure.” He breathed tightly. Standing still. Sweating.

Eighteen and a Half Hours After Rainbow Dash and Her Party Left

She panted.

She panted more.

In her desperate hyperventilation, the mare's throat produced occasional squeaks that almost resembled emotion.

With the fluctuating strip of metal acting as her unexpected beacon, she lit the path ahead of her, galloping as evenly as she could upon wobbly ground.

As the roars echoed from multiple directions, vast tremors rippled through the tunnels in waves. Several of them nearly threw her off balance. Then—despite the ground that she covered—a final overwhelming quake knocked her onto her belly.

“Nnnfff!” The mare slid painfully across the ground. Her strip slid a few paces away from her.

Wincing, she squinted one purple eye open... then the other.

The strip rattled in the center of a dark, dark passageway. Serpents leapt left and right, vanishing with the same speed with which they had been conjured. The mare rested just beyond the umbral reach of the anomalous illumination.

With a burst of strength, she kicked back up onto all fours. She trotted forward, reached down, and grasped the strip.

Hissing...

Steam... …

The air filled with a rancid smell... … …

She hoisted the strip up. The passage had a dead end now—only it wasn't a wall of stone, but rather a rippling mass of flesh and mucous.

“... … ...” The mare stared at the unsightly beast in front of her.

It stood its ground, barely wobbling towards the source of the chaotic light.

Calmly... barely even breathing...

...the mare backed up. She turned around, hoisting the strip in her hoof as well.

A swath of silver light swam across the tunnel—revealing another wall of brownish, bulbous flesh. Past it, even more beasts were rolling in.

Surrounding her.

She closed her eyes. A meditative pose. Something hummed from deep within—low and bass and hymnal.

HRESSSSSSHHHHHH!

All at once, forks of branching tentacles burst out from the creatures and converged on the light source.

Now

“Push!” Flynn's voice cracked, his horn glowing as he forced the drill to chisel more and more at the wall of glitter. “Dammit, Big Show, PUSH!”

“I... am... friggin' pushing!” Logan force his weight against the boulder, which was now struggling to contain an indomitable force from the other side. “What's taking you so damned long, baldy?!”

“I've almost got a full sample!” Flynn's mechanical eye was locked on the meter of the device. “Just a few more minutes!”

“M-minutes?!?!” Logan groaned. Cracks and fissures formed in the boulder. The air filled with a meathane-like scent as flashes of bio-luminescence intensified from beyond the fragile barrier. “Dammit, Flynn! Don't you think we've got enough of that crap?!”

“Not until the meter is completely full!” Flynn panted. “If we return to Blobstain with any less, we won't have enough for the varnish! And her deal with the goblins won't pull through!”

The veritable earthquake had thrown Kepler to the floor. His torch went out, and he winced. He heard the other two Heraldites arguing, but could scarcely make out their words from the roaring noises beyond the barricade. “Th-they've arrrived,” he stammerred under his breath. His wings drooped. “My starrs... she m-must have not have made it! They'rre no longerr distrracted!”

In a panic, Kepler glided up and perched atop the boulder Logan was shouldering.

“Frriends!” The wyvern adjusted his spectacles and sputtered: “I brring discourraging news! The beast's mates appearr to have answerred its call! We arre soon to be outnumberred—”

“Keps!” Logan hollered, buckling under the strain. “You stupid diet manticore! Get your paws off the boulder before—”

It was too late. CRACK! The boulder split in two.

Milliseconds later—

P-POWWWWW!

—a phalanx of blue bio-luminescent tentacles birthed through, each accompanied by razor-teethed maws that snapped and bit in every direction, filling the cave from top to bottom.

CL-CL-CL-CLAKKKAAA!

“My starrs and garrterrs—!” Kepler went flying in one direction.

“Shiiiiiiit!” Logan went rolling in another.

“I got it!” Flynn beamed at the glowing drill now filled with the glittery material. “Dudes! I—” He turned around, his ears drooping as he faced a wall of incoming jaws. “—awwwwww poop.”

“Brrotherrs! Get down!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAH—!!!”

CRUNNNNNCH!

Keep Your Eye Forward

Currently Outside the Tree of Mothers

Rainbow Dash whistled. She rolled a roundish rune stone down one front fetlock, bumped it into the air, and juggled it onto the other forward limb—repeating the gesture in reverse. In such a fashion, she dribbled the glinting sample of moonrock back and forth in the starlight.

Seraphimus, Ariel, and Shriike sat in a row—all of them lingering upon the borders of a blood colt encampment within the shadow of the Dark Vigil's enormous Tree. The Imperial clerk in particular blinked through her thick glasses, slitted eyes following the moonrock bouncing back and forth over Rainbow's head.

The petite pegasus persisted in her nimble little game. At one point, she tossed the runestone high up, arched her neck, and caught it upon the bridge of her nose. She smirked at herself, playfully spinning the object on her muzzle's tip. She continued whistling.

“Isn't that...” Shriike squinted. “...a priceless sample of the Mother of Nightmare's sacred satellite? Harnessed and perfected by our distant cousins who are situated on the seared half of the plane?”

“Yuh-huh!”

Shriike fidgeted. The unicorn's saddlebags were bulging with tightly-packed notes and scrolls on either side of her. “Don't you think... youuuuuuuuuu should be a bit more careful with something that sacred and precious?”

“Nuh-uh!”

Ariel and Seraphimus exchanged glances.

Shriike frowned, her velvety cheeks puffing and turning noticeably red. “Aren't you afraid that somepony might randomly shout out one of the arcane commands and accidentally make your head explode?”

“Nahhhhh...” Rainbow bopped the runestone up high and spun around, catching it on her flank—where it proceeded to spin just above her tail.

Ariel watched.

Shriike's fang's glowed. “How can the avatar of Luna possibly be so care-free with something so dangerous?”

“It's easy.” Rainbow's ruby eyes darted over as she bore a devilish smirk. “I'll just bounce it your way and then your head will explode!” A beat. She jerked half-an-inch towards Shriike.

“Gaaa-aaaa-aaaiieee!” Shriike flailed all over, falling down on her back as scrolls and pamphlets spilled loose.

“Pfffft—braaa-hah hah hah!” Rainbow's voice cracked between bellowing chortles.

Ariel blinked. Heavily. “What... are we waiting for again?”

“Jordan,” Seraphimus droned, pointing blindly aside. “He's currently in the process of relie—”

A shrill whistle. The Desperado in question strolled up to the group, adjusting his bandoleer.

“Friggin' finally!” Rainbow tossed the runestone high up, opened a pouch of her saddlebag with her wingfeathers, and expertly caught the moonrock inside the satchel as it fell back down. “Took you long enough!”

Wildcard exhaled heavily through his beak nostrils. He gestured with swift talon-slices.

“Dude... chill!” Rainbow held her forelimbs up. “I get it! Believe me. The Dark Side makes finding the-little-adventurer's-room a billion times harder.” She began trotting towards where Lukaas and other sarosian chaperones waited closer to camp. “Granted, you are half cat, so I understand the whole 'being finicky' part.” She smirked aside at Seraphimus. “Maybe these dudes can make a moondust sandbox.”

“I should have slain you Steamfall.”

“You lose; you snooze.” Rainbow hollered back at Ariel and Shriike. “Get a move on, slowpokes! We've got edgelords to bump elbows with!”

Wildcard gestured something.

Rainbow smiled at him, shaking his head. “Don't you fret that feathery head of yours, dude. Nopony else can compare with you.” She blinked, the threw a strange look over her shoulder. “What are you going on about, Pinkie?” A beat. “Will you chillax, girl?! I'm sure the folks back at Blobstain are doing just fiiiine.”

Meanwhile...

CRACK! The boulder blocking the single entrance to the rocky chamber split in two. Within the same blink, a phalanx of blue bio-luminescent tentacles shot through, armed with razor-teethed maws that snapped in every direction, filling the came from top to bottom. CL-CL-CL-CLAKKKAAA!

“My starrs and garrterrs—!” Kepler went flying.

“Shiiiiiiit!” Logan went rolling.

“I got it!” Having filled the drill with the necessary sample, Flynn spun towards the chaos. “Dudes! I—” His ears drooped. “—awwwwww poop.”

“Brrotherrs! Get down!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAH—!!!”

CRUNNNNNCH!

Dust settled...

...and in so doing, the three Heraldites realized that there was still empty space to spare.

They stopped flinching...

...then slowly reopened their eyes. Flynn, Kepler, and Logan wheezed—gathering their collective breaths.

The entire rear half of the cave had collapsed behind them. The boulder, the dais in the center, and any signs of the invading bulbous monstrosities had completely vanished behind a collapsed chunk of rubble. Only after they had been afforded the momentary lapse in chaos did they realize that a resounding thunder was settling through the earth and stone all around them. It resonated from deep within the plateau, roughly in the direction from which they had initially spelunked.

“Did...” Logan kept his voice low and his body locked-still. His eyes wandered left and right across the dusty air of the cramped niche they were now in. “...did you do that, baldy?”

“No way...” Flynn clutched the machine that was still bristling with energy. Between its core and his glowing horn, the three individuals were eerily illuminated in that claustrophobic pocket of earth. “...I wasn't even near that wall.”

“Keps?”

“Ach, no...” The wyvern shook his head, spectacled eyes glued to the collapsed wall of rocks. “Even my finest alchemic concoctions couldn't prroduce rresults this drramatic.” He waved a claw before his tusked face. “And even if I wanted to, the space is too narrrow to afforrd a chance at surrvival!”

“Well something had to have collapsed the entrance on those creeps!” Flynn said.

Logan looked up at the ceiling. Multiple cracks were now birthed in place above them. “Maybe this place just had it coming. In which case—we gotta find a way out of here. And fast.”

“Oh crap!” Flynn's good eye widened. He nearly dropped the drill in sheer horror. “Oh goddess no!”

Kepler looked aside. “What is it, brrotherr?”

“It's her! It has to be!” Flynn grimaced. “When she ran out... to d-distract the freakjobs...” He trembled in place. “They must have converged on her all at once!”

“Baldy...” Logan raised a hoof. “Calm down—!”

“She...” Flynn shook and quivered. The light in his horn threatened to go out at any moment. “...sh-she must have attracted a whole bunch of them! All of those creeps burrowing tunnels into the same spot probably brought half the plateau d-down a-a-and—!”

“Flynn!” Logan grasped the unicorn's withers, glaring straight into his face. “Get your shit together! Now! I mean it!”

Flynn merely hyperventilated.

Logan pointed at the drill. “We got what we came for! Now—maybe she kicked the bucket, or maybe she didn't. She's resourceful as Hell, so my money's on the latter!”

“You... do y-you really think—?”

“It doesn't matter what I think!” Logan huffed. “Right now, we're trapped in a tiny pocket of earth, and we gotta figure a way out! That means you've gotta step up to the plate, pal! After all, you're the smartest one here!”

Kepler cleared his throat.

Logan turned and squinted at the wyvern. “No offense, Keps. Your biggest gift is eloquence, not eggheadeness.”

Kepler merely bowed. “I do concede, frriend...”

Breathing calmer, Logan turned towards Flynn. His eyes fell to the drill in his grasp. “Is that thing still functioning?”

“I... uh...” Flynn nervously fumbled with the device, looking it up and down. “...I think it's still good.”

“Do you suppose...” Logan scratched his stubbled chin. “...it can be used for more than just gathering samples?”

Kepler adjusted his glasses. “Do you prropose we use it to drrill ourr way out of herre?”

“Even if I could repurpose it...” Flynn's horn glowed as he struggled to harness the power of the apparatus. “...I really don't think it has enough 'oomf' to get us back to the surface.”

“It doesn't need to get us to the surface.” Logan pointed at the collapsed entrance. “It just has to carve us close enough to one of the nearby tunnels so we can burst through.”

“But what if those grotesque freaks are in the corridors?” Flynn stammered. “Waiting for us? Don't forget this baby runs on chaos energy—”

“We'll deal with that when we have to.” Logan gestured. “Right now, we're stuck in this place and I can't imagine we'll be able to breathe forever.” He exhaled, looking towards the rubble. “We just gotta make it to an open chamber and then we can rush back the way we came.”

“But...” Flynn started panting again. “...what about h-her?! We can't just leave without—”

Logan stared the unicorn down. “Keep your eye on the prize, bucko. One nightmare at a time.” He pointed. “We need you to get us out of here.”

“Okay...” Flynn nevertheless shuddered as he repeated: “Okay... okay okay o-okay...”

“Now... can you re-work the drill or not?”

“I... uh... I-I need a little bit of t-time...” Flynn gulped.

“That's fine, dude. Concentrate as much as you need to.”

“Gotta... uhm... gotta get the sample out. Pr-preserve it.”

“Ach.” Kepler reached into his bags and produced a few containers. “Allow me, brrotherr! I shall keep the rraw materrial forr the varrnish safe!”

“Thanks, Keps...” Flynn knelt low beside the wyvern and the drilling apparatus. Together, they endeavored to open the housing chamber and extract the contents within. “...couldn't do this without you.”

“As ourr beloved Big Show said, eyes frront. Orr—in yourr case—rrighteous monocularr forrwarrd!”

“Yeah... s-sure...”

Logan stood above the other two, keeping a wary gaze on the collapsed entrance to the chamber. The slightest of vibrations rolled through the underground sanctum. The large stallion breathed with steely contemplation.

Some time later...

In a dark patch of air enveloped by even greater darkness... …

… … ...tiny fissures of glowing light appeared, one spider-webbing fracture after another.

They were accompanied by a deep, low vibration, intensifying in volume and resonance.

Until...

CRKKKKK!

A section of wall crumbled to rocky bits, collapsing into the middle of a broad stretching tunnel. Three bodies emerged—Flynn with a glowing horn, Logan sweating and bearing the weight of the drill, and Kepler with his bags full of glittery samples. In the center of the trio, the chaotically-empowered apparatus was smoking and rattling. It was reaching the full extent of its structural integrity, but it had worked.

The Heraldites had emerged from their would-be tomb. And they were in one piece.

For now.

“Shhhhh!” Kepler held a claw before his tusked face. “We could be surrounded!”

“Not seeing any of them poop-bags,” Logan muttered.

“We cannot be too cerrtain!” Kepler gestured towards the drill. “Turrn it off, brrotherrs!” He exclaimed in a hoarse voice. “Quick!”

“It can't shut off immediately!” Flynn hissed back. True to his word, the apparatus held between him and Logan was slowly winding down, its inner chamber glowing less and less. “Besides, if I force it off right away, it might break completely!”

“It got us out of there, didn't it?” Logan huffed, covered in a sweaty sheen.

“Who knows if we might need it again in case of another cave-in or—”

But before Flynn could finish his statement...

...a throng of translucent reptiles flew out of the heart of the machine and slithered down the winding stone corridor, illuminating the twists and turns with their silver-ish glow.

“Harrk!” Kepler pointed after them.

“Shit...!” Logan clenched his teeth. “They must be seeking out the monsters!”

“This is different.” Flynn's good eye narrowed. “The manifestations never sought out the creatures before. Unless...?” His mechanical lens rotated inward as he sucked in a gasping breath. “... … …oh jeez!” He galloped off in a blur.

TH-THUNK! The drill fell to the ground as Flynn's telekinesis stopped upholding his half. Logan grunted, fumbling to counterbalance the entire device's weight. “Dammit, Baldy!”

“I'll stop him!” Kepler scampered off. “Brrotherr, wait—!”

“No! Friggin'—” Logan reached out, barely yanking Kepler back by the scorpion tail. “We can't split up any more than we already have!”

“But Flynn is—”

“On his own!” Logan huffed. “Meanwhile, you've got the makings of the varnish and the whole team can't afford to lose that!”

“Ach!” The wyvern frowned up at the large stallion. “But can we afford to lose Flynn?!”

“I think we already have. Ages ago.” Logan gazed sadly down the tunnel as Flynn's magic light drew further and further away. “Some way, somehow, he's gotta pull himself out of the damnable cave that he's been stuck in for ages” His nostrils flared. “Ever since that job south of Kihutaja...”

Kepler could only fidget and fumble in the darkness. “But... but what do we do?”

“Wait. Pray.” Grunting, Logan heaved the dimming drill over his backside. “And light a damn torch already...”

“Rright away, brrotherr...”

Huffing... puffing...

...Flynn ran down the twisting throat of darkness.

His sweaty muzzle glistened in the light of his horn. Galloping hooves echoed in multiple salvos across the limiting interior. His good eye looked in every direction, but he failed to find signs of the chaos manifestations that eluded him.

Cussing inwardly, he closed his good eye... focusing entirely on the spectral vision of his mechanical lens. The apparatus rotated and re-focused multiple times. Then—at last—he caught faint silver trails in the air. He followed the neck of the tunnel closest to the signature, and in so doing he spotted the tail-ends of the serpentine creatures.

“Thank Goddess...!”

The stallion accelerated, galloping at full speed. He lost traction more than once, bumping into the walls at tight turns, yet somehow never losing his momentum as he barreled forward. Soon, the serpents came into view, distant and flickering, casting a miniature halo of light that slid like dusty ice down the rocky tract.

Then—far ahead along a widening straightaway—the translucent creatures dipped and dissipated at a lone spot in the floor.

Flynn's breath caught in his throat. His hooves stopped moving, and he skidded and slid on locked limbs for several feet. The Heraldite opened his good eye—expecting only darkness. Instead, he found a tiny beacon of silver light strobing in the middle of the chamber.

Despite the adrenaline of the moment, the Job Squadder took a moment to expertly survey the scene. It was a narrow tunnel—just like all the other ones. Or, at least, it once was narrow. At some point—some time recently—it expanded in the center, like a bulge of pressure exploding in the center of a thinly-stretched garden hose. A rough round sphere had formed around a singular spot within the tunnel, indicating that a perfectly spherical explosion had transpired. At the bottom belly of such a sphere, lying limp and dormant beside a fluctuating strip of chaos metal, was the tell-tale body of a certain mare. She looked just as emotionless as ever, capitalized by an alarming lifelessness poured throughout her limp limbs.

“Oh no...” Flynn's one good eye instantly watered. “Oh no no no no no no!” He scampered forward—then felt a seething, burning pain on the tips of his hooves. “Aaaaugh!” He jumped back, shaking his fetlocks. He shone his horn down.

The immediate area surrounding the lip of the fresh spherical space was coated in brown fluid—a viscous muck that steamed visibly. Flynn's two front limbs still burned with low-level pain, suggesting an acidic compound was lining the tunnel interior. If he was smart, he'd call out to his two companions and wait for them to come and help in sweeping the path clean.

But Flynn wasn't feeling particularly smart. He leapt forward over the acid, simultaneously casting a telekinetic spell all around him. It was just enough to send his body into a temporary glide. He descended slowly through the steamy air, lowering like a guided feather into the heart of the spherical impression. When at last he landed beside the mare, he was mildly surprised to find that none of the acid coated the new floor.

Wasting no time, he squatted low and lifted the mare's body, cradling her in his forelimbs.

“Hey! Hey!” He gnashed his teeth, giving her another shake. “Wake up! Wake up, dammit! Speak to me! Please!” He teetered upon the brink of hyperventilation, his good eye filling with tears as he looked all over her features for a single sign of life. “Oh goddess, not you. Not you too! It's all my fault! I should have just dropped the drill and galloped after you! I should have—”

“It f-fails...”

“I know! I failed! And I—” Flynn gasped, his tearful eye locking on her stirring muzzle. “... ...say that again!”

“Mrmmfff...” One purple eye opened, then the other. “It sustains?” A slow blink. She looked emotionlessly at him, then at the warped tunnel above and around them. She exhaled slowly. “It does not sustain.”

“Will you shut up with the Dihmer drivel for once in your life! Oh... bucking goddesses on pogosticks...!” Flynn reached a hand up to rub his eye as he shuddered hard. “Friggin' Hell... you scared the ever-living crap out of me...”

Dazed, she looked up at him. “It squints...”

“It's d-doing a lot m-more than that n-n-now...” He wheezed and sputtered, struggling to keep his emotions grounded. It took some effort, but he kept from outright sobbing. At least for the moment. Summoning a frown, he lifted the mare up into a sitting position and snarled: “Just what were you thinking?! Galloping out like that?!”

“The false glimmer...” She felt around, looking for the strip of metal. “...it eludes...”

“Here you go, dammit!” Flynn angrily shoved the fractured chaos strip into her grasp. He nevertheless continued to gape at her. “How in the Hell did you survive?! The creatures had to have chased you down'n'shit!” He pointed at the edges of the spherical impression. “Just what in Mortuana's name happened to them?!”

The mare looked up. Her ears flicked to a crackling sound. From the combined glow of the stallion's horn and her silver strip, she saw fresh fissures forming in the ceiling directly above. “It squints...”

“I just don't understand...” Flynn wheezed and shivered, shaking his head. “...why do you have to be such a crazy mystery?! Why are you so bent on sacrificing yourself before somepony—anypony—can understand—”

She pointed straight up. “It falters.”

“Huh?” He looked up—just in time for the shadow of the falling ceiling to envelope them both. “Holy shit—!!!”

Even the Dihmer flinched from what happened next—but it wasn't the falling rocks. Rather... it was due to the vastly glowing field of magic that was covering them like a dome, pushing back against the collapsing ceiling. In a startled fit, the mare looked at the stallion that was beside her.

Flynn's features were stretched to the snapping point. Rivulets of sweat ran down his body and his horn glowed brighter than most beings on the Dark Side had ever witnessed. All of this because he was consistently performing the phenomenal task of keeping the two of them alive—a feat that required him to be anchored in place with all four limbs spread apart while his horn fought against the untold weight of the plateau's mass above.

The mare merely blinked. “...it struggles—”

“Sh-shut up!!” Flynn sputtered, wheezing his lungs' worth with each shuddering second. “Get out of here already! Go! Gallop to safety!”

Her features shifted—belying the smallest degree of confusion. “It does not suffice—”

“Why won't you save yourself?!” Flynn clenched his teeth. Sweat ran down his muzzle, dribbling through his lips. “Your life is precious, dammit! All of your lives are!” The telekinetic field fluctuated. Chunks of rock shifted, sinking deeper towards his buckling figure and her prone body. “Rnnnggrhh... gnrrkkt...!” His horn pulsated, threatening to dim at any second. “Why act like everypony's gotta be miserable and doomed? Just fight back! You can! You've got to!” His good eye clenched shut. His knees buckled. A whimper came from his lips. “I can't... I-I can't do it f-for you... I can't do it all... goddess help me I-I just can't...”

The mare did not run away, nor did she chide him for his excessive show of passionate heroism.

She merely sighed...

...then stood up.

Flynn sensed her shifting limbs. His eye flew open to see her standing straight and tall, staring emotionlessly into the deathly weight of rocks collapsing above them.

“What are you d-doing?!” Flynn's voice cracked. “Run! I've got this!”

“It fails,” she muttered, and her facial features tightened with concentration.

“No it doesn't! Just g-go already! Who cares what happens to—” Flynn's mechanical eye retracted in alarm at a bright pulse of light. “....me?!?”

FLASSSSH!

An enormous discharge of energy threw him off his fetlocks. His telekinetic field died in a blink, and the rocks above him flew...

Elsewhere...

Logan and Kepler were making swift headway down the winding tunnels of the plateau. Just then, a resounding vibration rolled through the earth, shaking them wildly.

“Guhhh!” Logan teetered hard to his side. He braced himself against the stone wall of the corridor before he risk dropping the drill.

Kepler—a far nimbler creature—managed to brace himself with his tail. Soon, the vibrations subsided. “Ach...” He gaped with wonder in the light of his torch. “...morre of those crreaturres?”

“I sure don't smell any of them,” Logan said. “I think that was something else.”

“The strructurral integrrity of these chamberrs must be collapsing,” Kepler declared. “Goddess help us if we even have an exit available anymore.”

Logan took a deep breath. “Only one way to find out.” He motioned for the wyvern to follow and pressed forward.

“... … ...” Flynn's natural eye blinked open. He felt something thin and soft pelting his nose, and his muzzle wrinkled. Squinting upwards in the dim gray light of chaos metal, he saw a fine “snow” of dust and sediment sprinkling over his figure.

He wasn't alone. The mare stood in the center of an even larger chamber than that which surrounded them previously. Just like the first impression Flynn discovered, this compartment was perphically spherical. His Dihmer acquaintance stood beside him in the bottommost epicenter. The broken ceiling of loose rocks was nowhere to be sound, and Flynn's expert deductions made an immediate connection to the fine layer of dust settling around the two of them.

But surprised him the most, without a shadow of a doubt, was—

“You...” His lips quivered, his flesh-and-mechanical eyes reflecting a bright purple glow.

The mare took deep breaths, recovering from a dizzying output of mana. The tip of her stubby horn glowed with violet intensity, slowly dimming back to the dull nub it had always appeared to be. Despite the monumental effort that had gone into the magical outburst which stayed the complete cave-in, she looked less-than-pleased with herself. Her sighs were heavy things, and she pivoted towards the Heraldite, her downcast eyes locked on the settling dust between them.

“Y-you...” Flynn sat up, shaking all over. “...you did magic!” He gulped hard. “You obliterated all of those rocks...” His good eye twitched. “... … ...just like you must have zapped all the monsters when they attacked you.”

“It fails...”

“Wh-What...?” He blanched.

“It fails,” she repeated, her voice low and humming. It was the faintest hint of an emotion—and an entirely shameful one at that. “As it collects and trades and crafts, it also manifests.” A wave of the hoof between her horn and the higher ceiling. “It expels that which anchors. And for that, it fails.” Another sigh... prolonged this time. “As it also lingers.”

“All this t-time...” Flynn clenched his teeth. “You had so much power... so much strength... and you refused to use it?!?”

“It does not suffice to release—”

“Who the b-buck cares?!” Flynn tried to stand up but only fell back to his haunches. “Mrmmff—Don't you get it?! You're talented as Hell! You could do wonders for everypony in Blobstain! The goblins too! Why hold all of that back?!”

“It fails—”

“No! No!” Flynn punched the stone floor with his hoof. “I'm sick and bucking tired of hearing you sell yourself short! We're put on this plane to do good for each other! Not... n-not linger around in darkness and let everypony kill themselves for no good reason! Don't you get it?! You can do so much good! You can do so much that... that...”

His words cut off. It was a blissful silence at first, but unbecoming of the stallion. Perhaps that—more than anything—caused the mare to turn her head and look curiously at him.

He had bent over, shaking all over—on the brink of total collapse. Shuddering breaths rolled through the stallion's figure as he stammered to produce: “... … …so useless. I couldn't do a thing. I gave it my all. I threw in all the t-talent and st-strength and intelligence I had... and st-still it couldn't m-make a difference.” He sniffled, grimacing. “She died. Her d-daughter died. So many friggin' ponies have died and you... I-I can't even save you when I want to!” He hiccuped on the first of many sobs. “You're not the one who lingers! I am! I'm useless! Just a worthless sack of bald-ass meat! I d-don't even know why Rainbow and the others k-keep me around! Everypony is as g-good as dead whether I'm around or not around!”

As he heaved and wheezed...

...the mare stood calmly before him. She looked to the side, spotting the fractured strip of metal that Plato had given her. Its surface was imperfect, and its silver glow was an erratic shimmer at best—but somehow that made it all the more valuable. At least, to goblins, it did. They were just one of many silly creatures, defined by their attachments, culminating in the thinnest inch above nothing.

But an inch, nonetheless.

Deadpan, the mare stepped forward. She knelt before the stallion. She spoke:

“It releases.”

Flynn wheezed and shuddered. Sniffling, he looked up. “Wh-what...?”

She stared the stallion in his face. “It releases.”

“I...” Flynn rubbed his face from fresh tears. “...I-I don't understand...” He swallowed a lump down his throat. “That... st-stupid Dihmer speak.”

“It releases.” She stared intently at him. Solid. Emotionless. “It releases.”

“I-I heard you the first time—”

“It releases.”

“I said—”

She reached out and grasped his shoulders. “It releases—”

“Rnngh!” He batted her arms away. “Don't touch me—!”

“It releases—”

“Stop it with the damned mantra! Stop! Just...” He buckled. He hunched over, clutching his skull. “...stop... please...” He shook his head, whimpering. “Wish I could... j-just stop lying in there... with her little body in my fetlocks...” His breathes grew more and more ragged. “...just... no use... wish... w-wish I could just stop... stop and let her go... just let her g-go you stupid bucking idiot...”

The Dihmer slowly exhaled. Her ears drooped—like mountains shifting. “It fails.”

Somepony broke, and it wasn't her. Flynn's whimpers expanded into full-fledged sobs. He collapsed against the dusty floor of the chamber, wailing a tearful storm with no calm in sight. The spherical shape of the chamber provided ironic acoustics, so that he was assaulted on all sides from the echoes of his own despair. Only this time—layer by weighted layer peeling away—he accepted the baptism it provided. Even if it wasn't a very graceful thing, Flynn lingered there.

She simply sat before him, patient and silent, staring a million miles into the stone that entombed them. Almost as if it was a reflection.

It was a considerable length of time later that Kepler and Logan still found themselves awkwardly traversing the winding corridors of the plateau. With each turn that the pair made, the larger of the two grumbled with tighter and tighter expressions of deep consternation.

“Rnnngggh... Goddess damn it...” Logan huffed, still sweating as he shifted the weight of the drill across his backside. “...she made it look so blasted easy when she led us into these caves.”

“Quite rright, brrotherr...” Kepler lit the third torch since they first set out from the cavern that had caved-in around them. “...if nothing else, this should teach us a thing orr two about prroperrly memorrizing ourr steps.”

“Mrmfff...” Logan made another turn. “...Flynn's the one who's good at that. Sucks that I'm always depending on him for that. I should work my brain bone harder.”

“How farr into the plateau do you suppose he went?” Kepler swallowed a lump down his throat. “Once we find ourr way back to the entrrance, it stands to rreason that we'll have to stage a searrch and rrescue. Perrhaps employing mushrroom crrumbs, seeing how brread is lacking herre...”

“Boy...” Logan shook his head. “...will I hate having to report to Rainbow that we lost track of our smartest Heraldite.” He cussed his his breath as they went down another adjoining corridor. “Even if he was the one who ran off like a sarosian outta Hell.” A shudder. “...I keep hoping that between all our wrong turns and his, we'd eventually run into one another.”

Kepler's torchlight caught a glint of something reflective—a mechanical eye lens. “Ach...!” He smiled through his tusks, raising the torch higher. “And what of a rright turrn, brrotherr?”

“H-huh...?” Logan craned his neck. Instantly, his ears perked. “Shit on a biscuit! Baldy at bitch'o'clock!” He galloped forward with the drill and all. “Keps, you're a life saver!”

“I trry not to brrag...”

On stomping hooves, Logan approached the sight of his fellow Job-Squadder. He skidded to a stop, blanching at the large round chamber that had somehow been forged in the neck of the tunnel. “...the b-buck is all this?”

The dihmer stood up above a dazed and tired Flynn. “It vacates which lashes,” she said in a calm tone. With a simple motion of her hoof, she slid the chaos strip neatly into her saddlebags. “It suffices to bring that which it collects.”

Logan blinked. “Yyyyyyyeah... but even still...” He gestured at the dust and altered stone around them. “...what the buck???”

Flynn stirred. Sensing other bodies nearby, he sat up, rubbing his natural eye for a prolonged period of time. He sniffled audibly more than once.

“Flynn!” Kepler stood beside Logan at the lip of the spherical impression. “A trrue blessing it is to see you both in stable condition!” He shown his torch around, illuminating dark brown patches staining the local stone. “Good heavens!” He looked again at the two ponies in the crater below. “Darre I ask just what trranspirred herre?”

“Yeah, dude...” Logan witnessed. “Looks like a friggin' warzone.” He looked at the mare. “How'd you fend those freaky things off?”

The mare's jaw clenched tightly. Her eyes averted Logan's gaze as her hairless tail went limp.

Flynn blinked up at her. His ears twitched. “Uhm...” Clearing his throat, he turned to gaze up at the other two. “...I showed up just in the nick of time. She was surrounded. And... well...”

“... … ...well what?”

“I took 'em out,” Flynn said hoarsely. He gulped. “N-nearly took us both out in the process. But... hey...” A nervous smirk. “When have I ever done anything smoothly?”

The mare looked up, blinking at Flynn.

Kepler's jaw hung open. “You did all this?”

“Well, it was either the poop monsters or us.”

“Ach... a most marrvelous show of forrce, my frriend.” Kepler chuckled. Ha-HAH! I did not know you had it in you!”

“Yeah well...” Flynn battled a crooked smile, gazing aside at the mare. “Neither did I.”

The mare was silent.

Logan looked at her, at the crater, then at Flynn. “... … …that's one Hell of a job, bud.”

Flynn shrugged. “At least we're alive'n'shiet.”

“Yup. And shiet.” Logan exhaled long and hard. He stood tall, more relaxed. “Well. We've got the drill and the crap for the varnish.” He looked at the Dihmer. “Now we just need a way back to the entrance.”

“It acknowledges.” She trotted towards the edge of the spherical impression. “It directs.”

“Yeah,” Logan muttered, backing up to give her room. “I thought as much.”

The mare slipped and slid back down the crater. But before she could attempt the climb again—

“H-here...” Flynn trotted closer, summoning a telekinetic field. “Allow me to assist you.”

She opened her muzzle. “... … …” An exhale, then a nod. “It suffices.”

He smiled slightly. A tranquil thing. All it took was a slight pulse of mana, and she was easily boosted up to a spot where she could trot evenly down the remaining tunnel.

“Once morre, we arre at the merrcy of yourr grracious rresourrces, madame,” Kepler said. “Would you be so kind as to point the way?”

She pointed and made for a particular junction. “It traverses.”

“Affirrmative! Come along, frriends!”

Flynn paused in the crater to rub his good eye dry. He took a meditative breath, then finally found the strength to climb out—where he found Logan waiting for him. Together, they followed the mare for the long trek to the surface.

Hours later...

“Ach...” Kepler perched on the back of the wagon, gazing straight up at the glimmering constellations and nebulaic cosmos lingering beyond comprehension. “It all seems so much brighterr now.”

“Yeah, well...” Logan grunted, heaving the drill onto the back of the vehicle and sliding it safely into place. “...hours spent pent-up in the belly of a plateau will do that to ya.”

“And perrhaps we arre all the betterr forr it!” Kepler grinned, adjusting his spectacles. “Suddenly, the Darrk Side isn't quite so damnably darrk.”

“Hey. Whatever floats your butt.” Logan walked around to the front of the vehicle and attached himself to the riggings. “I... for one... am happy for plenty of air to breathe.”

“Not to mention a healthy reprrieve from those lashing abominations of purre defecation!”

“Now, I wouldn't be so sure of that, Keps. You're talking to one.” Logan turned to holler over his flank. “Hey! Baldy! We're taking off soon! Wrap things up, will ya?!”

Several meters away, Flynn stood beside the Dihmer in the shadow of the plateau.

“Have some patience!” Flynn shouted back. “I'll join you in a sec!”

“You'd better!”

The Dihmer exhaled heavily. She was busy covering the hidden entrance to the underground chamber with a fine layer of sediment. “It yells,” she muttered.

“Yeah, well, only when it's not belching.” Flynn looked at her with a smile. “I'm wondering if it's even worth it at this point.”

“It wonders...”

Flynn arched an eyebrow for emphasis. “Worth it to thank you, I mean.”

She looked up from her work, gazing at him with a deadpan expression. Yet—locked within was the barest ounce of curiosity. Flynn wondered why he couldn't see things like that in her before.

“You saved me back there...” His tongue lingered in his mouth. “...and not just in the way that's obvious.” He coughed sideways, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess... I... uh...” A sigh. “...I've had a lot inside of me that I've been needing to get outside for a long... long time...”

She blinked. “It releases.”

“Maybe...” Flynn slowly exhaled. “...although I don't think I'll ever finish. Not completely.”

She returned to covering the entrance with dust. “It suffices for that which has a false glimmer.”

“Sure. Maybe.” Flynn shrugged. “Who knows. But... if nothing else... I'm starting to get an idea for... for what you're all about.” He looked at her with a sincere expression. “The Dihmers, I mean.”

She looked at the stallion again.

“But it can't all be about releasing... and emptying yourself...” Flynn bit his lip. “There's gotta be something you hold onto... or else... y-you're not you!” His ears drooped. “...or maybe that's the whole point. And... just because I don't understand that doesn't mean... I shouldn't respect it.” He gulped. “I'm sorry for all of the times I've bothered you and followed you around and was just an annoying pain in the flank. It really wasn't cool of me.” He pointed at the entrance. “I just hope—in some way or another—we did something to help you... to truly help you... just like you've been keen on helping me... er... us.”

She merely nodded. Deadpan. “It suffices.”

Flynn smiled gently.

She finished her job, brushed off her hooves, and trotted past the stallion in the vague direction of Blobstain.

“There's one thing that I'm hung up on, though...” He pivoted to face her. “...if your horn could do magic all this time—why even ask a bunch of Penumbrans like us to assist you in fixing the drill?”

She scuffled to a stop, but for the first time ever Flynn noticed a distinct sign of awkwardness in her facial features. Like she was struggling to drum up an explanation, but simultaneously needed to.

He cocked his head curiously to the side. “There's so much power at your disposal—why couldn't you take care of the drill on your lonesome?”

At last, she faced him. There was a noticeable fidget. A squirming. “It...” She breathed. “...fluctuates.”

Flynn blinked. “It fluctuates?”

She nodded.

“... … ...what do you mean 'it fluctuates?'”

Wordlessly, she pivoted, aimed her forehead at a patch of rock, and—

POWWWWW!!!

—blasted a crater into existence with a solid beam of purple energy.

Flynn jumped back five feet, his eye wide and his mechanical lens rotating wildly.

As the thunder and dust settled, the mare icily pivoted towards Flynn yet again and spoke with the slightest touch of exasperation: “It fluctuates.”

Flynn wheezed, waving the dust away from his muzzle. “It sure d-does.”

“Baldy?! The Hell is going on back there?!” Logan's voice echoed through the dwindling tumult.

Flynn hollered back: “J-just displaying a little bit of Light Side magic! No biggie!”

“Well, stop showing off and hop aboard already! We gotta make time!”

Flynn huffed. “Guess there's no stopping the belches.” He smirked at her. “You're welcome to hitch a ride, of course.”

“It trots.”

Flynn waved. “That's fine too.” He gulped. “Will... uh...” Flynn squinted. “...will we ever see each other again?”

“It trades with practices of chrome and water,” she declared. “It squints and it belches that collects sources of the false glimmer.”

“Right.” Flynn nodded. “Guess we'll meet you in town, then.” Flynn winked with a smile. “We'll get plenty of strips from Plato for you.”

She nodded. “It suffices.”

“You're... way smarter and more mature than you'll ever give yourself credit for,” Flynn said. “I know that may not matter to the likes of you, but it does to me... to us... and it'd be really swell if we had a name to refer you by.” He gestured. “It'd make things simpler. Y'know... in case we end up trading and collecting together again.”

“It fails.”

“Yeah. I know. But that doesn't mean we can't try.” Flynn rubbed his chin. He looked off towards the dim horizon. He pondered. Then—with a humble smile—he faced her again. “What about Aegis? Would you be cool with me calling you that?”

She blinked, eyes narrow and inquisitive. “It... ages...?”

Flynn opened his muzzle—but paused. A slow sigh. “Yeah. Yeah, sure...”

“It ages.”

He nodded. “It ages.” A salute. “Far beyond my years, for sure.”

She blinked. “It departs which squints.”

He waved. “So long to you too.”

And both left the plateau on separate paths.

“Ace! Ace, mate!” Plato collected the jars full of glittery material. He slid them towards himself across a counter within the guild-house of the Chrome-Blooders. “Buggah all! If thees ain't heaps more than the sheilah normally gets for us!”

Flynn nodded, standing under lit metal branches and glowing bulbs built into the side of the lobby. “Believe me. It's all her. We just did the gruntwork in between.”

“Well, good onya for findin' a way to reach through to the glue stick!” Plato smirked from ear to pointy ear. “And heah I thought I was the only lucky cobbah who could strike up a conversation!” He rubbed his palms together. “Right! A deal's a deal. I've got plenty of streeps for you and her! And I reckon we should be talkin' about fetchin' you a skiff for crossin' the almighty Blob.”

“I think my good friend Kepler can talk over the specifics with you concerning that,” Flynn said.

“Aye...” Plato leaned casually on the counter. “And which of yer mates is that'n?”

“Furry dude. Big tusks. Scorpion tail.”

“Bloody 'ell. They build yous drongos out of every zoo ovah in Penumbra, don't they?”

“Something like that.”

“Well, I look forward to makin' an acquaintance.” Plato winked. “Especially if eet means gettin' an edge over them Smelt-Bloodahs.”

“Sure. Whatever, buddy.” Flynn's good eye narrowed. “Just make sure our female friend gets the strips that are coming to her.”

Plato held a hand over his heart, smiling. “As Peetra is my life. I swear by eet, mate.”

“You do that.” A pause. Flynn weathered a contemplative breath, then looked sincerely at the imp. “She's... nothing like the other ponies. The Dihmers—I mean.” His jaw tightened. “She's a cut above the rest, with talent and abilities beyond compare. You do realize that...?”

Plato nodded slowly. “I have for a long time, mate. I swear—it's more than the tradie life that keeps me comin' back to her. In some ways, I hoped a bunch of colahful glue sticks from dan undah might convince her to pop out of that shell so she can really stoke Peetra's flame. But...”

“But she's herself,” Flynn sighed. “She lingers.”

“Reckon that's her right, cobbah,” Plato said in a tone of defeat. He nevertheless smiled. “Makes you question just what it ees that keeps her goin'.”

Flynn took one breath. “It wonders.”

Silence.

“Ain't thet the truth,” Plato said, and reached under the counter to start dispensing strips.

Flynn stepped out of the Chrome-Blooder building and into the streets of Blobstain. There, he found Logan lingering against a decrepit stack of bricks, waiting patiently.

Upon seeing Flynn, the larger stallion stood at attention. “How'd it go down?”

“Swimmingly.” Flynn levitated a stack of strips. “I think we found ourselves the nicest goblin in the entire Dark Side.”

“So... basically the same as any junk-trader back in the Seven Seas.”

“At least he smells better.” Flynn pocketed the strips into a saddlebag. “He promises to give It Ages her cut.”

“Who?”

Flynn blew out the side of his muzzle. “Our Dihmer friend.”

“... … …riiight.”

“And... uh...” Flynn coughed and turned to gesture at the Chrome-Blood headquarters. “When Keps gets back, I'll introduce the two of them together. Plato has connections—it seems. Something about Water-Blooders. Together, with Keps' negotiating skills at the forefront, we should have a boat varnished in no time.”

“Sounds great.”

“Plato and his fellow guilds are competing against the top dog—Smelt Blood. So it's not just their hearts that are in it. But their pocketbooks as well.”

“So we know for a fact that they're earnest.”

“Right.”

“Well, hell-to-the-yes, Baldy.” Logan slapped a hoof on Flynn's withers. “Sounds like a job well done! Rainbow should be proud.”

“Yeah...” Flynn shuddered, nodding. “...guess we've got everything going right as rain.”

Logan's hoof remained there on Flynn's side. “No,” he said in a low tone. “We don't.”

“???” Flynn looked at Logan's hoof, then up at the larger stallion.

He leaned forward to look earnestly in Flynn's face. “I owe you an apology.”

“Pffft... for what?” Flynn casually shook off Logan's grip. “You're not the one who ran off in the middle of an underground labyrinth on some hysterical search-and-rescue mission.”

“Yeah, well, I'm responsible for bringing you to that point, buddy.”

Flynn squinted. “Is this the dreaded talk you foreshadowed back at the drilling?”

“I told Keps you were the smartest of us for a reason.”

“Yeah, well...” Flynn kicked at the dusty “road” of Blobstain. “...fine way I have of showing it.”

“Ain't your job to show. It's ours. Chiefly—mine.”

Flynn merely blinked at him.

“I've taken for granted... just how hard you've been taking things, Flynn.”

“We all gotta pull our own weight, Big Show,” Flynn muttered. “Let me deal with mine, okay? You don't have to apologize—”

“Yes, I do.” Logan leaned back on his haunches. A solemn sigh later: “I've been a lazy flankhole... ignorant and complacent...” A wave of the hoof. “More than happy to let you be by yourself... dealing with whatever... as if it's your burden and your burden alone.”

“What—you think I'm the only one with baggage?” Flynn rolled his good eye. “Ariel lost her mom. Kepler—nearly his entire species. And where do I even begin with you and Luram—?”

“The only reason I don't go off about my long lost daughter is that I beat the shit out of anyone who casually brings her up,” Logan said, muscles tightening... but soon relaxing. “And that ain't the half of it. I've allowed my casual depravity to become the entire shield to my axe. I treat you and Wildcard and the rest like shit to keep from owning up to how responsible I am for your well-being at any given time. Hell, I haven't properly mourned Bard cuz of how hard I've programmed myself to laugh at his stupidly epic exit from this world...”

“Is there a reason why you're opening up like an ancient clam in Shoggoth—?”

“It's all an act, Flynn,” Logan muttered. “A lame... stupid... pointless act. And it threatens to drag everypony down around me. Hell, it almost killed you.”

Flynn said nothing.

“You've... needed help for a long time.” Logan exhaled hard through his nostrils. “Hell... we all need help... but this crazy-ass quest keeps us from getting it from the source. So the key—the only key—is to rely on each other. And... I-I haven't been there for you. I haven't made myself available. Not in the way that I sh-should have and...” His breath tightened. He winced visibly. “... … ...it's already too late for my wife and daughter. I... don't want it to be too late for my friends too.” A gulp. “You're all that this dumb fatass has left, and I'm sorry... I'm sorry for letting you go alone for so long. You deserve more. You deserve respect. And... I want to change things... for us... for the better.”

Flynn kicked at the earth some more, pondering his best friend's words. A slow inhale, and his eye filled up starlight. “That shit doesn't happen overnight, dude.”

“Well... just our luck...” Logan threw on a bitter smirk. “We've got plenty of night to work with.”

“For a start...” Flynn murmured, not making eye contact. “...could you can it with the whole 'Baldy' schtick? For real?”

Logan nodded. “For real.”

“Okay?”

“Okay.” Logan stood up tall. “Cross my heart, Flynn.”

Flynn nodded. “And... uh... I'll stop calling you Big Show—”

“Nah.” Logan shook his head, gazing down the streets populated by occasional Dihmers. “I'm far too attached. I'm like the inverse of these ascetic chant-jobs.”

“Logan...”

“But if you want to really trot in the right direction...” Logan's gaze narrowed on the smaller pony. “You can hold back on running off on suicidal white-knight-crusades in the middle of a mission.” He swallowed. “I don't know how much you meant to recreate the Aegis Archipelago job back there... underground... but you d-damn near came close.”

“I'm sorry, Logan—”

“Just... talk to us, Flynn.” Logan repeated. “Talk to us, buddy. From here on out... I promise... I'll listen.” A nod. “You'll find that the others will too. You're not alone in this. Okay?”

Silence.

“Okay,” Flynn managed.

“Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Okay...”

The two stood awkwardly, their shadows brushing slightly together, but very little else.

“Kepler will be here any minute now,” Flynn said. “We'll have work to do.”

“And I have... uhm... weight to lose,” Logan muttered, fidgeting awkardly.

“Heh... held it in for a long time down in those caves, huh?”

“Doesn't mean I wasn't tempted.” Logan snickered. “Considering what we were up against, I could have made us plenty of camouflage.”

“How quaint. Go and do your business.”

“Right on it.”

“Far... far away.”

“A dude can take a hint, Flynn...” And Logan walked off.

Flynn stared after him. He breathed easily—as if his body was lighter than it was when they first arrived in Blobstain.

Not long after, the air whistled from the sound of tell-tale wings gliding in.

“Httt!” Kepler landed close to Flynn. “Ach! The wagon has been rreturrned! And I was able to talk the imps into rrefunding us a porrtion of the insurrance on such shorrt notice!” He beamed through his tusks. “Irronic—seeing as we neverr trruly put the wagon in dangerr! Ha-HA!”

“No, Keps...” Flynn slowly shook his head. “...we didn't have much to fret about, did we?”

“Some of us, perrhaps. You—on the otherr hand—put us thrrough quite the scarre!”

“I did.” Flynn nodded. “And I'm sorry, Keps. I won't do anything to freak you out like that again. I promise.” The unicorn's gaze trailed off, following the dark line between the bleak earth and the cosmos. Searching, seeking, but never quite landing on something.

Kepler squinted at him. “Flynn...?” He leaned his head to the side. “Arre you going to be alrright, brrotherr?”

A soft exhale. Flynn looked back at the wyvern. “No,” he said. “I'm not.” His muzzle lingered in a calm smile. “Are you ready to do some more work with the imps?”

“Ach...” Kepler nodded. “But of courrse.”

“Then let's get going.” Flynn led Kepler into the entrance of the Chrome-Blooder's guild. “Can't cross the blob on nothing but a dream, can we?”

“No, I suppose not.”

As the two ducked in...

...across the street, a figure shifted. Two eyes blinked—purple and expressionless, save for the slightest reflection of the lights surrounding, with a shine that wasn't there previous.

And then she turned, trotted, and disappeared.

To Whom It Honors

“Are you sure you're okay, Rainbow?” Ariel asked with a raspy voice.

“Yes...” The petite pegasus in question hobbled into the gnarled wooden interior, being supported by Wildcard with every trotting step. “...just... a bit dizzy. But...” She shook her head, Loyalty Pendant rattling. “...all things considered, I'm friggin' lucky. We all are.”

“The fact that Lexxic did not have you executed on the spot for that stunt...” Seraphimus stood at the doorway leading into the small hovel. “...completely astounds me.” Outside, the murky and rumbling industry of war persisted nonstop. The former Talon Commander leaned against the entrance frame and crossed her forelimbs. “You very nearly ruined everything you worked to achieve in one single leap.”

“Oh get off her, Sera...” Ariel frowned in the center of the room. “With all the crap that was unfolding, it's a shame that none of us leapt in as well!” She rolled her eyes with a grumbling breath. “I mean, it's no surprise that you just sat on your catbutt!”

“When will you stop being such a pathetically defensive sycophant and open your eyes?” Seraphimus' beak clenched. “Rainbow's wild and impulsive tactics from the Light Side simply won't work here! For a moment, I thought she had wised up to the politics of this place, but then her true nature broke through.” She blew aside. “As it always does.”

Ariel stuck her tongue out. “You mean the same true nature of hers that kicked your ass more times than you can count?!”

“Girls... please...” Rainbow waved, teetering. Wildcard helped her down onto one of multiple thin sleeping mats spread across the floor of the humble interior. “I can only stand this love/hate schtick so much. Yeah, I went in over my head, but I came out in one piece—we all did—and now it's time to count our blessings and prepare a strategy...” She blinked... then blinked some more. “... … ...just where in the heck are we?”

Wildcard steadied her, then stood up and talon-signed.

Rainbow blinked curiously. “The outer roots? Why are we in the outer roots?”

“To retire for a spell, presumably,” Seraphimus remarked. She looked cautiously out the doorway and into the main body of the Bloodwing war camp in the shadow of the Tree of Mothers. “Lexxic made a show of instructing Azarias that we should have adequate shelter.”

Wildcard gestured something before squatting before a brazer built in the center of the chamber.

Seraphimus responded to him: “My point, Jordan, is that he went out of his way to preserve our heads before the whole of his inferiors!” Her beak nostrils flared. “The Sons of Nightmares would have gladly slain us right then and there in the Hall of Honor had Lexxic not intervened.”

“Even then, could they have explained what happened to Lexxic?” Ariel remarked. “Their glorious and invulnerable leader?! In such a state of—”

“This isn't time to gloat,” Rainbow remarked. She rubbed her head dizzily. “Besides... me and th-the girls are still stumbling to figure out exactly what happened.”

“Rainbow Dash...” Seraphimus spoke firmly, standing on all fours with a serious expression. “We need to have a deep and thoughtful discussion about Lexxic.” She slowly shook her head. “I still don't believe you fully understand the gravity of his presence here among the Dark Vigil.”

“What we need...” Rainbow was already reclining on the sleeping mat as she gestured. “...is to get some shuteye while it's available to us. Lexxic made it more than obvious that he wants to continue our awkward little diplomatic hoedown session. He obviously finds importance in my being here, despite the things I may or may not have done...” Her ears twitched above a faint smirk. “...and the crap he himself has pulled.”

“This is his army... his brothers...” Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes narrowed. “He has the liberty.”

“Does he? Forever, that is?” Rainbow squinted back. “What do you think that barbaric show in the Hall of Honor was all about?! He's doing all he can to maintain control that he knows will slip away at any moment. You really think Mistress Faatail and Nat'rdo have me doing this dance because I'm just some random tourist visiting from out of town?” She shook her head—which only made her dizzier. Recovering, she sputtered: “I'm the Avatar of Luna... the closest living thing they have to a blessed wielder of their Divine Mother's authority. I may—in fact—be the one and only key to bringing balance back to this crazy warmongering bucket of bloodthirsty berserkers!” That devilish smirk of her turned crooked. “Why should I look a gift bat horse in the mouth, huh?”

“'Divine Mother...'” Seraphimus weathered a steely breath. “All this time since we first crossed paths...” Her eyes were as cold as her voice. “...and you're still high from playing off the theocracy of Rohbredden.”

Rainbow Dash blinked at that.

Ariel chewed on her lip—

FWOOOMB!!!

—then jumped from a leaping column of flame.

Everyone looked towards the center of the room, where Wildcard had successfully lit the brazer. The Desperado stood up, flexed his metal limb, and gestured towards the rest of the group.

“Nah, dude...” Rainbow Dash shook her head, shifting where she lay. “You deserve sleep just like the rest of us. Be selfish for once.”

“Indeed.” Seraphimus leaned against the doorframe yet again. “I shall keep watch first.”

Wildcard's dark headcrest ruffled around his even darker goggles. He slashed the air with emphatic gestures.

“No...” Seraphimus glared at him. “It is I who shall act as sentry!”

The Desperado retorted with flying talons.

Seraphimus hissed: “So far, you've only proven that you taunt these cretins, not intimidate them.” She gestured at herself. “As for me: both my strength and my station properly disturbs the Sons of Nightmares. They will not enter this domain so long as I stand watch.”

Wildcard spat, then sliced more gestures with his talons.

Seraphimus almost snorted. “And what? Attract your new coltfriend? The silent homunculus with the voice box?”

“Everyone... please...” Rainbow Dash rubbed her temples, grimacing. “...we can't afford to have two badass griffons who refuse to sleep...”

“Did...” Ariel pointed at the doorway. “...Sera just make a gay joke?”

“You're a gay joke,” Seraphimus grumbled, looking away with disdain.

“Hah! She did! She totally did!” Ariel beamed. Ariel blinked. Ariel droned: “... … … dumb turkey bitch.”

“Your insufferable poultry vocabulary has no effect on me.”

“You get stiff and wordy when you're pissed off. You know that, right?”

“Stop pretending to be intelligent and observant.”

“Uh huh. Whatever, poop penguin.”

Wildcard gestured wildly.

“Wasn't talkin' to you, Dubya. Chillax.”

“And stop pretending he's on your side. I've known Jordan longer than you.”

“Pffft. No wonder he went mute and ditched his arm.”

“What is that supposed to insinuate?”

“If I had to serve under you, I'd obliterate my love life as well!”

A shrill whistle. Swinging talons.

“Dude, it was just a joke. Relax!”

“Don't give her an inch of mercy, Jordan. Even if you are equally as sycophantic to Rainbow Dash—”

Another whistle, more rabid gesturing.

“Rnnnngh...” Rainbow Dash slumped completely to her side, clutching her skull as the other three bickered wildly within that hollowed-out chamber of the Tree of Mother's roots. “...Applejack, what I wouldn't give for you to materialize and kick these melon fudges straight.” A beat. Her eyes rolled. “No, that wasn't meant as a slight to Ariel, Pinkie Pie. Can I just...” She clenched her everything tightly shut and curled up into a fuzzy blue ball. “...can I just get a single friggin' minute of sanity in this looney warhole?!?

As Rainbow Dash groaned in exasperation...

And while Seraphimus, Wildcard, and Ariel argued into a buzzing tumult... …

… … …a certain Imperialist Clerk looked on from the sidelines. The first to have entered the chamber—as she was the one tasked with guiding them there—she had found a sleeping mat upon the fringes to lie on. Squatting on folded hooves, the unicorn sarosian kept her spectacled eyes locked on the group of grumpy Penumbrans while her horn glowed with telekinesis. She levitated a scroll out of one saddlebag and a pen from another.

She unpinned her mane and tossed it loose, letting the shiny silver hair flow over her shoulders as she exhaled the shuddering extent of the day out from her lungs. Only when she pressed the pen to paper and started scribbling down words did Shriike finally relax:

To Whom It Honors,

I, Administer Shriike, Tertiary Assistant to the Chief Imperial Record-Keeper of Gibbous Sanctum and Current Acting Archivist to the Scrolls of the Tree Of Mothers, In Full Compliance to Imperial Decorum and In Special Subservience to Captain Xandraa of the Imperial Guard, On This Night—the Twenty-Seventh Cycle of Year One Thousand and Three of the Mother of Nightmare's Exile—do hereby put to written record the dialogue, actions, and observations concerning Rainbow Dash—the supposed W'ynlppa yln H'luun, as hypothesized by Nat'rdo and other high-ranking members of the Dream Council—and the attached company of foreign denizens likewise hailing from the Searing Lands of the Great Deceiver during the so-called avatar's diplomatic exchange with Lexxy'kyn, Chief Commander of the Dark Vigil's Military Branches and Self-Proclaimed First Son of Nightmares.

While one may contend that the Tertiary Assistant to the currently-indisposed Chief Imperial Record-Keeper is far too young and aesthetically pleasing to endanger said-qualities with an arduous field excursion such as this, far be it from me to neglect the duties that have been projected onto my humble self by the head Captain of the Imperial Guard who is wise, stalwart, and admittedly long overdue for a flattering manecut. Among the tasks that have been bestowed upon this most diligent and aesthetically-pleasing clerk: chiefest is the need to remain quiet, unassuming, and reserved—all of which will undoubtedly be tantamount to impossible, considering my irresistible character and charming good looks.

The fact that I must carry all of these—along with my duties—through a thick sea of the Dark Vigil's most ravenous warmongering specimens of predatory masculinity—is a nightmarish reality not lost to me. Far be it from my industrious self to challenge the lead Captain's courage or tenacity, but I suspect that there is more at work here than endangering the innocent life of a priceless and charming clerk of Gibbous Sanctum. There are many reasons why the good and experienced Xandraa could not step hoof onto these toxic grounds herself, and my keen intellect infers that it has much to do with at least one member of the most-polished Elders in the uppermost branches, to the whole of whom these records are addressed. If you know who you are and would wish to discuss potential compensations for the inevitable horrors and body odors endured by this most loyal of clerks in the field of duty, please see the attached missive bundled with this parcel after consuming the body of this initial memoir.

“Sera, just let Wildcard keep watch first. You won't ever win an argument against him.”

“That's what you think, simpleton. Maybe if you paid less attention to your goddess-empress' cutie mark and gave more heed to Jordan's inner character—”

The air whipped like tropical winds from the blurring talon-signals.

“What? You honestly think you've changed that much since you served with the Talon? What's the name of the paltry organization you formed during your exile: 'Desperados?' Desperate for an excuse, perhaps...”

An angry, shrill whistle—but it didn't come from Wildcard.

Shriike winced, pausing in writing to rub her head as Rainbow Dash barked at the group:

“Alright, screwjobs! Here's how it's gonna go down! Or in my friggin' case—Up!” She hobbled onto all fours and limped towards the door-frame. “I will keep watch for the first few hours!”

Wildcard did a double-take.

“But Rainbow...!” Ariel reached out, grimacing. “...you're still reeling from the Hall of Honor!”

“Please...” Seraphimus smirked ever so slightly, on the brink of chuckling. “You've got to be joking.”

“Tough talk...” Rainbow trotted up to her and stared the griffon down. “...for a pelican who's about to have a beak full of floor.”

“... … ...” Seraphimus blinked.

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash glared back.

A flick of the tail. A drooping headcrest...

...and Seraphimus walked away from the door.

Wildcard began hand-signing something—

“And you!” Rainbow pointed at the Desperado, glaring. “Don't pretend I didn't see you having a metal-prosthesis-waving contest with some of Lexxic's finest today! You wanna get chummy with freakazoids of the Dark Side?? Consider doing it after we know who our friends truly are! Until the time comes—can it with the impervious badass gimmick! And for right now—go the buck to sleep!”

Wildcard's everything drooped. His tail tucked between his legs as he backstepped towards a sleeping mat.

“Rainbow Dash, we really must discuss Lexxic and his—” Seraphimus began.

“Sera—” Rainbow pointed at her. “—stop being so brooding!” She pointed at Wildcard. “Jordan, stop being so awesome!”

“Well said, Rainbow—” Ariel nodded.

“And Ariel!” Rainbow's teeth gnashed as she pointed. “Stop being so gay!”

Ariel blinked. “Hrmmfff...” She turned around three times and plopped down on a mat with a frown. “Easier said than done.”

“As somepony who hasn't done anything or anyone in ages, I promise that you'll survive.” Rainbow slumped against the doorframe and folded her wings around herself like a blanket. “So just... suck it up about not sucking it up...” A yawn. “...and you'll be fine.” A pause. Rainbow's muzzle hardened. “I can and I will, Twilight. Sometimes the boss has to step up and take charge. That's what this is.”

Seraphimus and Wildcard chose sleeping mats beside each other, but their gazes remained locked on Rainbow Dash.

“She will surely fall unconscious,” Seraphimus muttered to her former inferior. “When the time comes, I will take her place.”

Wildcard huffed a sigh and replied.

Seraphimus squinted at him. “Simply because it's the rational thing. Don't insinuate that I'm concerned for her out of personal spite...”

“You heard the mare,” Ariel stifled a yawn and rolled onto her side. “...get some shuteye.” She smiled faintly. “I, for one, am ready to sleep like an anvil.”

Wildcard blew out the side of his beak and signed something.

Ariel squinted tiredly at him. “I do not kick in my sleep.”

“He's right. You do.” Seraphimus muttered, resting on all fours. “Habitually.”

“How would you know?”

“... … ….” Seraphimus flexed and unflexed her wings. “I'm observant of all things... even the banal details...”

Ariel rolled her eyes, then shut them. “I would never kick in my sleep...” She stifled another yawn and drifted off. “...would... m-make a horrible cuddle buddy that way...”

As soon as Ariel stopped talking, the general atmosphere of the room quieted—even the two griffons.

Shriike breathed with evident relief and returned her floating pen to the floating parchment:

These... ambassadors from the Light Side—with all of their unique qualities, specific talents, and physical manifestations—are, simply put, a bunch of insufferable nimrods. Supposedly they have survived countless perils and lengths to arrive here—including an arduous crossing of the very Brink itself—and yet I fail to see how they could possibly conquer a single hour of adversity together. What—with their pretentious and juvenile habit of bickering with one another and making light of every curious detail that flounders in front of them. (Note to self: “making light” is a fitting pun for those who hail from the blinding realm of the Great Deceiver. Only someone as quick-witted as myself could have thought of it.)

But, yes, nimrods: the whole lot of them. From a broken warrior who refuses to talk to a hormonal mare with the muzzle of a disgruntled tart to an ice-blooded creature with eyes that have seen countless horrors of searing madness—and they all answer to a living color palette of a pony who bears the diplomatic grace of a winged possum on opium. From as far as this observant clerk has learned, there are supposedly three other members of her otherworldly posse—lingering back at some Goddess-forbidden shanty-town deep in the saturated navel of the bleaks. I shudder to guess how their ludicrous qualities are compounded among such sad individuals: will there be a half-dog-half-sea-serpent? An expressively pansexual cockroach with metal tentacles? Possibilities abound, but surely not my own curiosity—and both as a consequence of these insufferably migraine-inducing misanthropes.

But a wise and loyal clerk lives to serve. For the extent of the last cycle, I have performed my duties to the Captain of the Imperial Guard and the Council of Elders with utmost dedication. Attached to this document, you shall find plenty of transcripts and records made—on site and with peak accuracy—that document the interactions, observations, and motions committed by the so-called Avatar of Luna during her stay within and without the company of Lexxic, First Son of Nightmares. This document in particular that you may or may not be reading is simply the journal made by the Acting Archivist as means of compiling the moments experienced at this current culmination. (Also, it keeps this archivist sane, which is a difficult task as of late).

It is—unfortunately—not without its colorful commentary, as necessitated by the maddening lengths that these nimrods have pushed me, for which I have no other outlet. I apologize in advance for any potential stretching of journalistic etiquette. This is an encounter unlike no other, which may not manifest itself for another eon. It is with a calm and sound mind that I take a moment to reflect on how lucky I am to be readily available to observe such things. If I fail to assume this mindset—however artificial—then I risk certain madness.

Take—for instance—the leader of this merry band of displaced dystopians. One would expect a mare of steely resolve, with the tactful presence of a saint, fearless and undisputed in her intimidating stance. What a pity—then—that all they have to answer to is a petite purse of fried fruit slices, thin and raspy—just like her voice—and equipped with a veritable arsenal of immature aplomb befitting a wayward imp attempting to sell the Elders “Flux Pesticide.” (Note to self: may or may not delete that last bit later. The Elders are too serious to appreciate a loyal clerk's peak humor.)

I do not exaggerate. Rainbow Dash, the so-called avatar, is always either trying to pick a fight or pick her nose. And yet she pretends to be serious about making friends with the upper branches of the Tree while also rubbing fetlocks with the Sons of Nightmares. Even I know that such can't be achieved, and yet she pursues such absurdity with moronic zeal.

I recall vividly from the first hour that I accompanied her and her companions...

“The fact of the matter is...” With a flick of his pale tail hairs, Lukaas turned about and paced across the dusty trail between Bloodwing encampments. “...the First Son of Nightmares is going to be extraordinarily busy for the next foreseeable future. He simply won't have the time to entertain visitors from the Searing Lands.”

“S'all good.” Rainbow Dash leaned casually against a stack of metal crates. “We can wait.”

Lukaas turned to face her. His balding brow furrowed. “And just what—pray tell—are the First Son's fellow warriors to do with you in the interim?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “That's for you to decide not me. But don't you fret.” A smirk and a wink. “I'm pretty easy to entertain.” Her ear flicked, as if somepony was whispering into it. A slight sigh, and she muttered aside: “Well, I'm not the same pegasus from Ponyville, Twilight.”

Shriike looked up from the levitating pen and parchment she was using to record the spoken words. She arched an eyebrow curiously at Rainbow Dash, adjusted her spectacles, but nevertheless went back to her duty.

Masser cleared his throat. He trotted past Ariel and the two griffons to approach Lukaas. “Perhaps I can take them to the pit.”

Lukaas spun at him, his good fang glinting in the twilight. “Nopony is taking any outsiders to the pit!”

“Why not?” Masser shrugged with a bewildered expression across his scarred face. The stallion towered above the Fifth but nevertheless came across as strangely demure in his tone. “Would it not be a proper display of Bloodwing ingenuity—?”

“Given the intricacies of its maintenance...” Lukaas hissed. “...would it not behoove us to defer to the First Son's permission?” His slitted eyes narrowed. “Or at least Azarias'?”

Masser blinked. He stepped backward, hunched noticeably. “Oh. Right. I suppose the contents of the pit are quite important.”

“Are we...” Rainbow Dash fidgeted. “...talking a fun pit or a scream until you wish for death pit?”

“H-hey!” Masser pointed at the mare, smirking. “The avatar gets it!”

Lukaas kicked Masser hard in the side.

“Ow!” Masser frowned, rubbing his body with mild annoyance.

“'Supposed avatar',” Lukaas emphasized, then resumed pacing through the center of the group. “She is our company strictly by request of the Elders—not by any station based in reality.”

“Love you too,” Rainbow droned.

“And...” Lukaas glared at the mare. “...if she expects to be treated with the same luxury as that which she witnessed up in the High Branches, she's sorely mistaken.” A crooked smile graced his pale features. “Down here—among the shadow and the roots—contentment is earned.” His teeth gnashed as he gestured with a swinging fetlock. “Through strength! Competition! Struggle!”

“And blood!” Masser said, brightening.

“Mrmmfff...” Lukaas blew out the side of his muzzle. “Yes. Whenever there is plenty of that to spare.”

Masser smiled in unironic pride.

Rainbow gave the Third a prolonged look. “For a bunch of blue collars, you really love the color red,” she eventually stated.

“H-huh?!” Both Lukaas and Masser blinked strangely at her.

She waved them off and stood straight and polite. “The Elders specifically requested that I hang out with Lexxic. Now you guys are telling me that's not gonna happen for a while.” She shrugged. “They won't exactly be happy to hear that the First Son and his blood brothers cowered away from a direct order coming from the Highest Polished.”

“We are not cowering away!” Lukaas snarled. “Out here, the directives of the First Son are paramount. And—as it so happens—he's requested that he not be disturbed while dealing with important business!”

“You mean the problematic 'Twelve' that were spared by Lyw'Malaak?” Seraphimus calmly stated.

Both Lukaas and Masser gave her double-takes.

The Former Talon Commander continued: “From what I understand, Lexxic is intercepting them after they've been sent back home with official pardon by this brusquely-spoken-of Malaak.”

Lukaas held a hoof out, but his mouth merely hung open in a lapse of thought.

“Oh, she's got good ears, alright,” Rainbow said with a smirk. “You just can't see them under all the feathers.”

Wildcard nodded.

“Hrmmfff...” Lukaas shrugged. “It matters little.”

“Doesn't it?” Seraphimus cocked her head to the side. “Every time this 'Lyw'Malaak' has been spoken of, it has been with great anxiety and vitriol—on behalf of Lexxic and all his subordinates.”

“If we didn't know better,” Ariel remarked, “I'd say Malaak is more than a mere thorn in Lexxic's side.” She arched an eyebrow. “But maybe the last edge the Elders have over his entire army?”

“Or can he actually call it 'his army' with somepony like Malaak still around?” Seraphimus added.

Masser blinked worriedly at Lukaas.

The Fifth was already fuming. “Listen to me here...” He pointed an angry hoof. “The First Son of Nightmares is in complete and total charge of the brave warriors fighting for control of the Sarcophagus of Ages. And he will not allow his authority to be challenged by the pathetic few who mistake cowardice for tenacity! The High Polished simply do not understand the full extent of Lexxic's sacrifices, and every single time they meddle with the bureaucratic banalities of old, they risk everything that—” The pale stallion cut himself off completely. Blinking, he turned to squint at Shriike across the group. “... … ...what in the Narrow is she doing?”

The Imperialist clerk blinked through her thick-thick glasses. “Uhmmmm...” Her voice rolled in time with her fluctuating horn. “...I'm recording?”

Lukaas' good fang showed. “You surely cannot!”

“Yyyyyyyeah...” She squinted back at him. “...but unfortunately for you, my years of the Vigil's finest lunar education and Gibbous Sanctum internship says that I do...”

Lukaas rushed forward before Masser could stop him. “Eee-eee-eee!!” He stood tall with bleached wings outstretched, towering above the clerk's startled figure. “These words spoken between the Sons of Nightmares and the supposed avatar are for our ears and our ears alone” He seethed in her face, causing her to tremble all over. “Do not test me, breeder, or you will suffer a fate far darker than even the Lower Roots can echo! Is that understood?”

“I-I fully and totally c-comprehend the vernacular!” Shriike stammered, her everything drooping as she shrank from his diseased complexion. “Just... pl-please... take your scars and liver sp-spots and st-step away!”

Lukaas did indeed back off—but not by his own volition. A sky-blue hoof pulled him away from Shriike. Sharply.

“Chill out, buddy,” Rainbow Dash said. “There'll be no threatening messengers on my watch.”

“Unhoof me, female—” Lukaas' slitted eyes suddenly widened as he found his entire body buckling in pain. He sank like an anchor to the dusty earth. “Aaaaugh!”

This was because Rainbow Dash had bent his left wing at a vicious angle, and she applied even more pressure as her smirk melted into a frown pressed into the side of his fuzzy head. “I said... chill the buck out...” Her teeth glinted in the twilight, just centimeters from doing permanent damage to the Fifth's leafy ears. “I'm on a very important mission here, and no amount of stupid petty politics is gonna get in the way of that. Now—our four-eyed egghead friend here has been told by ponies with higher authority than all of you Sons of Nightmares combined that she's to accompany me and note down everything that's spoken. So, if you wanna keep her from recording things, the smart choice is to keep your muzzle shut. Simple as that.”

Rainbow gave Lukaas' wing a slight yank, which summoned an embarrassing squeak from his inner being.

“But...” Rainbow growled. “...if I catch you threatening her again, it won't be the Maria Matriarchs or even Lexxic who'll stomp your remaining teeth into gravel, it'll be me. And you'd better believe I've pile-driven bigger bullies than a thousand you's combined.”

Shriike's eyes fluttered in a stunned blink.

“Httt!” Rainbow Dash gave Lukaas a hard shove.

“Ooomf!” The Fifth went rolling. He tried hopping up into a nimble stance, but could only manage an awkward stumble. His pale features were flushed red—a combination of sheer frustration plus knowing that several distant warriors had stopped everything they were doing to gawk at his limp display.

Wildcard exhaled, slowly loosening the grip he had on his bo-staff for the past thirty seconds.

“And don't try getting angry. I promise—I'd only be angrier.” Rainbow smoothed her bangs straight and gestured at Shriike. “Whatcha waiting for? Don't slouch on the job, bookworm.”

“R-right...” Shriike nervously levitated her pen and parchment back.

Ariel leaned towards the clerk. “I've seen her when she's angry.” She fanned herself while Shriike merely squinted in confusion.

Meanwhile...

“Snrkkk...” Masser hunched over. “Snrkkkk—Bwa ha ha ha ha!” He stomped his hoof across the ground—making the whole earth shake so that even Seraphimus had to shift her stance. “Haaaah hah hah hah!” He grinned at the Fifth. “I get it now! Hah haaah! But it's a lot funnier when she hurts another brother! Hah hah hah hah!”

The air around that portion of the camp echoed with squeaks, chuckles, and laughter from observing Bloodwings. Lukaas' nostrils flared as he shifted under their humored gaze. Eventually, the soldiers stopped snickering at his expense and went back to whatever it was that they were doing.

“Ohhhhhhh...” Masser caught his breath, grinning from ear to scarred ear. “If only you were there to see it, brother! Truly a headbutt for the ages!”

“Humorous to a fault...” Lukaas spat. “But I refuse to entertain such obvious pawns of Gibbous Sanctum.”

“And how is it your place to refuse?” Seraphimus asked.

“It is my job to protect the interests of the Roots,” Lukaas huffed.

“Say...” Ariel pointed at Masser. “Doesn't he outrank you?”

“She's right!” Rainbow brightened. “He does!”

“I do?” Masser blinked. “Ahem!” With a shudder, he stood tall and proud. “Indeed! I do!” He turned towards Lukaas. “How about I take it from hear, Fifth—”

“Masser'myn, brother...” Lukaas groaned, gesturing at the group. “Don't let these seared strangers take advantage of—”

“I believe you need a reprieve, Sy'lukas'ymb. And as the Third, I hereby relieve you.”

“... … …!!” Lukaas' jaw dropped. His ears flicked, and he snorted. “The Second will not like this.”

“I shall deal with L'azarias'ym,” Masser declared. “I'm one of only two souls on this plane who can.”

“Mrmmmff...” Lukaas flicked his threadbare tail. “You mean you're one of the few who won't be killed on sight for talking back.” He spread his wings to fly back to the Roots—but instantly winced in pain. A few more chuckles resounded, and ultimately the Fifth trotted off in an embarrassed huff.

Masser exhaled long and hard. He turned towards Rainbow with a tired smirk. “You must forgive him. The Fifth has not... killed in a long time.”

“Unless you count his own ego,” Rainbow said. “So—you're gonna show us the pit, now, right?”

“Yes—NO!” Masser shook his meaty head. A low grumble rose from within his massive frame. “By honor to the Elders, I shall arrange for you to be in Lexxic's company. But I ask that you show me greater respect than you have with my older... far grumpier brother.”

Rainbow smirked. “Yeah. I can get behind that.”

Ariel waved. “See how far we get when we ask nicely?”

Masser turned towards her. He blinked, fidgeting slightly. “I am... not accustomed to taking anything except by force.”

“It is, indeed, a difficult habit to shake,” Seraphimus said.

“I do not think that I can... 'shake' it,” Masser said. “Nor do I aim to. But...” He motioned towards Omega. “...I can bring you closer to Lexxic.”

“Fine by me, champ.” Rainbow Dash gestured for the group to follow Masser as he trotted across the grand encampment. “Shake a leg, egghead. And Wildcard—no headbutting.”

A shrill whistle protested.

“Ohhhhhh can it, Polly. You only wish you were the first to do it back then.”

Shriike tongued the inside of her muzzle, warily eyeing the group—but mostly Rainbow Dash—as she gathered her supplies and stumbled to keep up the pace.

It boggles the sophisticated and educated mind that a pony such as this could have survived so lengthy a trek, utilizing frankly primitive tactics befitting a raw slab of meat. I find it a far more globular clot of blood to suck that those in the Dream Council would ascribe her the legendary role of 'W'ynlppa yln H'luun.' But—they are the ones who have peered into Rainbow Dash's mind—not I. I suspect that I am all the better for it; my fangs just hurt from the resonance caused by her insufferably raspy voice. Goddess help me if I allowed any part of her somewhere between my ears. I need this beautiful mind for recording dialogue as well as manifesting these priceless chronicles.

Where was I? Oh yes—when Rainbow Dash finds herself at odds with somepony or something, her solution appears to be tantamount to a diplomatic headbutt. I say this because of tales I've heard spoken by both Bloodwings and Bloodcolts alike. Everywhere we go, soldiers talk. Curse my osmotic sense of intellectual awareness that can absorb the full extent of what they say—even when writing one particular length of discourse down while trying to ignore the other. I never actually thought that the First Sons of Nightmares could be so verbose and eloquent, but where passion lies—so does the recount of curious events. For having such a short stay in the shadow of the Tree of Mothers, Rainbow Dash has generated quite the stir thus far.

It's from this that I found that she did—indeed—strike her skull against the intimidating cranium of Masser'myn, Third Son of Nightmares, at the first moment that Lexxic's company rendezvoused with her party out in the bleaks. For the longest time, I found this hard to believe—until I saw how fearlessly the mare from the Seared Lands confronted Sy'lukas'ymb, the Fifth Son of Nightmares, before my very eyes. The fact that Lukaas, Fifth Son of Nightmares, would very gladly have caused personal injury to me concerning a particular matter of sensitive information-gathering is besides the point. (Note to self—some parts of this account are superfluous, I just want it noted that my precious body and mind were both threatened by a subservient member of Lexxic, Commander of the Bloodwings. Also, the Fifth has liver spots and needs a bath.).

Anyways, this offensive act proved quite successful on Rainbow Dash's part, which is remarkable given her relatively small stature. The fact that Masser, the Third, reacted with amusement and enthusiasm seems to suggest that Rainbow's boldness functions as a matter of impressing her potential foils rather than intimidating would-be-inferiors. It should be noted that Rainbow's companions—observing the somewhat dramatic exchange—supported her resolve and psychologically persuaded the Third Son into using rank to make the Fifth stand down. The lattermost development can most likely be attributed to a questionable frailty in Masser's intelligence and self-esteem, but I am not here to psychoanalyze the Sons of Nightmares, although I do think I would be most exceptional at such. (I must put in a good word to Captain Xandraa; it could make for an illuminating future project.)

So, in short, Rainbow Dash likes to be direct, blunt, and forceful about things when all other ventures fail to pull through. Does she do this in all cases? It would appear that it's a tactic used with her very own traveling companions. Just now—as her party and myself are attempting to retire for the night—I witnessed her hissing her lackeys into line. They are a chatty bunch—disorganized, varied, and strongly opinionated. But there comes a point where they no longer afford to push Rainbow Dash any further than she wants to be. That's when she takes charge, and the gravity with which her words fall makes me wonder if it'd indeed be better if she just headbutted each and every one of her friends in like turn.

This is alarming. Or—at least—it should be alarming. What we have here is a pony who cannot... or will not take “no” for an answer. She is very bold, forward, and spearheaded. At the same time, she knows how to play face—and she can shape and mold herself to fit the context of the pony she's speaking with at any given time. Like the twirl of a moonstone, she brightens and dims on command. Blink in a dark chamber, and you just might miss it. But not I. I see how her back hairs bristle with frustration when she can tell that a conversation isn't about to go her way. I see the flick of her tail when she's about to leap upon an idea or a suggestion or a request. Others who are not as well-trained and gifted as this Imperial Clerk might miss such keen details, but probably because they're too busy being flabbergasted by her enthusiastic audacity or—dare I say it—wooed by her alien and otherworldly charm. Sure enough, the thugs and grunts down here in the shadow of the Tree are a breed driven by passion, feeling, and gut instinct. Rainbow Dash mirrors all of these qualities to a perfect shine, and she polishes it—gladly and daringly—before every meatheaded murderer she makes contact with.

I wonder: could this be what won her the role of W'ynlppa yln H'luun? Was this malleable, shifting, ever-changing proxy of unparalleled ponydom the form that she presented herself with in the Seared Lands? Was this the creature that won favor with the Mother of Nightmares (or whatever essence remained of her escaped, defeated self) so as to have the blessing of Luna's avatar distilled into such a cringey, petite vessel?

If so, she's far more dynamic a soul than T'chyrym herself—and all the layers of Flux that cocoon around her. Whether or not this demands that we treat Rainbow Dash with far more scrutiny and caution than we have so far—I cannot pretend to say. While I might have the capacity for limitless wisdom, it simply isn't this humble clerk's station among the Branches to decide. Only to observe.

And it is high time that I state—with more than a modicum of alarm—that I have observed something quite disturbing about the W'ynlppa yln H'luun. While I hold great doubt over the tales of epic accomplishments that bleed from her muzzle, I have no doubt that she has crossed many obstacles and tackled many perils. It stands to reason that this would cause a pony great stress—to the point of fraying sanity—even with the support of allies who seem ready to die for her. But—a toll, her ventures appear to have indeed taken. Because when she is not talking to Lexxic's lackeys or her own subordinates, Rainbow Dash... well...

The so-called avatar just talks...

“No...”

Silence.

“No. No. How many times do I gotta repeat myself, Fluttershy? I can't just... trot off and investigate crud willy-nilly!”

Silence.

“Because... we don't exactly have free-range here! We're waiting to meet up with Lexxic and Company, not tour the Dark Side Fairgrounds.”

The prismatic pegasus from Penumbra perched atop a stack of crates like a fuzzy blue cat, staring off past hazy rows of shacks where blacksmiths worked on the latest crafted weaponry. Wildcard and Ariel stood a few feet away, with one gesturing to another in muted conversation while the friend nodded. Rainbow was completely isolated—and completely calm—and yet her muzzle moved fluidly as if she was talking to a crowded room full of familiars.

“Well—I know that it sucks—but I'm gonna need you to just... keep a mental record of the location of whatever or whoever you're sensing. Who knows. If the opportunity presents itself, I'll... uhhhhh... try to find a way to sneak in a peek or something. But just one hooftrot at a time—”

Rainbow suddenly did a double-take at a patch of nothing. She stared intently into thin air, then raised an eyebrow.

“What are you going on about?”

A pause.

Rainbow sighed. “We still don't know how much it has to do with him being around or not. Just... chillax, Twi. We gotta play things safe and not do anything crazy for a while...”

Her ear flicked, and she tilted her head in the other direction with a scowling expression.

“For Pete's sake! It's because I know when and where it's okay to go full-on kaizo! So don't use the situation back then against me! I've been doing this far longer than the whole fumbling fart of you!”

Silence.

Her eyes rolled. “Oh, so I'm being a hypocrite here, huh? Well let's see you handle it so well as the anchor, then, Rares. Yeesh... have you anything better to do than step on my fetlocks?”

This whole episode—if one could call it that—was quietly observed by a certain Imperial clerk. Shriike huddled in the shadow of an adjacent stack of crates—far enough away from Ariel and Wildcard to be there uncontested, but not close enough to Rainbow Dash to be caught. She stood stealthily amidst the forest of military supplies, watching with thin eyeslits as the W'ynlppa yln H'luun had a dynamic and engaging conversation with invisible phantoms.

Then—after a long period of observation—Shriike came upon a scientific conclusion.

Her leafy ears folded back as she clenched her teeth. “She's mad...”

“I thought same too,” spoke an icy voice barely inches from Shriike's face.

“Waaa-aaaiiieee!” Shriike hopped sideways five feet. She hoofy-kicked at the air, tilting back from the weight of her bulging saddlebags, and ultimately falling on her rump. “Ooomphies!” She winced, eyes tearing behind her thick glasses.

As her vision of the eternal night sky came back into focus, an ominous figure stood above, blotting out the stars in a vaguely avian shape. Two charcoal brown eyes peered as a sharp talon reached calmly down. “To be frank, it still crosses my mind.”

“Mrmffff...” Shriike hesitantly accepted Seraphimus' grip, gasping as she was yanked strongly back onto all fours. “If you feel that way...” She squinted as she took her glasses off and rubbed them clear once again. “...then why do you continue to follow your illustrious leader?”

“She is no leader of mine,” Seraphimus stated. “But... she is the reason for why I'm here on the Dark Side.” A long exhale. “For better or for worse.”

“I see...” Shriike's horn glowed slightly. “Care to make a statement for the record?”

“It matters little,” Seraphimus muttered. “Suffice to say—there's more to Rainbow Dash than can simply be observed through one's natural senses. Trust me. I found this out the hard way.”

“Uh huh...” Shriike ultimately decided not to extract a pen and parchment from her saddlebag. Instead, she stood there beside the former Talon Commander, observing a seemingly oblivious Rainbow Dash from afar. “Should I be concerned? For myself?”

“Only if you aspire to capture and imprison her by force against her will.”

“H-huh?”

With a terse breath, Seraphimus changed the subject: “What exactly is your duty up in Gibbous Sanctum?”

Shriike cocked her head to the side. “Am I suddenly being interviewed, here?”

Seraphimus was slowly pacing around the supply station where they stood. “The hierarchy of the Dark Vigil is plain to see, and the further it gets to the top—I see that it narrows drastically. I can only imagine that the functions of the Highest Branches are far... far removed from business concerning the Trinary War.”

“Oh! Hardly the case!” Shriike stood tall and smiled in pride beneath her thick, thick glasses. “Why—I find myself requisitioning supplies on a consistent business! Whether it be chronicling additions made to the pit or special refits planned by our smartest engineers for My'spyd'ylm's vessel...”

“I imagine this current task at hoof must feel terribly beneath you.”

“Hrmmmfff...” Shriike blew out the side of her muzzle. “Far be it for a loyal clerk of Imperial Records to complain...”

“Far be it...”

“...but I feel I would be far more useful back up in Gibbous Sanctum, maintaining order and filing. You know—I'm still filling in for the head archivist! My supervisor has been battling the lunar pox for a fortnight or two by now. If both of us remain indisposed for long—what will become of the sacred archives??”

“What indeed...”

“Already, I've had my precious life threatened by the vitriolic bravado of the Fifth Son of Nightmares! And all of these horrid smells and leering eyes and pestilential living conditions...” Shriike shuddered from head to tail. “...it'll be a miracle if I return to Gibbous Sanctum with even a fraction of my faculties in full working order! I swear, if I stumble in my future duties, it'll be Captain Xandraa who will have to answer for the circumstances that have befuddled me! Not that... I-I wish to damage her illustrious career, but the pen can—in many ways—be mightier than the sword when the situation calls for it!”

Seraphimus merely nodded. “It must be terribly difficult to maintain such a passive—yet important—function in a world defined by war.”

“Mmmmm. Yes. Quite.” Shriike gestured. “But it does afford me occasional glimpses into the heat of the action!” She smiled with glinting teeth. “Like—this one time—I filled out a requisition for battering rams made out of Tchernic chitin! It gave me hopes that Lexxic's forces were advancing upon the Sarcophagus—perhaps even close enough to siege the entrance!” A slight sigh, and her ears drooped. “Turns out it was merely a raid of a metamorophic encampment. They were tossing incendiary weapons down the hive and needed long cylindrical tools for plugging the exits.”

“How interesting.” Seraphimus nodded again, deadpan. “You must handle many of the missives coming to and from Lyw'Malaak's camp.”

“Oh, that I do.”

“Only good news, I hope.”

“Pffft. Far from it! You see, Malaak has been hard pressed as of late to receive any assistance from Lexxic's patrol groups along—” Shriike froze in mid-speech. A few bulbous blinks, and her refracted eyeslits darted nervously towards Seraphimus.

“... … ...” The griffon was staring patiently at the clerk.

Shriike gulped. “I... should not be talking about this...”

“Talking about what?”

Hard lines formed in the clerk's velvety brow. “You know what I mean.” Her fangs showed. “You were trying to make me relate highly sensitive information regarding the Roots of the Dark Vigil!”

“Is that what they're referred to?” Seraphimus asked. “The divisions of your army? They're referred to as 'Roots?'”

“Yes. As a matter of fact, the Fourth and Fifth Roots have been ordered back to the Tree of Mothers, which is why you see so many Bloodwing warriors around here, training—” Shriike's eyes crossed. In a flinch, she hopped up and down, then stomped on the ground beneath her like she was trying to trample a grasssnake. “Grrrrrrr!” She leaned towards the griffon, her voice cracking: “St-stop making me t-talk about stuff I shouldn't be talking about!”

“I am not making you do anything.”

“I know!” Shriike huffed. “And it's infuriating!” She huffed again. “You're quieter and deader than a Dream Councilmare sleeptrotting!” Her cheeks reddened as she leaned back on her haunches with forelimbs crossed. “Is this the kind of technique that all creatures from the Searing Lands learn from foaling?”

“I wouldn't know,” Seraphimus said in a taciturn tone. “Before Rainbow Dash crossed my continent, I knew nothing of the Equestrian diarchy. Now that I've learned what I've learned... I can't say I understand it.”

“Hrmmmfff...” Shriike looked down at the ground. “...I would be lying if I said it didn't confuse me as well.”

“I assumed the Dark Vigil had their own narrative concerning it.”

“Yes. But... such narrative is... … …clouded now that Rainbow Dash is here.” Shriike clenched her jaw with apparent misgivings. “If she were a lonely cretin claiming sorority with the daughters of the Night Mother, that would be one thing. But the Dream Council—and seemingly a member of the Mariah Matriarchs as well—are considering her as W'ynlppa yln H'luun. This wouldn't be troubling—except that it's been a thousand years since the Exile and—as prophesied—the stars have apparently aided in the Mother of Nightmares' escape. If such a so-called avatar claims that the Solar Deceiver is still a divine authority, then that complicates everything sacred ever declared by Nightmare Moon. It... puts into question exactly what it is that we're fighting for... and why w-we're even here...”

“It must be especially vexing for a record-keeper such as yourself.” Seraphimus craned her neck. “In charge of so many sacred texts.”

“You have no idea.” Shriike hugged herself, shivering. “I just... wish I knew exactly what Mistress Faatail and the other elders are discussing. Giving audience to a Seared Soul like Rainbow Dash—and even going as far as to let her brush wings with the likes of Lexxic—is very... very much against standard procedure.” Shriike gulped. “I fear a crisis is at hoof. I might even have to open the very original Book of Saros itself!” A brief smile. “Don't get me wrong! That excites me like nothing else I can describe! But it is also a frightening course to take! What could this mean for the entire Dark Vigil? What will it mean for the Sarcophagus of Ages and the power that resides within?”

“You are a clever and resourceful archivist,” Seraphimus declared in a calm tone. “I have no doubt that you can handle any circumstances that come your way.” A dip of the head. “Especially considering your years of diligence and preparation.”

“Hmmmff... quite true. Quite true.” Shriike tilted her nose up with a proud smirk. “Ahhh... to be alive in this age! And to witness such dramatic events unfolding!” She smiled. “Why, I could be the one mare who gets to chronicle the most dynamic shift in sarosian history since the Exodus that brought us here! Just imagine... my name listed in the modern addendum to the Book of Saros! And I'm not talking mere apocrypha here—but honest-to-goddess revelations!”

“Would you be listed before or after Lyw'Malaak?”

“Pfffft! Isn't it obvious? Before! After all—what has that old mare done these last two decades?! Except act like a stubborn stalagmite poking into Lexxic's side, what with her lasting ties to the Maria—” Shriike bit on her tongue. Her four-eyes locked onto Seraphimus yet again.

Seraphimus raised an eyecrest. “So...” She cocked her head aside. “Malaak is a female officer...”

“Rrrrrr...” Shriike hopped onto all four limbs, stomping a front fetlock indignantly. “That's the last time I engage in any casual conversation with the likes of you! You... you...” Her eyes clenched shut as her forward half shook. “Nimrod!”

“I would expect an imperialist clerk to have a wider vocabulary.”

“Oh! My vocabulary is wide alright! But as an unwitting diplomat for the Mother of Nightmares, I can't be assailed with... that is... it isn't my chief tribulation to suffer... uhm... I musn't allow flagrant consternation to... to...” Shriike spat. “NIMROD!”

“Quite curious...” Seraphimus bore the faintest hint of a smirk under her beak. “...that such a trusted archivist would be so easy to crumble under the weight of casual conversation once she steps hoof outside her beloved tree.”

“And just what were you before you got yanked here to the night-kissed bleaks, huh? Tough bird?!”

“A commander—much like your beloved Lexxic.”

“He is not 'beloved,'” Shriike grumbled. “Not to me—not to anypony.”

“And yet you employ him as your only means to victory.”

“Yes, well, at least he doesn't deprave his own station by luring innocent and unwitting clerks into spilling confidential information!”

“I heard nothing that wasn't told to me freely—” Seraphimus began.

“All that blinding light in the searing lands, and yet you still rely on gas?” Shriike pouted. “I can't imagine what you were once the 'commander' of, Miss Goose, but it must have been a paltry army indeed for you to have been promoted to this.” Her eyes darted to Rainbow—who was still mumbling to unseen souls. A wicked smirk, and Shriike looked at the griffon once again. “Are you certain Rainbow Dash isn't your leader?”

“... … ...” All semblance of a smirk swiftly faded from Seraphimus' complexion. Her next breath was as cold as her eyes, and twice as dismissive. “Off... the record.” And she trotted off on icy talons.

Shriike squinted at her as she left. “You weren't dismissed, soldier.”

Silence.

“Hrmmfff...” Shriike floated a pen and paper out from her saddlebag. “I'm going to need more ink for this.” She rubbed her temple beneath a glowing horn. “...and maybe some cyanide.”

Concerning So-Called Servants

If the so-called avatar's penchant for rambling out loud to herself during “private” moments isn't reason to question her sanity, then I'm tempted to point at the sheer oddity of her traveling companions as ample proof of the Seared representative's functioning psychosis. I've alluded to several of the party members' quirks already, but it takes a certain degree of focus to truly outline their suspiciously awkward personalities.

Seraphimus—the feline-avian abomination with a cold-hearted glare—is someone whom I've already briefly touched upon in passing. She was quick to do Rainbow's dirty work: questioning me with the patience and scrutiny of a dream inquisitor (without the dreaming, of course; kindly forgive this exhausted clerk's lack of beauty sleep). I found the oddly formal Seraphimus quite intent on pulling apart whatever scant information I possessed in regards to the Dark Vigil's military chain of command. At the core of her curiosity was the perceived relationship between Lexxy'kyn and Lyw'Malaak and their mutual control over the Roots of the Sarcophagus Offensive.

While it may be possible that Lexxic and his fellow brothers have already related a great deal of information to the visiting party, the zeal with which Seraphimus attempts acquiring greater knowledge is of great concern to me. I may be out of the loop when it comes to the true nature of Rainbow Dash's collaboration with Mistress Faatail, but it most certainly would have alleviated me of a great burden to know what is or what isn't privileged information to share with the would-be avatar and her familiars. Until I become so blessedly enlightened, I must err on the side of caution—feigning ignorance when required (although it greatly insults this highly-educated archivist to resort to such).

All things considered, I'm no push-over. I can handle the likes of Seraphimus. If nothing else, my curiosity concerning that... creature supersedes my worries over her. There's something about the seared specimen that makes her different from the rest of Rainbow's followers—yes, including the other cat/bird hybrid. Namely, I find it fascinating that Seraphimus talks back to Rainbow Dash. Alright, to be perfectly fair, all of the subordinates have a habit of talking back to their leader... including the one who doesn't talk (which I shall endeavor to explain later).

But when Seraphimus speaks to the so-called Avatar, it is almost always in the form of contradiction, critique, and questioning. There's a tone in her speech that suggests she doesn't see Rainbow Dash as somepony in charge—at least not in spirit. In fact, I don't think this creature even perceives Rainbow Dash as an equal. There's a great depth of indefinable conflict existing between the two, and I suspect that—at some point, very recently—they've freshly forged an alliance for practicality's sake. My postulation is supported by the hour, as I observe more and more side commentary that seems to suggest that—at some point prior to crossing the brinks—Rainbow Dash and Seraphimus may even have been adversaries.

Curious, then, that such a mysterious soul like Seraphimus—harboring much honor and menace and self-esteem—would bend herself at so many painful degrees to support Rainbow Dash. There is something at work here that is forcing her to accept the so-called Avatar's authority. I'm tempted to hypothesize that the creature isn't even here on Rainbow Dash's behest. Much rather, there must be some subjective purpose... a personal motive that drives her into performing the duties of a common bodyguard. I see lots of Captain Xandraa in her—which is alarming. Because nothing in the universe—no forces within or beyond measure—would ever convince the good and honorable Xandraa that she would have to lower her guard or... Mother forbid... abandon her post.

So why, then, is Seraphimus here? What was she once the guardian of? And what exactly did she do—or what has Rainbow Dash done—to tear her away from that post? What kind of a pony does this paint the so-called avatar to be? And should we—the higher polished—be concerned or relieved that both Rainbow Dash and Seraphimus are taking such a fervent interest in Lexxic and his relations?

Perhaps I am looking too much into it. Writing the words of these simpletons—being charged with chronicling their exposed thoughts and outlandish motivations on a minute to minute basis—has made the remaining faculties of my mind flail for an explanation to the seared purpose behind it all. With Seraphimus—I find the least clarity. But, perhaps, she is simply an anomaly. She's an appendix to Rainbow's journey at best, and I wonder if even the so-called avatar herself knows how loose the strand is that keeps her coldest ally attached.

As for the other two—well—they are blatant sycophants to the nimrodic core. They go where Rainbow goes and do what Rainbow tells them to without question. Both are obedient servants to the very end. But even if the entire night-drenched plane was to fall under the so-called avatar's spell, nothing in this universe can top Rainbow's chiefest, youngest, and thirstiest familiar, who—from all accounts—has the single-mindedness of a locust and the decency of a rabid bloodcolt hacking and slashing its way through a greasy ocean of puberty.

“And so... get this...” Ariel spoke, beaming. “...once the messengers of Bleak's Plummet informed us about the advancing forces of Frostknife's Central Guard from the west, Rainbow Dash decided she was gonna meet the attackers face to face. But... she wasn't gonna just go and fly into them and get speared in midair by a hundred crossbolts. After all, we had to wait for the harmonic gondola from the Dark Side to arrive for our party to make its exit, so there's no telling just how much time was available for us and Enix's band of warriors to fight off the Rohbreddenites. So, we needed a distraction... in other words: Rainbow Dash needed to make a distraction!”

“Mmmmhmmmm...” With tired eyes blinking through her thick-thick spectacles, Shriike sat bored in the back of a wagon, scribbling Ariel's words onto a levitating scroll. The Imperial clerk was positioned across from Ariel, and the two were nearly swallowed up by stacks of war supplies rattling tightly all around them. A pair of sarosian stallions were drawing their vehicle swiftly down a path that stretched through several rows of tents and barracks. Ahead of them—a few paces out—was another wagon where Rainbow Dash, Seraphimus, and Wildcard sat—likewise being drawn towards their next destination. Masser was nowhere to be seen—having flown ahead minutes ago to prepare the Foremost Sons for the W'ynlppa yln H'luun's arrival at Central Operations.

“You wanna guess what she did?” Ariel smiled wide.

“You will have to dictate it to me,” Shriike droned.

“It's so friggin' badass!” Ariel went on as the wagon creaked and rattled around them. “Basically, we grabbed all the spare runestones we had from Xarchellus' flock and a bunch of junk from Flynn's ship—the Princess Stardust. And—from that mess—Rainbow Dash fashioned a crude torpedo out of a metal cylinder. She then used some of the runestones with lunar commands to propel it! Then—while the rest of the ambush party waited in the twilight skies for her signal, she mounted the torpedo and—spsssshkkkkkttthhhshhhhh!” Ariel gestured a skimming object with her hoof while her muzzle made obnoxious sounds. “She rode the damn thing underwater! For several hundred meters! Straight into the armada!” Ariel bore a dumb smile. “Isn't that amazing?!”

“Mmmmhmmmm...” Shriike simply scribbled the words that were being conveyed.

Ariel's smile lingered as one of her eyebrows rose. “...you don't sound very impressed.”

Shriike responded in a terse tone: “Please do me a favor and space your spoken sentences out more so I can properly punctuate your completed thoughts.”

The clerk's cold statement wasn't enough to stifle Ariel's enthusiasm: “Anyways, so after riding the torpedo underwater—no doubt having to hold her damn breath the whole way...”

Shrike stifled a groan. She reached one hoof up to stroke her aching temple as she struggled with the constant, written recording.

“...she slammed into one of their ships! Zskkkkkppt—KAPOW!!” One of the Bloodwings drawing the wagon looked back with a curious squint, but Ariel continued. “Sploooosh! The damned boat sank like a stone! But Rainbow wasn't done!” Ariel's teeth showed as she spoke more emphatically. “Not only did she survive the blast, but as soon as she surfaced she spent her next breaths of well-deserved oxygen on taunting and intimidating the surviving crew members! They all took wing—Rohbredden's finest griffon and pegasus soldiers—and they chased Rainbow Dash as she led them into the ambush! And THAT...” Ariel slapped her thigh and sat back with a proud smirk. “...is how we were able to stun the unexpected armada at the last second... and prevent them from discovering Bleak's Plummet!”

“I see...” Shriike nodded, scribbling... scribbling... scribbling—then finally dotting the end of her dictation with a super-thick period. “Certainly a heroic accomplishment.” The scroll started rolling up under telekinesis as the clerk made to put it away. “Well, that was most educating, and I suspect that I'll submit it to—”

“Oh! Oh!” Ariel waved a hoof. “I gotta tell you about the one time she outraced the entire Right Talon of Verlaxion... IN A STEAM TRAIN!”

“Buh?” Shriike's spectacles rattled in migrainesque discombobulation.

“Damn straight, buddy! Blew up half a mountain and collapsed a tunnel while jumping out unscathed—”

“No... no no no...” Shriike shook her head. “No—that did not happen!”

Ariel blinked. “...huh??”

“None of those things could ever possibly have happened!” Shriike fumed.

Ariel's muzzle contorted with mixed amusement and confusion. “The Hell makes you say that—?”

“Because then I would have to write about it!!” Shriike pulled at her ears. Both stallions glanced briefly back at her as she rambled on: “I absolutely... positively refuse to believe that one single pony—so-called avatar or not—could accomplish so many bizarrely impossible feats and still somehow come out unscathed!”

“But Rainbow Dash—”

“'But Rainbow Dash! But Rainbow Dash!” Shriike spat. “We've got word in moonwhinny for you, nimrod!”

“... … ...” Ariel blinked. “Is it 'nimrod?” she droned.

“No—Yes—!” Shriike glanced left. Shriike glanced right. “NO!” Her fangs showed. “The word is 'Dr'ymsyllyp!'”

“You just made that up.”

“I d-did not!”

“You did too.” Ariel upturned her nose while folding her forelimbs. “You sneezed it. Lunar bat pony sneeze. And you know what? It's not nearly as cute as Bard describing his sister Nicole doing it.”

“Rrrrngh...” Shriike pushed her spectacles up her muzzle only for them to slide back down over her glaring eyes. “'Dr'ymsyllyp' is from an ancient root word that roughly translates into 'tributaries,' but since we don't have many rivers on the non-seared side of the plane, we don't use it much.”

“How can you use a sneeze on purpose?”

“It means 'LAKE BLOOD,'” Shriike shrieked. “The connotation being that you're nothing but a lake—with all the tributaries flowing from one source! In this case—Rainbow Dash!”

“Awwwww... that's kind of cute—”

“And of course you would think that!” Shriike tossed her forelimbs before fwumping back onto a rough pillow made by her loose saddlebag. “I shouldn't have expected any less...” Her fangs showed. “...nimrod!”

“I still think you made that word up.”

“Oh yeah?!” Shriike sat up again, re-re-readjusting her spectacles. “Well I think you made that Rainbow Dash stuff up!”

“... … ...which one?”

“All of it!”

“All of it?!”

“You heard me—sun bleacher!” Shriike snorted, waving the super-thick scroll of freshly-written information while sporting a grimacing expression of pure nausea. “Riding a torpedo into her enemies?! Saving an underwater kingdom of sirens from a pirate mafia?! Single-hoofedly crossing an anomalous desert of antimagical properties?!”

“And an ocean too,” Ariel said, pointing. “The Blight covered land and sea before Rainbow dissolved it.”

“Impossible! IMP-POSS-IBLE!” Shriike stood up in the moving wagon and shouted to the stars. “As in—It. Did. Not. Happen.” She pointed at a blinking band of bloodcolts as they passed by. “Do you think it actually happened?! Huh?” She pointed at a squadron of soldiers soaring overhead. “Hey! How about you?! Riding a torpedo into a ship?” She came within spitting range of the two stallions who were drawing the wagon. “She couldn't have survived all that crazy stuff, right?”

“H'jnorrem symyl ly'rysm, ryk ryk!”

Wincing, Ariel yanked the clerk down by her tail so that they were both safely seated in the wagon once again. “For the love of oats...” She shrugged, tightening her wings around her withers as she felt the anchoring eyes of Bloodwings all around them. “Sit down and don't make a scene.” A shudder. “I know you're not used to living outside of your posh tree, but the bulk of these punks don't play nice...” Her eyes narrowed. “—and as much as I hate to say it, they're bound to be even less nice to mares like you and me.”

“We've got nothing in common, nimrod.”

“Uh huh.” Ariel patted Shriike's horn. “You do you, hun.”

“A-and don't t-touch my high-polished body!” Shriike batted her hoof away, frowning. “A single square inch of brushed coat is worth more than ten of you nimrods combined!”

Ariel snorted. “You really believe that?”

“And you believe that your so-called avatar is actually capable of accomplishing and surviving so many damnable feats of bravery?”

“Uh... yeah? Why not?”

“Pfffft...” Shriike waved a dismissive hoof. “Typical hero-worship. Regardless of your...” She hesitated, fidgeted, then ultimately flicked a fetlock. “...proclivities.”

Ariel's eyes were thin as daggers. “...my what—now?”

“Face it, seared-pony. Your very venture here is a virtual suicide run.”

Ariel propped her smile against a forelimb, gazing curiously at the clerk. “In wh-what way...?”

“Isn't it obvious?” Shriike waved at the expansive military encampment surrounding them and their wagon. “You are fully immersed in enemy territory!”

“Sarosians have never been my enemy,” Ariel declared.

“Right...” Shriike rolled her four-eyes. “We're Rainbow's enemies.”

“If that was true, would the likes of Nat'rdo and Faatail bother with—”

“ANYWAYS...” Shriike snarled. “Like I was saying before you rudely interrupted...”

Ariel snorted, containing her snickers.

Shriike went on: “Here you all are—Rainbow Dash's party—surrounded by the enemy of the Solar Deceiver... in an alien world! Deprived of harmony, order, color—in fact all the bright factors that have so blinded you into a brainwashed gallop on the seared side!”

“Pffft—uh huh...?”

“You're throwing yourselves into the grinding gearworks of a tenuous power struggle—”

“Are we, now...?”

“—which can and will ultimately lead you down a path to butting heads with Lexxic. Or, at least, it'll lead her down the path.”

“Along with me and the rest of her brainwashed zombies.”

“Exactly.”

“Snkkkt—ahem. What's your point?”

“Well, where exactly does this road curve back and return you to the land you once knew?” Shriike peered curiously at Ariel. “The world you call home?”

Ariel shrugged . “I have every bit of confidence that—after gaining access to the Midnight Armory and its contents—our next course of action will be to help Rainbow get back to Equestria. That... kinda sorta involves a return trip.”

“Do you truly... honestly believe that the Dark Vigil will just let Rainbow Dash enter the Sarcophagus of Ages on her lonesome?!” Shriike balked. “Without having something to say or do about its contents?”

“If you ask me...” Ariel rubbed her neck, gazing at the battlements that they were still passing. “...Rainbow Dash is working on a way to make the journey—and its rewards—beneficial to everypony. The sarosians here are distant cousins to Equestria, after all. And... if the Royal Sisters of Equestria have made up after all the crap that went down between them a thousand years ago, then why can't Rainbow and... y'know... you guys do the same?”

“Hah!” Shriike smiled nerdishly. “You have to be a complete nimrod to expect that outcome.”

“I believe...” Ariel returned with a softer, knowing smile. “...that you have to be a complete nimrod to believe—so whole-heartedly—that there can't be any other outcome.”

“Or...” Shriike pointed. “...you just have to have a deep, unhealthy, and completely self-defeating faith in one single hero.” Her nostrils flared. “Enough that you gotta make up preposterous historical fabrications in order to sanctify her image in your head—and thus consecrate the sheer desperation of all that you do and say for that image to remain 'true.'”

“Don't you...” Ariel waved a hoof. “...have heroes that you believe in here on the Dark Side?” Her ears twitched abrasively. “Or are they all just cold-blooded psycopaths?”

“Don't be ridiculous...” Shriike rolled her spectacled eyes. “I have plenty of heroes.”

“Oh yeah? Where? Up in Gibbous Sanctum?”

“In the sacred texts, nimrod!” Shriike stuck her tongue out for the briefest of bleps. “The Book of Saros alone has over a hundred heroic figures of lunar lore: mares and stallions alike who have fought hoof and tail for the protection and salvation of the Mother of Nightmares and all her foals!”

“Yeah... I see...” Ariel brushed her mane back while her eyes remained locked on Shriike. “And I'm guessing that the Mother of Nightmares is a pretty cool pony too, huh?”

“Uhm... eee-eee-eee-eee??” Shriike's sarcastic squeak rattled the equipment around them. When she finished grimacing, the clerk continued in a more discernible tongue: “She's the very reason we all exist, y'know. The Mother of Nightmares saved us and corralled us outward from otherworldly subconsciousness. It is all because of her that we were safely and blessedly ushered into the corporeal realm. And—as such—we have pledged every iota of our being into serving her, her will, and her sublime destiny.”

“Something something a night that will last forever.”

“Indeed.”

“Sooooo...” Ariel tossed the rest of her mane back and smirked with thin eyes. “...why should I believe that the Mother of Nightmares even existed?”

“... … ...” Shriike stared off into space.

“Why should I believe that any of her so-called servants—saints and martyrs, no doubt—ever existed as well?”

“Uhm...” Shriike's words dribbled off her tongue. Her tail flicked a few times, brushing up against her saddlebags full of reading material. “...the Book of Saros... the sacred texts say—”

“Yeah yeah—they say whatever long dead ponies ever once bothered to write down—by divine righteousness or by damned whim. But what they mean... and the substance of their truth that may or may not have been purposed in distilling...” Ariel gestured. “...well, that's just a matter of faith, isn't it?”

“Don't confuse facts with—”

“Can you prove any of that written stuff true?” Ariel's brow furrowed. “You're a smart clerk'n'shit. Where's the empirical evidence? What about yesterday's manifestations can be tested, observed, and sustained by what's available today? Hmmm?” Ariel gestured up at the Tree of Mothers shadowing them and the entire encampment surrounding. “Are you gonna tell me that the entire Dark Vigil rests on a bunch of stuffy old mares hiding out in hollow branches, dreaming about past fantasies??”

Shriike glared at Ariel with a thick sheen of sober anger. “If you presume to tell me that the very foundation of the Mother's most righteous Vigil is false—”

“Hah... no... noooooo...” Ariel slouched casually, shaking her head with a smile. “I haven't got the time nor desire to chisel away at all that. Besides... I really don't know you and what makes you 'you'.” She arched an eyebrow. “But you gotta admit... I did kinda cut deep just now, didn't I?”

Shriike shifted uncomfortably, avoiding her gaze. “I must admit... I've never had another pony... … ...challenge the very notion of it all, before.”

Ariel leaned forward, eyes hardening. “You think I haven't challenged the very notion of who and what Rainbow Dash is?” She breathed hard through her nostrils. “Did it ever once occur to you that I had my doubts... that I still doubt the friggin' cosmic bullshit that has dragged me to this goddess-forbidden purgatory?” She blew out the side of her muzzle. “Or do you just see me as some ditzy-headed suck-up who hangs on her very withers?”

“You certainly do entertain the description,” Shriike murmured in a breathy tone. Her eyebrows flexed above her glasses. “With vigor.”

“Hah... yeah, well...” Ariel leaned back, rolling her eyes and sighing—mostly to herself. “...a lot of that is just... finding a happy place.” She tongued the inside of her muzzle as her gaze shifted across the wagon and the bleaks beyond. “And sticking to it. A lot.” A gulp. “To keep sane.”

Shriike blinked.

“But—fact of the matter is—I have witnessed a lot of Rainbow's awesomeness. Heck... I've shared with it... and it hasn't been only her who survived a magnitude of impossible circumstance. The whole crew and I—me and the Job Squad—we've survived Hell and high water to get here. That is to say... most of us. We've suffered losses. And... uh... so has Rainbow Dash. It's not a matter of survivability legitimizing or not-legitimizing the epicness of one's legacy. But Rainbow Dash...” Ariel slowly nodded. “...she's something unlike the rest of us. I know some of the ins and outs... but not the full scope. That's hers and hers alone to deal with. The best I can do is... support her along the way. And if I get a teensy bit infatuated during the full measure... heh... so be it. I feel less like going insane that way. I don't know what Rainbow Dash clings to in order to keep from imploding but... but sometimes I think it's us... the ones who believe in her.”

Shriike gazed past Ariel in contemplation.

But then Ariel stole her attention once more with a direct look. “I know you haven't met the Princess of the Night whom you worship so much. But for her to have left an impact—THIS FRIGGIN' BIG...” She gestured at the military forces around them and the gigantic tree looming above. “...well, hell's bells, girl...” A wink. “The Mother of Nightmares must be truly... truly impressive.”

The clerk gulped. “I like t-to think so.”

“And I think the same of Rainbow Dash. Only I've been with her through some of the thick of it. And believe you me...” Ariel smirked proudly. “Some day... some magical day... it may not be this world or even the next... but somepony... somebody is gonna write of her tales just like others have written of your Luna. A Book of Dashie, so to speak—and if that testimony somehow doesn't conjure up its own religious following of mesmerized and exultant generations then... … … well … … … I guess the universe really must be poked through of holes.”

Shriike made a face. “You can't possibly believe in the so-called avatar that much.”

“Can.” Ariel winked. “And will.”

“... … … you truly are a nimrod.”

“Pfffft ha ha ha ha ha...” Ariel gave the clerk a playful shove with her hoof. “I think I'm starting to warm up to you, Shrek.”

“Shriike.”

“Whatever.” Ariel closed her eyes and rested with the sway of the wagon. “In the end, you're fiercely loyal. To a fault. Gives me faith in myself, y'know?”

“... … …are you trying to compare us again?”

“Mrmmfff...” Ariel stifled a yawn. “...imagine that.”

Shriike merely sat opposite of the mare, squinting confusedly as they both remained silent.

Perhaps, dear elders, I've been mistaken about the supposedly-brainwashed followers who make up the so-called avatar's seared company. Maybe they are—indeed—capable of remarkable depth, sincerity, and logical contemplation. Take for example—the most sycophantic one—and how she is able to sculpt a rational facsimile of her adoration for Rainbow Dash in a way that can lead those who witness her to analyze both her loyalties and their own. Maybe there's more to what she says and what she does. Maybe she's nothing more than an empathetic pilgrim who follows the path of righteousness. Perhaps—just perhaps—there is something about her passions and beliefs that can serve as inspiration for the Dark Vigil in its grand entirety.

Or maybe she's just a nimrod.

Yes. This is my conclusion. Ariel of the Seared Lands is simply a hormonally-charged nimrod. I don't know why I even bothered wasting parchment on the commentary. (Note to self: delete that entire previous bit at the first opportunity. Actually, scratch that. Such a lengthy scroll isn't entirely without purpose; the lavatories down here outside the Tree are severely lacking in utility).

On to far more interesting and provocative characters: there's a seared abomination who cannot speak! No doubt, word of this curious companion of the so-called avatar's has spread as far as the Upper Branches. The Sons of Nightmares appear to have taken a strong liking to the specimen whom Rainbow Dash and her familiars call “Wildcard.” It's not hard to imagine why. He's a grim, edgy, intimidating anomaly of a warrior who lacks the function to properly vocalize.

However, I feel that there's a great deal more to him than that. No, elders, I'm not about to waste more parchment on needlessly pendantic humoring of a seared representatives' psuedo-philosophical proclivities (Although, if I've taken enough trips to the latrine, then the receivers of these records won't know what I'm referring to.)

What I mean to say: I don't think Wildcard is incapable of speech. Rather, I believe he simply refuses to speak. I have no evidence of this, of course. But—somehow—I suspect it would fall in line with the pattern I've observed thus far about the so-called avatar's company. For one, they are loyal to her in all things. For another, they are compelled to follow her—even against better judgment. Thirdly, they are willing to bend over backwards to assist her. Seraphimus sacrifices any and all self-respect. The one called Ariel forfeits any semblance of a brain. And—with Wildcard—I do believe the winged abomination sacrifices his soul. Or, at least, he attempts to.

That's why he has no windows to peer within; his eyes are completely obscured by dark goggles that he wears at all times. He doesn't speak—so any sign of agency and ego is metaphorically erased. But there's more to his... complex than what's on the surface. He meets the taunts and challenges of Lexxic's brothers head-on. He glares back at anypony who dares glare at him, but he does so with a calm, passive coolness. He stands stalwart and frigid—refusing to back down unless reined in by Rainbow Dash herself. Which, admittedly, doesn't happen as often as one might expect.

It is my esteemed belief that the one called Wildcard simply perceives himself as an extension of the so-called avatar. He's a living prosthetic, if you will, which is especially ironic (in a morbid way) considering the metal replacement of his front left limb. No doubt it was something he sacrificed for mare in the past. Goddess-knows how many trials and tribulations he may have suffered for Rainbow's sake in the seared lands. For that matter—who knows how many companions have sacrificed themselves for her in the past, or how many limbs may be missing from the remaining sycophants camped out in the bleaks.

If I'm right—and if Wildcard has simply molded himself to be an extension of our current guest—then it shows a cold and cunning soul capable of rivaling Lexxic himself. Is this what Faatail and Nat'rdo see in her? If so, what may be the possible implications? Is it even the place of this Imperial clerk to know—much less deduce?

Until then—I suppose—I can only throw up possibilities and hypotheses. For the time being, I feel that my best way of gleaming the true purpose of Rainbow Dash is to look through Wildcard. And, as it so happens, the silent rook has provided me with multiple occasions to glean as much as possible.

Hyggs bit his lip, trying not to tremble.

A menacing griffon with dark feathers glared him down from afar.

Dust occasionally blew across the cold stone space between them, but otherwise the scene was mired in impenetrable silence.

At last, Wildcard made a move. He reached down to his side and unholstered two shiny daggers that glinted in starlight.

Hyggs' sucked his breath in.

Th-Thwissssh! Wildcard threw both blades at the soldier in a blink.

The Bloodwing clenched his slitted eyes shut—

CHT-TUNK!

THUNK!

Both knives embedded into a large stone target positioned right behind the stallion. Hygss' eyes flew open, and he gasped to see the blades stuck into the scarred rock surface just millimeters away from his leafy ears—perfectly paraphrasing his skull. He slumped, exhaling with relief, and his mane hair brushed against the handles of the stuck knives.

A large throng of soldiers cheered and stomped their hooves from where they crowded around the demonstration. The sarosians here were especially-scarred with elaborate tattoos and body modifications. If that wasn't enough to signify their higher ranks than the bulk of the gathered forces, a large round building loomed just meters from the target practice area where the group congregated. Built out of precious ancient wood from forests long dead, the Central Operations structure of the Bloodwings stood in sharp contrast to the multiple tents and canvas lean-to's surrounding it in the shadow of the Tree.

“Woooooo!”

“Hah hah hah!”

“Eee-eee-eee-eee!”

“Look at that precision!”

“How's that even possible?! Figured all the bastards under the Solar Deceiver were blind!”

“Maybe they are! Look at his goggles!”

“Hah hah hah...” Bosonn wandered over to his twin's side at the circular stone target. “Why all the shakes, brother?” He slapped Hyggs' tattooed shoulder and winked. “Surely the avatar wouldn't have let her feathered familiar actually kill you! That would have soiled any and all chances at diplomacy! Ya think?”

“Who knows?!” another sarosian called out. “If he actually slew Hyggs' worthless hide, he'd be doing us all a favor!”

“Ha ha ha ha!”

“Eee-eee-eee-eee!”

“Smug talk.” Hyggs gulped, then glared up at his brother from where he slumped. “Perhaps you would like to exchange places for the next round?”

“Pfffft!” Bosonn gave his twin a shove and backtrotted between laughing and jeering warriors. “No thanks! I'd rather go down in a blaze of glory, thank you very much! Dying in training is a real lousy excuse for being sent to the pits!”

“I dunno, brother. I think you'd fit in well there—tied to a stake.”

“Hahahahaha!”

The laughing and chuckling sarosians suddenly gasped into startled silence as a dark patch of murk glided through them. Quiet as black snow, Wildcard had flown to the target, where he removed his two daggers from where they had previously embedded on either side of the witless Bloodwing's head.

“Your aim is admirable, sr'ythyn'sym!” Masser called out from where he stood casually on the sidelines.

Ariel, Seraphimus, and Rainbow Dash had gathered just a few feet away. The lattermost blinked curiously at the Third. “What'd you just call him?”

Masser opened his muzzle to reply—

“It roughly means 'Falcon Panther,'” Shriike droned in the middle of scribbling notes along the fringes. She casually adjusted her thick glasses without looking up. “Undoubtedly it's the ruffians' closest colloquial approximation to 'griffon.'”

Masser's jaw muscles tightened and his ears folded back. There was a slight shifting of his limbs—angry and short—but he came out of it with a calm breath aimed at the target practice. “No doubt it took a great deal of practice and commitment to learn such expert knifework.”

By now, Wildcard was walking back to the original spot where he stood and threw the blades. He paused once—to gesture in Rainbow's direction.

“He says 'He rarely used it in combat. But it did help him catch food on the islands of the Seven Seas.'” She yawned at the end of the translation.

Masser was blinking at her, impressed. “You figured all of that out by just looking at his gestures?”

Rainbow blinked. “Huh...” A warm smile crossed her muzzle. “...I did, didn't I?”

Ariel and Seraphimus exchanged glances.

“Ahem... it's... uh...” Rainbow turned towards Masser. “It's how we communicate. Well... mostly all him. I can't very well do it back because...” She dangled her front left fetlock for stubby emphasis, smirking. “...well...”

Masser was already nodding. “I see. It takes a lot of finesse and physical articulation.”

“Right.” Rainbow smirked. “The language relies a lot on fortune as well, I suppose. Fortune in one's birth. But it's not too terribly hard for equines like us to learn when you put your mind to it.”

“Even for those of us who are late to the party,'” Seraphimus signed.

“Precisely—!” Rainbow did a double-take at the former Talon Commander.

“We must be standing in the presence of a well-trained soldier,” Masser said.

Wildcard turned to face the stone targets across the way. He swiftly gestured something.

Masser looked confused.

“Actually, he was 'freelance,'” Ariel explained.

“Ah...” Masser nodded. Then his muzzle scrunched. “...what is freelance?”

Ariel fumbled for words far longer than she wanted to. “Y'know what?” A dumb smile, and she pointed at the Desperado. “Just watch the badass do badass things.”

The throng of Bloodwings had already silenced. Dozens—if not hundreds—of slitted eyes watched as Wildcard held one knife by the metal blade, aimed, and flicked it towards the faraway target.

Th-Thunk!

It embedded deep into the center of the bullseye.

Wildcard grasped the second knife in his metal talon. But he froze just before performing the throwing motion.

“... … ...”

A glint of starlight kissed across his goggles. The Desperado's body twisted as he snaked his lion's tail up from behind his hindquarters. The prehensile end of the limb gripped the knife by the handle and—Sw-Swoosh!—he blurred around in a pirouette, tail uncurling in a streak.

The knife flew outward from his spinning body and—Thkkkkk!—embedded just a sliver away from the center of the bullseye. Both it and the previous projectile formed a neat metallic “V” from where they both stuck into the stone surface of the target.

Once again, the Bloodwings shrieked and cheered like crazed barbarians. The earth shook from their combined hoof-stomping.

“Whew! That'd skewer a Tchernling's spinal column from across the battlefield!”

“Hah! See it enflame itself after that!”

“It'd turn to ash!”

“Hahahaha!”

“Hah hah hah—well done, sr'ythyn'sym!”

“Yeah, not too shabby for a seared soldier!”

Wildcard bore the tiniest of smirks under his beak. His dark lenses glinted once more as he bowed low with utmost showmanship—

SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISSSSSH!

—a small curved axe spun through the air, cutting so close to Wildcard's bowed head that it lopped off a few black strands of his skull's plumage. He jerked his gaze up with a rattle of his goggles.

Seraphimus' body tightened with a start. Shriike glanced up from her levitating scroll.

CHTUNKKK! The axe finished its twirling arc with its sharp blade wedging itself perfectly between the Desperado's embedded knives. The two smaller weapons were completely dislodged by the heavy impact, and they rattled uselessly to the floor beneath the target while the axe remained, vibrating to a harmonic stop.

The group of Bloodwings gasped and jumped in place, hooting and hollering.

“Srym th'syll mrym!”

“Myl'sypher'ym!”

“Eee-eee-eee-eee! Myl'sypher'ym th'symyl lym sr'ythyn'sym! Mrym thyml lyk lyk s'rym thynnym!”

“Hahahaha! Ywm!”

By now, Wildcard had turned around in the direction of the thrown weapon. His goggles reflected a tall stallion's cold expression in twice the menace. Slowly, one icy step after another, Sypher trotted onto the scene, making a bee-line for the Desperado. Or so it seemed. Eventually, the Fourth Son of Nightmares passed the griffon—but within a hair's intimidating breadth, and not for lack of trying to move elsewise.

Wildcard nevertheless stood still as stone while the Bloodwing passed, which afforded the Desperado an uncomfortably close look at his scarred neck and the moonsilver voice box surgically planted within. A sickeningly dissonant hiss filled the air from the device as Sypher barged by, punctuated by the thunderous clops of his heavy hooves. Wildcard glanced down as Sypher's limbs stepped over the few threadbare pieces of the griffon's own severed quill-ends, then he calmly observed Sypher approaching the stone target.

The Fourth Son of Nightmares stood still beside the slab—like a contemplative iceberg—for a few tense seconds. He then knelt down, grasping both of Wildcard's loose and fallen knives.

Bosonn and Hyggs had to fight to keep from squealing in mischievous anticipation. The twins looked excitedly between Wildcard and Sypher.

The latter in question eventually turned around with both blades grasped within the crooks of his fetlocks. He examined the Desperdo's weapons with a dispassionate expression. Eventually, his cold eyes darted towards the griffon across the way.

Wildcard looked back, just as deadpan.

Silence—but not for long.

Sw-Swisssssh! Both knives sang through the air, but it was a slow throw.

Wildcard easily caught them both between his metal talons, his goggles remaining locked on Sypher the entire time.

CRKKK! Sypher dislodged his axe messily, cracked his neck muscles, and came oozing back towards the spot where Wildcard stood. Before he returned within hissing distance, the mute Bloodwing gave Masser a look. A sharp exhale whistled out of his neckpiece with a slightly melodic lilt. Within seconds, he used the tip of his axe to carve an arrow in the dirt—pointing at a stack of round metal discs situated beside Masser.

The Third glanced towards the pile, smirked back at Sypher, then marched over to pick one of the heavy objects up. “As I said before...” Masser's scarred muscles heaved as he lifted a disc and dragged it towards a large horizontal lever mechanism. “...your companion's talent shows great practice and commitment.” With a grunt, he slapped the round object into a matching slot on the lowered end of the lever. “But all of that means nothing without experience.”

Rainbow Dash glanced briefly at Wildcard, then gave Masser her full attention.

“The armies of the Seared Land—no doubt—excel in following the regimental codes and procedures set in stone by the likes of the Solar Deceiver. Greater numbers is almost always a guarantee for victory—which is still the chiefest reason the foals of the Mother of Nightmares found it so taxing to exact her divine will a thousand years ago. But triumph...” Masser pointed, grinning. “...triumph is earned in the moment. Be it in killing or dying or all the sweat and blood in between. What you learn by struggling... is what is truly worthy of boast.” He nodded his head towards the Fourth. “A testament embodied by our honored brother Myl'sypher'ym here...”

Several Bloodwings murmured and squeaked in dull bass reverance.

Ariel leaned towards Seraphimus, whispering: “I wasn't aware this was a competition.”

“They're stallions,” the Former Talon Commander droned.

Ariel's muzzle scrunched. “... … …that's no excuse though...”

“Did I ask you to speak to me...?”

Meanwhile, Masser continued, gesturing towards the disc lodged within the large mechanism. “Any 'badass' can stand in place and skewer stone slabs for a hundred cycles. That—in and of itself—is an art. But we are the Sons of Nightmares. Our life is war, and war is our life. Your enemy won't waste time standing stationary and docile. No—the only target worth hitting is a moving one!” He looked at Sypher.

Sypher nodded back.

“Htttt!” Masser leapt up—and his massive weight came down on the lifted end of the lever.

THWKKK! The large metal disc was catapulted high into the air, arcing across the starlight that stretched over the target practice area.

Sypher's eyes narrowed. He shifted his weight back, held his breath, then spun like a silent tornado. Not even Rainbow Dash could tell at what moment he let loose the axe—only that it left his figure and glinted skyward at some nebulous point. Before her ears could even flick, she—and everyone around her—heard a resonating CLANGGGGG!

Bosonn and Hyggs flinched. They each jumped in opposite directions as—THUDDD!—the disc landed heavily between them, with Sypher's axe lodged deeply into its circular center.

The reaction of the fellow Bloodwings was as loud as it was predictable.

“Woooo!”

“Eee-eee-eee-eee!”

“Fine throw, Myl'sypher'ym!”

“A killing blow! For sure!”

“Ry'lysym thyln sryk sryk'lym!”

“Hahaha! Myl'sypher'ym srym wy'lym!”

Meanwhile, Sypher had trotted over to the fallen disc. With a simple tug of his forward limb muscles, he easily dislodged the blade from its deep embedding. He pivoted to face Wildcard, then eyed Masser.

Masser smirked at the Desperado. “Care to give it a shot, sr'ythyn'sym?”

Wildcard stood in contemplative silence.

Ariel bit her lip. Seraphimus cocked her head to the side, observing.

A pair of goggles reflected Rainbow's face.

Rainbow merely smirked. “Seems like you're in the spotlight, dude. Have it your way.”

A hush fell over the Bloodwings.

With a scrape of his talons, Wildcard turned to face Sypher. He nodded.

Sypher launched the axe at him in a medium arc.

THPPP!! Wildcard caught the handle in his flesh talon. The combined weight and inertia of the weapon made him teeter back slightly, and he winced under his beak.

A few sarosians chuckled.

Wildcard exhaled. Calmly, he turned the blade over in his grip, giving it a brief juggle or two to test its balance. This preparation lasted for only a moment. A short whistle, and Wildcard tightened his lower limbs, facing Masser with a nod.

The Third had already loaded a second disc. Upon the griffon's prompting, he jumped heavily onto the opposite end of the lever.

THWKKK!

The target went flying.

Wildcard's goggles reflected its arc through the starlight.

Rainbow held her breath.

Shriike blinked, then—

SW-SW-SWISSSSH! The axe went sailing upwards in a slow twirling motion—but much slower than Sypher's spin.

CL-CLANK!!! The axe struck the target high overhead, but bounced off at a dull angle.

Ariel winced.

The disapproving groans and sighs of the Bloodwings were more than a little bit pronounced. While the heavy disc thudded loosely to the stone earth a few paces away, Sypher calmly backtrotted and reared his body upwards in time to—CLMMP!—catch the handle of the fallen axe in nimble teeth. A sharp hiss—and he landed back on all fours, spitting the axe out so that he gripped it once more in the crook of his fetlock. The Fourth's tail flicked as he threw Wildcard a look of mild exasperation.

“A commendable effort!” Masser said. “Especially for wielding a weapon you've never handled before!” The scarred stallion smiled as he gestured at the fallen disc across the way. “But unless you can land a lethal blow to your target, you're better off not ridding yourself of the weapon to begin with. Of course...” He stood tall and proud. “...Sypher's experience on the battlefield has leant him the precision he needs to accomplish this at anytime. One most definitely wouldn't learn the skill from anything but true and brutal combat.”

The surrounding soldiers murmured to one another.

Shriike tapped her pen in a slow rhythm against her floating parchment, gazing in contemplative silence.

“Well...” Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. “...guess he's got you there...” She winked aside at the Desperado. “Eh, chatterbox?”

Wildcard's headcrest perked. He cocked his head to the left and right, as an eagle might spot a mouse from a mile away.

Seraphimus blinked at him, then glanced at Rainbow.

Wildcard strafed sideways, standing closer to the perimeter of surrounding sarosians. He pointed at Sypher, then at Masser. He then gestured two talons at his goggles before pointing back and forth between Sypher and the catapult mechanism.

“Do you wish to witness Sypher's excellence again?” Masser asked.

Wildcard nodded.

“Very well then.” Masser grunted, heaving another disc into the launcher. “Fourth...?”

“... … ...” Sypher lingered in place, staring at Wildcard. When Wildcard did nothing but stare back, Sypher let loose a long hissing sigh, then nodded at Masser.

“Ready... and...!!!” Masser leapt once more on his end of the lever.

THWKKK!

The disc flew towards the stars.

Sypher's body coiled as he prepared to throw the axe.

But the weapon had barely left the Fourth's body when—

THW-THWISSSSH! Two knives flew from Wildcard's position. The Desperado had barely shifted in his stance.

SWISSSSSSSH! One dagger flew madly at the disc. The other shot off at an angle, intercepting Sypher's axe in mid-air.

CL-CLANK! The sparking impact of both weapons sent them spiraling in opposite directions.

Masser flinched.

The crowd of Bloodwings flinched.

Sypher's axe went toppling in a stunted arc, but Wildcard's dagger—which had ricocheted off of it—went flying towards a new destination. A destination that it reached in gasping milliseconds after the first dagger got there—

Cht-Chtinkkk!

A shadow crossed over Sypher's body. He quietly turned around, a deep hiss catching in his scarred throat.

THW-THW-THWOOOSH! The axe fell limply, and yet—CHTUNNNK—lodged blade-first into the outer lip of the round target that Wildcard had been throwing knives at minutes before.

As for the disc—THUD!—it landed and spun and spun and spun... but would not topple completely over. This was due to Wildcard's two daggers, each of which had embedded neatly into opposite sides of the round target, keeping it in an mostly upright position as the disc finally ground to a stop.

The collective jaws of Bosonn, Hyggs, and their fellow Bloodwings hung open wide.

Shriike dropped her pen altogether, blinking rapidly.

Messer stared in disbelief. He glanced past a deadpan Seraphimus and a beaming Ariel until his gaze fell on Wildcard.

Tw-Twppp! He had already dislodged the knives and sheathed them back into his bandoleer. The griffon walked over to where Sypher's axe was embedded in the stone target—but paused. He turned towards Masser and calmly gestured a flurry of talon motions.

Several sarosians looked at Rainbow Dash.

“Ahem...” Rainbow folded her forelimbs, hiding a proud smirk as she interpreted: “'Killing blows aren't everything. What you all learn from killing and dying, I learn more from living longer.'”

CRKKK! Wildcard pulled the axe out of the target. He turned towards Sypher, poised to toss the weapon towards him. “... … ...” He pivoted it around and held it out neatly at arm's length, instead.

Sypher—with countless eyes on his silent figure—had no choice but to trot the long distance between the two of them and accept his own weapon being offered by the Penumbral outsider.

Shriike gradually hunched over, returning her pen to her parchment while the befuddled crowd murmured and dispersed from the awkward scene.

The one called Wildcard is quite talented—to say the least. Between his skills and the intellectual poise of the one called Seraphimus, it's a wonder that Rainbow Dash—and not those two—is the one leading her party. This, I suppose, is only fitting. I find it incredibly hard to believe that an abominable specimen of mammalian and avian bastardry would ever be worthy of carrying the title of W'ynlppa yln H'luun. (Although, even Rainbow's status remains in sharp question)

Another possibility—now that I think about it—is that these griffons make up a lower status among the populace of the Seared plane. That would make a lot of sense, actually. No doubt—after ruthlessly searing the lands of her own kind—the Great Deceiver would begin a campaign of conquest across all the known lands blinded by her false light. The result would be the creation of lower castes, populated by unsightly creatures who lack the sophistication of their equine familiars.

But this theory doesn't entirely check out. Why keep such talented warriors on invisible leashes? Wouldn't this risk being horrendously overwhelmed the very moment that such superior killing-machines revolted? Or—perhaps—Rainbow Dash reserves some hidden power or force that keeps these lowly specimens in check? Could the secret lie in the portion of the Infernal Weapon that she carries around her neck? Mayhaps it's an edge she holds over Ariel as well?

I suppose I'll only glean the truth in time. All I can state for a fact at this point is that Rainbow Dash has yet to impress me as a strong and capable leader of this awkward band of Penumbral trespassers. And the only reason Wildcard hasn't taken the lead is because he's either too naive or too moronic to know when he's the overqualified nimrod forced to work for breadcrumbs. (Get it? Because he's half bird. You see, it's quite funny).

Shriike smirked to herself.

As she finished writing, she looked up—and did a double-take.

Wildcard was staring straight at her from across the way. He didn't break his gaze until Ariel and Rainbow Dash casually trotted up to him, engaging in a new conversation.

Bulbs of sweat formed along the unicorn sarosian's temple. She glanced up to see Seraphimus shuffling past her—and she was also squinting curiously at the mare with cold charcoal hawkeyes.

A shuddering breath. Shriike returned her pen to paper.

I'm starting to wonder if there are some... metaphysical properties gained by those who have been subjected to the Solar Deceiver's searing gaze. I'll have to keep my eyes open for signs of a divine revelation... before I reveal too much of myself. (Did that sound too paranoid? By the Goddess' mane... I should just delete this paragraph and start over.)

Patience, dear elders.

Patience has been the most precious virtue in this current endeavor that you've charged me with. I've found it quite stimulating—at first, that is. In very quick order, it's became an insufferable ordeal. You've been blessed with blissfully short spurts with which to meet and greet these alien cousins of ours. But I? I must endure their pedantic prattle for hours on end—and with a great sacrifice of parchment as well.

Need I remind those in charge that I have been chiefly responsible for maintaining supplies and requisitions up in Gibbous Sanctum for multiple fortnights? I know very well the scarcity of paper and wood in this age of great tribulation. The pulp that we've been harvesting from the subjects in the pit isn't enough to fill the vacuum. Not at this rate.

Just what is anyone expecting from the so-called avatar? Assuming that Rainbow Dash is what she says she is—and provided that her existence holds the precise kind of gravity in the shadow of our beloved Mother that I'm reluctant to imagine—then will the utilization of these precious resources somehow stop? Is it too much for me to ask to know just what the end game is here?

All this time, I have spent writing. In truth—I've actually just been waiting. Waiting for revelations. Waiting for rendezvous. Waiting for some sort of purpose to be eked from this entire situation. I know that it is simply not my place to declare when and where any developments might pop up, but I can already tell that the Bloodwings serving the First Son have been endeavoring to waste Rainbow Dash's time—to delay and distract her from the inevitable meeting that everypony expects to take place.

But what infuriates me the most is that... Rainbow Dash appears to be fine with it. She shows no sign of frustration or aggravation at being made to fritter and waste the time away. Isn't she on some sort of... dire mission with the Sarcophagus in her sights? Has she not rambled endlessly about the fate of the universe or some other cosmic imperative?

This venture is gobbling up so many of our resources. My special and requisitioned resources. And yet she plays it off as though this is just some prelude to a foalish pageant. We're not reenacting tales from the Book of Saros here. We're on the road to what may or may not be the next major shift in the history of the Midnight Exodus! Does she not realize this? Or is she brazenly taking advantage of the good graces of Mistress Faatail and the Dream Council?

I wish I knew. I wish I could explain it to myself in writing. But—more than all of that—I really truly wish this banal band of nimrods would stop rambling to fill time!

Scribbling.

“I'm pretty sure they won't let us in at this point. Even if we asked nicely.”

“It certainly wouldn't hurt to ask.”

“I'm telling you, Sera. It'll be just like Rainbow and me inside the Tree. Only in reverse. You really think these chauvinistic punks will let 'breeders' inside the Central Operations building?”

More scribbling.

“We won't know until we press the issue.”

“Maybe they'll let Wildcard in.”

“Hahaha! Dang skippy, Ariel. They're probably ready to invite him to the next orgy.”

“Orgy?! Pffffft... so just because Big Show isn't here, you gotta absorb and release all the lewd?”

“I suggest we inquire of the Third Son...”

More and more scribbling noises.

“You think I'm 'lewd' now, girl? You should have heard me spoutin' wisecracks back at Wintergate.”

“Wintergate? That's a new one.”

“I never told you about Wintergate? You would have liked it. The town of Windfall had lesbians.”

“Really?”

“Well. Just one. But I won't go into that.”

“Uhhhh... why not?”

“Perhaps if we had Wildcard ask about entering the building on our behalf—”

Scribbling-scribbling-scribbling-scribbling—

—finally, Shriike's pen snapped.

And so did the clerk, in turn. “Aaaaaaaaaaugh!” She hobbled up onto all fours, dropping the scroll from her magic field and gripping her velvety skull. “Nimrods nimrods nimrods!” She gnashed her teeth. “I've had enough of this prattle!”

Rainbow, Wildcard, and Ariel blinked curiously. The lattermost leaned towards Rainbow, murmuring: “It's 'cuz somepony said the 'L-word,' isn't it?”

Shriike spun—glasses rattling—and spat: “All you four ever do is ramble ramble ramble! How's anypony expected to parse the wheat from the chaff?! When do you ever have anything truly enlightening that's worth recording for the posterity of the Lunar Empire?!?”

Silence.

Wildcard gestured an obvious statement—

—to which Shriike barked: “And somehow you're the chattiest of them all!”

“H-hey...!” Rainbow beamed. “She's catching on!”

“Just chill, Shiva.” Ariel waved a hoof. “Things will come around.”

“It's Shriike! Shriike!” The clerk clutched her skull again. “Rnnnngh... why am I the only one paying attention, you... you...”

“Here it comes—” Ariel yawned.

“Nimrods!” Shriike yanked her bundles of paper up and shoved them messily into her saddlebags before marching off.

Rainbow arched an eyebrow. “Where the heck are you going?”

“To go lose some weight!” Shriike huffed.

Seraphimus pointed in the opposite direction. “Latrines are in that direction,” she droned.

There was a slight delay—but Shriike ultimately scuffled about-face and marched off towards where Seraphimus was pointing. She huffed to herself multiple times. “Stenographer to a minstrel show.” Her leafy ears burned red. “I swear to Goddess.”

Once the clerk was gone, Rainbow Dash looked at the others and spoke up: “Y'know, for a haughty little fluffball of pretense who's lived in sheltered luxury all her life...” A wry smirk. “...she's handling this pretty well.”

“Shouldn't we...” Ariel craned her neck, looking in the direction Shriike trotted. “...I dunno. Look after her n'shit? This isn't exactly a cozy neighborhood.”

“Eh...” Rainbow waved. “She isn't too far off.”

“Ya sure?”

Seraphimus interjected: “About forty meters at most—as the Wildcard flies.”

“H-hey!” Ariel smirked at the Desperado. “Ya hear your former boss, Dubya?! You're confirmed for crow! Doesn't that make you salty??”

Shriike grumbled with each trotting step she made towards the lower hillside.

“Damnable... damnable plebeians... sooooo beneath my station. Beneath everypony's!” She huffed and puffed. “Why couldn't the good and honorable Xandraa be playing escort? After all, she's used to dealing with... with... w-with dirtiness!”

She paused, turning around and craning her neck upwards.

The Tree of Mothers loomed above the Central Operations center of the Bloodwings—as it loomed above everything.

“So high up...” Shriike's ears drooped as a shiny sadness glossed over her lensed eyes. “...even if I climb all the way back, will I be the same again?” A sniffle. “Will I smell the same again?”

Silence.

“Mrmmfff... after my business, probably not...” She fumbled with her saddlebag pockets as she strafed back down hill. “...let's see... I doubt anypony will miss the last page and a half.”

As she turned towards the latrines...

...she bumped into a pale pair of forelimbs.

“Mmmmmff!” She flopped back on her plot, shaking the cobwebs loose. “H-hey!” She looked up, frowning. “Don't you know a High Polished representative when you see...” Her features sank as her pupils turned to pinpricks. “... … ...her?”

What stared down at her had no eyes. It barely had a face; just a thin pair of lips set within a necrotic muzzle. An eerily calm expression was weighted down by a pale tombstone slab, covering the stallion's crown and fitted with mana-daggers.

“You're...” Shriike's breath barely came out as a squeak. “You're...” She gulped, her refracted eyes dancing up and down with a noticeable rattle of her spectacles. “...you're blind?”

“One would suffer a lack of clarity to qualify.” His response was quicker—and softer—than she anticipated. She shivered nonetheless as Lexxic loomed closer, that slab tilting further and further—as if it might behead her at any moment. “You are far from the nest, young one. What business have you among the field of blood?”

“I...” Shriike's left eyelid twitched as her rear legs squeezed together. A reddening expression. “...I-I think my b-business just transpired.”

Lexxic breathed in and out. “Hmm.” The slightest curve of the lips. “I expected no less.”

Finish With a Flourish

Rainbow Dash sat slumped in the round entrance to the hollow Roots. A thin swath of twilight bled in, forming edged shadows between her casually resting limbs. Her muzzle moved in small, subtle shifts—suggesting a deep and engaging conversation with... herself. However, it was quiet—a murmuring hum at best—and almost relaxing in the raspy resonance that it gave to the chamber she was guarding.

Within, Seraphimus and Wildcard were resting—as impossible as that seemed. It was the most still Shriike had ever witnessed the two of them being. And yet, they did not sleep. Not at that point, at least. Even in Shriike's own personal restlessness, she wondered if the two griffons were physically capable of falling unconscious. It made Rainbow Dash's job look simultaneously useless and courageous.

Ariel—on the other hoof—was out cold as a stone. She curled up in a fuzzy ball and fell quickly into slumber on the mat right beside Shriike's. The mare wasn't snoring, but her heavy breaths nevertheless scraped at the clerk's sensitive ears with each airy undulation. It was exceedingly difficult to concentrate on anything.

And yet—concentrate, Shriike did. Or at least attempted. She stumbled with the last few paragraphs of journal entries. The sudden sheer epicness of the subject matter resembled an impassible cliff, and the mare fumbled for appropriate articulation. She sunk further into her sleeping mat, sighing, envying Ariel and her deepening slumber. At last, she reached magically into her saddlebags, produced a canteen, and enjoyed a hearty sip of lunar mead.

Exhaling with momentary relief, the dutiful Imperialist worker cracked her neck muscles, lifted the scroll and pen once more with telekinesis, and brought more words to paper.

As long as I've lived, I've known about Lexxic. Such is a testament to his age, I suppose. That—or a testament to my youth, meager yet aesthetically resplendent (to a fault). In any case, that's the only thing I can be empirically assured of: Lexxic's a great deal older than this humble clerk. Everything else... is mere legend and rumor.

I mean... he's no phantom. I know he exists. I've requisitioned so many supplies for Lexxic and his campaign—far more materials than have ever been requisitioned by Commanders of the Sarcophagus Offensive in generations previous. In a way, I should feel special—privileged, even—to have been allowed to partake in such an epic undertaking. But, for me, it's just been clerical business as usual. I don't put much thought into the fact that I'm contributing to the largest military campaign in the history of this plane.

I also haven't put much thought into who Lexxic was in-pony. Probably because it never once presented itself as a detail I would ever realistically observe for myself someday. Why should I? I'm a faithful servant of the High-Polished, blessed to make her home within the lofty branches of Gibbous Sanctum. Why should I ever have bothered myself with the scents and sights of the Bloodwings' chief brother? Why should I ever have been concerned with the magnitude of his menace or the insidiousness of his veneer?

And yet—as pathetic as it is for me to admit—I have dreamed of what meeting him would be like. Not in deep wanting, mind you, but in subdued apprehension and anxious pretense. I can't imagine I'm the only one; perhaps Nat'rdo and her fellow dreamwalkers can attest. The Dark Vigil is slugging through what can best be described as the last leg of this infernal war. It's only natural to conjure thoughts, images, and rumors concerning the enigmatic general at the helm of such a violent undertaking.

His supposed ruthlessness has always seemed a melodramatic exaggeration to me. Tall-tales concerning his bloody purges of Tchern's nests are pure propaganda. The same can be said of his dismantling of Night Shard monoliths. I know this; I've signed off on the printing of the pamphlets myself.

Oh, sure, I've no doubt that he's accomplished enough in his military tenure to earn a certain degree of truth-bending. But how could Lexxic possibly have been anything remotely akin to the legendary descriptions affixed to him? To be admired—and feared—by servants and superiors alike is no small task.

And then I met him. And I realized that I was always thinking too large of the stallion—but that still wasn't enough to properly categorize the Bloodwing. He's.... Lexxic is... the First Son of Nightmares commands...

(Okay, note to self, try rewriting most of this whole section because I really don't see how it's doing this testament any service. For now I'll just write how I feel and go back to proofread before making a final draft for the Elders).

Lexxic, the First Son of Nightmares, scares me.

But he hasn't managed to scare me by methods that I expected—but by all the things unexpected. Prior to crossing paths, a good part of me envisioned a raging beast, vomitous and frothing at the muzzle, drenched in the blood of his enemies and covered from head to tail in scars. What I witnessed instead was something that made me want to vomit.

Lexxic is—for the lack of a better description—a veritable invalid. He's sickly, discolored, disproportionately weak in places unbecoming a warrior, and—as it would seem—consistently poisoned by the armor he chooses or is forced to wear. I had known—in writing—of the equipment that Lexxic girds himself with. I know about what he and his fellow brothers have mined, and what they continue to harness and conjure within that infernal pit of theirs.

But seeing it up close—and seeing what this material seemingly does to Lexxic—was a sickly sight I did not expect. I have heard rumors of this supposed “sacrifice” that the First Son constantly testifies about. Only now—after having met the stallion—do I feel impulsed to believe in it.

The Commander is blind. He has to be. He wears a helm constructed out of the same material that makes up the matter of his secret weapon. It blocks all vantage points that could be allowed for his eyes. But one wouldn't pretend to guess that he suffers any actual effect of the self-blinding. In fact, he appears to have equipped the helm with multiple blades of war which he can control and manipulate elegantly on command. Such would make him an invaluable element in battle, and yet it's quite evident that the bloodiest meat of combat is left to his chiefest familiars: Azarias the Second, Masser the Third, Sypher the Fourth, and so on.

So what—precisely—is Lexxic's prime function? Aside from charisma, that is. Despite him embodying evident weaknesses and slights, he is quite clearly exalted to godhood by his brothers in combat. He humors this praise, and yet—at the same time—he humbles himself enough to reinforce the trust. There's no doubting the fact that he throws himself into military engagements with great courage and zeal. But there's something else about him—something practiced and nuanced—that only Lexxic owns between now and the end of time.

It's a secret. A secret he knows. And he relishes in the fact. He smiles—not a beaming sort of expression—but a subtle feat of confidence that digs deeper than any of his floating daggers can. He speaks with a softness that I did not expect, and it haunts me far more than any surly growl or bloody threat would. I know that this stallion is capable of so much horror and might in the name of the Mother of Nightmares. But in all instances that I've witnessed him thus far, there has been nothing surprising or alarming.

Except for that smile. And a very curious—almost playful tone—with which he chooses to approach ponies. With which he chose to approach me... your humble and learned and most definitively flabbergasted clerk.

I shudder to even archive the feeble response I had to give.

“Meee-eee-eeep?” Shriike mewled, knees wobbling as she quivered in the shadow that the Bloodwing made in the twilight.

Far less feeble—in both his stance and presence—was the First Son of Nightmares. He moved slowly: an icy pace that circled the shivering clerk in oozing orbit. His head bowed, as if something in the bone-white surface of his helm was attempting to reflect truths at forty-five degree angles from her frazzled complexion.

“At ease, breeder,” Lexxic hummed, his threadbare tail flicking with the facsimile of playfulness. “Gibbous Sanctum is an awfully long fall from the Tree.”

“I...” Shriike gulped, summoning a modicum strength from the depths of her lungs. “...I-I am no breeder.”

“And yet only one mouth denies it.” His lips curved. “I remain unconvinced.” The helm tilted further, as if weighing her. “I see the blood of Whinniepeg runs in your veins.”

The unicorn did a double-take. “You...” She brushed her white bangs back with a shaky fetlock. “...you know about the Old Northern Order?”

“Does that surprise you?” Lexxic passed slowly behind her. His smile briefly vanished along with the helm. “Knowledge is the greatest weapon of all. Surely a clerk such as yourself would agree. Alas, I can only assume the Imperial Guard have compared me to New-speaking rabble.”

“Well... erm... the Captain and her mares n-never quite compared your education to common—” A bulbous blink, and the mare awkwardly adjusted her glasses. “Wait... how did you even know I was a unicorn—?”

“Many of your brothers and sisters empower the moon. I've met them. I admire them.” The First Son of Nightmares continued, slowly icing his way back into Shriike's field of view. “Granted, they embody a far different station than yours, but I doubt that concerns you.”

“I... h-have never personally entered the Chamber of the Rising Phase.” Shriike gulped hard. “But I have requisitioned most of the material that gets funneled there! Including the multiple tons of hybrid lunar stones that you have so...” She fumbled as he shuffled out of view once more. “... … … ardently applied to the most recent refit. Uhm...”

The clerk fidgeted, for the Bloodwing Commander hadn't yet reappeared from the edge of her sight.

“Commander?” Shriike bit her bottom lip with nervously-glinting fangs. “Might I ask that you... uhm... st-stop circling me. Please?”

His helm blurred into view within milliseconds of her plea, causing the mare to jump in place. A calmly moving muzzle followed along with it—suddenly cold and passive. “What—might I venture to guess—is an Imperialist Clerk of Gibbous Sanctum doing down here in the blood fields?”

“I... uhm...” Shriike took shuddering breaths, struggling to sound anything but nervous. And failing. She avoided looking at his bulky headpiece and unsightly, pale front half. The act of avoidance was more than a touch melodramatic, and the clerk gradually resembled a disgruntled infant bending away from a detestable teaspoon of bitter medicine. “I have been tasked with following Rainbow Dash—the supposed W'ynlppa yln H'luun—and recording the dialogue of her exchanges with the First Son of Nightmares.”

“And what—pray tell—do you hope to accomplish with this task?”

Shriike merely blinked

Lexxic merely waited.

“I... erm...” Shriike fidgeted—then fidgeted some more. “Ahem.” A gulp. “I... uhh... hope to impress the Elders and the Dream Council by performing my clerical duties to the best of my abi—”

“Yes yes yes—we all know what they want you to say,” Lexxic said, circling her again—only faster this time. “We all know how they wish Imperial clerks to behave and what they are or are not tasked with chronicling. But that's not what I asked.” His helm weighed down towards her once again, resonating the magnitude of his vibrating words. “What I want to know is what do you hope to accomplish?” His jaw muscles clenched beneath the shiny silver slab. “What does this task mean to you?”

“... … …” Shriike's slitted eyes darted back and forth, noting the sharpness of each dagger resting within those curved notches belonging to Bloodwing's helm. “Uhm... I... I don't understand.”

“No.” He exhaled. “You do not.” There was a melodic lilt to his breath. Whether it noted disappointment or whimsy, Shriike couldn't be pressed to tell. “Curious that they sent someone so young and novice to observe me.”

“Well... pffft...” Shriike suddenly stood up straight, adjusting her glasses with a haughty expression. “I am hardly a novice, Commander. I've requisitioned over half the materials of your war effort in the last dozen cycles alone and I bet I know more about the offensive supply movements than even the Fifth Son.” She tossed her mane back. “So—if nothing else—you should be grateful that they sent me.”

Lexxic stared at her. Icy silent.

Shriike blinked. She fought it and fought it—but bulbs of sweat formed along her velvety temple, regardless of her efforts. She slowly began slouching... shrinking away from the Bloodwing and his never-ceasing stare.

“... … …” Lexxic's lips curved ever so slightly. “Why, might I ask, do I not enjoy the pleasure of expressing my gratitude to the Head Archivist herself?”

“Because... uhm... she's been indisposed... pr-prolongedly.” Shriike gulped yet again. “Sick leave.”

“But of course she has.” Lexxic paced once more. “A hearty excuse. And Xandraa?”

Shriike fought the urge to snort. “I assume that you refer to the good and honorable Captain of the Imperial Guard.”

“Assuming suits you quite well.” Lexxic nodded, passing behind her again. “Also, you are correct.”

“Well, it would be respectable if you referred to her by her full title—”

“It would be respectable if Xandraa faced me in the Blood Fields, far beyond the Seals,” Lexxic circled closer. “It would be respectable of the Councils of the Mother of Nightmares to not have to observe me like untrustworthy riff-raff.” Lexxic circled closer. “ It would be respectable of the sanctified and wise elders of the Tree not to saddle their most victorious Commander in the history of the Dark Vigil with the wayward living embodiment of an ancient and unsubstantiated custom. And yet here we are... you and me...” He came to a stop, leering before her with all the menace but none of the motion, suddenly as still and placid as the tone in his voice currently dripping. “...against our wishes, but awash in the flow.”

Lexxic slowly shook his helm.

“No, young one. I am fully aware of why Xandraa and her familiars aren't here in your stead. Fear has a very queer color to it, and the branches of your Tree are drenched in that shade. They keep from falling by sheer pretense alone. So they shook you loose to abide the pressure.”

“What... uhm...” Shriike's ears flicked. “...what color am I?”

Lexxic breathed. He contemplated. Eventually—he said: “A very dull hue... which may come as a surprise to you and you alone. But it matters not. I am glad you were chosen.”

Shriike a double-take. “Y-you are?”

“Dearest clerk, I was foaled to be talked down to,” Lexxic said with a shiny smile. “It's rare to have somepony talk through me. Your ignorance is quite refreshing. I suspect you might even do well at your job.” He paced off.

A witless Shriike found herself blinking at him.

“I will of course retain any and all authority to seize those documents of yours, should the need present itself,” he said while pacing.

“Wh-what?” Shriike gasped with true-blue flabbergastery. “You can't d-do that!”

“I think we both know that you're proposing the faultiest argument since primordial eyes sought the receding starlight.” Lexxic tilted his head sideways like a pivoting gravestone. “Gibbous Sanctum—this is not. The only thing sacred here, dear clerk, is my campaign to seize the Sarcophagus and what lies within. If I find that your operation here—or Rainbow Dash's for that matter—threatens to undermine the success of these endeavors... which I have hinged my very death on... then I will be forced to cut it off at the head.”

“That's not even your authority to w-wield!” Shriike huffed, summoning a bold red frown. “Besides—we're on the same team, nimrod!”

He pivoted to face her.

Her features drooped.

Slowly, the stallion approached the Imperial clerk. “Your job—to its fullest extent—is simply to observe and record. But that bears no mention of the degree to which your task can and will be exploited for arrogant, vainglorious gain. I do not expect you to understand. Only to do your duty. This is only natural—a breeder breeds and a seeder grows. Allow me to worry about matters of power... and allow yourself to worry about matters of persistence.”

“And...” Shriike squinted through her thick glasses. “...is there a reason I might not be 'persisting' anytime soon?”

“You said it yourself, young one,” Lexxic remarked. “We embody the same team. Do we not?” He suddenly came to a stop.

“Why would that ever be in doubt?” Shriike asked.

Lexxic said nothing. He remained standing in place—at a distance.

“Well?” Shriike tilted her horn up, frowning slightly. “I'm waiting...”

“Who's in a hurry?” cracked a voice directly behind Shriike.

“!!!” The clerk jumped in place. She looked over her flank to see that Rainbow Dash was standing directly behind her. The petite pegasus had a devilish smirk locked on Lexxic.

“Ran out of stuff to say, Lexxy-kins?” Rainbow's tail flicked as she cocked her head to the side. “I'm used to the feeling. But—hey—good time for a breather.” She nodded. “In fact, now's a good a time as any for the stenographer to start doing her thing.”

Lexxic said nothing.

Shriike said nothing.

Rainbow said: “That's you, ya melon fudge.” Thwap! Her hoof slapped upside Shriike's mane.

“Gahhh!” The clerk lurched forward, cursed under her breath, and yanked a pen and scroll out from her saddlebags. “Why can't I ever use the bathroom like a civilized pony?””

“Grow a Goddess-forsaken tree,” Rainbow muttered. “I mean a smaller one.” A roll of her eyes, and she leaned in, whispering to Shriike's ear: “Start recording right after that last part. Mmmkay?”

“Too late, so-called avatar.”

“Dang it. And will you stop calling me so-called?”

“I see you've warmed up to the bounty of the upper branches, Rainbow Dash,” Lexxic said.

“I see that you haven't,” Rainbow countered. Ariel, Wildcard, and Seraphimus casually wandered up to the scene, joining her and Shriike's side. “Think you can kinda sorta cool it with the creepazoiding around Schrodinger here?”

“Shriike.”

“Yeah. Her too.”

“I think we all know precisely why the Elders sent their clerk here to trail the two of us,” Lexxic remarked, standing at a visible distance from Rainbow Dash. “Believe me: I was not the first one to be caught skulking about my very own stronghold. Which is quite unfortunate. For I truly wish I could claim that honor.”

“You don't sound very trustworthy of the Elders, there, buddy,” Ariel said.

“And yet—it is they who feel compelled to analyze my work at every conceivable degree.” Lexxic's helm tilted vaguely in Shriike's direction. “It did not begin with her and it will not end with her.” He pivoted slightly towards Rainbow Dash. “You arrive at a very critical juncture. And yet the elders—who are adamant about labeling you as W'ynlppa yln H'luun—simultaneously wish to exploit your supposed standing for petty purposes. Now tell me...” His fangs showed. “...who is truly acting most unhealthily here?”

“You... uh...” Shriike bit her lip amidst her levitating task. “...you do know that I'm recording every word at this point, right?”

He beamed at her. “I would most certainly hope so, child.”

Shriike stifled an inner growl.

“We've been waiting a pretty long time for you to show your... helmet,” Rainbow said. “Not that I'm complaining, mind you. It was kinda nifty to catch up with ponies I didn't know I'd be catching up with.”

“Indeed.” Lexxic turned towards her from afar. “It would seem that you made a good show of embarrassing Myl'sypher'ym and Sy'lukas'ymb in the very presence of their brothers.”

Shriike winced in the light of her own horn.

But Lexxic smiled. “A brilliant accomplishment. The Fourth and Fifth beg to be humbled without knowing it. I find myself consistently at an impasse for executing the most proper methods.”

“A pity that they don't learn to humble themselves,” Ariel remarked.

“Their primary task is maintaining order here in the blood fields,” Lexxic said. “Believe me—considering the company who they are forced to keep around the Roots—they have very few souls equipped to humble them.” He looked towards Rainbow again. “I especially liked hearing about what went down in the target practice are outside of Central. It's done wonders for morale.”

“You're quite observant to have gathered all of this information so quickly,” Seraphimus spoke up. “I take it that the other Sons are your eyes and ears.”

“We are all one body, Commander, bearing the stripes of war for the cause,” Lexxic said. “The Sons of Nightmares share unity in both the pains and thrills of war—as we will one day share communion in the pains and thrills of the Narrow. It pleases me that you can both see and respect the expedience with which we process unfolding events.” His head tilted. “But when the heat of battle rears its bloody head, you may in fact discover that it is I... who act as the 'eyes' of my brethren. And it is their ears who receive and respect the decisions I have to impart.”

“It sounds like a most well-oiled machine indeed,” Seraphimus said with a nod. “No doubt you'd be quick to react to interference from Lyw'Malaak.”

Shriike blinked at Seraphimus in mid-scribble. She then looked nervously at Lexxic.

The stallion stood cold—with his smile lingering even colder beneath the helm. A slow inhale, and he calmly said: “I see that fate has arranged it so that my business will inevitably become the avatar's business. I suppose it was folly to think—even for a second—that the charade would be over the moment I brought her to the seal of the inner tree.”

“Well, you know how charades are,” Rainbow Dash stated. “Silly, pretentious, and a waste of everypony's goddess-dang time.”

“Which is why I shall suffer the labor of avoiding one,” Lexxic exhaled. “A pity that those who wield authority over me cannot afford the same.”

“Well, that's a good start.” Ariel nodded. “Why don't you come over here and you and Rainbow Dash can shake on it?”

Shriike clenched her teeth anxiously. She stared at Lexxic.

He did not move. His wings unfolded as he leaned back. “You wish to learn more of the disappointing legacy of Malaak? So be it.” He started trotting towards the Central Operations building—taking a long, curved angle beyond the gathered group. “But I, the First Son of Nightmares, am far from a gracious host. I do not say this out of spite—but rather to inform you that I demand tribute in the form of honor... for all that I have provided the Vigil, including this particularly infinitesimal hurdle.”

Rainbow's head cocked to the side. “What do you have in mind?”

His helm swung sideways towards her, accompanied by grinning fangs. “A feast, of course.”

Shriike was the only pony who seem unaffected by this awkward declaration.

“You shall accompany my brothers and I to the Hall of Honor,” Lexxic declared. “Fret not. This is a regular tradition for the Bloodwings—once a cycle—in service to the Tree. However, no amount of words can properly emphasize the sheer magnitude that your presence will have at such a prodigious event. Seeing as I am going greatly out of my way to allow for your inclusion, I truly hope you will execute the same degree of respect and reverence in return.”

“I... uh...” Rainbow looked at her companions, then back at Lexxic. “I don't think any of us will have a problem with that.”

“Oh, I highly doubt that, but I admire the commitment.” Lexxic paused, tilting his head towards Wildcard. “Have you anything to say, dear warrior?”

The griffon's headcrest raised curiously.

“Hah hah hah hah!” Lexxic shook, then spread his wings. “I must speak with Masser. Join us at Central, and we shall proceed.” SWOOOOSH! He vanished in a gray streak.

Wildcard exhaled, relaxing for the first time in minutes.

“He very much loves to talk,” Seraphimus droned.

“Remind you of anygriffon I once butted heads with?” Rainbow winked.

Seraphimus merely glared at her.

“Did you notice how he froze up when I suggested he come and shake hooves with you?” Ariel said.

“I did notice!” Rainbow nodded. “Don't suggest a thing like that again or I'll kick your butt.”

“Huh?!” Ariel did a double-take, hoof over her chest. “But I was only trying to point out—”

“He will not close the distance between you two,” Seraphimus said. “It's just as it was when he and his company first escorted us.”

Wildcard nodded. He gestured at Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah. They sorta... flickered in and out of existence when we first showed up here. And then again when he began his pacing.” Rainbow turned and lowered her face to stare squarely at Shriike. “You okay, girl?”

“Uhm... yes...?” The clerk blinked back through her thick lenses. “Why shouldn't I be?”

Rainbow's muzzle clenched and unclenched. “If he did anything—anything whatsoever—to make you feel uncomfortable...”

“So-called avatar, I am far away from my bed, my filing cabinets, and the delicious scent of night phlox.” Shriike pushed her glasses up and grumbled: “Everything about this place makes me uncomfortable. But as for the First Son and his pedantic speeches.” She tightened the scroll of her hovering parchment. “I am more than equipped to record.”

Rainbow nodded. Her gaze lingered on the sarosian unicorn. “Okay.” A pointing hoof. “But you just speak up if you feel like you need a buddy at your side. Got it?”

“I... … … will... … …?” Shriike pronounced. She watched awkwardly as the group trotted away, deep in contemplative conversation with themselves. Shrugging, she gathered her things and scampered briskly to catch up to them.

The W'ynlppa yln H'luun barely knows me—or any pony of the Vigil, for that matter. And yet, despite being a complete stranger, she seems rather quick to... promise protection. Aid. Comfort. All of the common courtesies bestowed upon the mid-to-high polished in their service to the Mother of Nightmares. I'd venture to say that she would make a very good member of the Imperial Guard with that sort of loyal commitment. She wouldn't replace Captain Xandraa, of course. She's too pathetically small. But that's a tangent for another time.

Bottom of the line—I find myself rather amazed at how freely and willingly Rainbow Dash seems prepared to support me. What's more, she exhibits a quality in the presence of Commander Lexxy'kyn that I've not observed from the Captain or other representatives of the upper branches when they find themselves obligated to share company with the First Son. And it's not that she's “fearless” around the Commander. There is a certain state of... being on-guard that's impossible to ignore when it comes to Rainbow Dash. Rather, I find that she doesn't experience the same intimidation that the First Son inflicts upon most ponies... as he also inflicts upon me.

I suppose what truly brought the contrast between Rainbow Dash and Lexxic into light were the events that took place during the so-called “feast” at the Hall of Honor. No doubt rumors of the dramatic incident have wafted their way up the trunk of the Tree long before I turned in this report. Undoubtedly, the elders and the Dream Council desire a thorough and well-written account of what actually transpired. And I endeavor to provide that. However...

I fear that such a revelation shall take a great deal of time and dedication to produce, equal to if not greater than the volume of words I've committed to archiving my experiences thus far. It is quite late into my waking, and both myself and the group I've been charged with following are severely lacking on sleep.

For the sake of being mindful enough to continue my tasks unwaveringly, I must now retire and attain much rest. If Nat'rdo or Lady Prunus or other members of the Dream Council are to take it upon themselves to interrogate me in my dreams, I apologize long after the fact for remaining in strictest confidence until my task is performed within the temporal realm. I would hate to disappoint the good and honorable Captain Xandraa in relaying my targeted information any sooner. Please do not take abject silence—asleep or awake—as a dishonorable affront.

(Note to self, this is the end of the entry. Consider implementing a line break, followed by a re-introduction, perhaps an anecdote concerning random nuanced dreams so as to facilitate a smooth transition into the rather awkward dramatics of the Hall of Honor testimony.)

(Extra note to self: have a Bloodcolt messenger go to the lowermost seal and ask for deodorant from the Mid Branches I absolutely abhor smelling like a leg pit as I go to sleep.)

(Extra extra note to self: maybe add in some ointment as well. I can't remember the last time I've been around so many damned feathers. I think I might actually be allergic to griffons. Wouldn't that just be poetic.)

Blessed slumber, elders. May the night last forever, even if we never can.

Sincerely, and with much humility and zeal,

-Archivist Shriike of Gibbous Sanctum

At long last...

Shriike finished levitating her pen. She sighed long and hard, magically rolling up the scroll while cracking the joints in her neck. The hollow of the root was deathly silent by now, and it invited her into its tender embrace.

Shrike slipped her possessions neatly into her bag. She then folded her glasses and placed them neatly beside the satchel of her positions. Eventually, the sarosian slumped over onto her sleeping mat next to Ariel, curled up, and closed her eyes with a contented smile.

“Hrmmmmfff...”

Thusly, Shriike lay still, deliriously drifting off.

No longer than ten seconds later...

...Ariel trilled in the middle of her sleep. Her hooves shot out, kicking at random—and smacking Shriike upside the head.

WHAP!

“... … …!” Shriike's legally blind eyeslits popped open, starring daggers into the ceiling of the place. She remained still—a murderous stone.

But the sleeping Ariel kicked her again. And again. And...

Pep Talks Are Magic

Somewhere in the shadow of the Tree of Mothers...

“Rnnnngh...” Shriike growled at her wit's end. “Why am I the only one paying attention, you... you...”

“Here it comes—” Ariel yawned.

“Nimrods!” The Gibbous Sanctum clerk grabbed her belongings and marched angrily beyond the training area that immediately surrounded Bloodwing Central Operations.

Rainbow arched an eyebrow in her direction. “Where the heck are you going?”

“To go lose some weight!” Shriike huffed.

Seraphimus pointed elsewhere. “Latrines are in that direction.”

After an obstinate delay, the clerk followed the former Talon Commander's gesture. “Stenographer to a minstrel show. I swear to Goddess.”

As she departed, Rainbow looked at her fellow Heraldites. “Y'know...” She smirked. “For a haughty little fluffball of pretense who's lived in sheltered luxury all her life, she's handling this pretty well.”

Ariel looked worriedly in the direction of Shriike's exit. “Shouldn't we... I dunno. Look after her n'shit? This isn't exactly a cozy neighborhood.”

“Eh...” Rainbow waved. “She isn't too far off.”

“Ya sure?”

Seraphimus spoke: “About forty meters at most—as the Wildcard flies.”

“H-hey!” Ariel smirked at the Desperado. “Ya hear your former boss, Dubya?! You're confirmed for crow! Doesn't that make you salty??”

Wildcard merely brushed the notion off, leaning against a stack of supply crates and sharpening his daggers.

As Ariel and Seraphimus quietly observed the training motions of the Bloodwings nearby...

...Rainbow Dash reclined lazily against a sack of materials and gazed up at the hazy starlight above. She tongued the inside of her muzzle before eventually muttering: “I suppose it wouldn't hurt to do a bit of review.”

There was a ghostly groan echoing from all around her.

Rainbow blinked crookedly. “What?” She frowned left and right. “You guys, I'm serious!”

“Rainbow, darling...~” Rarity floated closer with lethargic eyes. “...don't you think that's terribly redundant at this point?”

“Yeah!” Pinkie rolled her googly eyes. “Nothing's changed in batty batty bat town!”

“Girls, honestly,” Twilight Sparkle interjected with a stern expression. “There's an awful lot on the line here, and Rainbow only wishes to play it carefully. Besides...” She perked up. “We should be thankful and glad that we can bounce off each other like a living check-list at the drop of a hat!”

“Dun ya mean an 'after-living checklist?'” Applejack drawled.

Both Rarity and Fluttershy shivered.

“Please d-don't say it like that,” mewled the latter.

“I just don't see what the point is,” Rarity bawled. “It's not like anything has changed in the past few hours!”

“I've been startin' to get mighty rustled in my bustle about that.” Applejack frowned towards the nearest cluster of sarosian warriors. “Just where in the hay is our host, anyway? He's makin' Rainbow wait an awful long time.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie scowled. “Lexxic's lousy hospitality is fixin' to bake us all some frownie brownies!” A beat. She drooled ghostily, performing the inevitable opposite of a frown. “Mmmmmmm... brownies...”

“You do know—of course—that he's doing this all on purpose.” Rarity's eyelids hung heavy. “It's clear that he doesn't approve of Rainbow's presence and is simply attempting to waste our time—a-and hers, of course.”

“To what end?” Twilight shrugged. “Lexxic's no fool. We can't expect him to believe that he might actually throw off Rainbow's attention!” She looked at their anchor. “What do you think, Rainbow?” A pause. Her brow furrowed and she barked: “Rainbow!”

Rainbow jumped in place—nearly dropping the dragonstone of Axan that she had been casually rolling from one forelimb to the next. After a brief juggle, she slid the orb neatly into her saddlebag and gazed at Twilight with a casual—albeit crooked—grin. “Throwing off my what now?”

Twilight face-hoofed with a sigh.

“One thang's for sure,” Applejack remarked. “He's heck-bent on hidin' whatever it is he's doin' from Rainbow Dash.”

Rarity blinked at the ghostly farm mare. “I thought you couldn't read Lexxic.”

Applejack fidgeted. “I can't... but...” Her ears flicked. “...call it a gut feeling.”

“Well, speaking of guts... let's roll through the usual numbers, shall we? The sooner we get it over with, the sooner we can talk about... I dunno... less stuffy stuff.” Rainbow rubbed her forelimbs, ignored the repeated groans of the ghost-friends, and looked at the brightest of the banshee bunch. “Pinkie. You feeling anything? Any twitch-a-twitch at all?”

“Fudddddddge browniessssssssssss...”

“... … ...right. We'll get back to you. Rares?”

Rarity sighed, but nevertheless stood—or floated at attention before their inquisitive anchor. “I've continued observing the Central Operations Building with my senses from afar. I'm convinced that—yes—the structure is comprised almost entirely of wood. Very ancient wood. It's the only structure of its kind. Outside of the Tree of Mothers, of course. However...” She gestured at the dusty stone earth beneath them. “...judging from the foundations lying adjacent to the structure, I think there used to be other buildings much like it in the past.”

“What—were they burned down in an enemy assault or something?” Rainbow asked.

“I... do not think so, darling,” Rarity remarked. Her delicate features shrugged. “There's no scarring of the earth immediately surrounding this spot. If I was to hazard a guess: I think the Bloodwings may have dismantled and repurposed the wood from other structures in the past.”

“And they were left with this one building.” Rainbow turned to look at the circular structure. “The headquarters of Central Operations.”

“That would appear to be the case. Yes.” Rarity waved at the building in question. “Three stories tall. Four inner chambers, circularly arranged. One inner sanctum. A deep and complicated basement layer. And—from what I can guess—several intricate catacombs, densely arranged.”

Twilight cocked her head aside. “Where they bury the dead?”

“Considering how long this infernal war has gone on, I doubt it's a fully-committed mausoleum.” Rarity took a breath. “I suspect it could house only a choice few remains. You know: honored saints and noble warriors and so forth.”

“You reckon all of that from just yer spatial sensory whatsitmahooey?” Applejack remarked.

Rarity tried not to look bored. “I've gotten a feel for graves since I was resurrected with this ability, darling. I learned appropriate pony entombment from...” She fidgeted a bit. “...from the Quade. But we... uhm...” She looked awkwardly at Rainbow. “...we won't dwell on that, now, will we?”

“Nope. Sure won't.” Rainbow looked at Twilight. “Twi? Whatcha sensin', girl?”

“Well, you might be pleased to know that I've finally gotten a good read on our Imperial assistant Shriike.” The lavender ghost-mare smiled, tall and proud. “Well enough to detect sarosian unicorn signatures.”

“Yeah... and?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “How many more Shriikes are there?”

“Dun waste yer breath,” Applejack droned. “Reckon she's one of a kind.”

Ignoring Applejack's remark, Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat and dictated: “I sense multiple signatures all across the surrounding encampments. The instances are far too few in number to even come close to matching the sheer mass of soldiers training and transporting materials all around us. But—considering how evenly-spaced the unicorn sources of power are, I would venture to guess that a magically-empowered clerk—yes, much like Shriike—is respectively assigned to separate companies of Bloodwings.”

“We've seen these sarosians' caste system,” Rarity interjected. “Maybe there's a functioning group of unicorns who work on the ground level to help supply and keep tabs of the winged soldiers.”

“They'd have to be dudes, right?” Rainbow said. “Cuz—like—most of the workers we saw in the lower Tree were mares.”

“It... would stand to reason that they're stallions, yes,” Twilight said. “But—until we see more unicorns for ourselves, it's difficult to guess.”

“Still, that's a pretty nifty read, Twi,” Rainbow said with a nod and a smirk. “Well done.”

“Oh, I'm not finished.” Twilight floated closer, gesturing towards the tree. “I'm detecting a huge swell of unicorn signatures in the center of the Tree!”

“In the center of that big ol' thang?” Applejack gawked at the ginormous structure towering over them. “I mean—land's sakes, Twi—we've been inside it! Rainbow and the whole heapin' lot of us! We only ever seen one unicorn! And she's the annoyin' varmint assigned to us!”

“We've only seen specific chambers within it,” Twilight Sparkle emphasized. “If you recall, even Gibbous Sanctum was just an outer layer within the hollow.” Twilight pointed at the same massive tree everypony else was staring at. “What I'm sensing is located about a third of the way up and within the centermost section of the tree. What's more, I think this power is at a low energy state... one that can increase at any moment.”

Rainbow looked at Rarity. “You sensing anything to match?”

Rarity nodded. “Well, we've known for a while now that the center core of the tree is hollow. Seems... odd to me that a large bulk of the unicorn citizenry would be specifically situated there.”

“Have we all forgotten about their moon?” Applejack stated.

“It's not a moon, darling.”

Applejack rolled her green eyes. “Their mini moon.” She looked at Twilight. “Reckon they can't just lift the thang by runic magic alone.” She waved a hoof, charading a “horn.” “But a buncha unicorns with the right spell'n'such...?”

“That'd make a lot of sense, actually,” Twilight said, nodding. “But I still can't figure out how the artificial beacon works.” She looked anxiously at the others. “Not unless I sense it being summoned in action.”

Rarity shuddered visibly. “I hope it never comes to that...”

“If it does, at least we're on the safe side of its big... uh... pew-pew-ing,” Applejack said with a nervous smirk.

“I wonder just how many unicorns it would take to channel energy through that thingy.” Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy. “Flutters? You got anything to add?”

The mare's head was hanging low this entire time. When she braved a look at Rainbow Dash, it was through tired eyes. Her muzzle grimaced—as if weathering nausea from all angles and at all times. “I... really do not like this place...”

“Oh Fluttershy...” Rarity hovered over and side-snuggled the sickly pegasus in question. “Sweetie...”

“Take your time, girl,” Rainbow Dash said, focusing an earnest gaze on the mare. “Let it out slowly.”

“Mmmm... s-so much death here...” Fluttershy shook from head to tail. “Both the act and the preparation f-for it...”

“Erhmm...” Applejack gestured to the landscape surrounding them. “No offense, sugarcube, but if ponies were dyin' all around us, wouldn't we be seein' some of that pink'n'purple mist floatin' around as it likes to do this side of the plane?”

“There's death. But.” Fluttershy gulped, as if fighting down bile. “It's not here here...”

“Then... where here?” Rainbow asked, eyes narrow.

Fluttershy nodded her head towards the Tree of Mothers.

“In their Tree?” Twilight asked.

“No. Past it. Uhm...” Fluttershy's head furrowed, as if fighting a migraine. She struggled to put the sensation into words. “...what's the term we've chosen to use? Edgeside? Omega?”

“Got it.” Rainbow nodded. “So past the tree, closer to both edges.”

“There's... … ...something I've never quite felt before,” Fluttershy said with a cold shudder. “Closest thing I have to compare it to is... th-the deaths at Red Barge. Only... here, it's... more concentrated. And colder.”

Applejack blinked. “Colder?”

“I'm sorry. I know it doesn't help anypony understand it better. But... it's a different kind of suffering than I've ever sensed before. It's... concentrated... sustained... but also—in a lower state?”

Twilight and Applejack exchanged glances.

Rainbow looked at Rarity. “Anything different about the landscape beyond the tree?”

“There's a spot... quite distant... likely beyond eyeshot...” Rarity gulped. “...where the ground dips down savagely.”

“'Savagely?'”

“A sharp drop, darling. Similar to the lower reaches of Abaddon's Lair—although not nearly as large.” Rarity stroked Fluttershy's ghostly hair as she murmured: “And there's something very... very different about the composition of earth right before the drop. I wouldn't be able to get a better read unless we went closer.”

Fluttershy gnashed her teeth. “I-I'm not sure I want to go closer.”

“Can't say I blame ya,” Rainbow muttered.

Applejack looked at their anchor. “I wonder if that could be the 'pit' that the bat-folks around here keep name-dropping.”

“If so, then there must be a connection to what Fluttershy senses,” Twilight said. “They mention that place constantly. It must be very important.”

“Mmmm. Right.” Applejack nodded. “Important to Lexxic.”

Rainbow flashed her a look. “Is that also a gut feeling?”

Applejack opened her mouth to respond—but lingered. A blink. “No. No... that's right on the bushel.” She looked at Rainbow. “There's this intense feelin' of importance whenever Lexxic's lap-dogs mention the place. Like... their bodies lock up whenever it's mentioned around Rainbow Dash.”

“Could there be something in there that they don't want Rainbow Dash to see?” Rarity asked.

“Yes. But also no.” Applejack took a contemplative breath. “I think they just don't want any outsiders figurin' out what the 'pit' is all about. Feels like it's very... very important to their whole whiz-bangin' operation here.”

“Whew... day in and day out, I thank my friggin' stars we pulled you out of Verlax's ice,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Anything else you've gleaned from the murder-chumps that I should know about?”

“Well, they dun particular like you.”

“Pffft.” Rainbow tossed her prismatic bangs and smirked. “Yeah? So?”

“T'ain't just about the whole 'avatar of Luna' thang.” Applejack looked Rainbow Dash up and down. “You're... well...”

“I have an innie while all of Lexxic's buddies have outties.”

Applejack winced. “'Fraid it's carved in deep into their hearts, sugarcube. They dun take kindly to mares in power. And they're havin' to bite their tongues super hard over the fact that you're a guest whom the Elders demand entertainin'.”

“Well, damp doilies to them!” Rarity cursed, hugging Fluttershy tighter while pouting. “Their entire society is built on a matriarchal covenant! So they can just learn to grin and bear it! Hmmph!”

“Rarity, y-you're squeezing me too tight,” Fluttershy wheezed.

“We're ghosts, darling. We don't breathe.”

“... … ...oh right.”

Twilight spoke up: “Clearly, a lot has changed among the warrior class.” She squinted at the soldiers training just a few stone-throws away from where they hovered alongside their anchor. “Countless generations of sacrificial combat under command of their matriarchal superiors—and to what end?”

“What I dun understand is how come there're only stallions fightin' the good fight.” Applejack scratched her head under her ghost-hat. “That dun make sense, given the history of stuff, right?”

“What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Looks like somepony was actually paying attention to all of my lectures concerning the Solar Civil War and the Dark Vigil!” Twilight chirped.

Rainbow's eyes were already rolling. “Oh here we go...”

“Historically, there's always been a majority of mares and a minority of stallions—at least where Equestria is concerned.” Twilight looked at the group as a whole. “This remained true with the sarosians—even at the initial point when Luna drew them out from the dreamwalk. As a result, it wasn't all that much of a stretch for the matriarchal system of Equestrian governing to extend to sarosian culture.”

“Yes, but a lot of time has passed,” Fluttershy said quietly. “Hasn't it?”

“Right. But what's important to remember is that during the full extent of the Solar Civil War—even up to the Siege of Whinniepeg and the ensuing Exodus of the Dark Vigil—the Lunar Empire functioned as a matriarchy. It's safe to assume this carried over throughout most of the exodus.”

“Which is why Bleak's Plummet functioned under a group of female elders,” Rarity added. She gesture towards the giant tree looming over them. “And the mares ruling the roost overlooking all, as t'were.”

“Point is... somethin' changed,” Applejack said. She turned to look at Fluttershy. “Time sure has passed... and a lot of shufflin' around of the chores, so to speak.”

“What could have brought that on?” Rainbow Dash remarked. “Like... everything about these sarosians is so extreme.”

“By that—you mean the extreme polarization of gender norms and strictly-enforced caste system?” Twilight asked, blinking.

“... … … sure.” Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. “But something had to have happened to have forced these melon fudges to have resorted to this new way of living.”

Applejack blew out the side of her muzzle. “You ask me—it's a new way of dyin'.”

“That too.”

Twilight's eyes were narrow. “I don't think it's just one single thing that happened to them, Rainbow Dash. It's more likely a whole slew of events... stretched out and stress-tessed over time.”

“The war,” Fluttershy declared, looking at Twilight. “It's stretched these poor ponies so terribly thin.”

“Reckon Lexxic's stretchin' 'em even thinner,” Applejack muttered.

“Yes, but to what end?” Rarity asked.

Twilight shrugged. “The soldiers appear to believe in him.”

“Yeah, but the elders?” Applejack's muzzle twisted. “They ain't so fond of the feller.”

Rainbow looked at Applejack. “Is that a gut feeling?”

“Do ya even need me to sense that?” Applejack scoffed, slicing the air with a ghostly fetlock. “They're all cramped up there in their hoity-toity branches! Scared to bits over him!”

“Is it all fear?” Fluttershy asked.

Applejack started—but hesitated. After a bit of fidgeting, she blurted: “No.” A tilt of the hat as she gazed contemplatively into the earth. “Reckon it's shame too.”

“Shame?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I mean... think about it, Rainbow.” Applejack looked at their anchor. “At some point in time, these batponyfolk began relyin' on stallions to do all the nasty work. And now the war's gotten so desperate that a stallion—not a mare—is leading their entire army.” She slowly shrugged. “Seems like a bitter pill to swallow.”

“That can't all be it,” Rarity stated. “The Dark Vigil has only one goal in mind: that's to claim the Harmonic Prism within the Midnight Armory and use it to—somehow—restore Nightmare Moon and ensure everlasting night!” She took a deep breath after exhaling all of that. Her eyes blinked. “... … … they should be glad that Lexxic is making progress for them, as vague as it may seem to us thus far. He's a means to an end! Why would they be ashamed of that?”

“I'm tellin' you, they ain't happy about him,” Applejack grumbled. “And what's more, they ain't entirely 'fessin' up to Rainbow Dash just why that is.”

“In the meantime, they're perfectly happy to have me snooping around him,” Rainbow Dash muttered. She paced in a tiny circle as her ghostly friend watched. “I doubt they want to sabotage Lexxic and his campaign... but they obviously aren't happy with all the freedom he's earned for himself. Being a Commander and all.”

“They sense the power of Luna within you, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “Her spell. Her wisdom. Her blessing.”

“Right. I'm the Avatar of Luna. Whoopty-buckin'-doo.” Rainbow Dash sighed, ears drooping as she scuffled to a stop. “Like it or not, I've become the wildcard for Mistress Faatail and her sarosian sorority.”

A certain Desperado glanced over, curious.

Rainbow waved him off. “Not you,” she mouthed, then turned back to the girls. “Question is... what are they expecting of me?”

“I think you should play it safe, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said timidly. “Baby steps. Make your moves cautiously.”

“She's right, darling.” Rarity nodded. “While it isn't fair to be placed in this uncomfortable position, it's still a thing you have to deal with. Make too bold of a move, and it might jeopardize any hope you have of working with the Dark Vigil.”

“Yeah... I know that. And don't fret.” Rainbow waved with her wing. “I've been through enough crazy straits. I know how to be cautious. But in the end... it may not be up to me...” She turned to look at Applejack. “...this all will likely come down to how far the elders are willing to deal their new wildcard.”

Applejack could only shrug at that.

Rainbow blinked. Hard. She ran a hoof over her face, groaning into her fetlock. “Rnnnnnghhh...” Pulling at her face muscles, she turned and threw a lazy glance at the silent friend. “Whatever. Pinkie? Back to you. Any senses?”

“Mmmmmm... chocolate rain,” droned the party mare.

“... … ...what.”

But before anypony could say anything else...

...all five of Rainbow Dash's friends vanished. It was a brief flicker—but long enough for a serpentine persona with antlers to waft by, grinning slyly in Rainbow's direction.

“...game face on, Sparky.”

Rainbow blinked. And in that blink—her friends had returned.

“Uhhhhhhhhh...” Applejack fidgeted uncomfortably.

Twilight looked at their anchor with an expression of alarm. “Rainbow—!”

“Yeah. I sense it too.” Rainbow galloped up to the Heraldites. “Lexxic's back.”

Seraphimus and Wildcard looked over. Ariel jolted in place.

“He's back?” The pegasus blinked. “Back where?”

“... … ...” Rainbow slowly pivoted about... until she felt a touch of dizziness. Her eyes flickered red-on-yellow... and she trotted briskly in that direction. “This way.”

“That's... where the clerk went,” Seraphimus remarked.

“Very observant of you, Sera!” Rainbow rushed ahead of the group as they clambered to follow. “Move aside, Jordan! There's a new parrot of the year!”

A brief batty encounter later...

In a lavender blip, Twilight Sparkle reappeared.

Then did Rarity.

Followed by Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack.

The five female spectres blinked all around—absorbing their surroundings. They discovered Rainbow Dash trotting casually back towards the Bloodwings' Central Headquarters. Wildcard, Ariel, and Seraphimus followed close behind. Shriike—the Imperial Clerk—scrambled to catch up from a distance.

“Rainbow...!” Twilight flew closer to their anchor. “We... uh...”

“We all got Vanilla Zone'd!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“It began the moment you flew in to intercept Lexxic,” Rarity declared. “What happened just now?”

“Did we vanish for you too?” Fluttershy asked.

“Mmmhmmm.” Rainbow nodded. “That you did.”

Ariel threw Rainbow a look.

Rainbow looked briefly at her, mouthed “the girls”, and resumed trotting towards her destination. “Had a brief chit-chat with Lexxic.”

Applejack's freckles scrunched. “What kind of a chit-chat.”

“Oh, y'know...” Rainbow shrugged in mid-trot. “We found him skulking around Shriike like a creepy bully. Then he made some veiled threats over the fact that a clerk from Gibbous Sanctum was gonna be recording everything he says. There was some grandiose posturing, a few more creepy smiles slid beneath that tombstone hat of his... then he laughed it all off and... uhm... invited us to a get-together at the Hall of Honor.”

“What kind of get-together?” Twilight asked.

“And what's the Hall of Honor?” Pinkie Pie blinked. “I'm scared to see what kind of party these batty-bat-bats throw!”

“I guess I'm gonna find out...!” Rainbow smiled crookedly. “Y'know, if Verlax really wanted to 'prepare me' for this kind of Dark Side stuff, she should have thrown me a dinner somewhere between Kihutaja and Frostknife.”

“Serious hats on, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “Was there anythang different about this encounter you had with Lexxic?”

Rainbow looked at her. “In what way?”

“Well, darling, we were gone for the whole time,” Rarity declared. “Did something happen? Did he approach you?”

“You weren't in danger at any point, were you?” Fluttershy asked.

“No... I mean... I don't think so?” Rainbow blinked ahead as she trotted. “It didn't feel like we were closer together. I mean... if that happened... I-I'm pretty sure all that chaos-crap on his noggin' would have conked me out super hard.” A clearing of the throat. “Besides, I had Wildcard with me.”

“Don't forget Seraphimus and Ariel!” Pinkie beamed.

“... … ...like I said, I had Wildcard with me,” Rainbow muttered. “I was fine. But... funny enough...” Rainbow looked aside at Twilight. “At one point, Ariel dared Lexxic to step closer to me—and the whole group, I guess.”

“Did you smack her?” Twilight asked.

“The point is...” Rainbow's jaw clenched. “...she caught him off guard.”

“You mean he didn't take Ariel up on her dare?” Applejack asked.

Rainbow shook her head. “He didn't take a step towards me.”

“Lexxic is a commander of the entire Dark Vigil's army,” Rarity stated. “He knows better than to risk a confrontation with the 'Avatar of Luna.'”

“Also, he seems... uhm...” Fluttershy fidgeted in mid-hover. “...less likely to be egged on than the stallions who answer to him.”

“Hrmmm...” Applejack rubbed her chin. “Perhaps. Reckon there's more to it than that, though.”

Rarity blinked. “Like what?”

“Darned if I know. Dang it! If only we was there with ya, Rainbow.”

“Wouldn't have made a difference,” Rainbow stated. “You can't seem to read Lexxic even when you're not in the Vanilla Zone.”

“Still, it's quite alarming,” Rarity said. “If it's the will of Mistress Faatail and the Dream Council for you to remain close to Lexxic...”

Pinkie Pie interjected: “We won't be there to provide moral support!”

“In spirit, we will be.” Fluttershy braved a faint smile. “In one way or another, we're there by Rainbow' side.”

“... … ...comedy relief!” Pinkie spouted. “How's Rainbow Dash supposed to function without us to banter on in the background!”

“Chillax, Pinks,” Rainbow droned. “I've flown continents without you gals' counsel.” She blew out the side of her muzzle. “What—am I coasting by on easy mode forever? I can handle crap myself.”

“It may be that you won't have much of a choice, Rainbow,” Applejack said. “If yer gonna be bumpin' elbows with Lexxic, t'ain't much that can be done to equalize matters.”

Rainbow gulped. “Guess I'll have to wait and see.”

Twilight perked up. “What about Discord?”

The rest of the group gave her double-takes.

“Uhhhhh...” Rainbow squinted at the ghostly unicorn. “What about him?”

Twilight blushed slightly. “S-sorry. Didn't mean to blurt his name out so excitedly. I just had a curious thought.”

“Yeah...?”

“I mean... did you see him at all?”

“... … ...Discord?”

“When we all went to...” Twilight looked at Pinkie. “... … ...the Vanilla Zone... … ...” She looked at Rainbow again. “Did he appear?”

“It is chaos metal that's making us vanish to you, after all,” Rarity said. “That much is certain.”

“Well... not gonna lie...” Rainbow couldn't help but shudder. “He... did kinda sorta appear.”

“Just now?” Fluttershy blinked. “While you were confronting Lexxic?”

Rainbow exhaled. “Yup.”

“Wowie zowie!” Pinkie blinked with concerned. “Just what did he have to say?”

“... … ...” Rainbow gazed up into the stars.

“You wish to learn more of the disappointing legacy of Malaak?” Lexxic spoke menacingly while pacing. “So be it. But I, the First Son of Nightmares, am far from a gracious host...”

Rainbow stood by Seraphimus, Ariel, Shriike and Wildcard. She listened to the words coming out of the Bloodwing Commander's mouth.

Or at least... she tried to. It was a difficult task, considering the cacophonous music and yodeling going on just a few ghostly feet away.

Trying not to wince, Rainbow aimed her ruby eyes to the side.

“~¡¡¡Mañanero besa tiernamente tu mejilla y el aroma del café te hace cosquillas, seguro sueñas que estás en el Lado Oscurooooo~!!!” Discord ululated to the heavens. A pair of talons strummed wildly away at a cuatro while two mutant hands sprouting from his shoulders shook noisy maracas left and right. He paused only to tilt back a hat made out of palm leaves and wipe a tear from his furry face. “Snfff... This is just so sad!” He stretched his head upside down towards the monologuing Bloodwing. “Hey Lexxic! Play Despasarosiancito!” And he resumed shaking the maracas in earnest.

Rainbow clenched her eyes shut, composed herself, and focused once more on what Lexxic was saying:

“I do not say this out of spite—but rather to inform you that I demand tribute in the form of honor...”

“... … …” Rainbow gazed back down from the stars. “Nothing, really.”

A cough, and she looked back at Twilight Sparkle.

“Anyway, now that we know what's likely to happen once I have future meetings with Lexxic, I think I'm gonna have to rely a whole lot more on these little sideline pep talks.”

“We believe in you, Dashie!” Pinkie cheered, pumping a forelimb. “We'll keep the ghostly bench warm for you!”

“Mmmmmm...” Fluttershy was already fidgeting nervously. “I wonder... just what you'll be expecting from this 'Hall of Honor' he's invited you to.”

“If his attitude just now is any indication, he's probably gonna go out of his way to try and shock Rainbow Dash,” Rarity suggested.

“I dunno.” Applejack folded her forelimbs. “Seems like the feller has an awful lot on his plate. Ya reckon he might just try to carry on business as usual?”

“It... would be very proud thing to do,” Twilight remarked, thinking out loud. “Acting as if having the 'Avatar of Luna' around means nothing.”

“Suits me.” Rainbow shrugged. “I wouldn't mind seeing how Lexxic and his buddies run things around here.”

“Are you certain of that, darling?” Rarity remarked. Already grimacing. “All we've seen so far has been absolutely dismal and horrid.”

“Plus...” Twilight pointed beyond the tree. “What about all we've sensed beyond the camp? What about the pit?” Her voice rattled off with the familiar cadence of a frazzled bookworm. “Wh-what about all that vaguely frustrating business with the Fourth and Fifth Roots?”

“These are all things I'll have to deal with as I face them.” Rainbow took a huffing breath. “I mean—for Pete's sake, girls—it's either get accustomed to what the Bloodwings bring to the table or I go nowhere.” Her nostrils flared. “I mean—what else am I to do? Approach Tchern? The Night Shard? Go tackle the Midnight Armory alone? In the middle of a never-ending war?!?”

“Dependin' on just what Lexxic throws at ya...” Applejack bit her lip. “...what if those options do end up more appealin'-like?”

Rainbow's ears drooped... and her body followed suit as she approached the shadow of the Central Operations Building. “I just hope there's enough of Luna's blessing for me to glide on...”

The Bloodwings at Home

“POW!!” Bosonn's fangs flashed at the climax of his onomatopoeia. “The drones exploded in burning acid all over their stupid, wrinkled teats!” He grinned sadistically. “It wasn't a slow death either. No, brothers. T'chyrym's Flux must have been bubbling rather insidiously that cycle. The dumb bitches melted slowly... agonizingly. For over an hour they screamed across the battlefield. Like foals. The Sergeant almost considered wasting artillery runes on them just for some peace and quiet!”

“Hah hah hah hah!” Hyggs hovered on leathery wings. “Serves them right for enlisting in the cesspool that is the Third Root!” The wooden rafters of the Central Operations' interior hung low above his leafy ears. He—and several other Sons of Nightmares—were gathered in a circular chamber. Cold amber rune-light and a smattering of torches illuminated a large round table made out of polished white moon stone that loomed between the jovial cluster of warriors. “No training! No tenacity! No teeth—”

“Pffft...” Bosonn made a goofy face. “No teeth?!”

Hyggs pointed back at his twin. “At least none that's been cut on the edge of brutal combat!” He turned to smirk at the other Bloodwings. “Am I right, brothers?!”

“Ywm, s'lyrym thyn'al rym'sym!”

“Hahahaha!”

“Eee-eee-eee!”

Sypher stood—cold and deadpan—within the raucous heart of the group. There was a slow rise and fall of his withers, and he merely hissed through his silver neckpiece.

“You have a point, there...” Bosonn paced confidently around the lunar-white table. All slitted-eyes moved with him. “The officers of the Third Root only get to where they are because of entitlement.”

“Also estrus!” shouted a random stallion from the back.

The group was already laughing as Bosonn pointed at the figure from afar, grinning into the torchlight. “Limp ladies of Lyw'Malaak and nothing more!” He crouched low in mid-trot. “And you know—as I do, beloved brothers—that the only reason there've been so many promotions in that division is because the Mistress of Military Malady herself can't keep her most elite of elites alive long enough to catch up with the First Son!”

Cheers and stomping hooves.

“Much LESS gain any ground against our enemies!” Hyggs added.

More cheers and applause.

“Or exterminate a single hive!” shouted another random warrior.

The heart of Central Operations shook with uproarious thunder and hissing.

At the end of this latest tumult, a poor waif of a soul spoke up in an annoyed voice. “You know...” Lukaas' pale ears flicked as he frowned into his task. The Fifth Son sat at one rounded end of the table, scribbling madly through layer after layer of scrolls and paperwork. “...for all the pleasure that you take in Lyw'Malaak's lack of competence...” His slitted eyes twitched as he gnashed his teeth in frustration, scribbling faster and harder. “You all are certainly doing a huge number on mine.”

“Ehhhh—but you don't need any help being awful there, now do you, Sy'lukas'ymb?” Hyggs squeaked, beaming.

“Hah hah hah hah!”

“Ywm! Vy'nlywm l'wysyl ryk ryk, Wyl'hyggs'ym!”

“Hahahahaha!”

“Eee-eee-eee!”

Lukaas groaned, hanging his head ever so slightly over the unfinished paperwork. “You know as well as I do that I can't leave all of this requisition work to the New-driveling root sludge of the Tree! Why do you agonize me so, brothers?” He looked up, his pale brow furrowed. “There are plenty of places besides Central where you can engage in your bloodcoltish antics!”

“Bloodcoltish antics!” Hyggs hovered closer to the ground. “How eloquent and high-polished! Just like a maria matriarch!” He looked back at the others. “Somebody best check between Sy'lukas'ymb's rear legs! I think a little something got hacked off at the ring!” The group was already laughing before he finished. Hyggs waggled his eyebrows and nudged Sypher.

Sypher stood dead still. Another slow shrug, and he hissed yet again.

Lukaas bore a bittersweet smirk aimed in the outspoken soldier's direction. “Bosonn...”

“I'm Hyggs.”

“Bosonn,” Lukaas repeated, summoning thin chuckles from the group. “You are—at best—a lightweight grunt with the tactical proficiency of a cavern sponge. The only reason Lexxic keeps a lopsided meathead like you around is to absorb the farts between him and Masser'myn.”

While that insult summoned a good bit of laughter, Hyggs was quick to retort—all the while bearing a mock look of dismay: “By the Narrow! I thought that was Azarias' job!”

“Yeah!” Bosonn spoke up. “How else you think he got those scars?!”

“Hahahhahahah!”

“Eee-eee-eee-eee!”

Hyggs mounted the table on all fours, leaning over Lukaas' paperwork to leer in his face. “Even the flatulence of the Third Son has more marks of battle than you!” His slitted eyes narrowed as his fangs showed. “Damnable grandfather! How's life now that you've traded blades for cushions?!”

“Off...” Lukaas pointed at Hyggs' hooves. “...the Moontable.”

“Pffft!” Hyggs leaned back with a huff. “Why should I care about an old turd of the ancient matriarchs—?!”

“Because Lexxy'kyn cares.” Lukaas' good fang glinted. “Don't make me sick Sypher on you.”

There was a prolonged hiss in a quiet portion of the room. Hyggs' ears flicked to it, and his tail ducked between his legs. A few warriors laughed as he limply flapped his wings and drifted off the table.

“That's much better.” Lukaas calmly composed himself, crossing his front fetlocks as he looked at the lively stallions gathered throughout the torch-lit chamber. “Unlike your... brutal engagements with the T'chyrym'lynna and the N'shydym—which are poetic, glorious, but brief bouts with circumstance at best—my war never ends. For I am constantly and unceasingly having to guard myself against the barbs and the stabs and the thrusts that you feculent bastards make at my position upon every blackening of the bleaks!”

Bosonn threw his hooves back in mock surrender while his fellow stallions chuckled merrily.

“Far be it from me...” Lukaas stood up, tall and proud. “...to wield protocol as my only defense against your barrage of virile insults. But we all know that Lexxic chose for me to continue my waning years as his permanent attache here in the Roots. Here in the... Shadow of Our Beloved Mothers—” He spoke these last few words in a melodramatically pretentious voice, awarding him with cheers, jeers, and chuckles. “Yes, I am old. And despite all the battles I've survived, won, and suffered through... I respect the fact that you would consider the continued breathing of this loyal Bloodwing to be my greatest frailty—and pounce upon it!” He nevertheless pointed angrily at Hyggs. “But even if I live to a hundred winters—and waste my once-honorable flesh upon the drool of breeders until I drown—I still will amount to more amongst the Numbered Nightmares than you. You... a sniveling little pile of runoff from a bloodcolt's first night of seeding... that couldn't even sustain the honor to emerge on your own!” He flashed a dumb grin at Bosonn. “You had to share it with an even duller half!”

Bosonn winced—but threw on a flushed-yet-awkward grin as he found the entire room hissing and jeering at him.

Lukaas barked, waving a hoof. “And even the two of you combined can't fill a single rune etch with all the blood you've—” His ears twitched as he tapped a pen to his lips. “Just how much blood have you shed for the Sons of Nightmares, anyway?”

There was cat-calling. Shrieking. Hooves dancing on the floor. Bosonn and Hyggs toed the ground, looking decidedly deflated.

Lukaas rode the crest of the wave he had summoned even further. “Why—that's hardly First Root material! If you ask me—you'd make fine recruits for Lyw'Malaak! Hmmmm... I wonder whose job it is to request transfers?” He perked up, grinning wide and pale. “Oh wait! That's mine!”

“Wait, brother—!”

“Now just hold on a seco—”

“It'll just take a signature and a stroke here and you're both Third Rooters!” Lukaas rummaged through several papers, holding his pen up threateningly. “I mean—why not! She'll be needing the reinforcements!”

“Hah hah hah!” A Bloodwing laughed in the direction of the floundering twins. “The Fifth makes a good point!”

“I wonder if a couple of jesters could fill in for twelve cowardly traitors!”

“Let's wait! They can replace the entire Root!”

“Don't say that! Lyw'Malaak doesn't need to win any more sympathy from the High Polished!”

“Hah hah hah hah!”

Hyggs and Bosonn were red as beets—not that they'd have the wherewithal to know what beets looked like. Between the two of them, somepony almost summoned the energy to retort against the whole room that once belonged to them.

But a group of bodies marched in firmly: Masser, followed by the scarred and serious visage of Azarias.

“EEE-EEE-EEE!” Azarias' echoed into the room, reverberating off Central Operations' metal-and-stone support struts. He spread his wings darkly, blotting out portions of the runelight. “Lexxy'kyn symma thry'sym!”

Immediately—as if the world split in two—the loose band of merry militants thudded into formation. They stood tall, still, and silent. All laughter, smiling, and tittering had completely and utterly ceased.

Lukaas—despite his best efforts—stumbled ever so slightly to tighten his weary wrinkled limbs from where he was positioned at the table. Nevertheless, he swiftly locked himself at attention. Sypher remained exactly where he had been standing the entire time, as if he foresaw Azarias' entrance an hour ago and forced the company to form rank around him.

Azarias took a survey of everypony in the room... and he appeared satisfied enough. He and Masser took sidesteps in opposite directions, forming a path for the First Son of Nightmares. The moment that Lexxic's bone-white helm—and his matching forward half—kissed the torchlight, Azarias let out a new shriek.

“Syl rymyn ry'ssa thym krym'yl wrym!”

The gathered group hollered in resounding chorus: “Vrym Lexxy'kyn syl vytt! HYTT!!!”

A collective stomp of their hooves—all in one salvo—and they faced their Commander's entrance.

The First Son in question lingered curiously in place, his pale helm reflecting the torchlight in a cold sheen. “By the Narrow, that's loud.” His lips curved beneath the tombstonish accessory. “Relish it every time.” He approached the table, followed promptly by Azarias and Masser. Standing across from Lukaas and Sypher, Lexxic took a good, scrumptious look at the might and muscle gathered. “... … … at ease!” he rasped, as if alarmed that perfect protocol was being followed.

The group melted back into warm murmurs and mutters. Only Hyggs and Bosonn appeared wrought with trailing anxiety—which was ironic enough.

“Fifth...” Lexxic placed two pale forelimbs on the table's edge and rested his weighted front half against it. “If you would be so kind as to illuminate me on the... festive gathering here.”

“I... simply n-needed to get some belated forms filled out, Lexxic,” Lukaas spoke, his composure tightening the further that he formed words. “This... mob appears to have congregated around me.”

“I see. A most rowdy bunch.” Lexxic nodded with a vague look of amusement. “Surely they haven't been distracting you...?”

Chuckles rumbled through the room.

Lukaas sighed. “No worse than I'm used to dealing with, First Son. As it is—I did not feel like it was in my place to dismiss them.”

“Oh?”

The Fifth's eyes flitted to the side. “I felt that fell upon Sypher's authority.”

Lexxic tilted his helm in the direction of a prolonged hiss. “Fourth, you surprise me! Allowing a riotous display to transpire within the inner sanctum of the Vigil's strategic headquarters? I suppose you're just that talkative, Myl'sypher'ym. Like company tends to follow suit.”

The room broke into laughter. Sypher's slitted eyes narrowed; but he made no further move—not even an ear-flick of registering emotion. Across from him, Azarias mirrored his state—albeit smaller and with a deeper frown. Masser—in the meantime—was merrily chuckling his head off.

“Verily!” Lexxic clapped the table with both front hooves, silencing the room just enough for his loyal fighters to hear his voice. “I cannot fault my brothers for your insatiable restlessness. With so many Roots of the Vigil called back to the Tree, it must be gnawing at you that our enemies go uncontested across the vast blood fields. Narrow-knows, it gnaws at me as well.”

Random warriors spoke up:

“It's completely idiotic!”

“Flexing their so-called muscles at a time like this!”

“They're spitting on you, brother!”

“They haven't even recalled the Third Root! It's just the First Son's most elite branches!”

“To think that they rest all their faith on Lyw'Malaak! It's baffling!”

“If nothing else, that over-dressed breeder is only abetting the enemy!”

“You should see what it's like in the Lower Roots! There's a pale glimmer in the sludge's eyes! She's giving them the false pretense of hope!”

“It's madness, brother!”

Lexxic folded his forelimbs, tilting his helm upwards in the torchlight. “The disdain in this room for our lofty matriarchs' prized pawn is... beyond palpable!” There was a sniffing sound beneath the lower plate. “I can practically smell the bone piercing her skin. Is a feast in order, brothers?”

The room filled with squeaks, shrieks, and laughter.

“Why—you should have arrived sooner, brother!”

“Yeah! We were just talking about how awful the soldiers are who work under Malaak!”

“Hahahah! Yes! So many hilariously awful stories!”

“Is that so?” Lexxic smiled. He looked towards Lukaas. “Care to elaborate?”

Lukaas cleared his throat. He turned his head towards Hyggs and Bosonn.

Lexxic's head tilted in the same direction. “Ah yes. The Twinequity. I should have known.”

Chuckles.

Hisses.

The two identical sarosians shook between shivers and nervous grins.

Lexxic pivoted his weight against the round moonstone table. “What—perchance—did these terrible tales of jocularity involve? Hmmm? Rampant bureaucracy? Redundant military tactics? Sexist military preferences? Disproportionate resource management as a means of throwing authoritarian weight?”

The chuckles grew raspier, thinner, and sprinkled with abject confusion.

Hyggs and Bosonn look no less perplexed. “Did... uh... didja hear about the mares who melted to death in their armor after being ambushed by burning drones?”

A few more thin laughs.

Some of it belonged to Lexxic. “Splendid. Splendid!” He grinned. “Such noble... strong warriors—to take absolute pleasure in the dramatic highlight of an entire military division imploding upon itself and losing territory to the enemy.” His grin persisted as he waved a hoof towards the entrance to that central chamber. “Perhaps—then—as a show of your tenacity, you would care to continue your heartless prattling before our honored guests here.”

On cue, Azarias let out a shrill whistle.

Two Bloodwing guards exited the room. Seconds later, they came back in—escorting an entire spectrum of color. The laughter of the entire room died within milliseconds upon seeing Rainbow Dash and three female specimens entering the chamber. Wildcard shuffled in last, but he could just as well have been invisible. Every velvety face, every slitted eye, every petrified expression was locked on the petite pegasus standing behind Azarias.

“... … …” Masser—still as a stone—glanced in curious silence between Rainbow Dash and the flabbergasted hall full of muted meat. If he was waiting for something, it'd likely take a century, for the pindrop silence that persisted was positively haunting.

Fitting, perhaps, that it was Lexxic's eerily soft voice that broke the ice once again: “This—dear brothers—is Rainbow Dash. Some of you have met her before. For those who haven't had the honor, she hails from the Seared Lands of the Solar Deceiver.” His helm tilted forward and back in a strained nod. “That's right. They are Penumbral visitors from across the plane. And if that mesmerizing accomplishment of migration isn't sufficient enough to warrant respect, Rainbow Dash has been specifically ordered by the matriarchs of Gibbous Sanctum and above to accompany me in the forthcoming duties of the Dark Vigil. This includes all business that transpires here in Central Operations—as well as in the blood fields beyond.” He turned his head towards Azarias. “She has also been invited to join us for the regular feasting at the Hall of Honor.”

Azarias nodded. His ears flicked to the sound of surprised murmurs and squeaks—evidently reacting to Lexxic's last bit of revelation. The Second responded with a threatening glare that scraped across the room.

Lexxic sensed the gesture, and he raised a hoof before Azarias. “I know that this must come as a shock to many of us. Such is perfectly natural. This isn't the last stunt that will be pulled by our High Polished Superiors, and I find it highly doubtful that it will be the last. But you and I, brothers: we are far better than spiteful, vindictive little Bloodcolts. The Narrow defines us, and by the Narrow we achieve victory. We keep our eyes front and center. We pursue victory ahead of us. And we leave defeat behind. So I expect each and every one of you—with faith and integrity—to follow my mandate and my mandate alone. Never mind what the High Polish insist or do not insist. The fact of the matter is...”

He turned as much as he could afford to, aiming his helm—daggers dull and docile—in Rainbow's general direction.

“So far, Rainbow Dash—this curious creature from the Seared Lands—has honored our customs. She has honored the matriarchal chain of command. And—most importantly—she has honored my authority. And until that changes—a most unprofitable choice at best—I intend to extend the same honor to her.” Lexxic turned to gaze across the table. “I mean... root sludge, brothers! She even roughed up the Fifth a little! I'd say that puts her in the same basket as you fine fighters!”

Masser had a good chuckle at that.

Lexxic's head pivoted towards him. “And must I remind the Third how we first encountered her?”

Masser wheezed his last few laughs and cleared his throat, blushing through his raised tattoos.

“And the same respect shall go to her companions...” Lexxic pointed at the one in particular with a glowing horn. “...one of whom—as you may notice—is an Imperial Clerk from Gibbous Sanctum.”

Shriike sweated slightly. A slitted eye or two darted up from where she was scribbling persistently at a scroll of floating parchment.

“Who—as you may notice—is writing down every single word I say.” Lexxic faced her. “I say.” His threadbare ears flicked from behind the helm. “I say. I say. I say.”

Shriike bit her lip, ears drooping as she repeated the same penstrokes over and over and over and over and—

“EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE!!!” Lexxic pronounced.

“Gaaah!” Shriike jumped in place. Her pen and scroll fell. She caught them in an emergency field of telekinesis, huffing and puffing.

A few anxious chuckles lit the room as Lexxic beamed. “She hasn't gotten out much, as you can see. Needless to say, beyond that...” Lexxic faced the massive group of stallions once again. “...if she is harmed or harassed, you'll answer to me. Or—even worse—you'll answer to Azarias. I can't think of much worse fates. Can you?”

Azarias folded his forelimbs in steely silence—matching the group.

Frowning at Lexxic, Shriike opened her muzzle to speak her mind—“Mrmmmff??” The Imperial Clerk looked at the pony whose hoof was muffling her.

Ariel slowly shook her head with a cautious glare. Returning her hoof, she stood silently beside the sarosian unicorn.

“That being said, you may wish to guard your words,” Lexxic continued to address the crowd. “It is a sad irony that our blood shed on the battlefield isn't what immortalizes us in the archives of Gibbous Sanctum. Alas, here we are.”

Silence.

More silence.

“What are you? New-speaking dullards?” Lexxic waved his hooves towards himself. “Out with it, brothers! I know you're simply boiling to release your thoughts and feelings!”

The room instantly flooded with a bombastic surge of incredulous outbursts:

“S'rylyssa thym ryk-ryk!”

“Hry'mlyn syl w'lymma thykka sym!”

“Eee-Eee-Eee-Eee-Eee!”

“This is madness!”

“Have you lost all decency, brother?!?”

“Lexxy'kyn, she's a breeder!”

“They all are!”

“Why are they in this room?! Why are they in our camp?! Why are they even breathing?!?”

“Have the elders threatened the campaign even more?!”

“Why would we even allow this?!”

“This is absurd!”

“Deep root guano! All of it!”

Shriike winced, struggling to parse words from the manic, toxic outburts that were worth recording.

Ariel's brow furrowed as her every muscle tightened angrily.

Seraphimus leaned over towards Wildcard. “Well... at least he and his subordinates are up front with one another.” Her headcrest perked. “One must admire the transparency...”

Wildcard barely nodded. He kept his goggled eyes locked on the whole room while his metal talon rested anxiously on the tip of Bard's bo-staff.

This whole time, Rainbow Dash stood still and resolute behind Azarias. She spent the tense seconds of furious cacophony studying the warriors in the room. All muzzles were wrought with frowns, and there were very few of them that weren't glaring venomously in her direction. She pondered what the likes of Rarity or Fluttershy might think about all this iron-thick hate. However, due to the proximity of Lexxic—none of her friends were perceivably around to share thoughts with. It occurred to her that she was more worried about how her friends felt than this entire growling room full of angry, murderous stallions. She breathed easier—not with relief—but with curiosity. She had spent the better part of the last few years running into large groups of ponies who had nothing but hatred to throw at her. Such a common happenstance; Rainbow's skin had grown strangely comfortable with it. She found herself too intrigued by it all to feel the barest modicum of anxiety.

At some point, Azarias turned his head to steal a glance at Rainbow. The Second Son seemed mildly surprised that the so-called Avatar of Luna hadn't a single tremble to give while under so much scrutiny. It was the first time Rainbow saw a hint of confusion in the otherwise stalwart stallion. One by one, the strongest and most elite members of the Bloodwings were looking less like unshakable rooks to Rainbow Dash, and instead just like any other goons she had ever butted heads with in her life of travels.

Thus, when the banal barrage of angry outbursts eventually melted into one sustained monologue, Rainbow Dash rolled calmly with it.

“Brother, this is the absolute worst time that we can be saddled with some... p-political puppet from the matriarchs!” A nameless stallion spoke boldly from the crowd. The fact that the rest of the stallions gave him enough silence to take center stage was a testament to how they all shared the same headspace. “They've done everything they can to hamper and sabotage your efforts! Why... the very moment they sent you to rendezvous with this Seared soul—they began pulling back the Fourth and Fifth Roots! Don't you see what's going on here?!? It's a distraction! The elders are trying to shift the core of the war effort back to that insufferably feeble Lyw'Malaak! Her and her... m-mewling Third Root full of cowards, traitors, and geldings! They want her—a female, and a very pathetic broodmare at best—to be Commander of the Dark Vigil! Just like the old days!”

“We can't return to the old days!” another stallion barked, receiving several nods and grunts of approval. “All of that suffering and bleeding and dying! But with no victory?!?”

“The Vigil did nothing but lose ground and sons to the War when it was under the matriarchs!”

“Malaak... the Elders... the High Polished—and every breeder just like 'em! They're too selfish and weak to win this war!”

Ariel blinked hard at that.

“Do they just want us to give up the Sarcophagus to T'chyrym and the N'shydym?! As we speak, hives are multiplying and those damnable monoliths are scouring the furthest bleaks!”

“All the while—Malaak lies in her tent! Gorging on rations and providing aid and comfort to saboteurs!”

By now, the random speakers had brought the room once more to a wild tumult. The cacophony was ear-splitting, and Shriike struggled to accomplish her task.

One hoof rose slowly and calmly amidst the bedlam. It was easy to miss—which is why Azarias let out a loud shriek, silencing everypony so they could stare in silent reverence at Lexxic's raised fetlock.

“All these things—and more—I am quite aware of, dear brothers.” Lexxic rose and fell in a pale breath. “And despite the suffocating trivialities that have multiplied all around us—on behalf of our transient godmothers—I take immense pride in the fact that each and every one of you are astute enough to make these observations and bold enough to mention them to me. But temper your anger into strong swords, not panicked fans of knives, and stand by.”

Lexxic stood tall and resolute as he spoke on.

“I am the First Son of Nightmares. I have walked the very fabric of horror. I have communed with tools of madness by personal sacrifice and sheer resolve.” His fangs glinted in the torchlight. “I am no mere grunt to be trifled with—neither by enemies abroad nor by sycophants within. And all the slings and arrows of malice thrown by cravens with intrigue as their only equalizer will have no power in bringing this campaign down. Why? Because it is comprised of you—my brothers, and I have trained you all well. We are built out of the bones of terror, with tendons that stretch from this bloodsoaked world into the blissful black of the Narrow beyond. No, we shall not be distracted. No, we shall not give the Dark Vigil over to damsels and wet nurses. No, we shall not sacrifice the Sarcophagus of Ages that we have lost all of our friends, brothers, and courageous souls to.”

WHAM! Lexxic slammed his hoof atop his end of the round table. Rainbow Dash noticed several old dents around the same spot the First Son had made contact. Lukaas didn't even pretend to protest.

“From horror we emerge!” Lexxic proclaimed thunderously, timed well with the reverbeation of his slammed hoof. The otherwise soft-spoken sarosian's ability to raise his voice within a heartbeat truly surprised the Heraldites. Including Seraphimus. “Unto horror, we render ourselves! And unto horror—we return!”

The group collectively murmured with a singular nod: “Unto horror—we return.”

“Nevertheless...” Lexxic softened back to his confident calmness, but his jaw muscles remained tight. “...our war is a struggle on two fronts. We can and will allow this dance, so long as it suits the ones who dictate our resources. It is for the sake of the campaign that I make the concessions you have witnessed as of late.” He slowly shook his head. “I care too much about you—my brothers—to do otherwise. Would you doubt this?” He waved a hoof towards Rainbow and the Heraldites. “As it may be, I make no show of pretense over how I feel—or how the whole of you may feel. And why should we?” His lips curved under his helm. “We know what's at stake. Our guests? That remains to be seen. But for the time being I consider them as much the victims of the High-Polished as we are.”

Wildcard and Seraphimus exchanged glances.

“And... if the presence of breeders...” Lexxic paused... if only to turn aside and throw a facetious smile at the griffons in the room. “...even those of the especially Seared variety...” He turned to face his compatriots yet again. “...if they bother you so damnably much that you cannot contain your ire, then I permit you to simply... depart from their presence. And mine.”

The ensuing silence was awkward—in that there was even a silence to begin with. Quite clearly—to Rainbow Dash, at least—the company of Bloodwings did not expect Lexxic to end there. And as his proposition dangled in the air, a noticeable few soldiers—the most anxious of the bunch—began squirming more and more as the seconds limped away.

But the barest moment that any bodies made a move for the exit—

“Just be sure to consider...” Lexxic's head was bowed, as if he was talking straight into the moonsilver of the round table. “...the true measure of your courage. If a few feeble creatures with extra orifices are what it takes to push you away, then just what sort of tenacity remains for the battlefield? Hmmmm?” His front fetlocks rubbed limply together, as if he was battling a migraine. “Just what precisely do I have to rely on?”

And just like that—the silence gained the weight of concrete. All those same bodies immediately shifted back. A few fumbling souls simply anchored themselves in place, hoping to hide the fact that they ever made a hint of a move to begin with. Many refused to look across the table, as if gazing upon Rainbow and her friends would be irreversibly damning.

Azarias took a deep breath. If nopony else, she appeared satisfied with the culmination of the discussion.

It must have silently signaled Lexxic. For Rainbow noticed him un-slouching into a confident swagger, bearing a coy grin to match.

“Now...”

The First Son of Nightmares cracked his neck muscles under the stain of the tombstonesque helm.

“...it may please you to know that the Twelve are on their way to the Hall of Honor.”

Just like that, any and all tension in the room melted—replaced with a titter of interest and resounding excitement. Judging from the occasional growls and hisses, Rainbow could easily tell that the subject was sprinkled with more than a little bit of righteous disgust.

“Ah...! So quick we are to assume doom and gloom, dear brothers!” Lexxic chuckled. “That's our weapon to wield, not our bog sink in.” He waved a hoof nebulously towards the camp outside. “As I speak, they're being corralled into the fringe roots. Just in time for a little rendezvous of our own.”

“They should go straight to the pit!” blurted a stallion from the far end of the chamber.

“Ywm!”

“Ywm!”

“YWM!”

“Eee-eee-eee-eee!”

The Central Operations building blew up once again in uncontrollable, testosteronical bedlam as the whole host of warriors spat and growled and jeered their vitriol all at once.

Before Azarias could silence them again—

“Oh for Narrow's sake!” Masser barked. His huge lungs sent his words barreling through the chamber, shaking stallions off their hooves—much less silencing them. “Upstart milk-drinkers! Murder in the field of battle is our specialty!” He pointed, frowning. “I struggle to see a single one of you who can actually wield wisdom and judgment over a proper execution!”

“Any one of us would be a better candidate than you, Third!”

“Hahahahah!”

“Do any of your tattoos bear the judicial verses of the Book of Saros, brother?!”

“You must have teats to be a judge, Masser'myn!”

“Hah hah hah hah!”

Masser merely gnashed his teeth, broiling red with frustration at the barbs.

Lukaas folded his forelimbs, hiding a subtle smirk of amusement at the Third's behest.

“This is not the case for a judge, brothers,” Lexxic calmly said. “Nor is it an execution.”

That summoned a collective gasp—swiftly turning into a cloud of murmurs.

Lexxic allowed the stallions to stabilize themselves before adding: “I have claimed Rite of Blood before the Imperial Council and the representatives of the High Polished. This is the reason for my brief absence after arriving with Rainbow Dash. And do give the Third Son credit, dearest brothers.” He waved at Masser, smiling coyly. “As much as I enjoy the sound of his predictable blood rushing outside of battle, I can only lend him respectable commendations in this instance. After all—it was his personal intercession with the clerks of the Mid-Roots that barred the manipulators of Gibbous Sanctum from enacting sanctuary before the Rite could be claimed. The Cowardly Twelve are ours. And not even the matriarchs—and the fiercest allies of Lyw'Malaak—can do anything about it.”

While this genuinely improved the mood of the room, many of the warriors still looked at each other with stupefied expressions.

Even Masser blinked curiously at Lexxic.

Ultimately, it was Azarias who rolled his eyes and finally spoke up in a raspy tone: “Y'ryly sylna ryk ryk! It states in the Book of Saros that practice of military judgment falls upon the field commanders in a time of war, unless those who stand to be tried are given sanctuary by the direct representatives of the Mother of Nightmares first!”

A collective “Ohhhhhhhhhh” rippled through the crowd, passed swiftly between nodding heads and slitted eyes.

“And—as you well know—we have been and continue to be at war, brothers.” Lexxic held his front forelimbs together beneath a placid expression. “Don't be so quick to despise all the multi-faceted colors of tradition. It's a greater weapon than most of us give credit for. After all—it is written in the Book of Saros: 'The Mother's blessing is our blessing.'” He finished these last few words through a cheekish grin.

A brief round of cheers filtered through the room, accompanied by stomping hooves.

Rainbow Dash looked aside at Shriike.

Shriike's lensed eyes returned a brief glance at her. In the middle of her consistent writing, she managed an affirmative nod.

Rainbow looked back at the group.

Just as the latest commotion dissipated, Hyggs poked his head up from the crowd and stammered: “But brother! The Cowardly Twelve are... are... th-the Cowardly Twelve!”

“How very astute of you, Bosonn,” Lexxic purred.

Chuckles. Snorts.

Hyggs nevertheless shook it off and pleaded: “Do they not deserve the pit? Or something worse?”

Voices rumbled and gurgled in communal agreement.

“At some point or another, 'something worse' awaits us all.” Lexxic said. He spoke further into an enveloping silence: “But I'll be damned if I spend a single cycle damaging this late, great army of the Sons of Nightmares.”

“What of the Third Root?” asked a voice from the crowd.

Lexxic pointed. “I speak of the branches that count.”

Laughter.

“No, brothers...” Lexxic swiftly took command of the room once more. “Even the most despicable warrior is still a Son of Nightmares. Each of the Twelve was robbed from the Narrow just the same as the rest of us. I do believe they deserve a chance at redemption—so long as they earn it. Thankfully, we—and they—have the means to accomplish this. Something the High Polished could never—and would never—touch.” He tilted his head back. “Surely you know that of which I speak.” He turned to face Lukaas across the table. “Perhaps you would do the honor to elaborate, Fifth?”

Lukaas cleared his throat and looked up towards the ceiling. “Wry'symma syln Rym'ly'Mylndym.”

The reaction to that was slow and measure, but soon built into an enthusiastic tumult. Seraphimus, Wildcard, and Rainbow Dash could only exchanged curious glances.

“My dear brothers...!” Lexxic waved a hoof, tilting his helm so that it glinted in the torchlight. “I suggest we make swiftly to the Hall of Honor. The Twelve await us as much as they await themselves.”

Shrieks and cheers and grunts of approval filled the room. As a whole, the crowd of warriors made for the outside world.

It was right then that Ariel spoke up: “And is there any chance that we'll find out who these 'Cowardly Twelve' are?”

Just like that, the energy and enthusiasm had been sucked out of the room. Several Bloodwings lingered in their tracks—but the whole of them were forcing themselves to glare at the ground, the wall, each other... anything and everything but the pony who just spoke.

Ariel's eyes narrowed. “Or this much-hated 'Malaak' as well?”

Further silence. Further struggling. Most of the militant specimens in that room refused to accept the fact that the mare even existed.

Rainbow Dash bit her lip. But before she could try to salvage the situation—

“I mean... Rainbow Dash here is kind of in the dark.” Ariel frowned, waving at the group as a whole. “And in case your boss here didn't give you the memo, the Elders want us included in your little pow-wows.”

Slowly—but intimidatingly—a surly and reprehensible growl rolled through the entire room.

Azarias spoke up, choosing to look away from Ariel. “It is you who is misinformed. So... in the name of diplomacy... I must tell you now that you are not to speak unless you are spoken to first...”

“Pffft!” Ariel's wings stretched out incredulously. “What is this? The Five Limb club? We deserve answers—”

“You deserve...” Azarias flashed Ariel a savage, scarred sneer. “...a muzzle and a bludgeoning, breeder!” Eyeslits and fangs flickered in the firelight. “I have grown sick and tired of shouldering the Elders' sick charade! If you do not respect the sanctity of the Bloodwings by silencing your insipid tongue, I will personally rip it from your jowls and put it to better use in the pit!”

Ariel barely flinched from that. If nothing else, her steely resolve intensified. Rainbow could see her muscles tightening, as if ready to pounce on the Second at any moment—

But then Rainbow's vision rippled—like fog rolling over a mirror. She teetered slightly, only to have Wildcard steady her. By the time she blinked back to the waking moment, she saw a pair of chaos-metal daggers floating in front of Azarias. However, they weren't pointed at the stallion, but instead pressing lengthwise against the furious Bloodwing's neck and chest. Slowly—with the grace of a surgeon—Lexxic telekinetically coaxed the seething soldier back at a passive distance from Ariel.

“Most honorable soldier...” Lexxic reached a hoof out to grace Azarias' scarred shoulder by the time they were neck and neck. “As always, I admire your zeal. I would be absolutely lost without it. But think with that rational mind of yours that I respect... that I see so much of myself in.” He smiled beneath the helm, even as it loomed so close to the Second that its shiny surface almost reflected the hard lines in his coat. “Meditate. Mull. And ascertain. Considering her Seared circumstances and the uncontested path taken to arrive in our presence, it's only natural for her to wield such... comically offensive and self-destructive naivete. That deserves a bit of grounds for patience and forgiveness. Don't you agree?” Lexxic's jaw tightened. “Did you—yourself—not receive the same consideration?”

Azarias seethed and seethed and seethed and... hung his head with a long-winded sigh. “I am sorry, brother.”

“Don't be!” Lexxic leaned back with half a haughty expression. “No brother of mine should ever feel sorry for expressing their righteous anger! But some things in this world simply aren't worth losing your control. After all...” He patted Azarias' side and smiled into what remained of the crowd. “She's only a breeder!”

“Hahahahahah!”

“Ha ha ha ha ha!”

“Heheheheh!”

Lukaas, Hyggs, and Bosonn all shared a collective chuckle—as did most of the warriors. They left slowly—still chuckling—with a silent Sypher following in a steel march behind.

Ariel clearly burned behind her ears. She shook visibly, and looked about to bark something else—

—when Seraphimus clamped a cold talon around the back of her neck. Ariel locked into place, her ears drooping. She was about to look apologetically at Rainbow Dash, only Masser stepped in the way.

The large, muscular stallion smiled awkwardly at her. “I don't think it's... uh... quite so bad... y'know...” He rubbed the back of his mane. “...you smell... pretty good f-for a breeder!” He put on a hopeful smile.

“... … ...” Ariel merely glared.

Masser blinked. His smile melted as he visibly pondered what he had said wrong.

“Third! Sound out the call, brother!” Lexxic spoke.

“Erm... r-right away!” Masser took wing and stumbled quickly out of the chamber, knocking a few fellow soldiers over in the process.

Lexxic and Azarias were the last at the door, motioning for Rainbow and her companion to follow along. “It would be prudent that you follow,” the First Son said. “Your talkative female is right, Rainbow Dash. I suppose some answers are overdue.”

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. “I was hoping we wouldn't have to beg for some info.”

Azarias murmured something in Lexxic's threadbare ear. His posture was anxious.

Lexxic responded out loud. “Let's not kid ourselves, brother. This entire escapade is but a taste of what the elders have in store. A meal that I suspect we will be forced to have on our plate for a while. But that's all well and good.” Lexxic smiled in Rainbow's direction. “As good... honorable ambassadors of the Seared One, no doubt you can settle for a... spirited exchange in palate.” His jaw tightened. “And if your illustrious honor truly proceeds you, then further exchanges may very well be in order. This is a strenuous exercise for us both, Rainbow Dash. I'd challenge you to prove me otherwise, but I doubt either of us can afford it.”

With that said, the First Son of Nightmares bowed, and exited. Azarias lingered at the doorframe, looking both bothered and impatient.

“Dude really likes to talk a lot,” Ariel muttered.

“So does somepony else.” Rainbow spoke without looking. “Jordan? You're the closest. Would you mind?”

An approving whistle. Whap!

“Ouch!” Ariel rubbed the back of her head. “Was that really necessary?”

“Do I even have to go there with you, girl?”

“Rainbow—they're clearly a bunch of murderous misogynist flankholes who treat mares like mud!”

“Very nice!” Rainbow nodded. “I'm glad you noticed! Jordan?”

Another approving whistle. Wh-Whap!

“Augh!” Ariel buckled again. “Dang it! Don't make this a thing!”

“We'll talk later.” Rainbow looked at Shriike. “You done writing?”

“That depends.” The clerk was already rolling up a huge scroll of freshly-scribbled paper. “Are you done blabbering?”

“This is... off the record.”

“I was not informed that there would be such a thing.”

“Cool. Answer me this...” Rainbow squinted. “What was that thing Lexxic had the Fifth say earlier? Whatever it is that the 'Cowardly Twelve' are about to go through?”

“'Wry'symma syln Rym'ly'Mylndym?'” Shriike adjusted her spectacles. “It's the Challenge of Worth and Wrath.'”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand...” Rainbow leaned in even further. “...that isssss?”

Shriike shrugged. “I could not tell you.”

Seraphimus stuck her head in. “Are you not Gibbous Sanctum's most informed archivist of midnighter culture?” Her charcoal brown eyes narrowed. “How can you not know of this... function?”

“Because I don't!” Shriike shrugged even harder. “Why should any of the High-Polished be bothered with the morale-boosting banalities of Lexxic's murderers and plunderers?”

Wildcard exhaled heavily. The Desperado gave Rainbow Dash a look of abject exasperation.

“Shriike... girl...” Rainbow rested a hoof on her shoulder. “You've got a thing or two to learn about a thing or two.”

The clerk merely blinked. “Like what?”

“Enough of this,” Seraphimus grumbled, marching towards where Azarias anxiously waited. “We've trespassed on the fringes of this company's tolerance long enough.”

Rainbow sighed, turning to follow her. “Maybe it's a good thing that I'm swiftly losing my appetite.”

Flash!

Pinkie Pie appeared before Rainbow Dash in a lavender blip, followed by the other four in the wake of Lexxic's absence. “Did somepony say something about food, Dashie?”

“Heya, Pinks. Care to be my vomit bag in a moment?”

“Is that a trick question?!”

Dine And Rainbow Dash

The entire trek taken from Central Headquarters to the heart of the Hall of Honor involved a ridiculous amount of pomp and pretentious ceremony—not just for Rainbow Dash and her friends, but quite clearly for all of the Bloodwings who were forced to trot the roots leading there on hoof. Once Rainbow cleared the circular outer corridor and entered the main heart of the coliseum, she immediately understood why. The spatial grandeur of the place was certainly impressive, to say the least. It was even more mesmerizing to know that the arena—in all its epic splendor—was originally carved out of the epic foundation of the Tree of Mothers looming above everypony.

Back on the Light Side, Rainbow Dash had flown over nearly every geographic formation known to equine civilization—and then innumerable earthen structures unknown to most souls... souls who hadn't scoured the same lengths of the Plane that Rainbow did in a single lifetime. Among these formations were craters—many of which she had glided over long before encountering the massive ring of sunken earth that made up Durandana.

This arena—for lack of better description—looked more as though it was carved from the earth by an ancient meteorite than actual living sarosian architects. It certainly wasn't the size of Durandana, a place that was made by a portion of a prehistoric Sentinel—Stratopolis—slamming into the earth with the energy and force equal-to-if-not-greater-than the sheer power of the Plane's own nebulous creation. But it certainly made Lady Pestiferous' combat arena back in Searo look like a little foals' swimming pool.

If it weren't for the runic lights lining the outer rim of the coliseum's circumference, Rainbow was certain she'd not be able to make out the faintest outline of the furthermost edge of the root-carved impression across from where she and her friends emerged. Lit torches at the base levels of the structure below filled the upper air with a grim haze that made visibility difficult. It didn't help that the leather awnings stretching above blocked most of the starlight.

It didn't help Rainbow—that is. This place was a “sacred” spot built by ancient sarosians for all sarosians foaled in the millennium thereafter. Rainbow Dash imagined it was just the right kind of dark for the Bloodwings' slitted eyes to take into account every detail of the dim architecture comfortably. Even as she fumbled to make a complete survey of the place, she could hear—in resounding echoes reverberating from wall to massive wall of the coliseum—that the Sons of Nightmares were having no trouble whatsoever in finding their seats. What's more, they took their time settling in, shrieking and howling and laughing with unfettered gusto.

This produced a massive sonic chamber of noise and beautiful bedlam, the likes of which Rainbow hadn't heard since foalhood. It struck her as curious that the cacophony evoked memories of the Equestrian Games—and not the thunderous madness that she had witnessed between the Ledomaritans and Xonans in No Mare's Land, or the Battles of Val Roa or Bleak's Plummet. This place had a familiar euphoria to it—one that mimicked the sarosians' distant cousins back home in Equestria. The Hall of Honor was a place for celebration and pride. All of Lexxic's subordinates may have been soldiers out there... but in here they were living. For the briefest of heartbeats, Rainbow Dash understood—or thought she understood—the worth of such a sanctum.

“Whoah ho ho ho ho!” Discord rubbed his paws ardently with a thirsty look to his ghostly facade. “Now this is more my speed!” He did a little pirouette and levitated in place, sporting violet shades and manipulating a spectral turntable. “Let's get it bouncin' with the manic madness, alreadyyy!”

The would-be DJ wasn't given a response—most especially not from his anchor. Even if the facetious dragonequus wasn't a mere shade of his former self, his words would only get swallowed up by the noise noise noise noise noise...

As it so happened, Shriike's sensitive ears suffered the most from the sarosian racket. Rainbow could practically smell the agoraphobia dripping off of the clerk's trembling figure. Up until then, she had managed well in taking notes of the passing dialogue—no matter how haphazard. This was a whole different ordeal, however, and it was becoming plain to see that Shriike might crack at any moment. Hyggs and Bosonn trotted briskly by her; Rainbow noticed them stealing a few glances at the unicorn on the verge of a mental breakdown, and they snickered gleefully between themselves.

Rainbow exhaled. She looked at Ariel, then motioned towards Shriike.

The Heraldite didn't even need to respond. Reading Rainbow's mind, Ariel slowed her trot until she practically hovered right behind the clerk. She steadied the mare from Gibbous Sanctum with a steady hoof resting on her withers. Shriike was evidently too frazzled to complain. Regaining her breaths, she trotted forward a bit more steadily with the pegasus' assistance.

Rainbow turned her attention once again towards the spacious arena bowing deeply below... and she felt this insatiable urge to plunge forward... as if diving off a cliff. This startled something primal in her, and she had to flap-and-flap-and-tighten her wings, issuing a few curious glances from Azarias and others. The mare's heart beat hard, and once again she was reminded of foalhood—of the hazy infantile days of taking her first flight off a cloudtop and feeling that frightful tug of gravity at the very knifing brink of life. Back in the day, that sensation excited her... so much so that Rainbow Dash veritably learned to fly before she could even trot.

But gazing down at the steep descending terraces of the arena filled her with more despair than enthusiasm. Rainbow Dash had more than a little bit of difficulty guessing just why the lower levels below gave her this nebulous sense of vertigo. After all, Rainbow Dash had flown, fallen, plunged, twirled, charged, leapt, collapsed, and spun nearly every imaginable conjuration of aerial angles in the known universe—with all the spectacular heights and depths to match. Maybe it was something in the design of the place as seen from her lofty perspective—an optical illusion that made the sunken reaches appear greater than they actually were. Or perhaps it was just how damnably dim the place was... that Rainbow Dash was aware of the bottom floor of the arena but simply couldn't entirely perceive it.

With a relaxing breath, Rainbow took a mental step back and reminded herself of just what it took to arrive here. She had walked. All of her partners had walked with her What's more—Lexxic, his fellow brothers, and the entire gathered military of the Dark Vigil—everypony trotted to that spot, having to navigate enormous winding root structures to get to the Hall of Honor... with descending onion ring sub-sections that were presently yawning beneath Rainbow and everyone. There was no flying to get there. Rainbow hadn't asked Lexxic or Azarias or anyone else about it out loud—but there must have been a reason for it.

And there it was. The reason and the sudden vertigo were both one and the same. Like many things on Lexxic's plate, the Hall of Honor was something inherited—and from what Rainbow Dash learned, he nevertheless had to fight to be awarded it from the matriarchs who wanted nothing more to do with the fantastically abandoned place.

All things considered, the Bloodwings were late to the game when it came to the Trinary War. They brute-forced their way into the conflict, wielding passion, violence, and ruthless aggression. They had diminished Endrax's forces through their efforts, more or less taking the place of her brood's faction in the endless conflict.

But the War had since become a stalemate—a painful waste of life and culture that, seemingly, Lexxic agonized over ever living down. So he chose instead to live everything upwards. Every single effort in life was an arduous mountain climb, ever-ascending, ever-hoping to reach some lofty place of otherworldly salvation. To think otherwise—to lapse into equally-damning cynicism or complacency—would mean ruining the scant resources they barely had for the final charge his and all his brothers' lives had become.

There weren't many pieces of the slain buffalo left for his army to savor. Lexxic had managed to win the Hall of Honor back from those who used-and-abused the generations of bloody carcasses before him. So long as he lived, he could stand to boast over conquering that coliseum, at least, transforming it from a sanctum of past ideologies and metamorphosing it into a holiest of holies for his fellow wielders of the sarosian sword. In a conflict that looked insurmountable, it was important... beyond important, in fact... to cherish the trophies of triumph, however small or insignificant...

Or perhaps grandiose and epic. Rainbow stopped being mesmerized by the Hall of Honor for just a second—long enough to blink, squint, and blink again... realizing that—at the end of the day—this arena truly wasn't as marvelous and awe-inspiring as the innumerable other wonders she had flown over from Wintergate to Alafreo to Robhredden and everywhere in between. With just enough cloud cover and fog, she may just as easily have glided over the site without even registering its existence.

But the fact that Lexxic had made her trot there—and his comrades and soldiers in turn—made Rainbow Dash understand the sheer gravity that the First Son of Nightmares held in the place, and by extension his agency in the Dark Vigil. He had a war to win, a Sarcophagus to plunder, and eternal night to return to the Light Side. None of these things were terribly surprising, but seen up close—and with such patient revelation—conveyed an impermeable sense of importance that the world-weary avatar of Luna would have otherwise been numb too.

It felt humbling, to say the least. Almost frightfully so. Rainbow pondered just what gravity Lexxic might similarly wield in pitching his philosophies to her, much less his habitats. She steeled herself like the veteran flier she had grown to become her whole life; she had to be cautious around him.

“Do we have any requests? Hmmm?” Discord held a phantom vinyl outward, waving it at all the velvety bodies milling around him and his anchor. “Yes? No? Anypony?” He and his turntable phased through Masser. “How about you, sir? Got a track for giving those tattoos a tango??” He craned his ear towards the Third, pretended to be whispered something, and nodded with an enthusiastic grin. “'Eee-Eee-Eee-Eee!' it is!” The lord of chaos slapped the record into place and spun it at a maddening pace, producing a persistent single-tone screeching noise. “It's got a nice beat and you can dance to it! Wooooo!”

Rainbow Dash hunched over slightly in mid-trot, rubbing her forehead. She saw a glint of metal, and glanced up to see Wildcard looking directly at her.

“Are you okay?” the Desperado asked.

“Mrmmmffff...” Rainbow's ears folded back in a desperate attempt to block out Discord's constant barrage of sonic absurdisms. “...just peachy keen.”

Wildcard's goggles flashed left—then right—then locked back on Rainbow Dash. He talon-signed: “The mares?”

“... … ...” She merely glared at him.

His feathery headcrest angled sharply. “Discord.”

Rainbow rubbed her head even harder. “Bard always was the brighter one, wasn't he?”

A breathy burst of noise came from Wildcard's beak—almost like an elderly rooster stifling a snort.

Rainbow managed a smirk at that—

“Eee-Eee-Eee!” Hyggs could be heard shrieking. With flapping wings, he lifted up a dozen feet and pointed down at one of multiple partitions set within the terraced seats halfway down the coliseum. “The feast awaits us, brothers! Look! A mighty bounty is being brought!”

“S'rynn sym thy'kyl'm, ryk ryk!” Azarias hollered back at him, fangs flashing. “Wings coiled, soldier!”

“Hyggs... runt...” Masser let loose a groaning sigh, trotting warily between the Second and the lower ranking Bloodwing. “...know your role or else you will know an empty stomach.”

The warrior in question was already drooping awkwardly back to the steps beneath him. A round of laughter echoed his exposed posture. Soon, he hunched alongside Bosonn—who was laughing the hardest.

“Offering yourself as the Second's meal!” Bosonn slapped Hyggs' withers. “Gotta hoof it to ya, brother! That's one way to conserve the bounty!”

“Hrmmmfff...” Hyggs' velvety features burned as he plodded along under the many-many smarmy gazes locked on him. “...I think I'd rather be gnawed to death by changelings.”

“He could arrange that too, y'know! Next engagement! Just wait!”

“Hresssssh!”

Rainbow wasn't paying too much attention to this exchange. She craned her neck to look where Hyggs had pointed. Wildcard saw her movement and he shuffled out of the way so she could get a better view. Soon, Rainbow could spot a bevy of bodies garbed in dark clothing. They filed out of isolated tunnels situated at six equidistant points within the midsection of the coliseum's seating area. The ponies hauled trays, platters, and pitchers on their flanks. A pungent aroma wafted its way cyclonically up the hollow of the coliseum, and Rainbow Dash couldn't tell yet whether it smelled foul or pleasing.

She watched as the servants made their way towards flanking swaths of seats positioned on either side of the entrances. There, canvas sheets had been drawn over the benches—which were stacked higher than the adjacent seats, most likely due to unseen sheets of metal or wood stacked underneath. These sections clearly operated as serving tables, which made some sense. Rainbow Dash couldn't imagine the Dark Vigil possessing enough servants to individually feed and serve every soldier under Lexxic's command. No doubt a “feast” for the Bloodwings operated like a buffet, with the participants having to file up and grab their meals before taking them to their respective seating area. Rainbow legitimately wished Pinkie Pie could have been around to comment on it; no doubt the party planner would have a rating to give to the whole operations. But...

“All of those busy-bodies and not a single mane-net to be found,” Discord huffed, indignantly folding his arms and arms and arms and arms and—“That's it. I'm one-star-bombing this place. Also, I don't smell tater tots.”

Rainbow stifled another groan. She realized she and the rest of her group were still being ushered down the steps... further and further and further to that nebulous bottom level that loomed so very far away.

“Eee-Eee-Eee!” Azarias sounded off into the air once the brief chaos caused by Hyggs' outburst had been dispelled. “Keep moving, brothers! First to bottom! Last to rear!”

Ariel blinked awkwardly at that. She mouthed a question—reluctant to voice it aloud, even to Masser.

Rainbow likewise pondered over this, but soon she found herself distracted by an illuminating detail:

Already—and with practiced grace—the flowing body of sarosian soldiers was splitting up into separate groups. Several Bloodwings—curiously those who happened to be the loudest and rowdiest of the massive bunch—found their seats high up along the outer rim of the coliseum. Others appeared to have earned choicer places—finding spots in the lower terraces, dividing up into neat layers. The further down the sarosians took their seats, it became clear to Rainbow that they were older... stronger... and far-more-scarred than their more amateur familiars high above.

Looking forward—and downward—Rainbow could see that Lexxic, Azarias, Masser, and their closest comrades made no hesitation in their purposeful descent. It soon became clear that the lowest section of the arena's seating was destined for them. Rainbow and her fellow Heraldites were being invited, and she didn't know whether to feel honored or nauseous about it.

The young bloodcolt who had been “selected” earlier up in the outer chamber looked far more confused than she was. He fidgeted, looking all around at the battle-weary and muscular masses around him. He rubbed one forelimb against the other, ears drooping—

“Wry'spek'lym,” Lexxic's voice rang.

Those very same ears perked up. Spek'kl jerked into a tall stance, growling as menacingly as he could manage. “Commander! Yes, Commander!”

“At ease. Our seats await us.”

“In...” Spek'kl trembled visibly from head to tail, but straightened out in time to gallop up and join Lexxic's right side. “...in the First Ring, Commander?”

“I am your brother, Wry'spek'lym, as are all our fellow warriors above and beneath us.” Lexxic gestured with his wings as he trotted down the steps in an effortless glide. “All that separates us is experience. But that demarcation is a river—not an ocean—and you too will learn to span it in time.”

Spek'kl's eyeslits hardened as he kept his tender voice deep and resolute. “I am honored to be at your side...” A slight hesitation, and then he squeaked out: “Brother.”

“Mmmm.” Lexxic nodded with his helm. “This is the place for it.” Soon he, the bloodcolt, and the rest of his most trusted warriors would reach the very inner lip of the coliseum. “But such is where we relish triumph. Beyond—out there is where we earn it.” He tilted his head upwards, and while Rainbow couldn't make out his eyes—even from far behind and above him—she nevertheless felt that he was aiming his words at her. “It benefits everypony to know what you are fighting for.”

As Rainbow Dash and her group approached the very base of the seating area, the arena itself came fully into focus. At this point, much of the spectacle and spatial grandeur of the coliseum was somewhat lost. Rainbow Dash was near the bottom, looking inward. In so doing, she realized that the actual surface area of the arena was remarkably small, bordering on laughable. No doubt a few Bloodwings could go about sparring within the circle, but the actual “combat area”—if one could call it that—was easily dwarfed by the likes of Pestiferous' gladiator arrangement back on the Light Side.

At last, the original purpose of the Hall of Honor made itself clear to Rainbow Dash. The chamber most certainly would have served better as some sort of center of worship—or a place where devout preservers of the Book of Saros once stood and read sacred scripture to the penitent crowd haloing them higher and higher above.

As she approached the very lip—Rainbow realized that the structure had been augmented a very long time ago. A rough, rusted metal border lined the inner circle of the central arena, and a portion of the floor was discolored from the rest, closely following the interior circumference. It occurred to her that—quite likely—the seating area of the coliseum once descended directly into the bottom portion. At some point—perhaps in her very lifetime—the Bloodwings sliced into it, forcing a new drop-off so as to serve the Hall of Honor's newfound purpose. Aside from the defaced etchings of ancient matriarchs seen high above, it was the only striking alteration to the place... and not a very flattering one at that.

Finally, Lexxic and his company came to a place of stopping. Rainbow caught sight of lengthy tables that hugged the inner wall of the arena so tightly that they too had to be curved at some minor degree. Lexxic sat at one end of a particular table, and it was then that Rainbow spotted his highest-ranking brothers clearing out a spot opposite of him, situated counter-clockwise along the inner circle.

“It would appear that our places have been set,” Seraphimus murmured, almost startling Rainbow with her proximity. The two griffons of her group hovered close to the avatar of Luna, as if something in their bird-of-prey blood insisted that now was a time of extreme caution. Rainbow sensed it in the steel-tone of the former Talon Commander's breath. “I wonder if we should know just which Bloodwings we've displaced by being here today.”

“Maybe nopony's being forced to sit elsewhere,” Ariel spoke up, guiding Shriike towards the table “Perhaps Lexxic usually has plenty of extra spaces at his table for guests, Sera. Why do you have to be paranoid about everything?”

“Hmmmmmm...” Seraphimus tilted her beak up. Her charcoal brown eyes reflected rows upon rows upon rows upon rows upon rows of sarosian bodies. “Why indeed.”

As Rainbow's group tightened, they moved towards their end of the table as one. There were no chairs—Rainbow discovered. The tables were placed so low that everypony in attendance could simply rest comfortably on their haunches. The closest thing they had to a head usher was Azarias. The Second stood near the table's end, gesturing them to take a seat—but never once losing his abrasive, scarred sneer.

“Closest to the aisle! How kind of you~” Ariel led Shriike to a spot and smiled coyly at Azarias. “Could you also show us the route to the nearest lavatory?”

“Rrrrrgh...” Azarias merely glared at the pegasus, then swiftly made his way back to Lexxic's end of the table—where he was evidently most comfortable.

Rainbow kept a mental note to smack Ariel upside the head again. For the time being, she squatted at her end of the table, positioned perpendicular to the arena's innermost edge while facing the clockwise curve. The experienced combat-vetern hidden deep beneath her fuzzy blue surface realized that this left her flank exposed to at least half of the coliseum's seating above and behind... but Wildcard's swift and ardent positioning to her left relaxed her somewhat. The Desperado hung back a bit, and at any moment they both knew he could cover her entire equine figure with an outstretched wing if events somehow turned catastrophic. Whether or not the gesture meant something—practically speaking—it did much to put her at ease, and she relaxed in her spot as best as she could.

Looking across the table, Rainbow saw Lexxic sitting down exactly opposite of her. In the place opposite of Wildcard, the First Son made space for little Spek'kl. Masser passed by, murmuring something to his superior—but Lexxic silenced him with a raised hoof, choosing instead to speak to the bloodcolt beside him.

“Allow me to guess,” Rainbow could hear Lexxic say from afar. “Formation Delta hooves out dry and flavrless meat rations every half-cycle.”

Spek'kl gulped and spoke boldly: “Being in your presence is sustaining enough, brother. I would sh-shame my fellow soldiers if I fattened myself without them.”

Lexxic's lips curved beneath his helm as he nodded. “A most honorable attitude. I knew I sensed something about you, brave one. Well...” He waved across the table at Lukaas—who hadn't yet seated himself. “...that honor deserves to be shared.”

The Fourth stepped up to the end of the table. “Yes, brother?”

“Have a portion of our table's bounty be supplied to the Fifth Wing of Bloodcolt Bleak Formation Delta.” He waved nebulously skyward. “They should be rotated along with the rest of the Sixth Root, assuming our fellow brothers follow protocol.”

Spek'kl's jaw dropped and his eyeslits positively sparkled.

“Hmmmm... I see.” Lukaas squinted down at the bloodcolt, hiding the coy hint of a grin. “And just who at our table will have to share a smaller portion to honor this last second change?”

Spek'kl gulped.

“Masser, of course.” Lexxic grinned. “He can learn to eat the platters themselves, just like last time.”

“I...” Spek'kl fidgeted. “I-I...”

“Or we could feed the bloodcolt to him,” Lukaas hummed. “It would only be a fitting sacrifice.”

The rest of the table filled with chuckles from the sarosians in attendance—except maybe Azarias and Sypher.

Lexxic waved at Lukaas. “Carry out the message already, Fourth. No need for further pageantry.”

“You started it, brother—”

“Eee-eee-eee!” Lexxic started, his five daggers glowing within their notches of the helm. Lukaas jumped away, doing as he was told. The rest of the table laughed loudly. Spek'kl blinked in confusion. Soon, the chaotic daggers dimmed and Lexxic was settling in place with a heavy sigh. “Maybe now you all see why he's stuck doing paperwork.” He smirked tiredly. “With an attitude like that on the battlefield, Sy'lukas'ymb would be quick food for the t'chyrym'lynna.” His muzzle brightened as he tilted his face towards the bloodcolt again. “Speaking of—do you desire meat? True meat?”

“I...” Spek'kl sat tall and resolute. “...I have long hoped to save the taste for my first victory on the battlefield.”

“Don't be foolish, brave one. Blood belongs to all.” Lexxic tilted his head back. “Ah... here they come. I fear the timeliness of these feasts will spoil me.”

“I don't think that would be possible, Commander,” Spek'kl said.

“Your only sin is being young, brother. For that, I forgive you.”

Rainbow looked past Lexxic's frame. She and the rest of her companions saw a line of servants trotting their way, carrying platters on their flanks and backside. Unlike the upper terraces of the coliseum—it would seem—her specific group wasn't required to shuffle up and gather plates on their own. It made sense, in a lot of ways.

“No breadsticks to start with?” Discord huffed. He levitated directly to Rainbow's right, charading a “chair” where there was nothing but torchlit space above the floor of the arena. “Hrmmmmfff... well, not everything can be perfect, eh, Sparky?”

Rainbow's nostrils flared. She had hoped—perhaps in vain—that being seated at the opposite part of the table across from Lexxic might have afforded her communion with her five friends again. Apparently, that was not to be the case. At least he was far enough away that the material of his helm didn't affect her much. A dizzy spell during dinner would be troubling to say the least.

And speaking of which...

“Uhhhhhhh...” Ariel fidgeted where she sat next to Shriike. Her position was easily the bravest, brushing haunches with Masser and other males of the bunch. “Has anypony else thought this far ahead?” Her nervous eyes traced the “edibles” atop the platter as the servants trotted closer and closer to their table. “Just what are we feasting on?”

“Oh, you needn't worry, seared one.” Masser gave a bright smile. It was evident he was salivating heavily beneath his scarred maw. “It's nopony you know.”

The table vibrated with chuckles and snickers. Rainbow didn't know if she should take the humor as encouragement or despondence.

“Relax, you nimrods,” Shriike droned. She had evidently calmed a great deal since sitting down in this rowdy place. Rainbow saw her putting her saddlebag neatly by her right side, demarcating the space between her and the griffons. “The chief source of Bloodwing sustenance is gained from the hunt.”

“Yeah... but just what do they hunt?” Ariel's voice cracked.

“Anything and everything,” Shriike said. “Not that I've partaken myself, of course.” The unicorn tilted her dainty nose up. “The diet of a Gibbous Sanctum denizen is far more refined and delicate than the heaps-of-meat that these plebeian soldiers gorge themselves on.”

Wildcard talon-signed: “You may not have that luxury anymore.”

Shriike blinked quadruply through her thick-thick lenses. “Uhm... just what did the bird-puss say right then?”

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. “Shriike, have you considered just... how long you might be made to accompany us and Lexxic?”

“Uhhhh...” Shriike blinked. “...no?” Slowly, the clerk's ears drooped, and everypony could see her slowly paling in real-time.

“It doesn't smell like pony meat,” Seraphimus calmly declared as the servants finally shuffled up.

“Oh! Well that's good to know—” Ariel started, but did a double-take. She blinked worriedly at Seraphimus.

Seraphimus said nothing. Wildcard looked even more silent than usual, which made Rainbow feel suddenly as nervous as Ariel looked.

“Curious bunch of maidservants,” Discord yawned. “I could have sworn I left all the emo mares back with Celestia's baby sister in Equetria.”

Rainbow hated it—but she was curious over that statement. Craning her neck, she noticed that the servants carrying in the foods were in fact mares. They wore thick fabric and hoods that obscured their feminine features. What little she glanced of their muzzles belied deadpan expressions and hanging gazes. They went through their motions in a dispassionate glide, having likely memorized every physical action and gesture involved in laying food out across the various tables. In more ways than Rainbow could count, they reminded her of the Dihmers she and her traveling companions had met back at Blobstain. Except—these equines' misery was evidently cut from another cloth.

It struck Rainbow as curious that the Bloodwings would even allow members of the opposite sex in this sanctum—present company exempt, of course. The oddity was not lost to the soldiers either, it would seem, for Rainbow noticed that none of the stallions even bothered looking at the servants. They barely even acknowledged their presence in even the slightest. All of the snickering and sexist jabs made back in Central Headquarters was completely absent here. It was a heavy contrast to the thirstying, maligning treatment that the Searonese gave their “breeders” back in Pestiferous' hold. Rainbow imagined that maybe this was a whole new caste, hitherto unseen.

Shriike must have perceived Rainbow's curiosity. The clerk spoke up—if only to break herself out of her own anxious funk with intellectual trivia. “I'd suggest you stare less,” she said. This garnered confused glances from Ariel and the griffons. The Gibbous Sanctum representative continued, undaunted: “Trust me. It's for their own good as well as your own.”

“Why... do they have to be regarded as invisible objects?” Ariel stammered, blanching.

Shriike didn't even blink. “They're fortunate in their station. It's the objects that can be seen who shouldn't be allowed here.”

Ariel frowned. “And you're okay with this?”

The clerk shrugged. “It's not my problem, and it never will be. The polish in my blood affords me both fortune and duty. The more I focus on the latter and the less on the former—the more I can accomplish for the Siege of the Sarcophagus.” She smiled as a mug before her was filled with lukewarm water. “That's what your so-called avatar is here for, yes? That which resides inside?”

Rainbow's nostrils flared as a mare shuffled up, quietly pouring her a pitcher of liquid as well. “That... is just a means to an end.”

“Isn't everything.” Shriike raised the mug with telekinesis. “Unless I must remind you: your most trusted allies within the Vigil hail from Gibbous Sanctum and above. The more you deal with them—and less with Root Sludge—the better. So I wouldn't waste my time if I was you.” She floated the mug to her muzzle... paused... then glanced at all of the rowdy Bloodwings and shuffling servants around her. A shuddering sigh, and she placed the mug back down before reaching into her own bag for a personal canteen. “Although... it would be prudent to avoid dysentery.”

Rainbow glanced at her water—then flinched as two slabs of... something was slapped down onto her platter. She looked at it, and instantly her ears drooped—framing a blanching expression. “Hoboy.”

“There's the beef!” Discord purred.

“Are you okay, Rainbow?” Ariel was already asking.

“Hrmmmmmm...” Rainbow leaned back from the stringy bits of red matter lying juicily before her. “...yeahhhhhhhhhhh...?”

“You knew as well as we did that this moment was coming,” Seraphimus said in a cold tone.

Wildcard had been closely inspecting his own portion before talon-signing: “It looks vaguely reptilian in texture.”

“No doubt taken from some of the beasts we saw corralled and slain under the moonrise,” Seraphimus added. “That might explain why it's so raw. Granted... that could just be the way all Bloodwings prepare their game meat.”

“So... like...” Ariel looked at the others, shrugging. “...how the Hell do we get Rainbow through this?”

Wildcard gestured: “We still have some rations from the group's share we took in Blobstain.”

“That might come across as blatantly insulting,” Seraphimus calmly declared. “This is the First Son's traditional feast that he's gone out of his way to invite the Avatar of Luna to.”

“I don't get it...” Shriike adjusted her glasses, blinking at everypony around her. “What is the problem?”

“It's...” Ariel fidgeted, glancing from Rainbow to the meant to the Bloodwings and back to Rainbow. “... … ...complicated.”

“Mrmmmfffrfrrmmfff?” Shriike blinked again—more innocently this time—as she took a liberal, bloody bite of a levitating shank of flesh. “Mrmmfff—in what way? Mrmfff?”

Rainbow grimaced.

Discord leaned in to her right ear. “You could just close your eyes and pretend that you're a griffon. You've always wanted that, eh, Sparky?”

Rainbow grimaced even harder—looking positively green.

Just then, her nostrils filled with a grotesque odor. She realized that the servants were slopping a second helping onto the arranged platters. Only this time, it was some viscous, congeal substance... gray-colored and spongy in texture, with random yellow bits of unnameable solid shapes interspersed randomly within. In more ways than one, it resembled a runny lump of cat vomit.

“Okay... just...” Rainbow gestured at her plate. “What.”

“Hrmmmfff?” Shriike swallowed a meaty morsel and stifled a dainty burp. “It's wry'kyl'myk.”

“Rickle Pick?” Ariel's tongue twisted.

“A more pertinent question would regard the substance, not the name,” Seraphimus stated.

Shriike pointed. “It's grounded up algae, fungae, and moon-moss flecks.” A nod. “Strong in carbohydrates and fiber.”

“Oh praise Celessssss—” Rainbow's hair stood on end as she nervously glanced at the Bloodwings all around her. “—sssssssspectacular appetizer!!!” A nervous titter. “I sure do like my veggies!”

“Veggies?” Shriike blinked.

“Close enough.” Ariel reached over the group's platters. “Dubya? Give me a hoof.”

Wildcard nodded, already assisting Ariel. Together, the two Heraldites gathered all of the wry'kyl'myk from their plates and lumped it over to Rainbow's. They even took the samples from Seraphimus' place.

The Former Talon Commander sighed in exasperation. “You're only delaying the inevitable, y'know.”

“I like to be the inevitable, thank you very much,” Rainbow said, holding her plate out as the group collected all of the non-meat onto it. “I'm risking an awful lot by being in this friggin' place, but even I've got standards.”

“Indeed.” Seraphimus' eyes narrowed at her. “And just what do you think Lexxic is testing for you?”

“He talks all the time about 'sacrifice,' huh?” Rainbow's jaw clenched as she placed the plate down before her. “Well, two can play at that game.”

“I'd be careful before attempting to meet him at such a measure.”

“Oh, I think there's a huge distance yet to cross there, Sera.”

“I... wouldn't...” Shriike said.

Ariel, Wildcard and Rainbow looked at Shriike. “Wouldn't what?” Ariel asked.

“I mean...” Shriike fidgeted, looking disdainfully at the heaping mass of gray mush. “... … … from what I've read, wry'kyl'myk is fine in small quantities, but that much of it...?”

“I thought you said it was rich in carbohydrates and—”

“Indeed. On paper, it's quite nourishing. But most Bloodwings only indulge if they intend to visit the vomitorium.”

“... … ...vomitorium.” Ariel stared.

“Yes. You think honorable Sons of Nightmares are fat gluttonous slobs?” Shriike upturned her nose. “An obese army would fail to so much as breathe on the Sarcophagus! Here at the Hall of Honor, the feast is an experience. But all this excess meat? It serves a better purpose in the lower roots and the pit. So, a lot of it is... repurposed.”

“... … ...repurposed.”

“Mmmhmmm.” Shriike took a tiny nibble. “But I'm no warrior. I intend to only have a small helping.” She bit off another strip of meat and made a juicy smile. “It might be a tad bit barbaric to indulge, but they force you to use utensils up in the Sanctum.” She giggled, wriggingly briefly in her seat with foalish delight. “Ohhhhhh I feel like such a dirty dirty nimrod...”

The rest of the Heraldites looked at one another.

Courageously, Wildcard pinched off a bit of the mush from Rainbow's plate and took a bite. He savored the morsel, gazing off into empty space. His goggles hovered icily in place, but the rest of his body noticeably shuddered. Rainbow could see his lion's tail zig-zagging then forcefully curling in on itself. The veteran Desperado merely looked at Rainbow and gave a sad nod.

“We can't express bitterness with our beaks,” Seraphimus said. “I'm afraid that's the best preview you're going to get.”

Rainbow looked disdainfully at her plate.

“Heh...” Discord reclined in midair. “...nopony said anything about 'pooping east', did they?” A wink. “Diarrheaustraeoh?”

A hushed bevy of chuckles rippled across the table. Rainbow Dash looked up. More than a few Bloodwings were smirking her way, waiting to see what she might do. Lexxic was speaking with Spek'kl, seemingly in another world. But from afar—with the angle at which the First Son's head was tilted—Rainbow could swear a prismatic reflection was being consistently shone back at her. Patient. Judging.

“Hmmm... joke's on him...” Rainbow gathered a chunk of the gray matter in her fetlock and raised it to her muzzle. “...to learn how few craps I have left to give.”

“You wanna bet your life on it?”

“Why not?” Rainbow shrugged. “I've already gambled yours.”

“Oooooh. I'm wounded, Sparky.”

“Keep hoping.” And she took the first bite. Her insides rippled up and down—teetered on the brink—then took a nauseous slide back down to anxious normalcy. “Ah yes. Bile, my old friend.”

Sarosian Times Dinner Show

“EEE-EEE-EEE!!!” A one-eyed sarosian snarled, beating the air with battle-scarred wings. “Behold, Sons of Nightmares! I am Ryn'Skysm! Veteran of Fifth Root! Slayer of T'chyrym'lynna!” He beat his chest with an unshorn fetlock. “And I shall be the Bloodwing Beholder of Honor!”

Across from him, touching down on a patch of dust, a younger sarosian with vivid silver tattoos hissed right back: “Behold! I am Syml'rym'sykk! Lead wing of Sixth Battalion in First Root! And it is I who shall be the Beholder!”

Ryn'Skym shrieked at him. Syml'rym'sykk howled back with a flaring of his velvety neck hairs.

“Brothers...” A unicorn sarosian trotted between them, levitating a torch flickering with silver-blue manalight. “You both shall have your chance.” With a fanged grin, he turned and gestured to five other pairs of sarosians who stood at separate portions of the circular arena, facing off against one another. “As shall the rest of you!” The aged unicorn lifted his head, shouting towards the highest seats of the Hall of Honor. “But while all shall test their might to seize the title of Beholder—only one will succeed! May you fight with honor... dignity... and the passion instilled within you by Terror itself!”

The collective breath of the entire arena lingered upon a mute precipice.

The unicorn trotted neatly to the sidelines. He waved his torch. He hollered: “Begin!”

“Eee-Eee-Eee!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaugh!”

“Hresssssssh!”

All six pairs of warriors instantly engaged in brutal sparring combat. Velvety bodies and leathery wings flew into one another. With thunderous claps of flesh and fangs, they scuffled and struggled under a cyclonic cacophony of cheers, rising all across the body of the coliseum. Fetlocks wrestled with withers and tails slammed into faces and wings knocked bodies off-balance. The violence was so sudden and explosive that it was no surprise whatsoever that at one corner of the arena—

“Rrrrrrgh!” One stallion grappled control of his opponent and violently body-slammed him onto the dusty earth of the arena. Before the opponent to kick up to his hooves, the dominant sarosian kicked him hard in the side, knocking the wind out of his lungs and throwing him into unconsciousness. Within one quarter of a minute, a battle had already been completed.

“Winner!” another unicorn shouted, trotting the circular sideline with a torch levitating. “Who challenges?!”

There was a mass of antsy sarosian bodies gathered along the Omega side of the arena. Upon hearing the shoutout, one of many leapt to the very front, wings spread dramatically. “I, Mry'sykkl, honorable soldier of Sixth Root and looter of N'shydym monoliths, challenge you!”

Sweating and heaving, the first victor tossed his mane back and met the challenger with a flash of fangs. “I, Syn'lypwyk, accept!” He sneered, wings spread. “Behold my blood!”

“Behold!” the challenger hissed back, summoning a new round of cheers from the spectators above.

The nearest unicorn with a torch swung his hoof. “Begin!”

“Raaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaugh!” Mry'sykkl leapt at Syn'lypwyk, and the two grappled where the previous sparring match had ensued. Meanwhile, a group of teenage bloodcolts had rushed in to drag the unconscious sarosian to the sidelines.

Across the arena, the six battles continued in this fashion. Once an opponent was knocked out, a new challenger would arise. When met, the previous winner would test his endurance against the newcomer. In such a fashion, the battles seemingly continued without end—with the audience of the Hall of Honor eagerly watching to see who would win or outlast the rest of the volunteer sparring combatants.

All the while, the feast was enjoyed—on multiple terraces overlooking the sparring matches. Nothing about the sheer violence or sweaty drama below appeared to affect the Bloodwings—as they ate their meals and chatted and cheered merrily without flinching. Even Azarias—normally serious and silent—possessed a remarkably illuminated expression, his slitted eyes locked on the combat below as he took liberal bites of stringy, raw meat.

The Heraldites—on the other hoof—found it considerably more difficult to enjoy their meal. If it wasn't the unseemly state of their menu, it was definitely the grunting and bleeding bodies down below. While it was clear that certain unspoken rules of Bloodwing combat kept the sparring partners from outright murdering each other, it didn't stop some particularly gruesome injuries from taking place. Each time there was a particularly heavy body slam or hoof impact, it sent a resounding wave of rapturous noise through the bustling crowd. Rainbow and her friends—however—could only wince and grimace... including the griffons.

“Is this...” Ariel squirmed in her seat. “...really necessary?”

Splorch! The noise came from Masser, a seat and a half over, who had just bitten into a particularly juicy pocket of a meaty hamstring that once belonged to... some creature. “Hrmmmffff...” The sarosian was so large in size and musculature that he had to occupy two seats. He looked over at Ariel, smirking through a bloodied grin. “The Battle for the Bloodwing Beholder of Honor is absolutely necessary!” He nodded towards the bodies smacking against one another in the ring right below where they sat. “Every cycle when there's a feast here in this Hall—the victor's name gets etched into the entry roots on four sides!”

“Exactly how is—” Seraphimus began, but was interrupted by a body being slammed into the barrier just beneath her, punctuated by a pained groan. She took a calm breath, then resumed: “Exactly how is a 'victor' chosen?”

“Mrrmfff...” Masser spoke through another meaty muzzle-full. “He is the last Bloodwing standing, of course.”

“So... it's like a battle royale?” Ariel suggested.

“That's right!”

“But... isn't that kinda unfair?” Ariel waved at the match. “Many of these participants could show up several minutes into the grand fight! The defenders who've been sparring all this time won't stand a chance!”

“Augh! But you'd be surprised, uterus-bearing one!” Masser grinned.

Ariel's eyes narrowed. “...the buck did you just call m—?”

Masser continued: “Those who stand in the arena the longest are more worthy of honor! Even if they don't end up Bloodwing Beholder! This is as much a struggle for the challengers as the challenged! Strength... endurance... opportunity—they all have their place on the battlefield! Many talk with pride and with boasting, but here, their resolve can be put to the test!”

From a few rows away, Hyggs chimed in: “Plus, we get to see some real sweet ass-kicking!”

“Damned straight, brother!” Masser spat, winking back at him.

Thud! Another body slammed into the sidelines, followed by a wave of cheers above and beyond.

“Hressssshaaaaaaa!” Masser and the others next to him stood up, rearing their front hooves and hissing with praise: “Eee-Eee-Eee-Eee!”

Ariel rubbed her head, wincing.

“Just let them have their fun,” Shriike droned. The clerk had produced two tiny knives from her bag and were using them to telekinetically carve thin slices of meat from the raw helping on her plate. Once she had agreeable portions separated, she took dainty nibbles, pausing between each bite to dab her chin with a piece of cloth also procured from her collection. “As oafish and boneheaded as this entire charade comes across, it does appease their putrid proclivities.”

“Don't tell me you actually approve of this—” Ariel winced as another body was thudded into the ring of the arena, followed by applause and stomping hooves all around. “... … ...insanity?”

“These are creatures who are born to shed blood and give blood.” Shriike shrugged. “What difference is it to me that they engage in filthy exercises outside of battle?”

“One day, the War over the Sarcophagus may end,” Seraphimus stated in a pause between meaty bites. “For soldiers who know nothing but violence and bloodshed—what then? Do they all become civil servants? What channel remains for their aggression to flow forward?”

“Don't be a nimrod.” Shriike gave the griffon a four-eyed blink. “The Dark Vigil will still need conveyance back to the Realm of the Solar Deceiver. This will require a most arduous military undertaking!”

“So it's all nonstop war, then?” Ariel remarked. She waved at the sparring matches still unfolding wildly below. “Once all bone and blood and brains have been splattered over getting the Harmonic Prism from the Armory, you'll just re-enslave the most important caste you guys have into waging another campaign against Equestria??”

“Pffft!” Shriike rolled her refracted eyes. “Don't be ridiculous.” She took a dignified sip from her canteen. “The Highest Polished is the most important caste.”

Ariel face-hoofed.

“Heh heh heh heh heh...” A chuckling voice wafted darkly from across the table. Ariel and Seraphimus looked over to see the noise emanating from Lukaas. “Why are you so surprised, Seared ones? The elders know how to begin things—but they fail to ever finish them.”

Shriike huffed, refusing to so much as look at the Fifth as she replied: “The Maria Matriarchs have meticulously planned for any and all eventualities from the start—”

“Which explains why our fore-bearers have been locked in a grueling stalemate for over a dozen generations??” Lukaas' pale brow furrowed as he glared at the clerk from across the table. “You and your learned mistresses have been content to sit fat and pretty in the loftiest branches of the Tree, gorging on the scant spoils of the Exodus' bounty while the bastards of the Trinary War have spilled their blood and bowels over nothing!” Bloodwings from as far as four tables over nodded and murmured in surly agreement. “I have survived far more winters than many of my familiars and I have personally seen for myself the wondrous change brought about by Lexxy'kyn—subverting abhorrent tradition with a renewed sense of honor.” He raised a mug to his muzzle, sipped, and spoke: “Bastards of war—we no longer be, for we have all found a father in Nightmares. We are Sons, destined to return to the Narrow, and that's something the High Polished will never understand.”

The whole table shook as multiple Bloodwings pounded their hooves and hissed with enthusiastic accord.

Huffing, Shriike nevertheless countered: “By the Moon Goddess—this is why I think that the Root Sanctuary here should never have been re-contracted into being this so-called Hall of Honor...”

Ariel leaned in to her. “You might want to quit while you're ahead.”

Nevertheless, the unicorn clerk continued: “The elders grant you this one luxury—this ancient and redundant piece of mothballed history—and already you meat-headed ruffians think you're entitled to the entire legacy that the Mother of Nightmares has so nobly ensured.”

The table filled with scoffing chuckles and snorts.

Shriike's fangs showed. “You've committed your entire lives to one function and one function alone! What could you possibly know about civility? Politics? Social engineering? Economics? Any and all of the finer arts of civilization that will be required to establish an empire of Everlasting Night on the other side of the Plane??”

“Hah!” Masser wiped meaty juices from his muzzle and grinned across the table. “They can establish my ass!”

“Yeah! Hah hah!” Bosonn had a good snicker from a table over. “That should be big enough to block out the Great Deceiver's searing glare!”

“Hahahahah!”

“Hah hah hah!”

“Eee-eee-eee!”

Shriike folded her forelimbs and huffed. “It is completely inconceivable that any Bloodwings of your station could possibly perform beyond your militaristic talents! You don't possess the Book of Saros! You don't exercise the sacred art of dream-trotting! What you have is muscle and might—but without guidance... without intellect... without the blessing of the Mother of Nightmares, just where would you be?”

“Mrmmfff...” Hyggs smirked, speaking through a mouthfful of meat. “...a harem!”

The throng of nearby tables filled with laughter.

Bosonn added: “Preferably one that wasn't mired in root sludge!”

The laughter intensified.

Shriike sighed, slumping back in defeat.

“I think you fail to hear yourself, sanctified one,” spoke Lexxic's calm and night-slick voice.

Shriike adjusted her glasses, squinting across the table. “Eh??”

Lexxic's plate was noticeably empty. He sat with his forelimbs neatly folded against the table's edge while little Spek'kl and Azarias—seated on either side of him—dined liberally. “Yes, most of us are deprived of the teachings of Saros. Yes, we are uneducated in the aspect of the dreamwalk. And—yes—we sorely lack when it comes to schools of higher thought and learning. Combat is truly our station, and it is exceedingly difficult to emerge beyond the cusp of it. But have you ever asked yourself just who it was who deprived us of those things?”

“I... I-I don't understand...” Shriike sincerely beheld a blank expression. “You are Bloodwings.” She glanced at the entire table and those that stood adjacent. “Your role is to fight, to protect, and to defend.” A shrug. “Why would you do any different? Why would you desire any different?” She glanced aside at Ariel. “It would be as if a clerk such as myself yearned to gut a drone of Tchern on the battlefield.”

“Don't look at me, girl.”

Chuckles and hisses.

Lexxic's smile curved under his helm. He spoke without tilting his head away from Shriike. “Wry'spek'lym.”

A tiny snort. The bloodcolt seated beside Lexxic nearly choked on his latest bite. Guzzling down a throat-full of water, the tiny soldier-in-training stood tall and at attention. “Commander, yes, Commander!” Meat juices dribbled down his deadpan expression as he saluted.

Lexxic ignored the snickering reactions all around him as he spoke to the youngster: “Convey to me the proper tactics needed for a battalion of soldiers to enter, inspect, and purge a hive of T'chyrym.”

Spek'kl stood in place, blinking nervously. It was more than obvious that the colt did not wish to hesitate, but he was clearly at a loss for words. “Erm...”

Lexxic continued: “How many winged forces does it take to counter a single N'shydym monolith?” The First Son wasted no time before further asking: “What is the appropriate amount of runic charges needed to clear ten acres of enemy land at a distance of five hundred meters?”

“I...” Spek'kl sank more and more in his position. “I-I'm afraid I d-do not know, Commander.”

“No. Of course you don't.” Lexxic reached over, gently pressing his pale fetlock to the colt's withers. “Be seated, little brother. And—please—enjoy your meal.”

Spek'kl reluctantly acquiesced, his ears and features sagging in a dim sheen of shame.

“Relish in that which nourishes, Wry'spek'lym,” Lexxic continued, which brought an ounce of relief to the bloodcolt's countenance. “It is—after all—what you fight for in the present. But in the future, ascendance will provide far greater reward.” The Commander of the Bloodwings tongued the inside of his muzzle, tilting his face back towards Rainbow's group across the way. “A curious word: ascendance. That it should instill so much hope and enthusiasm.”

“A false pretense if there ever was one,” Shriike muttered.

“Ah... but truly indicative of those who defend castes so vehemently,” Lexxic said, pointing with his hoof. “It only underscores the fact that they invented them.” His nostrils flared beneath his helm. “And I won't pretend to say that pre-established stations don't serve their purposes. But rather... they should only be prisons...” His voice took on a lower tone as his tongue rolled. “...for those who deserve them.”

Ariel blinked. Seraphimus cocked her head slightly to the side.

“Take our honorable little warrior from Bloodcolt Bleak Formation Delta here...” Lexxic gestured to Spek'kl, who shifted uncomfortably under the sudden table-full of scrutiny. “...he shall undoubtedly make a fine frontline soldier. But does he know the strategies necessary to properly engage our foes on all fronts? No—but it's more accurate to say he does not know them yet.” He smiled admirably in the bloodcolt's direction. “In my lifetime, countless soldiers just like him have risen to the occasion, learning and employing methods of warfare that have ensured victory in areas once hopeless and defined by stalemate.”

“Indeed.” Shriike nodded. “All of Gibbous Sanctum and the High Polished above know of the turning of the Trinary War's tide on behalf of your increased leadership.”

“The tide hasn't turned because my leadership has increased.” Lexxic's fangs showed. “Victory after a thousand years of bloodshed has become possible because the elders' leadership has decreased.”

A round of concurring murmurs rolled solemnly across the tables—in sharp contrast to the brainless cheers set to the bloodsport in the arena below.

Lexxic continued: “Hrym'slyk... Mry'lym'sylm... Yrrk'hrym...” He counted off. “The stubborn female generals of the Roots struggled to maintain the reins of the Bloodwings. And one by one—as they slipped away into necessary retirement—the army of the Dark Vigil only got stronger, smarter, and more versatile.”

“Under your leadership,” Shriike added in a dry tone.

“My sacrifice has allowed us an edge over our enemy,” Lexxic said with a nod of his pale helm. “But the departure from predisposed tradition has given us an edge over ourselves. In a span of half-a-decade, we have pushed the Night Shard and the forces of Tchern back to the brinks and the bleaks just before the Sarcophagus' line. It is the closest advance we've made in over five hundred years—and all achieved within the span of a decade. This... all accomplished against the rising might of the Flux and the indomitable, soulful perseverance of the Night Shard.” He leaned back with an icy breath. “You see, sanctified one, the Hall of Honor is no mere patronizing of your toy soldiers. It's a reward for a job well done. And when the Sons of Nightmares—whom your very cause depends on—sees something worth fighting for... worth growing for... then victory is no longer a means to an end... or the end itself. But—rather—it is the next step. The next step in ascension.”

“And just what do you intend to become?” Shriike asked. “Assuming the Mother of Nightmares will ever run out of enemies who oppose the foundation of Everlasting Night?”

“What we become and who we are... is one and the same.” Lexxic smiled. “Victory is not as far away as you and your elders would think. If only you would have faith in us—”

“We have faith in the Mother of Nightmares... and in the Book of Saros' teachings.”

Lexxic held up one hoof. “One is in perpetual exile, despite what the avatar says.” He held up another hoof. “The other is enmeshed in dust and pretense.”

Chuckles.

Nodding heads and hissing tones.

Shriike sat still with her forelimbs folded.

Lexxic smiled. “Faith in the here and now is the one thing that your elders seemingly can't afford. Stubborn and immovable to a fault.” His fangs glinted in the firelight. “Now who is obsessed with staying in one's station?”

An awkward fidget ran through Shriike's figure. She suddenly couldn't look the Commander in the face—or what little of it was presented. A body being slammed into the arena wall beneath her jolted her from the moment. Another round of cheers resounded, above and encompassing.

“Might be wise to take notes, sanctified one.” Lexxic took another sip of his mug. “That is—after all—your station.”

Masser had a good chuckle at that.

Ariel looked from the Third to Lexxic. “So... Lyw'Malaak?”

Azarias flinched hard. The rest of the table went cold and silent.

Only Lexxic—as smooth as freshly-melted snow—commented without hesitation: “She is all that remains. The last vestige of the Tree of Mothers' stubbornness. A root-within-a-root. It is only a matter of time before she too fades away like the sad anchors before her.”

“What then?” Seraphimus asked. “The Bloodwings seize victory unimpeded? I fail to see how it can all be that simple.”

“Well-spoken, Commander,” Lexxic replied. “An army cannot rest on its laurels... especially in a land of darkness where laurels refuse to grow!”

The whole table of soldiers chuckled.

“Heh heh heh heh...” Lexxic smirked, rubbing his fetlocks together. “You see how pathetic that is? Over a thousand years of exile, bloodshed, suffering—and we still employ phrases burned into us by the Searing One's kingdom of yesteryear.” He gestured. “Some things are more difficult to grow beyond than others.”

“And you're obviously not a fan of tradition,” Ariel stated.

“Traditions are like gardens,” Lexxic said. “For you to grow anything new, that which is old has to die.” A calm smile. “If someone such as myself who has lived his whole life under perpetual darkness can express such an analogy, how much more would it apply under Sunlight? Hmmm?”

A round of dry chuckles and nods.

Ariel glanced at the rest of her group. She noticed Wildcard standing dead-still, gazing curiously across the table in a straight line. Her gaze traced the direction of the Desperado's goggles.

Further down the table, Sypher was also standing absolutely still. But instead of having a staring contest with Wildcard, the Fourth Son waited patiently as a Bloodwing companion reached in with his hooves, fiddling with the silent warrior's neckpiece. At long last, there was a metallic click sound, followed by a moist hiss of hot air. The front of the throat box was lowered completely from Sypher's neck, and it exposed raw red throat muscles to the torchlight—along with an inner esophagus glinting with fresh mucus. Sypher sat still and resolute the whole time. Meanwhile, the Bloodwing assisting him stripped loose a tiny chunk of meat with his fangs. After half-a-minute of chewing, he raised his muzzle to Sypher's exposed neck and spat the softened morsel directly down the Fourth Son's throat. He repeated this multiple times, feeding his superior officer—meanwhile Sypher remained deadpan and calm.

None of the other Bloodwings made any comment on this ceremony or bothered to stare at it. So Ariel and Wildcard—in their own separate ways—figured it was best not to do so either. They returned to their own plates with awkward gusto.

It wasn't long until Lexxic spoke again, addressing the prismatic elephant in the room:

“Avatar,” he spoke gently. “What are your thoughts on tradition?”

All this time, Rainbow Dash had been struggling to taste—much less swallow—the modicum of non-meat edibles that had been lumped soggily onto her plate. The “wry'kyl'myk”—as Shriike called it—was just as detestable as the clerk had prophesied.

Granted, Rainbow Dash in the past had been forced to eat worse on occasion. One week while flying loops over Alafreo, Josho had tried cooking for the Noble Jury while Ebon and Booster Spice went off on a scouting expedition to northwest Val Roa. Rainbow Dash would just have easily embraced starvation at the time.

Here—while the food was vile—she could tell that her stomach would handle it. Rainbow simply had to pursue her meal through very slow and careful bites. This was a lot harder to do when suddenly under intense scrutiny of a potential war criminal and his fellow cronies.

She looked up, making visual contact with Lexxic's helm for the first time in minutes. “Hmmm?” She swallowed a lumpy morsel and tried not to grimace. “Tradition?”

“Indeed.” An entire line of dining sarosians stared at the mare whom Lexxic was talking to—save for Sypher and his assisting comrade, of course. “I can only assume there's been no savage war or forced exile endured by the denizens of Equestria.” His helm leaned slightly to the side. “And surely there's been plenty of time for a civilization to establish and maintain its own culture... unless it's all the the same as when the Searing Sister first deceived the Mother of Nightmares.”

The table filled with surly growls and hisses.

Shriike hissed too—then blushed at having joined the Bloodwings in a singular expression of negative emotion. She hid her face behind her utensils for the next minute or two.

“Well... yeah...” Rainbow Dash nodded slowly. “...aside from a few butting-of-heads with... less than friendly neighbors from time to time, Equestria's been doing pretty alright.” She cleared her throat. “There's been... uh... loads of new cities built. A few changes to the government here and there, I guess. Lots of allies made with distant lands like Saddle Arabia and the Zebrahara...”

“No actual wars, though?” Masser's tattooed brow furrowed. “None whatsoever?”

“Well, there's always the risk of freaky stuff comin' out of the wilderness,” Rainbow Dash said. “Like monsters from the Everfree Forest or the Wayward Dragon migration that brushes a little too close to home.” She shrugged. “But all in all... things have been pretty peaceful and... uh... friendly.” Rainbow Dash looked generally at all the velvety faces across the table. “Friendship—in fact—remains the biggest and most awesomest virtue in the land.”

“A tradition built on banishment and exile,” Azarias grumbled, causing many at the table to stir and murmur in frigid agreement.

Rainbow frowned at her. “Now look, just because Princess Luna had to be given the zap doesn't mean Equestria is all about—”

“Don't lie to us, 'avatar.'” Azarias' tone rose with abrasive intensity. He pointed a scarred fetlock at Rainbow's neck. “You're wearing a piece of that damnable weapon that banished her around your head!”

The table rose even louder in commotion—almost rivaling the cheers over the fierce sparring battles below.

Azarias faced Rainbow directly with a flash of fangs. “How in Narrow's name anypony in Gibbous Sanctum or above even considered letting you into their sanctum—much less giving your presence the time of night—is completely beyond my faculty to comprehend.” He gestured with an angry fetlock. “And I have personally gutted and drank the blood of countless traitors smarter than you... who have tried in vain to sabotage the First Son's authority. In the end—they had nothing to speak of their failings but screams.”

Even the sarosians in the next table over squeaked and hummed enthusiastically at that.

Rainbow waited patiently for the commotion to cease. Meanwhile, a ghostly dragonequus levitated closer to his anchor's side.

“My my... if he isn't the loyal sort.” Discord turned to smirk at Rainbow Dash. “Remind you of anypony you know?”

Rainbow clenched her jaw without looking at him. When it was calm enough for her voice to be heard, she finally countered: “Well, it's good to know where you stand on tradition. But if that was meant as a threat, you're gonna have to try harder, pal.” She lifted her slimy plate of wry'kyl'myk, smirking devilishly. “I have more farts to give to this slop then a hundred shades of you.”

“Rrrrrrrggghh—!!” Azarias shot up on all fours, preparing to hiss something vile—but he found himself drowned out by all of his fellow Bloodwings laughing and whooping.

“Hah hah hah hah!”

“Eee-eee-eee!”

“Assassinationnnnn!”

“By the Narrow...” Lukaas folded his forelimbs and smirked in Azarias' direction. “It's been a good cycle since I've heard anypony bark back at the Second!”

“Hah hah hah!” Masser was slapping the table. “Straight to the jugular, too!”

“Hrmmmffff...” Azarias slumped back to his seat, glaring daggers at Rainbow. “She knows nothing of what I'm capable of.”

“No,” Lexxic said with a slight shake of the head. “She doesn't.”

That was enough to calm the Second Son down. Azarias hung his head, returning lethargically to the meal in front of him.

“Heheheheh...” Masser was still chuckling by the time he stared at Rainbow Dash. “Something tells me that you are unlike most ponies from the Seared Lands.” His eyes narrowed. “With all this talk of 'tradition'... you aren't very normal for an Equestrian, are you?”

Seraphimus glanced silently at Rainbow Dash.

“I'm far from a normal Equestrian.” Rainbow Dash struck a devilish smirk. She raised her mug in the crook of her hoof and swirled it in a debonair way. A body slammed into the arena beneath her, and while her table rattled—Rainbow Dash remained cool and unfazed. “I'm as awesome as it gets.”

“Gnnngh...!” Discord facepalmed so hard he nearly pulled his ghostly face off. “Oy gevalt...”

“You were... chosen by the Searing One to be a wielder of the burning weapon, were you not?” Lukaas asked, peering across the table.

“I was chosen, yes.” Rainbow took a sip and placed the mug down. “Whether or not by Celestia specifically—well—that's a long and complicated argument.”

The entire table hissed and writhed at the mention of her name. Even Sypher's companion nearly missed in spitting the next morsel down his throat.

Rainbow glared at the entirety of the table. “Get used to it,” she grumbled.

Azarias glared daggers. “Surely you were indoctrinated into the Searing One's deceptive manifesto.”

“Surely I farted around, kicked at clouds, obsessed about the Wonderbolts, and lived my lazy days out as a carefree pegasus, thank you very much.” Rainbow took a small nibble of the sarosian slop, shuddered, and bravely continued in the same air of confidence: “Becoming a bearer of the Element of Loyalty just sorta happened.”

“Loyalty?” mouthed a confused Bloodwing.

Rainbow tilted her neck up. “This baby. Right here.” She pointed at the ruby lightning bolt pendant hanging off her neck. “Gotta be honest—I really dig the zappy look of it. I always have.” Her nostrils flared. “Even when there were times I wanted to be friggin' rid of the thing.”

“And why would you want to be rid of such a powerful piece of weaponry?” Masser asked, blinking thickly. “Would it not be a prestigious honor for your kind?”

I mean... I guess?” Rainbow's ears drooped slightly, but she maintained her composure. “The problem with every weapon is that they have a chance to backfire.” She blew out the side of her muzzle. “Well, this one sure did. And now... I'm the only one left.”

Azarias' scarred lips pursed. “You're the only one left of the weapon bearers?”

“He shoots! He scores!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Only a few sarosians chuckled this time, so she continued: “And being that my bag was always meant to be 'loyalty', well, you can pretty much guess how much of a blow that was to the system.”

“Awwwwwwwww... what an emotional gut-punch, Sparky,” Discord said. He shoved his talon deep into his own chest and pulled out a beating heart. “Sorta gets you right here, doesn't it?” He smirked... but suddenly blinked off into the distance with a contemplative gaze. “Wait a minute. Have I done this bit before?”

Before Rainbow could even pretend to react to him—

“Then...” Lukaas' good fang showed as he leaned forward against the table. “...if we slay you... we not only rid ourselves of the elders' ploy, but we'll possess the last bit of the Searing One's equalizer!”

Slowly, the table full of sarosians rose up in a bloodthirsty clamor.

Shrike bit her lip. Ariel and Wildcard stirred nervously. Seraphimus remained calm, waiting—

“Don't be fools,” Azarias spat coldly. “What good is simply one piece of the Deceiver's weapon? And against the T'chyrym'lynna and N'shydym, for that matter?” He shook his head. “No. The treasure within the Sarcophagus of Ages... that is the only weapon of importance that matters—on this side of the plane or the seared half.”

And just like that—all the violent energy from the table had been sucked dry. The nearby sarosians went silent, even as two new victors knocked out their opponents below.

The Heraldites calmed noticeably. Rainbow Dash remained perfectly chill, nibbling more on the bitterly nourishing slop on her plate.

“Well spoken, Second,” Lexxic eventually said. “And it is additionally worth noting that nopony in the Seared Lands—regal or not—would even think of allowing a piece of the equalizer to enter the Dark Vigil's domain...” He leaned forward. “Unless an irrecoverable disaster had been endured... and the weapon simply does not and cannot employ the same power it once wielded.”

Sypher—still being fed—finally darted his eyes towards the First, then to Rainbow Dash. He remained unmoving.

Lexxic smirked under his helm in the ensuing silence. “Loyalty is a most admirable quality. I daresay... it remains my favorite virtue that the Seared One's weapon harnessed. Others might say 'polluted'. I suspect we'd both be right.” As Bloodwing companions murmured in contemplation, the First Son folded his forelimbs thoughtfully beneath his chin, all the while “staring” across the table at Rainbow Dash. “And to imagine an avatar—not of Luna, but of Loyalty—was possessed with a strong urge to abandon everything and everypony back in Equestria to arrive here... well... it most definitely begs the question: just what service have you still committed to the Great Betrayer?” He tilted his head slightly to the side. “Or does any service remain whatsoever...?”

Lukaas rubbed his chin in thought. Masser and Azarias exchanged blank expressions.

“Hmmmmm...” Discord shoved his heart back into his phantom chest and “zipped” it tightly shut. “Will you answer his dare? Or take the physical challenge?”

At the same time, Seraphimus was leaning in towards Rainbow Dash, whispering: “Be careful with the substance of truth that you choose to share with him—”

“My service,” Rainbow spoke loudly, “Is to this plane. Both sides of it. And to the accompanying remnants of the whole world beyond.”

The table full of sarosians merely murmured in mixed confusion.

“I was asked if I was 'chosen' to bear this pendant,” Rainbow Dash said, brushing her hoof against the golden edge of the necklace in question. “While I certainly believe that is true... it wasn't Celestia's choice. It wasn't Equestria's choice. And—as friggin' weird as it sounds to say—it wasn't even the Elements of Harmony's choice.” Her eyes narrowed as she shook her head. “No. This choice is even older than all of us. It was made long before there was ever a war over the Sarcophagus of Ages. Long before the likes of Luna and Celestia even happened upon this plane. And I'm sure a lot of you guys are just itching for me to explain just who or what it was that laid the invisible tracks down that got me chugging my way here to your laps. Well...” She sighed and shook her head. “Problem is, I don't know all the answers. But what I do know is that I too need to have access to the Harmonic Prism inside the sarcophagus. And it's not just for Celestia and it's not just for Equestria and it's not just for you... … ...but for a purpose far greater than anything the whole bunch of us can possibly friggin' imagine.” She gulped. “And from the places that I've seen... the visions I've endured... the mortals-and-immortals alike who have all caught wind of the ancient truths and meddled with my life, I know that this is the path I must continue taking.”

Lukaas hissed. “She's not here on a mission for the Great Deceiver!” A bitter smirk. “She's here because she's insane!”

“Hahahahah!” Hyggs snickered from the next table as several other sarosians nearby chuckled and snorted. “The Searing One's blinding madness got into her brain!”

“Hey! Works for me!” Masser slapped the table with his hoof. “Ha HAH! A little bit of crazy does us all a lot of good on the battlefield!”

“Don't be dense, Third,” Azarias said hoarsely. “If she's that far removed, then it's all the more pathetic that the elders and their Dream Council lap dogs have gone so far as to humor her.”

Rainbow stared at the Second emphatically. “I frankly don't care what the elders want out of all this. Or the Dream Council for that matter.”

“Did you not just say that you desire the Harmonic Prism?” Azarias spat.

“Yes—but I also want to work with you!” Rainbow gave the whole table a pleading look. “All of you! The Bloodwings and the High Polished! Even the castes above and below and in between!” She sighed, staring into the center of the table. “I want to find a way that all of us can benefit from what's inside the Sarcophagus—”

“And then what?” Lukaas questioned. “You'd hoof the Artifact over to the Great Deceiver?! She'd eradicate the Vigil in a single blink!”

“No she wouldn't—”

“She vanquished her sister—her own flesh and blood—over the fate of the sky,” Azarias added venomously. “Why would she not render us casual annihilation?”

Seraphimus raised a hoof to Rainbow's shoulder. “This will get you nowhere—”

Rainbow stood up, gnashing her teeth. “Celestia did what she did because she had no other choice! I was there when Nightmare Moon made her return, bright eyes!” She slashed the air with an angry fetlock. “I was there for when she bathed Equestria in your precious 'everlasting night.' Here's a refresher course: nopony in Equestria wants it. They didn't want it a thousand years ago... and they sure as heck don't want it now.” She sat back down, calming slightly. “Now... I stand by what I said. I want to work with you guys. And... I-I understand that doing so involves compromise. I'm coming to grips with what I've gotta sacrifice to play ball with you batsos. Maybe it's time your whole culture embraced the fact that everlasting night simply isn't going to cut it. After all, if the real flesh-and-blood Princess Luna back on the Light Side is totally cool with both day and night, then just what hoof do you grudge-holding punks have to stand on?”

Click! Sypher's throat box was snapped back in place by his companion. No sooner was it fitted that he let loose a long and ragged hissing sound. Wildcard glanced over, goggles rattling. Both he and Rainbow Dash caught onto the same realization: it was the closest the Fourth Son could emulate laughter.

Sure enough, a wave of levity and amusement had washed over the entire table. But instead of bellowing with cacophonous laughter, every Bloodwing merely shared the same identical, knowing smirk.

This confused the fuzz out of Rainbow Dash. That is... until—

“Your loyalty indeed precedes you, avatar,” Lexxic calmly said. His smile was the most confident out of everypony's. “It is a straight-edged sword, narrow and faced forward, like a good soldier's.” He slowly shook his head. “But I suspect you make a poor strategist.” His helm tilted towards Seraphimus. “No doubt much to the Commander's frustration.”

Seraphimus merely fumed.

“There's a reason I've allowed you into my company,” Lexxic continued. “And it's not strictly due to the orders of Gibbous Sanctum and above.” He slowly shook his head. “No... the truth is, avatar, that you are blind. But—much like me—you have the innate capability to see far beyond.” He raised a mug to his lips. “And... you possess an inner light with which to do so. I do whole-heartedly believe that this entire situation is salvageable... just like you do.” He took a sip, swallowed, and exhaled. “And that's why I cannot refuse your presence... despite how evidently dangerous it may be.”

“I...” Rainbow Dash squinted awkwardly at him and the rest of the table. “I-I'm afraid I'm not catching on. Lexxic... just what—”

“Do you actually believe that my brothers and I give a damn about restoring the Mother of Nightmares' Everlasting Night?” Lexxic breathed.

Shriike blinked hard. Evidently startled. She threw Rainbow and the Herald pathetic, confused looks.

Rainbow stared contemplatively at Lexxic. “...you and your forefathers have fought and suffered and died over the Sarcophagus for untold generations.” She cocked her head aside. “If you don't want the Harmonic Prism for accomplishing Nightmare Moon's goals... then just what do you need it for?”

“You're not the only pony on this plane who aspires to something greater, Rainbow Dash,” Lexxic said. “But where you appear to hoof the line of based insanity...” He chuckled briefly, then shrugged. “...our aim for ascendance is supported by truth.” He then exhaled in a melancholic tone. “Truths long abandoned by those who have also abandoned us... all while enslaving us...”

Azarias and Masser stared off with noticeably sober expressions.

Rainbow glanced at them, then back at Lexxic. “What I aspire for is... not quite so crazy once someone gets the chance to hear its explanation in full.”

Lexxic nodded. “As you stand to be illuminated, dear avatar, so do we. Which is precisely why we must take this rather slowly—as it can be afforded.” He leaned back in a casual breath. “And be sure to observe: regarding those who would attempt to rush you into one particular decision or another. They are the sentinels of old ways... and they are not enlightened to the higher truths as you and I.”

Rainbow blinked.

Lexxic smiled. “We both live in a time where being 'crazy' is a benefit, yes?”

THUD! One last body was pounded into the floor of the arena with a prolonged groan. The entire coliseum erupted in wild applause.

Rainbow glanced over to see that only one Bloodwing remained, standing tall—albeit battered and bruised—above a sea of unconscious meat.

“And we have a winner!!” a unicorn announcer hollered. He trotted briskly into the center and held up one hoof of the crookedly-smiling combatant. “All cheer for Hry'skym!This cycle's Bloodwing Beholder of Honor!!”

“Wooooooooo!”

“Yeahhhhhhhhhhh!!”

“Victory!!!!!!!”

“Eee-eee-eee-eee-eee!!!”

“Eee-eee-eee-eee-eee!!!”

“Eee-eee-eee-eee-eee!!!”

“HRY'SKYM!”

“HRY'SKYM!”

“HRY'SKYM!”

The victor smiled tearfully up at the rows upon rows of spectators above him. This was quite clearly the best moment he'd experience in his short and violent life, and he stood tall with swelling pride.

“Ah...” Lukaas calmly sipped from his mug. “A soldier from First Root.” He gave Lexxic a pale smirk. “That should bode well for the night's proceedings.”

“Indeed. I'll be quite pleased to congratulate him.” Lexxic nodded. Just then, a soldier galloped over to the table and whispered into the First Son's ear. Lexxic listened, listened some more, then took a sharp breath. “Speaking of which.” He stood up, facing the table as a whole. “Our meal has finished, brothers.”

Spek'kl—ever quick to impress—spat out his last bitten morsel and stood up alongside the Commander.

Azarias' threadbare ears arched in concern. “What is it, brother?”

“The Cowardly Twelve.” Lexxic calmly smiled. “They are here.”

I Am the Tribunal

“Wait... what?” Ariel leaned in towards Rainbow's half of the table. “What's this about 'the twelve?'”

Wildcard shrugged.

“I suspect we're about to find out,” Seraphimus said, eyeing the entirety of the electrified arena all around them. The whole company of gathered Bloodwings was still cheering, hissing, and celebrating the victorious Beholder at the base of the Colosseum.

Rainbow was also looking all around, and she caught sight of movement coming from a dark entrance built into the base of the arena—Omega side. Just as injured and barely-conscious warriors were being escorted out, a cluster of sarosians with questionable tools and equipment came slowly shuffling in through the same passage.

“Hey... book-bat-girl...”

No response.

Wildcard nudged Shriike hard.

“Gaah!” Shriike dropped her canteen, caught it with last-second telekinesis, then looked over at Rainbow Dash. “Is the so-called avatar addressing me?”

“Get your pen and paper out,” Rainbow muttered, looking all around.

“Pffft. This is hardly Imperial concern!” She upturned her nose. “Business within the Hall of Honor is just your regular waste of nimrodic cycles—”

“Don't do it for Gibbous Sanctum,” Rainbow hissed, then locked eyes once more on the shifting company within the body of the arena. “Do it for me. I... think I'll need a record of this.”

“Hey...” Shriike shrugged, levitating a pen and scroll into proximity. “...you're the mini boss~”

All the while, Lexxic could be seen rising up from his seat. A curious little Spek'kl blinked at him while he motioned towards the Second. Azarias flew in close, and Lexxic spoke into his most trusted warrior's leafy ear.

Rainbow Dash couldn't make out what was being said. Wildcard—however—had stood his whole height. The motions of the First Son's muzzle reflected off his muzzle, and soon the expert Desperado was talon-signing to Rainbow Dash:

“'Take the stage. Prepare them for my speech. The Twelve arrive.'”

Before Wildcard was finished translating, Rainbow could see Azarias nodding to his superior. With a mighty flap of his scarred wings, he glided out and into the empty air of the arena's base. Hovering at-level with the lowest terrace of the seating, Azarias let out a loud and ear-piercing shriek:

“EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE!!!”

Ariel and Shriike winced. Wildcard peered intently at the proceedings. Seraphimus kept a wary eye trained on Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow sat still and calm, waiting for the Hall of Honor's reaction to the Second. All the while, a certain hovering dragonequus leaned towards her ear. “If this is their idea of dessert, I remain unimpressed.”

“I don't think ponies with a thirst for blood have a sweet-tooth,” Rainbow replied.

Seraphimus looked at her funny—

“BROTHERS!!!” Azarias hollered explosively—and only now did Rainbow and her companions realize the full extent of his booming, authoritarian voice. It shook the Penumbrans down to their very bones, and even Rainbow shuddered to imagine what thousands of like-spirited Azariases might sound like, diving and screaming into the heart of battle. “WARRIORS!!! BLOODWINGS TO THE HORRID END!!!” With a wave of a scarred hoof, Azarias gestured towards the terrace where Lexxic and his closest subordinates sat. ”THE FIRST SON OF NIGHTMARES!!! LEXXY'KYN!!! HE NOW BLESSES US WITH HIS HONORABLE PRESENCE!!!”

And just like that, the entire Hold erupted with hisses and roaring applause—enough to top the applause for the victorious gladiator just minutes ago by a factor of ten. This time, Ariel had to cover her poor ears. Shriike winced as she struggled to jot down notes of the proceedings amidst all the cacophony.

Rainbow managed to spot Lexxic turning to Masser, smirking, and saying something beneath all of the noise, noise, noise. Between her own keen observational skills and Wildcard's followup gestures, she managed to get a semblance of the exchange:

“I never eat a thing here, and still he manages to fat me up.”

“Brother?”

“Best finish your plate, Masser'myn. I need you by my side.”

“Ywm, Lexxy'kyn.”

Lexxic gestured to Spek'kl—who looked a little surprised that he was still of relevance. With an enthusiastic flapping of his leather wings, the bloodcolt followed Lexxic and Masser as they leapt off the terrace's edge and glided down towards the arena floor.

As Lexxic drew further and further away...

“Whelp...” Discord's ghostly voice broke through the bedlam, causing her to glance at him. “...a good buffet doesn't last forever.” Rainbow watched as he plucked his left arm off with his right and waved it like a flag. “Austrrivederci~!”

In a lavender burp, the dragonequus disappeared. Rainbow's five ghostly friends materialized in his absence, and she inhaled her easiest breath since leaving Central Headquarters around two hours ago.

“Hey! Girls!” Applejack motioned to the others, eyeballing their anchor. “Reckon she can see us now!”

“Well, naturally!” Rarity purred. “That insufferably pale ruffian has distanced himself!”

Rainbow looked immediately towards Twilight Sparkle, speaking firmly beneath the noise. “Did you catch any of that?”

“We caught all of it!” Twilight floated closer. “Rainbow—it's obvious by now that Lexxic doesn't want the same thing as the elders and—”

“Dashie!” Pinkie Pie zoomed into Rainbow's point of view, occupying her entire face. “First thing's first! Bleaaaachkkkkkk-arrrrghhhhlleeeee!!!” Her pink muzzle contorted into twenty different shapes that expressed 'vomitous'. After a big gasping gulp of phantom air, she threw on the most sympathetic of sad faces. “How in golly-gosh's name could you eat that soggy slop?!”

“Pinkie...” Rainbow's ears went flat as she struggled to look past her. “Not now—!”

“This was the worst meal in the history of worst meals!” The party planner frowned, forelimbs folded. “They didn't even have bendy straws or confetti! What kind of an exciting gladiatorial dining experience is this supposed to be, anyways?!”

“For Celestia's sake, Pinkie!” Twilight growled, floating inward and shoving her out of the way. “We've got more important things to discuss right now!”

“Gals...” Rainbow gritted her teeth.

“More important than Dashie's diet?!” Pinkie pointed at the hideous pile of gunketry remaining on Rainbow's p late. “At this rate, she's gonna have to visit a million gazillion port-a-potties between here and the Midnight Armory! You think there's a Yaerfaerda beacon for those?!”

“Girls—!” But it wasn't Rainbow who blurted this time; it was Fluttershy. Everyone looked to see the ghostly pegasus peering out towards the bottom of the arena, gesturing at the gathering group of sarosians near the dark entrance below. “They're bringing ponies in from outside the Hold.”

“That's not all they're bringing,” Rarity said, trying to match Fluttershy's earnest calm. “They have... strange materials with them.”

“They're enchanted,” Twilight added, focusing on the moment. Her violet eyes squinted on the scene below. “...I-I don't think I've ever sensed this magic before.”

“Perhaps it's best we lie back and observe,” Applejack suggested. She looked at Rainbow. “Yes? No?”

Rainbow merely nodded, lips pursed. Meanwhile, the arena all around and above was erupting in rhythmic chants, all echoing one name:

LEXXY'KYN!!!

LEXXY'KYN!!!

LEXXY'KYN!!!

LEXXY'KYN!!!

Azarias lowered, just in time to join Masser and Lexxic. The three formed a miniature “V” in the center of the arena—trotting a slow circle—with the First Son at the furthestmost point. Spek'kl trotted awkwardly, struggling to keep up and maintain some “menacing” dignity under the scrutiny of so many slitted eyes-eyes-eyes. It was clear the bloodcolt was trembling, but he made the best of it.

Every sarosian was standing at their seats now. Some even stretched the rules a bit: hovering in place as they pumped their forelimbs and cheered uproariously for their fearless leader. The deafening salvos of their voices found a rhythm: circling up and down with admirable harmony and coordination. This was clearly not the first time either Lexxic or the Bloodwings as a whole went through these motions, and from the sheer hysteria resonating throughout the ancient chamber—it was more than a little bit obvious that this was how the entire Dark Vigil's army “recharged.”

Rainbow looked up, up, up—at all of the writhing and celebratory bodies. She then let her gaze fall slowly back down to where Lexxic trotted in circles.

The First Son smiled—a very genuine expression. His helm reflected the distant flicker of runes and torchlight. He “responded” with a pulsating strobe to the five daggers notched within the headpiece. Whether that drew a specific reaction or not, Rainbow Dash couldn't pretend to the guess. The noise of voices was a solid wall at this point: easily the loudest sustained noise she had been exposed to in all of her travels. Which was impressive, among other things.

Rainbow's gaze drifted past the four central figures in the arena, spotting the bodies and shapes lingering within the dark entrance that led into the base of the coliseum. She saw the subtly glinting signatures of multiple eyes—like wolves in lurking. Countless sarosians were biding their time, waiting—no doubt—on some unforeseen ceremony to unfold... before they could entertain the idea of coming out.

LEXXY'KYN!!!

LEXXY'KYN!!!

LEXXY'KYN!!!

The bedlam went on and on. It became clear to Rainbow and her companions that these warriors could (and would) celebrate the moment forever. Lexxic clearly knew the same. And so he strolled into the very center of the arena, rested back on his dark haunches, and raised his paler forelimbs up high.

The chanting melted into one last sonic blast of exultation... and finally... finally died down. Even once the crowd had “hushed,” its volume was still high enough to rival a miniature battleground surrounding Rainbow and her allies. The Bloodwing leader was more than prepared for this, and Rainbow saw him gesturing to the Third. Masser opened a bandoleer and produced three lunar rune stones. He tossed them to Lexxic...

...who levitated three of his glowing daggers. The runes “attached” to the hovering projectiles—somehow—and a cold silver aura bathed the heart of the arena like a spotlight as Lexxic lifted his fanged mouth and spoke through the enchanted air:

“Are we dead yet, brothers?!?”

That entire chunk of the Tree of Mothers' roots shook with a big, booming, resounding: “NOOOO!!!!” Rainbow swore it was loud and magnificent enough to be felt all the way up in Gibbous Sanctum, shaking the dreamwalkers out of their slumber.

Lexxic's teeth glinted as much as his helm, and he followed swiftly with: “Then honor still has a vessel!!!”

Hisses.

Shrieks.

Echoing howls.

Ariel winced, covering her ears with each blast. Wildcard glanced all around with a rising restlessness. Seraphimus remained calm as a stone.

Once this wave of cheer had died down, Lexxic turned to look at the circular perimeter of the arena. Most—if not all—of the defeated combatants had been dragged off, but a unicorn announcer and the one-true-victor of the free-for-all lingered just near the entrance. Lexxic gestured for them to come over, and his smile beamed even brighter.

“And on this night—with greatest magnificence and zeal...” Lexxic's voice echoed from the trifold runic enchantment carried aloft by his strobing daggers. “...I find a warrior most worthy of praise!!”

The unicorn attempted helping the combatant in question, but the stallion swiftly shrugged the speaker's touch off. Taking a deep breath, he trotted forward as steadily as he could—compensating for a noticeable lip and multiple bruises.

A low bass hum rolled reverently through the crowd. Wildcard glanced aside, and his goggles reflected the faces of Hyggs, Bosonn, Lukaas, and Sypher—all leaning forward with anticipation burning in their slitted eyes, laced with sparks of pride.

At last, the stallion joined Lexxic at his side. Seeing the warrior's injuries, Lexxic did not hesitate to lend him a helping hoof. He wrapped a forelimb tightly around the sarosian's withers. This—the combatant did not expect, nor did he refuse. Overcome with surprise and emotion, he stood tall and resolute, biting his bottom lip as his eyes noticeably glistened in the light of his leader's runes.

“Strong and courageous brother...” Lexxic tilted his head aside as the daggers drifted the three runes closer. “What is your name?”

After a deep breath, the Bloodwing spoke through bleeding lips: “I am Hry'skym'lynnlym! Victorious soldier of the N'shydymma Bleak Raids! Second Wing ravager of my Battalion!” He stomped a hoof down. “And proud warrior of the First Root!”

The entire group of tables surrounding Rainbow Dash rattled and shook with violent joy. Hyggs and Bosonn slapped and pounded the ground beneath them before beating their chests with equal gusto. Rainbow spotted Shriike rolling her spectacled eyes.

““Dearest brother...” Lexxic smiled slyly, his voice dipping a soft octave or two lower through the enchanted amplifier. “Is that quite all?”

The combatant blinked stupidly at him—then a look of euphoria spread through his muzzle, almost as if he was regarding his reflection in the First Son's helm. He spun and hollered to the high heavens: “And the Bloodwing Beholder of Honor!!!”

Lexxic did a wave as yet another round of thunderous cheer issued. Masser let out a glorious, booming laugh from behind. Azarias remained still and emotionless.

Once that had settled, Lexxic pivoted to face the soldier. The runes-and-daggers floated to match. “Hry'skym...” His helm tilted forward as his voice hardened like a sword's blade. “Courageous and tenacious Hry'skym'lynnlym of First Root... would you honor me by joining my company in our next engagement? I could think of no greater glory than having the Bloodwing Beholder of Honor by my side.”

Hry'skym leaned back with a sharp salute. When he spoke, his voice caught in the amplifier's enchantment—although not quite as pronounced as Lexxic's. “Brother—First Son of Nightmares—it would be my joy and honor to die by your side.”

Lexxic stood next to him again, smiling coyly. “Yes, well, let's hope you slaughter many of T'chyrym's bastard Flux spawn before you do...~”

Chuckles rivered up and down the coliseum. Again—somehow—Masser's laughter sounded the loudest.

“Hry'skym...” Lexxic resumed, keeping the soldier within the glow the amplifier. “...I shall do everything in my power to ferry your legacy into the Narrow. I shall think of you—as I shall think of all my comrades, both living and passed—on the glorious night that we finally break into the vaults of the Sarcophagus.” He then trotted back towards the Second and Third... or more specifically towards the tiny, trembling figure struggling to stand in formation with them all. “And if that cycle should come a little further from now than anticipated, I do sincerely hoped to be joined by you, brave one.”

Spek'kl jerked anxiously to the current moment at hoof. With slitted eyes darting, he faced Lexxic, looking up into the glow of his daggers as they loomed menacingly close.

“The Hall of Honor is yours, little brother,” Lexxic spoke. “Please—state your standing.”

Spek'kl fought tears, his ears drooping. The daggers dimmed ever so slightly—which could have only been the First Son's doing. Spek'kl took notice, but instead of outright sobbing, he took a little hop forward with wings spread and cracked his determined voice into the aura: “I am Wry'spek'lym! Fifth Wing of Bloodcolt Bleak Formation Delta, Sixth Root!!” He panted and panted... wincing—as if wondering if there was anything he missed. His slitted eyes darted towards Lexxic.

Lexxic smiled.

Spek'kl puffed his chest out and blurted further into the aura: “And a proud Son of Nightmares!” He shook his right forelimb high in the air. “Destined for the Narrow! Eee-Eee-Eee-Eee!!!”

The whole arena shook as loudly as it did when Hry'skym first won the free-for-all.

Spek'kl beamed, turning around in breathless circles as he beheld the entire arena cheering for him. At some point, he spotted Masser towering above him. With a smirk, the Second pointed directly at a distant-distant portion of seating positioned among the higher terraces. A singular batallion of bloodcolts hovered higher than the rest of the audience, cheering. Spek'kl instantly recognized his fellow comrades and hissed back at them through the bedlam.

Azarias' muscles tightened, restraining from ruining the moment on behalf of a choice few youngsters breaking the “no-fly” rule.

Lexxic chuckled, then paced slowly around Spek'kl. “Wry'spek'lym honors me. Hry'skym'lynnlym fills me with pride. But let us not forget, brothers...” Lexxic bowed his head slightly, and the daggers strobed in a paler blue light. “...not all respect is earned in ceremony. Victory is what we aim for... but we would not get to a place of triumph without the platform of sacrifice.”

Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes narrowed as she focused intently on the First Son's magnified words.

“Now—you all know well of my sacrifice... but those who know of other sacrifices—are ferried far too swiftly to the Narrow to celebrate it here. Aside from a choice few. And I wish to introduce you to one such noble brother today.” Lexxic could be seen pivoting, facing the Second and Third. His daggers dimmed—and the runes in turn. Thus, his next few words weren't amplified. Rainbow and her friends nevertheless saw him speaking and gesturing to his closest comrades. Within seconds, Azarias saluted and galloped off to the dark entrance.

Rainbow craned her neck, curiously. Her ghostly friends hovered higher—also attempting to see.

“Oh gosh,” Fluttershy stated—without explanation.

Before Rainbow could question what she meant—the answer came trotting back into light, accompanied by the Second. The figure had his head bowed—leafy ears drooping. While the rest of the coliseum was celebratory and vibrant—this sarosian remained dull and lethargic. The reason for this eventually became obvious as Rainbow and her companions recognized his vague features.

“The one we met on patrol earlier.” Fluttershy turned back to look at Rainbow and the others. “Shortly after rendezvousing with Lexxic's company? Remember the scout patrol?”

“Goodness, yes.” Rarity nodded. “That most unfortunate scouting patrol...”

“Wasn't one of them a bug pony?” Pinkie remarked.

“Yes,” Fluttershy remarked sadly. “His close friend.”

“Oh ponyfeathers...” Twilight winced. “Is he one of the 'twelve'?”

“No. Reckon he's here for a different reason entirely,” Applejack added.

“Then what's the 'twelve' all about?” Pinkie asked.

“Shhhh...” Rainbow hissed into the air. “Ears open, girls...”

By now, the stallion had been led to the First Son's side. A slight hush overcame the curious crowd as Azarias backed away, leaving the newcomer and Lexxic to the runic spotlight.

“Greetings brothers, and strong tidings.” Lexxic's soft voice sounded like thunder from the amplifier. He paced slowly around the Bloodwing, keeping a casual distance so as not to add unnecessary menace to the act. “Considering the perils that you have endured, it is understandable that you do not intimately share in this evening's mirth. Nevertheless, your personal courage and the legacy of your noble company deserve to be shared with the ears of our brothers. Please—I implore you—introduce yourself to the Hall of Honor, good friend.”

Spek'kl blinked curiously at the soldier standing in their midst. Hry'skym, reading more into the stallion's body language, remained solemn and patient.

Eventually, the sarosian looked up. Any melancholy in his eyes was burned away by a righteous anger. “I am M'saalt'ym! Of Sixth Root!” His voice caught in the runic amplification. “A loyal scout in service of Sy'tommsyl! Third wing to
Wry'mikym's company... which now... … … only exists in m-me.”

A tense murmur rose through the crowd.

“And what—pray tell—brother, happened to the rest of Wry'mikym's company?”

Saalt took a deep breath and bravely confessed: “They have fallen prey to T'chyrym'lynna!” His fangs flashed in the enchanted torchlight. “Consumed! Mercilessly! By the Flux of T'chyrym's bastard offspring!”

Angry hisses and vitriolic growls rotated around the large Hold. The bass roar was enough to make teeth vibrate within everypony's jaws. Even Spek'kl shook with noticeable unease.

“A most hideous tragedy...” Lexxic slowed in his pacing, coming around to face Saalt—so that his helm reflected a vague splotch of dark velvet. “And just what led to this nefarious turn of events?”

“Our company was performing reconnaissance,” Saalt declared. “We were investigating the burnt hollows past the immediate bleaks, searching for signs of T'chyrym's nests. But before we could uncover any spread of the Flux, we were attacked by V'lym yln N'shydymma...” His muscles tightened indignantly. “The Night Shard's initial volley annihilated half of our company. Wry'mikym—our captain—ordered the rest of us to split up to more properly evade the monolith's artillery. In the hours to follow, I reunited with my fellow Bloodwing... W'y'croww. When we couldn't find living signs of the captain, we followed standard protocol... and flew a return route straight for the Tree of Mothers. That is when the two of us met with the First Son and his First Root company.”

“That you did, indeed,” Lexxic said with a nod of his helm. “And upon meeting—what exactly did we discover...?”

“We discovered... you d-discovered... that... th-that...” Saalt's fangs flashed as his ears pulled back. He lunged forward and hissed the confession with bittersweet fury: “He who I thought was my friend Wy'croww was actually an agent of T'chyrym!!!”

The crowd roared and kicked their hooves with insatiable rage. The air grew rich with heavy breaths and bloodlust. Spek'kl looked surprised while Hry'skym stifled a low growling noise.

Saalt stammered on, embroiled by pain and anguish: “He had been replaced!” his amplified voice cracked. “And I had failed to notice! The Night Shard's attack blinded me, and a bastard child of our most heartless enemy preyed upon my pain and foolishness!” He fell prostrate on four knees and seethed dramatically before the terraces full of judging bodies above. “I have shamed the Blood of the Sons of Nightmares with short-sightedness and frailty! I have survived—yes—but not out of strength or courage! But only through luck and cowardice! I... d-do not belong in this most honorable sanctum!”

As his last few words echoed throughout the chamber, Saalt buried his muzzle into his forelimbs, shuddering visibly. There was no immediate reaction to his outburst—only a dull hush as Lexxic's hoofsteps came closeer to the Bloodwing. Soon, a pale hoof was lifting his chin up. Saalt squinted upwards through fresh tears.

“M'saalt'ym of Wry'mikym's company, Sixth Root, did you not lead this deplorable spy into violent exposure?”

Saalt took a brave breath. He nodded before Lexxic's helm. “I did, brother.”

“And did you not see to the Fluxling's storage within the pit immediately upon our return to the Tree?”

“Ywm, Lexxy'kyn.” He nodded again, sniffling. “As you instructed me.”

“Ah...” Lexxic took a step back; the daggers and their runes floated with him. “And your actions before and after the Night Shard attack—were they not done under strict obedience to protocol and Wry'mikym's commands?”

Saalt gulped. “I... h-have functioned by the oath that we have all taken since we were bloodcolts...” A deep breath. “In adherence to the Book of Saros... and in anticipation of the Narrow.”

“Then your failure, my brother...” Lexxic paced, facing the crowd more than the singular sarosian in question. “...is not a fault of any cowardice. But rather a fault of circumstance. And—even if I were to treat the here and now as a tribunal, which... eheheh... does this look like one?” The air thinned by a few chuckles as he smiled delicately at Saalt. “Any and all fault would be found in the questionable decisions made by your captain, Wry'mikym. But we will not presume to dishonor him. Not here—not ever. His sacrifice has sanctified the honor of his legacy... as has yours...”

Saalt blinked in surprise at Lexxic.

Lexxic slowly shook his head. “No Bloodwing deserves to lose his brother to the consumption of the Flux. And yet—despite even my best gifts to the Dark Vigil, that is something which cannot be entirely prevented. Alas, your comrades' passion has been transfused into poisoned blood. Their spirits—into glass.”

Saalt hung his head again. He shook through spasmic waves of grief. Tear drops stained the dusty floor beneath them.

“But their honor, brother...” Lexxic's fangs showed beneath his helm as he stepped closer. “Their honor... shall remain strong. Powerful. A force to be reckoned with... through you.” He spread his wings and raised his voice. “M'saalt'ym of Sixth Root! From henceforth, you shall bear the legacies of Wry'mikym and his company unto the Narrow! Rejoice—for their rapture shall now be your own.”

Azarias looked over at Hry'skym. He gave a swift nod.

Hry'skym nodded back. The victor of that night's combat limped towards Saalt's prone figure. He brushed Spek'kl's body with one wing as he did so.

Jumping into place, Spek'kl followed along. With more or less grace, both the older and younger sarosian helped Saalt up onto all fours.

“It's an honor to stand by your side, brother,” Hry'skym said with a hearty smirk.

“It's an h-honor,” Spek'kl managed.

A visible wave of strength returned to Saalt's figure. For the first time since entering the arena, he stood proud and resolute. All tears had long dried.

Lexxic tilted his helm towards him. Glinting fangs accompanied the next statement: “Live long. Murder much.”

“H'SAALA THRYMMA WRY'SLUUN!” Azarias sounded off.

Immediately after that, Azarias, Masser, Lexxic—and also Saalt, Hry'skym, and eventually Spek'kl—lifted their fanged faces towards the stars high above the throat of the coliseum. They all hissed at once, making the very heavens shake. This—of course—only intensified as every Bloodwing in the building added to the shrill chorus. There was no conceivable way the upper branches didn't feel something of this magnitude—or so Rainbow and her friends were wincingly forced to conclude.

“Grnnngh...!” Ariel shuddered beside Wildcard. “Do they gotta do that every friggin' time?!” she wheezed, barely discernible.

“I'm prone to agree with her!” Rarity yelped, cursed to cover ears that technically didn't exist. “Why couldn't they just ring bells or something?!”

“I know, right?!?” Pinkie Pie stammered. “Why, this latest outburst is so loud, it didn't even get its own onomatopoeia!”

“Yes, that's—” Rarity did a double-take. “Wait, what?!?”

Sooner than later, the salvo of noise ended. All was drowned out—save for Lexxic who once again soaked up the spotlight:

“It is here in this long-deserved sanctum where we magnify honor that is due.” He paced, tilting his mouth towards the heavens. “It is here in this respectful Hall where we bestow majesty that is earned.” His hooves scuffled to a stop in the dirt. His jaw went steely beneath the helm. “But... on occasion...” The First Son spoke now in a breathy tone, his ears folding back venomously. It drew a hush from the magnificent crowd. “...this place serves as a crucible... where we make necessary and careful observation... of that which is bereft of such laudable qualities.” He pivoted until his helm reflected the runic lights framing the dark entrance to the arena floor. “And we exorcise cowardice of all its putrid qualities... until all that's left is the grit hidden within.”

With that said, Lexxic swung his pale hoof high in the air.

Azarias saw it. The Third nodded, turned tail, and marched straight for the large doorframe in question.

A curious lapse in noise rolled through the entire coliseum. Rows upon rows of sarosians craned their necks, curious to see who was being led into the ring below.

At Rainbow's table, the air was no less quiet. Tense. Uncertain.

Until—“Dear Goddess...” Ariel droned. “What now?”

Wildcard hand-signed: “There have been a bunch of ponies waiting in the adjacent chamber.”

“What—like in the shadows?” Ariel blanched. “You gotta teach me how to see with dark goggles like yours.”

“I think we're about to witness what this arena is truly meant for,” Seraphimus said in a cool tone.

Ariel blinked at her. “What's that supposed to mean?”

But the former Talon Commander said nothing further.

Rainbow glanced silently at her, then at the situation below.

“More bodies are coming,” Fluttershy said. “A group—a cluster of ponies. They're being escorted.”

“Something's arriving with them,” Rarity added. “That strange substance I sensed earlier.”

“With its strange enchantment,” Twilight breathed. “And now that it's coming closer...” She looked at their anchor. “...I'm almost certain it's the same energy I've felt coming from the pit.”

Rainbow's jaw clenched. She leaned forward just as the first of several bodies emerged from the chamber.

Azarias was the first to trot out... followed by a group of muscular guards—numbering about thirty. In between the flanking group of well-armed Bloodwings were twelve of their own brethren. To Rainbow, they looked just like any other sarosian soldiers: proud, dignified, battle-scarred and intimidating. She didn't realize they were actually prisoners until she saw the glint of moonsilver chains binding their wings tightly to their sides.

“That's twelve, alright,” Pinkie Pie murmured.

“Is it just me...?” Twilight remarked. “...or do they look just as confident and fearless as everypony else?”

“It's an act,” Applejack insisted. “They're tryin' to maintain their pride.”

“You sure about that?”

Applejack. “Sure as I am an honest-to-Celestia tree bucker.” She flashed Rainbow a look. “T'ain't like the last few presentations. These fellers ain't in for a good time.”

“Look!” Rarity pointed.

Rainbow and her ghostly companions saw a final wave of sarosians emerging from the shadows. They were unicorns—and they carried with them staves that were mounted with... … … strange shiny objects. It was difficult to make out details, but round-shaped things had been fastened to the poles. They had reflected surfaces and translucent structures, so that the runic light of nearby torches reflected off and through them. What's more, the vertical bodies of the staves were speckled with white dust—almost resembling glitter from afar—and it definitely gave Rainbow a touch of dizziness to witness.

“What is all that?” Pinkie asked.

“Well, the stuff coating the poles are definitely chaos metal fragments,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Even I can tell that much. But...” She looked at Rarity. “...the round things attached to the top?”

“It's difficult to say, darling~” Rarity cooed. “Gemstones? Rubies? I'm attempted to say crystals, but that's a very odd shape for them to take.”

“They're not just stones,” Fluttershy said.

“Huh?” Rarity looked over.

“They're alive.”

“They're alive?”

“That is...” Fluttershy cleared her throat and looked back with a worried expression. “They once were... alive. Or something close to it.” She glanced back at the procession down below. “Before now... I... I-I believe they were in a state to... to be alive... or to make room for something that was alive.”

“That... doesn't make too much sense, sugarcube,” Applejack said.

“They're heads,” Rainbow Dash muttered.

Her ghostly friends glanced at her.

Ariel and Wildcard were likewise taken back.

“Huh?” Ariel remarked.

“Pony heads,” Rainbow said.

Wildcard gestured: “Doesn't look like any kind of ponies I've seen.”

“That's because they don't exist east of the Grand Choke.” Rainbow glanced in Twilight's direction. “But I've seen them before. In Aurum—a place south of Luxmare. And in Equestria...”

“... … ...” Twilight Sparkle looked left... then right. “...the Crystal Empire.” She blinked towards Rainbow Dash. “Crystal ponies.”

“Good grief...!” Rarity covered her muzzle with a sickly expression. “Those are decapitated heads?!?”

Fluttershy quietly nodded.

“But...” Applejack rubbed her scalp. “What are crystal ponies doin' on the Dark Side? Unless...” Her freckled face paled. “They're the Night Shard?!?”

“It would seem that way...” Rainbow Dash muttered.

“Rainbow, I don't understand,” Ariel remarked.

“Keep your eyes open.” Rainbow sat tightly in her seat. “We're all learning at the same time.”

Shriike glanced at the avatar in mid-notes, then back towards the arena below...

...where the procession had come to a complete stop in the dead-center. The escort guard forced the twelve bound soldiers to crowd together. They they stepped back, forming a menacing perimeter around the group, joined by Masser and Azarias and Lexxic. Hry'skym, Saalt, and Spek'kl were motioned to stand close to the Second and Third.

The unicorns with the crystal-mounted poles stood towards the side, patient and resolute in their stance.

All eyes were on the First Son as he stepped fearlessly through the line of guards and approached the twelve prisoners.

“Brothers...!” Lexxic's voice echoed, breaking the silence for the first time in two minutes. He smiled calmly, lingering a bit in place. “...for at the beginning and the end of all things... you are still my brothers...” He paced until he stood before one sarosian in particular. “...would you care to identify yourself to the rest of our peers?” Lexxic's hooves scuffled to a stop. “Per protocol, I shall leave this task to the captain of this company.”

A tense hush dripped off the terraces above. The sarosian in question—a scarred veteran with a steely gaze—looked into Lexxic's helm. With a deep, fearless tone, the stallion spoke into the amplification field of the levitating runes: “I am M'lywthaal'myn, Captain of Second Assault Wing.”

“I see...” Lexxic tilted his chin up. “And what Root does your company belong to, Captain?”

The stallion stood icy still.

Azarias frowned from afar.

Lexxic's daggers glowed brighter as he leaned forward. “An answer would be better given calmly... rather than procured through a scream...”

“Third Root,” M'lywthaal'myn grunted—which immediately summoned groans and hisses from the terraces above. “I command the Second Assault Wing of Third Root.”

“Third Root~!” Lexxic resumed his energetic pacing around the twelve wing-bound soldiers in the center of the arena. “One of the few divisions not called back from the front as of late! A most curious thing, Captain—tell me...” He came to a stop, his helm leaning close to the veteran's battle-weary muzzle once again. “What exactly are you doing so far away from the fight right now?”

M'lywthaal'myn's eyeslits reflected off the headplate, darting. “We were escorted here—to the Tree of Mothers—by an armed detachment from My'spyd'ylm's patrol wings—”

Lexxic's voice overwhelmed the amplification device, nullifying the captain's statement. “A valiant effort, brother, but let us go back to before the Sixth Son so nobly intercepted your unceremonious relocation.”

“The Second Wing did not go anywhere we were not commanded to,” M'lywthaal'myn defended.

“And precisely who gave that command?”

M'lywthaal'myn took a deep breath. As his comrades lowered their heads, he ultimately sputtered: “The Commander of the Third Root.”

As a commotion was already riding throughout the arena, Lexxic leaned forward with a smile. “Would you be so kind as to name the Commander of the Third Root? There are—after all—plenty of young and learning bloodcolts within the Hall of Honor tonight.”

The captain's teeth showed as he finally relented: “Lyw'Malaak.”

Once that name was pronounced—every sarosian in the building stomped their hooves and hissed with a show of angry wings and fangs. The phrase “Ryk Ryk!!! echoed in scathing repetition, rolling up and down the vertical lengths of the coliseum.

Shriike licked her lips, sweating over what to note down and what to skip in her recording. Beside her, Ariel and Wildcard looked anxiously at the rowdy and rowdier crowd. Seraphimus remained cool and observant.

Back down in the arena: “So... Lyw'Malaak of Third Root ordered you to leave the front.” Lexxic's pacing was much slower and contemplative this time. “To go where, exactly?”

“To this location where we stand,” M'lywthaal'myn said.

“Wrong,” Lexxic corrected. “Her agents in the upper branches commanded you to arrive at the Tree of Mothers—no doubt to obscure yourselves as you suckled on the teats of the High Polished.” Bitter laughter echoed as Lexxic marched determinedly towards the captain. “It was I who ordered the Sixth to intercept your cowardly company and bring you here—to the Hall of Honor...”

M'lywthaal'myn threw a piercing gaze into Lexxic's helm. “Which—as I happen to have heard—is not a Tribunal.”

Spiteful hisses and disgruntled groans echoed.

Lexxic's smile was a patient and lingering thing. “Indeed—it is not. But you are a Bloodwing soldier of the Dark Vigil, yes?”

“Affirmative.”

“And who is the Commander of the Bloodwing army? Is it Lyw'Malaak?”

The captain's jaw hardened.

“Your brothers wait for an answer, Second Winger.”

“You, Lexxy'kyn, First Son of Nightmares, are Commander of the Bloodwings.”

“I am the Commander. I am the Sacrifice.” Lexxic leaned in, practically breathing in the captain's face. “I am the Tribunal.” A hiss poured between them, which coalesced into a steely tone: “And while our sons' sons will be the ones to carry victory back unto the Narrow, I am—now and until death—the judge, jury, and executioner of all crimes and misdeeds committed in the field of battle. This is not only sanctified by your beloved matriarchs' Book of Saros, but by the pact of blood we all swore upon foaling. If you disregard that, you disregard your very place in the Narrow. Now tell me—Captain—do you swear fealty to blood or to the High Polished?”

Cold silence.

“It would behoove your entire company to answer me, brother,” Lexxic insisted.

The captain's nostrils flared. M'lywthaal'myn avoided Lexxic's gaze, speaking unto the floor of the arena. “I swear fealty to blood.”

Lexxic's voice boomed as he trotted around the officer and his soldiers. “Then why is it—Captain—that several cycles ago... you abandoned the Outer Brinks Purge Offensive?”

“We had been given a direct order to retreat—”

“By who?!?” Lexxic's voice thundered. “By your Supreme Commander?!” He pointed at his unwieldy headpiece. “Did you see this reflecting the green flame of the Flux? Did I somehow abandon the entire First Branch, fly to the outer brinks alone, and issue the order to withdraw?! Face to face?!?”

“Negative, brother.”

“Ah. So then it was a bastard spawn of T'chyrym! It came and impersonated me and—out of gross incompetence and stupidity—you followed the order of a doppelganger of your Supreme Commander!”

“No, First Son,” M'lywthaal'myn murmured. “It was not deception on behalf of the T'chyrym'lynna.”

“Then who—pray tell—was so damned important that their orders superseded mine... when I had already told the entire forces of the Third Root to purge the hives along the outer brinks?”

The captain spoke firmly, despite the obvious trap being set: “It was Lyw'Malaak's orders that I followed,” he said. “And my soldiers followed mine.”

Yet again, a round of thunderous protest roared up and down the coliseum.

Bolstered by the clamor, Lexxic resumed pacing around the captain in question. “So... it was cowardice that led you to defy my orders.”

“No...” M'lywthaal'myn scowled at the First Son. “It was the chain of command that compelled me—out of duty.”

Lexxic pointed without looking at him. “Your duty is to your blood—not to the elders.”

“Without a chain of command, our entire army falls apart—”

“Into what... something different than the soul-less machine that has ground the souls of our forefathers into fuel for the enemy, generation after generation?” Lexxic swiveled to face the captain. “That is not collapse, brother. That is metamorphosis.” His fangs showed as his projected voice became raspy with passionate intent. “The Third Root is the High Polished's final hoofhold on what they used to control in its entirety. The matriarchs—they care nothing about blood... or the Narrow... or even victory. All they value... is control itself.”

“What I did...” By now, M'lywthaal'myn was addressing his words to every soul in the coliseum looming above them. “...was in the best interest of my soldiers. My brothers—in blood as well as in the name of Saros!”

“What you did... was the impotent stroke of a useless pawn...” Lexxic tilted his head upwards. “...a pawn of Lyw'Malaak's. For her—it was a stunt. A show of misguided power. And while it may have saved the skin and bones of your brothers from brushing with the Flux, it opened a hole in the Third Root's offensive line. The hives—uncontested and unpurged—spawned more of T'chyrym's bastard children... … ...and they overwhelmed the frontline camps of the outer brinks within half a cycle. Hundreds... thousands of our noble brothers in blood—slain and consumed by our enemy—all because you abandoned your post... to satisfy the ego of a sycophantic puppet of the higher branches.”

A cold hush.

After a long period of silence, M'lywthaal'myn faced Lexxic directly. “I would gladly throw my meat and bones at the Flux on any occasion. To die in battle—serving the pact of blood—is a soldier's greatest honor. But what I did... what I made my company do... I did for the sake of order.”

“Oh brother...” Lexxic chuckled bitterly. “...even now, you refuse to admit the error in your ways?”

The captain glared back. “I refuse to admit to a future act in some political stage pageant.”

“Hah!” Lexxic raised his grinning head up, laughing into the amplification field. “Hah haaaaaah!!” He flung a hoof towards the captain and his flinching subordinates. “Cowardiiiice!”

“First Son, if not my company, then there are hundreds more who also—”

“First—he flees from a victorious purge! Now—he flees from conviction!” Lexxic trotted sharply around the group. “Yes—brother—there may many others who make mistakes, but none within memory that so heinously weaken the cause! The Sarcophagus and its treasure is within grasp, and the only impediment is incompetence from within, not the crumbling menace from beyond!” His daggers glowed as they clustered closer together in the air, causing a whining pitch to crackle through the magical amplification. “Well, there is no room for cowardice in the Hall of Honor—or within the entire Vigil, for that matter! If you cannot muster the strength to purge...” He twirled about, aiming all five daggers at the exposed dozen. “...then what respect for the pact prevents you from being purged—?!?”

All eleven of M'lywthaal'myn's soldiers flinched dramatically. The Captain stood before them with a panicked expression. “WAIT!!!”

Rainbow Dash leaned forward, blinking rapidly. For the entire arena had just frozen dead upon the echo of the captain's exclamation.

Lexxic's voice dripped into it, calm as a babbling brook: “Unless...” Fangs from a knowing smile glinted in the daggers' glow. “...there remains some strength and courage in the bodies... that can yet carry honor from here to the Narrow.”

M'lywthaal'myn panted and panted. He looked up at the thousands in attendance, gazing down at him. At his sweat and his pale expression. Closing his eyes, the officer took a deep breath, and boldly stated: “On behalf of myself and my brothers... I would like to claim the right to W'ynlppa lysm thy'rym'lykk.”

Rainbow and her ghostly companions turned their gaze to Lexxic.

“Blood by Struggle...” Lexxic stood tall... but he did lower the hover of his daggers as his voice took on a calmer tone. Albeit—not a surprised one. “You do know—of course—that as the prime overseer in the room, it is my right—by blood—to choose the precise method by which the 'struggle' earns retribution.”

“Ywm, Lexxy'kyn.”

Slowly, a slick grin formed under the commander's tombstonesque helm. “Then bless the Narrow that I have already prepared an apt method for your requested ritual.” He turned towards Azarias in the distance... and nodded.

Azarias didn't even nod back; his movement towards the dark entrance to the arena was swift and purposeful. As he moved, the unicorns with the strange staves moved noticeably away from the entrance. At the same time, Masser trotted over towards Saalt, Hry'skym, and Spek'kl. The Third murmured something to them, then led them towards the far wall of the arena.

Wildcard glanced at the movement, then at Lexxic's face-off with M'lywthaal'myn. He talon-signed: “I cannot tell what is happening.”

“Maybe... some more ponies are arriving...?” Ariel looked at Rainbow Dash.

“Girls?” The petite pegasus beckoned her ghostly friends. “Any reads?”

“Uhm...” Fluttershy chewed her bottom lip. “Something large is coming.”

Applejack gulped. “And a mite bit angry too...”

“HRESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHAAAA!!!”

Rainbow Dash did a double-take. Even Seraphimus was struck curious by the noise. Both stood up as one, watching as a mass of writhing shadows emerged from the dark entrance.

“Hooooo boyoooo...!” Pinkie Pie floated backwards, gnawing on her front fetlocks as her ears twitched. “It's never a good thing when something lets out a good loud 'HRESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHAAAA!!!'”

Sure enough, as she said this, a behemoth... something exited onto the bottom floor of the arena. It did not do so under its own volition; no less than twenty able-bodied Bloodwing warriors yanked and pulled at heavy metal chains that were affixed to the limbs, limbs, limbs, limbs of the beast. Much like many of the wildlife that dwelt on the Dark Side—Rainbow Dash couldn't even begin to recognize its species. As best as she was able to discern, it was a ginormous mutant combination of ghastly organisms: something akin to a mix of a preying mantis and a tail-less whip scorpion. It walked on six... no... eight... ten... perhaps even twelve legs. As it heaved and writhed in resistance to the chains, several of those legs turned out to be arms: massive clawed pincers that looked strong enough to snap buffalo in half. Somewhere in the chitinous center of that writhing array of barbed feelers, a triangular maw unfolded, revealing a trio of venomous beaks that lashed outward at the air with penetrating shrieks. The chains affixed to the hulking monster's limbs glowed with noticeable runic power—a feeble guard at best... and one that was very likely soon to be disenchanted.

“Whelp...” Ariel gulped. “It's a good thing Flynn's not here.”

“It sucks that anyone is here,” Rainbow Dash muttered, still gaping at the size of the beast. “That freakazoid could totally rip apart the entire arena's occupancy.”

“Perhaps that is the point,” Seraphimus said coldly, summoning a goggled glance from Wildcard.

Despite the group's apprehension, the Hall of Honor was anything but distressed by this entrance. The seats around and above Rainbow Dash erupted with bloodthirsty shouts and rhythmic chanting:

“W'YNLPPA!!!”

“W'YNLPPA!!!”

“W'YNLPPA!!!”

M'lywthaal'myn and his fellow soldiers turned to face the shackled beast with mixed faces of shock, horror, and determination. Their captain kept himself anchored in place between the monster and his company.

“HRESSSSSSSSH!!!” The creature shook left and right, lifting a few of the startled sarosians by the lengths of their chains. But the other soldiers grunted and pulled harder, keeping the shackled beast in place by the fetters' enchantment. The rest of the Bloodwings landed gracefully and pulled hard, forcing the beast to lower into a submissive stance.

“The captain of the Cowardly Twelve has requested his rite to w'ynlppa lysm thy'rym'lykk!!!” Lexxic's voice crackled back into focus as he stood noticeably between the beast and the creature. “And he shall be granted that honor... assuming there is any left within the whole lot of them to salvage.” His helm glistened with the glow from the shackles' runes. “One way or another, the Sons of Nightmares will grow stronger from it.”

M'lywthaal'myn stood tall with a stone-hard expression. “We shall not waste this opportunity.”

Lexxic waved towards Azarias—who was already returning to the arena with a company of soldiers: dragging spears, polearms, and axes towards the twelve soldiers. “Your blood will be the judge of that.”

By Blood You're Ferried

Rainbow Dash's eyes reflected throngs of glinting blades, blades, blades. Down in the arena beneath her, various weapons were being handed off to M'lywthaal'myn and his company of soldiers. All of this—while the shackled beast writhed and roared and hissed just a few meters away from them. Rainbow and her friends observed as the group parsed through what was available: spears, polearms, poleaxes, and even some swords. They were all bludgeons or cutting tools; no runic-charged apparatuses or projectile-based weapons could be seen among the aresnal. The “Cowardly Twelve” had to get intimate and dirty with this creature. There'd be no living up to their unflattering nickname tonight—which perhaps was the whole point of the ritual.

“Do... they even stand a chance...?” Ariel remarked, blanching.

“That remains to be seen,” Seraphimus stated. “We have yet to see the full arsenal of Bloodwing tactics on display.”

“Of course they haven't got a chance,” Shriike muttered, waiting for the next statement to be issued from the arena below. “These nimrods' fate was sealed the moment they disappointed their mutant commander.”

“He's still your commander as well,” Seraphimus said. She then turned to squint icily at the clerk. “Or is that Lyw'Malaak.”

“Hmmf.” Shriike's nostrils flared. “I only answer to Captain Xandraa. I couldn't pretend to care about these... stallion politics.”

“Sounds like their politics is your politics,” Ariel stated. “And if that isn't the case yet—it just may be soon.”

“On what basis do you have to predict that, dr'ymsyllyp?” Shriike squinted back through her thick, thick glasses. “Are there lots of sarosians exercising their government where you're from? Hmmmm?”

Ariel opened her muzzle to speak—

“How about a little less squabbling and a little more observing?” Rainbow Dash said out loud. She turned to look at Shriike. “Stick to your recording.”

Shriike shrugged and levitated her scroll at the ready.

Rainbow gave Seraphimus and Ariel a dry, sideways glance. They remained silent, and the petite pegasus leaned closer to her friends. “Any thoughts...?”

“That poor creature is in distress!” Fluttershy remarked.

“Poor creature??” Rarity pointed at the writhing mass of limbs and chitinous barbs. “That monstrosity?!”

Fluttershy pouted. “I seriously doubt it asked to partake in this horrible barbarism.”

“I hate to say this, Fluttershy, but I think it's fate is sealed,” Twilight said. “Rainbow's simply in no place to rush in and try to have its well-being spared...” She turned to look warily at her anchor. “...as for the twelve soldiers—”

“Just what can Dashie do?!?” Pinkie Pie squawked. “It'd be her against everybody!”

“Pinkie's right,” Applejack said in a solid tone. “T'ain't the time for brash action.”

Rainbow looked at the ghostly farm mare directly. “Is this whole stupid thing that's happening before us exactly what it looks like?”

“Ya mean to ask is Lexxic executin' these stallions?” Applejack shrugged. “It's the same as always, Rainbow. I can't read him through all that dag-gum chaos metal.”

“Yeah? And how about everypony else?”

“Ya hear them yerself, sugarcube. They're screamin' for blood. Doesn't take a genius to tell what these yokels are hungerin' for.” Applejack slowly exhaled, gazing at the twelve soldiers with a thoughtful squint. “But this here company of soldiers...”

“What about them?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Are they freaked out? Do they expect to die?”

“They expect to fight—that's all I can tell. They're itchin' to tangle with this thang just as much as the rest of the arena full of sarosians thirsts for witnessin' it!”

“How awful!” Rarity blanched. “Can anyone under this blasted Tree do things rationally?! Or peacefully?!”

“You ask me, this is the closest thing to it,” Twilight said. “The Dark Vigil has functioned under rituals of physical contest for so many generations—I don't think they know of another way.”

“Or perhaps they dun care to,” Applejack said, still gazing at the twelve. “Maybe it's... dumb guile, but I reckon they've got the confidence to take this big critter down.” She looked back at Rainbow. “That's why I dun think it's an execution... and why I'm not quite so worried about it.”

“It is for the creature, though...” Fluttershy said with a mixed frown of sorrow and spite. “No pony society that kills out of sport deserves to have access to the Harmonic Prism.”

Twilight sighed. “That may be so, Fluttershy. But the Bloodwings could still be Rainbow's only ticket to getting inside the Midnight Armory.”

“Doesn't mean I have to like Lexxic or what he's doing here,” Fluttershy said without hesitation.

Twilight bit her lip. She looked back at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash was once again staring at the company of twelve—the Captain in particular. She watched as he stepped up to each of his fellow soldiers. Several words were exchanged under the constant roar of the rowdy crowd. She could tell that they were strategizing, with M'lywthaal'myn making several motions, moving soldiers into position, and deciding who received which weapon—presumably to perform separate tasks in the upcoming confrontation. As for the captain himself—he ultimately chose a heavy-bladed axe. It looked strong enough to lop tree trunks in the hooves of a capable warrior, but the grip was very short. If nothing else, it meant that the Captain had to get in the closest to the creature to inflict the necessary wounds. The choice was noble—and daunting—but unimaginably dangerous.

As Rainbow observed this, she was slightly shaken by Lexxic's words—echoing across the coliseum:

“The Spiked Stone Skulker!” Lexxic trotted a lengthy circle around both the combatants and the rune-bound beast. “Rogue murderer of the bleaks! It dines on Dihmers nightly! It ambushes roaming beasts of all sizes from its hidden earthen crevices! Even the medium-sized skulkers will scare off the strongest spawn of T'chyrym's burning flux!”

He strolled closer to the front of the beast, aiming his helm towards the writhing maw and lashing beaks of the furious creature.

“With a carapace as hard as steel and limbs that can shatter V'lym yln N'shydymma like they were glass chalices, it is a force to be reckoned with... a formidable foe worthy of fear, respect, and awe.” He turned and tilted his helm towards the encircling crowd above. “But we—my brothers—come from a far scarier place!”

A roar of agreement rippled through the rowdy audience.

Lexxic pumped a pale hoof in the air. “We exert dominance over our enemies! And where our strength is outmatched... our cruelty wins out! There is nothing in this universe... nothing living nor dead... that won't buckle to suffering!”

Hisses. Hisses. Glinting fangs.

Lexxic turned about, and the pale sheen of his helm reflected the many-many obsidian limbs of the struggling beast. “The Stone Skulker—as even the bloodcolts among us must know—produces a unique chemical compound from countless glands spread throughout its shelled body. But this is only when triggered by extreme duress... pain... and anger. This chemical is key... to providing the Dark Vigil's army... with the building blocks for medicine, anesthesia, and paralytic agents—all of which are priceless... for our brothers on the battlefield. Without that which we can extract from the few stone skulkers we're lucky enough to capture, our casualties have no chance of a full and healthy recovery from their wounds. Thus—to obtain what we need, we must render this stone skulker a hundred times the wrath and pain that it regularly unleashes upon its insipid prey.”

The entire Hall of Honor rose in enthusiasm and passion as Lexxic finished his prelude to mayhem:

“This is a task worthy of brave warriors... of those deserving their place in the Narrow... of those unafraid to give their lives for the support of our fellow brothers on the frontline.”

The First Son of Nightmares turned to face the leader of the dozen Bloodcolts.

“Captain M'lywthaal'myn...” His muzzle beneath the helm was a stern and rigid expression, completely devoid of any coyness or levity. “In invoking the rite of w'ynlppa lysm th'rym'lykk, you are being tasked with wounding, subjugating, and ultimately slaying this creature. You should be well-trained in the technicalities of chemical extraction. Only after every limb of the skulker has been lopped off—and its anguished screams rendered high to the heavens—will you be granted the authority to send its soul to the Pit. If you fail in this task—or if the creature's life ends prematurely—you will have forfeited any honor earned in this blood ritual.”

The captain leaned on his axe. He nodded. “Ywm, Lexxy'kyn.”

“You are being granted the rite of w'ynlppa lysm th'rym'lykk by blood,” Lexxic declared. “Blood that has yet to be restored with honor.” His helm tilted, glinting with the runic glow. “Perish before the end of combat—or suffer grievous injury—then your bodies shall not enjoy the same opportunity being granted to your souls. Only a healthy and solid victory will liberate you and your soldiers. Is this understood?”

M'lywthaal'myn nodded again. Then—without hesitation—he threw his voice into the runes' amplification field: “Unbind our wings.”

Azarias and Masser did double-takes.

A brief hush of surprise rolled through the crowd.

“If our bodies are being placed on the line, than my soldiers and I deserve full access to them.” M'lywthaal'myn's fearless eyeslits pierced into Lexxic from afar. “As we have and continue to serve in full honor to the Dark Vigil's cause.”

Several guards in the arena exchanged contemplative glances.

Azarias frowned. He marched over to bark at the brash captain—

Lexxic blindly held a hoof up, forcing the Second to stop in place. Calm and dignified, he nodded towards the guards before motioning to the twelve soldiers.

Several of M'lywthaal'myn's subordinates exhaled with relief as they felt their leathery wings being freed of the moonsilver restraints. Before this was even halfway finished, the captain spoke earnestly to the First Son. “We shall not fly away from this honorable task.”

Lexxic gently nodded. “For your souls' sake, I would hope not.”

Soon, all twelve stretched and flexed their wings. They jumped and shimmied, in place, shaking their stiff muscles loose while juggling the weight of their weapons. A low, bass chant rose in a tumult across the arena, sounding off from the base to the upper terraces. Rainbow Dash could feel it in her ribcage: the fight was just seconds away from popping off.

“Second!” Lexxic stepped back from the center of the arena, standing upon the fringes beside Saalt, Spek'kl, and Hry'skym. “Call it!

As commanded, Azarias lifted up on flapping wings. He didn't need the amplifier to throw his grand voice violently through the air. “Guards! Perimeter!”

The armed contingent that had been holding the “Cowardly Twelve” at spear-point drew back. They lined themselves up around the grand circumference of the arena, aiming their weapons at the grotesque beast in the dead-center.

“Clerics! Totems!”

Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy looked confused. Meanwhile, Applejack and Twilight pointed towards the unicorn sarosians with the shiny staves.

Rainbow Dash leaned forward, squinting.

There were far less of these “clerics” than the armed guards. Nevertheless, they spread out, forming a polygonal formation that enveloped everypony in the arena. As soon as they were situated, they stamped their poles into the ground and aimed their horns at the crystalline shapes hanging upon the tops of the staves.

“H'lmynhr!”

“H'lmynhr!”

“H'lmynhr!”

One by one, the poles lit up like Hearth's Warming Trees. Rainbow Dash's vision blurred, and in the next blink she spotted pale light shimmering up the staves. When the enchanted material made glowing contact with the crystalline solids—they brimmed with ruby-red energy. These fluctuated with wide ribboning bands of scarlet translucence that ultimately connected the totems to one another.

Vrommmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

A crimson aura filled the entire Hold.

Rainbow Dash sensed a static dance in her peripheral vision. She looked to her left—and was startled to see her ghostly friends shifting in and out of varying degrees of translucence.

Twilight and the others saw Rainbow staring at them, but looked curious as to what was bothering their loyal anchor. Despite the visual interference in Rainbow's perception of the mares, they appeared no worse for wear.

Nevertheless, Rainbow suffered an unsettling nausea rising up her system. Ariel and Wildcard noticed it—and were about to ask what was wrong—

“Y'frymmal thysyyyyymm!!!” M'lywthaal'myn shouted. He beat the short pommel of the axe repeatedly against a front leg, and lunged forward into a battle stance. “W'ynlppa lysm thry'rym'lykkii hr'yaana thaan!”

“Hr'vaanu thaan vyln w'ynlppanuuu!” Chiiiiing! All of his fellow soldiers took position, forming a frightening phalanx of blades and swords and staves at the ready. They faced off against the still-bound creature, shaking and writhing and ready for carnage. Their eyeslits twinkled thirstily in the encompassing crimson light from the totems. “W'ynlppa! W'ynlppa! W'ynlppa!”

M'lywthaal'myn, taking point before the group, hollered while facing the creature. “Hym'sym thyll'm syl braas!”

“HYUTTT!!!” they all echoed as one.

Azarias' scarred ears shook from the outburst. He turned towards the sarosians still restraining the beast by chains. “Stable Masters... … …”

The Bloodwings held their breaths, wings outstretched.

Azarias' fang flashed. Muzzle open. “... … ...RELEASE!”

With perfectly-practiced precision, the last bunch of guards let go of their chains while leaping away from the creature. During their winged ascent, they all simultaneously hollered into the aura of the glowing runes: “Y'HNYRR!!!”

Clank! Clank! Cl-Clank! The runes dimmed, and immediately the chains and restraints snapped like gossamer ribbons in the limbs of the beast. The skulker suddenly lunged upwards, stretching to a dramatic height that was four times greater than Rainbow and her friends had expected.

“HRESSSSSSHAAAAAAAA!!!” Its claws sprang outward, lashing at the air and casting shadow on the first few terraces of seats—

“EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE!!!” M'lywthaal'myn charged forward with a clapping wingburst, leading the charge.

The rest of his soldiers dashed in immediately after, sharing in the same howling battle cry:

“EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE!!!”

“EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE!!!”

“EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE!!!”

The twelve sarosians rushed the twelve limbs of the skulker. The enormous crustacean anticipated their charge with senses Rainbow couldn't imagine, and already two legs were sweeping out to meet the soldiers. Four Bloodwings took point, sliding on their knees and bracing themselves with their weapons held high.

Cl-Cl-Clank!

Sparks flew upon the first contact. Then shadows overwhelmed the initial line as a huge claw slammed towards their vulnerable bodies.

“HTTTTT!!!” Three more soldiers took to the air, criss-crossing their weapons and meeting the claw's broadside. CLANGGGG!!! The pincer of the beast was deflected away from the four on the ground. Those blocking were pushed backwards, and they angled their wings in order to drag themselves slowly through the air.

The beast's body had swung to one side in order to compensate for this exchange. This is where the remaining five rushed in.

“Raaaaaaaaaugh!!!” M'lywthaal'myn and two other sarosians rushed the legs on the beast's left side. They swiped and hacked at the legs. Only two weapons made contact; flecks of chitinous armor peeled off, but otherwise the beast remained unaffected. Two more Bloodwings flew high, taking swipes at the other lashing limbs of the beast as they attempted to swat them away.

The initial three fliers who had flown in—blocking—now found themselves resisting against nothing. The skulker's weight was shifting in the opposite direction.

“Thaal'myn!” one shouted.

“S'lymma sk'rylkym syln thym!” hollered another.

“Ywm!” Down below, M'lywthaal'myn lifted up, hovering just inches above his comrades on the arena floor—

HRESSSSSSSSSSHAAAAA-AAAA-AAAA!!! The beast's second claw came sailing down for the captain.

CLANK!!! M'lywthaal'myn absorbed the blow into his axe, while also slamming downward. “Hrrrtttt!!!”

THUDDD!!! The beast's left claw was knocked hard into the arena floor. It scraped a shallow trench across the dusty earth before grinding to a stop. Within seconds, three Bloodwings pounced on it, pressing their weight through their weapons as they pinned the pincer in place.

“R'lymmyk, Thaal'myn!” one of the soldiers shouted.

Sucking his breath in, M'lywthaal'myn galloped up the limb of the claw. Two spindly feelers stabbed at him in mid-sprint. He flapped his wings, twirled past their attack, and darted towards the central thorax of the beast with a savage swing of his axe.

CH-CHIIIING!!!

With splashes of orange-red fluid, the skulker lost both limbs that the captain had struck with the blade. The long spideresque appendages fell to the arena floor—where they flopped and writhed like lizard tails, saturated in bubbling liquid.

The coliseum roared with cheers of bloodlust.

Fluttershy covered her eyes.

M'lywthaal'myn landed on the floor from his swift charge. He turned to shout a command to his soldiers—

Hrrrrrrreshhhhh-AAAAAAAAAAA!!! Embroiled with pain and rage, the skulker heaved forward. Its right claw lifted up in a chitinous blur.

“Aaaa-aaa-aaaugh!” Three soldiers were tossed skyward like tin toys.

SWOOOOOOSH!!!! The skulker spun in a circle with alarming speed. Its claw sailed at the heads of every Bloodwing within reach.

M'lywthaal'myn let out a high-pitched shriek.

Hearing the warning, every soldier on the arena floor threw their bodies down flat. Th-Th-Thwiiiiiish! The beast's claw sailed over their skulls. Next came a forest of stabbing limbs. Th-Th-Th-Thump!!! Breathlessly, the sarosians rolled sideways and flew out from the beast's steps. Two sarosians stumbled—struggling to get free. Their comrades reached in and yanked them out just before their bodies could be impaled.

HRESSSSH!!!

The creature spun to a stop, aligning itself with the mass of soldiers. Despite having lost irreplaceable body parts, it remained relatively steady and focused. It was now ten limbs versus twelve sarosians. The blood pouring between them glinted with a sheen of starlight as the combatants squared off at a cautious distance.

M'lywthaal'myn paced slowly around the fight, hollering and shouting over the shelled body of the beast. His soldiers obeyed what they could hear—slowly spreading until a full circle of sarosian might surround the beast. Rainbow noticed that those with the heavier blades had been paced evenly around the defensive perimeter.

Seraphimus squinted, studying the tactics being used. Wildcard and Ariel looked similarly intrigued, while Shriike—her task currently pointless—watched with bright, mesmerized eyeslits.

The skulker grumbled and gurgled, pinching and stabbing at the air in front of it like an angry lobster. As it bled and buckled, its remaining limbs occasionally pressed at the ground between its core body and the sarosians that surrounded it. Whatever consciousness empowered the beast was currently firing on all cylinders to ascertain a way to survive this situation.

M'lywthaal'myn constantly darted his gaze back and forth between the thorax of the creature and its limbs. After the damage done, its left side was obviously the weakest. He took a measure of the way in which the bleeding beast's weight was shifting—and evidently found an opening. “H'raalym!” He hollered, gesturing at the monster's right side. “S'rymma wy'sym thryll! Sy'lypp! Sy'lypp!”

“H'rymmy lym, Thaal'myn!” One soldier on the beast's right flank nodded. He hissed at two of his fellow comrades. Lifting up, all three sarosians with heavy blades flew high.

“HRESSSSSSHAAAA!!!” Without hesitation, the skulker swung its right claw towards the three.

“HTTT!” The three soldiers blocked with their blades criss-crossing—CLANKKK!!!—the impact knocked them backwards in the air with a shower of sparks.

“Haaaaaaaugh!!!” Three more Bloodwings rushed the skulker's right side, aiming staves and polearms up high. Limbs of the skulker stabbed at them, but their lengthy weapons poked through the chitinous array, making contact with the animal's underbelly. The sarosians pressed with their weight, forcing the thorax upwards through sheer muscle.

The skulker writhed, struggling to compensate. As a result, its left side—with two less limbs—started to buckle.

“Thrym!!” M'lywthaal'myn pointed at the exposed opening. “W'lykka thrym!!!”

Five sarosians rushed in, stabbing and swinging at what remained of the beast's right limbs. Clank! Thunk! Whack! Cl-Clang!

Their blows struck lower—and weaker—than the captain's lucky charge from earlier. The skulker shook, writhed, then swiveled around with a maddening show of might. The sarosians on its right side were forced to duck and dive while its right claw flew low—WH-WHAMMM!!!—smacking hard into a pair of soldiers.

“Aaaugh!”

“Ooomf!”

The coliseum roared as they saw two of the captain's soldiers fall back on their flanks. One managed to hop up and fly away. The other—evidently concussed—struggled prone on the ground.

The skulker shifted its weight and flung its claw straight down at the last soldier. THUDDDD!!! The open pincer landed on the ground—miraculously sparing the sarosian's body with the space in between... a space that was about to snap close—

“H'laak!” M'lywthaal'myn flew straight down, axe-first. “Hrnnnnghh!”

CLANK! The pincer closed onto the frame of the axe—which wedged it open at the last second.

“H'raaana!” the captain shouted.

Three soldiers were already rushing in, grabbing their grounded buddy's body and dragging him away from—

SNAPPP!!!

—the pincer closed, shattering M'lywthaal'myn's blade to shrapnel bits. It had avoided doing the same to the dazed sarosian's spine by mere centimeters. As the captain and his subordinates pulled him out, a throng of limbs stabbed down—grazing another soldier's body. Sliiiink!

“Eee-eee-eee-eee!” the bloodwing shouted, fresh blood pouring down his flank. The nearest ally helped him limp away, trailing crimson.

Sneering, the captain whistled towards one of the soldiers on the perimeter. With a grunt, the sarosian tossed him a poleaxe. M'lywthaal'myn grabbed it mid-air, spun, and blocked two limbs coming down on him. Sneering through gritted teeth, the captain flapped his wings hard and harder, forcing the legs upwards and pushing the beast off-balance. “Rrrrr-rrr-rrrrghhh!”

Naturally, the skulker aimed its left pincer next for the captain. But—FW-FW-FWOOOSH!—three bloodwings had flown in. Darting over the lunging claw, they landed on the beast's upper carapace and stabbed their weapons into the base joint of the offensive limb, digging into the meat and exposing the twitching muscle below. Just as the beast began to hiss—a signature of pain—they aimed their muzzles point blank into the exposed sinew of the beast and:

“EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE!!!”

Ariel and Wildcard winced; even from such a distance the sound was ear-splitting. Seraphimus and Rainbow Dash craned their necks to see that—in fact—the carapace of the beast was forming a tributary of bloody cracks from the point of sonic punishment.

The skulker buckled, its right claw swung back in an attempt to bat the three stallions away—but the muscles empowering it tore halfway through. The claw went limp. Around the same time, two more soldiers flew up and mounted the beast's backside. Their blades joined the first three. With a mix of prying and hacking—

SPLORCH!!!

—they managed to lop the claw free. Three soldiers bucked the dismembered weapon mid-air with combined grunts. Orange blood sprayed across the arena as—TH-THUDDD!—the claw tumbled to an awkward stop, its pincer lashing thoughtlessly at the perimeter of guards... making them step back and raise their weapons.

The whole arena roared in a hungry cacophony. Masser's booming shouts rang the loudest, his tattooed muzzle beaming with enthusiasm. Saalt, Hry'skym, and Spek'kl jumped and cheered. Azarias remained hovering above the scene, surveying the battle with a brooding expression.

Rainbow looked across the arena towards Lexxic.

The First Son of Nightmares remained silent, still, patient. A calm, contemplative smile lingered beneath his muzzle.

Rainbow focused once more on the fight. It was now nine limbs versus twelve soldiers—only two of whom were minimally injured thus far. She couldn't help but feel impressed by M'lywthaal'myn thus far, but there was still plenty of giant-death-crab-monster left to deal with.

The skulker in question heaved and writhed from the damage it had suffered. It displayed an alarming amount of pain for an oversized crustacean—but this rang true with what Rainbow and her friends had learned about its hormonal glands. There was a slight shift in the hue of the blood bubbling from its scarred carapace. It morphed from a neon orange to an acidic yellow, and Rainbow could even detect a sour scent filling the air of the coliseum—growing more and more pungent by the morbid minute. No doubt the injuries being dealt by the captain and his company were accomplishing the supposed “goal” of the W'ynlppa lysm thy'rym'lykk.

“M'wyynym syly'wym!” The captain shouted, pointing at the legs, belly, and remaining claw of the beast. With its right pincer arm removed, the bulk of the beast's weight hung on the side with less legs. The skulker noticeably shifted in a rotating fashion, leaning towards its weaker side as the one heavy claw snapped offensively at the combatants from afar. “S'ryamaar! Sr'wymsym lynnyl lykk lykk!”

“Ywm!” Setting down his concussed brethren, a subordinate sarosian gestured to two more able-bodied warriors and took wing. Fw-Fw-Fwoosh! The three of them flew high, grazing the left side of the wounded beast.

Predictably, the creature swung at them with its remaining pincer. SN-SNAP! In so doing, it threw its weight too hard to the left. The three remaining legs buckled and wobbled as its thorax dipped low.

“Httt!” M'lywthaal'myn himself galloped straight towards the beast's carapace, gripping a blade lengthwise in his muzzle.

“HRSSSSSSSH—!!!” The skulker swung its claw straight down at him.

THUDDD!!!

M'lywthaal'myn side-jumped the pincer as it landed into the ground. However—before it could lift back up—he dashed towards the thing, shoved the length of the blade between two seams of chitin, and twisted savagely perpendicular to the joint.

CRKKKK!!! A gross snapping sound issued from somewhere within. Yellowing blood oozed out of the wounded seam, and—with a howl of pain—the beast lost its bearing. WHUMP!!! It slumped hard on its left side, the three remaining left legs falling slack on the arena floor and writhing.

“It's... it's down...!” Ariel leaned forward. “It has to be!” She looked aside. “Right?”

Seraphimus said nothing. Rainbow's ruby eyes darted left and right, observing the battle. “... … ...it's gonna turn over.”

“Huh?” Shriike blinked, leaning forward from her seat. “Look at it! The big nimrod's down for the—”

Just as she said this, all five legs along the skulker's right side pushed like machine springs. The air shifted as the beast sucked in an enormous breath. Its huge carapace teetered up and over.

“... … …!!!” M'lywthaal'myn looked up to see a shadow spreading over him. “S'wynyk!” He yanked his blade free and scampered away—all the while shouting towards his airborne soldiers: “Wyn'ly nyk! Wyn'ly nyk! Hry'mymsym!”

But it was too late for the flying trio to get the message. During their second flyover, they found themselves sailing into an upended wave of thrashing limbs. They shouted in dismay, darting left and right with flapping wings—

TH-THUDDD! Two spider-like limbs smacked hard into respective Bloodwings. While their bodies went spiraling towards the ground, the other three flew up high, desperate to outrace the lashing throes of the legs—

Sp-Splorch!!! One sharp limb ran straight through one pony's flank and came bursting out his opposite barrel. “Hrkkkk!!!” His eyes widened as he instantly vomited blood.

The whole coliseum cheered.

Rarity clasped hooves over her horrified muzzle while Pinkie and Twilight hugged each other, wide-eyed.

“H'lyvaanan!” one of the flying Bloodwings shouted in despair.

The skulker kept rolling its massive self over—even with the flailing sarosian still impaled on its limb. Once it was upside down, it used its bleeding pincer to steady itself and push upright.

“... … …!” Sneering, M'lywthaal'myn turned and shouted at a fellow warrior through flashing fangs. “S'wynaamaal!”

“Rymma, Thaal'myn!” A bleeding sarosian tossed him the one remaining broadaxe.

“Httt!” M'lywthaal'myn caught it in mighty fetlocks and spread his wings. “Hrrrrrrghhhh—!!!” He skimmed the ground in determined flight, sailing straight towards the toppling beast...

...just as it shifted upright. It teetered sideways, struggling to form a defensive stance with the weight of a live sarosian still impaled on one of its right legs.

“Aaaaaaaaaa—!” The Captain soared underneath the creature's left sight and came up its right, slashing at the leg that imprisoned his comrade. TH-THOPPP! A single axe-swing was all it took to slice the limb free. It toppled over like a tree, its mangled occupant writhing in agony. “Hry'saaaaaaaa!!!” M'lywthaal'myn hollered over his bloodstained shoulder.

Four bloodwings were already flying up, bracing the leg and slowing its fall so that they could drag it—and their injured friend—away from the fight.

Panting, M'lywthaal'myn turned back... and faced a muzzle-full of claw. SNAP!!! CLUNKKKK!!! He blocked the pincer with the thin of his blade—now clasped in the beast's grip.

“HRSSSSSH!!!” With the upper hand, the skulker shook his bloodied arm left and right, trying to shake both the captain and his weapon loose.

“HYUTTT!!!” Four other soldiers rushed in. They all gripped the captain and his blade. With their combined wing-power, they grunted and shoved against the might of the beast's claw. The air boomed rhythmically with the thirsty chants of the audience above and surrounding.

Wildcard watched intently, his black goggles reflecting the ongoing struggle.

It went on long enough that two of the soldiers helping the impaled sarosian returned to battle, attacking the remaining right legs with swords and poleaxes. Sparks flew and flecks of chitin peeled off. Finally—working together—the soldiers combined their attack on one joint and—CRKKK!—snapped the leg loose at the base.

The entire weight of the skulker shifted—and so did the arm wrestling match it was having with the captain and his lackeys.

“Guhhhh!” M'lywthaal'myn grunted, gnashing his teeth as he felt the group's collective weight being thrown off balance. “S'ryw'myl—!” He tried shouting...

...but it was too late. SNAPPP!! The leg gave way, and the skulker lunged sideways. It swung its claw with the bloodily gifted momentum, shaking the captain and the rest of his partners off with several repetitive waves. Once free of the sarosians, the beast swung the pincer blindly—opening and releasing the axe.

SW-SW-SW-SWOOOSH! The glinting blade flew murderously into the crowd.

Bloodings gasped and leapt out of the way—

Thwppp! Azarias dove in and caught the weapon just meters before it could slice into the crowd. He hovered with the mangled weapon, squinting down at the ongoing battle.

“Hahahah...” Lukaas smirked aside at the Sypher. “L'azarias'ym mry'sylaam sy'kyl thym sk'klyrk. Ywm?”

With a high-pitched hiss through his voice box, Sypher pointed ardently at the playing field.

All eyes fell on the battle as M'lywthaal'myn and his comrades—thrown across the arena—struggled to get up. Despite the multitude of grievous injuries suffered by the beast, it still lumbered upright before swinging its claw down at them. “HRESSSSSH!!!”

One dazed bloodwing looked up from where he lay on the floor. Gasping in the shadow of the claw, he scampered away—SNAPPP!!!—only to have his right rear leg lopped off. “AAAAAAAAAA—!!!”

“N'rymmsaal!” Another soldier shrieked, reaching a hoof out towards him—CRKKK!—that was crushed to bloody bits by a chitinous leg. “EEE-EEE-EEE!!”

“Hah hah hah hah!” Hyggs guffawed, grinning aside at Bosonn. “That's what you get for sucking on Malaak's teats, ryk ryk!”

“Hahahahaha!”

Rainbow blinked at them, then glared down at the surmounting carnage. She breathed heavier and heavier, feeling cold and numb. Each inhale she took was filled with a grotesuqely sour stench as the tainted blood of the skalker outspilled that of the scattered sarosians attempting to end it.

While a few of M'lywthaal'myn's soldiers were pulling their freshly-injured away from the melee—and two more managed to distract the beast with flying pole-stabs—the captain himself and two more able-bodied bloodwings rushed in from the flank. Between the three of them, they jointly carried one of the skulker's amputated limbs. While it still twitched in their grasp, they nevertheless improvised it as a giant staff, charging up and stabbing the object hard into the underbelly of the beast as the group collectively heaved upwards.

“H'rsylmaaaaaaaa!!!”

“Raaaaaaaaaugh!”

“Eee-Eee-Eee-Eee!!!”

Slowly—muscles rippling—they overcame the thrashing weight of the beast, toppling its massive self until it lay upside down once more, only now with less limbs to fix the matter.

The beast nevertheless swatted sideways with its claw, smacking one of the lifters so hard that his body slid off and collided with the perimeter of guards along the periphery.

“N'lykk! N'lykk!” M'lywthaal'myn spat blood, mounting the belly of the beast and hacking away at its undershell. “W'ynlppa!!!!”

“W'YNLPPAAAAA!!!” Every sarosian who could still fight rushed on top of the upended animal like ants to a morsel of raw meat. Even the soldier batted away seconds earlier and the one who was nearly-concussed minutes ago limped in to join the fray. All dignified strategy flew out the window as the veterans of the Dark Vigil—seething and seeing red—hacked and stabbed and chopped away at the shrieking monster from every angle possible. Its remaining legs flew off in pieces, and the upper stalk of its last claw imploded from the punishment... so that the rest of it peeled loose from the bleeding husk like a rotted banana.

“W'YNLPPA!”

“W'YNLPPA!”

“W'YNLPPA!” chanted the bloodthirsty crowd.

Fluttershy by now had her tear-stained face buried in Rarity's chest. The ghostly fashionista held her, patting the mare's shoulder as she watched the gore-fest below with a disgusted expression. Twilight and Pinkie grimaced and blocked their eyesight with their hooves. Meanwhile, Applejack—a sweaty mess of a ghost—nevertheless kept her focus on Rainbow Dash.

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash forced herself to remain dead-still. All the while, her fetlocks tightly-gripped the wooden edge of the seating area... forming tiny cracks in the natural surface. This little detail was reflected in the observing eyes of a silent griffon seated beside the mare.

Minutes into the bludgeoning... the bleeding... the chanting...

“Hr-rrrr-rrrshhhh-hhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeuckkkkkk....!!”

...the skulker's breaths had grown labored and raspy. The only limbs that remained were tiny stubs—wriggling and stirring until a hacking sarosian blade dug it out of its pulpy roots. The yellow fluid pouring out of its many-many wounds had grown translucent and gray, bubbling with a chemical reaction that filled the air of Honor Hold with an ammonia-like scent. Soon, all that moved was the trifold break protruding in and out of its gummy maw of a mouth.

This—the captain and his last remaining soldiers approached. They carried with them one of the skulker's own legs—the sharpest one they found since dismembering it. Forming a line with M'lywthaal'myn at the very front, they aimed the sharped hook foot at the gasping mouth and—SCHLIIIIIIIIINK!!!—shoved it all the way down the beast's throat... up to the second joint.

“Hrkkkkl-kkklkk-lkkskkktnkkkktsstttttrkkkrrftttt!!!” The beast gurgled and spat, its body shaking... jolting... and lying still.

But the sarosians weren't done. Not yet. Four of them—the captain included—mounted the upended carapace, formed a ring, and—“EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE!!!”—launched a high pitched scream into its skewered front orifice.

A powerful wave of sonic energy rippled into the heart of the beast. SPLKKKK!!! Its carapace burst from within like a boil, and steaming puddles of viscera poured out of the many-many fissures in its chitinous body. The air grew rank with death and bowel, and the fight was done.

Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie braved separate looks at the brutal aftermath below. It was the latter of the two who blinked and quipped: “Is it over...?”

At first, Rainbow questioned why Pinkie would ask such a thing. But then she realized that the coliseum full of sarosians had not yet finished cheering. Sure enough, as the raw seconds bubbled on, something... happened down below. Twilight pointed, making sure that Rainbow Dash saw.

A translucent haze of ruby light raised from the mass of the slaughtered skulker. It roughly approximated the size and shape of the battered beast. It functioned momentarily like early morning mist, hovering slowly to a stop within the neck of the arena. Rainbow expected the cloud to sail down into the earth like all the haunting phenomena witnessed on the Dark Side previous.

Instead, the mist narrowed into a spiraling ribbon of bright crimson light that shot hard to the side. Rainbow's head swiftly swiveled in her effort to observe it. She and the rest of her friends watched as the band of blood-colored luminescence “poured” into one of the many totems that surrounded the perimeter of the arena. The sarosian “clerics” holding the staves steadied them with their unicorn magic. Soon it became clear why: every staff shook as the light that issued from the creature joined the circular stream of rotating ruby energy, bolting from totem to totem to totem in a blinding fashion until the stream formed a nearly-opaque ring of red... … ...then dissipated.

In the haze's absence, Rainbow saw several specks of light pulsating from the crystalline shapes clinging to the tops of the staves. Each light flickered in a pair—set deep within hollow sockets. If there was any lingering doubt that these objects were once the skulls of crystal ponies, it had all faded in Rainbow's mind at that instance. She looked to her ghostly friends and was startled to see them fading in and out—briefly—before re-materializing in their usual phantom forms. They also took note of the interference, but before the mares or her anchor could comment on the matter—

“What... … …??” It was Shriike's voice. Her muzzle twisted with confusion as she gawked at the air where the light had manifested and threaded itself away. A final wave of cheers tickled her leafy ears before settling down—so that Rainbow could hear her next mumbling words: “What in Nightmare Moon's was that??”

Wildcard and Ariel gave the clerk double-takes.

Seraphimus's headcrest furrowed. “You don't see much death up in Gibbous Sanctum... do you?”

Shriike bit her bottom lip, but received a nudge from the former commander. Obediently, she lifted her pen and scroll.

Rainbow Dash looked down into the arena to see what the Imperialist mare was prepared to record: Lexxic, Azarias, and Masser slowly approached M'lywthaal'myn.

The captain—along with what remained of his company—were huddled around their wounded companions. For the most part—the group crowded around the poor sarosian who had been skewered by the giant leg of the skulker. He barely twitched, his muzzle hanging open as he gazed off in a thousand-mile-stare. Presently—a few bloodstained warriors were quickly hacking and sawing at the excess lengths of the shoot-like body part impaling him. Another soldier squatted close to the casualty, murmuring words of comfort into his ear while holding back tears. Within seconds, the Bloodwings shortened the offensive object, but kept themselves from removing it entirely.

M'lywthaal'myn seethed and seethed where he stood. He took survey of the impaled soldier, the one whose front hoof had been smashed to a pulp, and the wailing specimen who had lost his rear leg entirely. Aside from them, a least two other soldiers were bleeding terribly and another still reeled from the head injury he endured. As he contemplated the situation, the pale glow of five levitating daggers pulsed in his peripheral. The captain's ears drooped, but he nevertheless spun to face the First Son with an earnest expression.

“Please...” His voice lifted to the heights of Honor Hold as Lexxic and the levitating runestones clinging to the daggers came closer. “My soldiers need medical aid.” He pointed at those with egregious limb injuries. “They're bleeding out.” He gestured towards the impaled Bloodwing. “There may even be time to save him. The...” He turned towards the carcass of the skulker. Already, a group of unicorns had been ushered into the arena to collect and drain as much of the bubbling fluids from the slaughter as possible. “...the skulker's supply. Surely—it is like a new harvest! Please, you must spare some for my company. Did they not give their all to assure the Vigil would be resupplied??”

Lexxic gazed at him with an expressionless muzzle. The crowd went into a hush above as he quietly breathed past the amplification aura: “Step aside, captain.”

“... … …?!” M'lywthaal'myn looked incredulously at Lexxic and his chief companions. The First Son's gaze was impossible to discern, but the captain saw Azarias and Masser looking at his injured Bloodwings. “They... have fought honorably. They can recover from these wounds—”

“Of that, there is no dispute—“

“Then repay their courage with further service!” M'lywthaal'myn gestured at those soaking in their own blood. His fangs flashed. “Even if some can't fight like they used to, they can still support the cause here!” His brow furrowed. “We have achieved victory in the W'ynlppa lysm thry'rym'lykk!! We deserve—”

“—to be judged accordingly.” Lexxic's voice somehow sounded quieter than his, despite the same amplification spell. He calmly continued: “You knew the rules when you agreed to take up this honor, Captain. Fear not. Those with grievous injuries will still find their path to the Narrow.”

M'lywthaal'myn gritted his teeth. He seethed and shook and—

“Y-ywm, Thaal'myn...” Sputtered a voice from behind.

The Captain turned to look.

One of the soldiers shivered on the floor, clutching what remained of his pulverized front hoof. He gnashed his teeth to speak in a dignified tone: “It's b-been an honor, serving you...” He looked across the way, exchanging pained looks with the casualty who had lost his leg. “If we m-must go to the Narrow... s-send us sw-swiftly...”

The other sarosian hadn't the strength to summon a voice. He merely clenched his eyes shut and shook in unbearable pain as his comrades stood close by.

Up in the seats, Rainbow Dash sensed Applejack stirring beside her.

“Uh oh...” The ghostly farm mare's pupils shrank.

Rainbow threw her a look. “What?” She sat up straight. “What is it?”

“Erm...” Applejack gulped. “Remember what I said earlier about this here shindig not bein' an execution?”

“Yeah... … …???”

Applejack looked straight at her anchor. “... … ...reckon the winds have shifted.”

Rainbow looked nervously at the scene below. She bit her lip.

“What's... going on?” Ariel asked.

“Isn't it obvious?” Seraphimus droned.

“No! Not all of us are clairvoyant death pelicans like you! Fess up!”

Wildcard coldly gestured something.

Ariel's breath sucked in as she “read” the Desperado. “Friggin' Hell...” She looked towards Rainbow Dash. “...after all that, they're just gonna kill em?”

“Not all of them,” Applejack said.

“Not all of them,” Rainbow Dash muttered, squinting at the situation unfolding below. “Remember what Lexxic said before the ritual? About those who suffer injuries?”

“But... b-but that's stupid!” Ariel gawked at Shriike. “Don't you agree?”

“Don't look at me,” the clerk muttered, concentrating on what she was writing. “I don't make the rules; just record them.”

Wildcard whistled. Leaning in towards Rainbow and Ariel, he talon-signed a flurry of ideas—

Thwpp! Seraphimus' talon gripped his metal wrist. “Don't...” She glared. “...encourage them, Jordan.” She turned to frown at Rainbow and Ariel. “We must not interfere.”

“Even if it means saving lives?!” Ariel gestured. “I mean pony lives—”

“It's no different than with the changeling and the skulker—” Seraphimus retorted.

“I can't believe we're just gonna let these brave dudes get wasted!” Ariel faced Rainbow. “Are these the kind of sociopaths you want to team up with to get inside the Midnight Armory?!”

Rainbow's jaw remained clenched. That numb, cold feeling lingered in her chest. Like the frost that lingered on every surface of Starkiss.

“Rainbow?!?” Ariel whispered.

Rainbow hesitated to respond—

“Wait...” Applejack pointed. “...somethang's... shifting...”

Sure enough, down below, M'lywthaal'myn had been pacing back and forth between Lexxic and his wounded company. His head hung heavy—with purpose—and when he finally moved towards Lexxic, Masser and Azarias jolted forward as if to block an attack.

Instead, M'lywthaal'myn spoke breathily towards the First Son: “What if I was to offer myself... my life instead of theirs.”

“Ryk ryk...” Azarias spat, looking up and down. “You are not injured—”

Lexxic held up his hoof. The Second silenced, giving air for the Commander of the Dark Vigil to reply: “That depends, captain.”

M'lywthaal'myn's velvety brow furrowed. “On what?”

Lexxic slowly lowered his hoof. His pale helm reflected the vague color of the captain's body. “On whether or not you stand to be cleansed of a greatly dishonorable deed that needs to be righted—outside the cleansing power of the W'ynlppa lysm thr'rym'lykk. Then... and only then... would the valor of Saros sustain no reason for the wounded to be ferried to the Narrow... beyond the worth of their spent blood on this night.”

The captain stared at Lexxic, trembling. Slowly, his ears drooped. He turned around and gave his soldiers a long and proud look. Then—exhaling slowly—he ceased trembling and faced Lexxic once more. He spread all four of his legs apart and bowed his head low.

Wordless, Lexxic levitated the runestones closer to him.

Rainbow already had her ear trained to the exchange at hoof.

“I, M'lywthaal'myn, Captain of Second Assault Wing of Third Root, have failed in my duties to the cause of the Dark Vigil.”

A resounding roar of commotion issued after this phrase was uttered. The crowd almost immediately went silent as he continued:

“I brought my soldiers to the front—fully knowledgeable of the Bloodwing offensive, as strategized by Supreme Command. Despite the top order given to me to purge the hives of the Outer Brinks, I followed the lesser command given by Lyw'Malaak of Third Root to retreat. This was... a-an act of cowardice on my part, and I now live with the knowledge of the multiple encampments as well as hundreds of souls consumed by the Flux's counter-offensive... due to my failure to follow the Bloodwing pursuit.”

The terraces thundered with thousands upon thousands of pounding hooves.

Ariel grimaced. She flashed Rainbow another anxious look.

Rainbow Dash remained seated. Gripping the edge of the platform. Numb as stone.

M'lywthaal'myn looked up at the Commander of the Dark Vigil. “Only by blood can I now be cleansed... and only by the strength of the honorable... can my body be consumed and my spirit sent to the Narrow.” His eyeslits narrowed. “I entreat the spirit of nightmares...”

A hush fell over the arena.

Eventually, Lexxic held his hoof out, gracing the captain's withers. “The First Son of Nightmares hears your plea.” His lips curved softly beneath the pale plate. “You shall be sent.”

Masser and Azarias stood tall and emotionless. The captain's soldiers hung their heads.

M'lywthaal'myn managed a faint smile. “Thank you, brother.”

Lexxic caressed his ear... his chin... then withdrew.

Meanwhile, his daggers—THW-THW-THW-THWIFFFFT!!! Faster than a blink, they had flown through each of the captain's legs, shattering his knees to bloody pulps.

With a sustained grunt, M'lywthaal'myn fell like a slab of meat to his trembling belly.

Rarity and Fluttershy gasped. Pinkie and Twilight looked—wide eyed—back and forth between Rainbow and the sight below. Applejack slowly tilted the brim of her hat over her freckled face.

That was the one thing that chilled Rainbow. She clenched her teeth.

Bathed in a growing puddle of his own blood, M'lywthaal'myn coughed... sputtered... and lifted his grimacing muzzle.

Lexxic stepped away before the fluid could reach his hooves. He paused—glanced at the captain—then nodded his helm towards the soldiers behind him. “You may have the honor of giving them one last command.” That issued, the First Son trotted off.

Heaving, M'lywthaal'myn—with much agonized effort—turned his head back towards his soldiers. Those who could were already hobbling towards him, forming a circle. “My br-brothers...” He closed his eyes, taking the deepest breath of his life. “...feed.”

The hair on the back of Rainbow's neck stood up as she saw the captain's subordinates closing in from all sides. Fangs glinted in the ruby light of the surrounding totems.

“Oh my gosh...!” Twilight Sparkle pulled at her ghostly face muscles. “Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh—!”

“Guysss?!” Pinkie' entire muzzle contorted into a slow grimace. “I think Mumblecore is on the menuuuuu!”

“Are they going to do what I think th-they're going to do?!” Ariel stammered.

Rainbow Dash looked at her. She looked at her friends. She looked at the next page of the holocaust unfolding below.

“Rainbow—” Seraphimus hissed.

Rainbow's nostrils flared.

“... … …buck it.”

She climbed up onto the edge of the terrace, spread her wings—

“Rainbow Dash!” Seraphimus reached out for her. “Don't—!”

FWOOOOSH!!! In a prismatic streak, Rainbow leapt off the balcony and straight towards the mess below. She angled her body with hooves forward, hoping to outrace the horror. She saw all of the soldiers leaning in, their razor-sharp teeth encroaching upon the captain's body from all sides. And then—

Red on yellow eyes.

“Whoopsidoodle!” Discord's smirk sailed into her entire vision. “Bold move there, Sparky~!”

“Guhhh—!” Rainbow's eyes rolled back, flickering. Her world spun like a bottle of froth, and she dropped like a rock—sailing into everything and nothing.

WHUDDDD!!!

Rainbow's body slammed hard into the ground of the arena. She rolled and tumbled for several meters, splashing through at least two puddles of still-warm blood. At last, her bruised body came to rest against a loose chunk of torn skulker carapace.

Her ears echoed. Strange noises. Gasps. Hisses. Violent shrieks. It all spun around her numb cranium in a sonic soup of chaos.

When—at long last—the madness ended, she blinked towards a dim night sky far above, set within the circular keyhole frame of the heights of Honor Hall stretching all around her.

The dizziness had dissipated just as quickly as it began, and she found she could sit up. It was with good timing, too. Ariel and Wildcard had flown down by her side, grasping her withers with a tight grip.

“Rainbow!” Ariel hissed, brushing her bangs back and looking at her face to face. “Speak to us! Say something!”

“Grnnghhh...” Rainbow shook her head, eyes struggling to come back into focus. “Just... essay...”

Wildcard was snapping his natural talon fingers repeatedly, attempting to register her reaction.

“I'm fine... I'm fine... did... did they...?” Just as she said this, she sensed a streak of ruby light soaring overhead. Her ears drooped and she watched with a forlorn expression as the crimson haze flew into the ring of totems, ribboning into a circle of light before dissipating—replaced by the pinpricks of otherworldly glow set within the crystal skulls. “Awwww Luna poop.”

Wildcard frowned, gesturing: “Really? Pouring salt in?”

Rainbow looked over her shoulder. She saw six or seven soldiers huddled in a carnivorous circle where M'lywthaal'myn's corpse was. The sounds of ripping flesh and crackling bone hovered over the somber feast.

“Just like that, huh?” Rainbow rubbed her head, forcing herself to look away from the horrid show. “I thought I just might be fast enough.”

“But you are fast enough!” Ariel winced. “What happened?”

“Something just... dr-dropped me like an anvil...” Rainbow kicked at the earth between Ariel and Wildcard. “Dang it! It's Lexxic! It has to be! The moment I got close to him, I—”

Fwooosh! Seraphimus landed violently, shoving Ariel and Wildcard away with her wings. “Rainbow!” she thundered. “Look what you did!”

“Dang it, Sera...” Rainbow struggled to get up. “Mrmfff... now's not the friggin' time to lecture me on-”

“No...!” Seraphimus pointed towards the other end of the arena. “...I mean look!”

“... … …?” Rainbow Dash, still collapsed on the ground, looked over...

...and saw Lexxic also collapsed on the ground, struggling to get up with the help of Masser and Azarias. Many of the nearby guards and clerics looked upon the First Son with legitimate surprise and dismay at his inexplicably feeble condition. What's more, all five of the Commander's daggers lay limp and inert on the arena floor, still stained with the captain's blood.

Rainbow blinked multiple times. “... … ...huh.”

“Ready yourselves...” Seraphimus stood up alongside an alert and steady Wildcard. The griffons' claws glinted in the ruby light. “...retribution is surely in order.”

Eventually, Lexxic managed to stand up—still hobbling noticeably.

“Brother?! Brother!!” Masser was breathless, wide-eyed. His muzzle hung agape with boundless concern. “What ails you?!”

“It's... it's...” Lexxic stammered, his voice hoarse. He had trouble lifting his head—as if for a brief moment in time the weight of his helm truly overwhelmed him. With smooth grace, he strengthened himself into a strong stance, breathing steadily. “Fear not, Second. I... I simply must b-bathe...” He made a hobbling step towards the nearest entrance to the lower arena. “...it's b-been so long...”

“But... I-I don't understand!” Masser looked close to hyperventilating, despite all his strength and menace. “Wh-what happened just now?!”

“What else?!” Azarias could be heard hissing. His head pivoted to face the Penumbrans, and a flash of fangs accompanied his next words: “It was her.” With flapping wings, he lifted up. “Brothers! Quick! Rain vengeance upon that pretend avatar of—!!”

“Second...” Lexxic—leaning against Masser—raised a hoof towards him. “Cease—”

“I refuse to tolerate any more of her banal affronts on your—”

“L'AZARIAS'YM!!!” His outburst shook through the nervous hush of the coliseum.

Anchored in place, the scarred Second stared down at him—visibly shaking in anger.

Lexxic breathed and breathed. “You are my most valued brother and I value your strength and commitment beyond all measure,” he spoke calmly—barely audible from such a distance. The First Son's muzzle tightened beneath the helm. “Do as I command.”

“... … ...”

“No harm shall come to her.” Lexxic sucked in his breath, turned towards the exit, and strode proudly away on all fours.

Masser fidgeted, glancing at the daggers on the ground. “Brother. Your—”

Just as he spoke, the projectiles lifted one by one. Carried by a dim and pale glow, they floated limply towards Lexxic before lodging—one by one—into the five notches of his helm. Soon, he vanished into the shadows beyond the surface of Honor Hold.

“Mrnnfffhggg...” Azarias glared angrily at Rainbow and her companions. Finally—with a blur of leather wings—he shot down into the exit, presumably to escort Lexxic to his unseen destination.

This left Masser squirming awkwardly in the arena. He looked up towards the stands, shrugging wildly. “I... uhm...” He reached down, grasped one of the enchanted runes, and spoke into its crackling aura: “The... uh... our brother... the First Son... he... he—”

Sw-Swooosh! Sypher and Lukaas swooped down, the latter of who immediately yanked the runestone from the Third's grasp and cleared his throat.

“Ah-ah-ahem...” Lukaas spoke towards the circular crowd of blinking Bloodwings above. “Our Supreme Commander—the First Son—is quite moved by the honorable sacrifice of the Captain from the Third Root, and must retire for the evening! In many ways, M'lywthaal'myn has echoed the courage of Lexxy'kyn. Thus, his cowardice has been turned to righteousness—fit for the consumption of his redeemed brothers—and by blood shall he be ferried to the Narrow, where we will all commune once again with Nightmares.”

Sypher kept a steely-eyed glare trained on those in and above the arena. He gestured towards the clerics—who “disassembled” the enchanted circle and marched off with the glowing totems in their grasp.

As the guards and servants left the foundation of Honor Hold—leaving only those tasked with excavating fluids from the skulker—Lukaas smiled and saluted the crowd above. “Brothers—honorable Bloodwings of all flight—you are dismissed! May we all live to die another day!”

While a nervous clamor still lingered in the air, the denizens in attendance nevertheless followed Lukaas' words. Slowly, milling and fidgeting, they emptied the seats high above Rainbow and her friends. In the meantime, Lukaas dropped the runestone and rushed towards Masser in a fit of frustration. The two chattered with indiscernible moonwhinny while Sypher stood guard, glaring at Rainbow and her attempts to ascertain the situation.

It wasn't until a few seconds into this awkward moment that Rainbow realized Twilight and the rest of her friends had rematerialized all around her.

“Rainbow...” Twilight hovered close. “...you saw what happened, right?”

“Lexxic, just now...?!” Rarity exclaimed.

“I... I-I think I felt it...” Rainbow rubbed her head. “The moment I flew in...”

“You collapsed like a rock!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“T'ain't the point!” Applejack gestured. “Lexxic conk'd out too!”

“Are we sure about that?!” Pinkie blinked at her. “Could have just been a batty coinkydink!”

Applejack's eyes thinned. “What do yer Pinkie Senses tell you?”

Pinkie's ghostly nose wriggled. “Huh... you have a good point...”

“Can we pl-please get away from th-this place?” Fluttershy squeaked, “flying” above the gore-filled arena.

“We will, Fluttershy. I promise. But first...” Twilight looked at their anchor. “It's all coming together now, isn't it?”

“You can't get anywhere near Lexxic,” Applejack said.

“But...” Rainbow finally stood up with the help of Ariel. “...he can't get anywhere near me either.”

“Having... some kind of an epiphany?” Ariel blinked. “I hope it's not awful.”

“Hrmmf. Wrong A-Word.” Rainbow then took one last look at the bloody mess surrounding her. “Tch...” Her ears drooped. “Th-then again... maybe it's right-on-the-money, for once.”

A Less Exciting Cutscene

An hour later...

Inside a hollow wooden chamber carved out of the outer roots of the Tree of Mothers...

Wildcard had just finished lighting a brazer. Shriike had just finished rolling out her bed mat. And the Heraldites had just finished arguing with their prismatic leader:

“Rainbow Dash...” Seraphimus implored. “We really must discuss Lexxic and his—”

“Sera—” Rainbow pointed at her. “—stop being so brooding!” She pointed at Wildcard. “Jordan, stop being so awesome!”

“Well said, Rainbow—” Ariel said, nodding.

“And Ariel!” Rainbow's teeth gnashed as she pointed. “Stop being so gay!”

Ariel blinked. “Hrmmfff...” She turned around three times and plopped down on a mat with a frown. “Easier said than done.”

“As somepony who hasn't done anything or anyone in ages, I promise that you'll survive.” Rainbow slumped against the doorframe leading out to the Bloodwing encampments and folded her wings around herself like a blanket. “So just... suck it up about not sucking it up...” A yawn. “...and you'll be fine.”

“Rainbow...” Twilight Sparkle hovered into the petite pegasus' line of sight. Her violet eyes narrowed. “Must you bark at them so~?”

“I can and I will, Twilight.” Rainbow's muzzle hardened. “Sometimes the boss has to step up and take charge. That's what this is.”

After a moment of silence, the two griffons gave into the humility of their defeat. They chose sleeping mats beside each other, but their gazes remained locked on Rainbow Dash.

“She will surely fall unconscious,” Seraphimus stated . “When the time comes, I will take her place.”

Rainbow saw Wildcard talon-sign in the firelight: “It is at least comforting to see you show concern for her.”

Seraphimus calmly retorted: “Simply because it's the rational thing. Don't insinuate that I'm concerned for her out of personal spite...”

“You heard the mare,” Ariel collapsed further into her sleeping mat. “...get some shuteye. I, for one, am ready to sleep like an anvil.”

Wildcard sighed and gestured: “Don't lie. You always kick in your sleep.”

Ariel frowned. “I do not kick in my sleep.”

“He's right. You do.” Seraphimus said, resting as minimally as she could—to satiate the pegasus in charge. “Habitually.”

“How would you know?”

“I'm observant of all things... even the banal details...”

Ariel merely rolled her eyes at that. “I would never kick in my sleep.” Succumbing to exhaustion, she rolled over like a limp feline beside Shriike's sleeping mat. “...would... m-make a horrible cuddle buddy that way...”

Rainbow Dash peered past Ariel. She saw the Imperialist Clerk levitating a scroll of paper and writing words across its lengthy surface. For a brief moment, she thought of swinging her authority once more like a baseball bat—but decided to let it be. Shriike appeared to be most at-home when writing things... whether it was recording others' words or simply jotting down her own thoughts. Considering what Rainbow and her friends had put her through the last few cycles, it was only fitting that Gibbous Sanctum's finest have a chance to relax... even if that just meant keeping a journal.

With a focused breath, Rainbow Dash slumped back against the curved entrance to the place that Azarias had provided for them to retire in for the evening. It wasn't exactly luxurious... but Rainbow was hardly one to complain. Just minutes before the arrangement, Azarias looked ready to murder the whole lot of them. It was something of a miracle—concerning the stunt Rainbow had performed barely an hour previous.

Seraphimus was right to call her out on it. Rainbow knew that. But she also knew it was wrong to just let M'lywthaal'myn perish without attempting to do something—anything—about it. Letting the skulker get mutilated to death: that was one thing. Rainbow Dash didn't like it, but at least there was something the bloodwings could make out of the slaughter.

But killing... executing the captain of the “Cowardly Twelve?” It made no sense except for political gain—a battle of influential wits that M'lywthaal'myn and his brave soldiers suffered for. And what bothered Rainbow Dash all the more was just how quickly the sarosians accepted the “honor” of it all—even M'lywthaal'myn's subordinates themselves. They went as far as to cannibalize on their dying captain's flesh: no better a fate than the amputated changeling limbs back when Lexxic exposed the metamorph who had deceived M'saalt'ym on his return patrol to the Tree.

Rainbow Dash had met nasty... brutal ponies before. The Xonans certainly were a cruel lot when they chose to be—with or without the supposed influence of “Nagu'n.” The Darkstinians committed heinous atrocities under the command of Duke Zaap Nator. The denizens of Rohbredden—and the Seven Seas beyond—knew no end of slavery and suffering.

But the Bloodwings? This was an entire culture built around bloodshed—not just of their enemies, but those unwilling to do everything in their power to throw their bodies at the opposition. Lexxic—the new and seemingly unstoppable Supreme Commander of the Dark Vigil—knew absolutely nothing about backing down. This contrasted savagely—it would seem—with the hesitant and conservative methods of the matriarchal elite. It was more than abundantly clear which of the two sides had won the respect and admiration of the militant masses, and Lexxic obviously maintained that authority through rituals such as that which Rainbow and her friends witnessed in the Hall of Honor.

It now made more than a little bit of sense precisely why Lexxic did not forcefully protest Rainbow's involvement with his affairs as the “Avatar of Luna.” What every other Son of Nightmares saw as a living ball-and-chain imposed by Gibbous Sanctum, Lexxic no doubt perceived as an opportunity to impress upon a naive Penumbran the full extent of his power and influence. Perhaps Mistress Faatail and Nat'rdo genuinely believed that Rainbow could be their eyes and ears among the Bloodwing elite—but Lexxic sought to spin that upside down on somepony's prismatic head.

So far, he had succeeded in imposing a great deal of dizziness... but it would appear that such a phenomenon worked both ways. The implications that Rainbow Dash affected Lexxic just as severely as he affected her was infinitely game-changing. Rainbow Dash knew it. The Herald knew it. Her friends knew it.

And Rainbow also knew... that while she should have been biding her time acting as a look-out for her slumbering companions... … … this would only be an inevitable chance for the ghosts most dear to her to press the subject even further.

Among other things:

“Can we at least agree that what Rainbow Dash did—leaping out into the arena without warning—was a very very bad idea?” Twilight Sparkle spoke up.

“No. We can't!” Pinkie Pie pouted. “In fact—I'm sugar-shocked that Dashie didn't bother doing it even sooner!”

“To do what, exactly?!” Applejack gestured. “To save that big bloodthirsty crab-critter?!”

“It suffered so... so terribly...” Fluttershy shivered, hugging her ghostly self. “So did the ponies fighting it—but did they really have to resort to torture?” A sniffle. “And on stage?!”

“Fluttershy, darling, we all sympathize with the... creature. We really do.” Rarity delicately cleared her throat. “But let's not forget that none of the Bloodwings who were pitted up against it had asked for such a gruesome fate themselves!”

“Which is why we should have jumped in even sooner!” Pinkie Pie huffed. “Er... I-I mean Dashie should have jumped in even sooner!”

“And done what exactly?” Applejack's green eyes narrowed. “You saw what that skulker thang did to the late captain's soldiers!”

“So?!? Dashie's taken on dragons and quarry eels before! She's said so herself!”

“Even if Rainbow Dash did somehow turn the tide of battle against that beast...” Twilight Sparkle thought out loud. “...she would have been acting in opposition to the entire occupancy of Honor Hold.” Her violet eyes hardened. “And the rest of the Bloodwings of the Tree of Mothers surrounding her!”

“Still, doing something would have b-better than... j-just all of us sitting there,” Fluttershy stammered. Her voice took on a pitiable tone. “Sitting and... w-watching animals and ponies slaughter each other...!”

“Y-yeah!” Pinkie Pie piped up. “She could have gotten Wildcard and Seraphimus and Ariel to help out! Even that stuffy unicorn bookkeeper! Didn't the Noble Jury used to kick flank together with Dashie?!”

“So, instead of a drop of water trying to make a difference in the middle of a volcano...” Twilight glared at Pinkie with a bored expression “...you think a couple of ice cubes would fare any better?”

“I...” Pinkie Pie chewed on her bottom lip. She sank further into the wooden surface beneath their anchor. “I-I...” Her ears drooped as her eyes searched the fire-lit surroundings for meaning.

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash sat still, waiting for her friends to work it out.

Fluttershy wept quietly. “It's just s-so awful...!” She covered her muzzle. “I-I hate not b-being able to do anything!” She hiccuped as tears sprang from her ghostly eyes. “We used to b-be able to stop evil in its place as the Elements of Harmony! Now we c-can't stop death and murder when it's right in fr-front of us!”

“Fluttershy, darling...” Rarity swept the pegasus into a hug. She nuzzled her neck and said: “Were we so helpless on Red Barge? Hmmm?” A hopeful smile. “Or when Rainbow Dash was on the run from the Talon? Or when we needed to mount a defense at Bleak's Plummet??”

“Th-that's just it...” Fluttershy squinted up at her with puffy eyes. “We could accomplish so much then. Why n-not now?!?”

“The odds... s-simply aren't in our favor, precious.” Rarity nuzzled her again. “I know it's positively awful... but maybe—just maybe—you and I and the rest of us ladies are starting to understand Rainbow's struggle.”

Rainbow Dash shut her eyes.

Rarity continued. “Yes, she's done such amazing... awesome things. But let's not forget the stories she's told us—about truly horrible places: Silvadel, the Sacred Hold, Mudtop...” She hesitated for a bit, then looked nervously over her shoulder. “Mmmm... Lerris.”

Rainbow breathed.

“There are situations where Rainbow... simply can't save everypony,” Rarity said, patting Fluttershy's side. She turned to look pointedly at Pinkie Pie. “And to attempt the impossible in every scenario isn't exactly conducive to 'winning.' Besides... some of us have witnessed—first hoof—when Rainbow sought to do the impossible... against her better judgment.”

“Like in the Quade,” Twilight said dryly.

Pinkie Pie winced. She hung her head at that.

“What happened tonight was truly awful,” Rarity said. “But I—for one—am glad that Rainbow didn't do more than she did. I know that may sound selfish, in light of what happened to the skulker and the captain and others who suffered or died tonight... but I'd much rather Rainbow Dash and her companions survive another day in spite of everything. It's what we have to depend on, after all.”

“Not just us,” Applejack added. “But the whole plum world at large.”

“Exactly~”

Rainbow sighed. “Story of my life.” She sensed Shriike glancing her way for a moment, but then the clerk returned to her journal-writing.

“I... I suppose...” Fluttershy rubbed one eye dry while leaning against Rarity. Her shivers remained, but she was finding a way to compose herself. “...I-I suppose we should be thankful that Lexxic didn't try to have Rainbow Dash executed as well.” She bit her lip. “All things considered...”

“Yeah! What's up with that?!” Pinkie Pie looked up with a vexed expression. “Not that I want Dashie to bite it—but am I the only pony surprised he didn't put the knife to her neck?!”

“Probably because he couldn't,” Rarity said. “You saw what happened the moment Rainbow Dash came close to him while leaping into the arena. His powers faltered—and those horrible weapons of him fell limp to the earth!”

“I dun think that's nearly as important a thang to talk about as the fact that Lexxic spared her,” Applejack stated. “He's clearly a stallion who cares about his image in the face of all his followers. So why didn't he have our most loyalest friend tarred-and-feathered the moment she broke Bloodwing protocol?”

“Well, she's got the feathers already~” Pinkie began.

“Pinkie...” Rarity chided.

“What?! I'm sorely behind on my goof-off quota!”

“I think the answer's obvious, Applejack,” Twilight Sparkle spoke through the conversation. “Lexxic has about as much at stake as Rainbow Dash.”

Fluttershy blinked at that. “What do you mean?”

Twilight sighed, rubbing her temple. “What I mean... … … is that Lexxic is obviously wanting this 'relationship' between himself and the Avatar of Luna to carry on without a hitch. So—even with the stunt Rainbow pulled—he's willing to look past it in order to make things work.”

“Make what work?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “You've heard all the stallions who hang out with this big bully! They want nothing to do with Dashie! Or the mares in charge who have asked her to tag along with him!”

“Rainbow's bein' used as a tool of Gibbous Sanctum and the higher folks in charge,” Applejack said. “What little authority the matriarchs have: they're wieldin' it through Rainbow.”

“More specifically—through the essence of Princess Luna that still lingers inside Rainbow's pendant,” Twilight added. “At the end of the day—even the Bloodwings have to answer to Nightmare Moon. From the sound of things, Malaak—the commander of the Third Root—is the last mare actively in charge of the Dark Vigil's military. And even she is starting to lose influence. So if that gives out...”

“...then Rainbow Dash might end up bein' the matriarchy's only bargainin' chip,” Applejack said. “The only reason these ponies are out here on the Dark Side is because they first ever came on a mission to restore glory to Nightmare Moon. Well—Rainbow Dash is a pony who's met and been blessed by Princess Luna and all her power.”

“Then...” Pinkie Pie squinted. “...where does Lexxy-boy fit in? Wouldn't he wanna have Dashie crushed to dust and swept farrrrrrr away from this place?”

“Not necessarily...” Twilight paced in a ghostly little circle. “...not if he stands to reason that she can be an influence. Or—rather—that Princess Luna... … … that Nightmare Moon can still be an influence through her...”

“And if he maintains Rainbow Dash's loyalty and trust,” Rarity began.

Applejack finished: “He reckons he can maintain that bargainin' chip.”

“What d-does that mean in the long run?” Fluttershy asked. “That Rainbow Dash can actually have influence? If so—why don't we... th-that is... why doesn't Rainbow Dash attempt telling these Bloodwings to play nice?”

“T'ain't that simple...” Applejack sighed. “Just seconds after Rainbow made that dive into the arena, Azarias—the Second—was ready to skin her alive! And he wasn't the only one.” She looked at the others. “Dun take senses like mine to tell that none of the other major Bloodwings are willin' to accept what Rainbow brings to the table. She'd be talkin' to a brick wall if she attempted to persuade them over to the path of Harmony.”

“But Lexxic...” Rarity cocked her head aside. “...what does he see?”

“Hard to say,” Twilight said with a shrug. “Applejack can't exactly read him. It's up to us to deduce.”

“Does he actually think he can win Dashie over to his point of view?!?” Pinkie remarked, blanching.

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Twilight breathed. “But I think he's catching on to the fact that Rainbow Dash needs to get inside the Midnight Armory... … ...and that she can't do it without him.”

“Or maybe...” Rainbow Dash rested her forelimbs behind her neck in full recline. “...he can't do it without me.”

Her five friends looked at her.

“Now... here's the rub...” Rainbow squinted back. “Neither of us can get close to one another.”

“Th-that's right...!” Fluttershy's wingtips fluttered with an ounce of hope. “The way he and his floating daggers collapsed! He can't hurt you, Rainbow!”

“He can easily sick his ruffians on our Rainbow~” Rarity chimed.

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Still... he can't hurt you directly.”

“Yeah...” Rainbow blew out the side of his muzzle. “...but I can't kick his butt either.”

Silence.

“Have you...” Twilight brushed her bangs back with a pensive expression. “...ever faced a situation like this before?”

“I've... … …kinda?” Rainbow peered out into the starlit encampments beyond. “When I met Khao and her bunch—the first Herald on the Light side—they had a bunch of runes sketched in the ancient language of the angels. Y'know—the primordial pegasi of Urohringr?”

“Uh huh...”

“And they used that stuff to gain an edge over me. Made me dizzy and stuff. But...” Rainbow sighed. “It was not like this.”

“J-just how bad is it, darling?” Rarity gulped. “With Lexxic, I mean.”

“I can barely look at the melon fudge,” Rainbow grumbled. “All he has to do is swing that head-plate of his around and it makes me weak in the knees.”

“Does... he experience the same thing?” Pinkie asked the ghostly group. “Has anypony noticed?”

“If Rainbow has that same effect on him, he sure doesn't show it,” Applejack said. “But—then again—he's the kind of feller to keep his moves all subtle-like.”

“AJ makes a very good point.” Twilight nodded. “Lexxic only moves when he needs to. Almost like his strength is... always on reserve.”

“We've all seen how emaciated and pale his front half is,” Fluttershy added. “As if the thing he's wearing on his head is poisoning him.”

“Plus—all this talk of 'sacrifice,'” Rarity remarked. “For all the hints that Lexxic is giving us, I don't think he's yet unveiled the whole picture.”

“Reckon he's not in a place where he's comfortable with Rainbow knowin',” Applejack said.

“Well, I can't just walk up and ask him,” Rainbow muttered. “Only time I encountered him on his own was when he was harassing Shriike. Noticed how he kept his distance the whole time?”

“That's right, Dashie!” Pinkie nod-nod-nodded. “You even tested him!”

“I figured there was something up. Looks like he knew it all along.”

“You really think so?” Rarity asked.

“It's a good bet. And now he probably knows that I know. It could...” Rainbow shifted, wings flexing. “...change things.”

“I doubt by much,” Applejack muttered. “He's a crafty stallion. He'll likely come up with a new approach.”

“Oh Rainbow Dash...” Twilight's voice took on a sympathetic tone. “How I wish we could be able to talk to you every time you're around him. I know you've dealt with horrible characters before—but you could use all the support and advice you can get.”

“Don't I know it,” Rainbow muttered. Her ruby eyes rolled. “Meanwhile—all I have to lean on around Lexxic is everyone's favorite Patchwork McChaosbutt.”

Fluttershy grimaced hard. “How... … … has that gone?”

“Is that super meanie Discord giving you nothing but headaches?” Pinkie asked.

Rainbow Dash laid back within the crook of the chamber's entrance. “Not really,” her tongue rolled. The mare blinked at how easily that answer came out.

The other five blinked at her as well.

“That is... uh...” She grimaced as her thoughts translated into words. “...I'm finding him to be... erm... somewhat more... … ...manageable?”

“You mean you're getting used to him,” Rarity declared.

The hairs on the back of Rainbow's neck stood on end.

Twilight and the others fidgeted uncomfortably.

“Ahem...” Rarity fluffed her mane and looked aside. “Forget I said anything.”

Silence.

Eventually, Twilight spoke up: “Still—as horrible as the latest events have been—I dare say we're in a better place than we were a cycle or two ago.”

“How do you smarty-smart that smart out?” Pinkie asked. “Didn't Dashie just tick off the entire bat pony army?!”

“Most of them dun even know what happened,” Applejack said. “To Lexxic, that is.”

“Are you sure of that, darling?”

“Pretty darn sure. Oh—they was all confused, for sure.” Applejack tilted her ghostly hat back. “But only a few were close enough to make any sort of connection between Rainbow and Lexxic—what, with both of them collapsin' in the arena at once and what-not.”

“If we're lucky,” Fluttershy spoke, “Barely a few will even know that Rainbow had an effect on Lexxic.”

“Do we even know that Dashie had an effect on her?” Pinkie remarked.

“Pinkie~ We've been through this—”

“I know I know I know.” Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Still—what if it was some crazy coincidence?” She looked at Twilight. “Twily! You're all about the scientific massage!”

“Method. But sure~”

“Could there be a way for Rainbow to—”

“What? Test Lexxic's response again?!” Twilight shook her head. “Pinkie, I think once is enough!”

“And even if we proved ourselves right about what we witnessed...” Fluttershy fidgeted. “Just what would we do with what we learned?”

“Well, zonk-out Lexxic! That's for sure!” Pinkie remarked.

“To what end?” Applejack shrugged. “We'd have all of his lackeys on Rainbow's hind quarters like pigs on mud!” She shook her head. “Ain't worth the risk. Besides, I'm pretty darn sure that Azarias—at least—wants to murder Rainbow dead now!”

“Could the Second Son make a move on Rainbow?” Rarity thought out loud. “Even if it's against Lexxic's orders?” She looked pointedly at the others. “Remember—he did insist that Rainbow not be harmed after the stunt she pulled.”

“If we test Rainbow's tolerance among the Bloodwings—frayed enough as it is—there's no telling what a few angry sarosians might attempt.” Twilight gulped. “With or without Lexxic's blessing.”

“This entire army is a bunch of bloodthirsty bullies.” Fluttershy bore a tiny, indignant frown. “We shouldn't give them any more excuses than we already have.”

“Plus... and here's the biggie...” Rainbow Dash gestured, gathering the attention of her friends. “I couldn't kick Lexxic's butt even if you wanted to.”

“Well...” Pinkie threw on a crooked smile. “You could try.”

“And I'd end up in a dizzy pile of rainbow-colored goo.” Rainbow blew out the side of her muzzle. “No. I just... I just can't approach Lexxic in the same way that I dealt with the Right Talon... or with Queen Chrysalis' doppelgangers in Val Roa...” Her ears drooped as she looked aside. “... … …or with Shell.”

Cold silence.

Pinkie's fluffy face leaned into Rainbow's vision. “Whaaaaaat if we poured the goo into a jar.” A lavender hoof shoved her hard to the side. “Fappo!”

“Rainbow...” Twilight said, staring at their anchor directly. “...if nothing else, we should consider this a blessing.”

“You'll notice I'm not laughing,” Rainbow droned.

“What I mean is—this simplifies your tactics... t-to a certain degree.” Twilight pointed. “You can't deal with Lexxic through violence or brute strength. And—at the same time—you can be certain he won't be able to violently attack you either.”

“He's got his goons...” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Can't forget them.”

Twilight sighed, rubbing her head. “Yes, there's that to consider, but... I think what we have here is a clear and obvious avenue of a more... civil pursuit towards a goal.”

“A mutual goal,” Rainbow said.

Twilight looked left and right—

“Don't pretend that it's not.” Rainbow sat up, leaning forward. “I want the Harmonic Prism. He wants the Harmonic Prism. For me—it's to save all of Urohringr. More importantly—it's to save you guys.”

Twilight opened her muzzle—

“Yeah—no.” Rainbow frowned. “We're not getting into a contest of weighing your worth versus the world's. That's not even an argument worth farting about.” She waved a hoof. “As for Lexxic—he needs the Harmonic Prism in the same way the Dark Vigil needs it.”

“To... bring back and restore Nightmare Moon to glory,” Rarity said aloud. “So she can enact Everlasting Night.”

“Only she doesn't want to do that anymore,” Fluttershy stated. “She's reformed.”

“But are we even sure that's what Lexxic wants?” Applejack said.

The others looked at her.

“Care to elaborate, darling?” Rarity remarked.

“Do you sense something that we don't?” Twilight asked. “You told us before that he's a blank slate to you on account of what that helm's made of.”

“It's simply a matter of putting two and two together, y'all.” Applejack gestured. “Think with yer eyes and ears, girls! These fellers... these punks dun want the same thang that their hoity toity matriarchs want! Shucks, they barely want anythang to do with the mares who have been in charge of the Dark Vigil for generations!”

“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie shot up, frowning. “All of this political bolderdashery over 'Malaak of the Third Root' and some-such!”

Fluttershy blanched. “Is 'bolderdashery' even a real thing?!”

Pinkie grinned. “If so—nopony ever reads it!”

“Point is...” Applejack continued. “We know what the matriarchs expect of Lexxic to do with the Harmonic Prism... but I ain't too sure that's what he's gonna do.”

“If that's truly the case here...” Rarity floated closer to Rainbow Dash. “...then representatives of Gibbous Sanctum have been around far longer than Rainbow Dash. Surely they would have... caught on to the attitude of the masculine fighting force beneath the shadow of the Tree.”

“Just what can they do about it?” Twilight shrugged. “From the sound of things—the female generals of the Roots have been whittled away to just one commanding officer. The direct influence of the matriarchs is frayed at best—and soon only Lexxic will be their direct connection to the war effort.”

“Then we really should consider what Lexxic has in mind for the Harmonic Prism,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah? And just what would that be?!?” Pinkie remarked.

The rest of the mares exchanged blank expressions.

Pinkie saw them. She shrugged. “Like... what does he have in mind?! If he doesn't wanna restore the Elements... or restore Nightmare Moon... then just what else can the Harmonic Prism do? And for him?”

“It...” Twilight rubbed her head, gazing off in thought. “...it's a direct focus of alicorn energy... left here by those who first blessed the plane with sunlight and moonlight to begin with.” She looked at Rainbow. “The whole reason Rainbow is on this trip is to claim possession of it... so she can restore what was lost back in Ponyville when Discord created the chaos rift.”

“You mean when I created the chaos rift,” Rainbow muttered.

Twilight looked ready and eager to protest—

Rainbow waved her off, sighing. “Yeah. I know... I know. Ahem.” She folded her forelimbs. “I guess the next order of business is figuring out just what Lexxic has in mind—if anything in particular.”

“Do you think he'd be willing to share that kind of information?” Fluttershy asked. “With you?” Her ears folded as she dared to say: “After what happened just now in Honor Hold?”

Rainbow clamped her mouth shut.

“Also—what was up with those friggin' crystal pony skulls on the friggin' totems?!?” Pinkie cackled.

“Pinkie~” Rarity began—

“No. That's a very good thing to talk about.” Twilight turned towards Rainbow. “You saw it—didn't you? How the... the ruby light from both the skulker and the captain flew into those objects?”

“And how they lit up like Hearth's Warming ornaments too?!” Applejack hugged herself with a brief shiver. “Brrrbrrrbrrrr... gave me the spooks!”

“I'm not sure there're enough spooks to take...” Rainbow exhaled. “I've seen those kinds of skulls before. You'll remember—they weren't actually skeletons.”

“No.” Twilight shook her head. “They looked just like regular pony heads.”

“Uhm...” Pinkie leaned in, squinting. “They were made out of crystal.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I mean they weren't bone matter. I think they actually—honest-to-goddess—once belonged to equines who trotted this plane.”

“You mean... they were decapitated?!?” Rarity looked like she was about to vomit. “H-how awful!”

“Those weren't like normal decapitations,” Rainbow stated.

“How would you know?” Fluttershy asked—the immediately wished she hadn't. She shrunk back a bit with a guilty expression.

Calmly, Rainbow continued: “Anyways... I've been around a few crystal ponies. Back in Searo's Hold, south of main land Ledomare. Crimson and Roarke and I helped get a bunch of stallions out of the Searonese stronghold with the help of Tweak and Lucky Strike. The latter two were from Aurum—where a bunch of crystal ponies lived. But those who were being captured by Lady Pestiferous' bounty hunters—they were used as living conduits of manaflow. Their crystalline bodies could channel huge amounts of energy. I'm... pretty sure it wasn't an enjoyable experience.”

“So... this energy that we've been seeing here on the Dark Side,” Rarity remarked. “The same... mmmmm... luminescence that exits a body shortly after death...”

“It seems that Lexxic has found a way to use the carcasses of dead crystal ponies to absorb that energy.”

“Energy...” Fluttershy began.

“Ughhhh...” Pinkie grabbed at her ghostly mane. “Can we just call it what it is?!”

Rarity looked over. “What's that, Pinkie—?”

“SOULS!” The whites of Pinkie's eyes showed more than normal with that outburst. “Lexxic is SUCKING SOULS out of the dead!” She gestured. “It happened to that poor giant lobster and it happened to Captain Methuselah! Lexxic and the Bloodwings have themselves some soul batteries!”

Fluttershy whimpered inwardly, looking pale.

“I know I'm tempting fate by underplaying the utter horrors of this sun-less world...” Rarity's teeth gnashed. “But that seems downright preposterous!”

“Not... entirely...” Twilight said.

“Oh, Twilight, please...” Rarity gestured. “Let's not entertain wild superstition—”

“Said the ghost mare to the other ghost mare,” Applejack said.

Rarity glanced over.

Applejack put on a wry smirk, lifting the brown stetson off her head. “Ghost hat...!”

Rarity could only blink.

“Do we not remember what Luna and Celestia warned us about?” Twilight remarked. “That the souls of this world were no longer being ferried to the Harmonic Plains like they naturally should be? That something—likely inherent in the structure of Urohringr—was directing them elsewhere?”

“Hmmmmmm...” Fluttershy sniffled. “Hard to forget.”

“I've been wracking and wracking my brain...” Twilight paced in the air. “Trying to figure out just what might be happening on this plane to affect that. And now... with what we've seen and witnessed on the Dark Side...” She drifted to a stop and looked at Rainbow. “The Night Shard. What if it's them?”

“The Night Shard?” Rarity asked.

“Maybe Lexxic didn't come up with the method for absorbing the ruby light that we saw. Maybe he's only reappropriating a system that he didn't invent.”

Applejack sat up. “Those totems... where do you reckon they came from?”

“Uhhhhhhhhh...” Pinkie rubbed her head, then winced in Applejack's direction. “...the pit?”

Applejack pointed. “See—I got that same idea! And just where was that poor legless changeling taken to? The one that replaced M'saalt'ym's war buddy?”

“The pit!” Pinkie chirped.

“Exactly...” Applejack looked at Twilight. “From Chrysalis to Verlaxion to Abaddon, Rainbow's been hearin' bits and pieces of some... big-fangled narrative: about how Lexxic has been learnin' and devisin' 'new and brutal tactics' to overcome his enemies and turn the tide of this here Trinary War.” Her brow furrowed. “What if—all this time—he's been learnin' how to channel the energy of the Night Shard back at them. That—on top of his ways of counterin' Tchern's flux—it would seem that he's gotten one heck of an edge indeed!”

“So...” Fluttershy shivered visibly. “...Lexxic stole the souls of the poor skulker and the captain?”

“Could be possible—if he found a way to chop off the heads of Night Shard ponies and tap into what makes them tick: energy-wise.”

“Then... just what m-might he be doing with them?” Fluttershy squeaked tenderly with each thoughtful breath. “The idea of keeping souls—not bodies—but actual souls hostage is... a h-horror I can't even begin to imagine!”

“But if the Night Shard's been doing it for generations now, then it's less horrible to the Bloodwings... and more commonplace.” Twilight paced again. “It only stands to reason that Lexxic would casually find a way to redistribute the flow of things. I mean—shoot—if I was in his place, I'd be tempted to myself. Especially if I saw victory within reach.” She sighed, brushing her mane back. “I don't know, girls. It's just... so much to take in.” She turned to look at their anchor. “What do you think, Rainbow? Any ideas?”

“... … ...” Rainbow stared at her five friends. She thought about how they fluctuated... in and out of her visual range... the moment that those unicorn clerics energized the totems. She thought of the ruby light from the skulker and M'lywthaal'myn soaring into those otherwise inert skulls... … … and just how easily she could imagine the bright pastel colors of her beloved friends cycling down the same crimson drain of unknowable purgatory.

“Rainbow...?” Twilight repeated.

Rainbow opened her muzzle... hesitated... then ultimately wheezed: “I think I need a breath of fresh air.”

“Huh?” Pinkie belched. But she and her fellow friends could only watch—helpless—as their anchor got up from the crook of the entrance, and sauntered awkwardly towards the dimly-lit environment outside.

Meanwhile, at about that same time, Shriike finished scribbling in her journal. She yawned, laid down peacefully on her bed mat... … ...then promptly got hit repeatedly by the wandering hooves of a slumbering Ariel.

Short; To the Point

The view from the roots of the Tree of Mothers turned out to be far more fantastic than Rainbow Dash had anticipated. Granted, she was only facing inward towards the massive trunk while being first escorted there—and in a very dizzied state of mind following the incident in the Hall of Honor too.

The niche where she and her companions had holed themselves up was slightly elevated—which was a relative description when one viewed the roots as a whole. At a glance, Rainbow guessed that the exposed root structure of the Tree of Mothers accounted for nearly one tenth of its total height. It more resembled an enormous briar patch of winding wooden superstructures, and there were multiple spots where horizontal platforms and decks had been long constructed—each accompanying a similar hollow to the abode where the petite pegasus and her Heraldite familiars retired.

The Tree had much space and shelter to give to seemingly countless ponies, and Rainbow couldn't begin to guess who was bestowed the honor of abiding where—whether it was higher or lower. If she would hazard a guess: these upper roots were likely reserved for veterans, elders, and those lucky enough to have survived countless battles and scrapes into their twilight years. Or—perhaps—they were afforded loftier habitats so as not to be seen by those milling and laboring below, as Rainbow had witnessed enough among the Bloodwings to assume that sarosians who survived most of their years of warmongering weren't entirely respected for their survivability... as opposed to the honor and sacrifice of death itself.

Nevertheless, her specific vantage point gave a relatively breathtaking view of the Bloodwing encampment as a whole. While there was a sizably large cloud of smoke and fog wafting up from the foundries and machines of war below, she could easily gaze beyond the misty summits and see—stretching from horizon to horizon—a vast array of tents, training fields, supply lines, and road systems... all dotted with torchlight and glowing runes as far as the equine eye could discern.

There was just so much life and activity that Rainbow imagined it all must have been very clearly visible from a grand distance. And on a curved plane, that couldn't have been much of a thing worth savoring. Tilting her head up, Rainbow gazed at the upwards bend of the world. She saw—or was certain she saw—rivering bands of twinkling light that formed a grand tapestry of luminescent wonder. At a glance, it was beyond beautiful—like a sliver of extra-special constellations against the grand starry void. What a sobering thought to realize: it was all generated by the largest war effort in that part of the known galaxy. The universe was incalculably huge, and here—on what was ultimately a tiny sliver of rock—all the denizens could do was struggle to murder each other. For hundreds upon hundreds of years. Never ceasing.

All of those souls—all of those tragic ends—had a place to go. But they couldn't get there.

Even in the enormity of it all, laid bare before Rainbow, she couldn't begin to contemplate the weight of the matter. The pressure was too much. It squeezed the words from her muzzle, forming cold vapors in the chill of the Tree's shadow.

“Do you remember the first time we ever met?” said she.

The pony in question knew whom she was addressing. “Yes. You... uh...” Twilight Sparkle drifted closer. “You slammed into me at full force.” Her ears flicked as she tongued the inside of her muzzle. “You were practicing flight maneuvers in hopes of joining the Wonderbolts.”

“The Wonderbolts...” Rainbow looked from right to left. Her ruby eyes reflected stars, world, and more stars. “Sounds kinda boring in hindsight, doesn't it?”

Twilight pawed at nothing in particular. The hint of a smirk crawled across her lavender features. “I don't know...” She gazed aside at her anchor. “I never knew much about them myself. But they mattered to you. So as far as I could care—they were pretty awesome.”

“Yuh huh...” Rainbow nodded. She exhaled... then exhaled some more.

Slowly—one by one—Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie drifted to the mare's side. The six of them huddled casually together—in flesh and in spirit—as the ramparts of a dark world glittered beyond.

Rainbow gulped, eventually murmuring: “Do you remember the first thing we ever did together?”

“You mean...” Twilight's teeth were clenched. “... … …stumbling through the Everfree Forest in order to stop a possessed immortal demigoddess from enacting everlasting night?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, ultimately glancing aside. “I mean after all that nonsense. Do you remember the first few months that we hung out together?”

“I do!” Pinkie Pie piped up. “I do!” She squatted low, shaking her fuzzy tail like a bright banner. “We baked cupcakes and went on hikes and tried on dresses and chased after parasprites—!” She froze briefly. Blue eyes blinking. Her pupils shot over. “...did I mention baking cupcakes?”

“I seem to recall a few rough episodes,” Rarity stated, fluffing her mane. “Ruffian diamond dogs. A buffalo train robbery. Atrociously stressful deadlines to finish commissioned outfits...”

“Apple Buckin' Season was a mite bit taxin',” Applejack stated. “But—in the end—y'all helped me out with that.” She smiled through her freckles. “'Course, I'm eternally grateful.”

“Diamond dogs... apple bucking... and bunny stampedes...” Rainbow Dash ignored Applejack's wincing at the last one. She shook her head, getting lost in the stars once again. “Can you believe that—once upon a time—those were the biggest things we ever had to deal with?”

“Uhm...” Fluttershy wilted noticeably. “There... th-there was that dragon that one time.”

“Sure...” Rainbow nodded. “There was a dragon or two—”

“And the Ursa Minor!” Pinkie Pie chimed.

“... … ...and the star bear, right—”

“And a really mischievous phoenix!”

“Oh right!” Fluttershy perked up, rosy-cheeked. “Philomena! Such a dear~”

“Oh oh oh!” Pinkie pointed. “Remember that one time all five of us were reallllllllllllly cruddy to Rarity when she wanted to make us free dresses for the Grand Galloping G—Mrmmmffff!!”

A marshmallowy hoof was clamped over Pinkie's muzzle. After a sigh, the fashionista released her grip. “All... water under the bridge, darling~”

Pinkie blinked. “... … ...did I mention baking cupcakes?!?” She grinned cheekishly at the group. “Squee!”

Rainbow was exhaling. “I used to be soooo lazy. I'd spend entire afternoons napping. I'd hold off weather flying duty until the last second. Unless there was an event that involved the Wonderbolts—somehow—or athletic competitions... … ...I just wanted nothing to do with it.”

“That ain't entirely true, partner, and you know it,” Applejack stated.

“You were always the most loyal of us,” Fluttershy said. “We could depend upon you for anything.”

“We still do, Dashie!” Pinkie nod-nod-nodded. “Not to say that our souls-depend-on-you... or nothing... but... uhhhhh... our souls really friggin' depend on you.”

Rainbow winced.

Twilight glared at the party planner in question.

Pinkie's gaze sank. “Sorry...” She fidgeted with her fetlocks. “I... I know that my attitude doesn't always fit—mmm—the here and now. But... it's always worked before.” She gulped, looking up with vulnerable eyes. “It always used to work before. Back when everything had... more colors and giggles.” Her ears drooped as she looked straight at Rainbow. “But you, Dashie? You're pure awesomeness! You were made for this!”

Rainbow nodded slightly. “Was I?” She breathed. “I guess I was.” A few hard blinks, and her ears twitched. “Doesn't make it feel less strange.”

“We're sitting under a giant tree, surrounded by murderous bat-pony thugs,” Rarity stated. “You're not alone in that sentiment.”

“No—I mean looking back...” Rainbow's ears folded. She looked like she had stepped on something sharp, but didn't know where along the path she had bumbled over it. “I... had a life before this.” A gulp. She glanced aside at the girls. “We all did. But it just... seems so far away now.”

“Shucks, Rainbow...” Applejack took off her hat. “We done slept through most of it. But not you.” Her green eyes hardened. “You went the full nine yards. I...” She slowly shook her head. “...I can't rightly say what that would do to a pony.”

“But for what's worth...” Fluttershy came within nuzzling distance, even if the gesture couldn't physically be committed. “...you're still the same loyal friend we've all come to love.” A slow nod. “And—yes—that takes into account all the decisions you made since you left Ponyville... both good and bad.”

“Decisions...” Rainbow clicked her tongue inside her mouth. “... … ...one way or another, I ended up here. Sometimes... … … I don't feel like there even are decisions. Or at least points to them.” She looked at her friends with glossy eyes. “All that there is... is the journey. And—when the journey and I become one in the same—then why even bother taking stock in the decisions?”

“Because there was a Rainbow Dash before the journey,” Twilight Sparkle spoke up. “And there stands to be a Rainbow Dash after.”

“Do you believe that?”

“... … ...” Twilight Sparkle breathed in deep. It was her turn to gaze at the stars. “You want to know what I really believe?”

“I'm all ears if you're all egghead.”

Twilight's smile was a brief one, but she turned serious again as she murmured: “Something was taken from you. Something was taken from all of us. This journey—all-consuming or not—is ultimately about putting things back in place... things where they deserve to be. Things where they were meant to be.” She looked at Rainbow. “And—as overwhelming as it all may seem... you are in charge of your life... and the decisions that take it—that take us—to the next step.”

“Do you think Ilrifa believed that?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight pursed her lips to respond—but ultimately sighed with an exasperated look.

Rainbow motioned her head towards the heavens and the curve of earth slicing against it. “Do you think all of Urohringr was built for that?”

“You can't map your entire existence based on the stars aligning above you, Rainbow—” Rarity began.

“Rares—I've been runnin' on prophecies and golden gates and lavender flames and wacky Heralds—”

“You'll go insane!” Rarity frowned. After a bout of silence, she whispered: “You don't deserve that. You're the last pony to deserve it.”

Rainbow gazed at her, lip quivering. “And what of every soul who lives or dies?”

Rarity and Twilight looked at each other.

“What—...” Rainbow choked. A deep inhale, and she averted her gaze, choosing to scale the heavens. Searching for a zenith that was forever climbing. “What I'm dealing with now... … ...is bigger than even the alicorns could dream of. What I'm d-dealing with now...” A slight shudder, and she composed herself with much guile. “...is only a p-paper moon. And before I can friggin' pat myself on the back for a job well done, it peels away... and there's something even bigger and crazier burning beyond.”

She sighed long and hard. The great roar of Bloodwing industry loomed like white noise all around.

“I used to like a challenge,” Rainbow muttered. She wiped her eyes dry with a fetlock and chuckled lightly, a soft smile lingering between. “And I used to like taking naps in the afternoon.”

Her ghostly companions looked at one another.

All—save for Fluttershy—who could only look at her. “I would gladly give up all the imperiled civilizations floating across this enormous universe... just to hug you right now.”

A shuddering breath—and Rainbow threw her a weak smile. “Heh. Yeah. Well...” She squatted low on the wooden platform, pressing her front hooves together. Studying the wear and tear on the fetlocks. “There's a challenge to work for. What's it that you always used to say? Baby steps?”

“I... sometimes regret meeting you, Rainbow Dash...”

Everypony turned to look curiously at the one who said that.

Twilight had her head hanging. “If only because I know that—in some way or another...” She looked up with sad eyes. “...I set you on this path.”

“Mrrrfff...” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeesh, Twi... haven't we been over this—?”

“But even still.” Twilight spoke firmer, her face stretched and determined. “Knowing what I know now—what we all know now—I can't fathom another path that we would be following.” She looked at Pinkie, then back at Rainbow. “I do whole-heartedly believe that you were made for this.” Her ears perked. “But I do not believe that you were made to do this alone. We became friends for a reason...” She spoke to the group as a whole. “Blessed with magic and virtue that can overcome anything.”

Twilight drifted closer to their anchor, speaking warm and tender—as if Rainbow was the only soul in the world to bear witness.

“Believe in us... as we believe in you. We will find a way. We always do.”

“... … ...” Rainbow couldn't help but grow a devilish smirk. “Did you reallllllllly mean to rhyme just then?”

Applejack snorted.

Fluttershy smiled.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie giggled.

“Please...” Twilight rolled her eyes above a bitter smirk. “I'm trying here, Rainbow. But—do you honestly think the Bloodwings hold court to spontaneous song?”

“Hey—Abaddon had an edge or two.” Rainbow shrugged. “Couldn't hurt to try.” She looked over. “Pinkie? Got any diddies in those gypsy genes of yours?”

“I can certainly try~~” Pinkie Pie sucked in a continent of air. “Duahhhhhh! A one and a two and a—”

The image of Pinkie Pie parted like morning fog, broken by a cold talon and even colder eyes.

“Having a moment?” Seraphimus droned, marching to a stop.

“... … ...” Rainbow's ears drooped on either side of a dull frown. “Was about to.”

“How unfortunate.” The former Talon Commander perched sharply beside the mare, occupying her sight. “We need to talk.”

“Mmmmmmmmyeahhhhh...” Rainbow slumped back down, gazing once more at the starlight. “Story of my life~”

Right Talon of Rainbow

“I believe you need to seriously re-think your entire strategy here with these midnighters,” Seraphimus declared, positioning herself besides the petite pegasus upon the roots of the Tree of Mothers. “Assuming you even have a 'strategy' at this point.”

Rainbow Dash was squinting at her. “Just when did you wake up, anyhow?”

“... … ...” Seraphimus stared blankly back at her. “You're assuming I ever went to sleep in the first place.”

Rainbow grimaced. “For Celestia's sake, Sera. If I can't have my strongest allies rested and alert—”

“You assume too much about my faculties,” the former Talon Commander droned. “Years spent as the defender of Frostknife—I developed a method for surviving on very little sleep.” Her beak clenched. “Out in the field, the Talon's quarry would escape our sharp notice otherwise.”

“Fat load of stinkin' good that did you in the end, huh—?”

“Can we stay on topic?!” The griffon frowned. “Do not persist in evading the issue. What you're doing here among the Bloodwings—in attempting to balance the favor of the former Equestrian familiars along with the passion of new sarosian warmongerers—is categorically wrong.”

Rainbow Dash leaned a tired smirk against the crook of her fetlock. “Well...” She gazed lethargically at Seraphimus. “You've got the pulpit now, girl. By all means... do carry on.”

Seraphimus stifled a fuming breath. She spoke calmly—if not coldly: “I know that you have been put in a particularly awkward position by Mistress Faatail and the Dream Council, but it's clear to me that they do not hold the same degree of power that they still insist that they do.”

Rainbow gulped. She glanced down the roots, sighing. “As far as I'm concerned, they're still legitimate—”

“As far as you're concerned, they're more agreeable,” Seraphimus emphasized. “But just because they may appear easier to approach does not mean that they hold all the winning cards. Surely you're more intelligent than this...”

“I like to think I'm not dumb.” Rainbow shrugged. A coy smile drifted sleepily across her face. “I'm just... egghead-declined.” A beat. She glared into space beside her. “Awww hush. You're basically just an appendix with pretty eyelashes.”

“Rainbow Dash.” Seraphimus' gaze could cut diamonds. “Look at me.”

“... … ...” The prismatic pegasus slowly obliged.

Seraphimus spoke solidly: “Why did you throw yourself out into the arena earlier like you did?” Her headcrest tightened. “Why did you interfere with the execution of that brave captain when it was more than abundantly clear that to do so would only incite chaos—and not harmony.”

Rainbow sighed long and hard out the side of her muzzle. “... … … do I really gotta spell it out for you?”

“Evidently you do.” Seraphimus frowned. “I joined you, Jordan, and the nymphomaniacal one on this mission because I—like you—needed to take a greater assessment of this worldly region's strongest threat. I did not sign up for this venture as a suicide pact.”

“Well...” Rainbow Dash chuckled hoarsely. “That's one heck of a stone's throw from when you threw yourself at the gondola~”

“Indeed it is.” Seraphimus was calm, despite the jab. “At this point, I assumed you would need no greater testament of my loyalty.” A breath. “Or my gratitude.”

Rainbow bit her bottom lip. Her ears folded as she avoided the former Commander's gaze. Her fetlocks kneaded the wooden platform beneath them. “I.. I-I'm sorry, Seraphimus.”

“It is forgiven,” Seraphimus declared. Standing up, she began pacing slowly around the pegasus. “And... seeing as you are more than capable of conviction, perhaps you can look even deeper into yourself and tell me—if not the stars—precisely what drove you to commit that stunt back in the coliseum.”

Defeated, Rainbow took a long breath. Her eyes shut. “I just...” A wince. Her ears drooped even more. “...I-I just didn't want that pony to die...”

“Yes? And?” Seraphimus' claws scuffled as she pivoted to face the mare below her. “What of my former allies? The pegasi and griffons at world's end? When we battled at Bleak's Plummet, you seemed more than willing to let dozens of them meat grisly fates.”

“That... that was different—”

“In just what way?” Seraphimus shrugged. “Were they not an impediment to your journey?” She shrugged again. “A journey... with a goal so noble and astronomically important in scope that their sacrifice would be more than necessitated?” She gestured. “And what of the untold number of souls who had to perish in your prior ventures? What were the names... Val Roa? Xona? That infernal Confederacy far to the west?” The griffon's charcoal brown eyes narrowed. “The first time I ever learned of your existence—Rainbow Dash—it coincided with the abhorrent tragedy at the Quade.”

Rainbow's eyes closed tightly shut.

“I am not...” Seraphimus paced closer. “...specifically employed in distilling the weight of the world's guilt into your beleaguered soul.” She slowly shook her head. “No—you suffer enough with that task alone. Which makes me wonder... precisely what buckled in the Hall of Honor. Surely, if you possess the ability to soar far beyond the extent of your own failures, you undoubtedly have the foresight to prevent future ones.”

“I sat idly by while there was so much suffering put on display...” Rainbow's eyes reopened. “In front of us.” She glared up at Seraphimus, teeth showing. “On a friggin' stage.”

“When has it ever not been a stage for you, Rainbow Dash?” Seraphimus stood above her, peering down with weighted intent. “When has this deplorable world not been some grotesque exercise in morality? Goading you at every angle with greater and greater displays of cruelty and sin?”

“Look—I've already been through the friggin' wringer with having my morality 'tested' and crud.” Rainbow Dash waved a hoof. “Verlax made pretty darn sure that—”

“Verlaxion was a fool,” Seraphimus said bluntly. Something crackled at the very back of the widow's avian throat, filled with bitterness where once there was nothing but sorrow. “While her toxic legacy is known only to a choice few, it is those same souls tasked with the burden of truth to deal with the scars that she has made—instead of making new ones.” She slowly shook her head. “No, Rainbow Dash. You and I haven't become strong because of what Verlax did to us. We're strong for what we do in spite of what that false goddess inflicted.” She gulped hard, then said: “You are still the pony who first set out from that harmonic land so... so very far away. And what you do here on the Dark Side—you do not owe Verlaxion and you do not owe Equestria and you do not owe me.” Her gaze chiseled itself to a fine-edged point. “You owe it to yourself.”

Rainbow gazed silently up at her.

“And if after all you've been through, your decision-making skill only ever falls upon impulse and bravado...” Seraphimus exhaled coldly, her headcrest drooping. “...then I am following the wrong pony.”

Silence.

At long last, Rainbow Dash formulated a response: “It's not enough to just restore this world... or even all of Urohringr, Sera.” She grunted slightly, shifting aching muscles until she sat up on her haunches. “...but I gotta restore the ponies of this world too. I mean—what's the friggin' point in saving the plane... but not the souls who live on it?”

“You're assuming there's a modicum of livelihood to be savored among any of them.” Seraphimus waved at the tents, supply crates, and endless weapons of war below. “These cretins? All they ever do is die.”

“No. You're wrong.” Rainbow waved at them all the same. “That's all they have left to believe in.”

“And you're supposed to be their beacon of hope? Of harmony?”

“Something like that, yeah...” Rainbow Dash nodded. “I'm not just blowing hot air when I tell these melon fudges that I'm the 'Avatar of Luna.' The Princess of the Night's blessing still brims within me—and within the pendant.” She gestured up at the lofty branches of the Tree above them. “Just as it still dwells within the magic that these ponies still adhere to.”

“Do you even see where you're pointing at, Rainbow Dash?” Seraphimus waved dispassionately at the Tree's distant summit. “Those supposedly divine souls live in a fantasy—suspended well... well above the horrors of the reality that they—themselves—have so ambivalently engendered.” She paced towards the upwards slope of the root that their nearby habitat was carved in. In so doing, she gave the heights of the Tree a disgusted look. “It is—in many ways—not unlike the snow-tinged bastions of Frostknife. So... haughty and delusional...” She pivoted to face Rainbow again with a sober expression. “I was once no different than these matriarchs with whom you're so enamored with winning favor. For years I prostrated myself on the foot of the stairs to our goddess... only for her to never descend. Had it not been for you, I would still be imprisoned there... murdering souls in her name... … ...while apathetically denying others.”

“You said it yourself, Sera,” Rainbow muttered. “Verlax was toxic and misleading.”

“And you think the situation is any different with your precious Princess Luna?”

To that, Rainbow's brow merely furrowed.

Seraphimus went on: “Unlike Verlaxion—you have met her, Rainbow Dash. You know her. You've been blessed by her. And... more importantly...” She pointed at the mare. “You know that she's changed. You know that she's never... ever... going to hold court to those who once followed her poisoned and demented rhetoric of the past. Luna's burden is precisely the same as Verlax's. Because you know...” She pointed once more at the branches above, but without taking her icy gaze off Rainbow. “...those matriarchs wait for nothing.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Nightmare Moon is no more. Princess Luna has changed for the good—”

“And you think that excuses anything?”

“H-huh?”

“She's an immortal,” Seraphimus hissed, her crest feathers rising. “Divine or not—in the grand scheme of things—she was nevertheless empowered by forces beyond comprehension and she wielded it to influence countless generations of mortals—mortals who still worship the memory of her to this very day. Now, I can't presume to understand the full legacy of this banal 'Nightmare Moon,' nor will it change anything if I do. What matters... is that she abandoned her children.”

“She was possessed by... b-by a friggin' miasma!” Rainbow sputtered. “A-and the Elements of Harmony banished her to the moon for a thousa—”

“She abandoned her children,” Seraphimus repeated. “It makes no difference why or how” She held both of her forelimbs aside. “We stand here in the shadow of her orphans' endless perdition. They suffer because of her... and with no chance of her returning, that damnation is resolute.”

“I don't... believe that, Sera...” Rainbow did her best not to tremble. She ran a hoof across the lightning bolt of her pendant, summoning a meager... meager glow. “There's... there's hope for a spark—”

“If this was a land where hope could yet be kindled, I would agree with you. But the tinder is simply far too minute to start a blaze.” Seraphimus sighed sadly, gazing down at the sprawling encampments. “The forests have all burned down. The scriptures are all drowned in dust. All that presently fuels your Night Princess' flock is misery... a pain that can only be subdued by violence, passion, and a wanton embrace of impermanence.” Her beak clenched as a touch of fury glinted in her eyes. “And the only thing that shines bright in this muddled world is the most exemplary fanatic of that permeating fatalism. And I very much doubt he holds court to your goddess—or anyone's.”

Rainbow sighed, shaking her head. “I'm not out to convince Lexxic of anything.”

“And that's where your biggest mistake continues to fester.” Seraphimus stepped closer to her. “Don't pretend to be so blind, Rainbow. The future here doesn't lie with the Dream Council! Or the High Polished! Or with any of the castes above the lowest seal of this damnable tree!” Her eyes narrowed as she hissed. “It's with him. He is the new legacy of the sarosian race. The insurmountable weight has already shifted. In fact... it's been pivoting long before you even arrived here. Lexxic sees it—and he's taken advantage of it. If you're smart... you would do the same~”

Rainbow leaned away from the griffon with a narrowing expression. “I thought... you didn't like Lexxic...”

Seraphimus huffed out through her beak's nostrils. “I don't.” She paced in angry circles, looking at nobody, especially not herself. “I detest the very notion of the stallion. He is a thug. A common vagabond. I have met, hunted, and sentenced countless equine souls such as he back in Rohbredden: bandit leaders, mobsters, drug pushers, and unapologetic rapists. He was born a heartless punk and—despite whatever anomalous gifts he may or may not employ—the simple fact of the matter is that he's a common criminal who has ascended to his position through charisma, charlatanism, and ever-alluring dagger of hatred. But...” She scuffled to a stop, fuming thoughtfully into the breadth of that enormous war machine beyond. “...in a sunless land populated by assassins and goons, even those meager qualities make him god-king.”

“Which is why I shouldn't make friends with him.”

“No, Rainbow Dash.” Seraphimus turned to glare at her. “It is precisely why you should.”

Rainbow clenched her jaw shut.

“You don't want to anymore than I do. That—if nothing else—is what you and I have in common. But the burden isn't on me.” She paced closer to the pegasus. “It's on you—as it always been. Since you spared my life at the World's End, you've spent countless hours reaching out to me... preaching to me... fighting for me. I do believe there is a noble source to all of your platitudes. But you cannot achieve victory on that nobility alone.” She slowly shook her head. “No—what this world needs is not the Rainbow Dash who saved me... but the Rainbow Dash who defeated me.”

“I... doubt that I'm going to win over Lexxic's soul anytime soon,” Rainbow stammered.

“There is nopony in this universe asking you too. Don't you understand?” Seraphimus squatted down until she was at level with the mare. “For all of our similarities—and I will be the first soul to humbly admit that Lexxic and I do carry similarities—there is one key difference. As I did my duty for Frostknife I believed in a false god—an other upon whom I heaped all of my morality and excuses. But Lexxic?” Seraphimus' beak clicked coldly. “He is his own god.”

“... … …”

“You cannot mislead him. You cannot re-align him. You could—perhaps—eliminate him. But the same cesspool that spawned him would simply erect another messiah in his place.” She stood up tall, breathing thoughtfully. “What you can do... is patronize him... … … at least long enough to get the job done in the Midnight Armory. The challenge—then—would be finding a way to separate the job you need to do from the job that he aims to do. But it would still be a challenge worth pursuing. But—patronizing the matriarchs?” She slowly shook her head. “That has no hope. Just as their future has no hope.”

Rainbow cocked her head aside. “You really believe it's that far gone, huh?” Her ears flicked. “The Dream Council? The High Polished? The Book of Saros—the whole kitten kaboodle of sarosian integrity? All kaput?”

“You're the one who has witnessed empires rise and fall in your travels,” Seraphimus droned. “You tell me.”

“Well, you got me there~” Rainbow bore a plastic grin. “I've only seen the revelation of a changeling infestation stop all-out war in No Mare's Land, leading to unexpected peace between Luxmare and Xona! And I've personally taken part in a crazy operation in the capital of Val Roa that saved the monarchy and prevented unnecessary bloodshed.” She gestured with a bright expression. “Oh! And what about an unleashed herd of deadly windigoes somehow saving an entire continent of conflicted ponies, griffons, sirens, and wyverns from unbridled civil war? Without a Rainbow Rogue to hate, Verlax's all-consuming frost magic would have divided future generations of her 'children' forever.”

“... … ...” Suddenly it was Seraphimus' turn to avoid Rainbow's gaze.

“You see, Sera...” Rainbow leaned forward from where she squatted. “...I have learned a thing or two from my 'travels.' I've learned that a single act of integrity—a spark of harmonious intent—can bring hope to anyone anywhere... … … even if that hope is blanketed in misery and strife, for necessity's sake. It's all about the big picture—which Verlax tried to show me... and thought she was showing me. But—unfortunately for her and for those who followed her—she did everything 'big.' She had no grasp of the smallest gears in the crazy-ass machine of progress. But I've seen it. I've seen the tiny things that make this world tick. Verlax saw it too—but she didn't have the ability to grasp what was there in front of her. And... what I see in front of me right now is not a completely hopeless society born and bred for nothing but war. I see cousins—lost relatives of Equestria—and if I can do whatever it takes to help them reach the light, then... Luna poop... I gotta give it my all!”

“But—you speak and you dwell on impossibilities,” Seraphimus said. “For as much as you criticize Verlaxion on her macrovision, you yourself cannot deny that there truly is a bigger picture to keep in focus here.” She waved. “There is time to be meticulous and there is time to be sensible. Ultimately—your next and most important goal is to acquire the Harmonic Prism. After that—it's a return to the Light Side, and to Equestria. You must make priorities, Rainbow Dash. You must take sacrifices into account. Saving the whole of Urohringr may seem daunting, but with the powers seemingly invested within you—it nevertheless falls within the pattern of possibility. Saving every single soul you stumble upon—however—does not.”

“You mean like you?” Rainbow Dash leaned back, eyes narrow. “You're a single soul. It was entirely possible—if not sane—to let you fly off into the chaotic ether. But I didn't. And here you are... giving me a very logical pep talk.” She arched an eyebrow. “Tell me. Wasn't that worth the effort?”

“... … ...” Seraphimus leaned back as well, exhaling. “That remains... undetermined.”

“Grnnffffffffuuuuu...” Rainbow rolled her eyes, ultimately bearing a tired smirk. “I can always rely on you to be predictable, Sera. Thanks. If nothing else, your consistency is kinda comforting.”

“Alright, then. It's time that you tell me something.” Seraphimus folded her forelimbs. “You seek to restore both Urohringr and Princess Luna's flock... despite the fact that you and Lexxic both desire the Harmonic Prism for clearly different reasons. So... please elaborate...” Her gaze was sharp, scrutinous. “...exactly what is your next move? What do you plan to do to win over Lexxic's favor? Or the Dream Council's? Or both?”

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash fidgeted.

“What lengths will you go to preach harmony to the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfoals of an exiled culture baptized irrecoverably by blood and war? How will the spark that miraculously saved previous cultures on the Light Side function for a civilization that doesn't just lack comprehension of the Sun—they abhor it?!”

“I...” Rainbow's eyes looked left... then looked right. She gulped. “I-I haven't figured that part out y-yet...”

“Well you need to, Rainbow Dash,” Seraphimus insisted, her tone breathy and sincere. “And you need to measure the weight of where the Bloodwings' inertia is swinging. In a land of darkness, the shadow doesn't lean in any one direction. It permeates. And so does Lexxic's intent. He's not only spent his whole life digesting the darkness—but he's acted upon it. Dramatically. He's accelerated this war culture to an end—where the matriarchs before him were evidently content with just accepting an endless stalemate. But that's no longer the case. The past is an equilibrium that has slipped from the matriarchy's hooves, and while there may still be one representative of the High Polished in control of the Third Root, that power hangs by a thread. Soon—everything will be all Lexxic's. Faatail and the Dream Council—perhaps they hope that you will constitute yet another of their failing marionette strings. But you cannot afford to be their tool, Rainbow Dash. Nopony among the midnighters can afford to resist this inertia.”

“I can't afford to lose the High Polished to mania and chaos either,” Rainbow started—

“No—that's just what you tell yourself. Every minute that you humor the elders up in those branches, you're only adding fuel to the fire. There are many ways that this situation can go, and the least chaotic will be up to you to support. That destiny—and that destiny alone—is what can possibly ferry you into acquiring the Harmonic Prism.”

“Lexxic may enjoy a great deal of power and authority,” Rainbow Dash said. “But even he knows what's at stake and what's worth to preserve.” A shrug. “Why else would he have spared me back at Honor's Hold?”

“He spared you—not to protect the balance of power,” Seraphimus said. “But to preserve a valuable resource.”

“... … ...a valuable resource,” Rainbow echoed in monotone.

“You possess a piece of alicorn magic, Rainbow Dash,” Seraphimus emphasized. “The same power that was distilled into the Harmonic Prism—the all-encompassing goal of the Bloodwings—is embodied in your pendant. More importantly—it's embodied in the pony who wields it. Until Lexxic can fully understand that—and understand you—then you are an asset that he cannot sacrifice. Don't you understand?” She slowly shook her head. “It's not about what the matriarchs want. It's about what he needs to ensure total and complete victory at the Midnight Armory. Yes—perhaps the Shards of Endrax are evenly split among the three factions of the Trinary War. But so long as you remain under his domain, you are an edge in obtaining full power. That holds true against the matriarchs as well as against the self-proclaimed enemies of the sarosians. You... are a living bargaining chip. You proved it just tonight—by doing something that would have ended you under the fury of anypony who respects the sanctity of the Hall of Honor. Anypony... but Lexxic... who has the wherewithal and tenacity to see beyond the constraints of his own culture. To preserve you.”

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash slowly stood up on all fours. She trotted slowly—as if with a heavy weight—until there was no more platform to walk. Gazing out upon the lights and bodies of the war effort, she spoke over her shoulder. “What... would Lexxic even want with the Harmonic Prism? I mean—on his lonesome? If what you say is true—if the inertia of control and power among the Bloodwings is swinging his way—then why does he still want it? Why does he still want to fight—and win—this Trinary War?” She turned and looked past her flicking tail at Seraphimus. “If he doesn't care at all about the elders and the matriarchy—wouldn't he disregard the very thing that brought the Dark Vigil all the way over here? If it's no longer about restoring power to Nightmare Moon or enacting everlasting night... then what purpose does the Harmonic Prism bring to someone like Lexxic?”

“Perhaps... he wishes to rule over Equestria himself,” Seraphimus suggested. “Or perhaps it's a matter of pride: to claim victory on the Dark Side and eradicate both the Flux and the Night Shard completely... as retribution for generations upon generations of forefathers slaughtered needlessly.” She shook her head. “It matters not.” She strolled over to Rainbow's side. “You can determine the truth on your own... but after you have won his favor.”

Rainbow grimaced. “After I've won his favor...”

“Stop repeating me and start listening.” Seraphimus frowned. “Your future—your path—lies in allying with him. I don't suggest that you trust Lexxic... or even surrender to him. But—detestable as it may be—forsaking the Dream Council and their superiors will be the first path towards success.” She breathed. “And towards acquiring the Harmonic Prism.”

“Yeah? And what then?” Rainbow tongued the inside of her muzzle. “After I've gotten so buddy-buddy with Lexxic, how would I go about sharing the Harmonic Prism?”

“I'm not suggesting you do.”

“... … ...you're suggesting that I betray him.”

“I'm suggesting that you do everything within the realm of possibility to restore Urohringr.” Seraphimus arched an eyecrest. “Since that is—after all—the grandest purpose... on the grandest scale.”

“I couldn't live with myself...” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “...to have saved this world while forsaking so many ponies within it.”

“Yes you could.”

Rainbow Dash blinked.

“And so could Equestria.” Seraphimus exhaled. “And so could I.”

Rainbow Dash's ears drooped. She looked sadly out on the militant vistas. “If I made all of my accomplishments that coldly... and with that same kind of heartless intent... I'd never have made it past friggin' Darkstine.”

“From what I've learned...” Seraphimus began. “In east Xona and in the Quade, you chose to—”

“Even all the super crappy things that I've done...!” Rainbow's teeth showed. “...both the mistakes and the cruelty—I did them knowing that I'd be owning my own sins in the light of harmony.”

“That sort of ambition will only kill you.”

“And it did.” Rainbow turned to face her. “Back in Silvadel.” A devilish wink. “And I got better~ Thank you very much.”

Seraphimus sighed in defeat. Nevertheless, her expression was quite earnest—if not sad—as she next entreated: “Please, Rainbow Dash... please tell me that you will devise a plan.” The griffon gulped, sounding far fallen from the grim commander she once was. “Please tell me that you won't go about this on the fly and off the cuff.” Her headcrest drooped. “I... I need to know... I need to know that the pony I've chosen to follow isn't pursuing her goals out of... s-some foalish desire to do everything all at once. I've been strung along before—all my life, in fact—and I can't respectfully follow a cause that has no structure to it. And don't preach to me about 'hope.' Hope has no structure. It is nebulous and vague for a reason... for only in hindsight do we ever misconstrue it with purpose... and only then if we're among the few who are fortunate enough to afford that perspective.”

“... … ...”

“Please, Rainbow Dash. Unlike Jordan and your other loyal compatriots, I require substance.” Seraphimus shook her head in the shadow of the moment. “I... refuse to fall so far that I'd have to resort to... t-to praying again...”

At last, Rainbow replied. And it was in a dry tone. “I don't have what you want from me, Sera.” A breath. “If I actually did... you... wouldn't be asking me right now.”

Silence.

“Will you at least approach Lexxic with greater caution?” Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. “Measured equally with consideration?”

“That... … … will be a challenge.” Rainbow cleared her throat. “As it so happens—my gal pals and I have determined that... th-that he and I can't get too terribly close to each other.”

“I see...” Seraphimus nodded. “Does this have anything to do with the substance of his helm?”

“And the substance of my pendant.” Rainbow touched the necklace in question. “Seems that we cancel each other out. If I get too close—or if he gets too close—then we both fall like dumb sacks of potatoes.”

“Then that would explain his collapse in the Hall of Honor when you dove in.”

“Yeah. I guess.”

“How advantageous.” Seraphimus cocked her head aside. “You should employ this buffer to its full potential. So long as neither of you can engage in singular, physical contact—that means the only battle to be waged is a cerebral one.”

“Huh. Lucky me, huh?”

“On the contrary,” Seraphimus droned. “I worry for you now more than ever.” She turned and moved back into the hollow habitat. “I shall now retire. It's a testament to bitter irony that I succumb to sleep best in the midst of fullest anxiety.”

Rainbow braved a look over her shoulder. “Sera, I-I...”

“Meditate on your own thoughts, Rainbow Dash.” Seraphimus disappeared into the shadows. “I've fed you all that I can. Perhaps ever.”

One In the Same

Rainbow Dash gazed contemplatively forward, her eyes empty yet full of thought, as words echoed around the wooden chamber around her.

“...about half an hour after the grand feast began in the Hall of Honor, the physical competition for
Beholder of Most Honor came to a conclusion. The First Son of Nightmares entered the arena.” Shriike adjusted her thick bifocals while reading off a levitating scroll in front of her. “He personally congratulated the victor of the sparring tournament: Hry'skym'lynnlym of First Root. He then complimented Wry'spek'lym, a bloodcolt from Fifth Root, and proceeded to share the harrowing tale of M'saalt'ym of Sixth Root—an unfortunate victim of Flux incursion.”

Xandraa stood tall and attentive on the far end of the dais within the Quarter Moon hollow of the Tree of Mothers. Two guards stood beside her, likewise observing the words spoken by the Imperialist Clerk. On the other side of the dais, Rainbow Dash stood in formation with Ariel, Wildcard, and Seraphimus. They all waited in polite silence as Shriike read off the summary of her report.

“Shortly thereafter, Lexxy'kyn summoned the so-called Cowardly Twelve: who in actuality were Captain Hry'skym'lynnlym and his company of eleven Bloodwing inferiors, loyal soldiers to Third Root.”

Xandraa's nostrils flared. She nevertheless remained calm and composed, staring at Rainbow's group with a scrutinous gaze.

Rainbow raised her eyes only briefly—if only to glance towards Seraphimus.

Seraphimus didn't look back. She stared forward, mirroring Captain Xandraa's stance.

A closed sigh escaped Rainbow's nose, and she gazed tiredly in Shriike's direction.

“Lexxy'kyn proceeded to assail Hry'skym'lynnlym with guilty accusations, listing the captain's decision to follow the direct commands of Commander Lyw'Malaak as seditious acts against the supreme command of the First Son of Nightmares,” Shriike continued. “Lexxy'kyn preached Hry'skym'lynnlym's dishonor in directly affecting the forced retreat of Third Root forces from their military offensive against the Flux. When presented with the possibility of outright execution, Hry'skym'lynnlym invoked W'ynlppa lysm thy'rym'lykk. In respect of tradition, Lexxy'kyn provided Hry'skym'lynnlym and his Bloodwing soldiers with a captured spiked stone skulker to torture and slay in the arena—thus providing ample harvest for much-needed medical supplies. The soldiers from Third Root engaged the skulker before the W'ynlppa yln H'luun and the rest of the Bloodwings in attendance. The skulker was successfully slain for the harvest—but not without great cost and casualties to the members of the captain's company. The First Son moved to quicken the deaths of those injured, but Hry'skym'lynnlym assured the preservation of their flesh by admitting to his dishonor in retreating from the Flux. Lexxy'kyn accepted the captain's plea; he crippled him and allowed the captain's soldiers to feed on his offering of flesh.”

One of the guards behind Xandraa visibly blanched. The tall mare looked back at her, eyes narrowing. Once the guard composed herself, the captain turned back to look down at the clerk. “Is that the extent of the avatar's experience under Lexxy'kyn's charge, Shriike?”

“... … ...” Shriike's muzzle hung open. “Ahem... erm... well...” She rolled and unrolled the scroll in mid-air, nervously. “Not quite, Captain... erm...”

“Cease with pretense,” Xandraa commanded. “Reach the end of your summary, if you would be so kind.”

Shriike's four-eyed gaze darted briefly at Rainbow Dash, then back at the Captain. “Ahem...” She levitated the scroll to its penultimate parchment. “Upon Lexxy'kyn's order for Hry'skym'lynnlym's soldiers to feast upon his flesh, the W'ynlppa yln H'luun...” Another glance at Rainbow Dash. “...threw herself upon the scene. But seconds after forcefully entering the arena, the avatar collapsed.” A gulp. “As did Lexxy'kyn.”

Captain Xandraa tilted her head thoughtfully upon that. The two guards behind her stirred with curiosity.

“Both the avatar and the First Son of Nightmares swiftly recovered,” Shriike continued. “With the latter emphasizing to L'azarias'ym and Masser'myn that the W'ynlppa yln H'luun not be harmed. The avatar and her company were escorted to an abode within the lateral roots to retire, and—upon waking—the group was escorted back to the interior of the Tree of Mothers.” She finally slid the scroll into her saddlebag, staring up at the Captain. “Where I have now presented you with the abridged summary of the W'ynlppa yln H'luun's experiences under the charge of Lexxy'kyn, First Son of Nightmares.”

Captain Xandraa nodded slowly. “Very well delivered, sister. No doubt you have quite the task to accomplish during this time.”

“Indeed.” Shriike's velvety cheeks bulged with a beaming smile. “Shall I dictate the unabridged logs to you now?” She gestured towards an exceptionally bulging pocket of her saddlebag—

“No,” Xandraa said firmly with the wave of an armored fetlock. “That will... not be necessary at this c-current juncture.” She cleared her throat hoarsely. “Your task—as was so necessarily given at the start of this excursion—has successfully culminated. I now direct you to the Lunar Archives, where you will commit your written records into sanctified permanence.”

“Then th-that means...” Shriike leaned forward, almost trembling. “...I-I am free to return to Gibbous Sanctum?”

“Affirmative—”

“Y-E-S!!!” The Imperialist clerk literally jumped in the air, her horn glowing with felicitous joy. “Ha HAH! Ohhhh I haven't had a bath for AGES!” She pranced gaily for the stairway beyond the quarter moon dais, turning her head to stick her tongue out at the Heraldites. “Smell you nimrods again—never! Waaaaaa haaa haaa haaaaaa!”

“Oh how my heart will weep for your absence,” Ariel droned dryly, not even looking at the exiting unicorn.

Captain Xandraa waited for the clerk—and her echoing cheers—to dwindle in the lofty distance beyond. Once the stairwell was silent, she approached the centerpiece of the dais, gazing down at Rainbow Dash. “So... W'ynlppa yln H'luun...” Her already-tight muzzle hardened under the dim runelight that lined the ancient mural above them. “...you threw yourself into the arena.” An eyebrow lifted under her helmet. “No doubt as protest against the captain from Third Root being ritualistically consumed?”

“Yes.” Rainbow gulped. She looked up at the matriarchal defender. “I must apologize. It was out of place for me to—”

“I am not interested in your motivations—nor your responsibility for the matter.” Xandraa leered. “The clerk reports that the First Son of Nightmares collapsed when you did this. Would you care to elaborate?”

“With all due respect,” Rainbow Dash began. “Shriike's full report will give all the best details.” She pointed at the stairwell behind the guards. “She's really friggin' good at what she does, y'know.”

“She is not a Penumbran potentially gifted with direct enchantment from the Mother of Nightmares herself,” Xandraa said firmly. “Our most high polished Mistress Faatail entrusted you with a task: to remain close by Lexxic's side. Now...” She cocked her head aside. “...am I to understand that such may—in fact—not be possible?”

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. “I'm a bearer of the last surviving Element of Harmony. Lexxic—for as much as I can tell—is empowered by chaos energy.” She slowly shook her head. “We can't get within a spit's distance of one another. The moment I get close, I suffer dizziness and collapse. And... it's starting to look like the same thing happens to the First Son.”

Xandraa nodded. “How interesting. It is as if... the two of you cancel each other out.” The captain's lips pursed. “The avatar of H'Luun... and the Commander of the Bloodwings... incapable of so much as shaking hooves.”

“Can I ask a stupid question?” Rainbow's eyes were thin. “... … ...where are you even going with this?”

Seraphimus glanced at Rainbow Dash.

The petite pegasus continued: “I thought I was just buying Mistress Faatail time. Y'know... with winning over the matriarchs in the highest branches of the Tree?” Rainbow's muzzle hardened. “Why this big friggin' fascination with what makes both me and Lexxic un-tick? Aren't there more pressing concerns at hoof?”

Seraphimus looked calmly at Xandraa.

The Captain breathed. “The Mistress' concerns remain such: her concerns. Nevertheless, I am quite certain she would be interested to know that something—anything—is capable of bringing the First Son of Nightmares to his knees.”

“Uh huh...” Rainbow leaned in with a suspicious squint. “And to what end...?”

“Towards progress, of course!” rang a charismatic male voice from the labor chambers behind. “And—beyond that—the treasure within the Sarcophagus of Ages!”

Xandraa's groan was more than a little bit audible. She glared tiredly past Rainbow and the Heraldites. “The Imperial Guard would have greatly appreciated an announcement of your arrival, Lexxy'kyn.”

Rainbow, Seraphimus, and the others turned around to see the First Son trotting briskly towards the foundation of the dais. Lukaas accompanied him, along with Sypher—who was pushing a wooden cart full of glass vials containing bright yellow-and-orange liquids.

“Oh, I'm certain there are many things that you would appreciate, Captain,” Lexxic said, the muzzle beneath his helm brandishing an unbreakable grin. “Be thankful that none of them are my concern. Only victory.” He gestured to Lukaas.

The Fifth Son reached into Sypher's cart and hoofed him one of the glass vials.

“And as an accessory to such...” Lukaas held the chalice in a blind hoof as he tilted his pale helm towards the runelights above. “...I provide a fresh bounty. To aid the health of Gibbous Sanctum and beyond, should they find a need to cure ailments—much less suffer them.”

Xandraa exhaled. “The harvest from the Hall of Honor.”

“Procured by Hry'skym'lynnlym of Third Root and his honorable comrades. A pity that the sacrifices of the Dark Vigil don't hold names in your muzzle.” He tossed the chalice towards the upper dais with expert precision.

Xandraa caught the vial in the crook of her hoof. She examined its chemical contents up close.

Lexxic merely smiled from down below. “But what do you know of sacrifice, Captain?”

“... … …” Xandraa's stern eyes sliced down at him. “It has come to my attention that an unorthodox action on the avatar's part caused you to suffer a physical episode in the Hall of Honor.”

Rainbow Dash felt like grimacing—

“See? You attempt to change the subject, and yet you're still shackled to the crux of the matter,” Lexxic remarked. He tilted his head in the petite pegasus' direction. “The W'ynlppa yln H'luun took an awful risk—a seared sin of her Penumbran upbringing, of course—but brave in its own... insipid way nonetheless. One could even say the same about every step she's taken in the presence of the Sons of Nightmares since she was so unceremoniously charged... by those who have a nebulous understanding of the gravity of such boldness.” He faced the Captain once again. “There is much that we have in common, and if she is willing to generally overlook the grim nature of our customs, then I am willing to overlook the occasional foolish mistake on her part.” He bowed ever so slightly. “I have—after all—been forced to overlook the burden that the High Polished believe they have inflicted upon me.”

Wildcard cocked his feathery head aside. He glanced between Lexxic and the Captain.

Xandraa was very close to fuming. “I sometimes think you confuse courage with impestuousness, Commander.”

“Spoken from a place of divine authenticity, no doubt.” Lexxic tilted his head—and his grin—back up. “But then again, Captain, what weight is there in the courage that needs so much armor for so little combat?”

Lukaas snorted loudly. He raised a pale hoof to hide his smirk.

Sypher merely hissed through his voice box, standing tall and resolute.

Xandraa closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then turned towards Rainbow Dash. “I believe...” She opened her eyes only once she was completely composed once again. “...we should continue our conversation in a higher forum.”

“Yes, I would think that you might,” Lexxic slipped in.

Ignoring him, Xandraa gestured towards Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow nodded back. She looked at Ariel—who nodded and trotted forward. She then looked at Wildcard, who also nodded and hung back. Then—“Sera?”

Seraphimus woke to the moment, looking at Rainbow.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps this time...?”

Seraphimus looked at Xandraa, at the mural above them, then back at Rainbow Dash. “Hmmm... I suppose it could be enlightening.” She waved a talon at Wildcard, and once Jordan responded—she strolled forward alongside Ariel.

Rainbow and Xandraa made to take up the rear—

“Oh Captain~” Lexxic's voice rang once again.

Xandraa scuffled to a stop, jaw clenched. She looked down at the foot of the dais.

Lexxic gestured at the cart filled with the remaining vials. “Aren't you forgetting something?” His muzzle curved beneath the facial slab. “Lest you make a waste out of such a well-earned harvest.”

Xandraa said nothing. She turned and gestured at the two guards. The armored mares nodded back, then briskly trotted down past the dais. Sypher stepped back as the two guards carefully took the cart from them.

However—as the mares got into position—Lexxic blindly approached one, gripping his hoof tightly around her armored withers.

Xandraa jerked in place, reaching for a dagger sheathed beside one fetlock.

But Lexxic—cold and stoic—merely murmured in the guard's ear: “He gave his life and flesh to honor tradition. But that tradition cost the Third Root victory and ground.” He gently released the guard's figure, stepping back. “It would be a shame,” he spoke calmly, his smile slowly returning. “If it lost us all more.”

The guard shook... shook... but eventually nodded. Without looking back at the First Son, she joined the other mare in pushing the cart up the ramp and onto the summit of the dais.

Xandraa—lowering her fetlocks—kept her gaze icily trained on Lexxic as she escorted Rainbow and the guards back up the stairwell towards Gibbous Sanctum.

“Carry yourself well, avatar,” Lexxic waved at Rainbow Dash as he trotted off with Lukaas, Sypher, and a very cautious Wildcard. “Something tells me that we will be seeing each other again soon...”

The group was barely halfway up the stairwell when...

“Mrmfff...” Full-on trembling, the one guard that Lexxic had grabbed lost grasp of the cart and slumped against the wall. Hyperventilation threatened to consume her at any moment.

Captain Xandraa and the other guard were already rushing towards her aid. Ariel, Rainbow, and Seraphimus turned to peer curiously through the darkness.

“Breathe. Just breathe.” Xandraa grasped the mare's armored forelimbs, letting her rest back. “You are safe. There is nothing—absolutely nothing—that he can possibly do to you.”

Rainbow couldn't tell if those words settled the mare. But perhaps the tone in Xandraa's voice did. Slowly—nodding and panting—the guard took off her helmet, revealing a smokey mane bespeckled with tiny diamonds. Sweat clung to Mistress Faatail's aged muzzle as she breathed... breathed... breathed... then looked weakly in Xandraa's direction. “I would very much love to believe that, Captain.”

Seraphimus blinked. She looked at Rainbow.

This time, it was Rainbow's turn to not look back. “Your little charade was never destined to work forever, Mistress.” She pointed down the stairwell. “What are the odds he caught on long before I ever arrived here?”

“Well...” Faatail gulped, attempting to wrest control of her regal tone of voice. “He certainly chose an apt time to play his hoof.”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow's brow furrowed sternly. “Like after you gals chose to play yours?” She frowned at Xandraa. “What went down in the Hall of Honor is nothing to gloat over. Even for me.”

“Mind your place, Penumbran,” Xandraa spat. “Just because you inadvertently discovered a weakness in the First Son of Nightmares doesn't earn you leisure to speak with such a tone—”

“Weakness?!?” Rainbow's voice cracked. She waved a hoof past the shadows of the Tree. “Have you melon fudges forgotten the fact that he wields control over an entire friggin' army?!” Her teeth showed. “Your army!”

“Rainbow Dash...” Still shaking, Faatail reached a hoof out in the mare's direction. “Please, you must—”

“I've played chaperone like you high-polished gals wanted me to!” Rainbow snapped at her. “At potential risk to myself and my travel buddies! I even had to stick my neck out for that uptight little clerk of yours more than once!” Her eyes narrowed. “Don't I deserve a little more for my efforts? Huh? The one pony who's given you the only solid whiff of Luna's divine blessing in eons?!”

Xandraa avoided her gaze, staring off into the shadows and fuming. The other guard was likewise reticent to stare Rainbow in the eye.

Seraphimus gazed at the group of sarosian mares silently, her avian expression blank.

“Let us...” Mistress Faatail stood up straight, finally... finally composing herself. A hard swallow. “...let us find a quieter place, avatar.”

Rainbow Dash sat on a pile of cushions within the Dream Den. She cradled a steaming mug of... something in her hooves. It smelled good—like a broth of spiced leaves mixed with ginger and honey. She hadn't taken a single sip. She stared across the dimly-lit domain at where Mistress Faatail paced and paced across the soft floor of the dreamtrotters' sanctuary.

“I... have convinced my fellow elders that you are indeed imbued with the grace and power of Princess Luna...” Faatail's eyes wandered quicker than her hooves, and—in an abstract way—she looked almost as panicked as the rattled mare trying to shake off the scent of Lexxic in the dark stairwell below. “After ample description, they acknowledge that you bear an actual peace of the weapon that once banished our divine Mother. What's more... the testimony of the Dream Knight has added substance to your presence here. I've... also been able to employ the support of A'othe and Lady Prunus. While there... st-still isn't a majority of support from the whole Dream Council, the opinions of both the present and past Dream Knights hold a great deal of weight in the eyes of the Elders. I have faith that they believe you are precisely who you say you are.”

Silence—save for the scuffle of Faatail's hooves. The mare was still pacing and pacing.

Rainbow observed each anxious step. She still couldn't bring herself to sip from the mug. “So...” Her ears flicked, one after the other. “...if this is all good news, why do you look and act like somepony's about to get their head chopped off.”

“I only wish that was the case,” Faatail grumbled. She shuffled to a stop, her bejeweled hair swaying into place. “At least then it would suggest actual change.”

“Wow.” Rainbow Dash blinked. “Okay.” She gave her steamy mug one final lethargic look, then finally placed the damn beverage down at a fetlock's distance. “Ahem...” She leaned forward from where she sat. “So what—then—is the reason for why all of our saddles are about to turn brown.”

“It's not that dire, avatar.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Isn't it?”

The elder turned towards Rainbow Dash. After a deep breath, she spoke: “Do you remember the substance of our last conversation?”

“I wouldn't mind a refresher course.”

“I educated you on the divination of the Mother of Nightmares,” Faatail stated, stepping closer. “Nightmare Moon is comprised of multiple facets—united in horrific purpose.” Her jaw muscles tightened: “The vessel... the miasma... and—”

“The shell. Gotcha.” Rainbow nodded. “Nightmare Moon's armor. You've got it somewhere here in the Tree—along with the Book of Saros.”

“Correct.” Faatail said, trotting slowly. “We have watched guard over the shell in hopes that someday we would restore both the vessel and the miasma.”

“With... the Harmonic Prism...” Rainbow arched an eyebrow. “From the Sarcophagus of Ages.”

“It has vexed us terribly that we have not been able to acquire such a treasure,” Faatail sighed. “Even after so many generations of violence and bloodshed, it remains elusive. In all that time, the pieces of the whole of the Nightmare Mother have only grown more and more estranged from one another. The shell—we've had to seal the armor away in the Uppermost Sanctum of the Tree. Only through mastery of a special key have we been capable of doing this, and we live in abject fear that time and decay has allowed the Solar Deceiver to forever disenfranchise the armor from the constituent parts of our exiled Mother.”

“So... what...?” Rainbow cocked her head aside. “...you thought that—like—the miasma or the vessel might come to your rescue? That they might... help the Trinary War come to an end and bring everything all back together?”

“It would most certainly confirm many of the prophecies contained within the Book of Saros,” Faatail said.

“Well, what might those prophecies say about—y'know—me?” Rainbow held both fetlocks out. “Isn't this the closest you guys have ever gotten to what you so desire?” She pointed at the ruby lightning bolt beneath her chin. “Luna's blessing! It's here! It might be faint and dim—but it's there. And by 'there,' I mean here.”

“But that is the problem, avatar...” Faatail came to a stop, standing before the pegasus with a weathered expression. Her eyeslits lingered sadly on the Element of Loyalty. “None of this... makes sense to my fellow elders... or to any pony who maintains the scripture.”

“How so?”

“You are neither the miasma nor the vessel. You are...” Faatail sighed melancholically. “...merely a Penumbran.” She gulped. “And a denizen of the Solar Deceiver's seared kingdom to boot.” She clenched her fanged jaw tight. “All that you present us... is a meager glimmer that barely pierces the shadow cast by all we hold dear. The same goes with what we fear. You... do not even present a convincing weapon from the Daybreaker.”

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash slowly, quietly stood up. Straightening her mane and wingfeathers, she slowly approached Faatail in a dignified stance. “Mistress...” Her tone was straight and serious. “...consider for a moment—just a moment—that your scripture and prophecies mean nothing.”

Faatail opened her mouth—

“And consider...!” Rainbow held up a hoof. “...that the miasma and the shell are never coming back. Because they can't.” Her eyes narrowed as she stood face to face with the elder. “The miasma—the essence of Nightmare Moon was exorcised by the Elements of Harmony back in Equestria... in the Castle of the Two sisters. And the vessel—Princess Luna? She's forsaken all things 'nightmarish.' She's in charge of Equestria... the Sun... the Moon... the whole kitten kaboodle. And because of so many epic responsibilities, she can't leave her ponies—long lost cousins, both yours and mine—even for a cause as big as the Dark Vigil's. Or the Austraeoh's.”

Rainbow Dash pointed through the rune-etched ceiling of the Dream Den.

“That armor—the shell—waits for nothing. The Armor of Nightmare Moon is exactly that—a shell. An empty container that has nopony left to fill it.” She lowered her hoof, as well as the tone of her voice. “So maybe... just maybe... the heroes who are left to save the Dark Vigil aren't what's written in the Book of Saros.” She shook her head. “Or in prophecy.” A firm breath. “But—instead—the heroes are those whom we choose to put our faith and trust in.”

Faatail gazed down at the floor.

Rainbow arched an eyebrow knowingly. “...and something tells me that the elders aren't proud of whom they've chosen as their hero.”

After a while, the elder agreed to look Rainbow in the face once more. Weathering a sullen sigh, she spoke: “Captain Xandraa was merely fulfilling her duty when she pressed you on the collapse of the First Son. Truth is...” She cleared her throat. “We did not need the Imperial clerk to inform us about what transpired inside the Hall of Honor.”

“Oh?”

“Word travels fast inside the Tree,” Faatail declared. “And when it involves a disruption in the First Son's status quo, it travels even faster.”

Rainbow folded her forelimbs with a suspicious squint. “Why do I get the feeling that you all are particularly thirsty for Lexxic's failures?”

“Don't be so quick to assume, avatar.” Faatail resumed pacing again, following the length of the den's circumference with slow steps. “We may not appreciate him—or even fully trust him—but we need him.”

“Funny,” Rainbow muttered, turning to follow the elder's movement. “I've gotten the distinct impression that he doesn't entirely need you.”

“A grim reality that is not lost to us, Rainbow Dash.” Faatail glanced over in mid-step. “To assure victory, we have given him much liberty. Legitimately too much, but such has been the necessary cost of victory. Until now.”

“What's the final straw?” Rainbow cocked her head aside. “Is it Lyw'Malaak?”

“It's imperative that she maintains command of the Third Root,” Faatail said. “If all rule of sarosian law collapses entirely, then Lexxic's unbridled violence threatens to turn inward.”

“As if it hasn't already...”

“I'm sorry?” Faatail paused entirely to face her.

“Do I need to say it out loud?” Rainbow shrugged dramatically. “Ma'am, I don't honestly know how much time Malaak has left.”

“Enough time to hold out until Lexxic's offensive successfully breaches the Sarcophagus of Ages,” Faatail declared. “That's all the time we need.”

“You're throwing an awful lot of hope on one mare. The last mare, as far as the Sons of Nightmares are concerned.” Rainbow frowned. “Look—you barely could even hold your lunch the moment Lexxic sniffed you out downstairs. And you're a friggin' High Polished Elder!” Rainbow waved. “What chance do you even think Malaak has against all that horse hockey?!?”

“She has a greater chance now, Rainbow Dash...” Faatail stared solemnly at her. “...since you have arrived.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. In the ensuing silence, she glanced left and right... then slowly sighed with drooping ears as the reality settled in.

“Alright,” she muttered. “Out with it, lady...” She gave Faatail a lethargic glance. “What 'decision' have your fellow sisters so wisely come up with?”

“One thing is in order before anything else...” Faatail's eyes hardened. “Do not trivialize their position. Not all leaps of faith must be as dramatic as what you did in Honor Hold, dear avatar.”

Rainbow Dash sighed, closing her eyes. “I apologize, dear elder. Of course, we've all gotta make concessions to reach a common center.” She reopened her eyes and spoke in a calmer state. “Now... please... fill me in.”

Faatail spoke: “The elders—as briefly hinted—do not have full confidence in your divination. But... they do have exceeding confidence in your power.” She gestured at the pendant. “So long as you possess a sliver of the vessel's blessing—even the barest shred of it—you carry great weight in moving the soul of every devout sarosian since the night we were all ferried into this world. Therefore, you represent—even in a fractured faculty—the power and authority of the Mother of Nightmares in all ventures of the Dark Vigil.”

“Yeah...?” Rainbow Dash squinted. “...and to what end?”

“The same end that is desired by both the elders and the First Son.” Faatail lifted her chin. “Victory—against all enemies. The Flux... the Night Shard...”

“...and the Solar Deceiver?”

The elder ignored that. “You've made it clear—to both me and the Dream Coundil—that we share a common goal in opening the Sarcophagus of Ages.”

Rainbow slowly nodded. “Uh huh...”

“It would only be advantageous to us all that... we continue the partnership that we've entertained thus far, with the same aspirations in mind.”

“Let me guess...” Rainbow Dash gestured. “You want me to join forces with Malaak.” She clenched her teeth. “To deepen the thorn in Lexxic's side.”

Faatail's eyeslits were piercing. “No, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow leaned back with genuine surprise. “No...?” She blinked.

“For the record—that was my the first suggestion of my companions,” Faatail said. “They immediately insisted that you support the Commander of the Third Root. But...” She slowly shook her head. “...I think we both know that this would only further drive a toxic wedge. It would not be a solution to the problem. That is why I presented a counter-proposal, and after much debate... it won over the Council.”

“And that is?”

“You continue to accompany Lexxy'kyn,” Faatail declared. “With the mutual goal of pushing our enemies back and seizing the Sarcophagus of Ages.”

“You want—” Rainbow's head dipped forward with a look of disbelief. She pointed limply out the door of the Dream Den. “You want me to stick by his side even longer?”

“That is affirmative.”

“And you convinced your fellow elders about this?!?”

“In time—perhaps—the true nature of the vessel and the miasma will be made clear to them, but until then—”

“Ma'am, I just can't...” Rainbow Dash grimace, shaking her head. “I can't be your tool of sabotage against your wayward rook!”

“This is not a call to sabotage, Rainbow Dash—”

“Isn't it?!” Rainbow Dash blanched. “Look at what this dude has done to the Dark Vigil! To the Roots! To all of the matriarchal commanders who once served proudly for the Mother of Nightmares—!”

“I assure you, dear avatar, I am quite aware of how far we have all fallen,” Faatail spoke with a grim expression. “It is so low that we simply cannot afford to rely on any other power but his. Nevertheless, you are correct to recognize our discomfort... and distrust. This does not change the fact that we need Lexxic to acquire the Sarcophagus' treasure at this point.” Her eyeslits narrowed. “And so do you.”

Rainbow opened her muzzle to protest... but had nothing to counter that. She leaned back in a defeated huff, ultimately shaking her head. “You're putting me in a really... really poopy position, Mistress.”

“Was it any better a place than you were in when you first crossed over?” Faatail raised an eyebrow. “When you forsook the seared lands for the Dark Vigil's abode? A land of eternal night and chaos? I know I only have the Dream Knight's visions to go by, but I nevertheless declare with great confidence that we're not the only ones to have fallen so low.”

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash plopped back down on a set of cushions. She sighed long and hard, reaching up to brush her bangs back—exposing her faint scar from the Quade to the runelight once again. “What a desperate pair of saps we are, huh?”

“You and I, perhaps. I... doubt that the rest of the elders share my precise intent.”

Rainbow arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I made my position clear to my fellow sisters,” Faatail declared. “I proposed that you accompany Lexxic to temper his position. Not to destabilize him. There is something noble in his campaign—a power in the charge that could finally assure the Dark Vigil supreme victory. What we all fear—however—is his intentions beyond the Sarcophagus. That—I believe—is where my compatriots see you coming through.”

Rainbow's nostrils flared. “As a tool to use against him.” She shook her head. “It ain't that simple, ma'am. Even if I had the nerve to betray Lexxic—which I'm not entirely sold on yet—I don't think it's in my power to do so. He has the same effect on me as I have on him.”

“And I understand that. And I understand that—for anything to work whatsoever—it will come down to how the two of you manage to work together.” Faatail breathed out the side of her muzzle. “If at all.”

“How do you intend to inform him of what the elders have decided?” Rainbow's expression wasn't a very pleasant one. “Cuz it's not exactly winning me over.”

“I... have many reason to believe that he already knows our intent.”

“Why? Because word travels fast outside the Tree as well?”

“No. Because he is Lexxic.”

Silence.

“Yeah, fair enough,” Rainbow muttered. She stared off across the Dream Den and stifled a long groan. “Not gonna lie. I was hoping for something a great deal more concrete than this, Mistress. Especially given the fact that I'm the Avatar of Luna and jazz—”

“What would you rather have?” Faatail cocked her head aside. “Complete command over the forces of the Dark Vigil? Full license and to commit murder and mayhem on a grand scale? Solitary ownership of all the necessary horrors we can and will unleash upon the denizens of this forsaken plane?”

Rainbow blinked. Her lips pursed as her coat noticeably paled.

Faatail slowly shook her head. “You are bound to that 'harmonic' weight around your neck, Penumbran—along with all the seared hypocrisies attached to it. There is no greater burden that could have dragged you this far, after all.” She exhaled coldly. “If you truly desire to go down this path—as the 'Austraeoh' or whatever pagan title you proclaim to carry—then Lexxic will be your accessory as much as he's been ours. In time, perhaps, we will all learn to bear the shame of this... … … but only after we've acquired the loot of our mutual pursuits.”

Rainbow Dash looked sadly at Faatail, then off into the runic glow beyond. There was a rosy warmth to it, unlike the cold glow of all of Verlax's trials. It frightened Rainbow how much it resembled the alluring gold that lingered through every wall and obstruction whenever she gazed at the Midnight Armory from an incalculable difference.

“At the end of this road...” Rainbow declared. “Even if there is an end... … … I sometimes wonder if there will be a difference, y'know?” She gulped and glanced back at Faatail. “Between me and the shame. Or would we just be... one in the same? Forever and ever?”

“According to your testimony—and the Dream Knight's—our Mother has learned to live with her shame. She's even adapted.” She stood tall, approaching the door. “Perhaps—as her loyal children—you and I will learn to do the same.”

The Carousel of Progress

Her charcoal brown hawkeyes reflected runic light against nebulaic frescoes. All around, hanging velvet draperies with emblems of Nightmare Moon came alive under the enchanted glow. In fact, there was no square inch of Gibbous Sanctum that didn't shine or shimmer in some mesmerizing fashion or another.

“This place...” Seraphimus began, although she struggled to finish. “... … …is exceedingly opulent.”

Ariel looked over, pausing in mid-pace. She stood a few feet from the artistically resplendent entrance to the Dream Den, with Captain Xandraa and another guard standing stoically in between. “Ya think?” the Heraldite sarcastically countered.

“Doesn't it strike you the least bit odd?” Seraphimus' cold gaze narrowed on the mare. “That this place would be so... heinously luxurious while the servants and soldiers down below suffer in abject destitution?” She noticed the eyes of Xandraa and her fellow Imperialist resting upon her, to which she merely grunted: “The contrast is positively nauseating.”

Ariel glanced at the two silent, judging sarosians. Swallowing, she then looked back at Seraphimus. “I mean... what did you expect?”

Seraphimus exhaled long, hard, and cold. “I suppose it's... not about expectations.” Another sigh, and she stared down an adjacent corridor where a gaggle of finely-dressed mares—both young and old—strolled casually while enjoying a giggling conversation. “There truly is no end of disappointment on this plane.”

Ariel strolled a little closer to the former Talon Commander. “Y'know...” She craned her neck while squinting. “...lots and lots of magistrates were sittin' pretty and polished along the bluffs of Frostknife while dredge slavers worked their limbs to the bone in barges all across the Seven Seas.”

“I see your attempt at leveraging one nation's suffering against another, and it's folly.” Seraphimus glared at Ariel. “When your honorable Austraeoh pierced through our land, she did not negotiate with the authors of Rohbredden's misery.”

Ariel merely blinked. “She didn't really get a chance to, Sera.” A bitter sweet breath. “And even if we weren't blaming it all on Verlax per the norm... … … would someone like you have let her?”

Seraphimus' talons clenched. She gazed down a corridor, glancing dispassionately at lavishly-dressed ponies and lunar intaglia. “This culture—and this entire War for that matter—dangles by a narrow thread. Right now, Rainbow Dash is negotiating with those who clutch the silk instead of those who grasp the scissors.” She slowly shook her feathered head. “Those who promise fealty to Nightmare Moon will be no more successful now than they were ten centuries ago. Doesn't anypony learn from history?”

“History...” Ariel shrugged. “A lifetime...?” She shrugged again. “On all counts—yes—Rainbow has learned much. And right now, this very second, she's endeavoring to pursue the most peaceful option. Tell me...” She leaned her head aside. “Don't you think that's worth it?”

Seraphimus breathed. Her eyes reflected more and more colors: shiny and dazzling and—above all—artificially dim against the encroaching darkness. “... … ...I don't know what to think anymore.”

Ariel opened her muzzle to say something—but she was interrupted by the sound of old, old hinges creaking. She turned around.

Captain Xandraa likewise pivoted to see Mistress Faatail and Rainbow Dash emerging from the Dream Den. The former approached the Imperialist directly, her face calm and eyes calmer.

“We have much to discuss. But first.” Faatail looked at Xandraa's subordinate. “Send a message to the Crescent Seal. Tell my fellow elders: 'The star agrees to aid.' They will understand, and likely will anticipate my presence within the next cycle.”

“Very well, Mistress.” Xandraa bowed. She glanced aside at Rainbow Dash, then back at the elder. “In the interim, shall I servants work on... accommodations?”

“Negative. But you will deliver a directive to the Commander of the Bloodwings,” Faatail stated. “The Avatar of Luna—from henceforth—shall be given free range of flight: both secure and unrestricted. Effective immediately.”

“I... understand, Mistress.” Xandraa delicately cleared her throat. “But should we truly expect Lexxic to follow through with that?”

“He will know that it is his in his best interest,” Faatail declared. “As it soon will be in ours.”

“That... I do not quite understand.” Xandraa stood tall and resolute. “But I shall support this initiative in every way, elder.” She nodded to the other guard.

The mare nodded back and trotted briskly down the adjacent corridor. Faatail and Xandraa trotted in the opposite direction, carrying on with their tense conversation.

Meanwhile, Ariel—having gotten an earful of the words spoken between the sarosians—turned towards Rainbow Dash with an eager expression. “Good news, then?” She shuffled swiftly towards the petite pegasus. “The elders? We got them on our side?”

“Mmmmmm...” Rainbow leaned from side to side. “...yes and no...”

“That isn't much of an answer,” Seraphimus said in a steely tone.

Rainbow merely breathed through that. “Long story short, we're in it for the long run.”

“Just... what is 'it' that we're 'in'?” Ariel asked, already grimacing.

“Me and Lexxic,” Rainbow stated. “We're going to be teaming up.”

Seraphimus threw Rainbow a look.

“By the elders' blessing,” Rainbow's voice pierced the air. She gestured with a firm hoof. “Mistress Faatail insists that—by helping the Bloodwings out—it'll be a good enough show of faith to win over her high polished sisters up top.”

“And what of Lexxic?” Seraphimus asked calmly. “What about winning him over?”

“Two bat ponies...” Rainbow shrugged. “...one Elemental Stone of Harmony.” Another shrug. “Well... okay... so I smudged the analogy a little, but... you g-get it.”

“No.” Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. “We don't.”

Rainbow looked at the griffon directly. “Look, I know it's a crazy-ass tight-rope walk, but this is the best I can manage it. Mistress Faatail's put a lot of personal honor and good faith on the line, so it's only fair that I show a keen respect for that sacrifice in like-turn.” She cleared her throat. “The idea is... I help out the elders by helping out Lexxic. With both the Bloodwings' and Equestria's finest working in tandem, we just might cut straight to the heart of this whole Trinary War shindig and acquire what we all want most.” Her ears twitched slightly. “I know one or two things in that sentence must sound really dang arrogant/i], but... what the hay... all things considered—it's a downgrade from how I deserve to friggin' boast at this point. Heheh...”

“Then... you got what you wanted...?” Ariel leaned forward, eyes bright with hope. “You got what we all wanted, didn't you? An alliance with the Bloodwings? A way to get to the Midnight Armory and the Harmonic Prism within?”

“Well—it's a step in the right direction. A baby step, mind you—but I'm sure as heck not complaining.” Rainbow rubbed the back of her head and glanced in the direction of Faatail and Xandraa. “Mistress Pretty-Mane over there says that we'll be given a few cycles to 'think it over'.”

“That sounds... crazily generous,” Ariel remarked.

“Indeed,” Seraphimus hummed, staring at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash stared back. “Lemme guess.” She narrowed her eyes. “You're going to ask me: 'But what if Lexxic doesn't want to share the Harmonic Prism if you get it?'”

“No...” Seraphimus slowly shook her head. “...however, I am tempted to ask just how far you are willing to go for this 'magical' alliance you've concocted.” She stood up tall, towering over the pegasus. “Lexxic is a stallion infamous for his abject cruelty and thirst for violence. He has shown great disdain for the sanctity and livelihood of his enemies. You yourself have witnessed—and attempted to interrupt, first-hoof—Lexxic's ritualistic execution of his own flesh and blood. But now—for the sake of the elders, the Bloodwings, and Equestria—you are seemingly willing to not only encourage all of this... but to partake in it yourself. One is sorely tempted to ask: just how drenched in this blood are you willing to let your limbs get?”

“I...” Rainbow Dash stared off in the distance. “I... … ...”

“Yes...?” Seraphimus leaned forward—until she realized that even her own sharp features weren't breaking Rainbow's gaze. She turned to look over her shoulder.

Nat'rdo was rounding the corner, leading a hobbling Lady Prunus by the hoof. Upon seeing Rainbow and the Heraldites, she came to a stop.

And upon seeing Nat'rdo—

“I'll... uh...” Rainbow Dash brushed her companions aside and made a beeline for the Dream Knight. “...I'll get back to you on that.”

Ariel blinked at Rainbow Dash, then threw Seraphimus a curious look.

Seraphimus sighed heavily. “'A few cycles to think it over,'” she muttered. A shake of the feathery head, and she strolled off. “They could give her a few centuries, and still she would squander it.”

Ariel said nothing. She remained alone, gazing into the dimly-lit shadows in cold and contemplative silence.

Minutes later...

Rainbow Dash and Nat'rdo strolled slowly through the lavishly-furnished corridors of Gibbous Sanctum, gradually circling the hollow heart of the Tree of Mothers.

“So it's settled, then,” Nat'rdo remarked in a calm and composed voice. “Mistress Faatail and the Elders have agreed to attach you to the Bloodwings' offensive permanently.”

“I get the impression that Faatail's a great deal more jazzed about it than the rest of her high-polished sorority, but... yeah...” Rainbow nodded as a gaggle of giggling fillies chased each other past the pair. “...that appears to be the long and short of it.”

“I think you chose a very harmonious path, Rainbow Dash,” Nat'rdo remarked. “I mean that in respect to both our Sacred Mother and... and those who share in her regal bloodline, back in your home land—”

“Yeah yeah yeah. We're joining fetlocks in magical cross-plane friendship. Yadda yadda yadda. Look...” Rainbow pivoted to face the Dream Knight. “I'm super stoked that you and Faatail have shown so much good faith towards a seared Penumbran such as me, Avatar of Luna or not. But I'm not all that super-interested in what you think about this team-up.” Her ruby eyes narrowed. “What I do want to know is... … … how much of it did you see coming in advance?”

“You're asking me if I had enough foresight to predict this turn of events?” Nat'rdo slowly remarked.

“Right on the money, honey~”

“Rainbow Dash, it would be...” Nat'rdo fidgeted, tossing her shiny mane out of her face. “...improper of me to use my dream-trotting talents as a means of compromising otherwise confidential information.”

“But—”

“I've shared what I've learned in the past about you and your memories with the rest of the Dream Council because I found it within the best interest of Lunar Imperialist security,” Nat'rdo declared. “But now that you've been here for a while and no harm has come to the Tree of Mothers or the assets that lie in its shadow...” She slowly shook her head. “My nights of divulging subconscious information is at an end.”

“But don't you see how much gettin' all this dream dirt can help me?” Rainbow's voice cracked. “How it can help us?”

“I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash.” Nat'rdo shook her head. “My previous connections were simply meant to bridge a gap—a gap that now means less than it did prior to Mistress Faatail's intervention. Whatever it is that you are seeking from me, I cannot provide.”

Rainbow leaned back, nostrils flaring. She navigated an expression that fell tightly between a smirk of bemusement and a grimace of exasperation. “Should I go and ask Ol' Prune Juice instead? I bet if I roll her seven times around the Tree of Mothers and shout at the top of my lungs, all of the dream walls would go tumbling down.”

For a moment, Nat'rdo didn't know how to react to that. A few hitched breaths issued in and out of her, as if in all the years of ritualistic decorum she had forgotten how to laugh. “Lady Prunus is long-retired from being a Dream Knight,” she eventually said with elegant repose. A pair of polished mares strolled by, forcing her to step towards Rainbow's side of the corridor. “And even still...” She continued in a softer, warmer voice, mindful of those who could be listening in. “...her dedicated stance would be the same as mine. If not firmer.”

Rainbow leaned back from Nat'rdo, blinking uncomfortably. “You're t-telling me that none of you gals—none of you whatsoever—have gotten even an inkling of an idea of what Faatail's bosom buddettes are truly thinking about all this?”

“Rainbow Dash, you are an experienced and world-weary mare,” Nat'rdo declared. “You have encountered innumerable entities—both allies and foes. You have conquered and suffered multiple challenges. You've negotiated peace, saved communities, doomed others, kicked a dragon in the face...”

“Eheheh...” Rainbow sweated visibly. “...finally, somepony who remembers that last part...”

“In conclusion—you yourself should possess the tenacity and wherewithal to properly assess the motives and inclinations of others by now, no matter how polished they may be.” A beat. Nat'rdo blinked, taking on a curious expression. “Why do you look so uncomfortable right now?”

“Jee, I dunno...” Rainbow coughed, then snaked her way around Nat'rdo until they were a good distance apart again. “Could ya stand to be a little less—”

“Close?”

“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash cleared her throat, trying her darnedest not to look at the Dream Knight's mane or eyes or lips or tail. “Let's go with that.”

“... … ...” Nat'rdo dispassionately shrugged. “Honestly, I did not imagine that I was your type.”

“Look—I know you're used to being in the company of a bunch of telepathic retirees, but... mmmmm... never mind. L-let's just n-not press the topic.”

“As you wish.” Nat'rdo nodded. “Besides, we both know that Val Roa is where your heart lies—”

“Don't.” Rainbow Dash's teeth clenched.

“... … … it is not exactly sacred news.”

“Yeah. But still. Just.” Rainbow clenched her eyes shut. “Don't.”

Nat'rdo's eyes narrowed. “Who do you think is listening to us, Rainbow Dash?”

“... … ...”

Silence.

Nat'rdo took a long breath before switching the conversation back to its core impetus. “Did you truly think you could talk me into supplying more information to you than Mistress Faatail has provided?”

“Yes? No? Maybe?” Rainbow paced along her edge of the corridor. “Eugh... there's a lot riding on me. A lot more than Mistress Faatail thinks... no matter how poetic she can get in talking about it.” She slowly shook her head in mid-trot. “I don't think she knows just how low I have to go in order to meet Lexxic at his level... or what going that low actually means to me.” She tongued the inside of her muzzle. “It just feels that—at the end of the day—all that matters is that none of the other mares on this side of the plane can go that low. Or will go. So... guess it's gotta be the 'solar seared Penumbran' who gets to roll in it.”

“You would not have come this far unless you knew that there would be unsightly challenges to face,” Nat'rdo declared. “Many far steeper than those you've encountered before.”

“And I'm willing to go the distance. Really—I am.” Rainbow Dash glanced at the Dream Knight. “But it still feels like... the Elders aren't sacrificing enough of that which is theirs, y'know? Meanwhile, look at Lexxic. Look at all that he's sacrificing. Every day!” She waved a hoof. “This war—for the Bloodwings—is being carried by one class of ponies. And when they look at Lexxic's sacrifice versus what the matriarchs are offering up... just who do you think they're going to respect more?”

“Given enough time and measure,” Nat'rdo said, “They might respect you the most out of everyone.”

“Heh...” Rainbow Dash leaned back against a wall and crossed her forelimbs. “Wouldn't that be the bees' knees?”

“I'm afraid I don't understand that expression...”

“Eh... search harder,” Rainbow muttered. “Probably something I picked up from Pilate. Or maybe Theanim Mane. One fruit or the other.”

“No. I mean...” Nat'rdo squinted. “...what are bees?”

“... … ...” Rainbow's eyes danced left. Right. “...please tell me you at least know something about birds.”

“I know that they are supposedly quite tasty.”

“A'ight.” Rainbow Dash stepped back onto all fours and made for the far end of Gibbous Sanctum. “This was a bad idea.”

“Rainbow Dash...”

“I'm sorry for having pestered you, girl.” Rainbow huffed, marching off. “Shoulda known better.”

“I agree with you,” Nat'rdo said in earnest. “The Elders aren't sacrificing enough.”

Rainbow stopped in the middle of the runic-lit hallway.

“Do you find this surprising?” Nat'rdo said. “They have enjoyed nothing but prosperity and luxury—all safely-contained by the flimsy walls of our never-ceasing self-righteousness.”

Rainbow slowly turned around. “Do you regret it? Ever? Y'know...” She gestured at the ancient murals and frescoes fading on either side of them. “...living here?”

“I see into the minds of countless souls, Rainbow Dash,” Nat'rdo said calmly. “Regret is the most common color with which the subconscious paints. But know this...” Her eyes narrowed. “We sarosians boast of horrors, terrors, and nightmares beyond comprehension.” A slow shake of the head. “It wasn't until you arrived that I found a true taste of fear.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “I... didn't realize I was making that much of an impact.”

“You are the Avatar of Luna,” Nat'rdo said. “And yet—you do not boast about the trepidation that your arrival brings.”

“Hrmfff...” Rainbow smirked devilishly. “Have you forgotten who you're talking to?”

“I have not. But perhaps I should remind you—a victim of the Divine of Frost's deadly games, no less—that with true fear comes the prospect of change. And that is what everypony of the Dark Vigil needs most right now.”

Rainbow blinked.

“I cannot assist you with confidential information from my dream trotting...” Nat'rdo stepped closer. “...but perhaps I can speak to the elders on your behalf. And on Lexxic's.” She gestured. “Combined with Mistress Faatail's efforts, maybe we can convince the rest of the highest polished to show more support. Not just for you, but to placate the Bloodwings as a whole.”

“It's not just about placating,” Rainbow Dash said. “The Sons of Nightmares need to know that they're fighting for more than just living the next twelve hours.”

“That...” Nat'rdo blinked. “Is a truly humbling way to see it.”

Rainbow shrugged. “For some, there is no other way to 'see.'” A shudder. “Be glad that you're a Dream Knight. Not everypony lives to experience the luxury of 'regret.'”

Nat'rdo nodded slowly. Contemplatively. “I am beginning to understand, Rainbow Dash.” She curtsied with respect. “You are far more than the rough exterior you wear constantly.”

“Uh...” Rainbow's muzzle twisted. “...thanks?”

“I shall speak with Faatail and the other elders. This is my promise.” Nat'rdo cocked her head aside. “In the meantime—might I ask—what is your next move?”

“To be perfectly frank? With what's next on the agenda?” Rainbow blew out the side of her muzzle and shrugged. “Anywhere there's an outhouse.”

“The Avatar of Luna will need support from all branches of the military effort, even if she is being primarily charged with assisting Lexxic of the First Root,” Mistress Faatail declared. She trotted side-by-side with Captain Xandraa through the thicker corridors of Gibbous Sanctum. “To that end, I need a message sent to the Third Root, seeing as how the First Son won't properly inform them on his own. But you must make sure that the message is carried discreetly. Send it with the next supply chain. A singular company of flagrant messengers will only advance Lexxic's narrative of the matriarchs playing favoritism with Lyw'Malaak.”

“I understand whole-heartily, Mistress,” Xandraa said. “I will see to it.”

“Do you have any questions or concerns worthy of stating, Captain?” Faatail asked. “As soon as I retire, it may be a while before we can speak muzzle-to-muzzle again. I have much business to settle with my sisters, and I fear that they may be catching on to my secret sojourns beyond the seal—masquerading as one of your inferiors.”

“Chiefly one concern, dear elder.” Xandraa stopped to face her directly. “So long as we employ Rainbow Dash in the field... she remains our sole contact among the First Root.”

“Are you again going to suggest an entourage?” Faatail breathed. “Dear Captain, the whole point of this exercise is to bridge peace and understanding between the keepers of the Book of Saros and those who lead our military efforts in the war.”

Xandraa was already nodding. “And aside from one ill-strategized mishap, the Avatar of Luna has proven herself exemplary in her dedication. I have no doubt of her strength or conviction. But... should Lexxic turn on her—”

“That is precisely what we are striving to avoid, Captain.”

“... … ...should Lexxic turn on her...” In a calm but steely tone, Xandraa continued: “...it would help us to have some degree of insight on the matter. It's already taxing enough that we ask for Rainbow Dash to entertain the First Son's presence, much less assist him in his efforts. I think it would be most beneficial to all parties involved to have more eyes and ears on site.”

“But an armed guard would give a false message,” Faatail said.

“I've come to agree with you on that matter, Mistress.”

Faatail leaned back with a squinting expression. “What exactly do you propose?”

The Captain shrugged. “Why not go forward with that which has worked thus far?”

Faatail glanced aside, thought about it, then looked back at Xandraa. “Why not, indeed?”

“Then I have your permission, Mistress?”

“Unequivocally.” Faatail turned and trotted off. “I suppose it is only fitting that I...” A sullen sigh. “...peruse her first round of documentation, then.”

“Blood blood blood!!!” Shriike cackled. “It's all they can ever think about!” She leaned back on a cushioned seat, across from a trio of supremely-bored mares in the heart of Gibbous Sanctum. “And the smell! Haah! Don't get me started on how terribly those meatheaded nimrods reeked up close!”

“That's fine,” one sarosian droned, trying to read from an old parchment while sipping ginger tea. “We won't—”

“Like wet burlap bags of sweat-saturated guano!” Shriike's voice cracked. “And what they like to eat only makes them smell all the worse!” She sipped from an ornate glass of fermented wine and leaned forward, slapping a hoof across one mare's withers. “I'm telling you, ladies! Stallions were born to do two things and two things only!”

The Gibbous-polished ponies rolled their eyes and shared a mutual look of lethargy. “Really? Do tell...”

“Murder and attract flies!” Shriike grinned from ear to ear. “Get it?! Because they're walking corpses!!”

“... … ...is that meant to be a joke, dearest sister?”

“Pffft!” Shriike nearly choked on her next muzzle-ful of wine. “The only joke is that Lexxy'kyn, the First Son of Nightmares, is actually proud to be the Commander of such a sorry sack of sociopathic nimrods! And to think he had the gall to try and intimidate me!” Shriike raised her glass to the rune-lit air of the Sanctum. “Shriike! Acting Imperialist Archivist and Chief Clerk to the Honorable Captain Xandraa! Y'know...” She winked through her thick thick glasses. “I never asked to be this special...”

“Rrrrmrfffghhh...” Two of the mares rubbed their heads, trying to stare into the carpeted floor.

“But—lo and behold! When duty called—this Daughter of Nightmare Moon answered!” She took a sip, swallowed, and wheezed forth: “And y'know what the funny thing is?” She slapped another mare's withers again and rambled on: “Even after having stepped out beyond the seal... having soiled myself with the filth of both New-Speaking root sludge and Bloodwing bastards alike... … … I feel that I've come out of the whole ordeal pretty unscathed!”

“Uh huh...”

“No joke! You see, ladies... it's duty that maintains one's purity!” Shriike grinned, fangs glinting. “So long as you remain true to your calling and keep the pen on the paper—your dignity and self-respect will forever remain in tact. Mmmm-hmmm-hmmm-hweh-hweh-hwehhhh...” She once again aimed the glass of wine to her smiling muzzle. “All of that being said... boy am I glad to be back in the lap of luxury where I belong—“

“There you are, clerk~” rang a cold and authoritarian voice.

“Ah! Captain, my Captain!” Shriike hopped up with a salute. The glass of swirling wine levitated beside her proud, beaming expression. “Come to congratulate me on a job well done, eh?”

“Among other things, most certainly.” Xandraa stood before the unicorn as the other mares stole the opportunity to collectively scamper away from the clerk. “Ahem... First order of business—”

“A promotion?!?” Shriike stood taller and smiled wider. “Oh, Captain, that is far too much to ask! But—even though I am just acting chief archivist...” She nevertheless brushed off her chest floof with a fanged smirk. “...I do believe I can more than shoulder the burden...”

“That... is a possible avenue of opportunity in the future, yes, but first—”

“Oh! I know!” Shriike hoppity-hopped on all fours. “My very own assistant! Oh Captain—you are too kind. I've been meaning to clean up the requisitions chamber for ages! Plus... I think I'm long overdue for a chance to enjoy break shifts from time to time~”

“Mmmmhmmm...” Xandraa's eyes narrowed. “Reward is duly given with respect to that which is duly earned. You—being an imperialist clerk of the most loyal caliber—will have more than enough opportunities to gain all of this and then some, provided that you show true commitment to the Dark Vigil's cause.”

“Hweh-hweh-hweh...” Shriike waved a dainty hoof. “Oh my dearest Captain~” Her slitted eyes glimmered. “I think we both know that I've shown more than enough commitment to the cause.” She leaned in for one final sip from her glass. “And I'm more than qualified to do it all... alllll over again.”

“How convenient.” Xandraa nodded with a satisfied smile. “Then you shall do just that. I'm assigning you to Rainbow Dash and Lexxic permanently.”

“Pffffffffmmfffftmmfmfffmmfmfffttttttt!!!” Shriike pffffffffmmfffftmmfmfffmmfmfffttttttt'd all over the floor, baptizing the carpet with the final contents of her chalice. Dropping the glass from her dimming telekinesis, the clerk reached a shaky hoof up to wipe her confounded muzzle dry. “P-p-permanently?!?!”

“Indeed.” Xandraa's voice hummed. “You will continue to record, chronicle, and document her exchanges with the First Son of Nightmares.” She gestured. “Effective until dismissed by the elders—or when the Sarcophagus of Ages is finally seized for the Mother of Nightmares.”

Shriike trembled in place. Her ears drooped. “How...?” she mewled.

“This was decided in agreement with Mistress Faatail herself.”

Shriike's ears drooped even more. “When...?” she mewled again.

“As soon as Rainbow Dash returns and engages with the First Son yet again. It could be a few cycles from now.” A pause. “Any objections, clerk?”

“Uhm...” Shriike wheezed beneath her breath. Her lungs scarcely had the strength to produce anything above a whimper. “Uhm... uhm...”

“Splendid.” Xandraa slapped her strong hoof across Shriike's flinching withers. “You shall be a part of history, clerk. Your courage is an enviable testament to all of us.” A lasting salute, and she marched off to her next task.

Shriike stood alone, gazing down at the wet splotch her spilled wine had made on the lush floor. Her shivers were growing more and more pronounced by the second.

“Maybe if I stand right above the stain...” She sniffled. “...nopony will notice?”

Elsewhere...

A pair of sarosians sat on adjoining cushions. Trays with steaming hot mugs of delicious ambrosia lingered beside them. They chatted and laughed and carried on with gossip of some sort or another.

It wasn't long before a sharp shadow crossed over the pair.

One mare looked up. She performed a double-take, but otherwise looked delirious and non-plussed. She turned to look at her friend, carrying on the conversation as if nothing had changed—

“Excuse me,” Seraphimus said.

The mare ignored her. Although her ear folded back noticeably at the sound that the griffon made—

“Excuse. Me,” Seraphimus repeated, glaring harder.

Sighing, the random sarosian dressed in velvet refinery squinted up at the former Commander. “Yes...?” she dripped in an aristocratic accent.

“Do you even wonder who I am?” Seraphimus asked. She cocked her feathery head to the side. “What I am?”

“... … ...” The mare did a poor job of stifling a frown. She looked ardently away from the griffon.

Seraphimus turned to glare at the pony next to her. “Surely—you have never seen a creature such as myself before. I've passed by here a few times in the last hour—yet nopony has bothered to so much as second glance at me.” A hard blink. “Why?”

The second mare said nothing. She too was purposefully not looking at the griffon's face.

“Am I not an abomination from the 'Seared Lands?'” Seraphimus' voice took on a sharper and sharper tone. “Perhaps an agent sent by the 'Solar Deceiver?'” She leaned in, encroaching on the mares' space. “Or maybe I've wandered in from the warfront. Has that occurred to you? That I might be a changeling in disguise or—?”

“Do you mind??” one mare finally snapped at her. She frowned in the griffon's direction. “You are being very rude right now.”

“Most uncouth,” said the other.

Seraphimus' headcrest rose. “Why aren't you the least bit alarmed?”

“If you have official business, take it elsewhere,” one mare grunted. “My goddess-niece's recital is taking place here in an hour. I shan't have you disrupt it.”

“... … ...you don't care about what goes on outside this place, do you?” Seraphimus ask.

“What matters to us is that it's far away from here,” she grumbled back.

Seraphimus leaned back. She looked at multiple partitions built into the innermost corridor of the Sanctum. “I see that this place has many windows...” She glanced coldly back at the sarosians. “...but all of them look inward. Unto the hollow.”

One mare groaned. “Guard...???” She craned her neck, looking towards the distance.

“Do not trouble yourselves. I... am leaving.” Seraphimus was already backing up. In doing so, she was nearly bumped into by a herd of scampering foals. She watched the excited fillies as they galloped towards the two mares—who beamed and scooped a few of them up and nuzzled them closely. A few older mares in fine dresses slowly joined them. The group formed a circle, and Seraphimus observed as one of the fillies shuffled up to a moonsilver harp... and began playing a beautiful instrumental.

“... … ...” Seraphimus watched until she could be filled no longer, and she eventually turned a cold shoulder.

“There was an escort that accompanied us about halfway. A lot of Lexxic's lower... lower-ranked subordinates. Two of them were really chatty twins. Biggs and Hosonn... or something. I dunno. But—for realsies—the First Sons are totally abiding by the orders of Mistress Faatail and her fellow elders. So far, at least. Official word is that they're gonna wait for my return—which shouldn't be too terribly long from now, if I'm smart about this. What is Lexxic gonna do when I face him again? I'm... not totally sure, especially after that stunt I pulled in Honor Hold. But I'm having faith that he's gonna take the same measures that I am. I guess it'll put his big-talk of 'sacrifice' to the test. That guy's got a huge ego—and a lot of pride to boot. The real test is whether or not he's gonna be willing to put all of that in check for the sake of us both and—by extension—the sake of the Dark Vigil as a whole. What, with getting to the Armory'n'crap.”

Turning about, Rainbow Dash squinted into flickering torchlight.

“That's—of course—assuming that all of my harmonious gifts as both Austraeoh and the Avatar of Luna... combined with Lexxic's edge is truly what it takes to win this friggin' Trinary War. But... that's precisely where we're at right now... or at least where we're aiming to take things. Which—if you ask me—is the most progress we've made since arriving here. Beating out both Darkstine and Abaddon combined.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. Her delicate ears twitched-twitched-twitched with each thunderous drumbeat from the ocean of sludge beyond the dihmer ruins.

“Eugh...” Rainbow rubbed her head. “Celestia on a bike, I forgot how migraine-inducing this place can be...”

Logan was rubbing his head. “So that's it, then?” She glanced aside at Flynn and Kepler, then back at the group that had returned two hours ago. “They just... let you go to... chill and 'think it over' or some shit?”

“That's pretty much the case. Yeah.” Rainbow nodded. She paced beside Wildcard and Ariel. “Is that something positive to go on? That Lexxic didn't... just... have our heads on a platter all this time? I mean—heck—if he really really wanted to... he could have just done it.”

Wildcard gestured: “'He is a lot more agreeable than you would imagine.'”

“Yeah.” Rainbow pointed at the Desperado. “What Jordan said.”

Logan squinted between the two of them. “Why does it almost sound like you admire the psycho?”

Rainbow did a double-take. Wildcard cocked his avian head aside.

Ariel cleared her throat. “Compared to... all the psychopathic freakazoids we've encountered since we arrived here on the gondola—and Lord knows there's been a handful—Lexxic has proven to be remarkably civilized.”

Rainbow smiled. “Thanks, Ariel.”

“He's sexist and he's egotistical and he's bloodthirsty and he's power-hungry... but—hey—at least he's civilized!”

Rainbow sighed. “Thanks, Ariel.”

Wildcard talon-signed: “There were numerous times when Lexxic went out of his way to protect Rainbow Dash. Even from his familiars.”

“Hell...” Logan shrugged. “Even I will let a boil fester on my buttocks for days at a time because bursting it will just make everyone around me puke.” He gestured. “More often than not, it's more about timing than sincerity.”

“Your concern is noted, Big Show,” Rainbow grumbled, pacing again.

“Is it?” Logan arched an eyebrow. “Is it really?”

She tossed him a frown. “I'm here, aren't I?” She waited for another few ocean beats to pass. “Why else do you think I returned?!” She looked at the group in general. “Let's... let's hash it out. Let's... look at this gift horse in the mouth but... b-but not for too long, y'know? I mean... isn't this what this whole effort's been about? Since Nat'rdo contacted me?”

Logan folded his forelimbs. He furrowed his brow in contemplation.

Kepler spoke up. “Ach!—I forr one gladly welcome prrogrress!” He looked at his companions through his bifocals. “Any prrogrress! Yes—Rrainbow may be allying herrself with morrally-questionable rrogues, but what betterr opporrtunity awaits herr otherrwise? Orr us forr that matterr? Do we serriously expect the legions of Tcherrn orr the Night Sharrd to be anymorre welcoming?”

“I...” Logan rubbed his head, sighing. “...I don't really know at this point.”

“Big Show, we've been in the thick of bat country. And...” Ariel bit her lip. She sighed as she spoke: “I don't like the Bloodwings any more now than I did when they were just scary concepts in the darkest pockets of my noggin. The Dark Vigil today is a big rusty cart: falling apart and occupied by a few fat cats, meanwhile an endless train of muscle-brained hellions foaming at the mouth for blood are drawing them towards the Midnight Armory. And—in spite of all that—Rainbow here is still making a connection. It's tiny and it's flimsy and it's a bit of a stretch—but it's the safest stretch we might have here on the Dark Side.”

“Doesn't mean that I particularly like it,” Logan grumbled.

“You don't have to like it,” Rainbow Dash grumbled back. “Heck—I don't like it. I didn't like any of the crap Verlaxion threw at me, and yet... here we are.” She stood tall and resolute. “And I'll say this about Lexxic: he may be scary and proud and egotistical, but he's no Verlax.”

“At the risk of sounding like a sicko...” Logan squinted. “At least we knew that—in some twisted way—Verlax respected you.”

“... … ...” Rainbow could only blink at that.

Wildcard stepped into line of sight with everyone: “'Perhaps an update is in order.'”

“Yeah. That.” Rainbow cleared her throat. “You've gotten an earful of our progress. How about you melon fudges?” She nodded towards Blobstain's big pink namesake. “Do we have a ticket to ride or what?”

“I'd say that's Flynn's department.” Logan looked over his shoulder. “How 'bout it, buddy? Wanna give east horse here the report?”

“... … …” Flynn slowly stood up at attention. His mechanical eye rotated inward as he spoke delicately: “We... uh... we found some locals to work with.”

“Yeah?” Ariel pierced the silence following his introduction. “And?”

“And... we were directed to a cave towards the Alpha bleaks where we could find the material to make... uhm... a Blob-proof varnish.” Flynn gulped, shuffling where he stood. “With a bit of help, we collected the material... came back... then Kepler began trade negotiations with a group of goblins. They're a guild who call themselves 'Chrome-Blooders,' with a leader named Plato. Plato's cool, and he's working with fellow tradies to build us a skiff... a small boat in exchange for their share of the varnish. They're gonna use the same stuff on our vessel so that it can safely pass over the ocean of muck due Curveside.”

“Ach.” Kepler nodded. “But I am still in talks with Kirrbo of Smelt-Blood. With enough favorrs, they should be morre than willing to perrsuade the dihmerrs to assist us in crrossing the ocean.”

“The dihmers?” Rainbow remarked.

“Yeah—remember?” Flynn nodded. “The dihmers apparently have some... stationary abode situated out there beyond the slimy coast of that sea. Some... headquarters or waypoint or something. They regularly run transit back and forth on specially-varnished freight ships—to conduct trade here in Blobstain.”

“Worrd is that they can also ferrry smallerr vessels on such frreighterrs,” Kepler added. “This can include our soon-to-be-built skiff.”

“Thanks in no small part to Kepler's efforts, we will be piggybacking on the grace of the dihmers, the Chrome-Blooders, and the Smelt-Blooders,” Flynn said.

“Hah!” Ariel smirked. “And who said generosity was dead!”

Rainbow Dash glanced at an empty pocket of air, then at Ariel. “You'll never guess who you owe a cup of cider.” Clearing her throat, she looked at Flynn. “Well, that sounds pretty schnazzy jazzy, dudes. Anything else?”

“Hmmm?” Flynn's good eye blinked.

“Anything else worth reporting?” Rainbow asked.

Logan glanced at Flynn.

“Ahem...” Flynn leaned back casually. “That's... uh... that's about it, really.”

Logan glanced back at Rainbow Dash.

“Then... all things considered...” Rainbow folded her forelimbs and shared a nod with Wildcard. “...I'd say we're finally getting off on the right hoof.”

“Yeah, except...” Logan stood up and sauntered towards the mare. “...there's one burning question.”

“Yeah, Big Show? What's that?”

His eyes narrowed. “....where's the murder turkey?”

“... … ...” Rainbow blinked. Then turned around as she blinked. Then looked every which way as she blinked. “Huh. Sera... she was just—”

“Yeah...” Ariel glanced all around. “Where the McFuzz?”

Logan, Flynn, and Kepler exchanged curious glances.

Wildcard stared into the torchlit ruins of the dihmer settlement. His talons remained still.

“And so...!” Jacko smirked, smiling razor sharp teeth from ear to pointy ear. “I says to her: No! You have chicken mouth!”

“Eugh...” One goblin rolled his eyes.

“Oye!” Another shrugged past Jacko, pushing a cart full of rusty scrap down a narrow alleyway between crumbled buildings. “Get lost, Jacko, ya yobbo!”

“Yer jokes are pure rubbish...” A third acted as the cart's fourth wheel, moving it towards the soot-stained destination. “Just like what's between yer legs!”

“Hah hah hah!”

“No jokes about eet, mate!” Jacko flung his arms out. “Thet's why the Metal Mum kicked me outta Peetra! The Queen just couldn't handle me wit! Or me good looks!”

“Pffft! So she fancied you the Cog Court Jester, aye?”

“Ees thet so hard to fathom, ya drongos?” Jacko winked coyly. “Eet's me mouth and not me hands that gave me the boot! One of these days—come dihmah pestilence or batso siege—I'm gonna make me triumpheent return!”

“Pfft! Straight buggah'd by ya horse brickin', Jacko! You fell as hard as ya deed cuz yer a no-good Tail-Bloodah! Even by Fur Blood streeps, that's sad as Hell!”

“I'm tellin' yous—I was a Cog Court elite once!” Jacko stood straight and a tall with a set of claws over his vested chest. “Honest to Peetra!” He spat on the ground and kicked dust at their departing shadows. “Not that yous keendled the flame for more than twenty seconds in yous lives ya bludgahs!”

“Haah haah haah!”

“Too right, Jacko, ya fartstain!”

“Don't come the raw prawn with that shite!”

“Let's go, cobbahs. Thees rust-o's won't earn streeps on their own.”

“Hrmmfff...” Jacko slicked back hair that wasn't there and gave a shrug to his vest. “Theah hollin' theem scraps to the wrong tradies. But—for once, Jacko—you dun have to be a gentlemen.” He smirked as he turned around. “Just let 'eem find out on theah own.”

His pointed nose bumped straight into a murderously sharp talon.

“Gaaaah!” He hopped back, precariously balanced on one foot as he chopped at the air with trembling hands. “Guhhhh—” His large eyes reopened, and his ears drooped with relaxation. “Oh Metal Mum's Mammaries! It's you.” A sharp exhale, and he shrugged his vest again. “Well, bright shinies all around, pretty bird. Yer back! Deedja have much luck shakin' swords weeth Lexxic of the Batso's?”

“... … ...” Seraphimus stood above him, but she couldn't bring herself to stare him straight in the face.

Jacko leaned his head aside. “Deeeeeeed ya stab him in the groin and make off with that long-lost piece of Endrax or sometheen?” He chuckled at himself, eyes rolling as he raised a clawed finger. “I'm guessin' no.”

“... … ...” Seraphimus paced past him in the decrepit alleyway. The beating of the ocean sent her feathers fluttering as she scraped to a stop. “... … … some time ago...” She hesitated.

“Yeah, sheilah?”

“... … ...y-you suggested that the imps of Petra might offer a great deal of strips for first-hand knowledge of Penumbra.” She cleared her throat. “Perhaps even sanctuary, if I'm not mistaken.”

Jacko blinked. “Well...” He adjusted his collar with one hand while waving with the other. “...it's sometheen of a comet's toss, but not outside of the realm of possibility. Too right.”

At last, she looked down at him, her hawkeyes softened by an ounce of pleading. “Is that still on the table...?”

Right Talon of Seraphimus

Cl-Clunk!!!

A rusty mess of jagged junk fell into the back of a wagon, adding to an already-decrepit pile of mangled mish-mash.

It Ages exhaled heavily, dusting off her front hooves. Her muscles ached; there wasn't a cycle when they didn't. Nevertheless, with patience and perseverance, the dihmer moved her way towards the front of the wagon and hitched herself to the riggings. Her stub of a horn lingered dull and unpolished in the cold twilight, inactive since that last encounter with Flynn, Logan, and Kepler outside the bleak caves.

As It Ages was affixing herself to the vehicle, her bright purple eyes wandered off. She noticed something that made hers pause. There was a time when random—even spectacular details would not phase her. But, for whatever reason now, she could do nothing but stare.

A goblin walked side by side with a half-avian, half-feline creature along the outskirts of the dihmer dwellings. The imp was talking to the entity, but that wasn't the odd part. What was strange was that the goblin—judging from his physical posture—wasn't attempting to bribe, extort, or ridicule the stranger. As for the foreigner: she looked calm, contemplative, and almost as neutral as the dihmer themselves. Her feathers fluttered with each pronounced beat issuing from the slimy ocean, but otherwise she appeared completely unaffected by the elements of this plane.

As if she belonged to another world.

It Ages said nothing. Per the norm, she kept her observations to herself, and carried the wagon off to labor. And purge.

“First thang's first...!” Jacko of Tail-Blood held a clawed finger up, walking backwards so he could smile back at the griffon following him. “...ordah of business ees to fetch me skiff back on load to the Fur-Bloodahs!”

“I see...” Seraphimus nodded. “And then—presumably—we... sail across the slime to Petra?”

“Well... nar...” Jacko shook his head, still walking backwards. He timed his speech between the beats of the throbbing ocean beyond. “Then ol' Jacko hasta settle streeps with the Leatha-Bloodahs. You see... I owe them a heap'o'streeps for an oversupply of creature ketchas that I... er... borrowed durin' me last hike over the bleaks-and-back. And I was bettin' on me load of the skiff to Fur Blood as bein' ways to fetch the necessary streeps to pay it all off, aye?”

“Understandable.” Seraphimus nodded again. “So once you've paid off your debts to Leather Blood, you'll be ready to sail across the so-called 'Blob'?”

“Well, nar. Not qui—” Jacko backed into a brick outcropping. “Ooomf!” He stumbled, winced, and smiled sheepishly before opting to walk while facing forward. “Ahem... Neext I gotsta swing by Chrome Blood. Get an extra coat of varnish. Ain't no tellin' just how much them Fur-Bloodahs been sloshin' the ol' skiffo around. Wouldn't be propah to head 'cross the Blob with holes through which the slime-o's could bite our spuds, aye?”

“I wouldn't know much about that.”

“'Course not, pretty bird!” Jacko winked back at her with a razor-toothed smirk. “Just t'ain't the oil in yer feathas!” His ears wobbled as his pointy features took on a flushed expression. “Erm... I swears t'ain't meant as no 'bird-brained' joke or nothin', sheilah, just pointin' out the fact that dealin' with the Blob ain't exactly in your Penumbral repertoire—!”

“Do not worry so much about what words you chose,” Seraphimus droned. “There is nothing a creature like you could possibly say or do that would remotely hurt me.”

Jacko blinked at that. “...fair suck of the sav!” He ran a gnarled hand through the hair that he didn't have. “If ol' Jacko had a streep for everytime someone said that to him... well... I'd have one streep forevah clingin' to me name! Heheheh...”

“Let's just cut to the chase.” Seraphimus squinted down at him. “After you get the varnish from Chrome Blood—”

“Then... erm...” Jacko fidgeted slightly in his stride, looking forward. “We will have to slosh on bleakwards, up the stream. About the time the slime fades from the drink, we will be in Bone Blood territory. Roundabouts is a ferry station by the name of Bonahtown. Theah, I gotta turn in a delivery of salamandah skins in order to seal the deal between the Fur-Bloodahs and the Bone-Bloodahs. Thet oughta win me the streeps I need to pay for passage into the rest of the bleak drinks...”

“...and then?”

“Then!” Jacko beamed. “It's on our way to Tallywackah! Home to the rest of the Tail-Bloodahs! Like me! Reeeal deep in the bleaks, Tallywackah. A tad bit remote, perhaps. But eet's a dayum good trade-o town with lots of drinkies leading every which wheah!”

Seraphimus raised an eyecrest. “You plan to... lead me out into the middle of nowhere?”

“Oi!” Jacko's teeth flashed as his face showed the barest hint of a frown. “Tallywackah ain't just the crust of Woop-Woop, y'know! The drink streams runnin' through it really do lead everywheah! Includin' to the Blob! Only... we'll be crossin' it with less slime undah our feet! Er... talons... paws... whatevah it ees you might be sportin', pretty bird.”

“So you mean—in the end—it's less distance to cross over the ocean?”

“Too right!” Jacko nodded, smirking. “And we won't be crossin' over the beatin' heart of the Blob, sheilah. Heh... oh nar...” He shook his head. “Only big bloomin' dihmah cruisahs bother weeth makin' that kind of a trek. They got the varnish for it, aye? Plus—them tomato sauces have theemselves a big ol' dihmah town in the middle of the slimy drink. No gobbo's evah been theah. Hrmmff... doubt any gobbo would evah wanna set foot on such an island. Nope. Not even for all the cindahs of Peetra.”

“Just how do you normally scale the Blob?”

“Like all gobbo's!” Jacko charaded a “circle” with a claw. “Up the coast! Roundabout-like! Bettah for tradin', aye? Lots of gobbo towns blanket the slime-line, seein' as how the Blob-beat drives off most of the big crittahs back into the brinks. Theah's less for change-o's to prey on the closer one geets to the ocean. Plus, the bats-o's dun cotton to crossin' the slime for fear of their fanged lives...”

“Sounds like imp society depends on the Blob.”

“Eh... it's an okay bloke...” Jacko squinted off towards the massive pink horizon. “Would stand it heaps bettah without the constant drum session. Heh...” He winked up at Seraphimus and resumed walking. “But—as in all things—horses for courses! Figured Penumbrans would get a kick outta thet phrase...!”

“Where... are we walking to?” Seraphimus asked, befuddled.

“Nowheahs!” Jacko flung his arms out. “Just walkin'! Makes the yabbin' a mite bit agreeable, aye?”

“Mrmffffghh...” Seraphimus struggled desperately not to beak-palm.

“In all seriousness, sheilah. Ol' Jacko's simply been abidin' his time while them lazy Fur-Bloodahs bring his skiff back so he can geet back to business!”

“Uh huh...”

“It... erm...” Jacko squirmed a bit in the next few steps. “...it's not like Jacko was waitin' on anythang else. Deadset.”

“So, after...” Seraphimus grimaced—mostly because she was forced to pronounce the name outloud. “...after Tallywacker... we follow the coastline of the ocean towards Petra?”

“Right-o!” Jacko nodded.

“And once I'm there, I can win favor with the Queen by sharing tales of Penumbra.” Seraphimus cocked her head aside. “Due to the... potential revelations that my past observations might have on the expanded nature of Petra?”

“Eet's a regular shoe-in, love!” Jacko did a little pirouette and grinned up at her. “You've seen so much light! So much fire! So much flame!” He gestured wildly. “The world dan undah just has to be brimmin' with tongues of Peetra's flickah! We gobbo's have been flailin' in the dark for so dayum long! Yer bound to win hearts ovah with yer good oil! Thet's just the kind of fuel we need! The Metal Mum will see it! You'll be granted a new home! And ol' Jacko will surely be offered a seat back in the high spokes of Peetra!”

“Just... what got you booted out of there to begin with?”

“Uh uh uh—” He waggled a finger while winking. “You just focus on winnin' Queen Avril ovah! Let ol' Jacko worry about both the past and the future. We may be in thees togethah, Sheilah, but we's still separate.” He shrugged. “Just the way of the flickah's branches, aye?”

“Hmmmm...” Seraphimus paused to stand and fold her forelimbs. “Are we certain that my testimony of Penumbra will win your Queen's respect? Or just you?” A feathery eyecrest raised once again. “It seems to me that you're the one with a fixation for the other side of the plane.”

“Hey now...” Jacko pointed. “The Metal Mum's no figjam! Her head hangs the highest out of all of us! Real enlightened and bright-like, that noggin' of hers, and closest to Peetra's flame theah ees! She's bound to take a gleam to your words, sheilah!”

“But—”

“You just gotta have faith!” He stepped closer to the griffon, staring up at her from his short stance. “Ain't that the real reason you came to me, pretty bird?”

“... … ...”

“Look. Ol' Jacko ain't one to judge.” His smile was a dull one as he shrugged yet again. “I'm a Tail-Bloodah, mate. Ain't much lowah than wheah I stand. Somethin' tells me yer options for livin' have run out of clicks to tread if you find yerself strollin' up to me.”

“Even still...” Seraphimus breathed. “It's living.” A beat of silence. “When can I expect you to be ready with the skiff from the Fur Blooders?”

Jacko blinked. “Uh... sh-should be barely half-a-cycle, sheilah. You really... … … wanna set out on the drinks that quick?”

“Yes.” Seraphimus nodded. “I do.”

“What about yer mates—”

“You still have business to do with the Guilds of Leather and Chrome.” Seraphimus pointed nebulously into the crumbled depths of Blobstain. “I suggest you get to it.”

“Oh... well... alright, sheilah.” Jacko nodded. “Erm... when the moment comes, how shall I summon ya?”

“Don't bother. I shall find you.”

“... … …” Jacko cleared his throat. “N-no worries! Heh...” He scratched the back of his skull. “Dunno whether I should be excited or scared!”

“Doesn't matter.” Seraphimus turned and walked off briskly. “Consider this simply as a business deal. Nothing more.”

“You sure about that, love?”

She was already gone.

“Hmmfff...” Jacko smirked mildly to himself. He adjusted his vest before making for the headquarters of Fur Blood. “Cuttin' ties with mates? That's a cold... cold trade.” The goblin strolled off, sighing sadly. “Unless—of course—that flame melted ages ago...”

Seraphimus had barely taken a hundred steps. She passed an outcropping of collapsed mortar and heard a gruff voice sound off from behind:

“Should I tell her? Or are you gonna?”

The former Talon Commander scuffled to a stop, staring into the twilight above Blobstain. She took a long and contemplative breath. “And just what would I be telling her?”

“What else? That you intend to leave the party...”

Seraphimus turned around.

Logan stood, leaning against a crumbled wall of bricks. He was staring calmly at her. “...for real this time,” the stallion murmured. “Not that dorky emo stunt you pulled in the cave above Abaddon's city.”

Silence—save for the beat of the ocean.

Seraphimus strolled closer to him. There was no menace in her voice when she spoke—just a calm and patient tone. “How did you deduce it?”

“When the group came back from Lexxic's shindig, Rainbow Dash was there. Ariel was there. Wildcard was there.” Logan's eyes narrowed. “But you weren't.”

“Yes. And?” Seraphimus calmly shrugged. “Maybe I simply needed some time alone. It's not atypical of me.”

“I stopped pretending a long time ago that you were untouchable,” Logan said. “So could you be respectful enough to stop pretending that I'm as stupid as I am a fatass?” He stood evenly on all fours and faced her. “You witnessed something out there—among the bat ponies. Something that's changed you.” His lips pursed. “Or—if nothing else—it set you dead straight on something that's been cooking deep inside for a long... long time...”

Seraphimus looked at him. Eventually, her gaze wandered off. Her talons followed it, and soon the griffon was pacing thoughtfully in that tiny clearing between razed walls. Logan watched her the whole time, calm and poised. At last, one of them spoke. Her:

“Rainbow Dash's quest for the treasure within the Midnight Armory is folly,” Seraphimus declared. “I can already see its inevitable failure in motion. I don't see why I need to stay on board this... pathetic parade any longer. I'm getting off now.”

“Why?” Logan raised an eyebrow. “Because the mountain left to climb is so damnably steep? Rainbow's accomplished the impossible before. We... have accomplished the impossible before—”

“This is not about the obstacles that lie in her path!” Seraphimus' beak clicked. She turned to frown at the Heraldite. “This is about Rainbow Dash herself!”

“... … ...”

“She is deluded. Self-righteous. Maybe even senile—I'm not entirely sure...” Seraphimus frowned towards the earth. “But whatever lessons may have been forced upon her in Rohbredden... she hasn't truly learned them. Or—if she has—she has learned in all the wrong directions.”

“From what I understand,” Logan started. “She has chosen to work alongside Lexxic—for the good of both the soldiers and the matriarchs of the Dark Vigil.”

“Choosing is not enough to succeed in something,” Seraphimus said. “It's the laboring that matters. And Rainbow Dash doesn't have the muscle for it. Or the heart.”

“I'd say—out of all of us—Rainbow Dash's heart is the most pure—”

Seraphimus flashed Logan a sharp look. “That is she will fail.”

Logan stared. And listened.

“She is forcing herself to align that 'purity' with a heart of darkness,” Seraphimus said. “Lexxic too is a dreamer. A creature of passion. A stallion with high aspirations. But to reach those heights, he must climb a mountain of corpses. Rainbow Dash... simply has not grasped that yet. Or—if she has—she's chosen for the time being to ignore it.” She blew out the side of her beak, glaring towards the stars. “She thinks that her spirit friends will help her. Truth is—they're only a blanket she uses to wrap around herself... to shield herself from the cold kiss of reality... a reality she will soon be drowning in. At some point or another, her barriers will dissolve... and she will find herself drowning in the depths she has chosen. With no exit strategy. And when that time comes... everything will unravel. Her. Her friends. The Herald.” She fidgeted a bit before throwing him a pitiable glance. “You.”

“I will not abandon Rainbow Dash,” Logan said firmly. “The Austraeoh is defined as much by her mistakes as by her victories. What's one or a million more?”

“That attitude will be the end of you,” Seraphimus declared. “As it will be the end of the Dark Vigil.”

“You...” Logan trotted a little closer. The tone of his voice belied his calm curiosity. “...do not believe that she should be teaming up with Lexxic?”

“No. I do not.”

“She's only doing it with the sarosian elders' blessing—”

“They see her as a means to an end. As does Lexxic.” Seraphimus slowly shook her head. “But this is not a case where Rainbow Dash will salvage their culture by maintaining equilibrium. Because there is no equilibrium. With each day... night... cycle that passes by, Lexxic only grows more and more powerful. It is a... frightening momentum that has already reached peak velocity. Long before Rainbow Dash and the rest of us even arrived here. One way or another, Lexxic will gain complete and total control over the midnighters here on this side of the plane. And once he has absolute domination... he... will... not relinquish that grip.” Her beak clenched. “Whatever remains of the Dark Vigil—it will not return to Rainbow Dash's homeland as friends. Nor even as cousins. They will be something far darker than nightmares. Lexxic's future inheritors will make sure of that, provided that even a shred of his creed remains.”

“So... you truly... whole-heartily believe that Lexxic will be running the show in the end?” Logan asked. “At least where the Bloodwings are concerned?”

“Absolutely.”

“Well then...” Logan shrugged. “Maybe Rainbow's headed on the right path. If we buddy up with Lexxic—and he does make some sort of power play—then we can all side with him. Yeah, I know it means screwing over the matriarchs. But this is the fate of Urohringr we're talking about. I certainly won't sleep any less if Bloodwing society crashes and burns. Getting the Harmonic Prism is all that matters.”

Seraphimus nodded. “I would expect that sort of calculative planning from you. Perhaps Wildcard. Maybe even the wyvern. But Rainbow Dash?” She slowly, sadly shook her head. “She hasn't the strength and tenacity to be so cold and steadfast.”

Logan cocked his head to the side. “Even after the Quade? Frostknife? Bleak's Plummet?”

“Even after all of Verlaxion's trials that she endured,” Seraphimus declared. “The... Divine of Frost tested her ability to sacrifice an entire civilization for the sake of preserving a singular goal in the long-term.”

“Yeah? She passed that test, didn't she?”

“Did she?” Seraphimus was deadpan. “In the end, she spared me.”

“... … ...”

“She cannot hope to gain the Harmonic Prism... while sparing Lexxic.” Seraphimus breathed. “He is Rainbow Dash's ultimate obstacle on her journey. And the more she plans to humor his livelihood and authority, she only makes her own obstacle bigger.”

“Have you...” Logan chose his words carefully, just like his steps as he paced alongside Seraphimus. “...told Rainbow Dash about your feelings? Your objections?”

“Repeatedly,” Seraphimus stated. “She will not give heed.”

“You're sure?”

“Positive.”

“... … ...” Logan scratched at his stubbled chin. “Maybe... if I was to—”

“To what? You're just a loyal dog to her.” Seraphimus exhaled sharply. “Face it—you and the rest of the Herald are bench warmers at best. The only souls she's one hundred percent honest and complicit with are the ones whom none of us can actually see.” Seraphimus frowned. “She shares feelings, emotions, and strategies with outright ghosts while tossing nothing but breadcrumbs to the flesh and blood around her... those who still stand to lose both body and spirit. Just what kind of a leader is that?!?”

“One whom the the Herald has been preparing entire lifetimes for,” Logan declared firmly. “And we're not fixing to stop now.”

Seraphimus nodded. “How I pity the whole lot of you.” A sigh. “Yes—and I know that includes Ariel. Such... blind and unquestionable faith. I had that once. It was used against me—as was my family.”

“Don't confuse the Herald with Verlax's bullshit,” Logan grunted. “We're all in this for more than just negative coercion—”

“Oh please...” Seraphimus huffed. “As if you aren't just as deeply manipulated by an immortal.”

“Mortuana sacrificed as much as the rest of us,” Logan declared. “She shared in the faith of Austraeoh as much as myself, Flynn, or Wildcard—”

“And where did that get her?”

“... … ...”

“Faith—without questioning—is ignorance,” Seraphimus declared. “I've fallen very... very far from a hollow station to come to grips with that. I don't need to tell you how much it has cost you and those whom you care about—the same souls who have had to... t-tolerate the menace it's made out of me.” She swallowed. “Just think about it. If Rainbow Dash had done to me what she should do to Lexxic—back at the edge of the world—then Axan, your strongest ally, would still be around today. And the factions of the Trinary War might have presented far less of an obstacle to the Austraeoh's journey.”

Logan bit his lip.

“Don't even pretend to argue with me on that,” Seraphimus said coldly. “Some truths simply do not merit dispute.”

Logan sighed long and hard. He gave Seraphimus a tired look. “Just what... would you have Rainbow Dash do? If you were in charge of everything?”

“Simple.” Seraphimus stood tall and resolute. “I would have her invoke the power of being the 'Avatar of Luna' to its fullest degree. She should ally herself with the remaining female commanders of the Third Root—then spread her influence to the rest of the army until Lexxic himself was demoted.” She gestured. “Reinstate matriarchal authority over the military branches while winning the male fighting force with resources, luxuries, and—most of all—rights. Once the soldiers see that a higher power is affording them both respect and support, they'll turn away from a vagabond pretender like Lexxic. At the end of the day, sustenance and security speaks volume over struggle... no matter how passionate.”

“Don't you think that's... going against the grain a bit? At this point?” Logan squinted. “You yourself said that Lexxic's quest for power will ultimately succeed. So why fight it? At best, it all will... just implode.”

“Right now, it's the elders—and not Lexxic—who possess the shard of Endrax.”

“Yeah? Where?”

“None of us know. But Rainbow Dash can learn—if she warms herself up to the elders.”

“Isn't she trying to do that by following their directives with Lexxic?”

“She still has connections via Princess Luna's influence to exploit,” Seraphimus said. “She should bank on that. Hard. Then—once she finds herself within range of acquiring the shard of Endrax—”

“What, she should steal it?”

“Whatever it takes to gain a key—any key—to the Midnight Armory that Endrax's corpse has sealed off,” Seraphimus said. “The implosion of the Dark Vigil is going to happen one way or another. It's best that Rainbow accepts that and take from it what she can before it occurs. Because—if she sticks to Lexxic as she plans to—then the only way to remain true to his cause is to accept all of the death and mayhem it will bring.”

“That just might be the simplest path to victory,” Logan said.

“But not one that she will ultimately be willing to take, no more than she'd be willing to hear me out on my propositions concerning the matriarchs now.” Seraphimus swallowed. “She's settled for a seemingly safe path—down the middle. But... it's only safe for the time being.” She shook her head. “I do not believe that she will commit to either Lexxic or the matriarchs until it is too late. She's... still deluded enough to believe that she can corral the whole of the Dark Vigil that budded off the Equestrian civilization. Once it tears apart, it'll tear Rainbow Dash apart too. Along with the Herald.”

Logan leaned back, rubbing his scalp as he stared off in thought.

Seraphimus peered at him. “You do not believe me?”

“No, I believe you. Murder bird or not, you're a wise turkey. That much is certain.” Logan stood evenly with her. “Where we differ... is that I believe—even when everything goes to Hell—we will overcome. The Austraeoh... and the Herald.”

“... … ...”

“And that's why I gotta stick with her.”

“But... why?” Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes glazed over with confusion. “Why give your lives for a cause—a pony, even—if one day you stand to... give too much?”

“Because it's my life to give,” Logan said. “And that's reason enough.” He slowly shook his head. “I'm tellin' ya... it wasn't worth shit before word of the Austraeoh and the Herald came along.”

“A pity...” Seraphimus breathed. “I once believed in a cause. And if the Right Talon had crossed paths with you before any of that came to light, maybe your life could have been saved.”

“Not with the sort of torches you were carrying at the time.”

Silence.

“And so it is.” Seraphimus leaned back. “Well... for better or for worse... I do have a new lease on life. I tend to make the best out of it.”

“Doing what?”

“Living.”

Logan slowly nodded at that. “Fair enough. I've no beef with that.”

She raised a feathery eyecrest. “Truly?”

“Does that surprise you?”

“A little, yes...”

“I understand why you might think the Herald is a cult'n'shit... but tell me this...” He took a few steps towards her. “Would you expect a cult to just let you go?”

“Will you let me go?”

“The moment I realized that Rainbow Dash was hell-bent on sparing you, I was pissed out of my mind with anger. But that's because I was an asshole.” Logan shrugged. “Still am. But as time wore on, I saw the sense in it. You and the Herald aren't too different, really. All of us are bastards; we've done things to regret. But the whole point of being with the Herald is to move beyond that—to move beyond ourselves. If that's what you're planning to do now, then I wish you godspeed. Hell...” He snorted. “I may even be a little envious.”

“I see.” Seraphimus nodded. “Have you... contemplated the fact that you could join me?”

“No.”

“No? Not even once?”

“This is the Dark Side. My life is vexing enough as it is without eloping with some death chicken.” Logan waved nebulously across the dihmer town. “Besides... I've long chosen what do with my new lease.”

“Is she really worth it, though?” Seraphimus grimaced. “She's... so brusque. So impulsive.”

“Yeah—but she's got her eyes on the prize. And something ancient—something divine that was poured into this plane long before us ponies even galloped these fields—is empowering her. I know you can't see it, and that's fine... but Rainbow Dash puts jerkoffs like me on the straight and narrow.” Logan gulped, staring at some empty space between them. “I don't know about you, but that's enough to live and die by.”

Seraphimus gave the stallion a good long look. “You reached out to me and showed me respect and reason where others wouldn't for so long.” A breath. “I shall not forget that.”

“You wanna return the favor?”

“By all means.”

Logan gestured. “Be the one to tell her. Don't make the news come out of the muzzle of this fatass.”

Seraphimus was silent.

Logan's eyes narrowed. “She saved your life for this moment. Don't deprive either her or yourself of this. You both stand to learn from it.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. She scratched her head. She strolled left... then right... then resolved herself into a sitting position with a sigh.

“Well, okay...”

Her flank plopped down onto the torch-lit ground.

“So...” A gulp. “Uhm...” Another gulp, and finally she looked back at her. “...h-have you decided exactly where you're going to go?”

“My eyes are on Petra,” Seraphimus said. She stood before a hollow outcropping of rubble, gazing out across the slimy sea. “I have... facilitated transit to get there.”

“Isn't that... uh...” Rainbow squinted in the torchlight. “...that... imp metropolis that all the goblins have built somewhere across the Blob?”

“Indeed.”

“And... you're going to cross the whole friggin' ocean to get there?”

“More or less. The journey isn't quite as important as the destination.” Seraphimus huffed. “It could take days. It could take years. What matters...” She slowly turned to face the once-rainbow-rogue. “...is that they will be my days or years to spend.”

“I got it.” Rainbow cocked her head to the side. “But... why Petra?”

“Why not Petra?” Seraphimus' feathers ruffled in a random gust of wind. “From the sound of it things—it's the closest this forsaken plane has to a central hub of commerce, communication, and civilization as a whole.”

“Yeah—but according to what Kepler has learned from the Chome-Blooders, only imps are allowed in the upper branches of the place.” Rainbow blinked. “Imps—and some mysterious group of creatures named 'kobolds' who apparently provide security to the lofty communities.”

“Yes, and from what I've learned, the area beneath and surrounding Petra is likewise home to all sorts of Dark Side creatures.”

“It... doesn't exactly sound like a comforting neighborhood.”

“I'm not looking for comfort,” Seraphimus said. “I'm looking for purpose.”

“Which... y-you can no longer find among the Herald.”

“No.” Seraphimus slowly shook her head. “I cannot.”

“Look, Sera...” Rainbow Dash stood up and strolled closer. “I... I'm sorry about what went down in Honor Hold.”

“Rainbow...”

“We can still talk this out, y'know? I'm not quite as thick-headed as you think! Let's—I dunno—sit down and have a long chat about—”

“Rainbow Dash, let it go,” Seraphimus said firmly. Her charcoal brown eyes focused on the mare. “Let me go. I assure you... I have no part to play in the grand scheme of Austraeoh, whatever it may be. I was—at best—an awful impediment. But that impediment was dealt with ages ago. Allow its shadow to make sense of itself. I promise you... she will find a home amidst all of this darkness. And she will do so enlightened... thanks to you.”

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash blinked “...this really isn't the same as that stunt you pulled back above Abaddon's place, is it?”

“Hrmmmfff...” Seraphimus breathed out in short, repeated bursts. “It is not. Funny—Logan also voiced the same statement.”

“Heh...” Rainbow put on a bittersweet smirk. “Funny—that after all these months, that's the closest I've gotten you to laugh.”

“You give yourself too much credit.”

“Yeah. I suppose I do.” Rainbow Dash's ears drooped slightly as she looked Seraphimus over. “Y'know... with what we'll be up against—Lexxic and the Bloodwings and all—I could really... really use someone as strong and wise as you.”

“No. You couldn't.” Seraphimus exhaled. “Where you're headed, Rainbow Dash—your own tenacity will have to do.”

Rainbow bit her lip. “...why do I feel like I'm to blame for this? Someway, somehow, I've lost whatever faith you have left in me.”

“It was never about faith,” Seraphimus said. “It was about reality—and a sobering dose at that.”

“I... don't think I understand.”

“You never had to understand. You simply had to be,” Seraphimus stated in a cold tone. “The only understanding to be had was mine: that you were and forever are a force I simply cannot overcome. Not back in Braum or Steamfall or Starkiss... and certainly not here. Where you serve as the world's only colors.” She slowly shook her head. “I cannot fight you, Rainbow Dash. You and I may both think it ended at Bleak's Plummet, but it ends here.”

“You make it sound so sad and pathetic...” Rainbow Dash grimaced. “Like that's all we were ever meant for. To butt heads.”

“I wouldn't feel too badly about it,” Seraphimus said. “Ultimately—I see myself doing what you always wanted.”

Rainbow Dash breathed warmly. “You're setting out on that new life. You're free.”

“I've only lived under the shadow of Verlaxion's lies,” Seraphimus said. A shrug. “What's more darkness? If I don't owe it to you, then I owe it to myself to make sense out of what I now have.” A shudder. “And I owe it to Axan.”

“Sera...” Rainbow raised a hoof. “What Axan did—for you and the Herald—”

Seraphimus stopped the petite pegasus in her tracks. “You live with your guilt, Rainbow Dash. Allow me to live with mine.”

“... … ...”

“I assure you. There is a shore waiting beyond it all. There has to be.” Seraphimus wandered over to where a meager allotment of possessions had already been gathered into a thick pack. “I will never fully... truly understand you, so I shall choose to believe that such faith is our common ground. Perhaps it will preserve whatever remains of our mutual sanity.”

“We... uh...” Rainbow Dash looked around at the fringes of the Herald's camp. “We can supply you with all you need.”

“What I need lies ahead of me, I'm sure,” Seraphimus declared. “But I will be nonetheless grateful for whatever you're willing to donate. Much thanks, Rainbow Dash. Goddess knows how far I can trust the promises of the goblins who are ferrying me to my destination.”

“I keep catching glances of you chatting with one particular dude since we arrived here,” Rainbow stated. “Does he even have a name?”

“He does indeed. Jacko of Tail Blood.”

“And...” Rainbow's brow furrowed. “...do you think he's going to be trouble for you?”

“Not even a fraction of the trouble I stand to be for him.”

“Then—why bother? I bet you could hoof it to Petra on your lonesome if you wanted.”

“Contrary to what seems most obvious...” Seraphimus paused in packing to squint at Rainbow across the way. “...I do not intend to spend the rest of my life in the darkness alone.”

“... … ...what's that supposed to mean, exactly?”

“I'll leave that to your boundless curiosity. Who knows—you'll likely need some whimsy in the spare moments you aren't murdering and pillaging for Lexxic.”

“I don't plan to be murdering and pillaging for Lexxic.”

“Right. So I hope you remember this moment when you eventually do.”

“... … ...”

Seraphimus slung the pack over her haunches—if only to test the weight. She noticed Rainbow Dash staring at her, so eventually she huffed: “Is that quite all?”

“Mmmm... no. But...”

“But what?”

“It's... quite stupid.”

“Well, you are you.” Seraphimus cocked her avian head curiously aside. “Speak up.”

“... … ...I don't suppose you'd be down for a hug?”

Seraphimus snorted. “I haven't tried to murder you since the gondola, Rainbow Dash.” She brushed past her. “Let's not break the streak, shall we?”

Rainbow turned to face her. “At least let the others say good bye.”

“They do not want to say anything to me.”

“Yeah they do.”

Seraphimus groaned audibly, her entire body sagging.

Rainbow smirked. “Consider this the last favor I ever ask you.”

Seraphimus looked over her shoulder. “The last favor?” Her tone belied deliciousness.

“You wanna pass that up?”

“... … ...”

“A most unexpected turrn of events, assurredly... alas...” Kepler marched up to the stately griffon. “...somehow inevitable when examined in a solemn light. Ach!” He reached a claw out towards the former Talon Commander. “I bid thee a fairr and most enlightening sojourrn, Serraphimus of Rrohbrredden! May life—howeverr bleak—prrove most prrovidencial forr yourr futurre out therre.”

Seraphimus hesitated. Ultimately—with grace and dignity—she reached a talon out and gently shook Kepler's hand.

“The same to you, Kepler.” She cleared her throat. “I... whole-heartily regret whatever part I may have played in the political machinations that almost brought about the genocide of your flesh and kin in the north.”

Kepler blinked hard through his spectacles. “I... do suppose that is the most sincerre statement I have everr hearrd frrom yourr beak, frr-frriend!” A delicate clearing of the throat, and he bowed honorably. “I shall cherrish it.”

Shifting awkwardly, Seraphimus nevertheless mimicked his gesture. She shuffled down the impromptu line, finding herself staring face-to-face with a balding stallion.

“Flynn.”

He nodded back. “Seraphimus.”

“We... did not exactly speak much.”

“No. Most of it was cursing and screaming and spitting. But hey.” Flynn shrugged. “You saved our necks a few times back then. So you weren't all that useless.”

“You brunt words shall forever remain refreshing amid such a sycophantic poetry club.” Seraphimus looked at Rainbow Dash, then back at Flynn. She leaned in and spoke in a quiet tone: “As for usefulness... you must not sell yourself so short. This entire group depends on you.”

“Pffft...” Flynn bore a wry smirk. “You think I don't know that? Rainbow and Big Show tell me all the time.”

“Yes. But coming from someone you loathe...” Seraphimus' charcoal eyes glinted. “...you will no longer have that luxury.”

“... … ...” Flynn's good eye blinked.

“I wish you the best fortune with your future projects.” Seraphimus leaned back. “This landscape won't have much in the way of resources to lend, but somehow... you will make do.”

“Uhm... thanks?”

Seraphimus merely walked past him. She stood across from Ariel.

“Is there anything?” Seraphimus droned.

“Was there ever?” Ariel droned back.

“Glad we could come to an agreement for once.”

“Earth-shattering.” Ariel smirked bitterly. “I know.”

“Be watchful among the Bloodwings,” Seraphimus said. “Tolerance and trust are two different things.”

“Meanwhile, you keep an eye on those imps over in Petra,” Ariel muttered. “Don't let them get the jump on you.”

“I'd warn you the same about Rainbow Dash, but we both know better.”

Ariel's ears drooped. “Buh?”

And Seraphimus moved on...

...to Logan.

“Polly want a cracker?” the stallion mused.

“Ever the charmer~”

“I think we've both said enough.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not.”

Logan shrugged. “Might never know.”

Seraphimus stood tall with a soft gaze. “I have faith your daughter has long found peace, Logan. It's high time that you found your own.”

Flynn glanced over at Logan up hearing that.

Logan was deadpan. “You know me. Where I go—peace takes a huge shit.”

“Maybe it's precisely what the Austraeoh will need when fate determines.”

Logan took a contemplative breath before finally saying: “Good luck out there, birdo. If there's any rotten bastards left in this world that's worth you murdering, make sure they deserve it.”

“Rest assured...” Seraphimus was already walking off. “...it will never be you.”

Logan looked on in silence. Flynn said nothing.

At long last, Seraphimus passed by Rainbow Dash. She gave her one steely-eyed look. “Rainbow.”

Rainbow gazed back. Silent.

A beat.

Seraphimus turned with her pack, spread her wings, and—

Fwooooosh!

—the Herald watched as she soared off in a silver streak towards the opposite end of Blobstain, where a goblin and his skiff lay in wait along the shore of the vast ocean.

“Hrmmfff...” Flynn exhaled, muttering: “Good riddance.”

“Brrotherr...” Kepler sighed. “A modicum of dignity, please.”

“I'm not here to mince words. She was dead weight from the start...” He shuffled off towards his equipment. “...let's face it. We're all better off.”

“Hey...” Ariel shrugged, also returning to some task or another. “...he said it first.”

With a sigh of defeat, Kepler strolled back to his alchemic projects.

This left Logan and Rainbow Dash standing alone, gazing off at Seraphimus' last seen location.

“One thing's bothering me,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Like... why isn't he even here...? He didn't say anything to me beforehand. Did he say anything to you?”

“Don't worry...” Logan gazed towards the ocean. “He's going to find her.”

“...?” Rainbow glanced from Logan to the slimy horizon.

Seraphimus landed from the brisk flight.

Jacko and his boat could be seen at a distance.

She marched towards the imp—but stopped upon feeling a flutter to her crestfeathers. She stopped in her tracks, then slowly turned around to face the stealthy arrival.

“I knew you couldn't do it in front of the others, Jordan.”

“... … …” Wildcard's glossy goggles reflected her cold visage.

She stared back doubly at herself as she continued: “Just like Keris—you always prided yourself on being apart from the rest. Only... you took it a great deal more literally than he ever did.”

Wildcard nodded. With swift talons, he signed to her.

“No, becoming a 'desperado' is not what changed things.” Seraphimus sighed. “Don't pretend that after all this time, you don't understand what a difference you've made. What a... wedge you've driven. Long before I knew the truth about Verlaxion.”

He cocked his head to the side. His talons sliced the air.

“Yes, but it's more than that.” She strolled slowly towards him, calm and collected. “With Keris—I valued his wisdom. I valued his intellect. And—frayed as it may have been—I also valued his loyalty. But you, Jordan...” Her claws scuffled to a stop. “I trusted you. Like a brother. And now... you and her...” Her voice caught in her throat.

Wildcard's beack was clenched. He didn't move a muscle.

“Whatever...” She sighed. “It's all in the past now. Like so many other things. But I wasn't the one who cut the other off first. Remember that.” Her hawkeyes narrowed. “This... oath of silence... this promise that has somehow long-overwritten your pledge to me...” She shook her head. “I don't think she understands how important it is. Hell, I don't. But... don't pretend for a second that she ever will... … … unless somehow you reach out and make it known to her.”

“... … ...”

“Promise—if not to me, then promise to her or to yourself—that you will cross that gap, Jordan. If you appreciate her... like truly... honestly appreciate her... enough that you stuck to her longer than your ill-fated 'Bard' friend on the other side...” Seraphimus exhaled. “Then you break this silence someday. If there's hope still remaining in this world, then it's a hope that you of all souls are holding out for. And Rainbow will need that light in her life before the dominoes she's already pushed fall on top of her and her Herald. Or else—you'll have nothing left yourself.”

“... … ...”

“Good bye, Jordan. But, then again...” She turned and marched towards the shore. “...we said our good-bye's long ago without saying them...”

“... … ..” He watched her in silence. His talon clung tight to the collapsed bo-staff in his possession, as if it was the only thing keeping the griffon from following after her, or retreating. Wildcard remained alone and powerless as Seraphimus and Jacko pushed off on the skiff, and soon the drumbeat of a chaotic world filled the lonely gap that draped him.

For passage over a body of pink slime filled with grotesque eyeballs and alien percussion...

...the cruise over the Blob was a remarkably smooth one. Seraphimus found herself staring at her glossy reflection in the slick surface of the bubbling material. It felt just like being ferried across a lake in one of the southern prefectures. She had to resist the temptation of dipping a talon into the viscous solution.

The knowledge that it was only freedom—and not logic—preventing her was strangely sobering...

“You alright theah, pretty bird?” Jacko sat a few spaces ahead of her in the slender boat. He slowly and casually rowed a pair of varnished oars. Canvas packs full of trade goods were packed into the skiff on either side of him. “All business done with back with yer old mates?”

“Yes,” Seraphimus' voice drifted amidst the drumbeat. She could feel it resonating through every bone in her body, and yet everything was numb. “It is finished.”

“Then why yer feathahs so droopy, as?”

“... … …?” Seraphimus squinted at him.

“Heheheh...” Jacko freed a hand just long enough to give a clawed thumb's up. “Dun you worry none, sheilah. Yer secret's safe with ol' Jacko.”

“There are no secrets,” she said firmly. “Not anymore.”

“The Metal Mum will be pleased at that~”

“Mrmmfff... just row the boat.”

“Aye! Yer wish is my command, love!” And Jacko pushed the boat along, skimming the shore in a brisk glide.

Seraphimus stared at the stars looming beyond the bleaks. As Blobstain faded in the distance, she closed her eyes with a meditative breath.

When her eyes reopened, Rainbow Dash saw the ghostly bodies of her friends huddled at the full length of their anchorage. They all stared as one at the pink ocean beyond, to where Seraphimus was last seen.

“Are they moving along peacefully, Fluttershy?” Rainbow eventually asked. “Can you... at least sense that they're safe?”

The group shook—startled from their contemplative gaze. Fluttershy threw Rainbow a pensive glance. “Uhm... yes, they're safe, Rainbow...” She rubbed her forelimbs together. “But... uhm...”

“What?”

“I... think what Fluttershy is tryin' to say...” Applejack lowered her hat and fiddled with it before her ghostly chest. “...erm... how can I put this delicately...”

Pinkie Pie's gasping face exploded in front of Rainbow's gaze. “Have you gone nuts, Dashie?!?” She barked, pointing wildly at the ocean beyond. “How can you just let Sera leave like that?!”

“We all know you value her freedom and peace of mind, darling...” Rarity drifted closer, looking no less troubled. “But... honestly... couldn't you have convinced her to stay? We're in for quite a bit of struggle with the ruffians of the Dark Vigil. She would have proven most... exceptional in providing us strength, do you not think as much?”

“I do, Rarity,” Rainbow said with a calm nod where she sat on the outskirts of camp. “And—you're right—I could have convinced her to stay.”

“Then why didn't you, Rainbow?” Twilight Sparkle stammered. “I mean—don't get us wrong—we will agree to what you think is right... but... but—”

“When I spared her life at the gondola, I did it for many reasons. For one, it's what I knew Verlaxion would not have me do,” Rainbow Dash declared. “But far more importantly...” Her features toughened. “I knew it was the right thing to do.”

“... … ...” The mares all exchanged humble expressions.

“With Lexxic... with Faatail and the Bloodwings...” Rainbow Dash got up and trotted until she stood shoulder to shoulder with her give ghostly friends. “...I will somehow have to find the right thing to do. Just like with Sera... I won't know it until it happens. But it will happen. It's not my fault that she doesn't understand that yet.”

Rarity and Applejack exchanged glances.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie could only sigh sadly.

“Do you think she ever will?” Twilight asked. “Understand it, that is...?”

“Maybe we'll ask her sometime,” Rainbow said. At receiving a bunch of odd looks, she threw her friends a daredevilish smirk. “Lighten up, Twi. If things go right with the Dark Vigil—if they go the way they should go...” She gazed out across the endless ocean. “...then a day will come when we will see her again.”

Sometimes, There's No Ceremony

“Now—I know we've got a strictly untouchable reserve of moon stones being set aside in case shit should really hit the fan and we gotta blast our way out of a true pinch,” Flynn spoke. “Like way back there with the trolls.” His horn focused a beam of light on a singular strip of silver matter resting on an impromptu workbench at the Herald's camp. “But I think I can find a way to take tiny samples and make a concentrated mixture that will work wonders with Kepler's alchemy. Think... like... smoke bombs but with asphyxiating properties. Bursts of moon dust filtered into the lungs? Can't be a good thing.”

“... … ...” Logan listened but didn't listen. He squatted on a smattering of rubble with his broad axe propped up before him, sharpening it with a stone. Off in the distance, the grimy haze of central Blobstain lingered, with the ocean beating endlessly beyond. There was a dull gleam in his eyes—or a lack of one—as he gazed beyond his own work into the fuchsia basin that lay as an opaque barrier.

“I got Rainbow's permission to experiment on this one strip of moon-silver. I think I'm gonna make several leaps and bounds with this piece.” Flynn's mechanical eye lensed in and out as he sliced off more paper-thin layers of material and floated them into a translucent container atop the bench. “I can promise this: it'll go a hell of a lot better than Ariel's suggestion—which was to pass it off as sellable strips to the goblins. Heh. I swear, that mare runs on autopilot half the time.” Flynn blew slowly out the side of his muzzle. “Then again, don't we all...”

Silence.

Logan sharpened his axe in time with the distant rumbles of the ocean. He paused. Finally—

“Do you suppose she'll actually make it inside the goblin city?” Logan mused.

Flynn huffed, trying to focus squarely on his work. “Don't know. Don't care.”

Logan looked lethargically at him, eyebrow raised. “That's awfully dismissive, don't you think?”

“Big Show, she sabotaged the gondola, lost us Axan, and harassed us constantly with the way she dragged her talons,” Flynn grumbled. “Sometimes—I feel like I'm the only pony who remembers that. Me and Ariel, I suppose.”

“She also helped us out with escaping the wyrm and battling the trolls,” Logan droned. “Am I the only pony who remembers that?”

“Big Show, it—” Flynn huffed, calmed down, and closed his natural eye. “... … ...why are we even having this discussion? Yeah, sure, bad ponies come around. Bad griffons too. But does that mean I'm entitled to like them?” He turned and squinted at his best friend. “Or you for that matter. Why does Seraphimus continue to weigh on you so?”

“When we found our asses here on the Dark Side, I made a commitment to Rainbow Dash,” Logan declared. “I was gonna play bodyguard. I had a duty to protect the Austraeoh from the one creature destined to destroy her. And as the moonless night went on, I figured that the only natural thing to do was help Seraphimus come to her senses. Not just for our sake, but for hers as well.”

“Yeah? And?”

“And at the risk of tooting my own horn, that's about the only damned progress any of us have made since we came here,” Logan grunted.

“Pfft...” Flynn smirked bitterly. “Isn't that a bit short-sighted?”

“You tell me, dude.” Logan's tone didn't burn any hotter than that. He looked aside in an undeniable malaise. “The Austraeoh's whole schtick is to change the world for the better. Well... we reached out to one soul, and now she's gone away. Doesn't that just make the Dark Side... a little darker?”

Flynn opened his muzzle—but hesitated. He gazed thoughtfully at his friend. “Big Show...” An exhale, and he turned away from his workbench completely. “Logan...” He trotted over slowly, then rested a hoof on the larger stallion's fetlock. “I'm... truly sorry that you lost someone you've gotten so close to. Yes, I'm being pretty damn dismissive... but in doing that, I've dismissed you and all that you've done. I apologize for that.”

Logan merely shrugged.

Flynn continued: “I'm... even more sorry that... y'know... we haven't been there for you. That I haven't been there for you.” His good eye narrowed. “So that you had to take refuge with a friggin' murder turkey instead of the rest of your friends.”

“Hrmmmfff...” Logan snorted. “Don't be so hard on yourself—”

“No. No. I'm not hard on myself enough. It's true. We've kept our distance from you.” Flynn sighed, leaning back. “And from each other as a whole. Me?” He waved generally towards his bench. “I get really really invested in my work. It's my way of... coping with this crazy ass situation we've found ourselves in. I've been... so laser-focused on my own sanity that I selfishly forgotten about yours or Ariel's or Dubya's.”

“You're still there for us when we need you, Flynn.”

“Yeah, well, it's not enough. We could all aspire to be like Rainbow Dash. Just as you do.” Flynn looked squarely at Logan. “It's a tough climb. Fitting that you—the toughest of us all—would put your nose to the grindstone so diligently.”

“If only you had talked to her more. Ariel too. Just talked...” Logan returned to sharpening his blade. “...you'd have found qualities to appreciate.” Swipe after swipe. “Even dig.”

“... … ...” Flynn cocked his head aside. “You... sure that all of this is only about 'doing what Rainbow Dash' would do?”

“Yes,” Logan finally grunted, frowning. “I'm sure.”

“Because knowing Rainbow, and considering how well she gets along with Wildcard...” Flynn smirked slightly, waving a hoof. “If the Desperado was a Desperadette—”

“There's been no room for anyone after Sariah,” Logan hissed. “That was true then—and it'll be true forever.”

Flynn bit his lip, stepping back a bit. “I'm sorry.”

“It's fine, dude,” Logan exhaled with ease. “I'm not.” He swiped the stone against the blade again. “I just... came to find some commonalities with Seraphimus. A seasoning of the same aches and regret. A cold... slightly subdued sense of patience for all things falling down everywhere.” His nostrils flared. “And—no—I never once forgot about what happened at the World's Edge. That, for many reasons, is why...” A pause. “...she remained just that. A murder pigeon with whom I made... we made extraordinary progress.”

Silence.

Flynn gazed at his friend thoughtfully for a spell. He eventually spoke: “I'm guessing she'll make it to the outskirts.”

“Hmmm?” Logan looked over.

“Of the main goblin City,” Flynn said. He gestured: “Petri Dish or whatever it's called. I doubt they'll be taking griffons in anytime soon. But—knowing Sera—she'll scare a whole crapton of them imps and form a city of her own.”

“You don't say...”

“Yeah. New Frostknife or something. She'll make a tiny little Court of new tribes—imp ones. A tribe for each of the creatures we saw illustrated back in Darkreach. Plus the 'kobolds' I keep hearing about, whatever the Hell they are.”

“Now you're just being silly.”

“Am I?”

A beat.

Flynn continued: “I believe Seraphimus will be fine, Logan. How can she not? She had to deal with weeks... months of talking to you.” A smirk. “The rest of the Dark Side should be an easy glide, all things considered.”

“Hmmff...” Logan's muzzle curved ever so slightly. “You make a pretty good point.”

“My horn's gotta be good for something, every once in a while.”

“I... I cut you off earlier, dude.” Logan cleared his throat. “That was rude of me. You were trying to explain the new moonsilver concentration or something. So—like—what's up with that?”

Flynn opened his muzzle, paused, and ultimately said: “Who the buck cares about my tinkering, dude. I'll get done whatever I'm working on.” He leaned his head aside. “How about you, though?”

“Hmm? What about me?”

“Been... sleeping well at all?”

“... … ...” Logan shifted where he sat. “No. Not really.”

Flynn lowered his head with a concerned look. “Been dreaming about Luram?”

“... … … … ...yeah.”

Flynn squatted down beside him. “Wanna... talk about it?”

Logan looked aside. He was tired and haggard and all-around drained. But, nevertheless, he smiled.

Swoooooooosh!

Ariel glided down from a sharp height, landing upon a lofty mound of rubble along the Edgeside portion of Blobstain.

Within mere seconds—

Fwoooooosh! Wildcard landed a few meters away from her. It was less graceful of a landing, and his claws raked a bit at the mound, sending pebbles scattered.

“Hah!” Ariel smirked. “Beat ya!”

The Desperado merely huffed. He pulled out a parchment with hastily scribbled markings on it and gestured.

“Yup.” Ariel nodded back. “Sure do.” She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a similar sheet. “I flew at a crow's pace—from here to the Blob and back—and measured the whole time. It bears repeating to get a solid average, I'd say, but it's safe to guestimate that we've got about five kilometers between this point and the ocean. What about you? Did you get a good Alpha-to-Omega stretch count?”

Wildcard nodded, then gestured Ariel to trot close.

“Yeah, let's compare notes.”

She scooted up to the griffon. Both looked at their sheets side by side.

“Yeesh, you had a whole lot more work than I did.” Ariel whistled. “Twelve kilometers! I guess most of Blobstain really does just... cling to the slime.” She took both sheets and held them side by side in her hooves. “What are these markings? Here and here—in the center...?”

The Desperado talon-signed.

“Ah. So... I guess we could consider the portion in-between as 'downtown' Blobstain. Sooooo... five kilometers by three kilometers. That's roughly fifteen square kilometers. Guessing that puts...” She craned her neck towards the sprawling imp city down hill. “... … ...the Iron-Blood trade facility in the center. The one with all the smokestacks? That's who Kepler said owned the place, right?”

The griffon nodded.

“Cool. We've almost got the workings of a map down.” Ariel whipped out a pen and began sketching on both parchments, still holding them side by side. “Almost starting to feel like a home-away-from home. Stink and all. Heh...” She smirked at Wildcard. “Seems like we kinda sorta should have done this waaaaay back before we even left for the Tree of Mothers.”

Wildcard merely shrugged. He pointed at the town, then gestured.

“Good point.” Ariel's nostrils flared as she scribbled. “At least Darkstine didn't have its fair share of suicidal hobos. Y'know... sure... I get it... the Dihmers don't particular care for possessions and aspirations and statehood or whatcrap... but would it really kill them to at least build some better shelters over their bald heads?” A derpy blink, and she rolled those same eyes. “Okay—so maybe that's the point. They'll just dwell upon any misery that they can find. But at some point in the past ponies had the bright idea of erecting all of those now-crumbled buildings! What was so wrong with that, huh?”

Metal and flesh talons swiped in the twilight.

“Ugh. I do not want to be here that long.” Ariel tossed her mane back, staring out across the wasteland bordering Blobstain. “But—I guess if we had to spend enough time here... we could convince the imps that building a... uhm... community center would increase productivity of trade with the Dihmers. But... like... would we even be able to count on the ponies around here to come together on one singular project?”

Wildcard responded with a short swipe.

“Snkkkt—heeheeheee...!” Ariel covered her muzzle with a rosy smirk. “No. That won't work any better. I—for one—will not be registering at the 'brand new Blobstain Nightclub.'” She exhaled with a shudder, then gave the two sheets of parchment one lasting look. “That's... a good enough base to start with. A few more flyovers will let us mark the landmarks inside the borders. Then we can give the chart to Keps to make a decent quality map. Hell—the lil' guy will just eat that up. You know he will.”

With a nod, Wildcard took both sheets of paper and slid them into a pocket within his bandoleer. He flexed his wings, making to take off again.

“Don't you wanna take a break?” Ariel cocked her head aside. “You've been at this for over three hours.”

He responded with a pointed talon aimed at her.

The pegasus rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know. But—what's the rush?”

He responded with a blur of phrases, then approached the edge of the rubble—

“Jordan—for realsies.” Ariel rested a hoof on his feline haunches. “Just chill. Only for a bit. Save working yourself to the bone for when it really matters, huh?”

The Desperado exhaled sharply. He turned towards her with a blank stare, his goggles cold in how they reflected her worried expression.

Ariel bit her lip, but she held her ground. “Look... we all gave up so much to get here. A commitment to the Herald is a commitment for life. But—speaking for myself, at least—a lot of what's behind me is... really really behind me. Like... years gone.” She gulped, then slowly shook her head. “Nobody was ever expected to give up two close friends in a span of months.”

A sigh. Wildcard slowly gestured a response.

“Heh... your speech skills aren't like your sneaking skills.” Ariel tiredly smirked. “Of course she meant something. Your oath of silence wouldn't be much of an 'oath' if it weren't for who or what you once pledged your loyalty to.”

He gave a dismissive wave, then signal'd a few other words.

“No.” She looked down sadly. “I... I-I guess I don't.”

He turned once again towards central Blobstain. His wings spread...

...only for Ariel to reach in from behind and hug him. Dearly. The two were anchored there, and her voice fell over the pair like a blanket.

“Just... just chill for a bit, alright? If not for yourself, then for me.”

“... … ...” Wildcard was still as stone.

“It's... … ...so difficult just knowing if you're okay, Jordan.” Ariel sniffled slightly, but suppressed it. She hugged the Desperado tighter as she gazed into the twilight, eyes misty. “Maybe... just for a little while... we can both pr-pretend, huh? Would that be good enough?”

Upon hearing that, the griffon's muscles relaxed slightly. He reached a metal hand around and patted her hoof, relenting to the embrace.

She sighed with mild relief, closing her wet eyes and gently nuzzling him. The two remained there on that hilltop for a decent length of time. The map wouldn't be finished for a while.

“Ah~ She's a beaut! Or—more accurately—half of one.” Plato of Chrome Blood smiled over his shoulder and across the cramped lengths of his office. The interior of the trade guild's head quarters was considerably less grandiose than those of the Smelt-Blooders. The miniature manifestation of Petra along the wall, however, was just as elaborate if not more so than Kirbo's. The spokesgoblin for the Chrome guild was attaching a fresh new metal spoke to the branches and twisting the bulb at the end to fully fasten—all the while speaking: “Reckon we're makin' good progress on her. T'ain't simple braggin' or nothin'. That varnish yer mates brought us was Grade-A Frostbeams. Feels like coatin' leathah in lake watah. In short, we should have the skiff done ahead of schedule. Then yous cobbahs can do whatevah ya want across all the bleaks of the Blob.”

“Sooo...” Rainbow Dash stood shoulder to shoulder with Kepler, fidgeting slightly. “...that's it, then?”

Plato turned around to blink curiously at her. “What, sheilah? You expectin' streeps to come flyin' out of me gizzard too?” He chuckled good-naturedly. “Yer gettin' yer boat soonah than expected, but we Chrome-bloodahs ain't no miracle workers. Thet sort of magic ees simply courtesy of yous mates and theah dihmah friend.”

“No no no... what I mean is... uhm...” Rainbow glanced at Kepler, then back at Plato. “I... I-I guess I was just expecting you to squeeze us for more strips or favors or something.” She cleared her throat. “Not gonna lie. I find all of this... … … generosity and civility to be very surprising.”

“What?” Plato's teeth showed as his eyes narrowed. “You expect all imps to be mindless, streep-robbin', greedy malcontents?” A beat. “Because you'd be right!” He laughed, turned, and gave the bulb at the end of the metal spoke a flick.

The elaborate diorama gained a brand new luminescent branch.

Plato whistled at himself with a smile, then shuffled back towards his desk. “Ehhhhhhhh-yeahhhh... Blobstain's a big ol' bucket of exploitation and misery.” The imp leaned his back against the furniture and folded his arms as he peered at the two Penumbrans. “But doesn't mean you can't do thangs a tad beet differently, aye? Peetra's flame gonna manifest on ingenuity as much as progress. Ya ask me—the Smelt and Steel and Iron trade-o's are profitin' enough as it ees.” He gave his silver necklace a slight twirl as his eyes narrowed. “I care about streeps as much as the next gobbo, but that dun account for the varnish we gained the other day. Some things take trust... faith... and simple honest-to-cindahs respect.”

“You've reached out to the dihmers around here...” Rainbow Dash declared. “As personally as you an afford to—for deals?”

“Ehhhh... only the ones who show a knack for lookin' past theah own ennui,” Plato said. “Those are the ones that most of the othah horsies pay no attention to. Cuz they break the dihmah mold, ya see.” He smiled slightly. “Ingenuity comes from outsidahs on the inside. Take you for example...”

“Me?”

“Too right, sheilah! Now you and yer friends supposedly hail from Penumbra—but you've got the heart of a flame kindlah. Smell the cindahs on you, I do. Figure yer mates and I work so well togethah cuz we flickah the same. We treat othahs like operatahs of a machine, instead of the actual cogs and spokes themselves. Ya see, this mattahs in the long run, cuz the world's the biggest machine theah ees.”

Rainbow took a long breath. “You have no idea how right you are...”

Plato was shrugging. “Which is why I hold no misgivin's ovah you workin' consistently with the Smelt-Bloodahs, despite the fact that theah a bunch of greedy yabbos. Not to mention our biggest rivals. Heh.”

“The skiff is just one piece of the puzzle,” Kepler interjected. “We arre endeavorring to crross the full length of the Blob in the event that we need to put this porrtion of the worrld behind us. Yourr frriendly apprroach to individual denizens of Blobstain is most laudable, but the Smelt-Blooderrs arre so deeply entrrenched in dihmerr trrade, and they may be ourr only way to make use of this town's larrgest porrt—”

Plato waved his clawed hands. “Ya dun need to excuse yerselves or nothin', mate! Trust me. I know what it's all about, and I'd be doin' the same in your place.”

“Do you intend to be bigger than Smelt-Blood in this town someday?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Well, competition's the name of the game, love,” Plato said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Me trade-o mates would be sorely disappointed if we dun give it our all.” He blew out the side of his mouth. “Even if—yes—that means we might someday become as big and greedy as them someday.”

“Heaven forrbid!” Kepler rumbled.

“Hah!” Plato merely smirked. “Thet's the big conundrum, ain't it? Soon as ya burn the brightest, you can't appreciate all the tiny little lights and theah colors.” He gazed once more at the glowing diorama welded to the wall behind his desk. “I trust Peetra's flame with me life, but damned if it isn't just a big ol' meltin' cycle, the longah you take it all in. That's why we have the Metal Mum—and those before and after her. Gotta put a center to the spin, aye? But one day—we gobbo's believe—Peetra's flame will be somethin' we all live in. Somethin' that's been taken away from us ages ago. Ya see... in the end... the profit belongs to all imps. That's why it's important to treat each other as mates, ya reckon?”

“The golden rrule,” Kepler stated.

“Aye. A shiny one, no doubt.” He tipped an invisible hat and winked. “That's why I'm propah stoked to get yous and yer mates wherevah you need to go. Or—at least—play my part.”

Rainbow Dash slowly nodded. “Plato, you're a very awesome and respectable soul.” A pause. She cleared her throat. “Which is why I think you deserve for me to be as honest with you as you've been with me.” She trotted a bit closer to the imp, gazing at eye level with the goblin. “... … ...I am working closely with the Bloodwings... with the goal of establishing an alliance with them against the other members of the Trinary War.”

Kepler's spectacled eyes glanced at Rainbow, then back at Plato.

Rainbow continued: “They already know that my friends and I are camped out here in Blobstain. But they are working in tandem—both the elders of the Tree of Mothers and the soldiers of the field—to let me accompany their ranks. My ultimate goal is to... breach the Midnight Armory—or the Sarcophagus of Ages—before the Night Shard or the changelings of Tchern. It's a long and arduous journey, but I believe I might be making some headway. But—in case I don't—it would be really really nice to have a backup escape plan... one that involves using this nearby ocean to our advantage. And—if things do go our way, who knows? This boat could help us make new friends, allies, and connections with both dihmers and imps as we endeavor to secure the Sarcophagus.”

Plato scratched his chin in thought. His pointed ears twitched after listening to all of that. “That is... a most fascinating bucket of info, sheilah. I'm rapt that you would share eet with me.”

“Uh huh.” Rainbow arched an eyebrow. “Do you believe it?”

“Hah!” Plato's teeth showed through a laugh. “Yer mates have already proved theah crazy enough to accomplish the impossible and fetch us some lovely varnish. What more do you need to prove.” He nevertheless cleared his throat. “But I reckon I like this revelation all the same. Gotta say, love, not all gobb-o's would be pleased to heah eet.”

“Because... the Bloodwings are a threat to Blobstain?”

“Eh... not to Blobstain exactly. Ain't nothin' of much value to them bat-so's heah. But plenty of trade-o's have cousins sittin' out theah in the bleaks. They've seen no end of trouble from the flyin' glue sticks.” Plato instantly winced. He waved a hand. “Erm... a thousand pardons, Sheilah. Force of habit—and a dirty one at that.”

Rainbow nodded. “It's quite alright. What do the Bloodwings do to goblins way out in... uhm... the bleaks?”

“Nothin' that them crazy drongo's didn't ask for, I'll tell ya that much.”

“Huh?”

“It's a bloody bad idea tryin' to stoke the flames thet far out in the nothingness in the first place!” Plato cackled. “But some guildies are just crazy as cockroaches, ya heah? They wanna make new imp cities wheah the 'cindahs will burn brightest!' Just mad-speak, if ya ask me. They only become prey to change-o's and shard-o's and—yes—even bat-so's. Or... worst of all... they give in to the bleakness and turn into trolls.”

“That... c-can happen?” Rainbow sputtered.

“Haven't seen eet myself. Dun care to. But—back to the mattah at claw—I can't say I would so easily dismiss all them migratory blokes.” Plato gestured. “Some of them have managed to make trade-o friends with the bat horses. They rake in profit for imps all across the plane—includin' a few of our neighbors heah in Blobstain. Now, every once in a while, word comes in that the bat-so's abandoned them durin' an invasion of change-o's, or sacrificed their souls to shard-o's. And each time that happens, the overall imp-pinion of ponies sours more and more. So... bright'n'right that you told me, and not othahs, ya reckon?”

Rainbow nodded. “I got it. And thanks for the heads up. I'll... be on the lookout.”

“For what? Imps heah in Blobstain or out theah in the bleaks with yer bat-so mates?”

“Both!”

“Heheheheh...” Plato saluted. “Gotta admire a horse who stays the course.” He stood up straight from the desk. “Any other questions, love? I'd say we started out on a pretty good foot—or hoof, if yer countin'.”

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck. She thought, hummed, then eventually cracked her voice: “Actually... there is one more question.”

“Well, I'm all ears.” Plato folded his arms and chuckled. “And then some.”

“One of... my friends has elected to leave the party...”

“Is that so?”

“The how and why is not important. It's her life to live. I'm... happy for her.” Rainbow cleared her throat. “The reason I bring it up is that she ultimately chose to take off with an imp from around these parts. I only really know him by name.”

“Well, let's heah it.”

“Jacko.” Rainbow looked up. “Jacko of... Tit Blood?”

“Tail Blood.”

“Er... right. That.” Rainbow blushed.

“Ach...” Kepler leaned towards Plato. “So you know him?”

“Hell, of course I do.” Plato chuckled breathily. “Every gobb-o heah in Blobstain knows about ol' Jacko. Why, he's a regular household name.”

“A good name, we hope,” Kepler remarked.

“One that's typically mentioned in laughing, I'm afraid,” Plato declared. “Most gobb-o's would tell you that Jacko is a joke. A delusional punchline of an imp, and a poor one at that. Always thin on streeps, and yet overflowin' with tall tales and furphy.”

“And what would you say about him?” Rainbow asked.

“Thet...” Plato sighed, scratching the back of his head. “...thet he's a poor unfortunate soul who's lost grip of most of his cindahs.” He gulped. “Many gobbo's who have spoken to ol' Jacko recalls that he always says one thang off the bat: he used to live in the upper branches of Peetra.”

“Petra the city?”

“Too right.” Plato nodded. “On the loftiest spokes, accordin' to the bloke. He'd negotiate caravan deals that stretched all across the bleaks—even to the brinks. He supposedly brushed elbows with the Metal Mum herself. But then—one day—he made a bad deal or pushed the wrong buttons. Theah was a vote, and in the end blessed Avril had him kicked out. Now... he's a Tail-Bloodah.”

“A... Tail Blooder...” Rainbow squinted. “Doesn't exactly sound very important.”

Plato looked at her directly. “No imp evah climbs the guildie branches, love. They eithah float sideways or fall down to wheah the flame is dim. That's why it helps to continue wheah the cindahs spat you out at birth.”

“That seems... remarkably cruel,” Rainbow sputtered.

“Ain't exactly up to us to fiddle with the rules,” Plato said in a breathy tone. “Only mind them. Things could change, of course... but...” A bittersweet chuckle. “I'm no Mum and I ain't made'o'Metal. So t'ain't up to me.”

“I would venturre to say you've functioned admirrably, despite the fact,” Kepler declared.

“Thanks heaps.” Plato adjusted his vest. “I do try~”

“So, in the end, Jacko is... a fallen goblin,” Rainbow stated. “And my friend has gotten herself in league with... a vagabond?”

“Ehhh... I wouldn't be so harsh on ol' Jacko. I smell cindahs comin' from him, even if the rest of the imps dun see it. Just... he ain't exactly fetchin' to earn much in the way of streeps—as of late. So if yer departin' mate ees fixin' to ascend anywheah in gobb-o trade, he ain't exactly the one to assist her.”

“She said that she was wanting to get into Petra,” Rainbow stated. “I'm guessing she expects Jacko to help her, and maybe vice versa.” She gulped, staring off with a worried expression. “I had an inkling of hope... but now I'm not sure if she's ever going to find a home there.”

“Well, hopefully she'll be fixin' to find a home whereveah she finds herself. Maybe she could help Jacko do the same—that's what's really plaguin' him, I think. But...” Plato strolled across the office. “...who knows. Maybe they both will get back into the Metal Mum's city.”

“But... it sounds so crazy...”

“So does strikin' a bargain with the bats-o's in hopes of endin' this damnable war.”

Rainbow blinked.

Plato stood in front of her, then gently grasped her fetlock in two clawed hands. He stared eye-to-eye with the petite pegasus. “We are the guardians of the cindahs, mate. Theah's a light brightah than everything, and we gotta do all we can to keep thangs glowin' until we get theah.” He smirked. “No mattah how wack-o, aye?”

Later...

Rainbow Dash and Kepler strolled casually out of the crude metal headquarters to Chrome Blood. They passed by a train of meditating dihmers and a few goblins pulling wagons.

As the decrepit street opened to them, they walked at a slow pace, breathing in time with the beats of the slimy ocean beyond.

“Nice imp~” Rainbow mused.

“Affirrmative.” Kepler nodded. His scorpion tail curled, uncurled, curled. “As I keep telling ourr frriends, therre is hope yet to be found on the Darrk Side. You just have to be patient and look for it.”

“I'm a bit jealous... in a way...”

Kepler gazed aside, adjusting his spectacles to study her. “Why is that, Rrainbow?”

“Over the last few days, I've been flying to the Tree of Mothers and back,” Rainbow remarked. “My hours have been filled with arrogant elders, preachy warmongerers, and a heck of a lot of craziness and bloodlust in between.” She slowly shook her head. “I haven't gotten to... sit back and chill here in Blobstain—long enough to reap the benefits of patience.”

“Hah-HAH!” Kepler smiled through his tusks. “We haven't entirely been 'chilling, my frriend.”

“Even still... I kinda feel like I've robbed myself of something.”

“You have been tackling ourr most imporrtant expenditurre yet~” Kepler stated. “And—surrely—you can apply the same hope and belief to our soon-to-be-allies among the Bloodwings.”

“I... guess I have to...” Rainbow tongued the inside of her muzzle. “But it's a thick... thick curtain to look through at all times.” She gulped. “And I'm scared that I still haven't seen all the horrors hiding behind it, much less stuff to hope for.”

“Still, it's prrogrress all the same, yes?”

“With Mistress Faatail, Nat'rdo... most certainly.” Rainbow fidgeted in mid-trot. “With Lexxic, though...?”

“He hasn't slain you, has he?”

“... … ...” Rainbow sighed. “No. And... I've certainly given him reason to.”

“I would venturre to say that that's prrogrress enough!” Kepler smirked. “Now—as for the elderrs—”

“I still can't get over whether or not they actually believe in being on the level with Lexxic, or if they're just using me as they're... supposedly using Lyw'Malaak of the Third Root.” A blink. “I mean—I totally trust Faatail and Nat'rdo. They seem like honest and sincere ponies. But the rest of the High Polished?” She shuddered. “I don't think they truly speak for them... as much as they would like to.”

“Ach... it seems a most delicate situation.”

“It is, Keps. It is.”

“If I may rrisk stating something brrash... … …perrhaps even tantamount to boastful...”

“Pfft... coming from you?” Rainbow Dash smirked aside at the wyvern. “Now this I was born to hear.”

He cleared his throat. “Perrhaps it would be genuinely helpful to brring me along forr yourr next rendezvous.”

“You mean... have you in the party for when we meet up with Lexxic and company again?”

“I cannot prromise to be a fitting rreplacement forr Serraphimus,” Kepler said. “But I might be able to connect with the goverrnorrs and lorre-keeperrs who arre... at least moderrately invested in rrelating to the Avatarr of Luna.”

“I'm... not sure how that would even work, Keps,” Rainbow stated. “To get anywhere near the high polished, you gotta be the highest caste and—most importantly—a girl. And, no offense, but I don't think you're quite cut out for that.” She shivered, teeth clenched. “Literally.”

He smiled through his tusks. “My species is asexual. Cerrtainly that could land in a grray arrea, yes?”

“... … …” Rainbow Dash blinked at that. “Huh... when you put it like that...”

“The Bloodwings of the Darrk Vigil arre still sarrosians at hearrt. If I had a chance to study the Book of Sarros in-depth—orr at least an accessible trranscrript of it—then perrhaps I might be able to find philosophical loopholes and arrguments that could furrtherr supporrt yourr standing therre amidst the elderrs. Or even Lexxic!”

“That sounds... really really cool, Lexxic. Believe me—I wish I could take you up on that offer. But—”

“I would be forrced to rremain among the warrmongerrerrs, no matterr what.”

Rainbow shrugged. “That's besides the point. Truth is... I need you here, Keps.”

“Ach. To continue negotiating with the Smelt-Blooderrs...”

“And the dihmers and the Chrome-Blooders.” Rainbow motioned back at the distant building behind them. “We don't run into imps like Plato by pure coincidence. What you and the other dudes are doing here is really helping out, and I'd hate to change that.”

“I would give otherrs crredit forr Plato well before ascrribing any prrovidence to me...”

“Even still, it's working. And I need it to continue working. The backup plan needs to remain as what it is.”

“Affirrmative. I apprreciate yourr rreasoning, Rrainbow.”

“Don't mention it.”

“So... forr yourr rreturrn back to the Trree of Motherrs...”

“It'll be me, Jordan, and Ariel.” Rainbow took a deep breath. “The fastest. The swiftest. The most badass.”

“Arre you... concerrned that you might be utilizing one of those skills morreso than the otherr two?”

“I'd hope not, but it remains a possibility. That's why it's gotta be the three of us. I'd bring Logan, but... well... y'know.”

“Ach. Too trrue. Even on the Darrk Side, grravity taunts us.”

“Heh. Darn skippy. Heheheh...”

“Hah-HAH!”

As the two chuckled merrily with each other...

...a monotone voice bled in from the background, barely perceivable beneath the beats of the Blob. It took a few moments of patient repetition for either of the two to hear it. Rainbow held up a hoof, silencing Kepler and herself. She tilted her head up, ears twitching.

“...it negotiates...”

While the voice was a droning sound at best, it nevertheless sounded ever so slightly pleading. Almost as if it was an address.

“Ach! It Ages!” Kepler turned and bowed low with a tusked smile. “How felicitous to bearr witness to yourr enigmatic prresence once again!”

“Huh?” Rainbow's muzzle scrunched. What ages?” Kepler pointed with his scorpion tail. Rainbow turned around and did a double-take. “Whoah!” She hopped back a full two feet from a deadpan expression in her face. “Ho ho ho ho—hello there...~”

The dihmer mare with a stubby horn merely blinked at the two. “It negotiates and it refracts.”

Rainbow blinked. “... … … ...huh?”

“Ahem...” Kepler rested a claw on Rainbow's withers. “I do believe she is addrressing us, frriend.”

“When and where?”

“Just think about it,” Kepler said with a smile.

The dihmer's eyes calmly flitted between the two Penumbrans. “It succeeds with that which pillages?”

“... … ...” Rainbow stared... stared... squinted... and stared some more. She glanced into open space. “AJ? Anything?

“Allow me, Rrainbow...” Kepler stepped forward and gazed evenly with the local. “Affirrmative! It returns that refracts with success! It makes an alliance with that which pillages! It struggles for that which benefits—both that which lingers and that which purges!”

The mare cocked her head to the side. “It pillages...”

“Mmmm. Indeed they do, wise one.” Kepler gestured at Rainbow Dash. “But that which rrefrracts also rrestorres! And inspirres!” He adjusted his spectacles. “Hopefully, those who pillage will soon be those who liberrate! In any case, it purrges that which seeks pain without catharrsis!”

“It acknowledges.” The mare turned towards Rainbow Dash. “And it also varnishes?”

“Uhhhhh... yyyyyyyeah...” Rainbow threw on a nervous smile. “We just got talking to your friend Plato. That stuff you helped my friends get—it's gonna make us a boat that can cross the Blob. It was really awesome of you to lend a hoof.”

“Ach...” Kepler leaned in, gesturing at Rainbow Dash. “It assists that smelts with the varnish. It traverses that which beats if it must depart! It is grateful that refracts for that which ages.”

The mare nodded. “It suffices. It acknowledges those which pursue the glimmer.”

Kepler smirked. “It suffices those which pursue as well.”

Silence. The mare eventually nodded. “It departs.”

Kepler waved. “It remembers.”

Heaving a bag full of metal junk, the dihmer mare trotted off.

Rainbow stared after her, blinking awkwardly. “I... don't understand half of what just got blabbered...” She turned to look at the wyvern. “But that's the mare who helped you guys, huh?”

“Obserrvant to the last, Rrainbow one.” Kepler chuckled. “Do forrgive me forr my good-naturred sarrcasm. I meant no rrespect.”

“No, it's—” Rainbow waved at the wyvern. “Chill, Keps. At ease.” She looked off after the mare's growingly distant figure. “She's... … ...crazy sociable.”

“You think as much, eh?”

“Don't get me wrong. She blends right in with the Blobstain crowd, but... I've met my fair share of antisocial, shelled-up ponies.” She gulped. “I can tell there's a lonely soul inside that dull exterior, trying to claw its way out.”

“Ach...” Kepler nodded. “Might I humbly advise you keep those obserrvations to yourrself, dearr frriend. No need to act on disrruptive impulse. You would not wish to rrepeat the same mistakes Flynn has made.”

“Oh, I can only imagine...” Rainbow glanced back at him. “Not very hard too, either. Still... at least you did a good job reaching out.”

“I was not the one rreaching, frriend.” Kepler smoothed his mane back. “You hearrd herr yourrself! I merrely negotiated.”

Rainbow bit her lip. “I wonder... … ...what if there are others like her?”

“Mmmm...” Kepler adjusted his spectacles in thought. “A suprreme likelihood. I still hold tight to my theorry that some of Darrkrreach's descendants arre interrsperrsed among the dihmer populace. But—what does it matterr to us in the herre and now?”

“I'm only saying—”

“You have a precarrious balancing act with the Darrk Vigil awaiting you, frriend.” Kepler's eyes narrowed. “Do you rreally... trruly wish to add even morre weight to the task?”

Rainbow sighed, hanging her head. “... … ...you're right, Keps. As always.”

“Not always.” Kepler smiled and gestured broadly back towards the location of the Herald's camp. “Only when I am needed.”

“I just sometimes wish that saving the whole world...” Rainbow trotted off, side by side with the wyvern. “...didn't always have to involve holding the whole world on my backside throughout the duration.” A beat. She glanced aside. “Huh? What's that, Pinkie?” Another pause. “Pffft—how the heck should I know?” She exhaled. “Okay. Alright. Put it on the list. When we get back and all of this is over, you can introduce us all to Maud and maybe I'll understand all these references, okay...?”

A bowl levitated to a stop on the stone earth in front of Rainbow Dash. A steamy broth sloshed a bit and settled, its contents filled with a smattering of fungal bits. Rainbow looked up with a soft smile.

“Thanks, Flynn.”

“Don't mention it.” The stallion continued dishing out meals to the rest of the group as the Herald as a whole sat in a wide circle around their campfire. “I may not have the same magic touch as Keps has got, but—”

“Do not be so harrsh on yourrself, brrotherr.” Kepler grasped his bowl and a spoon. His soup—like many others'—contained sizable chunks of cooked meat. “Considerr this as an opporrtune time forr you to hone yourr crraft! Ha-Hah!”

Wildcard signed something.

“Whatever,” Ariel remarked, already two or three spoon-dips in. “So long as it couldn't talk or pick flowers while it was alive, I'm cool with tonight's menu.”

Rainbow paused in the middle of her consumption. She looked up. “Guess I should ask... uhm... just how much of the 'non-meat' bounty do we have left?”

Logan and Wildcard glanced at Flynn.

Flynn slowly sat down with his plate. He eventually smiled. “Let's just say—next time you return to the Tree of Mothers—you'll probably wanna do some personal shopping... if you know what I mean.”

Rainbow cleared her throat and took a few more sips. “That might be half the challenge, right there.”

Ariel looked up. “Oh, I'm sure there's a personal dining service for the High Polished that would suit you. The mares of Gibbous Sanctum don't exactly strike me as a bunch of raw meat-eaters.”

Wildcard gestured.

“Who cares what Lexxic and the boys would think,” Rainbow replied in a raspy tone. “Besides, it's not like I'm asking them to hug, smile, and sing Hearth's Warming songs.”

“Hearrth's Warrming...?” Kepler remarked.

Rainbow glanced aside at open space. After a few seconds, she smirked, and looked back at the wyvern. “Forget about it. Old Equestrian stuff.”

“But you've alrready colorred me intrrigued, frriend!” Kepler sat up straight, blinking brightly through his bifocals. “I've hearrd so much about the land of the solarr diarrchy! All inforrmation came frrom Morrtuana, who was exceptionally wise. And yet—she herrself neverr lingerred in Equestrria forr verry long, so surrely therre is morre for the likes of us to grrasp!”

“It... was just a passing expression, Keps,” Rainbow said. “What matters is—I think maintaining a friendly diet among the Bloodwings will be my least concern.”

“And if it isn't?” Logan looked up. “If it means making the first step to win favor of Lexxic and his buddies? Would you be willing to take it?”

Wildcard and Ariel winced.

Rainbow sat silently with her bowl in her grasp.

Logan kept staring at her, deadpan.

Flynn bit his lip. As he sat down beside Logan, he cleared his throat. “I'm... sure the Austraeoh's got that covered.” He dug into his bowl a bit, speaking solidly. “Just like she knew that saying good-bye to Seraphimus didn't mean she'd be free of dissenting opinions.”

Logan blurted: “I'm just hoping Rainbow's thought about it—”

“I have, Big Show, thanks,” Rainbow retorted. As she realized that silence was thickening swiftly after that, she added: “But... that doesn't mean I don't want to be reminded.” A humble sigh. “What I need to do... the lengths I ultimately need to take to reach the Harmonic Prism within the Midnight Armory... … ...will take lots of sacrifice. And... and I should make sure that those sacrifices are mostly mine. Not anypony else's.”

“I agree with you in principal, Rainbow,” Logan said. His bowl had been barely touched. “But—practically speaking—I'm not sure you can afford that luxury. Not with these many soldiers, troops, and enemies involved.”

Wildcard talon-signed.

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah. I know. And I swear to Celestia I'm not trying to avoid it. It's...” A slight shudder. “...it's not like Seraphimus thinks. Or thought.”

“Just what did she think?” Ariel asked.

“You know what? I struggle even now to answer that,” Rainbow said. “She advised me to do a few things.” She gestured across the campfire at Logan. “But then Big Show tells me that she suggested completely opposite advice.”

“Sounds like she was all over the place,” Flynn remarked. “Maybe she ditched the group cuz she couldn't handle the pressure of the struggle.” A sip. “Hmrmfff... if only you had that luxury.”

“Yeah, but Seraphimus was obsessed with one thing—and she didn't struggle with singling it out.” Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “She wanted me to make a commitment. At least—one that would sit well with her.”

“And have you?” Logan asked. Upon feeling Flynn's glare, he groaned: “We're having a healthy discussion here...”

“I have thought... that helping the Dark Vigil by assisting Lexxic...” Rainbow squirmed where she sat. “...will force me to do lots... and lots of things that I won't be proud of. Assuming I live long enough to feel the regret. But...” She took two patient sips, taking her time with her meal as Logan sat still and watched her. Finally: “When that struggle comes... I want it to be my trial. Mine alone. And not Verlaxion's.”

Logan nodded. “And you will have our support.”

Flynn nodded as well.

“Hmmm... boy am I glad for that.” Rainbow blinked. She looked up, sharing glances with everypony. “I am glad for it. Y'know? Truly, I am. You guys have stuck by me for so long in spite of so much that's unfolded and... … ...” She squirmed where she sat. “... … ...I don't want you to think that just because I'm quietly depending on all of your support and moving so swiftly ahead with my plans that I... somehow don't appreciate each and every one of you.”

“We have no doubt of that, Rainbow,” Ariel said.

“Don't you?” Rainbow's brow furrowed. “Seraphimus asked to leave and I let her go like an old hat. No ceremony. No pomp. Nothing.”

“I think I speak for...” Flynn glanced at Logan, then back at Rainbow. “...most of us when I say that we're not exactly broken-hearted over Seraphimus' departure.”

Wildcard took a steely breath.

Flynn's metal lens rested on him. “Some of us chose to be cool with leaving her long ago. And we've moved on, because we had to.” He shrugged. “Now she has to move on. And that's fine. She showed that—given enough time and coolness of mind—she would have made a great addition to the team. Hell, even I'll admit that I'd be dead a dozen times if it weren't for her these past few months. But if she doesn't have her heart in it—like the rest of us—then why force it out of her? She went through the same tests the rest of us have as of late, and she chose to ditch the Austraeoh. Well, so be it.” He took a sip of his soup, swallowed, and shrugged. “For all her preachiness, it's Seraphimus who struggles with commitment.”

Wildcard gestured.

“True.” Flynn nodded back. “But Rainbow's no replacement for Verlaxion. Is she?”

The Desperado's crest feathers relaxed. A sigh, and he bowed his head slightly before talon-signing.

“Glad we can agree on one thing,” Flynn muttered.

“Anyways, she's gone now,” Logan said in a low tone. “Best that we forget her. Think forward.”

“No. No.” Rainbow shook her head. “That's not how it works. We don't forget those whose paths we've crossed. No matter how briefly.”

“Keeping our eyes forward is most efficient, Rainbow,” Logan said.

Rainbow cocked her head aside. “Do you forget about those you've left behind? Back in Rohbredden?”

“... … ...” Logan was frozen still.

Flynn glanced nervously at him.

“I would never ask you to forget about your loved ones,” Rainbow said. She glanced aside at Ariel. “Mothers.” She looked at Wildcard. “Brothers.” Kepler. “Monarchs.”

One by one, the meal grew slow and quiet.

“Just because we can't give someone a ceremonial exit—or just because they refuse it—doesn't mean we should just pretend that they're a passing cloud of dust.” Rainbow fought a lump in her throat. “You have no idea how I wish we could have given Axan a proper burial. Yes—massive bones and all. She too is the reason for why I've... survived so many dang scrapes with death. Even if she did gift me death itself once...” Rainbow's eyes wandered the distant twilight, but for all the stars they ingested, they looked decidedly empty.

Silence.

“... … ...I appreciate and admire each and every one of you. And I... fear that I haven't shown that.” Rainbow gulped. “Just like I didn't show Sera. Or Axan. Mortuana.” A shudder. “Even Bard.”

Wildcard quickly responded to that.

“I know. I know. Even still. I've...” Rainbow bit her lip. “...I've lost whole families of ponies in my life. More than once. And for all I've gained back—on occasion—it still... hurts. It hurts to lose friends. And—as much as I hate to say it—it sometimes hurts even more to make new friends. Ever since we've met in Wyvern Point, I've... handled things at a distance. I've handled you at a distance. And that isn't right. You deserve better.”

“You werre always in yourr rright, Rrainbow Dash,” Kepler declared, and others nodded with him. “It is perrfectly underrstandable.”

“Our job has always been—first and foremost—a sworn oath,” Logan said. “The Covenant of the Heraldic Seven favored efficiency over affinity.”

“Still, Rainbow's onto something~” Ariel spoke up. “Even before we met her—we were also Job Squdders! We knew how to make friends with each other despite the nature of the business! Even Bard shared in that circle!”

Logan sighed. “The point I'm trying to friggin' make is that she shouldn't feel bad about it.” She looked at Rainbow. “Befriend us or use us. It makes no difference, Rainbow. You're the Austraeoh. Without you—completing your path—there won't be a world for anypony else to make friends. What's one fatso, a wyvern, a nerd, a mute, and a hornball?”

“Hey!” Ariel frowned, sitting up. “I object! I am not a nerd!”

“Hah hah hah!” Kepler laughed.

“Uhm...” Flynn raised a hoof. “I think Big Show was referring to—”

“Oh you're the hornball, bucko!” Ariel stuck her tongue out.

“Pfffft. Get real.”

Wildcard gestured something.

“Heeheehee!” Ariel kicked her lower hooves, nearly falling back with her bowl as she giggled. “Yeah! That'd be his married name! 'It misfires!'”

Wildcard smirked under his beak.

“I verry highly doubt that dihmerrs take on marrital titles,” Kepler remarked. “Orr marrry.”

“Oh! Oh! I know!” Ariel perked up. “'It seeks endowment!'”

Wildcard shook his head.

“Oh come onnn!” Ariel bapped his feathery crest with a fetlock. “You like that one!”

“Meh...” Flynn returned to his bowl. “I think I prefer 'cyclops'.”

Logan patted his shoulder. “Take it easy, dude. Half of the team's going back to the lion's den. They need fuel for the bat farts they'll have to endure.”

“They can carry me along with them,” Flynn droned. “The sarosians—at least—would treat me with greater respect.”

“Ach. Frriends.” Kepler smiled kindly. “Perrhaps we should rrestorre some wholesomeness to ourr jocularrity.”

“Pffft...” Ariel rolled her eyes. “What wholesomeness? We're the rottenest bunch of bastards in all the Dark Side.”

“You're comparing us to a bunch of leather-winged murderers and still you draw that conclusion?!” Flynn cackled.

“I doubt none of them snore like Big Show.”

Logan gestured. “She speaks the truth.”

“I know. That's why I said it.”

“We could haul him to the Tree of Mothers in his sleep,” Flynn muttered. “Use him as a sonic weapon device. Steal the Bloodwings' shard of Endrax for ourselves and steal off to Tchern. Rinse and repeat until the Night Shard are shattered.”

Wildcard gestured in agreement.

“Maybe Seraphimus would have stuck around if we committed to that plan,” Ariel stated.

“Ach... a verry rreal possibility...”

All this time, Rainbow Dash was squinting heavenward. Her lips pursed and her ears flicked as she scoured her mind... searched... translated... and ultimately produced: “~The fire of friendship lives in our hearts. As long as it burns, we cannot drift apart.~”

Kepler did a double-take, nearly tossing off his spectacles. He sat up, staring at Rainbow in earnest.

She continued singing raspily into the glow of the campfire: “~Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few. Laughter and singing will see us through~”

Logan, Flynn, Ariel, and even Wildcard gazed in silent, abject wonder.

Rainbow eventually finished: “~We are a circle of pony friends. A circle of friends we'll be to the very end.~” She breathed heavily after finishing. A beat. She glanced specifically to the side. “Give it up, Rarity. That's about all I could remember.” She dug into her bowl. “Besides... I never did get to go on stage for one of the plays.” A sip. “Mrmmfff... always wanted to be Commander Hurricane too. Heh... I guess—in a way—I still am...”

“Marrvelous...” Kepler grinned through his tusks. “A fine piece of culturre to sharre, frriend.”

“Mmmm...” Flynn sipped from a canteen of water. “Catchy.”

“Rainbow... … ...” Ariel was breathless, her cheeks rosy. “...that was beautiful.”

“Of course you would think so.” Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“No. I mean it! I had no idea you could sing.”

“I'm from Equestria,” Rainbow droned. “Every filly or colt learns to sing at some point. Just—not all of us can sing well.”

“Coulda fooled me~”

“If only you could hear Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said. “She was always the best singer of the group.” She did a double-take to her side. “Stop hiding your face like that, girl! It's true.”

Wildcard talon-signed: “Do you know any more?”

“Luna Poop...” Rainbow leaned back with a sigh. “You're asking the rain if it's wet. I've got—like—a million classic hymns stuck in my head.”

“Maybe there's a way to get them out,” Logan said.

“I... rarely do well at acapella,” Rainbow muttered.

A shrill whistle came from Wildcard. Rainbow watched as he fished around in his bandoleer, ultimately producing a harmonica. The old instrument glinted in the starlight.

“Spfffftttt!” Flynn choked on what remained of his soup. He coughed, wiped his muzzle, and stared with one wide-eye at Wildcard. “Holy shit! You still have that thing?!”

“Why not?” Logan belched. “He hung out with Bard to the bitter end. I'm surprised he doesn't have a piano hidden in there somewhere.”

“Ach!” Kepler smirked. “That's amazing.”

“Not half as amazing as the fact that he's a griffon who can play it.” Rainbow squinted at the Desperado. “You never did tell me your secret.”

Wildcard coolly sliced the air with his talons.

“Heh...” Rainbow nodded. “Guess that would spoil things.” She emptied her plate, swallowed, then scooted forward... closer to the fire. “Okay then. Who wants to hear some crappy, voice-cracking samples from home?”

“Me! Me! Me!” Ariel scooted closer. “Something uplifting!”

“Yes, that would most definitely imprrove spirrits,” Kepler added.

“Hmmmmm... I might know one. But after you hear it, your headspaces might hate me forever.”

“There are worse things to get stuck in our heads,” Flynn declared.

“Alright... this one has some... silly history to it,” Rainbow said. “My hometown of Ponyville lived on the edge of the Everfree Forest, and it was primarily an earth pony town. So—it became tradition to clean up after winter without the use of magic.”

“That...” Flynn blanched. “... … ...sounds incredibly stupid.”

Rainbow pointed at him. “You're absolutely right. And like most stupid things, we found ways to have fun with it. We even had a song.” She cleared her throat, signal'd the griffon with the harmonica, and gave the audience a devilish smirk. “... … ...you can find the time to forgive me later.”

The Sacrifices In Sanctuary

“There are only three in your party now,” Azarias declared.

A squadron of Bloodwings—some familiar and others not—hovered high above the craggy landscape situated halfway between Blobstain and the Tree of Mothers. They faced off against the gathered Heraldites, who were likewise suspended in place on a wing.

“Very true,” Rainbow Dash declared with a nod. She motioned back at the Desperado and the pegasus behind her. “Look at it this way—you'll have less heads to count.”

“Or less heads to lop off,” wheezed the voice of Bosonn.

Hyggs and a few other stallions laughed.

Azarias glared over his shoulder, silencing the rest of the sarosians. He turned back to squint at Rainbow in mid-hover. “A pity that the former commander and guardian isn't among those present.”

“Who? You mean Sera?” Rainbow shrugged. “She's moved onto better things.”

“Evidently, she knows ample opportunities when they present themselves,” Azarias slurred. The scars of his muscles curved ever so slightly. A sneer? A smile? “Or perhaps she's contracted a healthy strain of fear.”

“Or perhaps you almost bored her to death last time,” Ariel droned.

The Bloodwings behind Azarias cooed and hissed with mixed appreciation of that retort. As for the Second—his leafy ears folded back as he glared daggers at the mare.

Rainbow closed her eyes, weathered a patient sigh, and calmly said: “Look. None of us were paid to square-dance here in the sky.” Her lids opened as she brandished a tired smirk. “We've returned to perform our service of commitment to the elders.”

“And to the First Son of Nightmares,” Azarias declared.

“Funny...” Rainbow blinked. “...I thought they were both one and the same~”

Wildcard bore a proud smirk.

“Hrmmmm...” Azarias pivoted slightly in his hover, tilting towards Omega. “Indeed.” He paused, then captured Rainbow's gaze with a raised fetlock. “In speaking of which, your presence is requested on behalf of the Commander himself.”

“I expected as much.”

“You and you alone,” Azarias said, fangs glinting in the twilight. “There is evidently much to be discussed. Lexxy'kyn sees fit to share it in privacy... for some reason...”

Rainbow's muzzle opened. She paused, blinked a bit, then slowly nodded. “If that is what he wishes...”

“What he wishes and what he commands are inseparable,” Azarias said hoarsely. “It would be folly to question it.”

“Who said I did?”

“... … …” Azarias merely frowned into the horizon. His scarred muscles tightened.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

“Grfff...” The Second motioned towards the Omega horizon. “Follow us. Stay close in formation and do not fly off course.”

“Yeah yeah.” Ariel nodded as she and Wildcard drew in closer beside Rainbow. “We know the drill.”

The velvety fur on Azarias' backside bristled, but he remained silent, gliding forwards like liquid shadow. The rest of the Bloodwings closed in; Rainbow and her two partners flew in the center.

“Okay, let's get this out of the way,” Rainbow muttered to Ariel without looking at her. “You're gonna have to rein it in some. And by 'some,' I mean a whole friggin' heck of a buckin' lot.”

Ariel sighed out the side of her muzzle, nevertheless folding her forelimbs in grumpy indignance. “I know.”

“Knowing and doing are two different things,” Rainbow said with a grunt. “From the sound of it, Lexxic wants to have a hoof-to-hoof chat with me. That inevitably means our party is splitting up pretty darn early. I don't need you making a mess of things when I'm not around to bail your smexxy flank.”

“Right. I got it.”

“Make sure that you do.” Rainbow's nostrils flared. “I don't want to come back to you being a dismembered jigsaw draped across Jordan's talons.”

“Why are you freaking out all of a sudden?” Ariel squinted Rainbow's way. “I know I may have a mouth on me, but I can handle myself!”

“Yeah, well, Sera isn't around any longer to smack you back into line while I'm distracted,” Rainbow muttered. “From now on, you gotta owe what that 'mouth' on you says. And—out here—we're kinda sorta broke.”

Ariel blinked. “Sera didn't have to foalsit me...!” A beat. She squinted aside at Wildcard. “She didn't have to, did she?”

Wildcard's beak clattered as his headcrest drooped. He twisted his metal talon from side to side.

“... … …” Ariel looked back at the formation flying around Rainbow's group. “She was never any fun...”

“Well, if we don't play our cards right, Sera will be out there and not having fun long... long after we're gutted, eaten, and buried.” Rainbow breathed sharply. “So let's be on our best behavior, huh?”

“These misogynist punks are just asking for it, though—”

“Ariel... … …”

“Euuughhhh...” Ariel rolled her eyes as her body sagged. Her head bowed, and she sighed in defeat. “I promise...” Her voice grew more solid—a dollop of respect squeezing out. “...I will be on my best behavior while you're gone.”

“And when I come back from chatting with Lexxic...?”

“Well, that's when you get to foalsit me!”

Wildcard snickered breathily.

Rainbow slowly shook her head as the formation glided along. “I should have brought the asexual wyvern...”

“Something's... different...” Fluttershy declared.

Rainbow glanced aside to the ghostly mare. They had come within eyesight of the Tree of Mothers and were just now gliding over the Alpha reaches of the Dark Vigil's immense camp. Azarias' squadron criss-cross'd paths with other flight groups, and the party slowed as they began their gradual descent towards the Central Operations building.

“What?” Rainbow asked, her attention focused on her lifelong fillyfriend. She could more than talk and fly blind with the formation all at once. “What's different, Flutters?”

“I... don't think it's something to be alarmed about,” Fluttershy declared. She calmed noticeably as she looked back at Rainbow. “But many of the Bloodwings are positioned quite differently than when we last left this camp.”

“Oh?” Twilight hovered evenly with the ghostly pegasus. “Where are they?”

Fluttershy pointed Curveside, towards Omega. “There're several lines of sarosians positioned tightly along that edge of the base. Almost one third of the entire army.”

“What for?” Pinkie Pie asked, blinking wide. “Oh googily gosh...!” She pulled at her phantom face muscles. “Do you think they're preparing for a party?! A battle party?!?!”

“Dun be so goose-pimpled...!” Applejack briskly chided. “If our bat pony friends were fixin' for a slobberknocker, I woulda sensed it!”

Twilight looked at her. “Well, what do you sense?”

“Uhhhh...” Applejack lifted her ghost hat and rubbed her blonde scalp. “They're readyin' for somethin', alright. But t'ain't a battle. I reckon if there was some warfare in store, they'd be a great deal more pumped!”

“Then what are they expecting, exactly?” Rarity asked.

“Hard to say. But it matches the buzzin' in the spirits of Azarias and company here,” Applejack gestured. “I know it might sound silly, but it feels to me like they're feelin' hungry for somethin'.”

“Hungry?” Pinkie blinked.

“Yeah. Almost as if...” Applejack fidgeted a bit. “... … …they was goin' shoppin'.”

Rainbow glanced back at the country mare.

Applejack sighed. “Look—bein' honest doesn't mean makin' sense.” Her freckles tightened behind a pout. “I know it's mighty vague and I'm awfully sorry for that. But—I promise you—t'ain't nothin' for us to be worried about.”

“I see where you are coming from, Applejack, darling.” Rarity nevertheless gulped. “But if there's one thing that we've learned about these bloodthirsty ruffians, it's that whatever it is that they 'look forward to' is anything but soothing.”

“I wonder if it has anything to do with us, though,” Twilight Sparkle remarked. She looked at the group as a whole with mild concern. “And the fact that we've returned? I mean—could Lexxic be planning some wild psychological game just because the elders have committed us even longer to his company?”

Rainbow looked at her, then at the other girls, then at the campsites down below. As their Bloodwing squadron glided past columns of blacksmith smoke, she rubbed her chin in thought, then craned her neck to speak loudly towards the head flier of the group. “Looks like things are shaping up for a large shindig around here!”

Wildcard and Ariel looked confusedly at Rainbow.

She continued: “I hope we didn't interrupt you in overseeing some major operation!” She smiled politely. “I know it must have taken an awful lot of your precious time to come and escort us!”

Hyggs and Bosonn exchanged strange glances—as did a few other sarosians.

Azarias—however—was the epitome of calm when he replied: “The Third and Fourth have filled in during my absence,” he said. “But it matters little. I will have returned before operations go underway.”

“And what's that, exactly?” Rainbow gestured towards the same horizon Fluttershy did moments ago. “Field training? Drills for the blood colts?”

“Do Seared Souls see through rock or something?” Bosonn wheezed, squinting suspiciously at Rainbow Dash.

“Wr'shylykk!” Azarias' fangs flashed as he snarled over his flapping wings. “H'jnorrym thuul m'wynnyl, ryk ryk!”

Bosonn bit his bottom lip, gliding in a sudden and noticeable droop of shame. Hyggs said nothing.

Rainbow blinked in confusion—until her attention was stolen by Azarias again.

“Lexxy'kyn shall brief you on all that you need to know, avatar,” the Second said calmly. “In the meantime, if I were you, I would prepare myself to adapt and not to question.”

Rainbow shrugged casually. “Can't a mare help but be curious about what she's getting herself into?”

“No.” Azarias' voice took on a growling tone. “Mares cannot help anything. Nor are they meant to.”

Ariel gritted her teeth. She flew faster and her muzzle opened to say something, but a metal talon reached out and squeezed her rear fetlock in midair. She held her tongue, fuming.

“Nevertheless...” Azarias continued in a breathy tone. “The Bloodwing Army is inexorably bound by its service to the Maria Matriarch. If it is their will for you to assist in the First Son's duties, then so be it.” He squinted back at Rainbow, his eyeslits icy and penetrating. “But you will do well to trust more and inquire less.”

“The High Polished did not appoint me because I follow things blindly,” Rainbow Dash replied in a cool tone. “They recognize in me the power and authority of Princess Luna—who you might know as Nightmare Moon.” Her brow furrowed. “And last time I checked, this was a partnership I was getting into with Lexxic. Not indentured servitude.”

Many of the sarosians within the squadron shifted uncomfortably. It was difficult to count all of the frowns.

Rainbow Dash didn't bother. “Now... are we going to have a problem? Because the next time I see the mares of Gibbous Sanctum, they're going to wanna hear a full and honest briefing of how things went down in our rendezvous.”

“There is no problem, Seared One,” Azarias stated matter-of-factly. “I'm certain that—when you meet Lexxy'kyn—everything will be made clear. Your allegiance to the elders is also an allegiance to him. Do not forget that.”

“I'm sure he'll be glad to know you're so devoted to reminding me~” Rainbow said in a gleeful tone.

Once again, Azarias' muscles tightened and untightened. He led the group—gliding and silent—towards the heart of the battlements down below.

Ariel leaned in towards Rainbow. “You sure I'm the one who needs to be reined in?”

“Stuff it, sassafras,” Rainbow muttered back. “I'm like a choir filly compared to you.”

Ariel nodded. “Okay. I won't fight that.”

The Desperado alongside them nodded.

“Whelp...!” Pinkie Pie floated in a “thinking” pose, her eyes trained on the Second. “He's obviously hiding something!”

“Not as much as ya think,” Applejack declared. “He's simply doing his job.”

“Applejack, when has that ever been a rational excuse for anything,” Rarity drolled.

“I'm not excusin' it,” Applejack declared. “Just explainin' it! If ya ask me, it feels like Lexxic has told Azarias here to be 'mum' about stuff and he's simply... followin' through.”

“Yeah?” Twilight looked over. “But what is he being 'mum' about?”

“Heck if I know,” Applejack sighed, then looked defeatedly at Rainbow Dash. “T'ain't nothin' to make a big whoop over. I'm not sensin' a double-cross or nothin'.”

“I guess we're gonna find out when Dashie speaks to Lexxy-kun!” Pinkie remarked.

“That appears to be the case,” Rarity said with a nod. She noticed Fluttershy looking contemplative in her peripheral vision. “Fluttershy? Darling? Is everything quite alright?”

“I...” Fluttershy was squinting the whole time at Azarias. “I'm not sure...” She brushed her pink bangs back and spoke aside to Applejack. “Applejack? Are you certain that the Second isn't hiding anything... super important?”

“Uhhhhhhh...” Applejack rubbed the back of her head. “Define 'super important.'”

“Pffffft!” Pinkie Pie had to keep herself from giggling. “AJ?!? Seriously?!?”

Fluttershy tongued the inside of her muzzle. “There's... something off about the pony. I just can't quite figure it out.”

“He obviously likes to keep to himself, that much is certain,” Applejack declared. “Almost all of his feelings remain bottled up—unless it comes to servin' and defendin' Lexxic.”

“Whew!” Pinkie Pie exhaled. “Talk about loyal!”

“Perhaps Azarias and Rainbow Dash have a lot in common,” Rarity mused.

“All the more reason for Rainbow to be cautious around him.” Twilight looked at Fluttershy. “Can we agree on that?”

“... … ...”

“Fluttershy...?”

“Yes...” Fluttershy nodded, continuing to stare at Azarias with a distant glaze in her eyes. “Be quite cautious.”

Rainbow studied Fluttershy—but not for too long. Pretty soon, she was flapping her wings to create drag and land at a safe speed before the Central Operations building. There were surprisingly few soldiers there, although Rainbow and her friends did spot Masser—who more than stood in for a few dozen Bloodwings on his lonesome.

“Mr'wrynsylym wykkym, L'azarias'ym!!” the Third boomed, smiling wide. “The Fifth and Sixth Root are in position! Things are looking promising! According to initial scout flights, the inner bleaks are practically teaming with—!”

“Acknowledged, brother,” Azarias grumbled, cutting him off. He touched down beside his larger comrade. “What is the status of the First Son?”

“Hmm?” Masser blinked at him, then at Rainbow and the rest of the landing squadron. “Oh!” He stood tall and at attention. “Ahem. Still preparing. In private.”

Azarias' eyes narrowed. “Does his invitation still stand?”

“Indeed!” Masser nodded. “Why shouldn't it?”

“Grfff...” Azarias dragged a hoof across the ground. “So be it. Allow me to catch up on local intel and I shall be escorting the Avatar to his sanctuary—”

“Allow me, Second.”

“... … ...” Azarias glared sideways at Masser. “Allow what?”

“Erm... uh... that is to say...” Masser cleared his throat, shrinking away slightly from the smaller, scarred stallion. He avoided the Second's direct gaze. “Our brother has... sp-specifically asked that I be the one to escort the W'ynlppa yln H'luun. And it is requested that she meet with him within the sanctuary... alone.”

Wildcard and Ariel suddenly flinched with anxious energy.

Applejack glanced between Masser and Azarias.

“... … ...” Azarias' fangs showed. “This is some kind of pathetic joke. I would rather dash myself upon the jagged brinks than allow this Seared sycophant within meters of the First Son alone!”

“Ahem. Lexxic knows that you would,” Masser delicately related. “Which is... probably why he made the request, I'm guessing.”

Azarias stepped towards him. “He couldn't possibly—” A sealed scroll was thrust in his face. His eyeslits zeroed in on the parchment. He snatched it from Masser's thick fetlock, unrolled it, and looked the written words over feverishly. As the seconds dripped by, the Second's ears drooped more and more noticeably.

Rainbow studied Azarias, Applejack, and then her other friends. The anxiety in the air was picking up; even the nearby Bloodwings who had listened in where stirring with more than a modicum of nervousness. As for Rainbow herself, she felt strangely calm. Even when—

“What is this campaign coming to...” Azarias folded the missive shut and snarled into the twilight. “Why should Lexxic even humor those haughty milk-drinkers?! They will only sabotage everything—”

“Not if our brother has anything to say about it.” Masser smiled handsomely through his tattoos. It gave him enough strength to look at the Second directly. “We should have more faith in him, friend. It's his wisdom and sacrifice that will guide us all to the Narrow.”

“Hrmmmmmffff...” Azarias closed his eyes. He weathered a deep breath. Two. Then: “So be it. Masser'myn. Escort the avatar to the sanctuary. Be swift about it. No doubt the First Son desires to initiate the operation soon.”

“Absolutely...!” Masser moved towards Rainbow Dash.

“Take her alone,” Azarias insisted, gesturing towards the re-sealed scroll. “Since he insists, we shall follow through in every detail.”

“Now wait a second—” Ariel stepped forward, joined by Wildcard. “We're not gonna just let you whisk her away without bringing us along—”

“Guys, chill. I was prepared for this, remember?” Rainbow gestured with her hoof. “If they can make exceptions, then so can we.”

Ariel bit her lip. The Desperado beside her raised his talons to object—

Rainbow sliced the air with her fetlock with an equine gesture she could afford: “No.” Followed by another motion, leaving her hoof pressed to her chest. “Trust.” She smiled softly, reassuringly.

“... … ...” Wildcard eventually backed down.

“Can they stay with you?” Rainbow asked the group.

Azarias deigned to respond directly back to her. “I don't see where else they can go.”

Rainbow's brow furrowed. She simply stared at the Second.

Azarias sighed. “I shall assign a guard to them. No harm will come to your companions.”

“Cool beans~” Rainbow turned to join Masser's side—

“But—!!!” A scarred hoof yanked Rainbow harshly to the side.

Wildcard and Ariel jolted—

—as they found Rainbow being glared down—muzzle to scarred muzzle—with a sneering Azarias.

“—if I learn that you have harmed the First Son in any way, I will personally hunt you down, skin you alive, and make you choke on your own entrails.” His fangs lingered brightly between them. “Avatar of Luna or not, you only live because I allow it.”

Rainbow looked at him. Blinked. And smiled. “...and you only got to say that because I allowed it.”

Azarias' intense expression lessened only slightly—sprinkled with confusion. The closest thing to fear.

“Are we done? I've been threatened by ponies far scarier than you,” Rainbow chirped. “Some of them still have their teeth.”

“... … ...grff!” Azarias let her go and shrugged visibly, as if trying to shake off the stench of the Light Side.

Hyggs and Bosonn snickered—side by side—but were quick to hide the fact.

Rainbow brushed her bangs back and casually trotted off. “Whelp, hope that relieved some tension for ya.” She passed by Ariel and Wildcard. “At ease, Jordan. You'll burst a vein at this rate.”

Wildcard slowly exhaled, easing up as he sheathed his weapons away.

“Rainbow, this is stupid,” Ariel protested as the mare walked by.

“Everything is stupid. That's why we gotta trudge through it. Cuz, most of the time, stupid works.” Rainbow stopped by Masser's side. “We ready to go, big fella~?”

“Hmmm? Oh! Yes... most assuredly...” Masser looked towards Azarias. He failed to hide a snicker or two.

Azarias frowned, folding his forelimbs and glaring off towards the roof of the Central Operations building.

“Lead the way, Gigantor,” Rainbow said.

Masser was already flapping his wings. “By the way, what happened to the other bird panther?”

“Seraphimus? Oh, she's off enjoying an early retirement.”

“Ah. And here I was hoping you had eaten her!”

“No, I—H-huh...?” Rainbow did a double-take.

“Ha HAH!” Masser accelerated to a swift glide, heading towards Omega past the Tree of Mothers. “To Sanctuary!!”

Fidgeting slightly, Rainbow followed the Third Son. Ariel and Wildcard were forced to stay behind with Azarias and company. They didn't look very pleased with the matter; their worrisome gaze locked on the prismatic pegasus as she grew more and more distant.

“Soooooooo... uhm...” Pinkie Pie fidgeted as she and her fellow friends coasted after their anchor. The Tree of Mothers breezed by, along with the many massive roots stretching wild and gnarled below it. “What do you think of what Scarrdy MicScarredScar said back there?”

“Oh, he definitely wants to skin Rainbow alive~” Applejack declared. “That's the gul-durn truth.”

“We all know that, silly!” Pinkie stuck her tongue out. “But... he's ready to blow a gasket over Lexxic wanting to see Rainbow alone! Do you suppose he has a reason to be so worried?”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Rarity gulped. “But Rainbow certainly does!” She looked at their anchor with a pleading gesture to her hooves. “Rainbow, darling, please don't go through with this! Surely it must be a trap of some sort—”

“You don't think Rainbow knows that?” Twilight remarked. “Rarity, if Azarias' reaction is anything to go by, the Bloodwings don't like this matter any more than Rainbow does.”

“Then what's the dealio, Twi?” Pinkie asked. “What's in store for Dashie?”

“I can't rightly say...” Twilight rubbed her chin in thought as the wind billowed through her ghostly figure. “But... I think this can be seen as an olive branch of sorts.”

“Between Lexxic and Rainbow?” Fluttershy remarked. “The last time they were in the same place together, she had caused him to collapse by diving wildly into that horrible... horrible arena.”

“Yeah...” Applejack nodded. “But he did make sure that Rainbow was spared by the Bloodwings' wrath, remember?”

“Applejack, didn't you say that you can't read the stallion's motives?” Rarity said.

“True, but t'ain't a big mystery when ya think about it,” Applejack stated. “All thangs considered, he had every right to skin her alive right then and there. But he didn't. He even reined Azarias in—just as he's doin' right now.”

“Azarias and Lexxic trust each other absolutely,” Fluttershy declared. “It's obvious to anyone who sees the two of them working side by side. He made the stallion his 'Second' for a reason.”

“Which is why we should take this meeting in stride,” Twilight declared. “And concern ourselves more with what Lexxic has to say face-to-face than what he says through social politics.”

“By the way...” Pinkie's muzzle scrunched. “Just where is this 'Sanctuary' anyway?”

Rainbow Dash, who—as always—was listening patiently to her friends deliberating, took the opportunity to gaze down below herself and Masser. The Tree of Mothers was far behind them. The roots branched into a few stray structures, but ultimately they too dissipated, giving way to craggy rock and sporadic supply camps. There were less and less tents along this side of the Dark Vigil's territory, until it became abundantly clear to Rainbow Dash that wherever they were going was situated noticeably far away from the bulk of the military population.

A thought occurred to her—a faint memory from when she traversed the path to the Hall of Honor days ago. Her head lifted, and she scanned the Omega horizon with expert eyes. There—jutting upwards from the barren landscape—was the same immense structure she remembered faintly spotting earlier. It was somehow even taller than she first imagined, resembling a narrow rectangular solid built out of a non-reflective material. It cut a geometric swath against the twilight, and as she and Masser continued their silent flight, she spotted a horizontal deck structure extending outward from the summit, supported by multiple cross-beams. It resembled an oversized diving platform to the mare, and was likely built out of the most precious and rarest resource the Bloodwings still had at their disposal: wood.

Rainbow felt a faint tinge of dizziness—not enough to affect her flight, but concerning nonetheless. She looked to her right and almost regretted doing so. From high above—without the Tree of Mothers to obstruct her view—she got the best view of ”the pit” since arriving within the Dark Vigil's grace. It very much resembled a quarry of sorts. Or—perhaps—it once was. But somehow it got repurposed over time, having been carved into something deeper, wider, and far more sinister. At some pallid line, the dark rocky landscape dropped into an alabaster vanishing point. Something glowed from deep within, although Rainbow couldn't quite put her tongue on the color. Staring at it was like gazing into a vacant hole in reality, and attempting to focus on any single ripple made her feel faint from head to tail. Her ears twitched in the cold whipping wind, but somehow the mare was certain she could hear—distant and faint—the unending buzz of wailing voices.

“It's like a fancy Manehattan light show in there, Rainbow,” Applejack suddenly said, evidently reading her anchor's mind. “Lots of flickerin' colors. Reds... oranges... purples...”

“Ruby,” Fluttershy said in a low voice. “It's mostly ruby light.”

Applejack cleared her throat and squeaked: “She's right.”

Rainbow muttered under her breath: “What in the hay do they got going on in there...?”

“Hmmmm?” Masser looked aside, and for a second Rainbow Dash had almost forgotten all about the massive tattooed stallion soaring through the night sky beside her. “Did you say something, avatar?”

“Erm...” Rainbow cleared her throat. “Lexxic... uhhhh... really hangs out far away from everypony else, huh?”

“His home is with his brothers, Seared One,” Masser declared. “But—every once in a while—he is forced to retire here for a spell.”

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “What do you mean 'forced'?”

Masser continued on: “It has been a long time since his last rest. His... exertion back in the Hall of Honor required him to retire far sooner than initially planned.”

Rainbow winced... and winced again when she realized how visible her expression must have been. Her ghostly friends looked on with sympathy as she stammered: “I'm... sorry. I guess that's my fault, isn't it?”

“I... uh...” Masser's large limbs shifted. His eyes searched the sky; the stallion undoubtedly longed to give a sophisticated response. He ultimately settled for: “I cannot pretend to say what is or isn't anypony's fault. Lexxic has summoned you personally, and it is my duty to follow the First Son's command.” He cleared his throat and threw on an awkward, muscular smirk. “But do not fret, avatar! His resting now only helps him be all the more prepared for the upcoming hunt!”

“Hunt?” Rainbow's muzzle scrunched. “What hunt?”

“Oh.” Masser's slitted pupils shrank. “Oh right. That. I should not have said that.”

Twilight and Pinkie exchanged confused expressions.

“Isssssss...” Rainbow leaned a little closer in mid-flight. “...that what all the troops are gathered around the bleaks for?”

“No. Not all of them. Just the ones who need more practice chasing meat bags.”

“Chasing... meat bags...?”

“Oh. Right.” Masser clenched his eyes shut as his tattoos warped under a wincing expression. “I should not have said that either. Dammit, brother, why couldn't Azarias be the one—”

“Are you guys trying to hide stuff from me—?”

“Oh look!” Masser—sweating—gestured towards the landscape below. “Sanctuary! We have arrived!”

Rainbow Dash blinked. Instead of commenting on that, she looked down towards the rolling earth below. A flat plain stretched out beneath them. The terrain was remarkably smooth—almost spotless. There was a dim shine to the polished stone, as if it had been acid-washed at some point in the past. In the center of this stone field, there protruded one anomaly. It was a mound, Rainbow surmised, rising up out of the earth like a singular tumor. She couldn't tell if it was the result of sedimentary deposits over time, or something that was carved out of the very rock itself. The way it blended into the smoothness of the arid landscape was downright poetic, and towards one end—the one that faced towards Alpha, gaping darkly as if to welcome her—was a circular entrance. A cave. To Rainbow, it resembled a featureless whale emerging from a blue-gray sea, mouth yawning open in search for krill.

A pair of rough metal towers stood besides the entrance, flanking the mound with flickering torches. They weren't too incredibly tall, and the soldiers stationed there were few in number. However—they were armed to the teeth with enough weapons to combat an invading army, and when Rainbow and the Third arrived, she could see every single Bloodwing aiming crossbows at them.

Masser touched down, and Rainbow Dash's hooves touched the ground milliseconds after. Four of the guards approached them with steely-eyed glances. The Third took point, standing tall above the stone-faced greeting party.

“This is the Avatar of Luna,” Masser declared. “She is the one whom the First Son summoned.”

“Has she been verified?” asked a guard. Rainbow was surprised at the seeming lack of respect and trust in the sarosian's voice. The soldiers were a different cut from the Roots of the regular Vigil's army. “Procedure is procedure.”

“You are right to be concerned,” Masser said. Rainbow watched as he tilted his head to the side and raised his mane with a tattooed fetlock, exposing a small pale spot situated at the back of his scalp—otherwise hidden by his hair. “Do not worry. She checks out.” As he said this, the pale spot mysteriously glowed, and Rainbow felt ever-so-slightly light-headed as she looked at it. “So do her companions. They are in the Second's Company right now back at Central. As for myself...” Without hesitation, Masser bit into his own fetlock—deep enough of a bite for his fangs to puncture the flesh. He then raised the limb to the torchlight, and a trickle of fresh red blood glistened before the guards. “You you yourselves could attempt to produce more blood if you like.” Masser smirked with bravado. “But it would be most difficult, hmmm?”

The guards held their breaths. They formed a crescent around Masser, taking more than a few seconds to examine the blood. A nod was shared among them, and they lowered their weapons. “Thank you for abiding by protocol, Third.”

“Thank you for making sure that I did.” Masser licked up his own loose blood, spat it on the ground, and leaned back on all fours. “You are aware of the nature of Lexxic's request?”

The guards were mostly silent. Rainbow noticed more than a few of them fidgeting with apprehension. Nevertheless, those at the front of the contingent nodded at the Third.

“I trust that there are no objections?”

“The First Son is wise,” the lead guard declared, his voice echoing off the bodies of those present. “His sacrifice shall lead us to glory.”

“Glad that we are in agreement.” Clearing his throat, Masser turned to face Rainbow Dash. “You may proceed.” He gestured into the gaping black hole with his fang-marked fetlock.

Rainbow heard Pinkie and Fluttershy audibly gulping. It was difficult to refuse the clownish expression herself. “What... just me?” The guards squinted at that, as if surprised by Rainbow's own... surprise. “Aren't any of you guys coming along?”

Masser took a steely breath. “Only one Son of Nightmares is allowed inside the sanctuary.” He clenched his jaw, exhaled, and added: “As for you...? Lexxic has asked to see you for a reason. And...” He slowly cultivated a meditative smile. “...and we trust the First Son of Nightmares with our lives.”

Rarity leaned in to Rainbow's side. “Now it's starting to make sense why Azarias couldn't be here...”

Applejack leaned in to Rainbow's other side. “They're feelin' mighty uncertain about this. Can't say they trust ya, sugarcube, but their faith in Lexxic is the only thang keepin' them from fightin' the matter.”

Rainbow Dash kept calm as she trotted forward. As she passed the guards, she lingered slightly. In a soft tone, she spoke to Masser and the rest: “If Lexxic trusts me, then you should as well. I don't know what this is about—at least not any more than you do. But I only want things to go smoothly.”

Masser shrugged. “Why shouldn't they?”

“Exactly.” Rainbow looked straight into the mouth of the cave. It looked bigger, darker, and colder up close. A strange shudder rolled through her body, one that intensified with each chilly step she took over the polished stone leading her into the entrance. “Maybe you guys should have tied a string to my hoof.”

“Huh?”

But Rainbow had already departed, braving her way into the mystifying depths, battling inward tremors with every step. That shivering sensation wasn't just hers to endure alone. A pink shape in Rainbow's peripheral was practically rattling all over. By the time the mare nearly reached the shadow of the cave mouth, she heard Pinkie Pie squeaking:

“Uhhhhhhhhh...” Her tail curled and uncurled as her ears pulled sideways—as if by marionette strings.

“...?” Rainbow looked towards the ghostly Element of Laughter.

“Uhm... eheheh...” Pinkie smiled nervously at her anchor. “Don't panic—” And then Pinkie Pie vanished.

Rainbow did a double-take.

Twilight was about to say something—but she too disappeared in a blink. Soon after, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity likewise dissolved from left to right as if a dark hoof was wiping them into oblivion. A familiar haze of dizziness throttled Rainbow Dash, and by the time her head recovered, Discord hovered in the same space her friends had previously occupied.

“Please tell me you at least brought a towel,” the dragonequus yawned, reclining on an empty lawn chair. “Y'know... for safety's sake~”

“... … ...” Rainbow's muzzle gaped. She looked at Discord, at the cave entrance, and then back at the gawking sarosians. She scarcely had the breath—much less gumption—to utter anything.

“Is something the matter?” Masser asked, his tattooed face scrunched in a thick, vacant expression.

Rainbow's tongue stuck against her teeth. She looked left and right, then exhaled. “No. Everything is... … …” A gulp. She turned once again to the blackness of the sanctuary's entrance. “...going as expected.” Nevertheless, she hesitated.

“On with it, Sparky~!” Discord squinted above a fanged smile. “What's the matter? Bad things never came from exploring a cave before, hmmm?”

Shuddering, Rainbow Dash descended into the black, stone mouth. She only grew dizzier with each step.

That dizziness intensified as darkness swallowed her up. Despite how intimidating it appeared from the outside, the blackness wasn't purely devoid of light. There was the hint of a flickering amber glow from somewhere in the subterranean space. Rainbow Dash decided to follow it—which was easier said than done.

This cave was far from a labyrinth. It was an easy, steady slope—straight and narrow—heading deeper and deeper. Nevertheless, with each trot of Rainbow's hooves, she felt bogged down by an overwhelming force. It wasn't a pressure from above... but rather a weakness from within. She felt as though she was scaling a high-altitude mountain. Her breaths grew deeper and more desperate, but somehow she wasn't getting enough oxygen.

It wasn't because of anything she was breathing—or not breathing—within the sanctuary. Rainbow Dash had felt this sensation before. She knew it... had tasted it... back in Windthrow, the mines of Amulek, occasionally within the “womb” of Floydien's Nancy Jane. Everything about her essence was resisting this force... rippling and buckling from it. She didn't feel in danger of her life under these circumstances. She rarely did. Much rather, she felt in danger of her agency... and of her harmonic perpetuation of being.

Discord—in the meantime—orbited her gaily, happy as a clam. “Fssssshhhhhh...” He inhaled deeply, like he was smelling lavender and cake frosting. “Mmmmmmm... smell that tangy aroma, Sparky! It's like spring time for chaos lords! A regular show stopper waiting for the curtain call!”

Rainbow sweated profusely. Each step felt like she was pushing anvils with every hoof. She wasn't even certain she might make it to her destination in one piece—whatever that destination might be. Nevertheless, she pressed onward. If this was going to be a challenge to her dedication, then it wasn't one she was about to flee from. Seraphimus had left the scene, and Rainbow had let her go out of faith in her own cause. Now she was fully facing it—along with all of its unflattering side effects—and she had to be sure that she was fully aware of the price. No matter how sour it tasted.

And it most certainly was bitter. Despite Discord's sudden affinity for the atmosphere, it positively choked the dragonequus' mostly-harmonious anchor. Each breath filled Rainbow's nostrils with a cold iron sensation. Like rust. Or maybe licking the top of a cold kettle's lid, hours after having used it to boil blood to a lifeless steam.

Something loomed just ahead. There were shadows blocking Rainbow's full vision. Stalagmites and stalactites made a porous forest on either side of the sloping stone path that descended and descended. Rainbow couldn't tell if they were natural or hoof-carved. She could hardly tell up from down at this point. A growing migraine throbbed in her head, and it took all her strength to keep her eyes open.

“Maybe—just maybe—if you keep going down this tunnel, it will lead allllll the way back to the hedge maze in Canterlot!” Discord smiled with yellow'd teeth. “Now wouldn't that be just silly? Heheheheh... 'back where you began!' Whewwww-weeee. That never gets old.”

Rainbow tried to ignore his ramblings. The mare stumbled, nearly falling flat on her face. Her breath hitched in her chest, and she steadied herself against a rising stone spike. Fumbling, she reached a hoof up and rubbed her lightning bolt pendant. The Element of Loyalty flickered with a faint ruby haze, but it was enough to send a jolt of strength to Rainbow's hearts and lungs. She suckled on it like a deep sea diver taking breaths from an oxygen tank.

“Awwwwww... come on now...” Discord folded his arms as his pouting figure flickered in and out of sight like a ghostly candle. “Don't be such a buzzkill.”

“Don't you st-start...” Rainbow wheezed. She rubbed the pendant around her neck again, summoning an even brighter glow. “I'm h-having a hard enough time finding out where Lexxic is without having to deal with—”

The necklace's glow illuminated a pale dormant face covered with bandages lingering just inches from Rainbow's muzzle.

“G-gaah!” she yelped—a little too foalishly for her own good.

The pony in front of her gave no reaction. It was a mare—thin, gangly, and surprisingly young. Perhaps even younger than Rainbow Dash; she couldn't tell. Where the mare wasn't covered in bandages, the coat was grayed over in pale splotches that increased in alabaster opacity towards her head and muzzle. The bandages criss-crossed neatly over the pony's eyes, acting essentially as blindfolds. She stood cold and expressionless before Rainbow Dash, nevertheless facing her with the eerie purpose of a patient sentinel.

“Hmmmmm...” Discord flew in a ghostly trail around the mare, rubbing his goatee as he examined her up and down at a sneeze's length. “How delightfully trendy. A little late for the Leper's Convention, don't you think?”

Rainbow cleared her throat, disregarding him. “Hello.” She addressed the stranger. “I'm... I've been summoned to meet up with Lexxic, the First Son.” Her eyes narrowed. It registered with her just how strange it was that a female sarosian was present in the Commander's “sanctuary.” Nevertheless, she kept her tone friendly, despite both her confusion and dizziness. “Do you know where I can find him?”

The mare said nothing.

Rainbow cocked her head to the side. Her eyes traveled down the mare's neck. She spotted a scar set within the center of the pony's throat. It was a neat, geometrically perfect “X.” Too ornate to possibly have been suffered by accident.

Before Rainbow could bother mentioning the wound, she witnessed the mute mare raising a bandaged forelimb and pointing down the sloped path that Rainbow had been descending. By now, Rainbow's beleaguered senses had become vaguely accustomed to the shadows of the cave, and she could make out a lingering source to the amber torchlight, along with an eerie sheen of bone-white haze mixed into the gathering thickness. The longer she stared, she became aware of more bodies—more mares—standing blind and dumb between the stone spokes of the underground forest. They too gestured down the polished path, one after another, silent as tombstones.

“Offwards and downwards,” Discord chirped.

Hesitantly, Rainbow Dash proceeded in the direction of the gesturing mares, careful not to collapse into an embarrassing slide.

The mares made no responsive motion as Rainbow shuffled past them. They looked past her—into the depths of the declining cave—with perpetual deadpan. As the torchlight intensified, Rainbow took note of visible veins lingering beneath the bandages, culminating somewhere in their faces. By this point—Rainbow could barely look straight. The dizziness was overwhelming her.

“Mrmffff...” She stumbled slightly, buckling, catching herself on her forward knees. Her head throbbed—pulsating in two ominous spots. A silent curse hitched in the back of her throat, and she fumbled to stand up straight.

To Rainbow's surprise, she was suddenly standing upright. A bleary blink to the left and right confirmed that a pair of mares had slithered onto the path and silently raised her with bandaged limbs. They lingered silently on either side of the petite pegasus, offering support—their bodies nevertheless aimed towards the subterranean descent.

“Uhm... th-thank you...” Rainbow produced, but could only blink in confusion at the pair.

They stood mere centimeters away from her, quiet as snowdrifts, their eyes completely obscured by layers of criss-crossing fabric. Only when Rainbow Dash resumed her gradual stroll did they slink back blindly into the shadows from which they came.

“Hmmmfff...” Discord casually floated after his anchor. “Stinks being ignored, doesn't it?”

Rainbow's muzzle tensed. But before she could retort—

“You've made it a great deal further than I anticipated, Avatar of Luna...”

The voice resonated throughout the cave. Bold. Echoing. It was a frightfully deafening contrast to the sepulcher silence Rainbow had endured in spelunking there. The rock formations shook with the volume—either that or Rainbow's foggy vision was paying tricks on her. She dared a few more steps, and through a parting array of stalagmites she discovered an oval-shaped pool set within the stone foundation. This occupied the very end of the cave, flanked with braziers brandishing bright orange flames. However—the liquid filling the pool itself was also emanating a strange luminescence, bright enough to challenge the fire. It brimmed with a bright ivory, like fiery bone meal mixed with mother's milk, enchanted by a questionably lunar glow.

“You are—of course—the best judge in regards to your own strength. But, for my sake, I would kindly implore you not to step any further.”

As Rainbow Dash heard these words, she felt a warm trickle down her forehead. Wincing, she reached her hoof up and felt two unmistakable points protruding slowly outward from her fuzzy blue crown. They were the nexus of her growing migraine, but—much to her own chagrin—even she could admit that it was sustainable. So long as she did not proceed further from that position.

So, sighing, she held her ground, all the while squinting ahead towards the blinding circle of pale liquid flanked by burning amber torches. Something lingered in the center of it, a singular dark spot—like the slitted pupil of a creature of the night peering back at her at all times.

“I really friggin' hope you're not enjoying this anymore than I am right now,” she said hoarsely, struggling to stand upright.

“Chin up, Sparky...” Discord smiled as he drifted closer. “I think it's an absolutely charming fashion statement.”

She rolled her eyes—which only made her dizzier. The mare teetered slightly, and it was Lexxic's words—more than anything—that steadied her upon that luminous moment.

“Do you know why no other sons are allowed in here? In Sanctuary?”

It took Rainbow a few seconds to realize that the Commander of the Bloodwings wasn't just monologuing a rhetorical question. Clearing her throat delicately, she braved a response: “They're claustrophobic?”

“Ah. Humor. A very solid form of defense. Truly timeless, for that matter.” There was a sloshing sound—like an oar being dragged through the surface of a pond—and Rainbow saw the dark shape within the pool shifting. Growing. Rising. “I admire that in you, Rainbow Dash. If only because—if the pattern remains true—it gives equal evidence for pain. And the more you and I share that in common, the better we can work together. At least... in theory.”

“I f-figured...” Rainbow winced. More blood sang down her muzzle. She wiped it clean, feeling the two horns jutting more prominently now. The world flickered yellow and red and back to normal as she exhaled. “I figured with how much your brothers within the Bloodwings obsess over pain and violence, there'd be thousands of them clamoring to join you in here...”

“It's not a question of desire or passion... but of rights... which is something that can only be earned.” The dark shape rose to a stop. Two leathery wings stretched out wide, dripping with filmy white soup. As the droplets recollected into the alabaster surface of the pond, Rainbow became aware of ambiguous shapes stirring just under the broth. The air coiled with a slimy curdling noise, likes snakes or maggots stirring at the bottom of a deep, deep well. That bitter taste of rusted iron intensified in Rainbow's mouth, and her ears rang until Lexxic's voice returned to fill the void. “I was born here, dear Avatar. But not as some pathetic foal, cold, shivering, estranged from the Narrow. This was the location of my second birth, giving rise to a courageous warrior irreversibly drawn towards it.”

As Rainbow grew accustomed to the pain in her head, so too did her vision adjust to the disquieting brightness ahead of her. She realized that a series of metal crossbeams had been erected directly above the pool. Several spokes dipped low like talons, forming a symmetrical pattern. Five of the claws—equidistant from one another—housed Lexxic's glowing daggers upon their iron tresses. Their pointed cylindrical tips pulsed in time with his breaths. But that wasn't all. The helm—the tombstonesque mask of the First Son of Nightmares—lingered on a stone altar on the far end of the pool, towards which his partially-submerged figure was facing.

“Naturally, of course...” Lexxic calmly spoke. He slowly coiled his leathery wings to his side. Slow as shifting snow, he pivoted his head over his soaking wet withers. He faced Rainbow Dash with no eyes—in that both of his diseased sockets were stuffed to the brim with jagged spokes of bone white metal. All of which glowed with an unmistakable tinge that made Rainbow faint to even look at. “...the labor was not without its sacrifice.”

Rainbow's muzzle contorted in mix disgust and confusion. The strips shoved into Lexxic's eyes held no possible room for natural eyes. And yet—they were so solidly and densely patched together that her mind concocted the idea that they were somehow extensions of his own skeletal structure bursting out from beneath his face. This, of course, was impossible—and the grotesque implications of what she was actually seeing layered itself within her, intensifying with monumental nausea.

“But—just like you...” As Lexxic spoke, his head tilted back and his ears folded with an expression of comfort. If the First Son still had eyelids, they would likely be closing in a show of bliss. “...I made friends.”

Right as he said this, the shifting shapes emerged from the filmy pool around him. They burst outward like fleshy tendrils. Only when they took flight and circled around the stallion like fireflies did Rainbow realize that they were chaos manifestations. Half-fish, half-reptilian, maybe even insectoid. All abominable.

“!!!” Rainbow Dash buckled, falling to her knees. Discord looked at her funny...

...until a similar sensation overwhelmed Lexxic. His calm expression vanished as he clenched his teeth and slumped towards the pool. The eels surrounding him drew in closer, steadying his trembling body.

Rainbow—also shivering—reached a hoof towards the ruby pendant around her neck—

“Please—” Lexxic boldly entreated. His head tossed towards the ceiling, and a naked brow flexed in earnest above the spokes within his sockets. “—just let it pass. It always passes.”

Rainbow seethed... seethed... and ultimately lowered her hoof. The wave of dizziness paralyzed her for only a few more seconds, but soon even that fog too cleared. Catching her breath, she slowly stood up...

...only to see Lexxic similarly relaxing within the center of the pool. By now, there were more creatures emerging from the water and floating ghostily around him. Things that resembled serpents, centipedes, and mollusks.

“Too much... concentrated... harmony... from you,” Lexxic managed solidly between hitched breaths. “And I... might drown... in the same salve... that nurses me.” He gulped. “And if this vessel was to vanish, my companions here would consume you within a blink. And then where we both be, hmmm?”

“Ohhhhhhhhhh—I like himmmmmm,” Discord purred.

“Grffff...” Rainbow cleared her throat, squinting as another stream of blood trickled down from her miniature horns. “There's got to be a better way for us to meet.”

“No there is not,” Lexxic said boldly. “Admit it, Rainbow Dash. You needed to see this as much as I needed to show it.”

“... … …?” Rainbow Dash cocked her head curiously to the side.

“I know that I must... have come across as an arrogant, brazen braggart to you. It's my own fault. Truly. I put on a show—not knowing how well intimidation would work on a self-proclaimed avatar from the Seared Lands. And... let's face it... intimidation is the most we can do to each other. And now that I know what's at stake... as well as what's come to bear... well... what's the point in even hiding things. Hmmm?”

Rainbow observed Lexxic's exposed features. The paling of his coat and flesh towards his cranium was but a hollow portent to the true revelation. Where the helm usually rested, the skin was barely intact. Where there should have been a nose, muzzle, and brow—there was a slippery sheen of translucent epidermis. Many of Lexxic's muscles could be seen shifting and tightening beneath the diseased veneer. His nostrils were considerably larger—either that or the cartilage that covered it was clear as glass. In any case, it gave his equine features an undeniably skull-esque impression, and if it weren't for the spiderwebbing veins running opaquely across the slick surface, she would have guessed that a thin layer of the Commander had been sliced off at the tip of his being. Despite this, he carried himself with the same eloquence as he had with the helm plastered over such unsightliness, and he continued speaking calmly and aristocratically as if he wasn't a mutilated specimen with chaotic metal spokes tightly gouged into his eyeholes.

“'Dry'lynwykl'ym'...” Lexxic raised a limb from beneath the waters, collecting a volume of the milky-white liquid within the crook of his hoof. “...a mouthful—even by moonwhinny standards—and yet it's all we have to describe it. By that, I mean it's all our exiled forbearers had written down to describe it. Which means it must exist beyond Penumbra. No doubt you've encountered it before.”

“Chaos metal,” Rainbow spat, overwhelmed with the urge to teeter.

“Hrmmmm. Even more drab than I expected.” Lexxic smirked ever so slightly. “The Solar Deceiver's flame must have gone for your tongue first.” He stretched his hoof up over his head and allowed the liquid to cascade over his mutilated sockets. Steam emitted from the glowing contact, which summoned half-a-dozen hisses from the creatures circling him. “There are worse things to lose, I suppose. Stars. Colors. The plaster of dried blood. I've excelled with all of that.”

“But the metal...” Rainbow blanched. “...it's given you more?”

“It's given me enough,” Lexxic said. “A new sight, of sorts. Applicable here—as chaos is not so... deeply suppressed on this side of our world.” He reached his other hoof out blindly—nevertheless grasping a bone-white eel as it passed by. He caressed it like a puppy as it did serpentine twirls in the air above the pool. “For years, the Vigil did not know what to properly do with it... until the generation when I happened to come into being. I wasn't all too terribly old when I realized the true weight of destiny when it was pressed upon me. The sacrifice I made—it was only natural, I suppose.”

“Yeah, sure, but...” Rainbow blinked. “...just whose idea was it to gouge your eyes out?”

Lexxic snickered—which caused the abominations around him to flitter and gyrate.

“???” Rainbow cocked her head aside.

Lexxic turned around in the pool, facing her with a bitter smile. “I see you and I have much progress left to make.”

“I don't understand how you could have... just decided to do all of that to yourself.” Rainbow pointed. “Unless you somehow already knew that the ends justified the means.”

“Brave souls get rewarded with success when they make decisions out of passion.”

“I wouldn't know much about that.”

“Wouldn't you?”

Rainbow's brow furrowed.

Lexxic swam casually backwards until he reached solid hoofing beneath the liquid. He paced himself towards the altar where the helm rested. The creatures sank on their own back into the pool, which dimmed noticeably. It was around this point that Rainbow noticed two mares strolling in from the peripheral shadows, standing just on the dry cusp above the pool to join the First Son.

He spoke: “You yourself made a sacrifice... despite much that had been thrusted upon you. Perhaps you didn't expect much of it when things unfolded, but now—do or die—you are hard set on your own path. There is great loyalty in you, Rainbow Dash. I respect that.”

“Should I be glad that you do?”

“Possibly. I would—if I was in your position.” Lexxic held his arms out. The mares moved in blindly with rags and dried the filmy liquid from his body. “But... a pony in your position doesn't truly grasp the full range of my capabilities. You haven't a clear idea of what you should respect.”

“But you somehow have a clear idea about me.”

“To some extent, yes, but not fully. Which is why I invited you here.” Lexxic stood tall and dignified as the mares cleaned the last of the moisture from his figure. “You have your aspirations. I have my imperatives. Whether or not they truly cross over with one another, the clear and immediate challenge before us is appeasing the Maria Matriarchs... who already expect so very much from the both of us.”

Rainbow shrugged and nodded, feeling the weight of the fresh horns against her skull. “I'm more than willing to give this a go.”

“For which I am glad, but no progress can be made unless we're both clear about that which we wish to gain...” The mares beside him trotted away, and he sat back on his haunches. “And that which we're willing to give up.”

“I see...” Rainbow's eyes rested on the blindfolded servants. “What about them? What about their sacrifices?”

“One cannot give up that which one does not possess.”

Rainbow couldn't help but frown. “That's vile.”

“Life is vile,” Lexxic said. “If the labors that brought you here haven't taught you that, then you haven't sacrificed anything at all, and I am currently talking to a burnt scroll tossed over by the Solar Deceiver.” He slowly shook his head. “But you're much more than that—aren't you, Rainbow Dash? You may be the avatar of Luna—but you house so... very much more.”

“Enough to know the worth of a soul.” Rainbow watched as the mares approached the altar, slowly and carefully lifting the helm from its resting place. “And that it deserves more than being diseased and muted.”

“Your empathy is noble,” the First Son declared. “But if you spread that energy outward and everywhere at all times—then you may find that you'll never reach your singular goal.”

“... … ...”

The stallion sighed, and he turned his head as if to throw an invisible glance over his shoulder. “If it relieves you to know, they would have been dead long... long ago if someone hadn't taken further steps along the path that they had already been purposed to.”

“Was that someone you?”

“Yes. For some.” Lexxic lowered his head slightly as the mares trotted around and presented the helm to him. “For the others... well... we are fighting to win a war.”

“I'm sorry, Lexxic, I just...” Rainbow slumped back on her haunches. Discord watched her as she ran a hoof over her horns. She licked at a sour taste in her mouth before finding the words: “I'm a bit taken back here. No other pony is allowed in your sanctuary. Not even your fellow brothers in the Sons of Nightmares.”

“That is correct.”

“So why show me this? It just...” Rainbow glanced at him with a helpless shrug. “...it just seems so unflattering.”

“Because...”

There was a dim flash of ivory light—something that would have throttled Rainbow Dash, even from such a distance, hadn't she been seated already. The mares drifted backwards, empty-hoofed, and soon it was evident that the helm was re-attached to the First Son's cranium.

“...your loyalty and mine are as much barriers as they are strengths. For us to bridge the gap, we must form a trust.” He stood up tall, once again the Bloodwing Commander Rainbow had first met days previous. “To that end, I felt that it was important for you to see me at my weakest.” One by one—with tiny white flickers of chaotic energy—the cylindrical daggers unstuck themselves from the spokes above and lodged themselves neatly back home: within the notches of Lexxic's headpiece. “After all...” He breathed. “...I've already seen you at yours.”

Rainbow's muzzle twisted in confusion. “I don't understand. When have you seen me at my weakest?”

“Then. Now. Tomorrow.” Lexxic trotted slowly around the dry length of the pool. “Because... avatar of Luna... you are always at your weakest. That's been the case ever since you first arrived here from Penumbra, although I suspect it began much sooner in the Seared Lands itself.”

“Pffft...” Rainbow blew air out of a sideways smirk. “Okay, now you're just sneezing up horsefeathers.”

“Again. The humor.” He scuffled to a stop, standing safely at a distance upon the pool's closest edge. “Is that your one defense when your five friends aren't around?”

“... … ...” Rainbow stared blankly at him. “... … … say what?”

Lexxic tilted his head in Discord's direction. “Or do you get it from him?”

Rainbow threw a surprised look at the dragonequus.

Discord held a talon up... lingered... then exhaled. “I... did not expect that...”

“I... I...” Rainbow fumbled. She gulped, then looked at Lexxic—trembling. “You see him?”

“I don't see anything, avatar,” Lexxic declared. “I sense and I perceive.” He waved a hoof at his helm. “The Dry'lynwykl'ym is the lens...” His limb slowly shifted to his skull. “...but the mind is what processes the information. When it's not this shape, it's five others—vibrant and tense—like the weapons that they are.” He turned to face Rainbow. “Or perhaps... like the weapons that were forced upon them.”

Rainbow gulped. “The Elements of Harmony.”

“They stand out to me like pillars of flame in an obsidian ocean,” Lexxic said. “The closer they present themselves—the more stifled my faculties... … … which makes for an outstanding blessing that they vanish upon our utmost proximity. Harmony does not yield to chaos—at least not of the alicorn sort. It stands to reason that there must be a piece of what grants me strength inside of you... … … and its feedback is the one thing keeping us from outright perishing, no matter how disabled we might be.”

Rainbow was at a loss for words. She gulped hard, leaning back on her haunches. “I... I-I don't know what to s-say—”

“That it's surprising that a stallion of the Dark Vigil would know about Discord? Or about the Elements of Harmony? That they stood to create vessels out of their mortal wielders?” The daggers within Lexxic's helm pulsated. “The Maria Matriarch have plenty of reasons to detest me, Avatar—but chiefest of all is that I know far more than they wish for me to. How can I not? I am the First Son of Nightmares, encharged with commanding the whole of the Bloodwing Army, despite that which they still stubbornly hold back from me. But—much to their chagrin—I am determined to win this war.”

Rainbow took a deep breath. “Well... believe it or not...” She stood up, legs slightly wobbly. But as she saw a similar tremor roll through him, it gave her strength to continue: “...I want to win this war too.”

“And now that you're here,” Lexxic said. “And I've witnessed the full spectrum of the sacrifices you've made... I know that the battles will not have been fought for nothing.”

“Why is that?”

“Because the same alicorns who built the Elements also built the Sarcophagus of Ages.” Lexxic tilted his head aside. “I may not get along with the High Polished... but they did secure us with the one hope for acquiring that which lies within. Endrax—with or without her shards—may have indeed blocked the entrances. But she didn't construct the doors behind her unbreakable wings.”

Rainbow glanced at Discord, then back at Lexxic. “I... don't know if we're still on the same page about all of that.”

“Nor do we have to be so soon.” Lexxic's pale lips curved. “Don't you see, avatar? This is a time for rejoicing!” He tilted his head up, gazing towards the distant entrance of the cave. “And my brothers and I have the best method for exercising such good spirits.”

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash looked left and right—then back at the First Son. “You hunt for 'meat bags.'”

“There is much work to be done. And—in the time being—perhaps you and I can learn more about the... finer colors of the spectrum before and behind us.” Lexxic delicately cleared his throat. “Although... I do suggest that you leave before me. If we attempt to do it together, I'm afraid the confines of my sanctuary will render us both corpses.”

“Yeah... good point...” Rainbow turned dizzily towards the ascending path.

“And Rainbow Dash...?”

“...?” She turned to look back at him.

He tilted his head aside. “How do you remove them after they've grown?”

Rainbow blinked. With a breath of understanding, she reached up and tapped the two mini-horns again. “They sorta just... fall off when the chaos lifts.” She gulped. “Not all of us are crazy enough to shove them into our eyeballs.”

Lexxic chuckled. “A good thing one of us can still enjoy the sight of spilled blood.”

“... … ...mmm... no promises.”

Lexxic shrugged. “Not surprised.”

Rainbow Dash slowly trudged up the cave, muttering to herself: “Wish I could say the same for the two of us.”

“Pssst... hey...” Discord floated closer. “Can't we stay a little bit longer?” He smirked. “I want to know if he can guess how many stomachs I have!”

“Sixty-Four,” Rainbow grumbled. “They're all stuffed up where your heart should be.”

“Hahah!” Discord popped his leg off and slapped his knee against his skull. “Ohhhhh Sparky! He's so right about the 'humor' thing!”

“Rrgghhh...”

A Grain of Mustard

Dripping.

Darkness.

More dripping.

"Mrmmmfff..."

Rainbow winced.

"Mrmmmsshhhhhtttt..."

Rainbow hissed.

She brushed one forelimb against the other, feeling course hair and leathery skin.

"Well, Sparky Sparky Sparky... I must say..."

"Hrsshshkkkttt..." Razor sharp teeth parted ways, and Rainbow Dash exhaled through them. A red-on-yellow eye opened... then a second.

A dragonequus hovered in the air just a few starlit feet away. The horizon was tilted upside down at seventy-five degrees, and yet he smiled evenly with her.

"...that is a most dashing look for you." Discord smiled, fang glinting. "If you do pardon the pun, of course."

"Hresssssssh!" Rainbow snarled, flicking a forked tongue. It was then that she saw a set of talons dangling in front of her. They were her limbs. "Shkreeeeee!" She let out another beastly shriek through her fangs and thrashed at the air. She was dangling high above a craggy plateau, her dragon tail caught in a cleft of limestone.

What was more, her pendant was missing from her neck.

"Shrkkk—Hrskkkkkttt!"

"Don't blow bubbles through your nose, it's very rude." Discord brushed his lion's paw and examined the pads with a bored expression. "Of course, if I was allowed to be Chaos Lord of Equestria, then I would have made even the most kindergarten of habits more than acceptable."

Panting, snarling, the creature that was once Rainbow Dash looked all around.

She saw loops of limestone... jagged rock formations... a flash of ruby—

There!

The Loyalty Pendant lingered on the edge of a cliff just beneath her, teetering. She saw the mutated, reptilian shadow of a dangling creature rustling between her and her treasure.

"Shrnkkkkkt!" Rainbow wriggled and writhed and reached for the elusive Element.

"Take flatulence, for example!" Discord twisted his skull so it would smile at even level with Rainbow's bobbing skull. "Why do harmonic beings frown on it so? It's a natural part of digestion! If I was allowed to rule over Equestria, I'd make it so that ponies would simply pass piano cords instead of gas! Now... don't you think it would be an improvement?"

"Hrkkkk!" Snarling, Rainbow curled her serpentine body upwards. Antlers scraped against the roof of limestone as she sank her razor-sharp teeth into the cleft of stone holding her in place. Her eyeslits flickered as more and more growing hair draped over her brow, nearly blinding her effort. "Scrkkkkkkktt!"

"If only ponies could... give chaos a try." Discord snapped his finger, producing a ghostly monocle which he proceeded to polish with a handkerchief borrowed from hammerspace. "Certainly, I may be preaching to the choir right now, as it were, but you of all horses... the easthorsiest of horses should understand..." He fitted the monocle on and smiled. "Chaos is your greatest ally right now!" He blinked, and the monocle spat out a grilled cheese sandwich—(FLASH!)—which he proceeded to munch on. "Mrmmmfff... it's practically sustenance, see?" He held the meal out towards her. "You want some? Or... wait. Too soon?"

"RAASSSSHKKT!" With a savage headbutt, Rainbow Dash finally freed herself from the chunk of limestone. Smasssssssh! She fell several feet—THUD!—and landed sprawling on her back. "Rrrrrrrrrrrrgh..."

"Ugh!" Discord rolled his eyes. "Such a drama queen." He tossed what was left of the sandwich behind him and the remaining morsel erupted in a ghostly explosion. "You must get it from that marshmallow one. I mean... just look at you!"

Panting...

Hissing...

...Rainbow Dash crawled across the narrow plateau. She pulled her self forward by her claws, inching desperately towards the Element of Loyalty. It teetered further towards the edge, the ruby lightning bolt losing its luster.

"You always like to do things the hard way! That's what harmony's got in store for you from here on out, after all! Especially on this side of barfspace! But chaos? Pffft!" Discord zipped in front of her and pulled his eyes out. Red and white flower buds sprung out of the sockets. "Here, it's a veritable bed of roses! Why fight it?" He smacked his head, and a pair of eyes popped back into place, expelling the ghostly flowers. "After all, it's keeping you alive. You do know that, of course. Nothing else can be given the golden Smol Pone Award for Good Spark Resuscitation. It's sure as heck not your precious princesses back home, living on the opposite side of the Celestial Matriarch's toenail—or whatever this crazy curved thing is called. Pffffft... 'You're a Ginger?' Goddess, I hope not! HAH!"

The creature's hair had almost lost all its color now. All traces of hooves vanished beneath glinting silver claws. Mutated nostrils flared as it whimpered and drew itself forward, spitting up bile and blood. A single limb stretched—shaking—towards the pendant.

Discord's eyes flared momentarily. "I thought I had you back there, y'know. Back in that un-fun dungeon inside that mesa. Back when I told you to do the unthinkable to your friends. You respond in all the wrong ways to threats, don't you, Sparky? Well... tell me..." He leaned in, phasing his smug grin through the pendant in an effort to confuse her. "...how are you going to respond to yourself when all of this is said and done?"

The creature wheezed. It clawed forward... scraping limestone... scraping—

Discord cupped his hairy chin with two talons. "How do you expect to get anything accomplished... as a simple, mortal girl-horse...?" His eyes lit up again, and he grinned harder into the starlight. "You can afford to be hard on yourself. But what can your so-called 'friends' afford?" He blew into the air with magical timing...

...for the pendant was falling like an anvil.

"HRKKK!" A set of claws lunged.

The creature caught the pendant.

Rolling over—hissing and spitting—the beast struggled with itself like wrestling a shadow. It let loose a blood-curdling roar, muscles ripping as it slowly... painfully forced the pendant back around its neck.

Then—

FLASSSH!

—the ruby lightning bolt flashed.

A breath squeaked weakly into the air. Red-on-yellow eyes rolled back as the creature... melted from the outside in. Antlers dissolved to dust. Hair and scales peeled away. At last, razor sharp claws and teeth billowed into calcified bits, carried off by a wayward wind. Curled up inside a moist patch of chaotic smegma, Rainbow Dash shivered... alive and exposed and trembling...

...and herself.

When her eyes reopened, they were ruby-on-white. Tears magnified the edges as she whimpered for a solid breath. She clutched her pendant the entire time. At last, as her pulse returned to normal, frantic colorful shapes materialized on all sides of her.

"—Rainbow!" Twilight Sparkle gasped.

"Rainbow, darling!" Rarity yelped.

"She can see us, y'all!" Applejack hollered.

"Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy rushed up. "We lost you for so long! Are you okay?!"

"Snfff-snfff!" Pinkie Pie's muzzle scrunched. "... ... ...Do I smell grilled cheese?"

"Rainbow, speak to us!" Twilight rushed up to the quivering pegasus' side, her forelimbs phasing through in a friendly gesture. "Are you okay?"

"Oh you poor thing..." Fluttershy's ears drooped. "That must have been awful!"

"Shhh! Let Dashie say something!"

"Just..." Rainbow hoarsely pronounced, still clutching her pendant. Tears streamed down the sides of her face as she fought the urge to hyperventilate. "J-just..." A shudder... a whimper. "...g-give me a few m-minutes... g-girls..."

"I'm afraid we dun have a few minutes, darlin'," Applejack said in a motherly tone.

"What... why...?" Rainbow Dash gulped. Her moist eyes darted around, and she swallowed the billionth lump down her throat. "The wagon... the Herald... where are they...?"

"Well..." Twilight Sparkle looked Rarity. "...uhhhh..."

Red on yellow eyes flickered. "Where?!" Rainbow asked viciously.

Rummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmble!

The earth shook.

Rainbow sensed the entire horizon shifting. She lazily tilted her head aside to see a mountain of deathly stalks rising... falling... slithering. The gigantic entity was slithering its way towards Alpha, and columns of smoke and billowing debris followed in its wake.

"We think they..." Pinkie Pie pointed nervously. "...might be somewhere on the other side of that."

"We almost thought we had lost ya when the dang oversized varmint slammed into the earth somethin' fierce," Applejack said. "The entire hover plank thingy went flyin'! It all happened so fast!"

"But... b-but they're alive...?" Rainbow stammered, sitting up and wincing.

"Rainbow, take it easy—" Fluttershy reached forward.

Rainbow's eyes stared daggers into her. "Are they alive?!?"

Fluttershy gulped. "Yes. I... I think so..."

Rainbow's ears drooped.

"I-I just can't exactly judge where. This creature..." She gulped, gazing at the shifting horizon. "It's so terribly big. That much active life is throwing my senses for a loop!"

"I'm afraid I'm not of much help either," Rarity said defeatedly. "So much of the landscape is being destroyed or reoriented that I just can't get a fix!"

"I-I might be able to help!" Twilight floated upright. "If you get us high enough, Rainbow, then I might be able to sense the enchantment Flynn put into place!"

"You mean y-you can find the wagon?"

"Yes."

"Well... it's a start..." Wincing... popping her joints... Rainbow Dash stood up. "Let's go..."

"But Dashie!" Pinkie Pie protested.

"I can't w-waste anymore t-time..." Rainbow started flapping her wings.

"Rainbow, darling, you're just one little pony!" Rarity pointed at the cataclysmically moving mass. "You can't face off against something that immense!"

"Which is... precisely... why... I must..." Gnashing her teeth, Rainbow Dash spread her wings...

...and glided towards the rumbling mayhem.

Always Ever Charcoal Brown

Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes narrowed on the blue shape shuffling about in front of her.

Rainbow Dash swept a patch of blue weeds clean of dust with her tail. She then placed down a narrow strip of armor designed for guarding fetlocks. Rainbow positioned it so that the concave portion of the metal armor faced up, like a plate. She then placed two strips of Bleakweed directly on top of it. The material was frayed, but still edible.

Taking a breath, Rainbow Dash plopped back on her haunches, faced Seraphimus directly, and opened her muzzle—

"No," Seraphimus grunted.

Rainbow's brow furrowed. "I haven't said anything yet."

"Whatever it is, the answer is no."

"But—"

"You had best let me be," Seraphimus exhaled sharply.

Rainbow Dash sighed. She leaned back, forelimbs folded over her fuzzy tummy. "... ... ...I didn't order for you to be clubbed in the back of the head."

"I know."

"It was an impulsive decision made in the heat of the moment," Rainbow Dash said. "Even still, can you blame us for not fully being able to trust you?"

"I know who did it and for what reason."

"Lemme guess." Rainbow blinked. "You wanna tear out his guts."

"Not really," Seraphimus droned.

Rainbow was silent.

"Well..." Pinkie Pie drifted in towards the mare's side. "That's a welcome change... isn't it?"

Rarity floated up along Rainbow's other side. "I beg to differ. Some ponies never change. Griffins too—it would seem."

"Uhm..." Fluttershy phased through Rainbow Dash's body and twirled around to face the whole of them. "No offense... but there's really only one pony here who can be of help to Rainbow in this conversation."

Rainbow's eyes darted over.

Twilight followed her gaze as it landed on Applejack. "You heard Fluttershy, AJ." She gestured with a smile. "Front and center."

Sighing, Applejack tilted her ghostly hat back and drifted over to Rainbow's side. "She's mad as the dickens, Rainbow. That hasn't changed." Her emerald eyes narrowed. "But something is different. She actually had to put up some effort to come across as bitter just then."

"Maybe she's tired?" Rarity remarked. "Celestia knows I would be exhausted after being so cross for so long!"

"But Rare-Rare, you didn't have all your family thawed to death!" Pinkie Pie remarked. "Grumpy Feathers here has reason to maintain her stick-in-the-mudness for the long term!"

"Did you not hear me?" Seraphimus spoke up, staring at Rainbow's dead-still figure. "I do not need any lecturing right now."

"The fact of the matter is... you do need something," Rainbow said, looking calmly at Seraphimus again. "Something I wish I could give you. To help you. I just... refuse to believe it's too late for that... for fixing your life."

"Clubbing me in the back of the head was a start," Seraphimus said in a cool tone. "I would suggest repeating that—only harder this time."

"I am not going to execute you," Rainbow grunted.

"Doing so back in Frostknife would have stopped this 'damnable path' that you perceive me as taking," Seraphimus said. "And—for practicality's sake—it would presently rid you and your group of unwanted stress. It's what I would do in your position."

"Rainbow..." Applejack began.

Rainbow looked over.

The farm mare was shaking her head. "She's fibbin' for sure."

Twilight Sparkle craned her neck to look over Rainbow. "About what?"

"Do ya really need me to spell that out?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow looked at Seraphimus again. "If all this time you've wanted so frickin' badly to die—"

"Have I not told you that?" Seraphimus spoke intensely, close to hissing.

"... ... ...then what motivated you into helping me, Kepler, and the rest of the Herald back when we had to fight the giant wyrm?"

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie pounded her ghostly hooves together with a piercing grin. "Answer that, ya big bad birb lady!"

Seraphimus sighed. "I've lived a long... mostly honorable life." She clenched her beak. "I would rather not perish from the casual whim of a giant, mindless beast."

"What does it matter?" Rainbow Dash asked. "The 'Goddess' you serve is long-dead. There's no going back to Rohbredden... no way of engraving your name and accomplishments deep within the Frosted Shelves."

Seraphimus' neck feathers crested. "As you're so keen to remind me..."

"All we have on the Dark Side is each other," Rainbow Dash said. "With just those factors and those factors alone..." She shook her head. "...I really don't think we should be leaping at each other's throats."

"You're obsessed with making me see the universe through your twisted, blighted vision," Seraphimus growled.

"Seraphimus... girl..." Rainbow waved a hoof. "Kihutaja and the Seven Seas are a gazillion whale farts away on the other side of the plane! Face it—you left the so-called 'Blight' behind long ago! And—with all things considered—doesn't this crazy star-lit wasteland make the Blight look like peanuts in comparison—?!"

Seraphimus blurted: "Assisting the Herald afforded me another day that I might actually slay you with my own talons!" She sneered. "Did you ever stop to conceive of that, creature?"

Rarity fanned herself. "Well... so much for progress."

"I... wouldn't draw conclusions so quick-like, sugarcube," Applejack said.

"You sense something, Applejack?" Fluttershy asked hopefully.

"Like what?!" Pinkie Pie flailed. "You heard her! She totally wants to skewer the Dash-Dash!"

"T'ain't that simple..." Applejack tapped her ghostly chin, staring at the mare. "She's... desperate to keep you in the mood to detest her. It's like she's strugglin' at this point to push you away."

"Or...!" Twilight Sparkle brightened. "...she's struggling with herself over the fact that she's gotten so close!"

"So close to what?" Pinkie Pie raised an eyebrow. "You don't mean to Dashie! She hates her!"

"Or maybe it's not so much 'hate' anymore," Fluttershy said. "Would you blame Seraphimus for being confused? Frightened, even?"

"What's this bird-cat got to be frightened of?" Pinkie asked. "She's a total badflank!"

"I suppose it would be awfully frightening to face the enormity of a world such as this one," Rarity stated. "For anypony... much less a soul that's been so steadily indoctrinated to accept one cosmology and one cosmology alone."

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, then spoke: "Do you know why I can't yet bring myself to unshackle you completely?"

"I think that's more than evident," Seraphimus muttered. Her eyes wandered to the morsels of food, but she made a good show of denying that her vision had graced them. "You fear for yourself."

"Even you would know better by now."

"You fear for your ill-fated friends."

"That too. But there's more." Rainbow leaned forward, ears drooping. "I fear for you, Seraphimus."

"... ... ..."

"I fear for what might happen to you—even if you didn't just turn around and slice my throat out from under my chin. One way or another, you'd be out there in the great Curved Dark... on your own... struggling to make sense out of the very same shadows that confuse all of us." Rainbow breathed. "It's tough enough trying to keep sane with such an uncertain future ahead of us. Thinking about Equestria and the plight of the entire world just... drains me. And if that wasn't enough, there's memories of the crap I had to pull in Frostknife. Memories of..." She gulped. "...of Bard."

Fluttershy sniffled while Rarity hung her head.

"I see it draining the Herald too," Rainbow continued. "They try to keep strong. Even Wildcard—or Jordan, as you know him—has his moments where... everything just collapses." She slowly shook her head. "I can't get to the Midnight Armory alone. But neither could any of them. We gotta lean on each other to make the impossible happen. And even if you don't share our mission or our belief... you do share our strength. You've already proven that we can depend on you. But that dependency works both ways."

"It was merely desperation," Seraphimus said.

"And it's totally okay to admit that!"

Seraphimus flashed her a surprised look.

"Because... I think you really need to, Seraphimus," Rainbow said. "I'm just starting to understand precisely how... long you've been alone. Even when you had your family around... you couldn't bear to burden them with what drained you, could you?"

Seraphimus opened her beak... but had nothing to say.

So Rainbow said it for her: "You almost had something... someone to depend on, and Verlax took that away from you. I'm sorry. But... even if you think it might be too late... you have ponies you can depend on here and now. It's never... ever too late, Seraphimus."

Twilight and Pinkie smiled—

—but then Seraphimus blurted: "The only thing I depend on is a swift death," she spat. "Yours or mine. Whichever comes first will work."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. She looked at Applejack.

With a wry smirk, Applejack shook her head.

"You're lying," Rainbow droned.

Seraphimus' beak clapped. "To blazes with your damnable metaphysicality. You're a blighted sham and you will collapse from the weight of—"

"You're lying." Rainbow Dash stood up. "I know you are. And now you're scrambling to act 'tough' in order to compensate for the fact I know. Well, tough manure, babe." She trotted away. "I've met scarier melon fudges than you in my day."

Seraphimus fumed. "You haven't the faintest idea what I'm capable of—"

"You're hungry. Eat up."

"I am not hungry!"

"... ... ...you're lying again."

Seraphimus shook so hard her manacles rattled. She looked at the strips of bleakweed, then at the stubborn pegasus who was trotting away. Fuming, she covered her eyes with her bound forelimbs and slumped down against the rock... struggling for as long as she could to stop from looking at the edible morsels.

Do Not Feed Them

"Jordannnnn!!!" Seraphimus shouted for the umpteenth time. Despite the grimacing expression on her face, the bombastic exclamation wasn't laced with panic—but rather with purpose. She glared Edgeside, staring into the formidable line of pale limbs... stumbling closer and closer.

By the time she had gathered enough breath to holler again...

Swooooooooooooosh!

—a midnight streak of feathers murked towards her. Wildcard scraped to a stop, facing past the line of the camp. Th-Thwkkk! In a heartbeat, he had whipped out Bard's staff and was staring into the distance, breathing heavily.

Seraphimus couldn't help but shudder in her chains. "You've not lost your punctuality."

Wildcard stood still, glaring at the mysterious threat.

Inhaling and exhaling until her tone was considerably calmer, Seraphimus reported: "I first made visual contact about ten minutes ago." She sat up as straight as she could atop the back of the dormant wagon. "They've been charging this way at a consistent speed. Faster than a normal pony. I... can't quite get a count on them. They easily number in the scores. Perhaps over a hundred."

Wildcard's neck muscles tightened under his feathers. His goggles reflected the glint of multiple, multiple sets of razor-sharp claws. He cocked his head slightly to the side, studying the hunched, bounding figures. Several random bodies rose higher than the others in dramatic spurts. Some of them were leaping.

"They have an uneven front line," Seraphimus continued. "Very disorganized. Frenetic. I suspect they don't possess the intelligence needed for a valid strategy of attack." She craned her neck, charcoal eyes narrowing on the mysterious charge. "I can't discern if they're just rabid beasts or starved cretins. There's no telling if they have weapons on them... not without getting closer, at least."

Swoooooooooosh! At last, Rainbow Dash and Ariel flew onto the scene, wheezing for breaths.

"Who?" Rainbow hovered above Wildcard, gazing Edgeside. "Who has weapons?"

"Whoah..." Ariel grimaced. "...the Hell are those things?"

"'Hostile' is the word for it," Seraphimus said. "And I suspect they will be here in minutes."

Frowning, Ariel ignored her. "Wildcard? Got a read?"

The Desperado stood in place, mulling, hesitating.

"Wildcard..." Rainbow Dash floated closer. "Seen anything like them?"

He shook his head.

"They're... coming in awfully fast," Rainbow murmured.

Wildcard gave one nod. He spun around and hand-signed directly to Ariel.

"You sure about that?" Ariel responded.

"Hey!" Rainbow pouted. "I'm here too! You can 'talk' to me as well, y'know—"

"Not right now!" Ariel spurted. "It's crunch-time!"

Rainbow's brow furrowed. "Excuse me?"

Swooooooooooosh! Wildcard soared off towards the pale line of bodies.

"Jordan's going to investigate them closely," Seraphimus droned.

Rainbow did a double-take. "Excuse me?!?"

"He's just scouting them out, Rainbow!" Ariel exclaimed. "I'd say we stay put until he comes back with a full report."

"Oh buck no..." Frowning, Rainbow ascended on rapidly blurring wings. "I can already tell these things are bad news!"

"But—"

"We're on the Dark Side and they're charging at us!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "They're bad news!"

Ariel's ears and tail drooped. "Okay."

Rainbow pointed her hoof Curveside. "Go to Flynn and Kepler! Tell them it's a green light for attaching the floaty rock crap to the wagon!"

"Whoah, seriously?" Ariel arched an eyebrow. "But what about the chaos and—?"

"We need to get this wagon outta here," Rainbow boomed, already flying after Wildcard's distant figure. "I'm not about to sacrifice the entire Herald just because I'm hung-up on a bunch of floating Discord turdlettes! Now go!" Rainbow flew faster, approaching the pale line at breakneck speeds. "There may still be a way for Wildcard and I to salvage this!"

"Ah jeez..." Ariel danced nervously in place for a bit. "Ah jeez Ah jeez—Okay!" In a gray blur, she soared in the opposite direction, skimming uphill.

"And I..." Seraphimus rolled through a somber sigh. "...will just remain here, I suppose." She nevertheless gazed Curveside after Rainbow and Wildcard.

Ariel—in the meantime—passed over the head of a breathless Logan who was stumbling downhill into the camp.

"Hey!" Logan wheezed and stumbled to a stop, leaning on his wagon. "What the hell gives?"

"We gotta fetch Flynn and Keps!" Ariel barked, sailing past. "They'll need help attaching the chaos rocks to the wagon and then we're bugging out of here!"

"Oh you gotta be friggin' kidding me," Logan moaned. Flexing his exhausted muscles, he turned back around and trudged back uphill after her, sweating and heaving.

"Wildcard's up ahead!" Fluttershy pointed as she phased through gusts of chilling wind. "He's keeping a high altitude!"

"Smart fellow!" Rarity said, fanning herself nervously.

"Fluttershy..." Twilight glided along their anchor. "...you sense Wildcard. Can you sense yet what we're dealing with?"

"Yeah..." Applejack nodded. "We're a stone's throw away from the chaos crater by now!"

"I'm afraid I can't sense them!" Fluttershy said, shaking her head. "I mean, they're obviously there!" She pointed at the pale line of sinew and claws. "We can see them. But all I'm sensing is a big dark patch of... n-nothing!"

"Doessssssss that mean they're not alive?" Pinkie asked, voice wavering.

"I... think it's just like with the crater for Twilight and Rarity," Fluttershy said, looking at the others. "When there's a heavy dose of chaos... our senses simply don't work!"

Pinkie cackled. "You mean these creepy thingies are made out of chaos?!"

Rainbow took a deep breath. "There's only one way to be sure..." She angled her wings and glided so that she joined Wildcard's side. The Desperado was hovering in place at this point. "...we gotta get closer to these 'creepy thingies.'"

"But you can't get too close, Rainbow!" Twilight said.

"Twilight's right, sugarcube." Applejack looked over. "If you conk out and topple into this mess, I'm not sure even Wildcard could save yer hide."

Rainbow clenched her jaw muscles. "Guess I gotta be extra careful."

"Do you even know how to define that?!" Twilight barked.

"Quiet, egghead." Rainbow braked in mid-air besides her griffon friend. "Wildcard? What's the sitch?"

The Heraldite gave her one brief glance. Holding Bard's staff under his armpit, he gestured swiftly. Rainbow Dash wasn't in the right frame of mind to interpret that very moment.

"'Back' and 'Safe,'" Twilight read. "Those are all I got."

"Dude, you've got my back enough as it is," Rainbow said. "Time I protected your tail-feathers too."

Wildcard merely tightened his beak. He looked into the sea of surging limbs.

"Just... what in the hay are these things?" Rainbow Dash thought out loud.

The two watched... observed as the gnarled, pale flesh grew closer. Even from their lofty vantage point, they sensed a deep rumbling in the air: the echoes of dozens upon potential hundreds of stampeding legs, limbs, and serrated extensions. All luminescent life had either gone dormant or fled the scene entirely in the wake of the oncoming beserk rush. Beneath the dark shadows of the charging bodies, there were pinprick sparks where countless claws made countless contact with the Dark Side's arid surface. Then—with the flicker of a hundred pairs of beady eyes—the air shattered like glass, serenaded sickly by putrid banshee shrieks... both unearthly and ravenous.

Fluttershy clung to Rarity. Rarity held the pegasus, stroking her mane while worried eyes remained locked on the rabid advance.

"Land's sakes..." Applejack grimaced. "If they ain't right out of a horror show..."

"Are they..." Pinkie gulped. "...p-ponies?"

"Not even remotely," Twilight stammered, wide eyes locked on the creatures. "See how their backs bend? Also... no tails—"

"A lot of them are r-running on just their hind legs," Fluttershy blurted, clinging to Rarity.

"Bipedal..." Twilight blinked. She looked over. "Fluttershy, do you recognize them? Maybe they have distant cousins in the Everfree Forest? Like the Poison Joke?"

Fluttershy slowly shook her head. "I... I can't say that I've seen them before." Her eyes narrowed despite her trembling. "Although..."

"Goblins," Rainbow murmured.

Wildcard glanced aside while gripping Bard's staff at the ready.

"They... almost look like goblins," Rainbow said. "From Val Roa. Only... these things are way bigger... and uglier..." She gnashed her teeth. "Those claws..."

"!!!" Fluttershy gasped. "I remember now!"

"What is it, darling?" Rarity asked.

"The sketches! The sketches that we found down in Darkreach!" Fluttershy looked at the others. "Rainbow recognized one of the creatures as a goblin! But then there were two others!"

"She's right..." Twilight nodded. "These things resembled the really scary hunched-over ones!"

"Jee..." Pinkie raised an eyebrow. "Ya think?!"

"Did... the Emeraldinian Expedition run into these creatures?" Twilight murmured.

"If so, then maybe we finally know what wiped them out," Rarity droned.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Rainbow Dash slowly drifted forward.

"???" Wildcard instantly threw her a look. He swung his staff out, blocking her.

Rainbow didn't fight with it. She merely patted his grip to the staff and hovered in place. "Only because it's worth a try."

"Ah jeez, Dashie..." Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes. "You really think so?"

"I'm not going to shake their hooves—claws. Whatever. Just—" She shrugged everything off, cleared her throat, and cupped a pair of hooves around her muzzle. "Hey!" she shouted towards the charging mass far below. "We come in peace! From the Light Side!"

The uneven line didn't stop advancing. The earth shook under their pale limbs as they charged and charged.

Rainbow's brow furrowed. She leaned forward and shouted again: "What is it that you want?! We don't want to fight you! We don't want to fight anyone! If you could just—"

The air lit up with banshee shrieks. Several heads shot up. There was a flickering sea of drooling maws and beady eyes. The front line slowed slightly. Milliseconds later, the muscles in the dead center of the mass shifted upwards.

Applejack gasped. "Darlin'! Look out—!"

Screaming an ear-splitting shriek, one beast hopped off the shoulders of its brethren. It leapt dramatically high—higher than anyone expected—and lunged straight for Rainbow Dash at a startling forty feet.

Her friends shrieked—then flickered out of existence. A goofy dragonequus materialized, scratching his head. "You continue to surprise me, Sparky—" Just as he said this, a beastly biped rippled through him, jaws aimed squarely at Rainbow's throat.

Hresssssssssssh!

Rainbow flinched—

THWACKKKK! Bard's staff sailed down into the monster's skull, crushing it like a tin can.

The beast fell in a wet slump. Discord vanished—and the five ghostly mares returned, shrieking.

"Rainbow!"

"Sugarcube!"

"You okay, darling?"

"I'm fine..." Rainbow—numb—slumped back into the crook of Wildcard's metal arm. "J-just a bit wetter than I was two s-seconds ago."

More beasts charged. More beasts leapt. "H-H-HRESSSH!"

Wildcard yanked the two of them upwards. Claws nipped at Wildcard's lion's tail, and the beasts fell down—only for several more cretins to jump upwards, nimbly bouncing off the falling bodies of their companions. Wildcard and Rainbow Dash ascended before the beasts' assisted jumps could catch up with them. With centimeters to spare, the two outflew the spontaneous leaping attacks and doubled-back towards the camp at breakneck speed.

"Rainbowwwwwwwwww..." Twilight frowned at her as they sailed Curveside. "What did we learn?"

"Oh bite your tongue," Rainbow wheezed, still being "carried" protectively by Wildcard. She looked back forlornly as the creatures continued their frenzied, slobbering pursuit. "Like you wouldn't have gone and tried that yourself!"

Twilight's ears drooped, as did her ghostly spine. "You're not wrong."

"I don't care who's wrong or right!!!" Pinkie shrieked, casting a nervous look at the line of claws and teeth. "Go go go go go go go!"

Planned from the Start

Seraphimus was putting the finishing touches on her pack, tightening one strap after another. She knelt before multiple branching corridors leading nebulously into the heart of the mountain. She breathed steadily, calm and deadpan.

Hoofsteps scraped against the rock floor of the chamber, coming to a scuffling stop.

Her headcrest lifted, but otherwise she barely flinched. The griffin spoke without looking towards the far end of the chamber. "After countless goddess-forsaken months, I am finally out of your mane. Isn't it enough to just let me go?"

"No..." Rainbow Dash fought dizziness. Rubbing her head, she leaned against a stalactite and squinted at the former Talon Commander. "It isn't."

"Hmmmfff..." Seraphimus examined the firmness of the makeshift straps. "Your selfishness knows no bounds. You simply must own everything."

"No." Rainbow took a breath, teetering slightly. "I simply must own up to everything. There's a difference." She gulped. "Don't tell me you don't understand this yourself..."

At last, Seraphimus looked at her. Her charcoal brown eyes narrowed. "You look ill. Did those dastardly monstrosities give you a concussion?"

With flickering eyes, Rainbow looked to her left.

Discord hovered in place, rippling in and out of existence. He pretended to be looking at an issue of Playchaos magazine. "Hmmmm?" He glanced over at his anchor, adjusting a pair of reading glasses on the hairy bridge of his nose. "Oh, don't mind me." A fang-glinting smile. "What could I possibly enjoy from this heartfelt conversation."

Sighing, Rainbow looked at Seraphimus again. "Just a bug I can't seem to lose." She gulped. "Why? Are you... actually concerned for me?"

Seraphimus merely snorted. She returned to examining her pack. "You'll find that I took only the barest necessities."

"The 'barest necessities' in a place like this would require a friggin' tank," Rainbow's voice cracked. "With a blood-thirsty moose at the helm."

"Poetically hyperbolic," Seraphimus dripped. "I simply meant to affirm that I did not take liberally from your supply."

"Again. Why do you care all of a sudden?"

Seraphimus actually growled: "Do not mince my own words. Can you at least appreciate the fact that I have garnered an ounce of my old professionalism?"

"Aaaaaaaand what's so professional about going out into that mess alone?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "It's frickin' suicide and you know it."

"It's your foolish crusade that's the suicide run," Seraphimus retorted. She glanced up at her with a hawkish eye. "And now, I am no longer part of it." She paused... then sat up straight with a lethargic breath. "Unless... you have come here to stop me by force."

Rainbow took a breath. "I've considered it." She stared past Seraphimus. "But Logan made a promise."

"You intend to maintain his honor?"

"It was an impulsive decision... but not entirely a bad one." Rainbow swallowed. "All I've wanted was for you to be sane... be whole... be happy. But this?" She shook her head. "This isn't exactly what I wanted. I feel that you're my responsibility, and if you go out there on your own—"

"We're still in the company of your comrades," Seraphimus said in a cool tone. "You possess greater numbers and could still attempt to overpower me—"

Rainbow gnashed her teeth. "Why's everything gotta be a tooth-and-nail headbutting scenario with you?!? Didn't you ever once have friends? Like... What were Keris? Starscream? Windfarter? The other guy?"

"My life as Commander of the Right Talon of Verlaxion was one fashioned for conflict... harnessed through combat." Seraphimus stood up, testing the weight of the pack. "I excelled at what I did... until I met you." She looked at Rainbow, squinting for emphasis. "You are the last creature whom I shall allow to lecture me on kinship."

"Well, you gotta admit," Discord spoke sideways, pivoting the "magazine" around in his claws. "She's a whole lot calmer about being a whole lot calmer." He gave the issue a shake, and an extra-long page rolled out. His red-and-yellow eyes bugged. "Yowsers!" He panted. "Look at them fractals!"

Rainbow looked at Seraphimus again. "And what about when your family was still alive? What did a life of violence mean to you then?"

"... ... ..." Seraphimus stood in silence. Without looking at the pegasus, she rolled the pack over her shoulder, slipping her forelimbs through the straps.

"I... wanted to restore the real you, Seraphimus," Rainbow Dash said. "Not the crazy state-sponsored wrecking machine, but the loving wife... the protective mother... the griffin who once enjoyed harmony and the warmth of others—"

"Warmth was not meant for me," Seraphimus said. She glanced over her shoulder, her headcrest tightening. "That was made abundantly clear very early in my life."

"You so sure about that?" Rainbow cocked her head to the side. "From where I'm looking, I'd say you've thawed quite a bit."

"I know a thing or two about imprisonment," Seraphimus remarked. "It psychologically constrains a soul... whittles her down to a vulnerable, pliable substance. And yet—I am quite lucid of what's happened to me over the past few months. I choose not to accept that I've surrendered to your incessantly pedantic dogma."

"Then what's happening to you, Seraphimus?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Care to tell me?"

The griffin breathed slowly, her features sagging slightly. "A righteous humbling," she eventually murmured. "To such a degree that I could never have predicted it. I was strong, once. Courageous. Untouchable. Then you came in—and carried with you all the forces of the Blight."

Rainbow Dash winced.

"I strove to accomplish my task as a defender of the Queen's land. But... it wasn't enough. Verlaxion had charged me with protecting her foals. Somewhere along the way... I lost my focus. I allowed doubt and anger to clear my mind. I went on wild tangents, attempting to incriminate the likes of Chandler when instead I should have stepped back and allowed the Goddess' clarity to baptize me... to show me the plan she had in the most unassuming of places. Because of my faltering, I opened her up for vulnerability. The death of Verlaxion... the collapse of Rohbredden... it is all my fault. And now I am here..." She tilted her head up, gazing at the dark confining walls of the tunnel. "...in a purgatorial deathscape so far removed from the Spring Havens that I wonder if I will ever find the spirits of my mate and child again."

"Seraphimus, what happened in Frostknife... to your 'Goddess...'" Rainbow Dash gulped, shaking her head. "It couldn't be avoided."

"Yes. I realize that now."

Rainbow blinked. "You do?"

"Mmmmm... it was her plan." Seraphimus looked up. "Her plan for me all along... so that I might find my true place in this universe. Stripped of all I've loved and fought for—I am as small as I ever will be. I am a child again... a hatchling in the shadow of her... banished from the sun and spring waters of her beloved, unified tribes. I must stop mourning the state that I've been reduced to... and instead seek the enlightenment that Verlaxion had long intended for me. It is my remaining purpose." Her hawkeyes narrowed. "It must be."

"Sera, girl, you suffered for her plan, alright," Rainbow Dash said. "But it's not what you think."

"I can't expect you to understand. It was never your role to learn. Nevertheless, you had a place in all of this as well," Seraphimus said. "There may never come a day when I won't hate or despise you... but I must acknowledge the fact that you were part of Verlaxion's plan to bring me here... just like the death of my family." She took a deep breath, steeling herself or: "And that is why it would make no difference anymore to kill you."

Rainbow bit her lip.

"Ehhhhhhhh..." Discord threw away the "magazine" and shrugged. "Good enough. If you ask me, Sparky, you should just roll with that."

Rainbow ignored him. "Then..." She took a few weak steps towards Seraphimus, fighting dizziness. "...the long hunt... is finally done?"

"I want nothing to do with you any more," Seraphimus said. "And—barring any ambush that you might orchestrate—I do not intend to ever see you again." She turned tail and marched down a random cave tunnel with her pack of things. "Let that be the last word exchanged between us... and may we die separately. At peace."

"Seraphimus—Sera!" Rainbow Dash reached out for her. Her eyes flickered red-on-yellow, and she clenched her teeth. "Goddess-friggin'-dang-it!" Tail flicking, she trotted briskly after her. "Wait! Just hold up!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand the soap opera continues!" Discord mewled, stifling a yawn. "Where's a good organ when you need one?"

Agonizing Suspension of Disbelief

"They have been gone forr an awfully long time," Kepler declared, rummaging through the glowing wagon's contents. He straightened several of the crates while simultaneously examining their rattled contents. "Surrely—unimpeded—Serraphimus would have made herr exit by now."

"Well, I guess it depends," Ariel said, tail flicking in concern as she paced by the nearest tunnel. She looked forlornly into the shadowed corridor. "Will Rainbow stop her?"

"If she's smart she will," Flynn muttered, leaning back and sharpening an Emeraldinian rapier.

"Lay off it, baldy," Logan muttered.

"Hah!" Flynn smirked bitterly across the chamber. "You're one to tell me to shut up! It's your fault she's free from her chains to begin with!"

"Then I guess it's my fault we're not troll food at the moment." Logan casually bit into a chunk of freshly-cooked meat. "Mrmmmff... you're welcome."

"Oh go soak your fat head, fatass!"

"That's a double 'fat.'" Logan gulped his food down and lethargically glanced at the bald unicorn. "Your insults are getting redundant."

"Stop treating this like it's some kind of a joke!" Flynn swung the sword into a nearby stalacmite. Clakkk! His mechanical eye angrily rotated in and out as he sneered: "It's our job to make sure the Austraeoh accomplishes her task while remaining alive! And your damned stupid impulsiveness could very well have cost us everything!"

"You don't know Seraphimus like I do," Logan muttered. Nevertheless, he avoided the stallion's gaze for the moment. "She's far past the need for bloodthirsty revenge—"

"No! You don't know that, Logan!" Flynn said firmly. "Time and time again that damned griffin has proven to be unpredictable as Hell! What—are we supposed to sacrifice everything we swore our lives to just because you've suddenly made yourself a Dark Side travel-buddy?!"

"It's not like that," Logan droned.

"Isn't it, though?"

"We're just..." Logan winced. "Seraphimus is just starting to come to grips with the reality of the situation—"

"Yeah! And that's why she's skipping off like an angsty teenager with nothing to prove!"

"Grnnngh..." Logan face-hoofed. "...egghead..."

"Don't 'egghead' me!" Flynn grunted. "You're starting to lose your priorities, Big Show!"

"Now just wait a damned—"

"If we were here to reform villains, we'd be making a epic quest to Equestria! Not the Midnight Armory, Goddess-damn-it!"

"Please..." Ariel rubbed her face with both hooves, moaning. "Can we please stop arguing..."

"Who's arguing?!" Logan shrugged. "I'm just sitting down to eat! Flynn over there is the crazy dog-in-heat trying to crucify me—"

"Yeah?!?" Ariel suddenly snapped, flying into Logan's face and snarling. "And you think he doesn't have a good reason to?!"

Logan leaned back, blinking in surprise. "Whoah, girl—"

"You made your decision without consulting Rainbow Dash! Without consulting the rest of us!" Ariel gnashed her teeth. "Did you even stop to consult your own good senses?!"

Logan gestured wildly. "How else were we gonna stave off the army of freaktards rushing up on our buttholes out there?! I did what made the most sense at the time—"

"No, you made a decision based on what was right in front of you without bothering to think twice!" Ariel exclaimed. "What gets me is that you didn't even try to come up with another option! What if we used the rune stones to blow up a trench in the army's path?! What if we used Kepler's magic bag of alchemic tricks to set the trolls on fire?! But noooooo! Let's release the angry vindictive psychopathic death chicken who's had a murder boner for Rainbow Dash from day one! That's totally the smart choice!"

"I wouldn't have done that if I didn't realize she had changed!" Logan growled.

"She's not the one who changed, Logan! You are!" Ariel frowned. "Since when did the bold and badass Big Show make grand decisions out of how he felt?"

"If I went with the way I felt..." Logan stood up in a blink, looming over Ariel. "...I wouldn't have come along with this flamin' shit circus to begin with! I have a daughter back in Rohbredden, Ariel! A baby foal! You think I felt fine with just leaving her to shiver under all them damned Windigoes?!"

"Logan, come on..." Flynn sighed, waving a hoof. "She didn't mean—"

"Damn your eyes, 'she didn't mean it!'" Logan huffed, eyes narrowing on the mare. "And who are you to lecture me about letting 'feelings' guide my actions, sweetcheeks? Not a day goes by when you don't reduce yourself to a brainless raincloud whenever the Austraeoh so much as farts in your direction—!"

"Dammit Big Show—" Ariel raised a hoof.

Swisssssh! Kepler glided to a stop between them. "Brrotherrs!" He held Ariel back with his scorpion tail and placed a wing against Logan's chest. "Frriends! Cease this adolescent prrattling at once—!"

"Did you hear what he said—?!" Ariel began.

"Can't keep her wings limp to save her soul—" Logan balked.

Suddenly, a ferocious lion's roar rumbled cacophonously through the cave. The air shook, and in the epicenter of the sabre-rattling vibration was Kepler's rabid face. His spectacles had shaken loose, revealing two frighteningly wide eyes in the center of a fiery flaring mane. "SILENCE!!!"

Ariel blinked, plopping to the ground and locking up.

Logan's ears folded back as his pupils shrunk to pinpricks.

From a distance, Flynn blinked. His knees were weak. "... ... ...whoah."

"Grffff..." Kepler exhaled, his limbs and shoulders going slack. Slowly—like a deflating tire—his mane went limp around his otherwise small frame. "Goddess above..." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "...getting harrderr and harrderr to hold the innerr manticorre at bay." He took several deep breaths, brushed his mane straight, then placed his spectacles back into place with extraordinary care. At long last, he stood tall and proud, once again in possession of his calm and collective demeanor. "Do we not owe the Austrraeoh grreaterr rrespect than this? Did not the Mountain Matrron have a good and faithful rreason forr sacrrificing herr verry own life? Orr Axan, forr that matterr? Barrd? Rremna? Arriel's own motherr—may they all rrest in peace..."

Logan hung his head.

Ariel bit her lip and rubbed her shoulder and wings with a pensive hoof.

Flynn sighed, reaching a fetlock up to brush away bangs that weren't there.

"Big Show..." Kepler looked over. "...yourr frriends arre angrry at what you have done, not who you arre... even if they lack the arrticulate means of explaining that to you. And even if you feel disrrespected—and I underrstand why you would—you must not lowerr yourrself to a brrutish level by rrudely attacking anotherr one of us forr how she chooses to prrotect and cherrish the Austrraeoh." He turned to face Ariel. "Arriel... while therre may orr may not be a dangerr inherrent in Logan's decision, I see no rreason to attack his faculty to deal with prroblems logically. Afterr all, he has weatherred farr morre harrdships than the rrest of us and come out strrongerr and morre tenacious forr it." At last, he turned towards Flynn in the distance. "Flynn... yourr angerr is justified, and I would be lying if I said I did not feel the frrustrration too. But I was also therre when the trrolls attacked us and I cannot see how any otherr option would have saved us... aside frrom the brrash albeit forrtuitous decision that Logan made. Consistently berrating him is not goint to imprrove ourr situation whatsoeverr. We must instead choose to deal with what is ahead... and do so as a team."

"That's just the thing, Keps..." Flynn waved a hoof. "With Seraphimus on the loose, we can't see what lies ahead! Am... am I the only pony who's freaked out about this?"

"I'm freaked out about this," Ariel muttered.

"She is not going to turn on us now," Logan said. "Call it an emotional intuition if you like—but I just feel it in my gut. Besides..." He looked up. "If she wanted to axe Rainbow Dash, she's had the opportunity to do so on many occasions. Hell, she could even do so now!"

Flynn shook his head. "Not with Wildcard by her side."

"Well then—what rreason do we have at prresent to worrry?" Kepler shrugged, forming a hopeful smile. "The Rrainbow One is well prrotected in the Desperrado's carre! Unless Wildcarrd werre to rrandomly show up, pale and brreathless, then we needn't sweat, my frriends!"

Just then, Wildcrad randomly showed up, pale and breathless.

Kepler's scorpion tail went limp. "Buh?"

"Oh shit..." Ariel flapped her wings, teeth clenched. "She went berserk and attacked Rainbow, didn't she?"

Wildcard shook his head. He began to gesture—

"She's got Rainbow prisoner?!?" Flynn gasped.

The Desperado stifled a hissing sound. He tried gesturing again—

Schiiing! Logan stood up, axe held high. "They're being attacked by giant cave lizards!" Bonk! A bo-staff ricocheted off his head. "Ow! Asshole...!"

Kepler sighed. "Perrhaps I should have trried that earrlierr..."

"Just... just tell us what you need to tell us, dude," Flynn said.

Frowning, Wildcard finished signing his anxious announcement.

"Leave... leave the wagon...?" Ariel blinked. "Leave it for what?"

Wildcard motioned after him as he flew backwards up the tunnel.

"I... I don't get it!" Flynn's voice cracked. "What's outside?"

Wildcard gulped... then simply motioned again. He turned tail and flew up the corridor.

The remaining Heraldites exchanged glances.

"What... the hell is this all about...?" Flynn stammered.

"Ach!" Kepler was the first to glide after the griffin. "Therre is simply one way to find out! Let us prroceed!"

"I... got a very bad feeling about this," Ariel said, floating after.

"Hey Keps! Ariel!" Flynn galloped as well. "Wait up!"

"Rnnngh..." Logan rubbed his head, picked up Bard's bo-staff, and lurched up the rear of the group. "...one of these days—I swear—the stupid has got to wear off."

Minutes later...

...Logan caught up with the group.

"Okay... what's so big about this shit?"

There was no response.

Kepler, Ariel, and Flynn had joined Wildcard, Rainbow Dash, and Seraphimus in gawking Curveside. A blue glow glinted across their wide eyes.

"Hmmm? Hello?" Logan limped into the open exit. "What the Hell—?" He froze in place as well. His ears pricked above widely blinking eyes. "Oh. Uh... that's a thing."

Wildcard nodded, whistling limply into the air.

"Uhm..." Ariel's eyebrow twitched. "...what were we arguing about again?"

"Uhhhhhh..." Flynn wheezed. "...panties? I dunno..."

"My starrs and garrterrs..." Someone else said.

Where the Beacons Point

"Care to be more specific, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie nodded. "What's an 'Ithica?'"

"Ilrifia," Twilight Sparkle corrected.

"Whatever!"

Rainbow Dash looked at the Heraldites gathered as she proceeded to pace and dictate: "At some point... about halfway through my journey on the Light Side..." Her hooves scuffled as she trotted thoughtfully around the pile of ancient skeletons. "...I started noticing something... in the Machine World... while lighting the beacons."

Rainbow's friends—both physical and ghostly—listened intently. Even Seraphimus had her head craned in the pegasus' direction.

"Whenever I touched the ruby flame... I almost always blacked out. I'd experience a vision of sorts. Like... I would see an outline of Urohringr... or just this one part of the ring." Rainbow gulped. "Then I'd be floating among the stars... and I'd hearing a voice. At first, the voice and its words didn't make much sense, but gradually everything sorta started to become clearer and clearer. It started to get really intense after my first time coming into contact with the Yaerfaerda beacon. At first, I almost thought it was Verlax... but then I realized it was a different kind of presence... and it... she was warning me about Verlax."

Seraphimus' beak clenched. Before she could say something—

"Verlax had entombed many of the beacon locations with ice and chaos metals," Flynn declared. He lowered the skeleton in his grasp and laid it on the lobby floor with as much gentleness and care as his horn could muster. "Perhaps the Divine's presence had purposefully encroached on this... 'spirit' you're talking about."

"Well, if Verlax meant to squelch it, she didn't exactly succeed," Rainbow Dash said. "At long last—as recently as finding the Utaan symbol—I managed to have a half-decent conversation with this spirit." She gulped. "It identified itself to me."

"'Ilrifa,'" Ariel remarked.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "And while my vision of it was still somewhat obscured, I could have sworn I noticed a few... uhm... curious details."

"Like...?" Logan raised an eyebrow.

"A narrow snout. Large wings. A long, long tail..." Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "I figured my head had just made it up, y'know? For ages, I've subconsciously known the fact that 'ancient pegasi' were behind Urohringr... or the Sundering... or both. So, when I last came into contact with a beacon, I sorta thought that maybe my head made up the fact that the soul in the machine world was a pegasus."

Wildcard hand-signed and gestured at the skeletons.

"Yeahhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash exhaled, wincing slightly. "Not so much 'made-up' now, huh?"

"How verry currious..." Kepler rubbed his hairy chin. "So—as it would seem—the Austrraeoh's comprrehension of the Angels incrreased overr time."

"I... guess...?" Rainbow's voice cracked.

"It potentially confirrms a theorry that I have had," Kepler said. "As the Austrraeoh makes morre and morre contact with the rruby flame that powerrs up this forrsaken plane, deeply-encoded instrructions frrom the past make themselves evident in herr consciousness."

"You make her sound like some sort of manastone for data storage," Ariel remarked.

"Is it really all that different?" Flynn interjected. "Rainbow Dash's part to play in this whole thing runs deeper than all of us can even imagine. Especially if the powers of Urohringr have essentially run piggyback over the Elements of Harmony to bring her this far."

"Let us not forrget...!" Kepler raised a claw. "...Commanderr Hurrricane was likewise called! But she did not even rremotely make it as farr as the Rrainbow One!"

"Right..." Ariel nodded. "Because—as Rainbow told us—she died."

"Ach! Or is it—perhaps—because Hurrricane utilized a Sentinel forr trransit... while it was Rrainbow who traverrsed the entirre distance on herr lonesome, and therreby exposed herrself to the multiple beacons that werre always meant to prroperrly rrestorre her to the knowledge left by Urrohrringrr's prrogenitorrs?"

Rainbow's ghostly friends blinked.

Wildcard and Logan exchanged quiet glances.

Seraphimus sighed. "Your cosmology is absurdly convoluted."

Flynn flashed her an angry glare. "What the Hell do you think we're all standing in right now? A sand castle?!?"

Seraphimus was silent.

"Soooooooo..." Ariel hovered, pacing in mid-air. "Just what is 'Ilrifa?'"

"Not what," Rainbow Dash muttered. "Who."

Twilight Sparkle looked at her. "Are you sure of that?"

Rainbow bit her lip.

"If the ancient pegasi who knew of the Sundering meant for you to do something about it..." Twilight Sparkle gestured. "...would only one of them reach out to you?"

"This most certainly had to have been a group effort, darling," Rarity said. "If our kingdom of Equestria had met an unfortunate end, I'm certain both Celestia and Luna would utilize all the help they could from their subjects to assure a future restoration."

"This 'Ithica' does want to help us, though..." Pinkie Pie raised an eyebrow. "Right?"

"Isn't that obvious by now?"

"But..." Pinkie's ears suddenly drooped. "...how do we know that she or he or it or they want what's best for this world?"

Twilight blinked.

Fluttershy bit her lip.

"They want me to restore Urohringr," Rainbow Dash eventually said. A breath. "I'm pretty sure of it."

"I would hope so!" Ariel exclaimed. "Otherwise—heheh—what's the Herald even around for?!"

"It would seem damned stupid and absurd for the forces at play in Urohringr to string you along just for nothing," Logan said with a grunt. "Otherwise, there's a cosmic skull out there just waiting for my axe."

"Let's..." Kepler sighed, waving his claws. "...let us not unnecessarrily give into cynicism and ennui, my frriends." He gestured at the skeletons before them. "A horrrible fate befell those who once dwelt within this city... this plane. It stands to rreason that any lingerring enerrgy at play simply desirres to rrestorre that which was lost."

"That makes sense to me!" Ariel said with a nervous smile.

"Does it?" Seraphimus blinked. She droned, "All forms of energy in this universe work to achieve the lowest state through the path of least resistance. Life wants to die. Why would some lingering cosmic force imbued upon this plane seek anything but oblivion?"

Several Heraldites winced. Wildcard face-claw'd.

Fluttershy and Rarity squeaked in subdued peril.

"She's a worshipper of Verlax, alright," Flynn grumbled.

"What is she even doing here?" Ariel hissed.

Seraphimus sighed. "An answer that I myself am seeking."

"Well, can you seek it somewhere else?" Ariel frowned. "Like at the bottom of a pit?"

"Have we not reached that here and now?"

"Ugh..."

"Anwers..." Rainbow Dash spoke warmly, regaining everypony's attention. "...would be pretty awesome." Her wings fluttered. "I suggest we keep searching."

"Searching?" Flynn's mechanical eye rotated. "For what?"

"Anything," Rainbow said. "We've already learned so much from what we've found here. I suggest we go even further..."

"By that—do you mean deeper?" Logan asked.

"If we must."

Logan leaned back, folding his forelimbs. "...I suggest we split up in no more than two groups."

"I'm in Rainbow's!" Ariel chirped.

Flynn rolled his eye.

"Uh huh." Logan nodded. "Double-Yoo. Death chicken. You're with me and the wagon."

Seraphimus looked over, squinting. "Since when was I following your commands?"

"Since you started answering to 'Death Chicken.'" Logan marched out of the lobby and into the dim twilight. "Now come along... or maybe you've decided to go on your lonesome 'pilgrimage of oblivion' or whatshit."

Wildcard followed Logan out the room.

Seraphimus stood dumbly in place, blinking. She looked at Ariel.

Ariel stuck her tongue out.

"Hrmmmm..." Seraphimus followed the first departing group.

"Really, though..." Ariel planted her fetlocks on her hips as she hovered. "Just why are we keeping her along?"

"I'm not the only needing beacons to light my path," Rainbow said.

"Huh?"

Rainbow sighed. "Just give me this, girl. I really really really want that catbird to see the light."

"Then have Flynn build a laser-pointer."

"A what?"

Ariel blinked. "... ... ...you flew through two warring kingdoms equipped with flying battleships and managliders and you don't know what a laser-pointer is?"

"The only lasers the Ledomaritans had were the kind that fried kittens and fed them to orphans."

"... ... ...huh."

"Or maybe that was Searo's Hold. Or the Sacred Hold. Or the Special Hole." Rainbow shrugged. "Whatever. Can we ditch the Skeleton Discotheque already? I'm starting to get the creeps."

"I'm all for that!" Flynn said, trotting out.

"Seems a crriminal shame to leave these fossils herre so uncerremoniously," Kepler remarked.

"Keps... dude..." Flynn looked over his shoulder while exiting. "These remains have been here longer than all known kingdoms have existed and burnt out. Finding a weird place to bury them would be the truly heartless crime."

"Hrrmmm... impeccable logic, my frriend!" Kepler exited, shortly followed by Ariel. "Onwarrds to furrtherr discoverry!"

Rainbow Dash took up the rear.

As she was about to leave the lobby entirely...

...she stopped suddenly in her hooves.

The petite pegasus' ears twitched. For a moment there, she thought she heard a sound. A melody... like violin strings.

"... ... ...?" She turned and looked over her shoulder.

All she saw were dim shadows... scattered twilight... and the flounce of spider webs.

"... ... ..." Rainbow allowed her gaze to fall on the ancient pegasi once more. A somber breath... and she finally marched out of the building with firm purpose.

Nauseated Pegasi Shouldn't Ride

For the last two days, Rainbow Dash had only known the upper platforms of the abandoned city. Courtesy of the orb weavers, she and her two griffin companions had cleared every level of that visible urbanscape in less than two minutes.

The three continued to descend, dropping like tethered anvils through the metallic forest of spires and bridges and more spires. The most haunting thing was how soundless the plunge was. Not even the slightest hint of a tremor or vibration could be heard emitting from the silken strings between the arachnids' spinnerets and an unseen ceiling above. To Rainbow's surprise, the city became even denser: more and more skycrapers emerged from the lower depths like metal cattails jutting out of an impossibly deep pond. While it was an eerily smooth descent, it was also incredibly smooth. The orb weavers practiced immaculate counterbalance, and if it weren't for the spindly legs looming in Rainbow's peripheral, she would have imagined she was floating towards the core of the plane on her own volition.

With a tinge of nervousness, Rainbow gripped the edges of the "gondola" that she was in. Craning her neck, she could spot the other two seats with her companions in them. Rainbow saw Seraphimus; the former Commander was stirring noticeably, no doubt just as curious about the situation as she was. Wildcard—naturally—sat nearly motionless, taking the entire situation in stride. As the three continued to drop, the twilight up above vanished almost completely. The only light Rainbow could spot was the sheen of stars against the midsection of skyscrapers rippling up past her vantage point.

She breathed heavier, her wings tightening behind her back. It was around this point—as the deepening shadows blinded her to the legs of her invertebrate hosts—that she became more aware of her ghostly companions huddled along with her.

"Gotta hoof it to ya, sugarcube," Applejack rambled. "You've got a mighty strong spine for stuff like this."

Rarity gulped. "What she said, darling..."

"Heck, the closest I ever came to a spooky trip like this was this one time I had to clean out the old well that Ma and Pa dug up years ago in the north field." Her freckled muzzle scrunched. "That nasty thang was filled to the brim with vampire fruit bats. I had shimmied halfway down the shaft via rope, and the moment I shone a light they all flew into my face. Whew... ain't ashamed to admit that I couldn't sleep for a whole week after that!"

"Thanks, AJ," Rainbow Dash droned. "That's... uh..." Her ears flicked as she tried to make sense of the environment teetering darkly around her. "...that's pretty encouraging."

"Well, Dashie doesn't have to be too freaked out about this visit!" Pinkie Pie chirped. "These spider-roos don't mean no harm to her! Ain't that right, Applejack?"

Before Applejack could respond—

"There was something that changed about them, though, right?" Twilight Sparkle peered across the silken gondola. "A shift in perspective, perhaps? Opinion?"

Applejack groaned breathily. "I ain't sure exactly what I sensed. But there's definitely been a change to our resident spokespony... er ... spokesbug?"

"Rather late in the game to bother speculating about it now, isn't it?" Rarity remarked.

"Shoot, Rares..." Applejack shrugged. "Reckon it wouldn't hurt to simply ask Merula what's up."

"I should have thought about that earlier while I was still in the twilight," Rainbow Dash muttered.

"It's not too late, Rainbow," Fluttershy said, shaking her head.

Rainbow turned to look at her. "Can you even sense Merula?"

"I... think...?"

"You think?"

Fluttershy pointed out into the thickening shadows. "We're not alone..."

Pinkie and Twilight exchanged nervous glances.

Eyes thinning, Rainbow Dash reached a hoof blindly up to her neck and rubbed the lightning bolt of her pendant. A ruby beam of light shot out from where she was seated in the descending vehicle of silk. It shone off the bent, spindly legs holding her—revealing patches of yellow and black coloration to the spidery limbs. The beam then caught the gloss in the gondolas seating Seraphimus and Wildcard. Rainbow spotted a glint to Wildcard's goggles. Then—the spotlight shifted—and Rainbow's light reflected off eight dark spots looming parallel to her, equipped with fangs, twitching pedipalps, and a scarlet-dappled cephalothorax.

"Guhh—!" Rainbow Dash flinched heavily. For the first time since her descent began, her shifting weight caused the gondola to sway. She swung towards the target that had startled her: a massive tunnel-weaver that was descending evenly with her gondola from a thick spinneret. Somehow, the creatures gripping her vehicle compensated for the swaying motion, and Rainbow was steadied again. Her descent slowed slightly in the grip of the spiders, and she calmed down in time for her pendant to illuminate the fuzzy speaker riding the body of the descending tunnel-weaver across from her.

"We did nottttt mean to starttttle you, Austraeoh," spoke the familiar tonal voice of Merula. Hatchlings perched on her body and the silk construct positioned before her. The rapid descent required most of the tunnel-weaver's concentration, and its shifting body parts caused the makeshift voice-box of its rider to distort ever so slightly. "We forgotttt that you are not as accustttttomed to the darkness as the Queen's Children."

Rainbow gulped. "That's quite alright. I... uh... I'll manage."

"The Austraeoh is resourceful," Merula said, her voice box stabilizing as she swayed less and less. Rainbow's ruby spotlight illuminated a sphere of blurring buildingsides behind her. "Nevertheless, it is the duty of the Songstress' Hatchlings to escort her safely to the Ever Lyricist's lair."

"And that's very nice of..." Rainbow Dash stumbled in mid-speech. Her eyes narrowed. "...you?"

At first, Rainbow's ghostly friends were confused as to why Rainbow was slurring her words. They craned their necks as they looked at their arachnid escort, and soon they understood why. Merula's glossy exoskeleton was a vibrant green color. An emerald shine coated her fangs and pedipalps.

"You are not Merula," Rainbow declared.

The jumping spider replied with alarming swiftness... and confidence. "We All-Singers are all Merula," she declared. "Translation of the Queen's Song is our supreme purpose."

Rainbow gritted her teeth. "The Merula I know is a shiny blue."

"Indeed," the jumping spider replied, green abdomen shaking. "The color upon hatching is random. It is the hue of the lyrics that remain the same."

"I... I don't understand..." Rainbow muttered.

Twilight Sparkle spoke up. "It's like a hive mind, Rainbow," she explained. "They're all attuned to giving you the same message."

Rainbow blinked. "... ... ...what happened to the Merula I was speaking to previously?"

The Merula seated atop the descending tunnel-weaver before her answered casually: "She committed her soul to song, as she had so committed her body. The chorus continues uninterrupted, by the Queen's Glory."

Applejack spoke quietly: "She's tellin' the truth, RD."

Fluttershy let loose a tiny, melancholic squeak. Rarity gently squeezed her shoulders.

Rainbow Dash eyed the miniscule hatchlings perched all along the jumping spider's limbs. "I guess 'Winter Children' is as literal as it gets." She gulped. "Just how long do all of you live, anyways?"

"All is Eternal in the Song," Merula said with confidence. "We do not dwell on the finite, for even in a brief glimpse we are given a portion of the infinite." Her abdomen shook. "In the unfathomable days of Spring, Summer, and Autumn—we knew longevity. But the darkness has encompassed everything outside the lair, and ourselves in turn. The Austraeoh's Spark comes to change that... and to fix the Break in the Circles."

"No wonder they're helpless against the Hunt of the Bloodwings," Rarity stated in a pitying tone. "And the Keepers and the Night Shard!" Her ears folded back. "They barely live long enough to put up a fight beyond the limits of this city..."

"They can only sing the Queen's Song," Fluttershy said, sniffling. "All these millennia... they've been holding out for a chance to share their tune..."

"Rainbow..." Applejack looked towards their anchor. "...there's still somethin' unspoken."

Pinkie bit her lip.

Taking a deep breath, Rainbow looked at Merula once again. "Merula, there's something you haven't told me."

Twilight winced at Rainbow's straightforwardness.

Merula's forelimbs shifted ever so slightly, pulling at the strings. "We do not understand."

"No, perhaps you don't." Rainbow leaned forward in her descending gondola. "I don't think you mean to lie to me, but there's something that's shaken the translation of the song." Her brow furrowed. "It's something you... must think I'm not capable of handling..."

Merula was silent.

"I am a mortal after all," Rainbow Dash said. "I'm awesome... but also fragile... at least by your standards. All the more reason for you to share absolutely everything with me." She shrugged visibly. "Because if somehow you blow this, then that's all she wrote on Austraeoh." She shook her head. "Your precious Queen of Strings won't get another chance at kindling the Spark. Imagine all of those ageless promises made to the likes of Ilrifa and Gardez... completely wasted."

Twilight nervously glanced between Rainbow and Merula.

At last, the jumping spider responded through the silken construct: "It has been many movements of the Symphony since the Ever Poet attempted communicating directly with a mortal being. It is one thing for the Song to be heard. It is another thing altogether for it to be understood."

"I..." Rainbow blinked rapidly. "...I don't understand."

"The Song carries itself through the blood of the Winter Children," Merula explained. "For that which wasn't hatched by the Songstress' glory, they must partake in the blood to be a proper audience."

"Partake... in the blood...?" Rainbow Dash's voice cracked.

Merula's fangs shifted. "So as to connect the mind with the Chorus. For a short duration, the Austraeoh will be like a Winter Child herself—in spirit but not in body. There will be no loss of one's expected years, but the experience may in fact be unpleasant... for a mortal such as yourself."

"Rainbow..." Twilight Sparkle leaned in. "...I think she's speaking about an injection."

"An injection?!" Pinkie practically squealed. "An injection of what?"

"What else...?" Rarity shuddered. "Look at those dreadful fangs!"

"Wait..." Pinkie Pie grimaced. "So they gotta bite Dashie for her to take a bite out of their song?"

"It makes sense to me," Fluttershy said. "Whatever chemistry allows the Winter Children to abide by a hive mind would be passed on to Rainbow Dash... albeit temporarily."

"How do we know it's safe?!" Rarity exclaimed.

Rainbow took a deep breath. "You said that Abaddon has tried this on a mortal before?"

"Indeed," Merula replied calmly. "Several revolutions ago, she had arrived from Paradise with a pack of mortal companions to greet us in the upper city—much like you have. And although the strings did not vibrate with the tonality of Ilrifa's promise, she agreed to become an audience to the Immortal Poet. She lent her Penumbral blood and listened to the song."

"Did... she have a name?"

"Gwen," Merula declared. "So the Winter Lyrics maintain."

Twilight gasped. "Commander Gwen!" She beamed at Rainbow and the others. "The leader of the Emeraldinians! She must have arrived here along with Ranort and Warhol after abandoning Darkreach!"

Rainbow looked warily at the jumping spider. "This Commander Gwen..." A gulp. "...did she survive... sh-sharing the blood of the Winter Children?"

"Yes."

Rainbow flashed Applejack a look.

Applejack waved her forelimb back and forth.

Rainbow frowned at Merula. "But...?"

The jumping spider's abdomen shook. "She was indisposed for a considerably lengthy period of time afterwards. Eventually, she regained her senses completely and left with her companions, venturing deep into the Dihmer lands. The Song maintains that she lived a full and healthy life—for a mortal."

"Well..." Pinkie Pie shrugged. "I guess that's peachy keen to know!"

"That's smashing for the Commander, I suppose," Rarity remarked. She then shivered. "But not exactly promising for Rainbow Dash..."

There was a slight growl to Rainbow's voice. "Is there a reason you chose not to tell me about this 'blood-sharing' stuff earlier?"

Merula responded simply: "The Ever Poet's Song speaks nothing but praise and admiration for the qualities of the Austraeoh. It did not occurr to us—the Winter Children—that Ilrifa's gift might hesitate to partake in the Song. However, when she requested to be accompanied by members of Eljunbyro, we realized that the Song had not completely prepared us for the decisions that the Austraeoh might make. The Winter Children are not used to that which cannot be predicted. The Penumbral blood in the Austraeoh is brighter than expected—which can only be natural for such a Spark, admittedly."

Rainbow looked at Applejack again.

Applejack gave a calm nod.

"Yeah, well..." Rainbow looked at Merula once more. "It's not quite as 'bright' as you might think." A gulp. "A few run-ins with Gardez's runt of the litter sorta cast a shade or two. Let's just say not everything's gone as I expected either."

From across the urbanscape, Rainbow heard Seraphimus' voice echoing: "Is something amiss?"

"Awwwwwww..." Fluttershy smiled. "She almost sounds concerned!"

"Not with that tone," Pinkie Pie gluttered. "She's the same ol' General Meat-a-Grind!"

"Pinkie..." Applejack smirked. "Anypony ever tell you that yer positively radiant when yer full of it?"

"Say what?"

Rainbow cleared her throat and peered across the pitch-black descent. "Everything's fine, Sera!" Her voice echoed across unseen strings. "Just wrapping up a few things with our tourist guide here!"

Rainbow's spotlight caught the glint of two separate catbird headcrests. The three continued to drop into the silken chambers below.

Taking a calm breath, Rainbow looked squarely at Merula again. "Whatever happens... I don't want you doing or saying anything to alarm my friends," she said. "I'm trusting you here." She glared. "Got it? The Austraeoh is relying on this not to royally screw me over. Wouldn't want to re-break the Circles, now, would we?"

"Affirmative."

"... ... ...sooooo..." Rainbow fidgeted. "Does that mean—?"

"By the Song of the Queen of Strings, the Austraeoh shall emerge unharmed," Merula declared. "The Winter Children have pledged their legacy to this moment."

Rainbow nodded, looking in Applejack's direction. "That's a pretty honest pledge."

"We assure you that the nausea will be unnoticeable next to the glory of the Chorus."

"Uh... huh..." Rainbow gulped. "...just how much did this Gwen... like... throw up or whatcrap after 'sharing the blood?'"

"We do not have that encapsulated in song."

"Oh! Well... good!" Rainbow smiled. "That must mean it wasn't much to talk about—"

"We simply do not have the breadth of lyrics to properly describe the sheer volume of regurgitation that transpired."

Rainbow's pupils shrank. "Oh..."

Fluttershy and Pinkie winced.

"Whelp..." Rainbow peered straight down as her ears tickled with a rapidly increasing symphony of violin strings, growing closer and closer. "...party hard, I guess..."

Close Encounters: Fuzzy Kind

"Well, if you ask me..." Ariel guided a somewhat dizzy Rainbow to her tent. "It's well enough that we've got Seraphimus' promise that she'll no longer try to rip your throat out from under your chin."

"She... never exactly said it in those words," Rainbow Dash stammered. She teetered slightly in mid-trot, still recovering from the effect of the spider venom. With Ariel's assistance, she made it to a pile of blankets inside the tent and plopped down on folded legs. "Mrmmmff... but it's close enough, I s-suppose."

"I wish you'd reconsider," Ariel said. Her eyes were briefly firm. "If you ask me—we're better off without her angst and... and... grimdark bullcrap."

Rainbow merely sighed. She sat in place, rubbing her head. "Uh huh... ... ..."

"I mean, things here on the Dark Side are shitty enough without her having to make us feel even more intimidated," Ariel muttered. She stood in the entrance to the tent, frowning out towards the gray urbanity, as if looking for a pale griffin to stab with her angry gaze. "Abaddon and Merula have made it clear to us. We have to grab these Shards of Endrax if we wanna get inside the Midnight Armory."

"Right..."

"And if we can actually convince one of the factions to work with us—then why not put everything towards making that happen?! I mean... that friggin' Talon Commander's gotta realize that not every living soul in this world has gotta be as miserable and friendless as her!"

"I don't want to accept the fact that she's 'friendless,' Ariel."

"Pffft!" Ariel scoffed. "What are you looking for, volunteers?!"

Rainbow looked up at her, briefly glaring.

Ariel cleared her throat. "I-I mean she's tried to kill us before, Rainbow Dash. Multiple times."

"Wouldn't be the worst soul I've won over."

"I fail to see how Seraphimus is any close to being 'won over," Ariel huffed. "She really should have more faith in you. She should have faith in things period!"

"Or maybe..." Rainbow brushed her bangs back, sighing. "...having a stark, pessimistic perspective like hers could actually be helpful." She gulped. "Life-saving."

"Rainbow, if you think there's a chance we can appeal to the Bloodwings, then we should give it a chance! It's as simple as that!"

"You... Wildcard... even Kepler and the rest..."

"Huh?" Ariel blinked. "What about us?"

Rainbow looked squarely at her. "You treat me too nicely. You know that, right?"

Ariel squirmed where she stood. The mare avoided Rainbow's gaze as she murmured, "How... else are we supposed to treat you, Rainbow?" She swallowed. "I-I mean... you're the Austraeoh. You're the hope of this world... of worlds beyond."

"And when Mortuana prepared you in your long, long wait... was she all sunshine and roses?"

"I... I don't get it, Rainbow." Ariel exhaled. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying... I'm thinking..." Rainbow slumped even further on her haunches, ears folding back. "...that I really need to sleep off this friggin' spider crap in my blood."

"Heh..." Ariel nodded with a weak smile. "Fair enough. Do you need anything from me in the meantime? Some food? An extra blanket?"

"I need you to live, Ariel."

"Huh?"

Rainbow waved a fetlock. "I'm good, girl. Go on and hang with the rest of the gang. Just..." She rubbed her dizzied head, wincing slightly. "...don't let me snooze for too long."

"You got it, Rainbow." Ariel trotted off, slapping the tent flap shut with a flick of her tail. "Ni-ni!"

Rainbow Dash hung her head. Once the Heraldite was gone, she became acutely aware of her ghostly companions drawing tighter around her.

"That Ariel..." Fluttershy smiled calmly. "She can really be adorable when she wants to be."

"You mean all the time?" Rarity asked, rolling her eyes with a smile.

"Mmmmm. Yes."

"Well, somepony's gotta be cheery among this crazy somber bunch!" Pinkie Pie blurted. "Logan's only ever grumpy or sassy! Wildcard's quiet as a glacier! Flynn can't stop complaining about stuff!"

"They've got a lot of stress on 'em, Pinkie," Applejack said. "More stress than any of us can imagine."

"Pfffft!" Pinkie frowned. "You mean we're not allowed to be stressed?! There's nothing we can do about where we are or where we're headed!"

"Right. But they've always got something they can or can't do. That's what makes it all the more stressful. Havin' agency but still feelin' hopeless." Applejack sighed. "Believe me. After so many years of workin' on the farm, I still couldn't quite live with myself when I knew that the harvest was fallin' behind. Even when there was nothin' I could do to prevent it!"

"I wouldn't call this situation hopeless," Fluttershy said. "Just... mmmm... really really really really scary."

"Three armies, Fluttershy, darling," Rarity emphasized. "Rainbow's friends have to contend with three whole armies that stand between her and the Midnight Armory. If you ask me, the situation would have been greatly less stressful if these blasted Shards weren't a factor. But now we can no longer make a path straight for the Harmonic Prism, can we?"

"I'm with Fluttershy on this," Twilight Sparkle spoke up. "It's not a hopeless situation—or an impossible one! Just... a very dangerous one." She motioned towards their anchor. "And our best friend here has dealt with dangerous situations before, hasn't she?"

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie nodded. "Long before we tagged along!"

"Gotta admit, though, Twilight." Applejack squirmed. "This one's a real whizz-banger of a situation. One group of ponies? Against three whole armies?"

"Ponies, griffins, and a wyverrrrrrrrrn!" Pinkie said, tongue dangling.

"Right." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Even still—when was the last time Equestria ever had to contend with an entire army... much less three of them?"

"Long before any of us were foaled," Fluttershy exhaled. "That's for certain."

"It begs the question, though." Rarity looked at Twilight. "What would Princess Celestia do in a situation like this?"

"You're asking me?"

"Well, of course, darling! You were her most faithful student, after all."

"Uh... she still is, Rarity?" Pinkie glared. "She's only half-dead, y'know! All of us are!"

Rarity sighed, then threw Twilight an apologetic glance. "A thousand pardons, Twilight. I trust you knew what I meant."

"Well..." Twilight tapped her chin in thought. "Ever since Seraphimus opened her beak, I've been dwelling on the situation nonstop. And... I-I can't deny it..." She looked at the others. "Princess Celestia absolutely would seek a diplomatic solution to this entire Trinary War crisis. Without a doubt! She'd seek a way to make everypony happy and cause as few casualties as possible!"

"And it makes me very happy to hear that," Fluttershy said with an earnest expression. "Let's not let Seraphimus' words sour the harmony in our hearts."

"Yeah..." Applejack nodded, her muzzle scrunching. "Until our hearts get plum ripped out!"

"Guh!" Rarity twitched. "Applejack!"

"Toastyyyyy!" Pinkie Pie sing-songed.

"The Princess Celestia yer talkin' about is the same alicorn who had to banish her sister to the moon for a thousand years to stave off a war with the very same 'Bloodwings'!" Applejack exclaimed. "She and Luna once had to give Discord the zap! Not to mention a buncha other nasty varmints who are now livin' out their days in Tartarus even as we speak!" She gestured. "I hate to be the depressin' pony in the room, but there are some thangs that Celestia herself simply wouldn't fix with a heartfelt speech. Otherwise... there'd be no Equestria back home for Rainbow to save!"

"I'll agree with most of that, true..." Rarity nodded. "But that doesn't mean she wouldn't at least try to bridge some sort of communication gap."

"Except that Luna herself said that these here Bloodwings may be beyond reasonin' with," Applejack added. "And Celestia sure didn't make any attempt to correct her."

Fluttershy looked at Twilight. "If Celestia was here and she wanted to approach this situation peacefully... how do you think she would go about doing it?"

"Well... here's the more important question," Twilight said. "Why do wars even happen to begin with?"

"Because countries need more oil!" Pinkie suggested.

"Because everypony refuses to compromise," Twilight finished.

"I knew that!"

"Yes, there's only one Harmonic Prism inside the Armory," Twilight said. "But that's not the important factor." She raised a hoof. "What matters is what each faction wants from the Harmonic Prism."

"You mean how they reckon it'll benefit them?" Applejack asked.

"I figured they all just want power and control over the entire plane," Rarity stated. "Both Dark Side and Light Side."

"All we know so far is what the Bloodwings want," Twilight said. "On account of their ardent desire to restore Equestria to eternal night under the rule of Nightmare Moon. The Prism—supposedly—could grant them this ability."

"But Nightmare Moon no longer exists," Fluttershy stated. "And Princess Luna has disavowed everything to do with the Lunar Rebellion."

"So... if we could somehow convince the Bloodwings that Nightmare Moon is no longer their de defacto leader..." Rarity thought out loud. "...it would eliminate their need for the Harmonic Prism... and thus end their need to be in the Trinary War."

"Somehow, I dun think it could be that easy," Applejack said.

"No. But it's still a feasible course of action," Twilight said. "I know that the Dark Vigil isn't the same sarosians as those whom we encountered at Bleak's Plummet. But—still—we just can't ignore what went down with Xarchellus' flock when Rainbow presented herself with Luna's enchantment."

"But... even if we do get close enough to scratch the Bloodwings' leafy ears..." Pinkie Pie rubbed her head, muzzle scrunching. "What about the changelings and the Deadly Nightlight Gang? Can we actually convince three whole groups of bad guys to stop doing the bad guy thing?"

"Rainbow's experience with Queen Chrysalis has taught us quite a bit about the changelings and what they want out of the Harmonic Prism," Twilight Sparkle declared. "Maybe the fact that Chrysalis has turned herself in to the Val Roan government and freed her hive could... could have an effect on Tchern's aspirations here on the Dark Side. But that's kind of a stretch." Twilight squirmed. "As for the Night Shard... I-I still can't figure them out."

"I'm not s-sure I want to," Fluttershy said, trembling.

"What do you think, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight looked at their anchor. "You experienced Abaddon's vision the deepest out of anypony here. Did you learn anything—even an inkling—about the Night Shard? Anything to suggest what they're after the Harmonic Prism for?"

Silence.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Rainbow...?"

The other ghostly mares crowded around.

"Rainbow, darling?" Rarity cocked her head. "What in heaven's name are you doing?"

While the others were talking, their anchor was fiddling with the fabric of the bed. Using two petite hooves, Rainbow had caused a rough, random pattern to form. Folds materialized in random curves and half-circles beneath her, and Rainbow seemed very-very intent on manifesting the next one—

"Rainbow? You okay, sugarcube?"

Upon hearing Applejack's voice, Rainbow snapped out of it. She looked up. "Hmmm?"

Her friends gaped at her.

"... ... ...I'm... really tired..." Rainbow teetered as she said this. "Just... gotta..." Her eyelids hung heavy. "...think about nothing for a bit."

"That's easy!" Pinkie Pie grinned. "I think about nothing all the time!" She winked at the others. "I think that makes me 'funnihilist!'"

"No," Rarity exhaled.

"Just rest yer head, sugarcube," Applejack said, glancing at the others. "Leave the stressin' to us for a bit."

"Easier said than done," Rainbow curled up into a fuzzy little ball, and soon she was disproving herself.

Nothing Is Ever Random

"Owwww!"

Ariel gasped, looking up from where she sat on the back of the hover wagon.

Rainbow Dash and Wildcard jerked in place, looking towards Omega.

Far ahead—beyond a cleft of rocks, one of many—an equine figure trotted backwards, clutching his forelimb.

"Friggin' oww! Damn!"

Piloting the wagon, Logan craned his neck. "Baldy? You okay?"

Rainbow could scarcely see Flynn from where she was. "Jordan, could you—?"

SWOOOSH! Wildcard was already soaring ahead. In a black blur, he passed the wagon and landed just beyond sight. Soon, Ariel too was taking off to investigate.

Rainbow—however—had to take a more roundabout path to keep from coming into close proximity of the chaos metal empowering the cart. Her close friends fidgeted worriedly as they glided behind her. At long last, when Rainbow arrived at Flynn's location, she heard several gasps of relief—especially from Fluttershy.

"Guhhhh..." Flynn seethed through his teeth. His right fetlock was bleeding profusely, but it was still a superficial wound. Wildcard was already kneeling at the stallion's side, tending to it with bandages from Ariel's saddlebag. "Friggin' A..." His mechanical eye rotated in and out. "You'd think after so many damned weeks spent trotting through the near-dark, I would have gotten used to my surroundings."

"What the Hell happened?" Ariel asked. "You took point to hunt for fresh meat. Did something stab you?"

Flynn shook his head. "No."

Wildcard paused just long enough to gesture: "Did something bite you? Poison you?"

"No. No!" Flynn's cheeks could be seen blushing in the luminescent glow of his own flesh wound. "I... was about to stab this glowy salamander thing when... mrmmfff... I tripped on a rock and sliced my stupid fetlock on an outcropping."

"Well then..." Seraphimus remarked, suddenly standing in the midst of them. "...that is certainly a tragedy if I ever heard one."

"Guh!" Ariel jumped.

Rainbow looked over at her. "Wow. You must have been worried. You got here really quick!"

"... ... ..." Seraphimus stared back without blinking. "I am not worried." Her wings tightened. With a flick of a lion's tail, she turned around and marched back towards the location of the wagon.

Wildcard made a snorting sound. Smirking under his beak, he continued treating Flynn's wound. Droplets of blood had collected on the stone floor beneath them, casting a dim ruby shine against the curved walls of the surrounding ravine.

"Yeesh," Ariel remarked. "That had to have been one Hell of an 'outcropping.' Good thing we've got some rudimentary first aid materials or you'd have passed out."

"I almost want to out of shame," Flynn moaned in exasperation, holding his hoof out as Wildcard put on the finishing touches. "If I'm no good in catching a stupid twilight lizard, then how well will I fare against the likes of sarosians or changelings?"

"You made a simple mistake," Rainbow Dash remarked. "Live and learn."

"He had us worried for a second there!" Fluttershy exclaimed.

"My heart's still beating like a tap dancer!" Rarity added, fanning herself.

"Ehhhh... I wasn't worried." Pinkie Pie winked at the others. "'Death by sliced fetlock' is sooooooooo an involuntary flank wiggle—and I haven't had one of those since Grandma Pie passed away!'"

"What in tarnation did she cut her hoof on?" Applejack asked.

"Her own wit!" Pinkie Pie slapped an invisible drum and doubled over, laughing.

Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity giggled whole-heartedly.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but snicker as well.

Flynn glanced at her. "Yeah. I know. Laugh it up."

"It's n-not that..." Rainbow waved a hoof. She sighed through a smile. "My friends are glad you're okay."

"Awwwwwwww..." Ariel winked. "Well, tell them that Flynn returns the favor."

"They're standing all around us," Rainbow droned. "He can tell them himself."

"Uhhhhhh... yeah." Flynn looked helplessly at Wildcard, then at the stale twilight surrounding Rainbow. "Thanks, girls. You're all a swell bunch of... girl ghosts."

"Back at ya, buster!" Pinkie stuck her tongue out.

"We should probably be more careful," Applejack said. "Reckon we oughta spread our senses about, y'know? Look out for more of the hikin' ponies than just Rainbow here."

"But we are looking out for the Herald too!" Twilight said. "At least I am. Rarity? Fluttershy?"

"Ever and always!" Fluttershy insisted.

"Same here, darling," Rarity said. "Although... it isn't always an easy task—what with how dreadfully random this landscape is!"

"What's so random about it?!" Pinkie Pie paced about in mid-air, gesturing. "Week in and week out! It's the same old thing!" She moaned, pointing in one direction after the other. "Same old moody twilight overhead! Same old boring ravine!" She flung her forelimbs this way and that. "Same old lifeless rocks! Same old gravel and mud! Same old shaved emaciated pony staring out from inside a crevice!"

"You're right—" Twilight did a double-take. "Wait, what?"

"???" Rainbow Dash turned to look towards Pinkie Pie, and it was precisely then that she stared down the deadpan face of a shaved emaciated pony staring out from inside a crevice. "Luna poop!" she jumped back, her tail hairs fanning out into the entire spectrum.

Ariel and Flynn flinched.

"!!!" Wildcard leapt up, unsheathing Bard's bo-staff in a heartbeat. Schiiiing!

"Ach!" Kepler's voice called out from a distance. "What is it?"

Before the wyvern had finished his exclamation, the wind split—and Seraphimus landed back in their company, standing poised and cautious besides Wildcard with her talons at the ready.

The group had formed a frozen semi-circle of caution around the niche. The body inside remained calm. Still. Emotionless.

Rainbow's lips pursed as she held her breath.

"... ... ..." Dull gray eyes reflected the myriad of faces. Two raggedy ears twitched, punctured in multiple places with narrow stone barbs and studs. Then—barely registering a breath—the pony trotted out... more like glided on feather-soft hooves. A spear emerged along with his thin, gangly body.

Seraphimus and Wildcard strafed as one, moving with calculated grace to match the stranger's movements. It was no doubt muscle memory from their bygone days of serving side by side in the Right Talon of Verlaxion.

But the pony made no sudden moves to confront them. As the twilight shone across his body, Rainbow and her friends could see that he was completely shaven. There was no mane, no tail hairs. On top of that, the fabric of his coat was completely gone. The equine's pale naked skin was exposed—wrinkly in most places, diseased and necrotic in others. Despite the condition of his pallid flesh, he moved with keen precision and undeniable strength. The further he trotted—making a glacial path through the tense group—they could see multiple scars and pinprick lesions across his forehead, crown, and scalp. He more resembled a hairless creature that had survived a tumble through the garbage disposal than an actual pony. At some point, Rainbow's eyes unlocked themselves from his ghastly features, and she noticed no less than five tiny animals skewered along the stone arrowhead of his spear. Sure enough, they resembled salamanders, and the bioluminescent glow of their scales had long vanished... but the blood dripping from their impaled bodies was still fresh to the smell.

In moving, the pony came within centimeters of Seraphimus' beak. The former Talon Commander actually had to back up a space or two. She frowned at the inexplicable stranger—more out of confusion than anger. Soon, she was glancing curiously at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash glanced just as curiously back. She exchanged similarly vexxed looks with Ariel, Wildcard, and Flynn.

"Uhhhhh..." Ariel was the first to actually mouth something. She arched an eyebrow that could pierce the heavens. "...hello?"

Parts of the Buffalo

Rarity and Twilight Sparkle gazed anxiously towards Omega, wringing their ghostly forelimbs.

"Fluttershy, dear...?" Rarity gulped. "Are you sure they are leaving?"

"I am positive," Fluttershy said in a relatively calmer voice. "Very few are left. Probably... uhm... stragglers who are salvaging what remains of their kills."

"So much dead game..." Twilight Sparkle squinted at the bloodied plateau beyond the trench where the Herald had hid earlier. "It doesn't look like they've picked up even half of the animals they killed."

"That's because they haven't," Fluttershy said, her muzzle sinking into a fuzzy scowl.

"How... barbaric!" Rarity's voice hit a disgusted peak. "I mean... in some respect I can understand slaughtering animals in order to turn them into an edible meat source. But... but all of that useless slaughter! And for what?!"

"It's such a waste," Twilight Sparkle exhaled.

"Not if they're killin' for fun," Applejack said.

The other ghostly mares gasped.

"Applejack!" Rarity held a hoof over her fuzzy chest.

Applejack looked over with calm eyes. "Ain't sayin' I agree with it." She pointed nebulously towards Omega. "But that's what I'm sensin'."

"It's... not for military practice?" Fluttershy stammered.

Applejack shook her head. "There was a lot of... enjoyment in what we just saw. I think this is how them Bloodwing folks keep their spirits up."

"By murdering the spirits out of the local wildlife?" Rarity said.

Applejack exhaled. "We're plum lucky we only saw them murderin' wildlife."

Rarity bit her lip.

Twilight looked over. "At least Pinkie isn't twitching in any place."

"No." Pinkie hovered deflatedly in midair, her ears and brow drooped. "But I'm feeling sick in my tummy."

"Really?" Rarity asked. "What could that mean?"

"That I'm super-grossed out and I want to go home." She looked longingly towards their anchor. "Dasssssssshieeeeee? Why are we still herrrrrre?"

"Just... just a second, Pinkie Pie," Rainbow murmured, laying low against the rock. She had her neck craned towards Edgeside—where chunks of rock were still smoldering from the lunar punishment. "Fluttershy? Are the Dihmers still nearby?"

"I told you, Rainbow, I'm having a hard time sensing them—"

"Ahem..." Rarity spoke up. "Their weapons and tools are still nearby, Rainbow Dash."

"Good. Rarity? You're on Dihmer-tracking duty for the time being."

Applejack shrugged. "Couldn't we just keep a regular eye on them? All hawk-like?"

"Whatever," Rainbow grunted. "Just tell me if they start moving."

"Because once the Dihmers leave, then we should leave," Twilight Sparkle clarified.

"Exactly." Rainbow nodded. "The Bloodwings don't touch them. I wanna find out why."

"Won't us being on their tail like lovesick puppies change all of that?" Pinkie squeaked.

Rainbow bit her lip.

"Another pressing question, if I may," Rarity stated, raising her hoof. "Where can we expect the Dihmers to take us?"

"The Grand Ocean?" Applejack suggested.

Rainbow looked at her. "That's what I'm hoping. I'm pretty sure Merula implied that the Dihmers build all around the coastline."

"Then what?" Rarity asked. "We pay a visit to another faction? The changelings? The Night Shard?" She shivered slightly. "...the dreadful-sounding goblins?"

"Would you feel bad about putting an ocean between us and what we just saw right now?"

Rarity exhaled. "You do make a valid point."

"But..." Fluttershy squirmed. "...what if the other factions turn out to be just as bad?"

"Who are we going to appeal to at this rate?" Twilight remarked. "If anyone?"

Rainbow sighed. "I don't know, Twilight..." She ran a hoof through her mane, shuddering. "I just... I-I just need to get a survey of all the powermongering flankholes who are taking part in the Trinary War. Once I've actually got a clear idea of who's who... then I can make a judgment—hopefully—of how to go about getting the shards of Endrax."

"But do we actually have the luxury of choosin', sugarcube?" Applejack said. "I dun like these Bloodwing fellers anymore than you do... but what if it turns out that they're the best faction to deal with. And by that, I mean most agreeable-like." She tilted her head aside. "What then?"

"Can we really afford to waste so much time and resources looking for a better alternative?" Twilight Sparkle stated.

Rainbow could only bite her lip.

Hoofsteps.

Rarity and Pinkie gasped.

"Don't worry..." Fluttershy murmured. "It's only our friends.

Sure enough, Logan trotted up along with Wildcard.

Rainbow Dash stood to face them. She took a deep breath.

"You look damned exhausted," Logan stated, scuffling to a stop.

"Been... 'meditating' on the situation with my friends."

"You don't say." Logan leaned back on his large haunches. "Any luck?"

"Nope. What about you?" Rainbow squinted. "Did you... find anything...?"

Logan exchanged glances with Wildcard.

The Desperado sighed and gestured: "It is not as bad as we thought."

"Really?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "A friggin' avalanche of burning rocks pulverized the Hoverplank."

"Yeah. It sucks to High Hell," Logan said. "The wagon's gone—but several crates of supplies were simply knocked aside."

"Oh, praise Celestia." Rainbow exhaled. She leaned on the precipice of a grimace. "...how are our rations?"

"Mostly intact."

"Whewwwwww..."

"Ironically—as shit would have it—the armor and weapons bit the dust. Mostly."

Twilight and Rarity winced.

"You mean... all of the Emeraldinian stuff?"

Wildcard nodded. He gestured: "A few blades and breastplates are intact. Other than that. Flattened."

"We still got the bows and arrows from the Spindlers," Logan said. "And some of the lunar runes. But most of the stuff from Darkreach is completely bucked."

"All the heavy stuff, huh?"

"Yeah."

Rainbow shrugged. "Probably just as well."

"Don't get too cheerful," Logan grunted. "We could really use that shit now." He motioned his head towards Omega. "Especially now that we know what we're dealing with."

"I'd rather not deal with them at all."

"Glad to know you haven't gone full crazy," Logan said. "Not yet, anyways." He turned to glanced Edgeside. "Right now, Flynn and Kepler are parsing through the mess. We can salvage a lot if we work together on it."

"But with the wagon gone," Wildcard gestured. "We can't carry all that's left."

"So we gotta choose what's most essential?" Rainbow asked.

Wildcard nodded. "More like what we can carry."

"We're about to get a hell of a lot of exercise," Logan said. "When we can least afford it."

Rainbow looked towards the trench. "My friends tell me the Dihmers haven't taken off yet."

"Those hairless testicle-heads won't stay here forever," Logan grunted.

"Then we gotta make a decision and make it quick." Rainbow faced the two Job Squadders again. "Any armor that can be salvaged—we'll wear as we trot."

"Hooooooo boy..." Logan exhaled.

"Other than that, salvage the rations. The lunar runes..."

Wildcard gestured: "What of the spindler weapons?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow fidgeted. "Are any of us actually good at bows and arrows?"

"Keps has had experience, I'm sure," Logan said. "Ariel's mom used to be proficient."

"Good. Give them both a small supply. They've officially become our archers. Leave the rest behind."

"Shouldn't we burn that shit to ash?" Logan asked. "So the Bloodwings won't get to it?"

Rainbow pointed at the still-smoldering rockscape. "Do you really think they'll need bows and arrows?"

"... ... ... ... ...You make a good friggin' point." Logan turned and trotted back towards the wreckage. "I'll spread word along. Seraphimus is helping too—so that should quicken things up."

"Good. Tell everypony to get prepared for a whole lot of sweating," Rainbow said.

Wildcard lingered behind, looking more than just a bit antsy.

Rainbow blinked at him. "What's up, Jordan?"

He hand-signed: "Something happened to you when the Bloodwings were nearby."

Rainbow nodded. "I think Princess Luna's spell is still in effect. It's reacting to sarosian presence."

"It is something more than that."

Rainbow was silent.

Wildcard's goggles rattled as he gestured more emphatically: "If something that the Bloodwings have is a direct risk to you, then we need to avoid them entirely."

"Jordan, everything here on the Dark Side is a risk to me. We gotta protect ourselves now—yes—but we can't run away forever."

He clenched his beak.

Rainbow sighed. "I'm... very grateful that you're concerned about me." She offered a tiny smile. "But right now, we just have to move. You and I are both good at that... so let's not fall off our game, okay?"

He nodded, exhaling with a pensive breath. For a second, the Desperado leaned forward—as if wanting to give the petite pegasus a hug. However, the professional kicked in at the last second. Turning tail, he glided swiftly back towards where Logan and the others were.

Rainbow's nostrils flared. "I'd better go help them." As she prepared to take wing—

"Rainbow..."

She turned around.

Twilight was staring squarely at her. "That was him that you saw... who also saw you..."

"... ... ..."

Twilight's eyes narrowed. "It was Lexxic. It had to have been."

"I'm concerned with a few other things right now, egghead—"

"Rainbow, he sensed you somehow," Twilight said. "And the moment he looked this way... he somehow had the power to make us vanish." She gulped. "I wasn't kidding when I said that it was chaos. I sensed it. It... it must be his edge... the edge Lexxic is using to fight off the other two factions in the Trinary War."

"And what was the floating death ray thingy, huh? A party trick?"

Twilight stomped a ghostly hoof. "This is no joke, Rainbow! If the Bloodwings have found a way to weaponize chaotic forces, then what more can we expect from the other factions? Especially if the Bloodwings haven't defeated them by now?"

"One thing at a time, Twilight," Rainbow asked. "That's all I ask for."

Twilight sighed... shaking her head. "I don't think you can deal with everything here on the Dark Side in a straight line like you could on the other half, Rainbow."

"Am I Ilrifa's Gift or aren't I?"

"... ... ..."

"Have a little faith, Twilight," Rainbow said, finally taking wing. "Heck... it's all I can ask of myself too..."

Also Starring Kevin Buckin'

"Watch out!" Seraphimus grunted, hopping back onto her feet and spreading her wings. Her charcoal grey eyes reflected the snake-like body thrashing left and right against the stars. "It is trying to feast on us!"

"Yeah, no shit!" Logan rolled up to his hooves. SCHIIIIING! "Everypony! Give a shout!"

"We're over here!" Ariel exclaimed, helping Flynn up to his hooves as they both gawked at the best.

"I've got Keps!" Rainbow shouted, grasping the wyvern in mid-air. "Wildcard?!"

A shrill whistle. The group looked to see the Desperado gliding down, untouched.

"Of course he doesn't have a scratch on him," Pinkie started.

"Eyes peeled!" Twilight exclaimed. "Rainbow and her friends could use all the help they can get—"

Wildcard gestured something wildly.

"It's moving!" Seraphimus exclaimed.

"RAWWWWWWWRSH!" The stalk of the beast wobbled and shook like a windblown tube.

Flynn grimaced, staring up at the fuchsia-tinted snout of the thing. "Yeah—but where is it moving to?!"

Rainbow looked aside. "Fluttershy—"

"Alpha!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "Straight towards Flynn and Ariel—"

"Flynn! Ariel!" Rainbow hollered. "Split up! Now! Move—!"

SWOOOOOOOOOSH! The massive weight of the beast teetered towards them.

Ariel shrieked. With a telekinetic burst, Flynn pushed the two of them apart. They dove in opposite directions just as the body of the beast slammed into the ground between them. THUDDDDD! Rocks and pebbles flew in a stone shower as the monster burrowed swiftly into the ground.

Ariel and Flynn spun to look at the swiftly disappearing creature. Its scales glistened purple and exotic—vanishing along with the whole length in a frightful blur.

Once it was gone, all that remained was an ominous tremor rumbling beneath all of them.

"It..." Applejack panted. "...it seems to be swimmin' beneath us."

"Don't you mean 'burrowing?'" Twilight said.

"That's what I said!" Applejack drawled. "Rock swimming!"

"It's... circling us from underneath," Rarity said.

"Rainbow?!" Flynn hollered. "What's it doing?!"

"Digging around beneath us... circling..." Rainbow flung a look Curveside at the plateau dotted with rocks. "The Dihmers ran for cover among that rock pile!"

"Then we need to join them before that thing rears its ugly head again—"

"Guh!" Pinkie jolted, shaking again. "Sooner than later!"

Rainbow spun about, jostling Kepler in her grasp. "Where?!"

Fluttershy gasped. "Logan—"

"BIG SHOW!" Rainbow shouted above a rising tumult. "Move—!"

A sinkhole formed beneath the earth pony's fat fetlocks.

"Augh!" He flailed, descending into the fresh burrow. "Shit—!"

Swoooooooooosh! A pale body streaked downward. WHUMP! Seraphimus shoved him viciously.

POWWWWW! The tripartite jaws of the beast burst upwards milliseconds later, swallowing nothing but rock. "RAWWWWWWRSSSSH!

Logan and Seraphimus rolled across the ground, scuffling to a stop against a massive boulder.

"Ach!" Kepler exclaimed, squinting through the unbroken lens of his spectacles. "I know this beast!"

"You d-do?!" Ariel breathed.

"Yes! It is a Tatzlwyrrm!" the wyvern exclaimed. "Chief Engineerr Ranorrt spoke of them! Tatzlwyrrms werre rresponsible forr five deaths among Gwen's Expedition!"

"Oh Hell no..." Logan sneered, standing slowly up and brandishing his axe. "I am not dying to something THAT stupid-sounding!"

"RAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWRSHHH—!" The beast lunged straight at Logan and Seraphimus. Its flower-like jaws were barred with hundreds of rows of tiny venomous barbs.

"Yeah—BUCK YOU TOO!" Logan greeted the beast's lunge with a hurculean swing of his weapon. CLANGGGG!

Sparks flew. The beast reared back, teetering slightly.

Logan blinked—wobbling from the impact as well. "It..." His teeth shattered in recovery. "...didn't bleed?"

"Oh, there will be blood soon," Seraphimus droned.

A layer of translucent scales flared around the fuchsia snout of the beast, extending like a lizard's frill. Bioluminescent bands rippled outward in angry colors. Six eyes arranged cyclically about the closed jaws shifted in the twilight... then rolled back like a shark's as the jaws opened again. "RAWWWWRSSSH!" Just then, three black tentacles were vomited out of the mucusy-pit that made up the beast's throat. Thw-THWPPPP!

THAP! Two tentacles wrapped around the hilt of Logan's axe and a third around his left fetlock.

"Hrrrrrkkk!" Logan snarled hard, struggling to yank his weapon out of the beast's grip.

Seraphimus repeatedly stabbed and talon-scratched the tentacle ensnaring the stallion's fetlock. "Hrnnngh! Hrmmmff!" She huffed, feathers rustling. "Let go of your weapon—"

"Like... Hell... I... Am..."

"Insufferable idiot!" Seraphimus' beak clattered. "Just drop the damnable axe—!"

"You tell him that—" Logan's weight shifted forward. "Aw hell—" SWOOOOSH! He flew forward toward's the undulating maw of the beast. Its fangs reflected his flailing body.

Seraphimus lunged after him, wheezing. "Jordan—!"

Swissssssh! Wildcard was already diving in, twirling Bard's bo-staff at full speed. WH-WH-WHAP! He struck all taut tendrils between the wyrm and its prey with murderous force.

"RAWWWWRSSSH!" The beast teetered back, retracting its tentacles. WHUMP! Logan slammed into its neck and slid comically down its body until he landed awkwardly on his butt.

Holding her breath, Seraphimus flew up and joined Wildcard in assaulting the beast.

"Rrainbow!" Kepler shook in Rainbow's grip. "Drrop me! I can glide!"

Rainbow nodded. "Right." She let go of Kepler and flew towards the beast. As Kepler glided to safety, Rainbow hollered at him and the rest of the Herald. "Head for the hills!" She pointed Edgeside. "Join the Dihmers among the rocks! They must know something that we don't!"

"But..." Flynn stumbled and struggled to pick up many of the packs and supplies that the Herald had dropped in the attack. "...our stuff—"

"Lives now!" Rainbow spat. "Stuff later!"

"Move your ass, Flynn!" Ariel exclaimed, already scampering towards the plateau. As Kepler joined her, Flynn gnashed his teeth and reluctantly followed the same route.

"You too, Big Show!" Rainbow shouted, orbiting the thrashing beast.

"Rrrrrrgh!" Logan repeatedly smacked the body of the beast with his axe. Clank! Clang! Smack! "Stupid... screaming... lizard turd!"

"LOGAN!" Rainbow snarled. "Who do you really want to be fighting by the end of the day?! That? Or me!"

"If I can just... find... its weak spot!" CL-CL-CLANK!

"You're our weak spot!" Seraphimus snarled, flying and dodging jaw-snaps along with Wildcard. "Now do what your tiny leader says!"

"Rrrggh... dammit to Hell—!" And Logan huffed and puffed his way up the hill.

The creature must of sensed the hoofsteps. Within a blink, it had burrowed backwards, disappearing beneath the sundered earth.

Rainbow blinked. "Uhhhhhhhh..."

"It's headed towards Logan, right?!" Twilight looked at Fluttershy and Rarity. "It's going after the closest available morsel. It must be!"

"Not..." Fluttershy's eyes narrowed. "...quite."

"Huh?!" Applejack blinked. "Well, spit it out, sugarcube! Where's it headed!"

Wildcard and Seraphimus hovered closer to Rainbow Dash, looking towards her for answers.

"Flutterssssssssss..." Rainbow growled slightly.

"It's... it's..." Fluttershy shook her head with a confused expression. "I don't know what it's doing." She looked towards Rarity. "Why is it heading towards Alpha?"

Rarity's eyes traced the surface of the Dark Side beneath them. Her eyes settled on an immense boulder... an immense boulder that suddenly began shaking. Violently. "Oh goodness—!"

Rainbow saw it. She spun towards Wildcard and Seraphimus. "Split up! Now—"

KA-POWWWW!!! The beast surfaced again, this time beneath the boulder. Its rock-hard scales lifted the boulder while its jaws broke it apart into a dozen pieces. The chunks of stone flew skyward like shrapnel, pummeling the three fliers before they could get away.

"Ooomf!" Seraphimus plummeted towards Omega.

"Guhhh!" Rainbow Dash flailed Edgeside.

Wildcard dodged most of the chunks of rocks flying towards him. But as he flew backwards—

CHOMPPPPP!

—the beast came around for a flank, and snapped its jaws completely around the Desperado.

"Land's sakes!" Applejack squeaked.

Th-Thap! Rainbow landed on her flank. Her eyes reopened—wide and bulging—as she gaped at the last spot the griffin was seen.

"No..." Fluttershy wept.

"Please, Celestia, no!" Rarity likewise sobbed.

"Eh... don't worry..." Pinkie shrugged.

Twilight flashed her a look. "What?!"

Pinkie smiled. "He's Wildcard, remember?"

Rainbow leaned forward, squinting.

The beast was struggling... wrestling with something in mid-air. Suddenly, its jaws were forcibly pried open. Th-Thwump! There—covered in drool—was Wildcard, perched in the wyrm's maw with Bard's bo-staff holding the rows of teeth back. He winced as his muscles rippled in the effort it took to hold the mouth open.

"Why dun we just launch him at the Midnight Armory alone?" Applejack stammered, fanning herself. "Would certainly make thangs easier for the rest of us."

"One absurdity at a time!" Rainbow hollered. "Sera—!"

"Goddess damn it, Jordan..." She sneered, already sailing towards the beast with both talons swinging at its flickering frill. SLASSSSH! She tore viciously at the membrane, causing the monster to writhe and shriek as it wrestled with Wildcard in its jaws.

"Yessssss. Suuuuuure..." Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Just make it madder!"

"Better mad than hungry!" Rainbow flew up to join the other two. "Let's ruin this thing's day!"

Can't Stop the Ocean

Th-Thump.

Th-Thump.

Th-Thump.

Somehow, despite how loud the drumming had gotten in that city, Rainbow's ears had grown accustomed to their bass reverberations. Thus, she was able to march further and further into the periodic bedlam, using her senses to hone in on the noise... moving towards where it vibrated in greater and greater intensity.

Th-Thump!

Th-Thump!

Th-Thump!

"You know..." Applejack murmured, her voice barely audible beneath the steady thunder. "...the more I hear it... the less I feel that it's comin' from actual drums."

"Well, that's a given," Rarity murmured back. "I mean who on earth—Light Side or Dark—could actually pound drums for this length of time?"

"I always assumed it was a bunch of ponies," Fluttershy said. "All beating at once. Like some Dihmer ritual."

"Shhhhh!" Twilight insisted. "Careful or we'll distract her!"

All of the ghostly mares gazed at the anchor in question.

Rainbow Dash was on the hunt—a hunt for noise. She crept down the curved streets of the Dihmer city, shuffling over smooth swaths of stone polished through the ages. She stretched her wings out slightly... and felt as the feathers fluttered from the sonic reverberations. Relying on innate pegasus instincts, she pivoted and turned herself towards the direction that the waves were pulsing from.

"I think she's onto it now," Fluttershy murmured. The others watched intently.

Th-Thump!!

Th-Thump!!

Th-Thump!!

Rainbow passed another few blocks of crude stone buildings. The streets grew thinner and thinner... with less Dihmers marching around. The lower the elevation sloped, the more sparse the population, until it was only a few hairless stragglers shuffling down alleyways.

As Rainbow proceeded, the buildings appeared more and more decrepit. What's more, the streets declined at such a dramatic angle that they could no longer maintain the foundations of the old-old structures built on top of them. The marefriends gawked at houses that had collapsed entirely, falling into piles of stone and boulders with no discernible pattern. It was as though some form of subsidence along the ocean's Edgeside banks had forced the landscape to sink over time, gobbling up the fringes of the city and making the outskirts uninhabitable even by Dihmer standards.

Th-Thump!!!

Th-Thump!!!

Th-Thump!!!

The haze that blanketed the landscape was beginning to disperse at these depths.

Rainbow Dash peered, her eyes thinning and her lips pursed in rampant curiosity.

The further the hill descended, the wreckage of the city morphed from large boulders and chunks of rock into a loose bed of gravel—almost powdery in its refinement. Rainbow Dash had to flap her wings a few times to hover over the landscape, or else her hooves might sink in the shifting sand-like substance. As she passed over, the successive beats caused the sediment to purpetually shake and shift, coating the earthen floor with a hovering mist of dust that never settled.

Th-Thump!!!

Th-Thump!!!

Th-Thump!!!

Rainbow Dash stepped through the mist. The air was rank with a stench that perplexed her with its strange familiarity.

As she contemplated on the sensation, she glanced to her left. Muddied streams of all of the Curve's collected waters flowed in a translucent river downhill alongside her. As the tributaries and canals that had run through the city collected into one, the liquid coagulated into a sickly color—not gray or brown but a rusted fuchsia.

Rainbow blinked. She sensed something large and black in her peripheral. She looked to her right. Jutting out of the mists and soot, she saw an enormous metal structure—a gigantic obsidian dock built out of industrial slabs of metal that jutted straight out of the upper lengths of the city. It took a bit of surveying, but Rainbow figured that the construct stretched all the way to the large metal foundry that they had sensed earlier pumping smoke into the Omega half of the city. Goblin tech, undoubtedly... and the huge docks stretched out on massive stilts as it cut like a dagger into the oceanic basin. The immense vacuum of space between the top of the docks and the bottom support struts spelled out the sheer magnitude of erosion that had happened to the Curveside ruins of the Dihmer city since the time it was first built.

Cr-Crunch!

Rainbow Dash stepped on something.

Her friends gasped.

Almost reluctantly, Rainbow Dash leaned forward and peered down at her hooves.

Her left fetlock had snapped a brittle horse skull in half. The calcified enamel was stained with a fine coating of residue—crusted and hardened over time. It was a rust red color, or perhaps pink.

Gazing across the powdery floor before her, Rainbow saw that dozens upon hundreds of equine bones were littered about the landscape. She saw legbones in one spot, skulls in another, and countless ribs and vertebrae spread at random. Most of the remains were half-sunken into the gravel shoreline, and occasionally she would spot a warning marker stuck in the sand, capped off by a slab of goblin metal with a bold red inscription that she couldn't decipher.

The shoreline...

Rainbow Dash had reached the ocean, and...

TH-THUMP!!!

TH-THUMP!!!

TH-THUMP!!!

...the ocean had reached her.

There were no waves.

No crashing or receding.

In fact...

...there was no water.

The rancid smell filled Rainbow's nostrils, and she was taken back to a moment of heart-splitting recollection. Her mind drummed up thoughts of swirling cyclones and lightning strikes and howling winds... a time when she was more daring, more adventurous, more clueless.

While her friends gawked in horror, she nevertheless stepped forward. After all, she had seen this all before. This phenomenon. This viscosity. Its glinting, slimey surface with a garrish texture of pink, pink, pink.

"It's... it's not drums..." Fluttershy stammered.

Twilight Sparkle gulped, her eyes reflecting an endless sea of fuschia. "It's a chorus."

"TH-THOBBB!!!"

"TH-THOBBB!!!"

"TH-THOBBB!!!"

The Ocean chanted. The Ocean sang. And with each note—with each otherworldly uvulation—the entire surface rippled and shook as one.

Rainbow Dash didn't dare get within a yard of the shore's edge. She knew better. Scuffling to a stop, she stared into the unwavering slimy surface with an incredulous gaze.

And soon, the ocean stared back. At sporadic lengths, a random assortment of bone-white eyeballs bobbed to the surface, rolled, blinked, and sank back down into the pink biomatter.

"Waa-haa-haa-haa!" Rarity reeled back, clinging to Fluttershy and trembling.

"What... in tarnation...?" Applejack grimaced so hard her muzzle might break.

"Holey moley!" Pinkie's ears and mane drooped. "That does not look tasty!"

"Rainbow..." Twilight turned towards their anchor with a shocked expression. "It's... is it—?"

"It's the entire ocean..." Rainbow murmured. Her eyes lifted, spotting how the endless splotch of pink stretched upwards... occupying a huge chunk of the curve. "It's the entire friggin' ocean." She gulped. "It's all made up of the stuff!"

"TH-THOBBB!!!"

"TH-THOBBB!!!"

"TH-THOBBB!!!"

Fluttershy squirmed. She looked left and right, staring at the Alpha and Omega shorelines of the pink-filled basin. Every few dozen meters, giant skeletons of oddly-shaped beasts and droves of fossilized ponies were lying dormant, half-emerged from the pulsating mass. It looked as if the remains had been strewn their for eons.

"Do..." Pinkie gulped. "...do we really gotta cross that?"

Applejack shuddered. "That or the Bloodwings."

Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth. Her wings drooped as she took a nervous step back. "So much for myths..."

Just a Dash Sequence

Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed, peering defiantly through the misty starlight.

“Come on... come on...”

She gnashed her teeth, her ears flickering to the sound of a distant drumbeat.

“I know you're out there... I know you're out there...” She licked her lips. “...show yourself already you big ugly sonuvacumulonimbus.”

“Reckon t'ain't gonna show its consarn noggin, sugarcube, y'all!” exclaimed some gorgeous babe off in the distance.

“I chased it up here, didn't I?” Rainbow frowned. She gripped the controls of the Noble Jury, steering through another wall of mists. “Stratopolis is too big to hide for long! Somewhere deep inside is a key to understanding Susan!”

“Heeheehee!” A pink shape cartwheeled a hundred miles across the cockpit in a single titter. “She's using my piecabulary!”

“Shhhh!” Rainbow craned her neck, ears tilting towards the sound of the pounding noise. “I can almost hear the boomer now! Yes yes yes...”

An orange thing beside her ruffled its feathers, making nervous little clucking sounds.

“Not now, Scoots,” Rainbow growled. “I almost found the stabby-stab cloud city!” She accelerated the craft forward. “Cold Canter, Pilate, and Theanim are going to be wetting themselves with pride that I found a way across the Blob!”

More clucking sounds.

“What's that?! 'Just cross the ocean in the Jury?!'” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Pffft! Silly pigeon! Why, that's about as dangerous as taking off my—” She reached for her neck... but it was bare. Fuzzy and bare. Her pupils shrank in abject terror. “... … ...well that's not good.”

Orange feathers flew under the chorus of a deafening rooster crow. When the mess cleared, Rainbow Dash saw a shape emerging through the starlight ahead. But it wasn't the floating marble platforms of Stratopolis—instead it was the moon. The shadow of nightmarish alicorn rippled and shrank from its lunar surface, coalescing into a female figure that trotted casually across the cloudbeds, making her way for the hull of the Jury.

“Awwwwwwwwwwwwww petticoats!” Rainbow Dash cursed, throwing a million different knobs and levers. “Belle! Propsy! Zecora! Quick! Load Roarke into the torpedo bay and let's fire her at this sonuva—”

Just as she stammered this, the interior of the skystone vessel dissipated swiftly around her. Rainbow Dash found herself standing naked atop a wandering cloud bed.

“Awwwwwwwww...” She pouted.

“You are currently dreaming, W'ynlppa yln H'luun,” said the voice of Nat'rdo. The mare's shadowy figure came to a stop on a portion of the night sky before her. “It is all merely an illusion, projected from your subconscious.”

“Yeah, I know.” Rainbow sadface'd with a sad face. “I just... wanted it to last longer.”

“It took us a great deal of struggle to locate your essence this time,” the sarosian declared.

“Yeah...” Rainbow squinted slightly. “Imagine that.”

“It would appear as though you have gained a great deal of distance in your travels.”

“Pffft. Yeah? What's it to ya?” Rainbow crossed her forelimbs with a smirk. “You guys don't know where I am!”

“Actually... … ...judging from the rhythmic, thunderous beat that's being broadcasted throughout your mindscape, we have a clear idea precisely where you are.”

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash nervously tilted her head back. Indeed—now that she was once again made aware of it—she could sense the persistent bass chorus of the alien ocean serenading Blobstain—and herself by extension. How this didn't immediately wake her lucid self up, she couldn't understand... unless of course it was some spell that the Dark Vigil were using. “Do you have me under some sort of spell?”

“At this great distance, there is very little we can do to manipulate the texture of your dreamscape,” Nat'rdo said, her voice edged with a touch of urgency. The shapes of the other Dream Council members faded in and out of translucent existence behind her. “Please, W'ynlppa yln H'luun, there is much that needs to be discussed in very little time.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “I don't particularly remember you guys having the authority to call the shots here.” She gestured at herself. “This is my mind. My wavelength. If I don't like what you nosy brain snoodlers have to say, then I'm cutting off this conversation now and forev—”

“The Matriarchs have ordered Lexxic to stand down his Nightbloods and allow you free passage to the Tree.”

“... … ...”

“He has even been given express orders to escort you to the place where you can speak with the Council,” Nat'rdo said with an affirmative nod. “And he has made a blood pact to obey this order—like the loyal soldier that he is.”

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, staring the equine shape over. “... … ...well, if that isn't friggin' convenient.”

The Dreamers; The Doers

“EE-EE-EE-EE!!!”

“EE-EE-EE!!”

With twirls of their spears, two colts flew towards one another in the center of a ring of stones.

Cl-Clangggg!

The youngsters' weapons collided with a clash of sparks. Fangs and fangs reflected as angry eyeslits narrowed against the brief flicker of heat. They shoved against one another's weapons, struggled, then—

“Haaaugh!” One child threw the other's weight to the side and followed the movement with an uppercut of his spear's blunt end.

Whack! Blood splattered through the endless night as the young opponent suffered a blow to the face. However, he backflipped into a low hover—remaining still and upright within the circle of rocks. He spat onto the ground, his face saturated with crimson juices as he nevertheless side-strafed in midair, squaring off once more against his opponent.

From the sidelines, a cluster of sarosian youths hissed and chirped, egging both combatants on. A taller Bloodwing—a teenager—paced just outside the circle, his stern eyes locked on the sparring match.

“Very well done on the recovery!” his voice cracked, attempting to keep stern and steadfast. “But you're allowing too many hits in from your opponent! On the real battlefield, a drone of T'chyrym could easily have poisoned you! And a vessel of the N'shydym would have taken the opportunity to channel more lifelights!” He pumped a forelimb, fangs showing. “Every living second must be spent fighting for victory! Your enemy won't spare you—so why spare it?!”

Snarling at one another like pack dogs, the colts rushed each other once again. Their spears collided and parried multiple times. At last, the child who landed the strike earlier managed to knock the weapon out from the bleeding sarosian's grip. As he tried to commit a finishing blow, the bleeding colt twirled past him with a remarkable show of agility. The wounded opponent spun until he was gripping the other sarosian from behind. He enveloped the struggling Bloodwing in a chokehold, and the encumbered colt tried prying him off with the length of his spear.

The other colts of their particular company hooted and hollered like wild animals, clustering tighter and tighter around the sparring circle while the teenage soldier continued barking sadistic encouragements and harsh criticisms. This would have come across as a uniquely cruel scene—were it not for the fact that it was being mirrored by dozens upon dozens of similar instances spread all across the rocky basin. It was several meters from the outermost edges of the Tree of Mothers' roots, and Seraphimus and Wildcard found themselves in a training field of the military encampment. Lexxic and Azarias stood nearby, watching casually as their youngest “brothers” were introduced to the finer arts of combat.

“The War, you see, is everything,” Lexxic continued to speak. He leaned limply against a rack of weapons, tilting his pale helm towards the closest fight. His leafy ears flicked occasionally between the loud shouts and clatter of spears all around them. “Culture, economy, even what you might be tempted to call 'recreation.'” His jaw was set beneath the slab. “It has ravaged for so long... and yet consumed for so long. Our finest soldiers—and the enemy as well—have come to support an equilibrium... ongoing and perpetual... with no sign of stopping.”

Wildcard hand-signed while his goggles remained locked on the youths' combat.

“My friend makes a good point.” Seraphimus looked over at the First and Second. “If you're aware of these things, why do you persist in supporting the war effort?”

“In our generation's case, it's not persistence,” Azarias said in a growling tone. “The First Son has innovated tactics, changing and rearranging methods that—in the hooves of Mothers and Elders—have only served to bolster the damnable stalemate.”

Seraphimus calmly raised an eyecrest. “I'm certain the unfortunate masses who trained and died needlessly before your foaling thought the exact same.”

The backhairs of Azarias' velvety coat raised at that. He frowned in Seraphimus' direction, fangs flickering with the urge to retort—

“Your cynicism is a very fine guard,” Lexxic spoke, cool and composed. “I imagine in a land of blinding light, it serves as a proper cloak. Believe me when I say that despair is a constant bedfellow for each and every one of us. More than you can imagine.”

“We've heard that your tactics have given you an 'edge,'” Seraphimus declared. “Rainbow Dash in particular has gleaned an awful lot.”

Lexxic's mouth curved under his helm. “Courtesy of the arachnid composer, no doubt.”

Seraphimus was silent. The war shrieks of children echoed around them. “You will have to ask her yourself,” she eventually said.

“I shall humor your curiosity, even if you refuse to humor mine.” Lexxic tilted his head towards the nearest sparring match. “Since the dawn of time on this plane, all life has been at 'war' with one another. There's no beginning or end to fighting, really. Bloodshed has powered the economy of nature since before minds could record memory—in all of its avarice and cruelty and thirst for a quick road to oblivion.” He nodded into the hazy starlight. “The fight for the Sarcophagus of Ages is no less empowered by this same carnal impulse.”

“I wasn't aware the elders employed a philosopher in their campaign of the Trinary War,” Seraphimus declared.

Wildcard snorted while Azarias rolled his eyes.

Lexxic merely smiled. “I'm simply clarifying things so that you may more properly ascertain the initial errors in your observation.” He waved his hoof. “Nature is all about achieving equilibrium. Violence, competition, the cycle of death—it all contributes to an essence of self-perpetuation.”

“No beginning and no end,” Azarias added.

“I do believe they get the idea, Second.”

“Hrmmmfff...”

Seraphimus cocked her feathery head to the side. “You're going to imply that you've broken that cycle?”

“The Trinary War...” Lexxic said, “...has been an overwelcomed exercise in agriculture.”

“I'm afraid I don't follow.”

“Livestock, my dear Penumbran,” Lexxic said. “That's how all soldiers have functioned in generations' prior. They've been livestock... a perpetual cycle of feeding on one another.” He breathed in sharply, his muzzle taking on the hint of a frown. “So long as the Trinary War persisted... it's been supplying each opposing faction with the sustenance required to keep living... to keep fighting... to keep perpetuating.”

“This 'economy' that you spoke of...”

“Precisely. You and your Penumbran siblings might think that the War has been endless battles and bloodshed every hour of every waking moment.” Lexxic shook his head. “Such isn't the case. Such could never be the case. In this War, there have been... lapses... spaces of time where nopony could afford to throw stones or gut with knives.”

“Seems sensible...”

“'Pathetic' is the word for it,” Lexxic said. “These lapses have happened nearly twice a generation. Sometimes thrice. The keepers have kept records of it—as if they're things to be proud of. But all they do is serve as feeding time for the opposition. And—yes—for ourselves.” He turned towards the two griffons. “Tchern consumes the agonies and ecstasies of her opponents to hatch more drones. The Night Shard harvest lifelights to empower their vessels.”

“And the Bloodwings?” Seraphimus asked.

Lexxic's smile was a bittersweet one. “We take all the scraps that we can... all the morsels that we can forage. We work hard... train harder... and then limp back into the circle to spin around the Sarcophagus one more damned time.”

“For centuries upon centuries...” Azarias snarled, visibly upset at the thought. “...our witless elders have applied the same stubborn tactics time and time again.” His slitted eyes narrowed. “They've treated this war for the Sarcophagus as an exercise in attrition that somehow—after so many eons—we will come out on top.”

“The very notion is absurd,” Lexxic added. “Tchern can outbreed us. The Night Shard are virtually acquainted with immortality. The saddening truth is—had the Exodus not brought us here to this side of the plane—then the War would have been won already. By a banal faction, granted, but it would have ended.” He pivoted to face Seraphimus directly. “All we have accomplished—in the name of Saros, for the cause of the Mother of Nightmares—is make a bloody conflict endless.”

“We are the food of our enemies,” Azarias spat. “So many fallen sons... brave souls thrown into the maw... and for what?”

Seraphimus took a contemplative breath. “But... now that has all 'changed.'”

“Thanks to the First Son,” Azarias remarked, gesturing towards the commander in question. “This generation was meant to endure another lapse—a lull in fighting where we were expected to stand back and strengthen ourselves.” A brief warmth of pride spread across his extra-scarred face. “For the first time ever, the Bloodwings had a leader who refused to fall into such a deplorable pattern!”

Wildcard took a good long look at all of the training and supply movement transpiring across the camp. He talon-signed.

Seraphimus interpreted: “Won't that drain your strength and resources?” Her charcoal brown eyes were thin. “It seems like an awful gamble. Especially against two enemy factions that have proven to possess greater versatility.”

“A risk taken with responsibility is less a tempting of fortune and more a will to destiny,” Lexxic said. “And I will see to it that all we achieve is triumph.”

“Inspiring,” Seraphimus droned. “Spoken like a true braggart.”

“Mind your beak, creature!” Azarias hissed. “You cannot even begin to ascertain the improvements our First Son has wrought! Mining accursed metal to expose the children of Tchern! Employing the totems to ensnare the Night Shard's supply line—!”

Lexxic's hoof rested gently on Azarias' shoulder, silencing him. “At ease, Second,” he said calmly. His smile pivoted in the former Talon Commander's direction. “I think I would very much like to employ griffons in my reconnaissance division.” His fangs showed. “You are quite apt at dredging information. Rainbow Dash should be proud.”

“I do not need Rainbow Dash's approval,” Seraphimus countered abrasively.

“Then what is it that brings you here? What makes you linger in this dark land?”

Wildcard glanced at Seraphimus.

“... … …” She took a lengthy breath. “I simply need to know if this place is worth dying in.”

“With or without a cause?”

“That depends.” Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. “A cause defined exclusively by the past or the present is equally hollow. What of your future, Commander? Where do you see your talented, multi-faceted self existing in a world without this damnable War?”

Azarias blinked hard. He looked blankly at Lexxic, as if never having comprehended that before.

“Hmmmm...” Lexxic nodded, rubbing his pale chin with thought. “The future is indeed an important thing, and your greatest error is believing that I never once consider it.” He paced between the sparring circles as Azarias and the griffons followed. “It is—after all—an echo of the past... and too often than not a vainglorious attempt to improve upon it.”

“Let me guess...” Seraphimus stepped alongside Lexxic. “You believe you can do better than your Elders before you?”

“We are doing better than the elders before us,” Lexxic declared. “That has evolved beyond something that could ever be debated, nor will I pretend to humor such a matter.” His smile was as confident as his gait. “The Night Shard have retreated—forced to employ sporadic hit-and-run tactics for the first time in recorded history. Tchern's swarm—desperate to find a way to counteract my brothers—have employed the Flux. Her drones are literally burning alive to compete against us, and in every campaign that we engage in, we are robbing both them and the Night Shard of their supply.”

“I... do not see how that is possible,” Seraphimus said, shaking her head.

“Please... from one commander to another...” Lexxic's “wink” could almost penetrate his helm. “...would it be right for me to share all my secrets?”

“Am I to take it that you've been increasing your military output?” Seraphimus remarked. “Throwing your all against both enemy factions at a rate of speed that puts previous commanders to shame?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

“How can you be sure that your own kind won't burn out before your enemies?” Seraphimus cocked her head aside. “Won't this massive offensive take advantage of where you're most fragile?”

“Where we've been most fragile is the centuries spent assuming we haven't the might nor the ferocity to achieve total and complete victory,” Lexxic said. “A frailty exploited by the Elders, mind you. Long ago, they gave in to cowardice and laziness.”

“Or perhaps they erred on the side of caution...?”

“Only an excuse. For them, the War became a means of exhausting one thousand years of prophesied reckoning. Our mothers took the same Book of Saros that encouraged the Exodus and twisted it into an allowance for restraint and complacency. And who suffered for it?”

Seraphimus looked at all of the sparring colts around them. “Let me guess. The 'sons'.”

“Precisely.”

“I don't see how anything has changed, personally.”

“Because you haven't been around here to understand the difference between tragedy and triumph. Pay attention, Penumbran.” Lexxic scuffled to a stop, gesturing towards the nearest sparring circle before them. “Where once we were food thrown before the fire, now we are being empowered to learn.”

As if perfectly-timed, a colt fell hard on his backside. Writhing in defeat, he looked up at the colt who beat him. The surrounding spectators hissed and squeaked enthusiastically as the losing colt's opponent aimed the sharp end of a spear towards the fallen sarosian's neck.

“Hold!” This particular group's instructor trotted into the circle, commanding the attention of all the youths. “What was your mistake, bloodcolt?”

“Eee-eee-eee!” the defeated child merely hissed at his opponent.

The teenager leaned in, snarling down at him. “Answer me! How did you fail?”

Snorting—his bruised face reddening—the foal looked aside and grumbled: “I rushed at him too hard. He used my own momentum to disarm me and slam me to the ground.”

“You should have stayed aloft,” the instructor insisted. “Used gravity at your higher elevation to force the weapon out of his grip! But you were egged on by the shrieks of your peers and you attacked thoughtlessly.” His eyeslits narrowed. “No drone or light-harvester will pity you for your foolishness. You would be consumed without mercy. Don't let passion lead you astray—but think and process that emotion to achieve victory!”

The bloodcolt breathed... breathed... seethed...

The instructor's fangs showed. “Will you remember this failure?”

“I...” The child shook, shivered, then sniffled. “I will, brother...”

The instructor looked at the opponent standing over him. “Make sure that he does.”

Each and every spectator held his breath.

The bloodcolt standing with the spear hesitated.

“Seal the memory!” the instructor snarled.

“Haaaaaaaaaugh!” the winning opponent twirled his spear and brought the sharp end slicing down.

Wildcard winced.

When the act was finished, a splatter of blood stained the stone plateau. The losing bloodcolt clutched his face. Every muscle in his body tightened as he tensed up, fighting the urge to scream... cry. Crimson juices trickled down his neck, saturating the velvet fur.

“Feel the pain,” the instructor insisted, and it was then that Seraphimus and Wildcard noticed the countless marks permanently etched across the teenager's face. “Taste the blood. Know the sting of failure and suckle on it. For there is nothing else that will nourish you.” He leaned in and whispered into the writhing bloodcolt's ear. “Be glad, little brother. For even in this pitiable defeat, you have earned your first scar. Savor victory in all its darkest corners.”

The colt hissed and hissed. Eventually, a few tears mixed and mingled with the blood on his face. With eyes clenched, he managed to squeak: “Th-thank you, brother...”

“Go see the medic,” the instructor insisted. “Tomorrow, I intend to see you inflict a mark rather than bear one.”

Scampering, the bloodcolt trotted into a brisk takeoff as his companions serenaded him with mixed jeers and cheers. Meanwhile, the instructor trotted over to raise the fetlock of the victor—who was still seething with adolescent rage and testosterone.

While Wildcard was noticeably transfixed on the scene, Seraphimus calmly turned to face Lexxic. After a composed silence, she murmured: “Answer me one thing.”

“Yes, Penumbran?”

She stared dead at him. “Why the 'First Son?'”

Lexxic faced her. “I have embraced my bastardization,” he said. “For as much as I'm concerned, the circle is broken for me.”

Seraphimus turned to look at Azarias—and at all of the multiple scars marking his body. She turned back towards Lexxic. “A bit early for a victory declaration, perhaps?”

“Some lessons...” He waved a hoof towards his helm. “...we can only teach ourselves.”

Seraphimus slowly nodded. “Are they all worth wearing like a crown before everypony?”

Lexxic chuckled heartily at that. “I only wish your esteemed 'Rainbow Dash' would be so pointed in her questions.”

“Be careful,” Seraphimus said.

“Indeed.” Lexxic nodded towards Azarias—who nodded back. Both sarosians marched off towards another part of camp. Seraphimus and Wildcard—exchanging glances—followed slowly behind.

“We are here,” Captain Xandraa said.

Up in Gibbous Sanctum, she and her two fellow guards came to a stop before a tall round door emblazoned with stars, constellations, and cosmic swirls—silver-studded etchings that had been polished by generations upon generations to maintain a pristine shine.

“The Dream Council awaits beyond this barrier.” The Captain turned and glared down at Rainbow Dash with penetrating eyeslits. “From here on out, it is of supreme importance that you maintain yourself with dignity, restraint, and—above all—humility—”

“Hey Dream Galssssss!” Shriike bang bang banged on the doorframe, beaming with fangs a'glinting. “It's ya girrrrrrl!”

“Ee-ee-ee!” Xandraa snarled at her, her back hairs bristling under her armor. “Shriike! For all that consorts with the creatures of the night!!!”

“What?” The unicorn sarosian shrugged. She straightened some pale mane hairs—only for them to fall loose once again over her spectacles. “We all know the Dream Council is waiting for their guest! For once—they can't be sleeping on the job!”

Despite her poise and stately armor, the Captain couldn't help but squirm like an annoyed older sibling. “You are breaking every facet of proper decorum before the Penumbran...”

“Neither you nor the Solar Deceiver's spawn here were the only ones summoned by the Council!” Shriike tilted her nose up. “As the Heard Imperial Clerk, I am required to record any and all verbal interactions between the hosts and guest! I can't go back up to the Highest Polished empty-hoofed!”

“You will return empty skull'd if you disrupt the peace and tranquility of the Dream Council!” Xandraa hissed.

“Oh, d-don't worry, Captain!” Shriike put on her bravest smile yet. “I'm really good friends with Nate!” She turned to wink at a certain pegasus. “Nat'rdo and I drink jasmine tea together all the time. I get to call her 'Nate'! But maybe she's told you that already.”

Ariel blinked back at her. “Uhhhhh...” She gestured at Rainbow Dash. “I think you're talking to the wrong pegasus. That's the avatar of Luna, remember?”

“Oh... oh!” Shriike chuckled nervously. “Hee-hee-hee-ee-ee-ee! Ahem! Right! I... of course knew that. One would think that the... uhm...” She gestured her hoof in multiple parallel lines before Rainbow Dash. “...th-that all the highlights would serve as a good mimetic device. Aside from how insufferably t-tiny she is. Not that that's a big deal. I've tried being tiny once. Haven't g-given it up since.”

“Shriike...” Xandraa face-hoofed over her helmet. “...we've been dying to oversee this meeting for a fortnight!”

“I-I have to follow procedure, th-though!” Shriike declared. Her horn glowed as she levitated a parchment and a pen. “For the Maria Matrons!”

Xandraa sighed heavily, ultimately waving a hoof. “Proceed.”

“A-a-ahem...” Shriike's eyes bulbously squinted through the round lenses of her spectacles as she wrote on the very top of the page. “The diplomatic meeting inside the Dream Den of the Tree of Mothers between the esteemed Dream Council and the Living Penumbran Pollutant of Solar Deception transpires as follows...”

A blanching expression crossed the Captain's face. “Must you be so cynical in the address?”

Shriike gave the most casual of shrugs. “Ehh... it's only a rough draft.” She chicken-scratched to the next line. “The Pestilential Outworldly Offender's Name Is...”

Silence.

“The Pestilential Outwordly Offender's Name Is... …?”

More silence.

Shriike coughed, then practically leaned towards Rainbow at a forty-five degree angle, weighted by an impatient glare. “Her Name ISSSSS—”

“Who. What. Oh—me?” Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and struck a devilish pose. “Rainbow Danger Dash!”

Applejack was already face-hoofing. “Beans and cornbread...”

Pinkie's muzzle scrunched. “I thought Dashie's middle name was Jenni—”

“Hahahaha—oh Penumbran humor is so... wacky!” Shriike adjusted her spectacles and smiled wanly at the petite pegasus. “But seriously, though. What's your name.”

Rainbow blinked. “But... that's it.”

“Hahaha. Too cute! So what's your name, though.”

“I'm Ariel.”

“It's... what I told you.” Rainbow cleared her throat. “Just drop out the middle part. In all seriousness, it's Rainbow Dash.”

“Uh huh. Joke's getting stale. Recorded anyways for posterity.” Shriike's eyes peered through the round lenses like a bored chameleon's. “But what's your name though.”

“I'm Ariel.”

“It's... I-I'm not kidding...” Rainbow Dash pointed to her chest through her Element. “My name is Rainbow Dash. Rainbow. Dash. It was given to me shortly after I was foaled.”

“Pffft! Yeah right.” Shriike giggled towards the rune-lit walls. “What kind of a nimrod would name you something so obviously goofy.”

“My dad,” Rainbow droned. “My dad's the nimrod.”

Shriike pulled a double-take that was several centuries in the making. “You mean to tell me that in the land of the Solar Deceiver, Penumbran agents of burning desecration use portmanteaus of obliquely related common nouns as personal titles?”

“Hey...” Rainbow shrugged with a casual smirk. “...only when it's awesome. Which I am.”

“Can we please move past this, clerk?” Xandraa moaned.

“Hrmmmm...” Shriike rubbed her velvety chin in thought. “...come to think of it, ancient almanacs speak of rainbow prismatic beacons being used as weapons of malice. One of which... actually banished the Mother of Nightmares! Imprisoning her in the moon! Transforming the very foundation of her power into a p-p-personal pr-prison!” Shriike's jaw hung open in awe. “Wow... so conniving! Much tragic!”

“Well, when you put it that way.” Rainbow tossed her mane and winked. “I guess I'm like a livin' friggin' weapon!”

“Gaaaah!” Shriike jumped behind Xandraa, shivering in a little fuzzy ball—scrolls spilling loose from her saddlebags at random. “Don't go off on me!!!”

“I'm... uh...” Rainbow sweated nervously. “Being facetious, of course.”

“Hi, I'm Ariel!”

Rainbow snarled over her shoulder. “I'm sure she's got your friggin' name already, jeez!”

Ariel nodded, eyes beady. “I wanna see her write it down, though.” She breathed. And breathed.

“Clerk, do your function,” Xandraa said.

“Er... r-right! My... uh... f-function as an Imperial Clerk!” Gulping, Shriike crawled back towards Rainbow Dash like a paraplegic honey badger, before slowly rising up to her trembling haunches. She levitated the scroll before her like a shield and—summoning a gulp or two—spoke as she wrote. “Rainbow Danger Dash.” She glanced over at the other pegasus. “And Aerola.”

“No, it's—!” Ariel pulled at her face muscles. “For butts' sake!”

“Hrmmmm...” Shriike tapped her chin with the pen, having switched from paranoid to contemplative on a dime. “...I don't suppose Penumbrans are named after mammalian body parts as well? It could be a consequence of the constraints that constant solar heat and tropospheric convection has on a sun-burnt caste system that has to subsist on milk due to water sources being constantly evaporated.”

“This is incredible...!” Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but grin. “This society has never seen sunlight before—so, for them, so much as comprehending society on the Light Side must involve ghastly over-exaggerations of harmonic magical conjurations!”

“Look...” Rainbow turned towards the lavender spectre. “Just let it rest, Shriike—” She winced, turning towards Shriike. “I mean, don't fret so much about it, Twilight—!” She winced harder. “Rrrrrghhh!” She stomped her hooves on the ground, barking. “Buck! My skull's being eggheaded in stereo!”

“That's 'ARIEL'.” The pegasus in question hovered behind Shriike's flank, pointing at the top of the scroll. “'A-R-I-E-L—'”

“Girl!” Rainbow snarled, pointing a hoof. “Heel!”

But before the absurdity could roll any further...

...the door to the Dream Den opened with a pronounced wooden groan.

Everypony silenced, turning to face the entrance to the chamber.

The barest hint of a mare's wrinkled face peered out from under a dark robe. “Captain. Dear clerk...”

Xandraa bowed low, speaking softly—yet steadily. “Honorable dreamer, a thousand pardons for this most unseemly disturbance—”

“There is no finer method for waking.” The figure bowed back. “Please. We have waited long enough. Escort the avatar inside. Clerk, please do accompany them. For record-keeping.”

Shriike stood still, gawking at the open door. Her eyes blinked bulbously from behind those thick, thick lenses. They blinked again...

“That's YOU,” Xandraa hissed.

“Oh! R-Right!” Fumbling, Shriike trotted up to the edge of the frame, stepped back, and curtsied low.

Xandraa, holding her breath, quietly gestured to Ariel and Rainbow Dash. She trotted ahead and the two guards followed behind the pegasi.

Rainbow and Ariel marched through the round entrance and into a dimly-lit chamber. The fragrance of incense was far more pungent here, with rich scents reminiscent of lavender, chamomile, and sandalwood. If Rainbow had to guess, this “Dream Den” was kept sealed off commonly from the rest of Gibbous Sanctum, which accounted for its own separate little microsphere.

The chamber was larger than Rainbow expected—but not so grand that it lost an inherent coziness. A round interior stretched before the guests, with a perfectly carved dome stretching about thirty feet high overhead. Like in so many places in the tree previous, there were runestones placed into the wooden finish of the walls and ceiling. Here, the rocks glowed the dimmest—but it was clear from the adjacent surfaces that the place had not lost its luster. Even with the faint glow, Rainbow Dash could make out gorgeously intricate frescoes and paintings of equine figures silhouetted against starry constellations.

All of the illustrated figures formed a circular canter. Their graceful necks and snouts looked as though they were aimed towards the centermost portion of the dome—the highest point of the ceiling. Rainbow's eyes traveled naturally, and her heart skipped a beat. A fanged effigy startled her—frightening and beautiful all the same. It was the facade of Nightmare Moon, alright, slightly more grandiose than the real deal. It was then that Rainbow Dash realized that she was one of the few mortals on that plane who had actually seen Princess Luna as Nightmare Moon in the flesh. Like it or not, it was one advantage she had over all of those souls—forsaken or otherwise—that populated that epic Tree of Mothers.

Why was such a frightening image etched into the center of an interior where ponies slumbered? Rainbow imagined that it wasn't quite so “frightening” to the sarosians. Or—if it did evoke fear—it was something of pure reverence. Rainbow imagined that any being that desired to commit their lives to maintaining a dreamscape would have required a constant reminder of whom they were holding watch for. Plus—as Rainbow herself could attest to—it was perfectly easy to get accustomed to anything... even of frightening nature. All it required was time: something which the ponies of the Upper Tree no doubt possessed in excess.

“Wowee-zowwee...” Shriike cooed, her lensed eyes tracing the ceiling like loose bubbles adrift. “It's all so... gorgeous and glowy in here! I mean... not like a bright and blinding glowy... but a real soft and comfy glowy... y'know... for sleeping to and stuff. Cuz you gotta sleep in order to dream, right? Eheheh...”

“The Hell are you going on about?” Ariel glanced aside. “Haven't you been inside here before?”

“Huh? Oh... pfffft... chhhhyeah!” Shriike waved a hoof. “Absolutely, yeah! What kind of a nimrod lives her entire life inside the Tree of Mothers and doesn't step inside this place?! Why... I've been in here maybe... ohhhh... I dunnnnnno... twelve times... ten times... eight-and-a-half times—”

“Eight and a half?”

“Never.” Shriike hung her head, squirming. “I've... never... ever b-b-been in here and—snrkkkkt—I'm totally... actually freaking out c-cuz this is where the dream walkers do their dream walking and it's so cool but also so frightening and... and...”

“Breathe, Shriike,” Xandra said calmly. “The dreamers await.”

Speaking of whom...

Rainbow and Ariel finally lowered their gaze. A field of silver specks greeted them—like lightning bugs. Only—these bugs hovered in pairs. Then, as the pegasi's vision adapted to the dim lighting—those flickering pairs of specks grew closer, belonging to faces. Velvety faces. Dark faces. Wrinkled faces. And fangs fangs fangs fangs fangs.

It was a bit unnerving at first, but as Rainbow made out the equines huddled in the room, she realized that there were no more than thirty of them—barely enough to fill a third of the chamber's space comfortably. What's more, most—if not all of them—were literal elders. From the complexions of their muzzles to the lines formed along their brows, Rainbow guessed that the majority of them were no younger than fifty winters. There was a wheezy noise from their half of the room, like wind through a throng of wet leaves—as they collectively peered out from their thick black hooded robes to study the visiting guests.

“Good heavens...” Rarity blanched. “Certainly a grim lot.”

“They seem harmless to me,” Fluttershy stated. “Judging from their figures—a sedentary lifestyle has left them frail and weak-bodied.” She looked aside. “Applejack? Are you sensing anything to be concerned about?”

“They ain't meanin' no harm or nothin',” Applejack said, shaking her head. “But I can't say that they're too terribly trustin' neither. Reckon they're just as curious about us as we are about them.”

“Ohhhhhh rats!” Pinkie kicked at the air, pouting.

Twilight looked at her. “What's the matter?”

“All these old ponies...!” Pinkie's ears drooped. “...and I don't have any pudding to give them!”

Twilight sighed. She turned towards their anchor. “Guess this is it. Can you tell which one is Nat'rdo?”

“Twilight, I can't tell one from another,” Rainbow whispered back.

Ariel leaned in close. “Anything we should be concerned about?”

“Not unless you're feeling rusty at midnight bingo or shuffleboard.”

Ariel's muzzle scrunched as she looked at the group. “I wonder why nobody's spoken up yet?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Probably trying to get a read on us. Y'know... like Lexxic and his bros did.”

“Oh jeez... I hope you don't have to headbutt one of them.”

“Yeah. Their fangs might fly across the room.” Rainbow shuddered. “Along with the rest of their teeth.”

Shriike slid into place between Rainbow and Ariel. “What are we whispering about?”

“Clerrrrrk...” Xandraa growled.

“At ease, Captain,” spoke a voice from the back of the room.

Everyone's head turned. Rainbow and Ariel craned their necks. The huddled cluster of elders split in two...

...revealing a lone robed figure staring at the far fringes of the interior. Notched into multiple spaces along the edge of the round room were tiny dens—like berths—that were hung over with translucent blue-and-purple curtains. A mare had emerged from one such space, trotting across a sea of cushions and meditation mats to approach the visitors. The closer she came, the more Rainbow Dash could make out a cascade of bright teal mane hair pouring out from the shadowed recesses of her hood.

“While you and your guards' presence is much appreciated, let us not waste too much formality on our apprehensions. After all, this is not the first time we have met with the Penumbran.”

Ariel squinted her eyes curiously. Rainbow and her ghostly companions peered with mixed anticipation.

“We have seen into her mind,” the figure spoke, coming ever closer. “We have discovered that—she too—is familiar with nightmares. Much like ourselves. Much like our soldiers. Much like our children and their children's children.”

At last, she came to a stop before the avatar of Luna. She pulled her hood down, tossing her teal mane loose in pure silken threads that cascaded around one side of her neck.

“What's left to ascertain... is what she possesses in body,” the young mare said. She had piercing yellow eyeslits, and an immaculate face that actually made Rainbow's helpless heart skip a beat. “And if her journey through nightmares substantiates a connection with our past Mother more than with our future foals.”

Silence... until—

“Bingo,” Ariel dryly exhaled, her face red.

“Rainbow Dash...” Nat'rdo spoke firmly, her voice recognizable at this proximity. “W'ynlppa yln H'luun.” Her face in the real world was as stern as it was beautiful—evoking a maturity that undoubtedly rivaled that of the elder dreamers around her. “I have personally pushed the first of many damnable dominoes to bring you here to this most sacred of Roosts.” Her fangs showed—which only served to accentuate her terrifying majesty. “It would bring me great... great dismay to be disappointed for my efforts.”

Rainbow cleared her throat, cracking a dumb smile: “Wh-who's disappointed?”

Nat'rdo's amber eyes merely narrowed.

“Heyyyyyyyyyy! Nate!” Shriike slid up to her, grinning wide and adjusting her spectacles. “Long time no Ee-Ee-Ee-Ee!!!” She pointed at the mare's head. “I like what you did to your mane! Makes me think of the tea leaves on display in the Roost of Records! Get it? Cuz we like to drink tea all the time?”

Nat'rdo slowly turned to glare at her. “... … ...and you are?”

Shriike blushed furiously, shrinking within a blink. “I... erm... uhhhh...” A cough, and she glowed her horn—levitating the scroll beside her. “St-stenography!” She licked the floating pen and applied it to the paper. “Ramble away, dream ladies!”

“First thing's first...” And Nat'rdo trotted briskly towards Rainbow Dash.

“Whoah there...” Rainbow—flustered—waved a hoof. “Hold on a sec—!”

“Duck and cover!” Pinkie dove ghostily through the floor. “Headbutt time!”

“Just stay calm!” Applejack insisted.

Rainbow did. And within a second, Nat'rdo's hooves reached the pendant.

FLAAASH!

A gasp of alarm rippled through the crowd. Every elder ducked low, covering their faces from the burst of harmonic light that—no doubt—was brighter than anything they had ever witnessed in their natural lives.

Even Captain Xandraa and the two guards were having trouble blinking the lingering flash away.

When all was said and done, Nat'rdo could be seen leaning back, her muzzle agape as her mane settled from the resulting jolt of the experience.

“Sry'whymyll H'Luun...” Her fierce veneer shrunk behind a pallid look of shock—aimed directly at Rainbow Dash. “...The First Dreamer. You are truly gifted with her t-touch...?”

“Uhhhh... yeah...?” Rainbow Dash nodded. “You think I trotted all this way just for a slumber party?”

“Speak for yourself,” Ariel said, fanning herself. A prismatic tail whapped her in the face. “D'oh!”

“Again with that mesmerizing light...” Captain Shandra looked over at Shriike. “Clerk, did you get all that?”

“Uhhhhhhh...” Shriike—who had fallen backwards in response to the blast of light—was currently crawling across the mats and cushions, searching blindly for her spectacles. “...what just h-happened...?”

The Hall of Honor

Along the Omega side of the Tree of Mothers—a location that Rainbow Dash, on the other portion of the plane, would likely have once equated with “north”—there formed an elaborate... deformation of the wooden megastructure's complex root system.

Nevertheless, “deformation” would very likely have been an insulting term for the beautiful complexity that Rainbow and her companions were presently observing. The roots here—ginormous structures of their own merit—rose upwards from the stone earth in multitudinous, winding, conjoined shapes. It all amounted to a delicate, ancient dance of winding wooden structures, many of which had evidently been hollowed out to form bunkers, living quarters, and storage compartments—complete with windows, doors, and supportive lattice platforms.

The elaborate and frankly random root formations even put the skycrapers surrounding Abaddon's Nest to shame, albeit at a notably smaller scale. Practically speaking, the branching materials resembled the exposed root structure of a bald cypress tree, only more pronounced—not to mention absurdly magnified in size. Also—instead of a swamp—the roots rose in and out of the dense arid stone of the sun-less wastelands.

Rainbow and her friends found themselves capable of observing all of these details—and more—mostly due to the fact that they had a remarkably lofty view of the vast array of meandering megaroots. This was afforded by one pronounced root—singular in hits thickness and purpose—that ran from the curveside face of the Tree and wound its way clockwise towards the Omega side in a majestic curve. The ascending surface of this one particular root was shallow enough that it afforded countless Bloodwing bodies to march up its slope, undisturbed by gravity. In fact, very few soldiers flew on their way to the Hall of Honor. The whole of Lexxic's armry was content to march on bare hooves, as if they were ritually ascending a grand winding staircase towards some palatial event of great magnificence.

Thanks to the entry “ramp” of the thickest root being situated along the Curveside face of the Tree of Mothers, most members of the Dark Vigil—who were mostly camped along the Alpha shadow of the Tree—predominantly used this particular platform to reach their destination. As a result, Rainbow and her companions found themselves awash in a grand migrating sea of sarosians—all stallions—marching their way towards the nebulous location of the Hall of Honor. It grew very very crowded, and Shriike in particular grew more and more nervous by the minute.

However, this was no by-the-book military march. It became quickly evident that every soldier in attendance was “at ease,” and that they weren't being forced to march in some regimental fashion. In fact, every Bloodwing came across as enthusiastic, relaxed, and even jovial. Whatever regularly transpired at the Hall of Honor, Rainbow Dash could tell that the soldiers of the Dark Vigil were more than pleased to be involved. She couldn't even tell if attendance was mandatory or not—but it didn't appear to particularly matter. Looking left and right, Rainbow got the striking sense that nearly everypony employed by Lexxic and the Sons of Nightmares were invited to this occasion. What's more, not a single soul looked ready to complain. Their fangs glinted between bouts of laughter and moments of boastful pride. Shouts and hisses filled the air, and brothers-in-combat greeted each other whole-heartily as separate companies blended together more and more, becoming one with the winding roots of the Tree.

As the path grew and more crowded, it grew harder and harder for Rainbow and her fellow Heraldites to not stand out. More than a dozen hoof-fulls of battle-worn stallions glared in angry confusion at the sheer audacity of these female-and-alien ambassadors trotting among them. But not a single soul tried anything. The presence of Lexxic and his most trusted subordinates likely prevented any brash actions on behalf of the bulk of the Dark Vigil's finest. Lexxic trotted towards the front—along with Masser and Lukaas. Meanwhile, Azarias and Sypher took up the rear—providing “protection” to the avatar of Luna and her group—and it was quite apparent to everyone that no soul alive was going to risk challenging either the Second or the Fourth over the matter. This brought ease to the Penumbrans—but only for a little while. More than once, Rainbow Dash caught Azarias glaring at Ariel. No doubt the exchange back at Central Headquarters didn't particularly win any favors. For most of the trek, Rainbow kept herself positioned between the Sons of Nightmares in the rear and Ariel and Shrike... just to be absolutely careful...

A metal talon tapped on Rainbow's shoulder. She glanced at Wildcard. The Desperado gestured towards Omega. Rainbow looked—and for a moment she couldn't particularly figure just what the silent griffon was wanting her to see. Perhaps it was everything:

Adjoining the massive winding root that they were trotting on were several smaller—but still grand—root structures winding upwards from Omega. These too had platforms and lattices built alongside and between each other, affording even more rivers of velvety sarosian bodies to ascend the lower trunk of the Tree of Mothers, eventually joining their current tributary as they converged on a single point. The destination in question appeared to be a clustered nexus of wooden structures that dipped, bowing slightly into a veritable “crater” set within the tumorous support branches that lingered the thickest along that portion of Bloodwing territory.

But beyond all of that—and standing out against the bleak horizon of Omega—was a tall and rigid structure, situated half a kilometer away from the furthest reaching root. At first, Rainbow Dash thought that perhaps this object was another tree—but that didn't seem very likely. While tall, the structure didn't even remotely match the Tree of Mothers in its scale. In fact, if the twilight was a little bit dimmer, she'd not be able to make it out at all in the shadow of the Bloodwing home. Now was the first time Rainbow observed the Omega horizon unobscured beyond the Tree, and her mind struggled to make sense out just what the slender opaqueness blocking out the starlight could be.

Then Seraphimus spoke up, chilling Rainbow with how effortlessly she read the petite pegasus' mind: “It appears to be a docking structure of some sort.”

Rainbow's brow furrowed. Surrounded by militant sarosians—in a bleak land devoid of a sun, and with an enormous tree towering high above her—the long-traveled soul momentarily forgot that she had ever actually been to places as spectacular and unique as Ledomare.

“You mean for stationing dirigibles?” Rainbow Dash remarked. “Airships of some kind?”

“That would be my guess,” Seraphimus said with a nod.

Rainbow turned in mid-trot to gape at the former Talon Commander. “Rohbredden had airships?”

“We had a lot of things.” Seraphimus looked back at her. Deadpan. “Before you came.”

Rainbow's ears folded back. “Well, when you put it like that...”

“Rainbow, darling...” Rarity spoke up.

Rainbow glanced at the ghostly mare. “Hey Rares. Sense any... uhhhh... zeppelins roundabout?”

Rarity ignored that question, pointing Edgeside. “Feast your eyes, if you can...”

Rainbow squinted, struggling to look past the heads-heads-heads-and-more-heads of the sarosians trotting before and around her.

“You may have to crane your neck a bit...”

Rainbow attempted to do so. Even still—she struggled to see anything of unique importance in the arid bleaks beyond the Omega face of the Tree of Mothers. She considered taking wing, but... that would likely not go well while surrounded by a crowd of dutifully marching Bloodwings. She wasn't about to rock the boat, especially when Lexxic was going so far out of his way to make her and her companions feel welcome... and safe. So she settled for what little she could see.

And see—she did—albeit faintly. There were several dark dips in the stone landscape. Torch-lit paths and wagon trails led between the Tree and the multiple destinations. Rainbow spotted heaps of broken stone and earth accumulating alongside multiple avenues. She reasoned that the patches of darkness were—in fact—quarries that had been dug deep into the earth after centuries upon centuries of the Dark Vigil mining the local landscape for every available resource.

But one quarry in particular stood out from the rest. The patches of unearthed stone that surrounded its perimeter were noticeably paler in texture. What's more, a bone cold glow of light emanated from somewhere deep within. The longer Rainbow stared at it, the queasier she felt inside—accompanied by a shiver that ran nauseating circles between her gut and her skull. It was like the opposite of looking at the warm harmonic mark of the Midnight Armory—which stood almost perfectly opposite of the quarry in question.

“The pit?” Rainbow dryly spat. She looked aside—specifically at Twilight.

Twilight nodded. “Ever since Rarity pointed it out, I've sensed an absence of harmonic resonance from that particular location.” She gulped, then continued. “If I was to hazard a guess, I would say the sarosians are using that hole in the earth to deposit all of their—”

In a fizzling ripple of light, Twilight Sparkle vanished. Rainbow weathered a dizzy spell, and in the ensuing blink she saw Discord hovering in Twilight's place, finishing her speech:

“—Hari Kiri Rock!” He said, smiling crookedly. “I need scissors! Sixty-one!”

Rainbow frowned. But before she could protest—

“We didn't build it, of course...”

Trotting firmly along, Rainbow turned from Discord to the First Son of Nightmares walking at a safe distance ahead of her. “Huh?”

“We fostered it. The Hall of Honor, that is,” Lexxic declared. “A very very long time ago—barely a century after the Tree of Mothers was first planted—it was formed out of the upper roots... molded and carved to be a grandiose sanctuary of sarosian importance. It was meant to be a shrine—a devoted place of worship.” His helm tilted back slightly, catching a glint of starlight in Rainbow's direction. “Worship of Nightmare Moon, of course. However, as the war over the sarcophagus waged on... and the need for practical resources usurped all respect for tradition... the shrine was abandoned. At least in its initial purpose. What was once hallowed ground for meditating, dreamtrotting, and invoking the name of the Mother of Nightmares... decayed under pure abandonment... reduced to a dusty hovel for storing weapons, armor, and rusted old tools.”

Lexxic—ever the showstallion—had marvelous timing. For even before the First Son of Nightmares finished relaying all of this info, the structure in question finally came into view. Rainbow Dash didn't even have to crane her neck; the thick root structure beneath her hooves had reached its peak, allowing her an unobstructed view of their destination. It loomed below, nestled within the swirling nexus of roots. No less than four winding structures converged on a central nub of petrified wooden thickness. It looked far from natural; Rainbow could only guess that those who first planted and grew the Tree of Mothers had concocted a large scale form of Arbortectural engineering: guiding many of the above-ground roots into one another over growth and time so as to afford a chunk of organic material thick enough to carve an arena out of.

Which is precisely what they did. A purely circular building sank into the converged roots, with a lip of raised scaffolds lining the circumference. Upon the summits, no less than twelve metal spires stretched upwards at equidistant points. A multipiece patchwork canopy stretched between them. Rainbow guessed it was constructed out of some finely-woven material that disrupted the starlight from above. It was some form of hard burlap, or a canvas weave, or—as much as it twisted Rainbow's stomach to conceive—leather. If it was indeed the latter, then the material had to have been cured from an incomprehensibly large number of slain creatures. The sheer surface area of the multi-panel roofing was mind-blowingly daunting, to say the least.

Upon each of the four roots that descended upon this low-level coliseum, rivers of Bloodwing might trotted and marched. A deafening roar—like perpetual waterfalls—shook its way through Rainbow's bones. She realized that the veritable “crater” formed in the converging roots afforded a massive echo chamber, resounding with all of the heavy-stepping hooves and bass masculine voices conjoining as one. It suddenly made some sense why the sarosians seemingly weren't permitted to fly their way here. Keeping low and heavy and heartful afforded them an enthralling resonance. They were inescapably immersed in their own might. As Rainbow's group wandered deeper down the sloping root structures and towards the arena waiting below, she wondered just how mesmerizingly loud it might end up being within the heart of the Hold itself.

“My third act as Commander of the Dark Vigil,” Lexxic continued. “Was to restore this shrine to glory.” He trotted on three hooves—just long enough to raise a front fetlock for emphasis. “Not restoring it to its old glory... which our illustrious elders had evidently abandoned ages ago...” He resumed on all fours in a confident stride. “But fashioning it into a sanctum for Bloodwing meditation. I speak—of course—of feasts. Recreation. Trials of strength. Showcases of valor. And—most important of all—a stage to recount glorious tales of victory.”

“For generations we stallions were no more than mere tools of war for the elders,” Azarias spoke up, which caught Rainbow by surprise. The Second maintained a neutral tone, despite the enthusiastic exposition. “We lived, fought, and died without retribution or recompense.” He nodded in the direction of the First Son trotting ahead of the group. “It was Lexxic who took a banal waste of space and turned it into something worth fighting form. An actual home... for our blood and bones to return to.” His scars tightened as he shuddered in contemplation. “The First Son gave us more than victory. He gave us all souls.”

“And... a little bit of sparring before a fine meal certainly doesn't hurt,” Lexxic said, suppressing a chuckle. He was about to say more—but a few passing Bloodwings squeaked and cheered at the sight of him. He waved blindly back, smiling calmly and exchanging a few words in moonwhinny. A brief wave of jubilance rippled through the crowd immediately surrounding him. Masser shifted his weight, giving Lexxic a clear path towards their destination. Once the commotion had more or less settled, Lexxic cleared his throat and spoke once again to Rainbow Dash: “We inherited this place—like so many things. But... unlike most of the accursed weight that the elders have thrown on our diligent withers... this has turned out to be quite the blessing.”

“Hmmmm...” Discord stroked his goatee, eyeing the raised root platforms cycloning them towards the sunken arena. “Unpredictable nature... tamed into divine purpose... … … but then abandoned to time and apathy... only to be restored to a new cause... … … inviting passion, rage, and vitriolic distrust of the maretriarchal establishment.” He tongued the inside of his mouth. “Mmmmmmmmmm—it's not entirely symmetrical, though.” A fanged smirked, aimed at the dragonequus' anchor. “At least he's got that going for him!”

Rainbow did his best to ignore the ghostly chaotician. “So... this place does wonders for morale.”

“Affirmative,” Lexxic said.

Rainbow cleared her throat. “Guess it was good on the elders for allowing it.”

“The elders didn't allow anything!” Azarias sneered and hissed from the rear. “The First Son forged the Hall of Honor from abandoned dreams with his own four—”

A shrill whistle. Two pale wings spread upwards from Lexxic's position. “Tone it down a bit, Second. It benefits nopony to encourage an ulcer before a meal.”

“Mrrrrnghhh...” Azarias clenched his fanged mouth shut.

“Practically speaking, unprecedented victory in the face of a history of perpetual stalemate has... afforded me many things that only serve to improve the function of my brothers in combat.” Lexxic waved at a few more admiring Bloodwings. They were approaching the cusp of the coliseum's upper scaffolds now. “Don't get me wrong. Resources are indeed quite scarce. It's challenging enough to feed this army on a regular basis, much less afford moments of even the barest luxury.”

“You could have fooled me, brother.” Masser smirked aside at the First. His tattooed muscles shone proudly in the starlight. “Every campaign heaps in a new haul.”

“That's because the only true direction is forward. Unto the Sarcophagus.” Lexxic's fangs showed. “And when the Dark Vigil's goal is finally within our grasp, there will—then—be only one other direction.”

“I can't imagine the Seared Lands somehow having lesser bounties,” spoke up Lukaas.

Wildcard and Ariel exchanged glances.

“Conjured from the Narrow...” Masser mused. “...and unto the Narrow we return.”

“A linear mindset,” Seraphimus stated.

“Indeed.” Lexxic nodded.

The Former Talon Commander's feathered brow furrowed. “I much prefer more rounded strategies,” she said. “Victory is easier to approach from multiple angles... with several winding avenues to approach the same conflict.”

“Perhaps that works under the glare of the Solar Deceiver. But here...” Lexxic slowly shook his head. “Caution is what led our elders into perpetuating suffering, decay, and retreat. It was a vicious cycle of absurdity. But no longer.” He trotted tall and proud. “I have proven that being direct and brutal yields results. And—in time... with enough faith and patience on behalf of the High Polished... I will bring the Dark Vigil to absolute victory.”

“Sounds awesome and all...” Rainbow's voice rasped. “...but it can't all be that easy.”

“Think about what you say before you say it, Sparky,” Discord hummed ghostily into her ear.

Her tongue rested on the roof of her mouth, but she nevertheless clicked into the next speech: “Somepony's gotta pay the price for shortcomings at some point or another. No war is ever won without—”

“Sacrifice?” Lexxic's helm tilted. The pale slab caught the last glint of starlight before passing beneath the darkness of the Hall of Honor's entrance. “Dearest avatar, the stallions of the Dark Vigil have suffered the sacrifice for eons.” A deep breath. “This generation is different. The sacrifice is wholly and completely mine.” His jaw tightened as he passed like a crescent moon into the shadows. “It will be my brothers and their sons and their sons' sons... who will reap the glory of the victory wrought in this day and age... and they shall be the ones to return to the Narrow.”

Discord smirked at Rainbow, wagging his eyebrows.

Rainbow stifled a groan. She could tell that there was no leaving Lexxic's proximity anytime soon. The phantom dragonequus wasn't about to be replaced by her five dear friends. Rather than dwell on this, she took stock of where Shrike and the Heraldites were positioned. Keeping close to them, she observed the developing interior of the noisy domain where they had been collectively herded.

Immediately, a series of stairs descended down steep vertical corridors illuminated by faint bluish runestones. The walls had a pale sheen to them, and for a while there Rainbow Dash mistook their surfaces for polished stone—when in fact the entire domain had been intricately carved out of petrified wood. For the life of her, Rainbow couldn't imagine the sheer power and creative magnitude that had to have gone into such an architectural feat. This only grew more and more jaw-dropping the further she proceeded into the Hall of Honor.

After traversing three adjoining flights of stairs, Lexxic led her group into the next chamber. It turned out to be a large circular corridor that—as Rainbow guessed—ran the full circumference of the coliseum. The walls here were even steeper than the stairwell, and if Rainbow looked straight up she could see a winding crescent of ghostly starlight wafting down from the scantily exposed heavens. Torches were mounted high at interchanging positions along the inner and outer curve of the corridor. This allowed for a dim, warm, and almost enchanting aura of amber light to fall upon every ancient detail of the place.

While the circular corridor felt narrow, it was far less restrictive than the winding roots that initially brought the sarosians there. Both the inner and outer walls were perforated by tall wood-carved columns with plenty of space for entering/exiting bodies in between. What was once a series of converging paths turned into a convention center of sorts. The echoes here reverberated more, belying the sheer mass of warriors—both seen and unseen—who were congregating absolutely everywhere. Long lost friends and fellow soldiers embraced each other for the first time in countless cycles, laughing and shrieking up a storm. The air filled with song, with ancient hymns befitting the dance of the torchlight against soot-stained carvings of old. There appeared to be no hurry to go anywhere or do anything. Lexxic's group was the only portion of life making any strategic moment, and Rainbow couldn't stop to gaze at everything because she was a proxy to it... and to him.

Rainbow had been to very few “arenas” in her lifetime. The last one nearly slaughtered her for the mere entertainment of Lady Pestiferous and her Searonese bounty hunters. This fact hung in her mind, because—without any prejudicial strings attached—she had to honestly confess that the warriors who filled these lunar halls were far more lively and warm-hearted than the cybernetic denizens of the land south of Aurum. Looking at every fanged smile and perking ear, she found it hard to believe that these creatures were ever capable of cruelty, malice, or worse.

“To think, they throw themselves at death,” Discord stated. “And to cause death. They don't expect to wake up alive... or to go to sleep in one piece. They are always on the move—with no promise of anything but more violence. And so—they return here—and it's a glorious clusterbuck of noise, nonsense, and nimrods.” He winked at his anchor, gesturing at Shriike. “Just don't tell Twilight Decaf.”

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash didn't even look at him.

“What I'm trying to say is that I'm impressed.” His fang glinted in the torchlight as he beamed. “Their ancient predecessors built upon this hallowed ground a wooden circle meant for worship and order. And these delightful dogs of war have turned it into a fluctuating nexus full of zig-zagging felicity and farts. And they thrive on it. It's their only way they maintain morale—just so they can throw themselves into the unpredictable grind yet again.” He rubbed his goatee in thought. “Hmmmm... curious... … … Verlax—didn't she go on and on about 'circle'-this and 'circle'-that?”

The fur on the back of Rainbow's neck rose on end. She turned to sneer something at the Lord of Chaos—

“To think...” Lexxic's voice wafted towards Rainbow again, snapping her back to the corporeal world around. “...our fore bearers couldn't even be allowed to indulge in something as blissful and righteous as... this.” He waved a pale hoof at the thickening-and-thickening crowd. “The soldiers before the First Sons had nothing to fight for. Nothing but false promises... the dream of a future that was completely unreachable.”

“Allow me to guess,” Rainbow Dash spoke. “Until you came along.”

“I am giving them a present and a future,” Lexxic insisted. “But... it is not the same future that the elders perceive.”

“Wouldn't that...” Rainbow Dash slowly arched a nervous eyebrow. “... … ...be troublesome at some point or another?”

“You're implying that they haven't thrown their tantrums already.” Lexxic's nostrils flared under his helm. “And curtailed my glorious campaign at every turn.”

Rainbow Dash looked left. “... … ...” She looked right. “... … …Malaak.”

Lexxic merely nodded. Rainbow sensed the same gesture from Masser, Azarias, and Lukaas. Sypher remained silent as a stone.

The First Son spoke on: “She is but one of many manifestations of the elders' stubbornness... their refusal to exorcise the banal and pointless traditions of the past. But—at every turn—we continue to show them that the new strategies of the Bloodwings—the legacy of the First Sons—is greater, smarter, and more resilient than any wrench they attempt to throw in the works.”

“I can't help but wonder if all of the petty... fights could be avoided if you and your higher-ups just had an honest heart-to-heart talk?” Rainbow suggested.

“You thinking that I haven't tried, avatar?”

Rainbow bit her bottom lip.

“There are actions that speak louder than words.” Lexxic smiled back towards her. “The elders wish for you to be an extra ear by my side. So be it. You shall have it filled in due time.”

Rainbow's eyes remained on Lexxic as she trotted slowly through the flowing crowd. At some point, a certain dragonequus drifted directly behind her prismastic scalp. “Can you afford to give him the cold shoulder, I wonder?” Rainbow merely gritted her teeth.

“Lexxy'kyn!

“Syl'drym Lexxy'kyn w'lynna sym'l thrym!”

Rainbow's head turned towards the thickest pocket of the crowd as jubilant shell-bursts of praise emanated louder and louder—all collectively aimed at Lexxic's figure. As the First Son approached the inner wall of the circular corridor, the bulk of the gathering Bloodwings pivoted and shifted to form a path for him. Soldiers bowed. Warriors cheered. Veterans hissed and shrieked in melodic reverence.

“Lexxy'kyn m'shrynmhii syl thr'ymma!”

“Eee-eee-eee-eee!”

“EEE-EEE-EEE!!!”

“Hyl'wrym symyllym Lexxy'kyn m'shrynmha!”

“Lexxy'kyn wr'ynlym s'lymma!”

“Lexxy'kyn! Lexxy'kyn! Lexxy'kyn!”

At first, Masser and Sypher marched boldly ahead of the First Son, forming a protective barrier before him—as if by habit. But Lexxic rested his hooves on their withers, gently pacifying the stallions before urging them aside. The higher ranking Bloodwings obediently gave him space, and soon the Commander of the Dark Vigil's army was trotting majestically down the invisible path that had been forged for him in the crowd. He bore a blind smile, tilting his helm crookedly—as if picking the perfect angle for the chaos metal to resonate with the vibrations from the cheering, exultant masses. He slowly spread his leather wings outward, the pale tips barely brushing against the muzzles and waving fetlocks of his penitent followers.

The chanting of his name reached a fever pitch, with his top officers following closely behind—along with Rainbow Dash's group. She could sense Ariel wincing—struggling with the urge to cover her ears. Seraphimus and Wildcard looked on edge, and Shriike's glasses nearly rattled off. When the tumult reached the point where it threatened to numb the nerves in everypony's collective molars, Lexxic let loose a shrill whistle.

There was a pale flicker of light. Rainbow suffered a wave of dizziness, teetering sideways into Wildcard—who steadied her. When her ruby eyes blinked through the fog, she saw the five daggers from Lexxic's helmet shooting upwards like comets, hovering in a pentagonal formation of flickering pinpricks above everypony's velvety ears.

The noise climaxed in one prolonged cacophony of applause. Each and every one of the thousands upon thousands of soldiers within view of the First Son stomped their hooves against the ancient floor. Shriike found it difficult to stand upright, much less keep her pen and scroll levitating. The visitors to the Hall of Honor watched as the daggers slowly drifted back down, each resting back in their collective notches set within Lexxic's helm.

The First Son stood tall and proud, and already a respectful hush rolled through the army-at-ease, as if everypony immediately knew that a speech was at hoof:

“Brothers... warriors... champions... veterans... selfless souls of the Nightmare...” Lexxic gestured broadly with his wings. “...from the Narrow we fall... and unto the Narrow we return.” His wings tightened at his side. “But on this cycle—and in every victorious motion going forward—we celebrate the victorious and mourn the fallen.” His fangs flashed in the torchlight, matching the pale gleam of his helm. “We must never forget! Pain is temporary! Fear is a river! And that which flows between—blood—blood is forever!”

“BLOOD IS FOREVER!!!”

“W'YNLPPA S'YLMEM WAAL'AASA!!!”

“W'YNLPPA S'YLMEM WAAL'AASA!!!”

The circular chamber of the Hall of Honor filled with ear-splitting shrieks, echoing in a rotating salvo across every petrified surface of the place.

“EEE-EEE-EEE!”

“EEE-EEE-EEE!”

“LEXXY'KYN!”

“LEXXY'KYN!!”

“LEXXY'KYN!!!”

Shriike gnashed her teeth. Seraphimus had to steady her as the clerk fought to keep from vomiting due to sheer skull trauma. “I-I'd h-hate t-to s-see th-these n-nimrods a-attempt t-to u-use a-a l-library!!!”

Nopony heard her—which was probably a good thing. Rainbow Dash watched as Azarias joined Lexxic's side. Interestingly enough, the cheers grew a little louder as the Second appeared by the First Son's side. The respect that the Bloodwing army had for Lexxic's chain of command was more than obvious. Azarias could be seen speaking directly into Lexxic's ear. The First Son waited patiently until he could fully consume Azarias' words. There was a nod, and Azarias gestured in the direction of a solid flank of soldiers. Lexxic immediately moved towards them.

Craning her neck, Rainbow Dash did her best to observe the proceedings. She realized that the soldiers were... noticeably smaller than the rest of the crowd. It soon became obvious why: they were bloodcolts, none above eight winters old.

Upon seeing the First Son of Nightmares approach, the company of no-less-than-twenty miniature sarosians gasped and shrieked in growing enthusiasm. Their captain—a teenager with proud battle-scars—issued a commanding howl, and the youngsters collectively bowed before their approaching Commander.

The ecstatic crowd fell into respectful silence as their stately leader approached the line of youngsters. “At ease, champions of the Vivil,” Lexxic said in a firm—yet warm tone. He approached a single member of the contingent. “You, little brother. What is your name?”

The colt in question was visibly shaking. Nevertheless, he stood tall and resolute with a courageous scowl, saluting with his leathery wing. “Commander! Spek'kl, Fifth Wing of Bloodcolt Bleak Formation Delta, Sixth Root! Commander!”

Lexxic's helm tilted in the firelight. “And what is your battle-name, Fifth Wing?”

Spek'kl paled, eyeslits shrinking in horror—as if he made the biggest mistake of his life. “Uhm...” He gulped a lump down his throat. “Wry'spek'lym, Commander. I am Wry'spek'lym.”

Lexxic slowly nodded. “You must never forget that, brother. In the end—it is the one thing that shall follow you back into the Narrow, where flesh and screams cannot. Do you understand?”

“Commander. Yes, I understand. Commander.”

“Memories are all we have for this brief break in the thread between eternal Nightmares. Live and relish—as much as you strive and fight for it.” Lexxic's lips curved. “Wry'spek'lym, honorable Fifth Wing of the Sixth Root, how would you like to sit at my right hoof in the Hall of Honor tonight?”

The bloodcolt looked as if he might fall over. His companions hissed and squeaked in mixed enthusiasm and envy. Fighting a shaking sensation, the child soldier merely beamed. “Eee-eee-eee! Absolutely! I—!” He bit his bottom lip, nearly producing blood. A clearing of the throat, and he stood tall again, saluting with a wingtip. “Commander! It would be an honor, Commander!”

“Mmmm. I would imagine so.” Lexxic ushered him towards his side with a wing before aiming his smirking muzzle vaguely towards the crowd. “But don't be expecting a ticket to the Lower Roots. That'll be Sy'lukas'ymb's responsibility in a few more winters.”

The immediate cluster of bloodwings surrounding the scene boomed with uproarious laughter.

Lukaas' nostrils flared, but he merely rolled his slitted eyes and said nothing.

Spek'kl blinked in obvious confusion, but he shrugged it off by joining with the laughter of the adults all around him.

“But enough of sludge-talk!” Lexxic beamed. “Onwards to the feast, brothers!” He marched with purpose through the inner ring of arched pillars, traversing into the open heart of the coliseum beyond. A frazzled Spek'kl scampered to stay at his side. “Our high-polished friends of the Third Root may or may not have... a gift for us...”

The air thundered with mixed cheers, boos, hisses, and chuckles. Once more, the chaotic crowd cycled their way—flowing liberally through the inner spaces of the ancient sarosian structure.

Discord looked on, visually impressed, his lopsided eyes locked on Lexxic.

As Rainbow and her group felt urged on by the general flow of the crowd, she sensed Ariel giving her a pleading look. As if reading her mind, Rainbow Dash swiftly nodded. Ariel took it as a sign to speak aloud:

“So... uhhh... is anypony gonna tell us just what this 'Narrow' is, anyways?”

Azarias stifled a deep growl. Lukaas sighed and Sypher made tiny hissing sounds through his voice box. Most of the Bloodwings mimicked their disdain, avoiding the sight of Ariel and pretending as if she hadn't spoken in the first place.

Only Masser—stumbling meatedly in one spot for a few awkward seconds—finally summoned the courage to answer the Penumbran's question: “It is nothing else but the very dark pocket from which all Sons of Nightmares were snatched!”

Seraphimus looked at him. “I... I'm afraid I don't understand.”

The Third Son snorted. “You wouldn't. All fabric of the Eternal Nightmare—the Miasma included—has been evaporated by the Solar Deceiver's searing gaze!”

Rainbow was already wracking her brain. Thinking for Twilight Sparkle in the lavender unicorn's absence, she enjoyed a sudden epiphany. “The Narrow...!” She looked up at Masser. “You must mean... that dimension beyond space and time where Princess Luna rescued the incorporeal souls of all sarosians!”

Masser looked as if he was going to vomit. “Hrmmmfff...” His ears folded back, and it was clear that he was sneering at something far older and more nebulous than the avatar and any of her companions. “...and just who says we were ever desiring to be wrongfully abducted in the first place?” And with weighted finality, he turned tail, lumbering to catch up with Lexxic and the others.

Shriike's lensed eyes glanced up from the scroll she was scribbling on.

Rainbow lingered briefly in place, chewing on her bottom lip. Wildcard shuffled into view. He threw Rainbow a cold look and gestured: “That is... troubling.”

“Uh huh...” Rainbow smoothed her prismatic bangs back. “...I think some priorities have shifted since the Dark Vigil's Exodus began.” She looked up at the wooden edifices stretching above her. “Among other things.”

It was then that Rainbow took notice—in the flicker of amber torchlight—that almost every visible surface of the chamber's inner walls had been meticulously carved... forming countless sculptures, effigies, and portraits of hundreds if not thousands of mares: the loyal servants of Nightmare Moon. They resembled in a lot of ways the equine figures in the mural that Rainbow Dash had witnessed above the entry dais at the base of the Tree of Mothers.

However—one thing was noticeably different about these images. Here, in the Hall of Honor—a structure built by the Dark Vigil nearly a thousand years ago and belatedly inherited by the Sons of Nightmares—every single face of every single wood-carved mare had been noticeably marred. Hacked off. Stained with soot and chipped to bits with nearly surgical precision. All that remained was the bulky bodies of the figures, but none of the pretense. None of the glory. None of the authority.

“Say what you want about this rowdy bunch of meatheads,” Discord tongue-rolled, drifting serpentine loops behind Rainbow Dash. “But at least they don't seem the type to turn their enemies to stone.”

Rainbow exhaled slowly, venturing a reply to the dragonequus for the first time in days: “All would crumble down before it was even finished.”

“Imagine that.” A glinting fang. “Maybe you have something in common with them after all, Sparky.”

A wave of dizziness. Her eyes flickered red-on-yellow. Before either Wildcard or Ariel could comment with concern, Rainbow muttered: “Luna poop.” And she trotted coldly after their host.

Shriike paused in writing for the first time in hours. “... … ...do I have to write those last two words down?”

“Yes,” Seraphimus droned. Cold and heartless, like the mists off Frostknife. “You do.”

Shriike clenched her teeth, looking away as she scribbled the characters in moonwhinny. “Annnnnnd there goes my soul.”

The Very Last Bastion

Panting.

Shivering.

Labored breaths in the dark.

A pair of fangs glinted beneath a quivering maw. Velvety fetlocks lifted a silver pendant made out of moonstone. "H'Luun..." A vaporous breath amidst the shadows. Squeaking. The crescent-shaped necklace glowed with meager brilliance, reflecting a pair of slitted blue eyes. "W'ynlppa sylm th'ysmmanym V'ynxxm, H'Luun." As the pendant glowed brightest, she stifled a sob and kissed it to her lips.

An authoritative voice shouted, producing a dull echo. "Vy'lyssa!"

Vy'lyssa jerked in place. With leafy ears folded, the mare looked across the rattling, swaying compartment.

Past several armored bodies huddled in a line, a figure marched to a stop. Leaning against a wooden bulkhead, she peered across the way. "Sy'mylwym syl thrym." She held up a leather bag chock-full of red-colored stones; they glowed faintly with each vaporous breath she made inside the claustrophobic chamber. "W'ynym thy'mym, Vy'lyssa?"

There was a dull, thunderous pounding from beyond the hull—followed by several more vibrations, each more dramatic than the last. The creaking compartment swayed as several of the ponies tightened their leather wings, murmuring one name over and over under their breaths.

"Vy'lyssa?" the officer repeated, stealing the mare's attention.

Swallowing a lump down her throat, Vy'lyssa swiftly hung the crescent pendant around her neck and nodded briskly. "Ywm..." She stood at attention. "Ywm, Wy'nnxx, W'ynlppa yln N'ymym!"

The officer's nostrils flared. "S'myssyn..." She tossed the satchel across the chamber.

Vy'lyssa caught it—then strapped it over her back and between her wings. She and her fellow warriors picked up metal rifles and proceeded to load them with enchanted stones.

"Y'symym yln H'Luun!" the officer Wy'nnxx shouted, pacing up and down the narrow space afforded between those standing at attention. Behind her, Vy'lyssa could see a dozen sweating ponies in the next compartment, busily breathing into a dim array of glowing stones attached to wooden gears and levers. "Hy'myn! Sy'lysn melyn thymym sym h'ylym thy'lydryll!"

One by one, the faces of warriors lit up as they breathed into the enchanted cartridges of their rifles. Emaciated, melancholic faces gazed miles past the narrow frames of their silver helmets.

"H'sylmna ly'dessa sym thrym!" Wy'nnxx growled, raising her voice above the surmounting thunder roaring just beyond the wooden shell that encased them. "Yss'ym thyln my'ssysn hy'mlyn'wym syln Lyn'drxx! Wy'ssyl Sy'kymylls'ym yln Thy'mma ny'ssa vylnym lym Lyn'drxx'lynna! My'syl thrym; sym'mym lyn T'chyrym'lynna myl Y'vrymym yln N'shydym!"

There was a particularly loud thud. Vy'lyssa gasped as the entire compartment shook. Her pendant rattled as she gripped her rifle tighter.

Without blinking, Wy'nnxx calmly pointed at the leather bag on Vy'lyssa's shoulders. "My'lynn sylm Vy'lyssa ry'nykk thrym... myln ly'rynna h'rum thy'lla lyn Sy'kymylls'ym yln Thy'mma mylm h'runna Lyn'drxx h'lymma!"

A mutual grunt rolled through the group. The warriors' fangs glinted in the runelight.

Wy'nnxx held her scarred hoof high and shouted: "Fy'lynna H'Luun!"

"Fy'lynna H'Luun!" the rest of the ponies shouted. Vy'lyssa contributed with a cracking voice.

Then she heard something that made her blood run cold. It was one of the laboring equines from the front, hollering through the groan of rattling wooden gears and pulleys: "Hym thym, Wy'nnxx, W'ynlppa yln N'ymym!" She trotted up to their compartment and raised a pair of goggles from her misty eyes. "Hym thym!"

A tense silence fell through the group.

Wy'nnxx took a calm breath. "Ywm." She nodded, murmuring under her fangs. "H'ymly H'Luun."

"H'ymly H'Luun," echoed the room. Vy'lyssa felt the weight of her pendant. It drew her slitted eyes down to the wooden floor beneath them. A narrow slit of billowing red light bled upwards through the darkness.

The pony with the goggles grasped a lever. With anxious eyes, she looked at Wy'nnxx and the group as a whole.

Wy'nnxx trotted over until she stood across from Vy'lyssa. She stared boldly into the darkness... then moved her muzzle to produce a melodic chant: "Thymm wynn symm, myl nym thrymm. H'Luun d'lyassa wyll nym drym."

Without hesitation, the rest of the warriors joined in perfect harmony—their fangs forming bleak stars in the runelight. "Thymm wynn symm, myl nym thrymm. H'Luun d'lyassa wyll nym drym."

More thunder. The compartment shook. Vy'lssa's teeth clattered as she struggled to maintain the chorus. The red slit of light wavered beneath them as smoke crept in on tiny tendrils, smelling of ash and rot.

Wy'nnxx's sang the lead, her voice booming and fearless: "Thymm ryss kymm, myl ryn fym..."

"W'ynlppa wyll nym drym!" the warriors bellowed, their leather wings spreading. Armored bodies tilting down.

Wy'nnxx steeled herself. "H'Luun'lynna thrym—"

The warriors answered with finality, singing: "Fy'rym! Fy'rym! Fy'rym!"

A loud shriek. The pony in goggles yanked at the lever. A flash of red light.

And they dropped—

FW-FW-FW-FWOOOSH!

POW!

P-P-POW!

The sky was ablaze with explosions, flak, and magical discharge. Vy'lyssa sucked her breath in as she plummeted straight into the chaos along with Wy'nnxx and the rest of her squadron. In the mare's peripheral vision, she spotted dozens upon dozens of identical brown zeppelins dotting the heavens—each of which were simultaneously releasing countless bodies of leather-winged warriors into the fray. Below them, hideously charred terrain stretched from horizon to horizon, blackened by shelling and eviscerated with a neverending mosaic of trenches, trenches, and more trenches. A crimson patchwork of runaway fires blanketed the bloodscape below, casting a sickening cloud of amber-tinted smoke that obscured their target beneath them.

"H'vynna lym'myskynn!" Wy'nnxx hollered bravely into the burning atmosphere, although her words were scarcely discernible amidst the holocaustal bedlam. Ash and soot pelted her velvety coat as she flew close to Vy'lyssa, forming the center of the group. "S'rymma thym!"

The rest of the warriors drew in near. Vy'lyssa found meager comfort in this. As they flew past the last line of zeppelins—all bearing the lunar crescent—she felt the heated thuds of burning flak drawing closer and closer. At one point, a burning projectile sailed past them and directly into the wooden hull of one of the aircraft. The zeppelin immediately burst into flames, and Vy'lyssa could make out the wailing screams of burning warriors who hadn't yet taken the opportunity to disembark.

KAPOWWW!

Vy'lyssa gnashed her teeth. It took all her strength to hold onto her rifle while brilliant flashes of firelight pulsed in front and behind them. She glanced aside—staring past a falling chunk of wooden debris to see gigantic obelisks of translucent crystal levitating mightily in the distance. Her eyes twitched upon spotting a flicker of ruby light among them. Half-a-second later, the hovering geometric structures fired blood-red streams of murderous heat into the dead earth below, further charring the surface and producing more smoke.

Vrommmmmmmmm!

Her leafy ears ached from the monumental echo produced by the distant mana discharge. As Vy'lyssa's hearing returned to normal, a fellow warrior's shrieks replaced the ringing.

"V'ylna! T'chyrym'lynna h'ylna thym!"

The air filled with a soul-shaking buzzing sound. Vy'lyssa's eyeslits shot up as she gasped in mid-plummet.

A swiftly moving black cloud could be seen enveloping a half-deflated zeppelin. Within seconds, the occupants inside had been completely torn out of their stations. The air turned wet and red, and once the screams had dissipated—along with their entrails—the black cloud shifted. The buzzing increased savagely in volume... for the swarm was headed their way.

Wy'nnxx held her hoof out. "S'lynna rny'k!" She spread her wings and angled them back.

"Wym!"

The entire group performed a coordinated backflip.

Vy'lyssa grunted as she followed suit. On either side of her, a curved horizon flipped, its skies filled with blood and burning. The elliptical motion of the group's acrobatics stopped their vertical descent entirely, and by the time Vy'lyssa was upright she had cocked her rifle along with the rest of the squadron. They formed a silver phalanx—directly facing the incoming swarm of insectoid limbs and hissing fangs.

"Hy'ma... Thy'ma..." Wy'nnxx gnashed her teeth and flung her hoof down. "...Rykk!"

The warriors shouted into their rifles. "H'rhnum!!!"

The enchanted stones burnt out as projectiles flew murderously from the barrels and into the advancing cloud of black limbs.

P-P-P-POWWW!

Glossy exoskeletons burst in sprays of green liquid. The air filled with pained hissing sounds as the swarm drew back from the blast. A count of ten bodies had fallen—but soon the swarm had recovered, drawing in to form a solid mass of insectoid fury. Barbed fetlocks and jagged horns came into focus as the surviving monstrosities charged Vy'lyssa's group.

Wy'nnxx cocked her own rifle and prepared to holler another command—

"Sy'm!" a warrior shouted. "Lyn'drxx'lynna hy'lma sy'm!"

Dark shadows rippled through the firelight. Vy'lyssa jolted from the sight of obsidian scales, streaking faster than shooting stars. The temperature raised by ten degrees instantly as several leathery figures converged on the insectoid swarm. Ivory teeth flashed as a cluster of twenty-foot long drakes tore into the creatures. The air was awash with green, but then the flames of the attacking whelps evaporated the acidic juices within seconds. Above the midair collision, a far too familiar haze of ruby light ascended like a red cloud.

Before the warriors could utter a fitting reaction, a few of the drakes—their scaley maws still dripping with emerald blood—turned about and spotted Vy'lyssa's group. There was a loud roar, and a few of the whelps broke off, headed straight for her and the other leather-winged equines.

"H'vynna!" Wy'nnxx hollered, diving immediately and motioning for the rest of the warriors to follow. "H'vynna lym'myskynn!"

Panting, Vy'lyssa hugged her rifle, twirled about, and dove along with her squadron. The air heated up even more behind them. Winged shadows grew larger across the surmounting smog as the group plummeted towards the battlefield looming below. Bursts of flak erupted on all sides, filling Vy'lyssa's nostrils with sulfur and making her eyes tear up.

POW!

She shook.

P-POW!

She shook again—

POWWW! "Grhllkkk—!" One warrior's throat gargled as his neck—and the rest of his body—went flying in opposite directions.

Before Vy'lyssa could react—

CHNKKKKT! A draconian set of jaws clamped over another warrior's wing to her left. She watched as the pony shrieked in terror—"Eeee-Eeee-Eeee!"—and struggled in desperation to fight off the drake's maw with the bayonet of his rifle. All the whelp had to do was reopen its jaws and clamp down over the soldier's neck, and the rest of the warrior's body went limp.

Vy'lyssa could already taste the bile in her throat. It distracted her from the hurled breath of black flame sailing down towards her from behind.

"Hrttt!" Wy'nnxx shoved her—and her satchel of runes—out of harm's way. The surviving group followed suit, plunging through a dark cloud so as to obscure their dive from the pursuing drakes behind.

Vy'lyssa squinted as they pierced through a few more translucent layers of flesh-scarring ash. Then—at last—they broke through the fog of war... and a crimson purgatory stretched beneath them. Trenches full of mangled bodies and shrieking combatants stretched through a briar patch of collapsed, broken, and rusted machinery—the tools of war left from years... centuries... and millennia of endless combat. Leather bodies clashed with black carapaces. Runic projectiles met acidic discharges. And all the while, a haunting ruby haze hovered over the lacerated landscape—only to be channeled into floating monoliths that continuously and mercilessly fired beams of energy into the fray, further saturating the earth with red and green juices.

"H'vaan!" Wy'nnxx's words could somehow be heard as the group leveled out and cruised fearlessly over the holocaust. A velvety fetlock pointed dead ahead. "Sy'kymylls'ym yln Thy'mma!" she hollered as shells and burning draconian fireballs exploded into the calcified soil on either side of them. "Sy'm! Sy'm!"

Vy'lyssa looked straight forward.

There—ahead of them... ahead of all of them... beyond the trenches and the blood and the explosions and the lingering ruby haze... there stood the target... a single structure... the only standing structure... the only structure that mattered. It rose like a triangular mountain of pitch black purpose amidst the sea of carnage. It was a multi-tiered obsidian ziggurat, and the machinations of war had washed up to its unblemished surfaces like scattered sea foam against relentless shoals. Despite its glossy dark exterior, it was paradoxically a very luminous thing—with beams of saturated gold light shooting out from each corner of the pyramid and burning endlessly into the chaotic dark.

And it was where the drakes were—the heart of them. Black winged whelps circled and circled—breathing dark fire on every piece of mortal flesh that warred its way near.

And Vy'lyssa's group was headed straight for it.

"W'ynlppa yln N'ymym!" Wy'nnxx shouted. Schiiiing! She unsheathed a silver scimitar and led the airborne charge low over the charred landscape. "H'ymly H'Luun!"

"H'ymly H'Luun!!!" the group bellowed, and they had reason to. Black scales crossed the firelight; drakes were inbound.

The squadron could not afford to stop. They glided forward with righteous purpose, skirting past plumes of flame and weaving in and around delapidated catapults. They flew so close to the entrenched battle below that they could feel the hot kiss of blood being sprayed from their misfortunate compatriots. Soon, the dreadful luck spread—and one by one the warriors were being picked out of the sky by the jaws of drakes and the intercepting claws of insectoid assassins.

The remaining members closed in tighter alongside Wy'nnxx and most especially Vy'lyssa. They formed a tight cluster around the pony with the satchel, firing their rifles violently into any and all attacking groups. "H'rhnum! H'rhnum! H'rhnum!"

The air filled with green and black blood. For every body that dropped—friend or foe—the air grew brighter with a ruby glow... until the haze lifted up and faded into obscured starlight. One drake—taking a blast of runic shrapnel to the neck—burst into a writhing mess of flames before colliding with a translucent monolith. The crystalline structure wobbled slightly... before pivoting around to face the incoming squadron. Vy'lyssa could make out a single equine shape situated deep inside, its body flanked with floating shards of pulsating energy. A series of ghostly eyes flickered, and the ruby haze immediately surrounding the vessel was drawn into its hull until it shrank into a beam of light focused directly in the pilot's horn.

Vrommmmmmmmmmmmm—

"Thry'mym!" Wy'nnxx suddenly flew to the front of the group, loaded a rune into her rifle with her teeth, and growled: "M'wynhrm"

POW! A projectile shot out from her barrel and exploded vaporously before the levitating monolith. The timing couldn't be more perfect; as soon as the vessel fired, the ruby light was reflected back into the rectangular structure at twice the intensity. The equine shape inside shattered like glass... and the rest of the monolith crumbled just as quickly, littering the trenches with dull shards.

"Eee-eee-eee!" was the resounding cheer from every leather-winged soul within view of the scene. It didn't last long—for an enormous shadow crossed over the trenches, accompanied by a cataclysmic roar of spine-shattering proportions. Vy'lyssa looked straight up, and the sky was gone. All she could see was scales. And onyx wings.

"Lyn'drxx!" a warrior shouted in terror.

Wy'nnxx let loose an authoritative shriek, grabbing back the attention of her surviving squadron. "Thy'lym h'vaan sym'yl!" She gestured towards the deepest trenches and dove. Vy'lyssa and the others joined her immediately. The hairs of their tailed curled from a hellish new heat. Draconian claws raked the air overhead along with a gigantic lashing tail as the roaring doubled... followed by an apocalyptic plume of pitch-black flame that coated the tops of the trenches in sulfuric fury.

FWOOOOOOOOMB!

"Grkkk! Htttt!" Vy'lyssa winced, gritting her teeth as the group flew straight into the trenches. The soot grew thick in the air, making it difficult to breathe—much less stay aloft. Her commanding officer must have sensed it, for soon Wy'nnxx was gesturing the command to "touch down." Exhaling, Vy'lyssa and the rest did so, landing on the battlefield for the very first time since dropping.

When Vy'lyssa made contact, her fetlocks sank a solid inch into the powdery earth. After so many eons of bloodshed, it was more bone than dirt. The pale gravel shifted with each step the group made. Vy'lyssa struggled to count how few of her brothers and sisters were left in the squadron. When she realized it was no longer in the double-digits, she felt a brand new nausea rising deep in her gut.

"Shhhh!" Wy'nnxx insisted, gestured a few more silent motions beneath the thunder, then led the group forward through the trenches. They galloped steadily, making their way for the undying heart of the battle. The roars of the drakes could be heard in greater intensity; the screams and hisses of those being consumed acted as nightmarish punctuation. As they hurried along, they passed under the looming shadow of crystalline obelisks. The rectangular ruby structures were firing at something up above—until that something swept past them with a savage swipe of its giant scaly black wing.

THWOOOOSH!

The crystalline vessels immediately shattered. Glass and shrapnel rained down onto Vy'lyssa and her flinching compatriots. As the material landed, they emitted clouds of ruby vapor—fumes that briefly took on the distinct effigies of tortured equines. The air lit up with bodiless screams, and then the ruby eidolons evaporated just as swiftly as they had formed—leaving ruby streaks trailing upwards into the smoke and stars.

Vy'lyssa waved a hoof before her face, wincing. The scales and shadow of scales passed by overhead. When the trench lit up again, it revealed a single soldier... frightened... shivering... separated from his unit. He hugged his hooves to his chest and rocked back and forth, shrunken eyeslits scraping the sky for drakes and floating monoliths.

"Wy'nnxx..." Vy'lyssa stammered, pointing straight ahead.

Wy'nnxx held a hoof up, and the group stopped in their tracks. Her leafy ears perked up at attention as she squinted at the lost pony. "... ... ... W'ynlppa yln H'luun? V'ymsylla thrym h'vyym?"

"Mmmmm..." The lone soldier whimpered, rocking back and forth even harder. In the next flicker of firelight, the group could see several limp corpses lying all around him. "Sylmym sym, H'Luun..." He grasped his shivering face betwixt two velvety hooves and sobbed outright. "H'Luuuun... H'Luuuuun sylmym symmmmm..."

Wyn'nnxx's jaw tightened. She looked up at the sky as more dark shadows flitted overhead, intercepting zeppelins and blotting out the constellations with blacker and blacker flames. "Hrmmmm... mylm symym hy'lym thrym..." she murmured to herself.

The lone soldier continued to sob, his voice reaching foalish octaves.

One of Vy'lyssa's companions let loose a sympathetic breath. He trotted over and knelt beside the soldier, steadying his body with two strong hooves. "Vy'm vy'm, H'Luun'lynna." He leaned his head in and nuzzled the shellshocked stallion. "Vy'm vy'm..."

"Brxxym!" another warrior chided, fangs showing. He shook his head. "V'lynna symylm thrylym!"

"Eee-eee-eee!" The one comforting the stallion hissed back, frowning. "M'lynna vry'ym syln H'Luun wr'ynna—"

As he was speaking, the shellshocked stallion's eyes pulsed green. His left forelimb inexplicably morphed into a giant scorpion's tail that—Schliiiink!—sank meatedly into the comforting warrior's neck.

"Grkkkk!" Foam and mucus fountained out of the warrior's mouth.

"Brxxym!!!"

Vy'lyssa gasped. "T'chyrym'lynna!" she hollered as loudly as she could.

"...!!!" Wy'nnxx spun about, eyes wide. She flung her hoof towards the shape-shifting monster. "Vy'rykym thryn!"

The rest of the squadron already had their rifles out. "H'rhnum! H'rhnum!"

The metamorph simply stood there, hissing venomously as it took the spray of bullets. Each shot hacked away a fake piece of pony flesh, revealing carapace and green fluid underneath. Immediately behind the dying beast, the warrior "corpses" rose to their hooves, galloped at full force, and charged the group in the form of insectoid equines.

Wy'nnxx bravely met the front head-on, swinging with her scimitar until she was lost amidst the spray of green slime and shell fragments.

As the trench turned into a bloody melee, Vy'lyssa struggled to keep her aim straight with her rifle. She shouted each command with determination, wheezing into the smoke of her spent rune stones. As she next reached to her bandolier to reload—she spotted the walls shifting. With a gasp, she looked up to see the edges of the trench peeling away as more metamorphs unveiled their camouflage and rushed the squadron's flank. "T'chyrym'lynna sy'lyma'ryk!" she hollered as two of the creatures pounced on her.

Wh-Whump!

She fell on her back, her spine aching from direct contact with the stone-hard contents of her all-important satchel. Her face was full of drooling mandibles. Seething, she pressed the length of her rifle against both monsters, fighting them back as she saw her own writhing muzzle reflected in their soulless compound eyes. She heard a gurgling sound—and realized that the monster to her left was preparing to vomit.

"Hrrtt!" She jerked to her right.

Milliseconds later, the creature spat insectoid bile onto the floor of the trench beside her, instantly carving an acicid pothole that filled the air with rancid steam.

"Rrrr—raaaaaugh!" Vy'lyssa shouted, extending her wings at full length. This shoved her—and her opponents—forward. The two metamorphs stumbled while she regained her hoofing. WHAM! She pummeled one so fiercely that the shell of its skull caved in. She then aimed point-blank at the second beast's chest. "H'rhnum!"

POW! The beast's torso exploded...

...showering green acid over the body of a leather-wing warrior. "Aaaaaaugh!" The air turned pungent with his roasting flesh.

Vy'lyssa jerked in place, muzzle agape.

"Aaaaaaaa-haaaaaaaugh!" The soldier collapsed on the ground as his backside melted, exposing vertebrae and sinew. "H'Luuuuuuuuuuuuun—!"

Breathless, Vy'lyssa stumbled forwards to aid him—

Vrommmmmmmmmmmmmm!

The air lit up with a ruby glow. Vy'lyssa gasped. She looked straight up.

A monolith loomed directly overhead. The lone pilot's horn on the inside pulsed with bright red light and—

FLAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

—the entire trench erupted in flames.

Vy'lyssa trembled and shook all over. By her third breath, she realized she had somehow survived the mana discharge. After some deep hesitation, she opened her slitted eyes.

As the shadow of the glass obelisk passed over, she saw the calcified corridor strewn with bodies. And—to her palpitating horror—not all of them were dead. Pitiful moans and blood-curdling sobs lingered in the sulfuric air.

Gritting her teeth, she lurched forward. The entire right side of her body was covered in second-degree burns. Fighting past the tears, Vy'lyssa came towards the first writhing shape she could find. It was one of her fellow soldiers; both of his forelimbs had been blown off. His eyeslits darted about as his muzzle hung open in horror. At last, his eyesight caught hers... pleading.

She leaned over him, giving his forehead a kiss. A quick kiss. Then—schlinkkk! She sank her fangs into his neck. The soldier's eyes rolled back... and he was still.

Muzzle dribbling with hot blood, Vy'lyssa scrambled towards the next victim. She followed a wet puddle of red, then stumbled over a fresh carpet of bowels. The mare—or the spasming half that was left of her—grasped onto Vy'lyssa's face with trembling fetlocks. She tried desperately to say something but all that came out was bile.

"Shhh-shhh-shhhh..." Vy'lyssa leaned over, gave the mare a single feather-soft nuzzle, then met her jugular with her fangs. She waited until the soldier's shaking fetlocks went limp, and then she moved to the next body... and froze.

"... ... ..." Wy'nnxx sat up with as much dignity as she could. She was slumped up against the side of the trench, surrounded by the imploded carapaces of three metamorphs. The acid from one of them had devoured most of her rear left leg, and several claw marks had been raked savagely across her chest. She supported herself by her grip of a rifle. Glaring eyeslits surveyed the hollow corridor... the smoldering carcasses. Eventually, she met her subordinate's gaze. "...scrk... Vy'lyssa..."

Vy'lyssa gulped. "Wy'nnxx."

Wy'nnxx's brow hardened.

Vy'lyssa stood tall at attention. "Wy'nnxx, W'ynlppa yln N'ymym!"

Wy'nnxx exhaled. "Hrmkk... h'vrkk... h'vrykk sylm ly'messa..."

Vy'lyssa stared blankly at her.

Fuming, Wy'nnxx spoke through glinting fangs. "Sy'kymylls'ym yln Thy'mma." She gulped. "H'vrykk sylm. Thrym'sym."

Vy'lyssa shivered. In so doing, she felt the weight of the satchel on her back—heavier than ever.

Wy'nnxx snarled. "Thrym'sym."

After a solid breath, Vy'lyssa nodded briskly. "Ywm, Wy'nnxx, W'ynlppa yln N'ymym!" That said, she leaned her fangs into Wy'nnxx's neck.

A velvety hoof stopped her. "Vyn vyn..." Wy'nnxx shook her head. Wincing, she pushed herself further up against the wall of the trench and cradled the rifle in her front forelimbs. "V'lysym ryk, Vy'lyssa. W'lynna thrym Lyn'drxx'lynna th'lyma sym..."

Vy'lyssa nodded, hesitantly trotting backwards. She saw a hint of red in her peripheral, and she spun about. The mare's muzzle hung agape as she saw hazy patches of ruby light rising from the corpses of her fallen comrades... only to be absorbed by the distant monoliths hovering high above as they took aim at nearby swarms of carapaced equines. Vy'lyssa shook... she fumed...

...and soon she abandoned Wy'nnxx altogether, galloping down the winding trench towards the location of their target. Behind her, she heard a bevvy of insectoid hisses, followed by runic rifle shots. Her slitted eyes teared up, but she forced herself forward—flapping her leather wings until she was threading the calcified needle at a blistering pace.

Above her, the sky filled denser and denser with onyx wings. More zeppelins fell—victims of black flame. Buzzing swarms and crystalline vessels swept in as well. Everyone and everything was zeroing in on the ziggurat and its glossy black foundations. Vy'lyssa could see the golden beams of light breaking in a hundred places in every breath. The draconic roars grew louder and louder. The whelps' matriarch circled in a tighter orbit, defending the very last bastion. Massive wings filled the spaces above the trench with scales until there were no spaces left.

At long last, Vy'lyssa reached the end of the corridor. She clamored up a steep hill of bones and debris. In the shadow of a rusted trebuchet, she hid... panting and wheezing in the thick sulfuric atmosphere. Craning her neck around, she saw it—the base of the massive ziggurat... so close that she could almost make out her own reflection in its immaculately glossy surface.

The drakes were circling so close that their wingtips nearly lopped off her skull. She ducked low, watching as they warded off the advances of three separate armies with burning plumes of black flame. The zeppelins bearing the lunar crest collapsed. Swarms of suicidal carapaces melted before the merciless heat. Only those who piloted the crystalline monoliths bothered to keep any distance, but the intense beams of ruby energy that they pelted the draconic brood with were proving just as futile.

Vy'lyssa had no more time to waste. She reached deep into the leather satchel on her back. After a brief rummaging, she produced a dense cluster of glowing runes. They spat electrical bolts of enchanted energy—burning her flesh at the mere touch. She absorbed the pain—all of it—and gripped the payload in her fanged teeth.

"W'ynlppa sy'lymma th'ysmma, H'Luun," she murmured out the side of the muzzle...

...and charged straight towards the monumental ziggurat.

More than three dozen drakes saw her. Roaring, they immediately dove towards the lonesome soldier.

She was counting on that. Spinning around, Vy'lyssa met their charge by flinging the electrified cluster of runes straight into the flock. Without a second's hesitation, she crouched, slid on her rear legs, and propped her rifle up with her forelimbs. One eyeslit squinted as she aimed and shouted: "Y'hnyrr!!!"

POWWW!!!

A single red bullet ripped through the wall of scales, impacted the midair payload, and released the enchanted contents packed densely within. FL-FL-FLASSSSSSH! Shredding blue bands of flesh-eating lightning erupted in every direction, devouring the brood. The drakes burned in midair—all of them—from the whelps charging Vy'lyssa to the ones flying up high to the ones downing zeppelins and insectoid swarms on the far side of the pyramid.

Unnatural thunder filled the air as a vaporous concussive blast fountained outward in every direction. The event horizon slammed into Vy'lyssa head on, and the poor mortal was thrown hundreds of feet away from ground zero. She spun several times, her wings too limp from the runic discharge to catch air. Golden light shimmered and black gloss reflected lightning. Smoke and flames and blood and—

WHAM!

—the earth slammed hard into Vy'lyssa's body, accompanied with a sickening crack!

"Aaaaaaugh!" she yelped, only to feel several torturous stabs of pain. Her ribs had been broken in several places, and they dug into her lungs with each tumbling spin she took down a sea of rust and skulls. When she finally rolled to a stop, she lay limp. Helpless. Looking down, Vy'lyssa could see that the bone of her left leg was sticking out of her flesh. But this wasn't what concerned her.

Her pendant was gone.

Whimpering... she looked all around. Quivering eyeslits darted left... right... left—

Something glinted in the deathlight. A crescent. Slender. Pale. Beautiful.

Choking on a sob, Vy'lyssa forced her body to roll over. Then—one painful lurch after another—she crawled across the petrified soil towards the sacred emblem. As the blue flicker of lightning above finally faded, the sky was full of falling shadows. The shriveled corpses of burnt drakes fell all around her. Charred whelps landed all across the battlefield, giving the air necrotic percussion.

The brood was finished. The three armies could now advance on the ziggurat. Vy'lyssa could only hope that her army would get there first.

She crawled until she could crawl no further. With a trembling hoof, she stretched and reached and struggled for the pendant. Just as her fetlock made contact...

...an immense shadow bled over her. The air shook with thunderous wingflaps.

Wincing, Vy'lyssa clutched the crescent moon to her chest. One of her lungs had already collapsed. The other was struggling to filter the remaining oxygen from the sulfur in the air. Nevertheless, she stared up with twitching eyes... stared up as the figure of the draconic matriarch encompassed all and everything.

The giant dragon hovered over her dead children... until at last she levitated just above the razor-sharp summit of the immaculate pyramid. Giant claws grasped onto glossy obsidian, and soon the scaly beast was perching on the structure. Next, she did something strange. She stretched her massive wings out—enshrouding opposite sides of the ziggurat. Soon after, she wrapped her tail and claws about the perpendicular sides. Then—once her many stone-hard limbs had effectively blocked off every entrance—the matriarch did something even stranger.

She lifted her many-horned skull towards the heavens... let loose a bellicose roar for the ages... and then thrust her neck onto the topmost spire of the pyramid.

The air rained down black blood. The spire had effectively impaled the dragon's throat... ripping out the top of her skull.

Soon, the matriarch went limp... breathing no more. The smoke and flame had vanished from her nostrils, and there she lay... wrapped around the ziggurat in an immortal hug... baptized in the ashes of her own children.

With the last vestiges of Vy'lyssa's sight, she noticed the three armies converging on the limp corpse that had effectively blocked them from entering their eternal target. As the thunder of a three-sided war redoubled, Vy'lyssa almost thought that she should feel ashamed. Instead... she felt the cold cleansing kiss of a crescent-shaped moonstone to her velvety lips.

And then—in the absence of that bliss—she felt nothing.

All would have been darkness.

All should have been darkness.

Instead, the waste and carnage was swiftly evaporated by a rising pulse of blinding gold light—emanating from the far end of the curved plane. In so doing, the brightness ripped apart all ruby traces of memory, pulling it apart thread by thread like some fragile tapestry.

FLAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

Eyes On the Prize

A roll of thunder.

Twilight Sparkle hovered in place, her ghostly ears twitching.

All alongside the mare, the rest of her friends formed an ethereal line of gawking faces. All otherworldly eyes were locked on the corpse of Axan—or more appropriately the hazy patch of ruby light levitating just above the corpse of Axan.

"What is it, Twilight?" Applejack asked in a breathy tone. She floated closest to Rainbow Dash, looking over their anchor's shoulder. "Some sort of magic spell? Perhaps a message or a vision?"

"I..." Twilight grimaced. She slowly shook her head while her eyes remained locked on the phenomenon. "I don't have any clue."

"Well, don't ya sense anythang, sugarcube?"

"There is a release of magic," Twilight said. "Mortuana's transformation spell is still dissolving all around Axan's body. But... that started back in the Gondola. This...?" She gestured nervously at the glowing cloud of ruby mist. "I can't even begin to guess."

"Maybe it's something to do with Dashie!" Pinkie Pie suggested, smiling momentarily. "She's always seeing invisible glowy stuff with her awesome eyes! What if—on this side of the pancake world—we can see the same thing to?"

"Yes—but you forget, darling..." Rarity gestured back at the rest of the Herald who were also stupefied. "Our flesh-and-blood friends see it too."

"Oh yeah..." Pinkie rubbed her scrunched nose. "Well, then, poop. Just what is this nonsense? We're only sixty minutes in and already the Dark Side is making my brain go 'kersplaatikins!'"

"I sense something," Fluttershy said.

The rest of the mares flashed her a look.

Rainbow Dash leaned in. "What is it, Fluttershy?"

Ariel and Wildcard glanced over curiously.

"It's... hard to say," Fluttershy stammered. "It's... it's almost as if Remna..." She winced, then corrected herself. "As if Axan is still here."

"But she ain't," Applejack declared. "You felt the candle of her dragon life flicker to nothin' earlier—didn't ya? Just like all the brave bat ponies back up in the fight with the Frostknifers?"

Pinkie Pie raised a hoof. "Don't you mean back down in the fight with the Frostknifers?"

Applejack glared daggers at her. "T'ain't the time, sugarcube..."

"I know that she's dead," Fluttershy admitted with a nod. "I felt her life slipping away shortly after we all landed here on the Dark Side. Even still." She bit her bottom lip. "I... I feel now as though she's here. Or... perhaps a part of her."

"Where do you sense it, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Fluttershy merely pointed.

Rainbow's eyes reflected the lingering ruby cloud. Her ears folded back in nervous contemplation.

"This sort of a thing never happened back on the Light Side," Rarity declared. "So why here?"

"Oooh!" Pinkie Pie did a ghostly hop in place. "Maybe it always happens with Divine Matriarchs!"

Applejack looked at Rainbow. "Did this sort of a thang happened with Nevrem... Neville... Newark—?"

"Nevlamas?" Rainbow shook her head. "No. But... like Rarity said... we are on the Dark Side."

"Soooooooooo..." Pinkie Pie rubbed her fuzzy ghost-nose. "...death has a pretty glittery shadow over here?"

Ariel floated closer. "Rainbow?" Her voice was calm and soothing as she rested a friendly hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "Talk to us. What are your best-besties saying?"

"Fluttershy... senses something from that hazy light," Rainbow Dash said. "Sure, she felt it when Axan died. But she's saying that she's still sensing Axan now."

"She's sensing Axan???"

"Just... faintly." Rainbow sighed out her nostrils. "Honestly, Ariel, I don't understand it much myself. And from the sound of it—neither does she." She glanced over her shoulder, then looked directly at Ariel. "Tell me. Do you see any ruby lights floating around me?"

Ariel looked at Axan's corpse, then back to the air surrounding Rainbow Dash. "Not at all, Rainbow."

Rainbow sighed again. "Ah well..."

"Why?"

"I dunno." Rainbow folded her forelimbs and leaned back on her haunches. "For a second there—I was kinda sorta hoping you and the rest of the Herald could finally see my friends."

"Currious..." Kepler shuffled over, adjusting his spectacles. "Might you be implying that the starrk contrrast between harrmony and chaos may allow us a glance into the afterrlife herre on the Darrk Side?"

Rainbow stifled a bittersweet chuckle. "You're a crazy wyvern, Kep. You know that?" She gestured at Axan's corpse yet again. "For all we know, her dragon blood could just be releasing magical hemoglobin burps—"

Ariel suddenly gasped and clasped Rainbow's forelimb. "Rainbow Dash!"

"Huh?" Rainbow blinked. "What?" She looked at her fetlock in Ariel's grasp—and it was glowing in multiple places. "Uhm..."

"Whoah nelly!" Applejack gasped, clutching the brim of her hat.

"Oh wow!" Twilight Sparkle floated closer. "Rainbow, don't move!"

The pegasus was already locked in place. She and Ariel gawked at an array of glowing bands clinging to Rainbow's person.

"Okay..." Pinkie Pie squinted. "Why is Dashie becoming a night light?"

"Do... do you feel okay, Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked.

"I... feel just fine..." Rainbow looked at her limbs and tail. "Just... trying to understand—"

"Yourr injurries, Rrainbow One," Kepler said.

"Huh?"

Kepler pointed with a claw. "Look again."

Rainbow and Ariel took a calm moment to reexamine what they were looking at. It became evident that Rainbow was only glowing in the various spots of her body where she had been wounded. More specifically—

"It's the blood," Flynn said from a few paces away. He waved a fetlock—where a shallow cut sustained in the Gondola's arrival was now glowing with faint luminescence. "Behold..."

Shivering, Ariel looked at herself. A dim light emanated from her shallow bruises.

Logan glanced at himself... then at Seraphimus' figure lying a few meters away. "How come we weren't all glowy early?"

"Who knows?" Flynn remarked. "Maybe it... took us a while to acclimate to the Dark Side."

Wildcard was glowing the most out of the group; his feathers and flesh were grazed and nicked in over two dozen places. The Desperado peaked under a fresh bandage, and it was like slipping kerosene into a lamp. With his one good arm, he raised Bard's staff into view. Stained splotches of blood pulsated dimly under the starlight.

"Okay..." Rainbow Dash took a shuddering breath. "Take note: our blood glows in the dark on this side of the Plane."

"But..." Rarity grimaced. Hard. "Why?"

"I can think of several possible explanations," Twilight Sparkle remarked. "But I'd need more information before I could effectively draw—"

"Girls!" Fluttershy gasped. "Rainbow!" She pointed above Axan's corpse. "Look!"

Rainbow spun about to see that the ruby haze had thinned slightly. What's more... it was shifting... drawing away like a cloud. The motion wasn't jerky or sudden; nothing indicated intelligence or purpose. However, the gentle sway in its movement increased in speed—as if an invisible wind was pushing it away from the Edge. The speed picked up even more, and the ruby light ribboned out... almost becoming a beam of red energy. Before anything else could happen, the glowing luminescence sank into the stone earth... vanishing completely.

"Did... did you see that?!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"I most certainly did!" Rarity stammered breathily. "It... it was almost as though it was headed somewhere!"

"Into the earth?" Applejack suggested.

"No," Twilight shook her head. "I mean—yes—but not just that." She turned to look at Rainbow Dash. "It was headed away from the Edge... quite obviously."

"Where could it be going?" Fluttershy asked.

At this point, Rainbow Dash was staring out... and upwards at the curved landscape yawning before them. Her eyes traveled up... up... up.

"This... this is nuts," Ariel could be heard rambling in the background. "What's going on in this friggin' place?"

"I suspect we will eventually discoverr forr ourrselves," Kepler remarked.

"We should live that long," Logan muttered. The anger in his voice had dissolved almost entirely.

Twilight Sparkle leaned in towards Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow... I know this is all a lot to take in. But I have to ask..." Her lavender brow furrowed. "Do you have the vision?"

Rainbow murmured out the side of her muzzle as she stared into the bent horizon. "Vision?"

"Yaerfaerda? Utaan? Anything?" Rainbow gulped. "It was you who guided us to the Gondola at the edge of the world to begin with. Maybe... erm..." She fidgeted. "I-I guess I was hoping that maybe the powers given to Austraeoh could be of aid to us here too..."

Rainbow exhaled. "I do see something..."

The rest of the ghostly mares perked up.

"Well...?" Twilight pressed her hooves together. "What is it? A beacon? More entrances to the machine world?"

Rainbow slowly shook her head. She stretched her hoof upwards at an angle, pointing at a fixed spot in the very dead center of the dark plane. "I see it."

The rest of the mares—and the Herald even—peered after Rainbow's gesture. But they were at a loss to see what Rainbow was referring to.

"What?" Rarity asked. "What do you see, darling?"

Rainbow Dash shuddered. Her eyes locked on a tiny, infinitesimal speck of gold. And even though it was too impossibly far away for her natural vision to ever conceivably take into account... she was certain—on the inside—that the speck was shaped like a pyramid.

"What else?" she murmured.

A Frame of Reference

"Sooooo..." Flynn leaned in, using his horn to illuminate the slab in Kepler's grasp. "Does it match what you've sketched so far?"

Kepler held his parchment next to the relic. Aside from the edge of the world and a whole lot of nothing, there was very little to reference.

Wildcard waved his good talon awkwardly from side to side.

"Well..." Kepler tapped his fuzzy chin. "If Arriel and Rrainbow found a metal towerr apprroximately half a kilometerr forrwarrd frrom ourr position..." He ran his pen up along the parchment, then compared the equivalent distance from the bottom edge of the slab. He found a tiny-tiny circle etched into the old metal. "Ha-Hah! A lookout point, no doubt."

"Then..." Logan leaned his burly shoulder in and pointed at yet another circle. "...this must be another lookout?"

"Aye." Kepler nodded. "With perrhaps anotherr towerr."

"So... like..." Ariel pointed towards the dark horizon far past Wildcard and the sled Seraphimus was on. "Way off in that direction?"

"Too farr forr ourr norrmal eyes to see, I suspect," Kepler said.

"That's south of us, right?" Flynn remarked.

"Eugh..." Logan rolled his eyes. "Will you give it a rest already?"

"Let's assume for the moment that it is another lookout point," Rainbow Dash said. "Why would it be there and—more importantly—where could Darkreach be in relation?"

"The location of Darkrreach seems obvious to me," Kepler said, adjusting his spectacles. He drew his pen along the length of the metal slab. "Just beyond this currved line..." The pen passed over a half-circle and ended at a rectangular etching. "...is what appearrs to be the rreprresentation of a strructurre. A rremarrkably larrge one if I do say so myself."

Ariel whistled. "The Emeraldinians must have been busy."

"That rremains to be seen, my dearr," Kepler hummed. "Judging from the equadistant points wherre the lookouts arre separrated by the latitudinal line passing thrrough the rrectangle towarrds ourr side, I suspect they werre meant as guidepoints forr drrawing successive expeditions frrom the edge to wherre Onyxxus' subjects werre meant to colonize."

"Hey..." Rainbow blinked, then looked at Ariel. "That probably explains the remnants of manacrystals and torches that we found at the rusted tower."

Ariel nodded back. "Unicorns must have been posted at the towers; their job was to light the path for reinforcements from the Gondola."

"To us—this dimly-lit trrek frrom the edge must feel terrribly daunting, but I do suspect that it was akin to a merre strroll acrross the strreet forr the denizens of Darrkrreach." Kepler looked up at the rest of the Herald. "We can't be farr now, my frriends."

"Sweet." Logan leaned back. "So we keep going forward, right?"

"With slight adjustment," Flynn said. "If the tower the girls discovered is more or less in front of us, and the other lookout post is out of sight..."

Kepler spoke: "We will need to adjust ourr movement by about thirrty degrrees." He adjusted. "Towarrds the south as Flynn so loves to call it."

Flynn pouted. "Because it is the South."

"Bleh!" Logan re-shouldered the straps to his sled. "Why can't we just call it 'Left' from now on?"

"That's the utter definition of stupid."

"Why?"

"Because we gotta keep 'left' and 'right' reserved for more practical purposes!"

"So what? We gotta invent new cardinal directions?"

"If we have to, yes!"

"Ughhhhhh baldy! You are the worst!"

"I'm serious!"

"How about 'Bork' and 'Crouth?' Those aren't easy to say."

"Says you. They sound like your belches."

"Blarrrrrrgh..."

As Logan pulled the sled, Kepler was dragged along with him. Rainbow kept up with the wyvern a brisk trot. "Sooooooooooo... you think you could maybe update the map as we go along?"

"I can do you one betterr, Rrainbow One!" Beaming through his tusks, the Heraldite began rubbing his pen over the parchment with the etched slab directly underneath. "I shall copy what was so unwittingly prrovided by the Emerraldinians and then make adjustments as we go!"

"Hey. Neato."

"Why make a map when you can steal it? Ha-Hah!" His spectacles glinted in the twilight. "I swearr... my laziness has gotten crriminal with each mile placed between me and Wyverrn Point."

"Don't sweat it, Kepler," Rainbow said with a slight smirk. "If it's simple and it works... go for it."

"Indeed." Kepler spoke over his shoulder to Flynn and Logan. "Make surre to adjust ourr heading by about thirrty degrrees, brrotherrs! It would be most forrtuitous if we arrrived prrecisely on Darrkrreach's doorrstep!"

"Sure thing, Daddy Kepler!"

"Chill, Big Show. And begin strafing. We gotta head south a bit."

"Don't you mean 'Crouth?'"

"UGH!"

Rainbow slowed her trot slightly. She watched at a distance as Wildcard hitched himself to his sled and began pulling at a brisk pace to catch up with Logan and Kepler. Flynn trotted between them, and the penumbra of his glowing horn caught the silver glint of Seraphimus' feathers as she rode along, unconscious.

A cold sigh escaped Rainbow's nostrils.

Just then, the pretty face of Ariel blocked her line of view. "Is everything okay, Rainbow?"

"Hmmm? Oh. Sure. Just..." Rainbow waved a hoof from side to side. "...pretty dang convenient that we found that slab where we did." She smiled lightly. "And I'm still jazzed to find out if we can make any use of Axan's dragonstone."

Ariel nodded. "I'm sure something will become obvious to us in time."

"That's the one thing I can never shake about my travels..." Rainbow shuffled ahead at a lazy pace. Her petite hooves splashed in tiny puddles over cold stone. "I've been stalked by dragons... chased by airships... attacked by psychopaths... and yet..." She cracked the joints in her neck and exhaled. "...a lot of really lucky Mad Griffins tend to fall right into my awesome lap when they're most needed." A beat. She rolled her eyes and looked towards the space to her right. "Alright, fine, Twilight. 'Macguffins.' There. I said it. You happy?"

"Is everything okay?" Ariel suddenly asked.

Rainbow did a double-take. She looked at her. "Uhhh... yeah. Sure." She arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"You seemed a bit distracted earlier when we were out scouting."

Rainbow merely squinted. "I was?"

"I couldn't help but notice." Ariel giggled. "I notice you a lot."

"Yeah. I noticed—dang it!"

"Heeheehee..."

"We've been through a lot, Ariel. And this whole place is friggin' weird and I'm under a lot of pressure to find the colony of Darkreach so we can have some sort of Celestia-forsaken foundation to this entire crazy trek and—"

Ariel raised her hoof. "Say no more. But if it's of any consolation, we're here for you."

"Well, I know you are."

"Serious. I mean it." Ariel's brow furrowed. "You're the single most important thing about this journey, Rainbow. Between you, the powers of Austraeoh, and your old friends..." She smiled. "...you can sense an awful lot. But even still—none of that is a mirror."

"Meaning...?"

"The Herald and I—we can't help but say something when we feel like something is up. I hope you... you understand it when we do so."

"Oh. Totally."

"So..." Ariel took a deep breath. "...you sure you're okay?"

"I'm... tired, I guess."

"You can take Kepler's place on Logan's sled and catch some z's," Ariel said. "I'm sure Logan wouldn't mind. Plus, I really really doubt you way more than our favorite wyvern—"

"Oh come on. Kep's a pipsqueak."

"I still stand by itttttttttttt," Ariel said, sticking her tongue out.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and flapped her wings. She flew after the rest of the Herald. "We gotta make some headway first. So far, this has been nothing but a rambling rip through the dark. I wanna find something before we can make camp."

Ariel nodded and glided gently after her. "Whatever you say, bud."

"Stop being weird."

"No promises."

Four Words Is Hard

"Aaaaaaaaand..." Kepler rummaged through an unfolded bag of edible greenery. "Therre you have it, Rrainbow One!" He smiled through his tusks as he handed her a sampling of food. "Fourr leaves of Bleakweed!"

Rainbow Dash squatted on a partially unrolled blanket. She looked at the offering while members of the Herald continued unpacking a portion of the supplies all around her. Ariel was throwing up a tent and securing its canvas edges directly behind her.

"Uhm..." Rainbow Dash squinted at the food that Kepler was offering. "Remind me, Keppy. Just how much can a normal body go on when it comes to this midnighter delish?"

"I beg yourr parrdon?"

"I've had a lot on my mind as of late." Rainbow rubbed her brow and squinted at the wyvern. "I know you gave us the run-around way back when on the Light Side... but give me a refresher course, if you wouldn't mind. Wasn't it three leaves that a normal equine can sustain for a few hours?"

"Well... errm..." Kepler fidgeted a bit where he stood. "Yes."

"So, why are you handing me four leaves?"

"Because..." He adjusted his spectacles, then smiled innocently at her. "Because you arre the Austrraeoh! The most imporrtant memberr of this expedition!"

Ariel leaned in with a smirk. "Gotta keep those chubby cheeks of yours adorabadass!"

"... ... ..." Rainbow glared at her.

Ariel swiveled her smile until she was fixing the tent again. "Oooookay!"

"Kepler..." Rainbow sighed. "I don't deserve any bigger a meal than the rest of the group."

"Of courrse you do—!" He began.

"No. I don't." Rainbow frowned. "Eljunbyro is just as important as Austraeoh—if not more so. We each get equal helpings unless we're sick or injured!"

"Well... of courrse, Rrainbow, I'm inclined to agrree, but—"

"Good. Then it's settled." Rainbow Dash craned her neck until she was looking at the rest of the Herald. "You hear that? No more putting me on a pedestal! If we wanna get through this crazy darkness in one piece, then none of us gets allowed to hog any of the food from the others! Including me!"

"Heh..." Flynn looked over at Logan with a smug grin. "You hear that, Big Show? The way I see it, the Dark Side's gonna be the best diet you ever tried!"

"Ain't no skinnier than skinned alive, baldy," Logan grunted as he finished pitching a tent. "So watch your smart ass."

Flynn gulped and returned to tweaking the Cylindrimanian sphere. "Gotcha."

Rainbow sighed again. She peeled off one of the four large, edible leaves and gave it back to Kepler. "Thanks, Keps. I know you're trying to be thoughtful. It's... very Heraldic of you."

"Mmmmmm... perrhaps." Kepler took the morsel back without protest. "Albeit, it wasn't simply courrage that the Motherr Matrron taught us, but patience and wisdom as well. I do apprreciate the rreminderr."

As Kepler returned to the food crates, Ariel looked up. "Of course... conserving the sarosian bounty isn't going to last forever. What do we do when it's time to find new food?"

Rainbow nibbled on the edge of a leaf, grimacing at the bitter, sea-salt taste. "It's just a matter of time before we find something we can subsist on." She nibbled some more, swallowing "The Emeraldinians had to do it for a long, long time—didn't they?"

"Yeah... but they had tons and tons of supplies ferried over via alicorn magic," Ariel said. "Here we are centuries later... and so far Fluttershy hasn't sensed anything yet."

Rainbow bit off a length of leaf and squinted at the mare. "Meaning..."

"Well..." Ariel shrugged. "Y'know..." She shrugged again. "...there's gotta be something to hunt."

"Maybe for the rest of you guys, sure." Rainbow continued munching through the large leafs. "Mrmmmff... me, on the other hoof..."

"Rainbow, there's no sunlight here," Ariel said. "But—if there is indeed a food chain—there just might something we can catch and roast and—"

"And you guys can have it," Rainbow growled slightly. "I'll find something else to munch on."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. I... I just will!"

Ariel opened her muzzle to say something. She gave up, exhaling through her nostrils while giving Rainbow a melancholic expression. Quietly—and obediently—she returned to finish setting up her tent.

As the Herald continued settling down around Rainbow, the pegasus' friends stirred out of ghostly hiding. Twilight Sparkle hovered the closest, clearing her throat.

"Uhm... Rainbow...?"

"Mrmfff...?" Rainbow swallowed and moved on to her second leaf. "...egghead?"

"Ariel... uh... has a point..."

"I'm sure she does." Rainbow exhaled. "She should sharpen it and then skewer it through the spine of a chaos rat so she won't starve."

"It's not her that we're worried about," Twilight said, staring intently at their anchor. "This isn't Equestria. The Dark Side doesn't have a bunch of green fields and open plains for harvesting crops."

"Or grazing!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Don't forget that!"

"Brbrrbrbbrrbbrrrr..." Rarity shivered all over. "Grazing..." Her teeth chattered as she brushed her bangs aside. "...could we actually sink so far?"

Applejack cleared her throat. "Point is, sugarcube..." She floated towards Rainbow. "...if you wanna make it even a fraction of the distrance that the Dark Side has to offer, then you'd probably better learn real quick how to make do with the Dark Side."

"And if the Dark Side doesn't have any leaves or plants in abundance—" Twilight began.

"Ledomare, Alafreo, and Rohbredden were chock fulllll of meat eaters," Rainbow Dash muttered. "I got through those lands just fine. I didn't have to compromise anything."

"But Rainbow, none of those lands are anything like what you're facing now!" Twilight protested.

"Even in the Grand Choke, I managed—"

"Nor is the Grand Choke!" Twilight frowned. "Stop being stubborn about this! At some point or another—if you're going to want to live—then you're going to have to listen to the options that the Herald are giving you!"

Rainbow looked up from eating halfway through her second leaf. "Twilight... if you were in my place... would you eat whatever they put on your plate?"

Twilight blinked. Her muzzle hung open, searching for words.

Rainbow looked at the others. "Would any of you?"

The other mares squirmed, avoiding her gaze.

Rainbow took a deep breath. "My biggest goal is getting back to Equestria... bringing you gals back... and restoring harmony. But second to that...?" She nibbled pathetically on the end of the leaf. "...it's being able to live with myself and have as few regrets as possible."

"I wish I could say I expect all of that from you, sugarcube..." Applejack looked up with firm eyes. "But one of them goals is impossible. And it ain't the one ya think."

Rainbow Dash bit her lip.

The rest of the mares hung their heads—except for Fluttershy. She looked up with a remarkable brightness to her gaze. "Do you girls hear that?"

The rest looked all around, blinking.

"Hear what, darling?" Rarity asked.

"I don't hear a thing!" Pinkie squeaked.

"Exactly..." Fluttershy's ghostly cheeks went rosy. "It's so... quiet."

"Oh yeah...?" Twilight spun around. "I think there's a reason for that."

Rainbow craned her neck in the sleds' direction. A feathered figure sandwiched by alicorn metals lay perfectly dormant on one of them. She was still as a tombstone.

Wildcard's goggles caught Rainbow's gaze. He turned to look in the same direction.

Seraphimus was perfectly still.

"Did..." Rainbow blinked. "...did she finally wear herself out?"

"Hmmm?" Flynn looked over. Curious, the stallion marched across the space between rocky pillars and stood before the cart. Holding his breath, he leaned in. He looked squarely between Seraphimus' eyes—

—and they flew open. "HERETICS!!!"

"Gaaah!" Flynn scampered backwards, landing on his hind quarters. "Rrnnngh—sssssshit biscuits! Goddess damn it—!"

"Murderers of children!" Seraphimus shook and thrashed in her restraints. Her voice was passionate, but noticeably hoarse and winded. "Rnnnngh! You infidels will never make it to the Spring Havens! I shall drown you myeslf!"

"Hah hah hah hah hah!" Logan laughed as he trotted past Flynn. He paused to swat the panting stallion atop his bald crown. "What's that, now? Eighty-Nine?! You've lost track, ya numbskull!"

Flynn fumed and fumed. With an angry jerk, he hopped to his hooves, brushed himself off, and limped away under the fresh cadence of angry shouts.

Wildcard sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and continued polishing Bard's staff clean of bloodstains.

"Well, so much for that," Fluttershy sighed, her yellow body deflating until she was halfway phased through the stone earth. "And here I was hoping she was having pleasant dreams."

"Yeah!" Pinkie giggled. "Dreams about playing Whack-a-Dashie!"

"I guess sleep is out of the option now," Rarity said, wincing.

Rainbow looked at Seraphimus, at her meal, then at Seraphimus again. "Mrmmff... enough of this crud." She stood up.

Twilight looked at her. "Rainbow...?"

"Stay alert, gals..." Rainbow muttered. She passed by Kepler's mat, grabbed three leaves of edible bleakweed, and made a bee-line for Seraphimus' sled. "...I'm gonna need all the help I can get in talking this parrot down the mental ledge."

Dark Corridors are Sexy

"Just a short flight of stairs, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said, floating ahead of the glow of Rainbow's pendant. She phased through a low-hanging ceiling and a series of metallic pipes. "There's a long corridor waiting here."

"Watch your stepsies!" Pinkie Pie insisted.

"I got it. I got it," Rainbow droned, shuffling down the steps and leaping down onto the floor of the stone hallway. "I'm not entirely blind, you know."

"Hmmmf!" Rarity upturned her nose. "I swear—by the time we're all done with this journey—you'll sorely miss having us to guide you around so magically!"

"I'm rather fond of the give-and-take," Rainbow muttered. "I mean... I love ya girls but it would be nice to go to bed and use the bathroom by myself for a change."

"I've never looked!" Pinkie said in a chipper tone.

The other ghostly mares looked at her.

"Honestly!" Pinkie grinned. "I haven't!"

"We... never would have suggested that you did," Fluttershy murmured.

"Good!" Pinkie grinned, twitching. "Because I super totally haven't!"

"Mrmmmfff..." Applejack clenched her jaw muscles. "Just how far are ya fixin' to go, Rainbow? I ain't too fond of you leavin' the rest of our company."

To that, Rainbow lifted her head and shouted over her shoulder. "Yo! Flynn! Wildcard! You still there?!"

A pause.

A male voice echoed back.

"We're here, Rainbow Dash! I think I've just about got these light fixtures adjusted!"

"I think that was Flynn just now," Pinkie said.

Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Cool! I'm just going to search this corridor!" Rainbow hollered back. "There are a lot of doorways! Maybe one of them leads to the central power source?!"

"Awesome! But—so you know—once I get one of these crystals to work, there'll be a slight mana-feedback!"

"Is that a bad thing in this case?!"

"Shouldn't be! This is very old tech! But it's sturdy! Alicorn stuff! Worst case scenario is the best case! You should see a flicker of light running down the leyline conduits! If my prediction is true, it'll lead you straight to the room where they house the central power unit!"

"Cool! I'll keep an eye out!"

"Don't wander too far! Wildcard's feathers are molting with concern!"

"Just chillax! I'll stay within yelling distance!" Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and shuffled forward along the corridor. "Whew... y'know..." She smirked to herself while chatting with the girls. "I've given my vocal chords quite the work out these past few years."

Twilight nodded. "I bet you have."

"But it's all good. I've had many reasons to yell during that timespan."

"Well..." Rarity smiled pleasantly. "Now that we're all back, you can practice being polite and soft-spoken again." She looked aside. "Isn't that right, Fluttershy?"

"Hmmm? What?" Fluttershy blinked. "Sorry, I wasn't listening."

"You look pooped, Flutters!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Fluttershy stifled a yawn. "I... I'm so sorry, girls..." Her ears folded. "I guess I didn't get as much rest as I wanted to."

"Well, technically speaking, none of us did," Twilight said. "Especially considering that... that... well..."

Rainbow gulped, gazing aside at the lingering doorframes. "I'm sorry, girls..."

"Don't be sorry, darling!" Rarity said.

"But I am. You guys need your rest, and... and for all I know..." Rainbow shuddered. "...I could just be making a mountain of a mole hill."

"No you ain't." Applejack squinted her eyes at her. "I know you, Rainbow Dash. You wouldn't just make up any ol' hogwash concernin' Discord."

Rainbow smiled pathetically. "You're talking to the mare who once painted an entire field of your apples with polkadots."

"Yes! Yes we did!" Pinkie giggled and toppled over in midair.

"That ain't the same mare who's trottin' through a scary, dark corridor in front of us right now." Applejack smiled. "You've changed... more for the better than you like to think, I bet."

A sigh escaped Rainbow's lips. "Yeah... maybe..."

"And the way we've figured it... he won't be showin' up so long as we're around to keep Rainbow protected all harmonic-like." Applejack looked at Twilight. "Ain't that right, Twilight?"

"Well, in theory, yes." Twilight nodded. "We are the Elements of Harmony, after all. And there are way more of us than him."

"Sooooooo... what's stoppin' us from takin' turns already?" Applejack smiled at Fluttershy. "You go ahead and mosey on into the Vanilla Zone, sugarcube. Get some shuteye while we watch over Rainbow."

"Thank you, Applejack... Twilight..." Fluttershy rubbed her eye but nevertheless smiled. "But—if it's all the same to you—I would much rather wait until the Herald have fully settled here in Darkreach."

Applejack shrugged. "Suit yerself, darling."

"Awwwwwwwww... that's too bad..." A voice rasped from the shadows.

"...!!" Rainbow Dash jolted in place and looked around.

"...I think I would have greatly enjoyed watching her sleep."

At last, Rainbow shone her pendant's light into a small room.

Light glinted off a series of steel bars and reflective metal slabs. Rainbow saw the hint of reflected goat fur vanishing as soon as her light hit it.

"Like yellow slush with the voice of a foppish librarian. Heheheh..."

Rainbow Dash grimaced. Her eyes darted around.

Twilight Sparkle hovered closer. "Is something wrong, Rainbow Dash?"

Their anchor didn't say anything, but she was noticeably paler than a few seconds ago.

Twilight's brow furrowed. "He's here, isn't he?"

Rainbow gulped. "Yes..." She gulped again. "And n-no..."

"Huh?" Pinkie blinked.

"It's... it's like he's here and yet... he isn't here..." Rainbow shivered slightly. "Like... I heard his voice and everything. But when I shine the light around..." She fidgeted in place. Shrunken pupils twitching, she turned to look at the girls. "You guys seriously don't hear him?"

They mutually shook their head.

"Wish we could say we did, darling." Rarity gulped. "Despite how detestable the thought of him is—we would greatly desire to subdue him for you."

"But, long and short of it, he can't touch you, Rainbow!" Applejack said. "And he can't hurt us."

"Not again." Twilight shook her head. "We're here to stay. Not him."

"Then..." Rainbow stared down the dark corridor once again. "...why can't I seem to get rid of him?"

The girls had no response to that.

BZZZZT!

Rainbow Dash hopped clear off the floor with a gasp.

Over her head, a series of metal cables lit up with bright blue brilliance. A beam of mana-powered energy buzzed its way down the corridor, hooked a right, and descended another stairwell.

"Whoops!" Flynn's voice could be heard echoing down the hallway from above. "Feedback was a bit bigger than I expected! Eheh! Are you following it, Rainbow?"

Rainbow's teeth chattered.

"... ... ...Rainbow?"

"Yes! Right! Totally!" Rainbow scampered towards the far end of the dark chamber. "Following!"

Counter Clockwise or Bust

Wildcard stopped flying.

He hadn't reached the topmost floor of Darkreach yet. Far from it; he still had about two stairwell flights left to go.

However...

Upon reaching a long, narrow corridor full of doorways...

...he detected a continuous thumping sound coming from the far end. It turned out that the passage leading to the next set of stairs had been blocked off when the manafeedback rippled through the compound. A door had slammed shut, and a figure shifted in the shadows, habitually banging and slamming against the unexpected barricade.

Th-thunk! Thump! Thud!

Wildcard took a long, cool breath.

Holding the staff under his right wing, he slithered forward on three limbs—careful not to hobble and accidentally make the unmistakable sound of footfall.

Meanwhile, the shadow kept stirring. The noise of banging metal intensified.

At last, Wildcard was within two leaps' distance.

The movement up ahead ceased altogether.

"... ... ..." The Desperado froze in place.

Silence.

Flickering ambiance.

Then...

"You're smarter than this, Jordan..."

Wildcard's headcrest flattened. He reached under his wing with his good talon and gripped the staff.

Meanwhile, a silver figure slid out of the shadows. A pair of magenta eyes narrowed on Wildcard.

"Journeying as you are, the odds are against you," Keris said. "These fools don't know anything about what lies ahead. But me?" He steadied his shivering breaths and continued: "I can get us back to where we need to be. I feel it. I'm stronger now... and you can be strong too."

Wildcard said nothing. He tightened his limbs, aiming the staff at the creature.

Keris exhaled, "Join me, Jordan. Let me take you somewhere that will be s-safe." He swallowed, the shivers increasing. "She... she will be merciful to you. Like she is m-merciful to all of us. I promise you..."

Wildcard didn't budge. He barely even breathed.

"I see..." Keris' hawkeyes flickered a vicious green. "Holding to your principals, I take it? So hollow... hypocritical, even. Have you told your 'friends' the real reason you refuse to speak?"

With a hiss, Wildcard dove forward. He slammed Bard's staff down to crush the creature's skull. WHAM!

But the changeling had split in two. Wildcard's goggles reflected a pair of multi-legged invertebrates. They scuttled around the griffin at breathtaking speed, shimmied up the walls, leapt towards each other, then rejoined in mid-air as a drop-kicking stallion. "HYAAAA!" Bard shouted.

THWACK! Wildcard took the impact to his flank. He slammed into a wall, then blindly blocked with his staff held up behind his skull.

CLANK! He deflected Bard's lunging hoof, then jerked the staff at an angle, throwing off the changeling's balance.

Th-Th-Thwish! Wildcard twirled the staff and faced the doppelganger evenly.

Bard twirled to face him. Taking a seething breath, he reached a hoof out and—schiiiiiing!—etended a full length bo-staff that matched his opponent's. He gripped the metallic extension of himself in both limbs... and in the next second he turned into a dark-feathered griffin with ink-black goggles.

Wildcard's beak opened, mouthing a four-letter word.

SWOOOOOSH! His duplicate charged him, possessing an extra limb in advantage. The two same Desperadoes met in the center of the hallway with a shower of sparks. CLANG! CLACK! CL-CLANG!!!

"Okay... this is what you're going to have to do..." Flynn's voice crackled over the intercom.

"We're listening!" Rainbow's voice cracked as she and Ariel hovered anxiously above the circle of metal podiums.

"For a power surge this intense, you need to clear open the leylines! This means yanking the manual control levers for all six consoles! There are two levers per console! One yellow and one red. For each station, the yellow lever needs to be yanked first... then the red. Finally—once all the levers have been pumped—you must hit the top left green button on all six consoles!"

"Yellow lever then red lever then green button!" Rainbow Dash nodded. "Got it!"

"No, you don't understand. They have to all be done within the span of five seconds! Any longer and the power cycle will cancel itself out and you'll need to wait for about thirty seconds of cooldown!"

Ariel gulped. "Thirty seconds that we don't have."

"So you girls have to be super crazy quick! Once the power cycle's been done, I'll know! We'll all know! Darkreach will go... dark! For legit! Then it'll be up to me to reboot from here!"

"Okay! We read you!" Rainbow turned to face Ariel. "We gotta do it quick and simple, girl."

Ariel nodded. "Somehow, I expected no less from you."

"Remind me to kick your flank after we save Logan's lungs."

"I look forward to it."

Rainbow slapped the intercom again. "We're gonna do it now, Flynn!"

"Hurry! I prefer Big Show alive! He's easier to piss off that way!"

"Alright..." Rainbow Dash flapped her wings. "Counter-clockwise."

Ariel squinted. "What's counter-clockwise?"

"We're gonna fly around all six consoles. You slap the yellow levers. I slap the red. Then we each slap the first three green buttons we come to."

"Is that how we're doing it?"

"You got a better plan?"

"No." Ariel smiled sheepishly. "I just wanted to have the record concrete in my head for my future conscience's sake."

"Okay. On the count of three."

"Right—" Ariel turned to face away from Rainbow—

"COUNTER CLOCKWISE!" Rainbow snarled.

"Right!" Ariel squeaked, turning to face her. "SorrySorrySorrySorry!"

"Okay... after me... on 'go.'" Rainbow took a breath. "One. Two. Three—GO!"

FWOOSH-FWOOSH-FWOOSH-FWOOSH-FWOOSH! The pair of pegasi made a virtual blue-and-gray circle. To any outside observer, the yellow levers flipped up in a blur, followed by the red, and then—

Thap! Thap! Thap! Thap! Thap! Thap! The green buttons were pressed, which immediately produced a resounding buzz.

"Woohooo!" Ariel spun to a stop, pumping her hoof and grinning. "What was that?! Three seconds! I think we saved Logan and a half!"

"Shhhhhhh!" Rainbow insisted. She locked in place, eyes darting every which way.

The core of the ventilation system continued buzzing.

"Uhhhhh..." Ariel's ears flattened. "...or did we not—?"

VRMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Console lights flashed.

Brass pipes shook.

And the fans above them spun faster and faster and faster-and-faster-and-fasternadfasterandfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfaster!

Thw-Thw-Thw-Thw-Thw-Thw-Thwoooooooosh! A cyclonic air current roared through the chambers of Darkreach.

"Guhhh!" Ariel—a total lightweight—had to grip onto one of the levers to keep from being flung off, feathers and all. Rainbow similarly clung to a nearby metal panel while the air around them reached near hurricane status. "Whewwww!" Ariel gnashed her teeth into the artificial gale. "This'll blow a few papers around!"

"Let's just hope it's enough to suck the poison out of there!"

Ariel looked up, eyes twitching. "You mean that poison?"

In the flickering lights, the two mares saw a stream of green mist whipping upwards into a translucent funnel of rotating air.

"Crud!" Rainbow flattened herself against the metal floor. "Get down! Hold your breath—"

But just as she said this...

...the emerald mists were sucked into a series of vents high above. Not long after, sparks flew from the violently rotating fans. Flickering lights strobed through the chambers above and surrounding.

And then—

P-POWWW!

Two of the nearby consoles randomly exploded, followed by a dull bass whine.

—Vmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmhhhh

All of the lights went out. Soon, the air settled... and all was eerily dark and silent.

The only sound was the panting of breath coming from Ariel and Rainbow Dash.

"You... you okay?" Rainbow asked, illuminating the darkness around them with a rub of her pendant.

"Y-yeah..." Ariel sweated in the crimson spotlight. She looked around at the halo of inky nothingess surrounding the two. "And just like that... it got hot in here."

"Maybe if now the juice is all gone, whatever locking the doors in place will have loosened." Rainbow gestured as she began scampering towards the nearest stairwell. "Come on! Let's go check on Big Show! Hopefully Flynn will get the air and everything else up and running by the time we—"

Fluttershy floated directly in front of Rainbow. "He's not there anymore, Rainbow."

Rainbow skidded to a stop. Her heart pounded. "Not there anymore?!"

"Wh-what?!" Ariel's voice cracked.

"Fluttershy..." Rainbow grimaced. Hard. "Is he—?"

"No." Fluttershy nervously smiled. "He's alive. He's just... well..."

Rarity floated into focus, droning, "He's bashed something open. Presumably with his head."

Rainbow's eyelids went flat. "What."

"Grnnngh!"

THUNK!

Logan's axe embedded into a metal surface.

He had finally smashed open the door beneath him, exposing a tall vertical shaft. It was lined with a thin and weak metal... presumably to house a lift of some sort. The shaft was scarcely wide enough for him to fit, but he used it to his advantage. Pressing his sweaty flank to one end, he hammered his axe into the other and then pulled himself up by the grip. By repeating this while sliding his lower hooves up, he was able to gradually shimmy his obese figure in an awkward, ascending motion.

He'd reach the next floor in minutes at that rate.

"Hrnnngh!"

CLANK!

A shower of sparks illuminated his stubbled muzzle in the darkness. He spotted the next doorframe up ahead in the brief, dim flash.

"Well... looks like the gas is gone..."

He panted, writhed, and sweated.

"... ... ...who am I kidding, everything behind me is twice as gaseous now."

The chute echoed to support his claim, and soon he resumed his exercise, ascending the narrow shaft.

CLANK! THUNK! CLUNK!

Darkreach Chronicles, Part Three

"Repetitious overview: The function of that which would be the Verdestonian Expedition here in what would be called Darkreach—as fundamentally orchestrated by they who would be the Emeraldinian and Cylindrimanian Councils—is to endeavor to find a way to reach that which would be called the Midnight Armory and acquire that which would be called the Harmonic Prism.

"Current assessment: Chance of success in forging a path towards that which would be called the Midnight Armory is becoming increasingly difficult. While the missions conducted by he who would be Lieutenant Warhol have provided much information and reconaissance, the patrols are only proving more and more that there is severe peril and hardships to be had by those courageous—or suicidal—enough to venture further past an unmarked parallel of phenomenal importance."

Rainbow Dash and Ariel glided over arid plains and plateaus.

The landscape beneath them was the same slate gray and dull blue as the rest of the Dark Side behind them.

Nevertheless, the two persisted in their flight, piercing the curved horizon between Alpha and Omega.

At one point—after countless hours of flying—Rainbow Dash's brow furrowed. She squinted at the landscape ahead of them and slowed her wingflapping.

Ariel noticed the shift in momentum when she realized that she and Rainbow were descending. She opened her muzzle to say something.

Rainbow held a hoof up. She dove towards the ground in a prismatic blur.

Clenching her muzzle shut, Ariel flew after her. Soon the two were perched on a jagged precipice.

Both pegasi huddled under dull purple twilight. At last, Rainbow Dash crept forward and peered over the cliffside. Ariel shimmied up until she was lying down beside the mare. Her muzzle hung agape.

It turned out that the two ponies were teetering on the edge of a massive rift. A trench lay beneath them. Beyond that was a dense valley of... something. Stretching... yawning before the two mares was a massive plain dotted all over with organic structures. They didn't resemble trees and they didn't resemble fungae. The closest thing Rainbow could mentally compare them to was ocean kelp... only there was no water. The incalculably tall stalks drifted and swayed... only there was no wind.

Rainbow and Ariel exchanged glances. Eventually, Rainbow motioned towards Ariel's side with her head.

Ariel looked aside. She found a small rock. Grasping it in her fetlock, she awaited Rainbow's signal... then tossed the object down into the "forest."

The stone was barely ten meters above the "treetops" before—

Th-THWPPP! The tops of multiple stalks ejected featureless probiscuses that lashed and thrashed at the falling projectile. One lucky structure caught the offensive object, wrapping its prehensile stinger three times around the stone before violently sucking it back into its previously-unseen orifice. Once entering, the rock made an offensive lump that traveled slowly and grotesquely down the height of its stalk.

Ariel grimaced. Rainbow gulped.

The two backed away from the sight beneath them—with Rainbow hanging only slightly behind. She hovered a few meters above the cliff's edge to survey the area around her. She looked towards her right—towards Omega—and saw a solid cliff-face stretching as far as her mortal eyes could see. She made a similar glance to her left—towards Alpha. The same straight edge sliced towards a vanishing point. The plateau that brought Rainbow, Ariel, and the spirit of the Heraldites there ended at a savage hundred meter drop... and the alien forest stretched as far as the two pegasi could venture to guess.

"Casual observations: There are creatures and plants and insects here that are so bizarre, so alien, and so otherworldly that they defy classical scientific observation. The reason why they defy observation is that there is no conceivable way to get viable samples without risking life, limb, or—even worse—technology.

"Somber statement: He who would be Lieutenant Warhol has already lost nearly half a dozen of they who would be loyal soldiers under his watch. I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort do not blame he who would be Lieutenant Warhol for this unfortunate turn of events. Deaths were an inevitability in that which would be called the Verdestonian Expedition. Surely he who would be Onyxxus knew this which is why he forwarded such a project to they who would be the Twin City Councils with such a heavy heart.

"Personal assessment: I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort am troubled by my inability to sufficiently assist he who would be Lieutenant Warhol and she who would be Commander Gwen. It was long taught to me by the who would be technologically senior that science is the true path towards ascension.

"Honest refrain: What is transpiring here is something that simply cannot be contained by science—at least not to the extent to which I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort can understand it. For reasons that cannot properly be explained, the desolation of the Dark Side gives way to pure and unfettered alien wilderness that begins approximately five kilometers Curveward from the location of that which would be called Darkreach. At the same time, those who would be the unclassified denizens of this realm do not venture Edgeward past the inexplicable cliffface that separates all. While it is fortunate for that which would be called the Verdestonian Expedition that we are not consistently assaulted by these unpredictable hazards, it only makes the mission to that which would be called the Midnight Armory that much more difficult."

"To make it brrief..." Kepler sipped from a canteen and gazed across the metal map of the HQ room. "...Chief Engineerr Rranorrt was deeply trroubled by his findings."

"Well, he was pretty darn accurate," Rainbow muttered, standing beside Ariel and Logan. "The desolate landscape does—in fact—end at a sheer drop about five kilometers Curveward."

"What kind of a drop are we talking about?" Logan asked.

Ariel "dove" her hoof down and made a whistling noise... followed by. "Plunk!" She looked at the others with worried blue eyes. "Right into a bunch of hungry grass!"

"Hungry grass...?" Logan squinted. "Based on most coffee clubs I've been to, it works the other way around, girl."

"She's being literal, Big Show," Rainbow droned. "There's a big freakin' forest of... like... five-story-tall demon weed." She gulped. "And when we tossed a rock down into the whole mess, they slurped it up like a brussel sprout."

"Why not just say 'meatball?'" Ariel remarked.

"Do you forget who you're listening to?"

"Ah. Heh. My bad."

"Meh."

"A forest of rock-eating trees..." Logan was already grimacing. "And was there any clear path through this shit?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Not that we could see. We flew about a mile towards Alpha and then back the same distance towards Omega to check."

"But we didn't fly much further," Ariel said. "We had little resources and needed to come back, after all."

Logan sighed heavily. "I hate to say it, folks. But if we can't find a path through a pony-eating backyard... then I'm not sure we're gonna get all that friggin' far in this safari of ours."

Kepler spoke up: "I grreatly suspect that therre is a way thrrough the mess," Kepler said with a smile. "I've not had time to arrrange the crrystaline data crrystals at ourr disposal. So—I've been listening to ourr beloved Ranorrt's audio logs out of orrderr."

"Yeah? And?" Rainbow blinked. "Did any of Wormhole's expeditions make it through?"

"Warhol," Kepler corrected. "And to answer your question—yes. However, I've yet to learn how."

"Well, what did they find out there?" Logan asked.

Kepler fidgeted. "It... is difficult to explain."

"Keps..." Logan folded his forelimbs, huffing. "Do you have a job or don't you?"

"Please be patient with me, brrotherr. Evidently, the Cylindrrimanians werre nothing if not thorrough in the depths to which they made notes of things!" He smiled in spite of the situation. "I've no doubt that I will be able to piece an entirre picturre togetherr in due time!" He suffered a prolonged sigh. "I simply took a brreak because I feel terrribly forr our illustrrious engineerr of olde. Turrns out he was quite vexxed at the rreporrts that came in frrom Warrhol's crrew."

"I don't blame him," Rainbow said. "I'm pretty vexxed by what Ariel and I saw ourselves."

"Well, maybe it's not so bad," Ariel said. "We've got one thing Ranort didn't."

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow looked over. "What?"

"You." Ariel slapped a hoof over the edge of the desk. The pins lifted, fell, and lifted in fluid motion. Eventually the rusted metal landscape "shifted" from the mesa, gradually sloping upwards until it came to an abrupt end at a straight-edged neverending cliff. "This is what we have mapped five kilometers Curveside from Darkreach. And what's the distance anyone would venture to guess is between here and the Edge?"

Kepler's brow furrowed. "Why... I would say ten kilometerrs."

"Yeah." Logan nodded. "Twelve tops."

"Okay... so..." Ariel pointed. "About fifteen to seventeen kilometers from the plane's Edge is this big frickin' scar. And—look—from the shape of the gigantic stone plateau sloping upwards from place we left Axan's corpse... doesn't it look sorta like some severe cataclysm happened ages ago?"

"The Sundering..." Rainbow murmured.

Ariel looked at her. "What have you in your travels learned, Rainbow, that Ranort couldn't possibly have figured out on his own centuries ago, even with all the Cylindrimanian smarty-pants at his disposal?"

Rainbow took a deep breath. "That there are several planes. More than one of them." She gulped. "That this world came from an entire ring... from Urohringr."

"Maybe... just maybe..." Ariel gestured. "...something to do with the Sundering has made this whole land—this whole plateau—super duper inhospitable to all life trying to settle here." She looked aside. "Glowing mushrooms and forcibly planted forests aside."

"It would also suggest that the Sunderring was everry bit as severre as the verry name entails," Kepler remarked. "What's to say therre werren't a myrriad of harrmful elements at play... perrmanently scarring the landscape so close to this plane's edge when the porrtions of Urrohrringrr separrated?"

"If... that's true..." Rainbow blanched. "...then how come we didn't see any of that in Rohbredden?"

"Who says we didn't?" Logan remarked.

"Huh?"

Logan shrugged. "The alicorns blessed the Light Side, remember? There're oceans flowing and forests growing and squirrels having sex all over the place there." He raised an eyebrow. "The Sundering's scar has scabbed over."

"Lest we forrget..." Kepler waved a claw. "The Six Trribes werre in turrmoil... fighting overr a frrozen landscape. It took Verrlax's intervention—howeverr malevolent in the end—to turrn the sole continent at the Edge into something rremotely 'civilized.'"

"Okay... I'll buy that." Rainbow took a deep breath. "So... what does that mean for us?"

"Things get hella harder at the cliff's edge five kilometers from here," Logan said. He looked up. "And the next order of business is finding a path through it."

"Or how to clear our own path."

Logan's nostrils flared. "I think the former is a Hell of a lot easier than the latter." He flexed a muscle. "Unless you want me to grab my axe and start monster-weed-whacking."

"Ugh..." Rainbow rubbed her head.

"'Ugh' is right," Ariel remarked.

"Kepler, keep listening to Ranort's blargh."

"Aye, Rrainbow One."

"Logan, keep putting together an arsenal. Ariel?" Rainbow turned and trotted out of the room. "Get some rest."

"Rest?" Ariel winced. "What about you?"

"Gonna talk to Flynn about some stuff."

It's the Big Show

Author's Note

Attention. There has been a necessary change. The revealed name of Logan's daughter has been changed in the previous chapter. It is no longer "Archeanta." It is now "Luram." Because f'naaaaaa

It's the Big Show

"I've been a mercenary for a long, long time. It wasn't until a few years ago that I... got into it so deep. But before I was fully committed to the Herald, I did small jobs around western and central Rohbredden just to get by. I had my own code of honor that I fought by. I'd only take contracts from ponies who were upholding the general law of the land... and I only took a life if I was certain it would protect innocent civilians.

"The kind of jobs I'm talking about are the dirty kind. The scary kind. The type of jobs that keep you up late at night when you're young and you're wrestling with what kind of a pony you've allowed yourself to be. Lots of similarly frightened bastards have died at the end of my axe's blade—their biggest sin being that they landed on the other side of the coin than me. They chose to do jobs that leeched on society and poisoned the local populace with drug, greed, foalnapping, slavery, the works. Sure, if I could somehow peacefully talk them out of their self-dug crudholes, I would... but most of the time it ended up in a nasty, bloody scrap, and there was only one way to come out of that alive. Later—when I hooked up with the Job Squad—it was easier to afford 'nonviolent' solutions to the jobs I selected, but for a while there I had to make a living on living with my battered conscience.

"Did I think of quitting? Sure... but every time I slacked off, I'd hear of innocent pony and griffon families biting it because of a bandit raid that went south... or a drug deal that exploded into an all-out-fued. I used to wonder why you bastards in the Right Talon didn't fly around and do your job more... until I realized just how dayum hard it is to police anything in any numbers in a cruddy continent like Rohbredden. Besides, the prefectures I patrolled were sparsely populated, and the landscape made it easy for criminals to hide from the most scrutinous of eyes. Policing the region was something you had to be schooled in... on a daily basis... like I was. There were a few other badass souls like me, and we all exchanged notes... forming coalitions. Flynn was among them—which is how we met. Bard was a stand-up vigilante too, but... well... even you know how his story ended.

"We fellow mercenaries—we formed a damn strong bond. Out of this came the Job Squad, and a choice few of us caught wind of the Herald and we ultimately became part of something greater. But before Mortuana, the 'Job Squad' didn't expect much out of life than the job itself... and it damn well nearly killed each and every one of us. So—as you can imagine—we couldn't afford much in the way of friendship... and we could afford even less sane relationships outside our circle of crazy dedication. Love and romance were completely out of the question... but it doesn't mean we didn't try...

"One summer about seventeen years ago, I found that I didn't even have to try. Deep in Storm Prefecture, situated on a fertile plateau nestled in the mountains, I had won the favor of a rich stallion who owned an entire clan of rice farmers. His name was Bergen, and he had done pretty damn alright by himself. Living in the third generation of his family, he had his servants build him a mansion in the center of the plateau, and the serfs working under him cultivated the landscape for miles in every direction. Distanced from the lead senators and council ponies who pretended to represent the interests of Storm Prefecture, Bergen lived like a king out in the mountains—and everypony respected him as such. Myself too.

"And Bergen respected me. This was because I drove pirates and privateers away from the outskirts of his land. On a monthly basis, coastal raiders would skirt the southern coast of Rohbredden and send pillagers up through Thunder Pass—the central traiding route into Storm Prefecture. Week after week, these morons from the Seven Seas would rush in single-file and try attacking the merchant outposts. I made a living just busting the skulls of these dickheads, day in and day out. Sometimes it wouldn't even require a fight. I'd show up at the regular spot, brandishing my axe, and the cowards would go 'Oh shit, it's him!' and turn tail and run back to the coast. Flynn joined me in a lot of these engagements, and—I swear—sometimes it was pretty chill. We used to have drinking games on how long it would take for the would-be invaders to high-tail it out of there after the briefest of confrontations.

"Was the job very exciting? No, not really. But we were all that stood between Bergen's trading posts and these relentless bastards from the Seven Seas. Sometimes it got bloody... but only rarely. If nothing else, it was Bergen's generous payrate that kept the likes of us sticking around for so long. That's the summer that I feel that I began to slip... that I committed the first of many sins that I'd eventually feel shameful for. It's the same summer that I started to put on weight—if that's any friggin' indication.

"But... there was something I didn't feel shameful for at the time. Something that lit up my whole ugly world. You see, Bergen had a daughter—a mare my age named Sariah. Sariah was pretty, witty, and hella smart. So smart... that Bergen had the confidence in making her his chief manager of agricultural distribution. That meant she'd be making regular trips to the southern outposts. She was a headstrong pony—very good at barking orders... or just good at barking. Heh. The mare wasn't afraid of nothin'. She stumbled in on more than one run-in with the raiders, and she let hellfire rain on them. I suppose Sariah didn't take kindly to those coral-huffers trying to intimidate the southern farmers of her father's land. Once or twice, Flynn and I had to keep her from outright charging down Thunder Pass and biting onto the bastards' tails. Whew... every one in the outpost loved that girl. And me most of all. But I didn't let on. I couldn't. I was just a hired hoof, and she was the boss' daughter.

"Eventually, though, even that meant very little. Aside from the occasional run-in with headstrong bandits, things were pretty quiet in Storm Prefecture. You had the time to reflect on things... and to get to know ponies around you. And Sariah? She wanted to get to know me. I'm not just saying that to be big-headed or nothing. She found something about me fascinating, even though I tried to convince her I was no different from all the other bums running around with swords and axes. But she saw something in me that... to this day... I-I just can't quite put to words. Love's stupid like that, I suppose. And I sure as Hell wasn't going to make her feel bad for livening up my life. We'd spend hours and hours on patrol, just talking about the politics of the landscape and the future that Storm Prefecture had in store for itself. She had so many brilliant ideas... thoughts that could revolutionize the dysfunctional system that made Rohbredden tick... barely. And I believed every word she said... and it was worth it just hearing her lectures... if it only meant looking at the flicker of wisdom in her beautiful eyes... and smelling that rich perfume her family afforded. Every mercenary and farmer in Storm Prefecture smelled like shit... but not Sariah. She was cut from a different cloth, and yet she had no reservations about spending her every waking moment with the likes of us... protecting the southern lands around Thunder Pass... the one and only bastion keeping her family's land afloat.

"It's hard to pinpoint exactly when it happened—the moment that our friendship became something... well... moister. But nature is as nature does. Late night patrols ended with even later night caps. She found out that I was a horrible lover. I discovered that she was a horrible liar. In the morning we'd laugh, and the following night we'd stumble over each other again. And that was us... and we were happy being... us. Neither thought of the ramifications of the head farmer's daughter and a ragtag mercenary getting their groove on, but neither of us cared. And it wasn't much of a secret. Flynn knew. A lot of the local tradesponies knew. But I think everypony figured that we were all thrown into this little absurd pocket of Storm Prefecture, surrounded by madness and ambivalence, and here we had ourselves a little haven... a little touch of life that put a spring to our step and made the rest of the day worth living. And—boy—did we live.

"It didn't stop us from doing our jobs. The weeks rolled into months, and the raiders grew more and more sparse. My only fear was that Bergen would no longer have a need for me, and then I'd no longer have an excuse to stick around. After all, there was trouble to dealt with in the other bordering prefectures of Rohbredden, and the Job Squad was needed for branching out. For the first time in my grungy 'career,' I seriously contemplated hanging up the axe for good. After all, if I could settle down with a mare like Sariah officially... take up a life of boring rice farming... then maybe—just maybe—I could live a bit longer. It was only a tempting thought, though. A dream at that. But the following winter... the dream came really damn close to a reality.

"Sariah showed up one week, and she was no longer her usual talkative, witty self. Something was gnawing at her, and something in the way her ears twitched told me she was both enthused and afraid at the same time. It didn't take me long to coax the truth out of her. The mare was pregnant... and it sure as Hell wasn't baldy's baby. Me? I was overjoyed. But Sariah? I could already tell that she had... changed somehow. I mean, she still cared about me—that much was for sure. But her mood was completely different. I suppose that sort of thing can be expected when you're pregnant, but with Sariah, it... well... it was a whole 'nother thing altogether. Her personality completely changed. And as the months went by and I started to bother her over how the Hell we were going to keep the whole thing secret, she'd suddenly lash out. She'd throw things at me and call me names I didn't recognize and blame me for stuff that I never once did in my entire life. I started to worry... and I'd soon find out that I wasn't worried enough.

"Turns out that there's a history of... mental issues in Bergen's family. I'm not even remotely trying to be facetious. Part of why Bergen worked so hard to get on top and build himself a sweet-ass mansion atop his farm plantation is that he needed it to double as a sanitarium. A lot of his close relations were practically locked up in there, and—from what I later discovered—he would sequester himself there for a spell too, on occasion. I wish I could explain it... but something hereditary was always gnawing at Bergen's bloodline. Shit sucked... but there wasn't much he could do, and if he appealed to any of the state-sponsored hospitals, then it would make his family ailment public... which could possibly threaten his standing and ruin business for all of the families living off his land. Bergen was such a staunch businesstallion that he wouldn't ever let that happen, even if it meant the best for his family. So... they weathered the storm... and prayed to the Frosted Halls of Verlaxion that nothing spontaneous or random would trigger another psychotic episode in their close relations...

"Something... like an unexpected pregnancy. As the months went by, Sariah's actions grew more and more erratic. She'd show up to the southern outposts with half her mane cut off. She'd say that she was trying to 'blend in' with the local populace in order to ambush the raiders, and she would refuse to drink anything but the water that she brought with her because 'everything was poisoned.' At night, she'd run out into the middle of the valley and chase shadows, cussing up a storm. Suddenly I began to understand why she was so feisty with the raiders to begin with. There was this manic side to her that lampshaded a deeper, madder state. Seeing it in full bloom was... frightening as Hell. I tried to protect her... tried to talk her out of her spells. All my life, I found being a mercenary to be a feasible job... but it's next to impossible to protect a mad pony from herself. Things were going downhill a mile-a-minute, and I felt that it was all my fault. Maybe it was the hormonal changes in being with-foal that affected her... or maybe she was actually, legitimately sick of me... sick of everything. In a place like remote Rohbredden, it's hard not to go mad. Maybe I'm the crazy one for not drooling by now. In any case, she was rapidly falling apart. I had to do something about it.

"And so, I did. I dragged her all the way to Bergen's manor and just... let it all out. I confessed it all. The romancing... the late night fraternizing. The intimacy that led to the grandfoal that Bergen didn't know he was going to have. I expected the worst, but I didn't care. The truth needed to be heard—if not for Sariah's sake... then for the sake of the life growing deep inside of her.

"And... I got the worst. The worst for me, at least. Bergen felt betrayed. Hell, he was betrayed. He nearly went mad himself in tearing me and my name down a few hundred notches. The only thing keeping him from chopping off my head then and there was the fact that I had protected his and his family's interests for so long. He banished me from the plateau... from the outposts... from all of Storm Prefecture as a whole. I was never allowed to see his daughter again... not that it mattered. At that point in time, every moment she saw me, she'd call me names and blame me for a million horrible things: setting fire to fields of rice, murdering foals, rape... you name it. I was suddenly a demon in her eyes, and I saw nothing of the old wisdom and mirth that once attracted me to the mare. But... it didn't change the fact that I loved her. In some pathetic, sad, wilted way... I adored her... even in her deteriorated state.

"And yet, I left. I had to. A part of me felt... hoped that removing myself from her life might perhaps restore her to sanity. Most stallions in my field of work—I suppose—would just live and let be. Goddess knows how many bastards are out there... making other little bastards and not thinking twice about it. But me? Damned if I didn't have something resembling a conscience, and it gnawed at me. Even Flynn tried to talk me out of it... tried to get me to look at the long, winding road ahead. But I couldn't. My thoughts lingered daily on Sariah... and even worst... on the daughter I would never know. There was a tearing knot in my gut that the foal would never even be born... that the whole tragedy would roll up into a bloody ball and just claim them both. Because why not?

"And then I had a tiny glimpse of heaven. About a year later, someone from inside Storm Prefecture contacted me. You see, despite how things went down between me and Bergen, most ponies weren't mad. They knew the truth. They had seen the things I had done to protect their hides from bandits and raiders. What's more... they had seen me and Sariah together. They had seen the love that we had... that we very genuinely had... if even for a short time. And one of these ponies sent me a message—stating that Sariah had successfully foaled. And that it was a filly... a filly named 'Luram.' What's more, they were able to smuggle me into the farmstead where Luram had been sent. Turns out, Bergen wanted the foal raised outside the main manor. There was no telling how long Sariah was going to have to wrestle with her demons, and Bergen didn't want Luram to grow up with the memories of a crazed mother.

"So... I was able to pay short, tiny, illicit visits into Storm Prefecture. Each time, I had to assume a different identity... not just to throw off Bergen's guards... but also to maintain the sanctuary that had been established for the little filly. But... but I got to see her. I got to see her pretty little mane... her bright little eyes... and... and hear her voice... calling out for everyone but me.

"I visited Luram for five years straight... just showing up randomly... pretending to be the friend of a friend... a local tradespony... a random traveler. I did it until I could do it no longer... or else risk being committed to her permanent memory. I never told her my name... never told her that I was partly responsible for bringing her into this world. I visited just enough times to see that she was alive... and that she was healthy... that she was happy...

"And, at last, I visited her no more. Thoughts had occurred to me. Crazy thoughts... crazy thoughts of outright smuggling her out and taking her far far away... safe from that remote asylum surrounded by rice and mountains. I could have started a new life with just the two of us. But... I wasn't Sariah. I knew that Bergen would hunt her down—even to the ends of Kihutaja, if he had to. The life of a fugitive isn't exactly conducive to good health, and I couldn't do that to little Luram. I had already poisoned the family well by bumping into her mother. Besides, my visits had shown that she was happy. The ponies of Storm Prefecture were good folk... and she would have gotten a lot more from them than she ever could from her grandfather. The best thing I could ever do was... let her go... just like I had to let Sariah go...

"And so... I did."

So Long, Dark Reach

"This is the lever Flynn told us about, right?" Ariel remarked.

Rainbow nodded. "Eeyup."

"Okay..." Ariel took a deep breath and reached towards a console situated in the heart of the generator room. "On the count of five. One... two..."

"Just pull it, girl."

"Er. R-right!" With an inward grunt, Ariel yanked at the lever.

Bzzzzzzzzt! Sparks flew from the core of crystals overhead.

And then...

Thoooooooooooooooooooooom...

The heart of Darkreach lived up to its name once again.

Seconds later, a ruby lightning bolt illuminated a beam of redness from below Rainbow's neck.

"Whelp..." Rainbow took a breath. "That's a wrap."

"Considering all the effort it took to find this place and settle down..." Ariel shuddered slightly. "It's kind of chilling how easy it is to turn it all off."

"Uh huh..."

"I mean, this place was lying dormant for hundreds of years!" Ariel remarked, gazing up at the shadowed heights of the generator room hanging over them. Her echoes stood out all of a sudden. "The only reason it was ever lit up again was because we came here! The changeling certainly didn't make that happen."

"Well, you're certainly treating this very... uhhhh..." Rainbow Dash shifted where she stood. "...poetically."

"I can't help it." Ariel sighed, squinting beyond the penumbra of Rainbow's spotlight. "This placed helped us out in so many ways. And it means so much more than that, y'know? This was the culmination of countless ancient ponies' lives. Their entire work and commitment was poured into this place."

"Well, let's make it worth their while, huh?" Rainbow motioned with a fetlock and made for the nearest stairwell. "Come on. We've got... er... a hover plank waiting."

Ariel buzzed after her on flapping wings. "Just like that? You're ready to part with this place?"

"Why not?"

"I dunno. Just..." Ariel squinted as they ascended the steps. "Don't tell me you never felt a sense of wonder in all your travels."

"Oh, it's been pretty wonderous, alright."

"All of those continents you've spanned," Ariel said. She smirked slightly. "All of those kingdoms you've visited... kingdoms you've saved."

"Just because I might not seem too saddened about leaving Darkreach doesn't mean I don't understand how cool everything is—once and a while at least." The two mares evened out on a long corridor, leading them to the common room. The edges of Rainbow's spotlight caught hints and glimpses of the age-old detritus left behind in that tomb of a base. "Back when I was light-side, I'd be scaling entire mountains all on my lonesome. I could see for miles and miles around in every direction. Whatever the starlight would touch—my eyes saw it. And then a crazy thought occurred to me." Rainbow calmly looked over her shoulder. "I realized that no other pony had likely ever touched the same pieces of rock that I did... or had seen all of the cracks and fissures in the timeless stone like my own eyes had witnessed. It was pretty awesome at the time. I gotta admit."

"But..." Ariel cocked her head curiously to the side. "...not quite so awesome anymore?"

"Hey, what's awesome is always awesome. It's just... hard to see it the same way anymore." Rainbow's nostrils flared as she trotted into the common room, shining her light across the multi-tiled mosaic. "What used to make me awesome nowadays sorta makes me feel small."

"You're hardly small, Rainbow Dash," Ariel said.

Rainbow looked at the other mare and made particular emphasis of how she had to lift her chin for their eyes to meet. "Uh huh."

Ariel rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean." A smile. "You're the Austraeoh. You're the key to bringing harmony and life back to this dying plane. Beyond that—who knows? But you're the same bright Spark you've always been."

"That's true." Rainbow gulped. "That's what makes it even sadder."

"Ehhhh..." Ariel playfully shoved her shoulder. "We gotta get you outta that funk, girl. Maybe a nice fight or two with chaos monsters will get the blood flowing again."

"I'd rather us get to the Midnight Armory with the least amount of motherbuckers knowing."

"Huh." Ariel blinked. "Okay."

Rainbow bore a bitter smirk. "Not what you thought you signed up for when you joined the Herald?"

"Nah, it makes sense. Just..." Ariel shrugged. "Was sorta hoping to see you in action once again. You kick so much butt when push comes to shove."

"For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure that sorta crud is inevitable."

"Right." Ariel took a moment to glance at the dimly-lit surroundings. "Gotta admit... for the time that we were here... it was kinda cozy."

"Won't argue with that," Rainbow droned.

"Although..." Ariel chuckled dryly. "I'm sure it was even livelier back in the day. Just think about it. Ponies lived here. This was there home. Dozens if not hundreds of former Emeraldinians and Cylindrimanians just... trotting around and buddying up and doing experiments and making maps and plotting for the salvation of their world..."

"I gotta admit it has its quirks," Rainbow said. "But... it's no Noble Jury."

"Eh?"

"I was living in that airship for months and months," Rainbow Dash said. "I may not have admitted at the time... but when that thing crashed and burnt to ashes outside of Val Roa? Whew... I was heartbroken as heck."

Ariel nodded gently. "Must have been like losing a home."

"It's the ponies who matter in the end," Rainbow said. "Family. Friends." She looked at Ariel. "We're still in one piece, and that's all I care about. Whether we're here in Darkreach or on Flynn's hover-plank-thingy."

"Does Seraphimus count among all that?"

"Mmrmmrmmfnghhhlughhuuuuu..."

Ariel smirked. "Best answer is best."

"Uh huh." Rainbow finally aimed her pendant at the mosaic. The tower of Verdestone stretched before her eyes for one last time. She inhaled the moment—along with her thoughts.

Ariel quietly spoke: "I bet that's one thing you're gonna miss."

Rainbow nodded. "Y'know... one thing that never gets old about this whole journey thing..."

"What's that?"

"Remembering where I've been." Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, that never stops being cool."

"The Mother Matron's sister would be proud of you, Rainbow Dash," Ariel said. "I'm sure of it."

"She always was," Rainbow muttered. "So far, knowing that hasn't let me down."

Ariel performed a gentle curtsy before the mosaic of Verdestone. "Your Majesties... Onyxxus, Mortuana, and Whitemane... thank you so very much." She stood up straight, proud. "Ranort, Warhol, Gwen... best wishes and gratitude."

"Yeah." Rainbow waved to the air. "Don't let the Harmonic Plains hit ya where the ancient pegasi split ya."

"Snkkkkt!" Ariel struggled not to laugh. "The hell is that?! Some sort of Ponyville expression?"

"If not, it sure as hay is now," Rainbow's voice cracked as she motioned Ariel towards the exit. "Come on. Let's boogey."

Fly Away From Here

"Whoah..." Rainbow Dash exhaled. "Wh-whoah!" Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Ha ha ha!" She smiled into the whipping winds as her colorful mane danced behind her. "That's some nice speed right there!"

"Yeah!" Ariel shouted as the plank carrying the entire Herald cruised off the side of the mesa like a glider. "This is actually kind of cool!"

"Grnnngh!" Flynn suddenly gnashed his teeth. "I-I'm losing the leylines!"

Ariel blinked. "Okay!" She winced, trembling at her station on the right side of the cart. "It's not longer sorta cool!"

"Flynn?!" Rainbow's head whipped in his direction. "What gives, dude?"

"I-I can't explain it!" Flynn hollered. As he spoke, the wagon began experiencing turbulence. "It's like they're dissolving into one another!"

"He's right, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. "The entanglement is unraveling! Without a manacircuit, the rocks along the undercarriage will turn into normal rocks!"

"I can't keep it together!" Flynn exclaimed as the forward momentum of the gliding "plank" sped up, descending rapidly. "Soon there'll be no hover to hover with!"

"But... why is that?!" Rainbow Dash barked. "What could be causing—"

"Lack of frriction!" Kepler shouted from the back.

"Huh?"

"The last lunarr command rrequirres prroximity of a solid surrface to prropel us!" Kepler exclaimed. "Am I rright, brrotherr?!"

"That's gotta be it!" Flynn struggled to keep a telekinetic grip of the forward half of the cart. "We're burning mana into nothing!"

"Then friggin' fix it, baldy!"

"Uhhhh... uhhhhh..." Flynn fidgeted.

"Neutral!" Twilight yelped. "Put it in neutral!"

"Put it in neutral!" Rainbow's voice cracked, passing it along.

Flynn took a deep breath, and then: "M'shrynmh Thymmk!!!"

The howl of rushing wind was interrupted by a pronounced vibration. It took a few seconds, but the bright glow soon returned to the undercarriage of the vessel. The Herald could already feel the momentum of the cart slowing as it continued its lazy descent into the dark canyon now engulfing them.

"Whew..." Ariel slumped slightly.

"Huh..." Flynn blinked. "Well... take notes for the next time, I suppose."

"Are all of your exercises this chaotic?" Seraphimus droned.

"Double-yoo," Logan growled.

Thonk!

Seraphimus was already wincing from the slap to her skull. "... ... ...do that again and you might tip us over."

"Then I'd gladly welcome death!" Ariel barked. She looked towards the left side of the wagon. "Guess it's smoothe sailing from here on out!"

"You don't hear me complaining," Rainbow said. She began to smirk—

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Pinkie Pie's ears poked inward. Soon her eyes were crossing as she shook all over. "WuuuUUuuUUuuuUuueeeeeee!"

—a frown returned to Rainbow's face. "Pinkie? What's the matter?"

"'Pinkie?'" Logan flashed Rainbow a grimacing expression. "She's the 'oh shit' friend, isn't she?"

"Is something wrong, Rainbow?!" Flynn exclaimed.

"Pinkie, I know you're twitching all over," Rainbow leaned in, speaking calmly. "...but if you're gonna actually help us, then you've gotta speak up."

"PULL UP!" Rarity shouted.

"Huh?" Rainbow turned to squint at the mare. "Rarity, we're gliding earthward in a hover wagon. We can't just—"

Right at that exact damn moment, a stalagmite of dull stone rose like a dagger through the faint twilight, emerging directly in front of the wagon.

"—pull up!" Rainbow shrieked. "I mean, pull right! I mean—" She flung her body to the left and flapped her wing within an inch of her life. "Rrrrrrrrgh!"

"Oh shit!" Logan grunted with the rest of the Herald as they were rocked violently.

The wagon soared right, missing the tip of the jutting rock structure by ghastly centimeters.

"Guh!" Ariel struggled to stay upright. "Rainbow...!" She stammered while the descending wagon veered to her side. "I thought shouting 'right' meant that I flapped my wings—!"

"Rarity?!?" Rainbow was too busy sneering.

"Why didn't ya warn us?!" Applejack barked.

"I thought we had a clear angle!" Rarity exclaimed. "That magical kerfluffle up there must have upset our trajectory!"

"Then..." Fluttershy blanched. "...that means—"

"WuuuUuuUuuuUuuUUuuuiiieeeee!" Pinkie spun like a top, ears twitching.

The right edge of the canyon wall pierced the starlight. Within seconds, it would shatter the wagon and its passengers to dust.

"Right! Right!" Rainbow Dash hollered.

"Wait!" Ariel panicked, teeth chattering. "Do you mean you push us right or I—"

"Flap your damn wings!" Logan hollered.

"Eeeeeeeep!" Ariel covered her eyes with one set of feathers while she flapped wildly with the other set.

Despite the awkward execution, it worked... somewhat. The right edge of the wagon lifted, but the cart was still drifting towards the canyon wall. If nothing else, Ariel's wingflaps only bought the group a few more milliseconds.

"We arre heading towarrds oblivion!" Kepler shouted.

"Wildcard!" Rainbow shouted towards the back of the wagon. "Can you counter—?"

The griffin was already sweating profusely in the effort it took to assist Ariel in her thrust. He swung and pivoted his body, flapping his wings at alternating angles. At last, he was able to take advantage of the pitch and angle the wagon back towards the left.

"Move move move move move—!" Ariel squeaked.

The right side of the wagon graaaaaaaaaaaaazed the canyon wall, spilling dirt and pebbles across the Herald. Then—within the next gasp—they were heading back into the dark throat of the ravine.

"Okay!" Rainbow Dash exhaled heavily. She smiled at Twilight and Fluttershy. "That was close—"

"WEEEoooWEEoooWEEOooo!" Pinkie Pie pinballed around the lavender forcefield containing her. As Rainbow's vision focused beyond her friend, she saw a massive anvil-shaped cleft of rock rushing straight towards them.

"Oh buck me backwards to Sunday!" Logan spat. "This is it! Nice knowing you folks!"

"Like hayseeds, it is!" Applejack frowned, turning to face Rainbow. "Rainbow! Do somethin' awesome, sugarcube!"

Rainbow Dash didn't need to be told twice. "Everypony!" She stuck her left wing hard over the wagon's side. "Flap your wings! Do it all at once! We gotta clear this cleft!"

"Flynn, brrotherr!" Kepler craned his neck. "I believe that includes yourr prriceless telekinesis!"

"Ah jeez..." Sparks flew out of Flynn's horn as he strained, channeling as much mana into the bed of the wagon as he could. "All the hangovers and none of the drinks—"

"Flap! Flap!" Rainbow hollered in time with her muscle movements. "Lift! Lift!"

Ariel whimpered from the effort. Wildcard huffed and puffed with intense concentration. The manes and feathers of every passenger seated in the wagon billowed from the resulting draft.

It was an agonizingly slow accomplishment, but the wagon's front end lifted up just as it reached the rock formation. However, it was still descending.

"Not... g-good..." Flynn snorted, leaning back with his good eye trained on the impending doom.

"We've got the speed—but not the lift!" Ariel wheezed. "Should we flap harder—!"

"We are! We're flapping the hardest!" Rainbow yelped.

"You need to stop!" Seraphimus shouted.

Rainbow looked over her shoulder. "Huh?"

"She is right! You have the momentum!" Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. "You simply need to glide!"

"Ach!" Kepler stood up tall and spread his own leathery wings. "She speaks the trruth!"

Rainbow blinked ahead. She gulped. "Flynn! Logan! Duck low! We gotta become aerodynamic!"

The stallions did as they were told. They pressed themselves flat to the bed of the wagon—as did Seraphimus. Meanwhile, Ariel, Rainbow, Kepler, and Wildcard stretched their wings out along a flat, invisible plane. Then—following Rainbow's lead—they angled their wings to catch the rippling air beneath them.

The manacrystals of the rising wagon hummed loudly; their enchanted shards illuminated the stone surface of the rocky formation as it blurred safely beneath the gliding cart. The proximity to solid matter made the leylines reactivate, and this gave the cart another boost—thrusting it slightly upwards. This threw most of the passengers off balance... until one by one they sprawled out across the surface of the vehicle. The entire cart shook, wobbled, and spun around like a lazily tossed disc.

Then—after multiple vomit-inducing revolutions—the cart came to a stupidly soft landing along the bottom floor of the canyon. It glided and coasted along the arid floor until it bumped lightly into a stout row of stalagmites.

At last, the vehicle came to a stop hundreds of meters from the location of the mesa. They had nearly cleared the Curveside map of the canyon in one single shove.

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiuuuuuuuuuuu..." Pinkie Pie finally stopped spasming all over. She came to a rattling stop—as did her bright blue eyes. "Whew! That was a real doozie! Did you know that Ariel's got a crush on Dashie? I sure didn't until now!"

She smiled at the rest.

"Oh! And by the way... look out for random rock formations! That would be bad!"