“We were trained all of our lives for this moment,” Khao said. “The day the Harbinger would come, we would take our rightful place by her side and escort her to the Edge of the World.” She stood tall and proud, surrounded by rust and metalwork. “Austraeoh’s quest is a long and perilous one, and the fate of this plane depends on the completion of it.”
“Look…” Rainbow Dash waved a hoof around as she spoke. “I don’t know all that much about the ‘fate of this plane’ or whatnot, but…” She smiled nervously as she gestured aside at Pilate. “I already have my Eljunbyro. Pilate, his beloved, my friends--they’re helping me make this journey, for what it is worth.”
Khao’s nostrils flared. “I fear that you are sadly mistaken.”
Rainbow’s brow furrowed. “Excuse me?”
“A great tragedy has befallen you, yes?” Khao asked, leaning her head at an angle. “Something horrible that had stripped all harmony from your life, replacing it instead with utter chaos? At the start of your journey, you were lost in the throes of utter oblivion. Alone. Friendless.”
Rainbow Dash was silent.
Pilate tilted his head in her direction. “Rainbow…?”
She took a deep breath and uttered in a dry voice, “How could you possibly know all this…?”
“The Herald has existed for longer than most civilizations,” Khao explained. “In the Age of Dawning, when the Ring was whole, the Angelic Host befriended us. We were lowly mortals to their spectral radiance, and yet they imparted their wisdom, their magic, and their foreknowledge of the future events to come--both tragic and glorious.”
“Spectral… radiance…?” Rainbow Dash murmured.
Khao raised her forelimb, exposing the multicolored bands of her hoof in the dim light wafting through the window behind her. “They governed more than just the air in the wind. They gave it color, beauty, and purpose. This plane belonged to them, long before it ever belonged to earth ponies and unicorns, long before even the alicorns arrived. The Angelic Host has since vanished, and yet the essence of their glory still remains. The ancient texts speak of their spirits having been absorbed into the very rainbow itself. And then, of course, there are tomes such as the Relic, with which they have given us instructions to prepare for the coming of the Harbinger. Alas, you are here, Austraeoh, and it is time for the Herald--the Eljunbyro of prophecy--to assist you in your journey, as is the will of the Host.”
“Okay, look…” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “I always knew I was born with a ridiculously awesome fashion statement…” She tossed her mane for emphasis. “But this is just a stupid little coincidence! I mean, like, what if you were called the ‘Order of the Lime?’ Would you go all nutso if a lime green unicorn happened to prance through your cathedral?”
“You are the first of your kind to have crossed this continent in millennia,” Khao said. “We believe you are none other than the Harbinger.”
“And I believe that several thousands of years is a long enough time to make stupid errors in judgment!” Rainbow Dash grunted.
“She makes a good point,” Pilate said. “I’ve done some extensive studies into the ancient languages of this continent. Many of the texts I’ve perused could very easily be the same scriptures your order reveres so deeply. Terms such as ‘Austraeoh’ and ‘Eljunbyro’ and ‘Innavedr’ are very broadly defined. Even my beloved, Bellesmith, who has sequenced with several fossils of ancient pegasi has had a difficulty ascertaining--”
Khao suddenly snapped, “If she had her mind fused with the husks of Angels, then she is deceived! The Host’s spirit has departed this plane eons ago! All that remains has been defiled and corrupted!”
Rainbow Dash made a face. “The heck are we talking about now…?”
Pilate spoke out loud, “The winged pony fossils whom Nightshade’s foals were sequencing with. Perhaps they were a lot older than any of us thought…”
“The defilers of this land have no sense of decency,” Khao murmured in a calmer voice. “Those bodies were kept in our shrine to the north, our last physical refuge. After the demoness of Blue Nova raided our stronghold, we’ve been lost amidst the clouds, having to scavenge for food and resources in our quest to protect the ancient scriptures.” She took a deep breath, then said, “However, all of this only falls in line with prophecy. Eljunbyro would go through great trials and tribulations before crossing paths with Austraeoh in time to assist the Harbinger with her journey.”
“Look, Eljunbyro did go through crap!” Rainbow barked. “Bellesmith and Pilate here lost their livelihood, their homes, and dang-well-near their sanity! All because they had to get tangled up with me!” She reached a hoof out around Pilate’s shoulder, frowning at the mare. “But we’re doing fine now! Do you know why? Because we’re heading east together, and we’re looking after each other, and we don’t need no stupid, cryptic texts to help us along the way!”
“Is that so?” Khao leaned her head aside. “Then what is it that dwells within the engine room of the elk’s airship?”
Rainbow Dash bit her lip.
Pilate’s metal brow furrowed. “This… ‘Relic.’ You know how it works? Do you even know how to read it?”
“We most certainly do,” Khao said. “But it is not your place to ascertain it, zebra.” She turned to look directly at Rainbow. “This is the now and forever the task of Eljunbyro. The relic is ours to assist the Harbinger with. We allowed her to acquire it as a test, and now that we know that she is indeed Austraeoh, it is time that we combine our forces and perform the trip to the east.”
“Wait…”
“You have tarried too long in this place. We understand the cost of the chaotic energies that empower you. If you remain anchored in this landscape for too long, you will dissolve into dust, and then what will become of the spark needed to reunite the planes?”
“Just hold on a second…” Rainbow Dash took a few trots forward on the rusted platform. “I’m totally for speeding past all the bullcrap of this continent, but… what happens to my friends? Huh? I mean, if any of what you say is true, then you obviously got the power, ponies, and ancient book smarts to get the whole of us beyond the Xonan territories. Heck! You could even get us out of this continent, r-right?”
“No, Austraeoh.” Khao shook his head. “We cannot do that.”
“But, I thought you said--”
“Just you,” Khao said. “You and just you. Your… companions are unnecessary distractions. Much like the various misadventures that you have gotten yourself into--Ledomare, Foxtaur, and the wasteland of the Divine to the West--they only serve to distract you. They have even very nearly killed you on multiple occasions.”
Rainbow Dash frowned. “These are my friends. I need them.”
“What you need… what the world needs is for Austraeoh to reach her destination. This supersedes everything else. For a pony who has dealt with alicorns and Divines alike, surely you can understand the gravity of this journey.”
“Yeah, well, I happen to be pretty darn skilled at defying gravity!” Rainbow Dash spat. “But I don’t expect you to know that!”
“We are the Herald of Angels. We have eons of scripture to bolster our resolve.”
“You’re a bunch of punks!” Rainbow Dash grunted. “Maybe if you hadn’t attacked my friends and kidnapped Pilate and tossed grenades at my flanks, I’d be willing to hear you out! But face it!” She pointed an angry blue hoof. “Maybe you all started out as really cool guys! Maybe you were once the pets to a bunch of flying rainbow donkeys! But something since then has screwed you up super bad! Maybe it was the jokers who ran this continent since then, or perhaps something in the water, but I am totally not buying your sincerity! So you can take your whole ‘Herald’ schtick and shove it where the apples don’t glisten!”
“Rainbow Dash…” Pilate nervously stammered.
“And if you don’t like it, I’m more than happy to go tooth and muzzle with you right here and now!” Rainbow Dash growled. “I’ve dealt with minotaurs, dragons, and beret-wearing fodder! I could chew you up and barf out prayer hymnals for all I care!”
“Rainbow…” Pilate hissed, shuffling closer to her. The manasphere hanging from his neck flickered. “We’re not alone…”
“Huh?” Rainbow Dash flashed him a look.
He cleared his throat.
Rainbow Dash blinked, then looked over her flank.
Shadows emerged along the penumbra of the dim sunlight. Amidst the moving gears, belts, and pulleys, several figures stood in place, their cloaks spread over stretched leather gliders and metal steam parts. Several brass-tinted rifles and mana-bristling weapons were aimed at the rusted platform.
“Nothing can defy the absolute power of prophecy,” rang Khao’s voice with a newfound menace. “We cannot afford to let you waver from your true path. The world cannot afford it.”
Rainbow slowly, icily turned to glare at the mare.
“You are courageous, but also blind, Harbinger,” she continued. “You do not truly understand the sort of danger that you are flying into. There is something at play here. Something far more venomous and dastardly than Ledomaritan generals or Xonan zealots. There is a great evil in this land, a source of deceit and corruption that has planted seeds of discord within this very continent for one express purpose.” She narrowed her eyes. “To spring a trap for Austraeoh…”
Rainbow Dash squinted. “Spring a trap… for me?”
“We weren’t the first group to sense your coming, as much as it pains me to admit it,” Khao murmured. “Someone else is here. Someone ancient, someone powerful who wants to consume you and what you stand for. If you stay on this path, with these so-called friends of yours, you will surely perish long before you make it to your destination. It is our place as the Herald of Angels to make sure such a terrible fate does not befall you. For the greater good, you must relinquish the Relic to our hooves, and join us for the rest of the voyage. I promise you that we will get you past the danger that awaits you, and all eyes seeking to trace your journey with malicious intent.”
Pilate chewed on his lip. His ears twitched as he tilted his head towards Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash took a long, deep breath. Frowning, she blurted, “No deal, featherbrain.” She scraped her hooves against the ground. “I’ll take my chances.”
Khao’s responded a lot more swiftly than either the pegasus or zebra had anticipated. “We were afraid you would make such a foolish decision. Alas, we are prepared to teach you the consequences thereof.”
“If you mean to say that you’re ready to take me on with this little ‘posse’ of yours…” Rainbow Dash smirked as she waggled her ears towards the figures in the shadows. “You’ve got another thing coming.”
“You are the Harbinger,” Khao said calmly. “You cannot be defeated; merely persuaded.”
“Huh…?” Rainbow Dash’s face contorted.
“We allowed you to take the Relic because we thought you were ready to make a very serious journey,” Khao said. “Obviously, that is not yet the case.” She drew the hood back over her dreadlocks with finality. “As such, we are ready to take it back.”
“Take…” Rainbow blinked. “...it back?”
“Rainbow Dash!” Pilate hissed, his O.A.S.I.S. sphere fluctuating. “I’m sensing a surge of magic!”
Rainbow was confused, but then flashed a look at Khao. The mare was activating a crystal communicator on her other forelimb.
A gasp escaped Rainbow’s lips. “Awwww Luna poop…”
“Pow pow!” Kera chirped, strafing sideways across the deck of the Noble Jury with the empty slingshot in her telekinetic grasp. “You’re dead, old stallion!”
“In more ways than one,” Josho grumbled, hiding a smirk on his stubbled face as he continued fiddling with the managun. “But seriously, kid, you gotta learn how to find some decent cover to hide behind if you wanna really live long through a firefight.”
“Pffft! I’ve gotten three headshots on you already!”
“Sure you did,” Josho chuckled. “That’d be a lot easier to boast about if you’re using live ammo.” A ball bearing ricocheted off his skull. “Augh! Darn it! How’d you like to become the ship’s official pincushion!”
Kera stuck her tongue out and galloped away, giggling, with a barking squirrel in tow.
“It would please Floydien beyond spit if doughnut boomer and his anti-niece took their racket somewhere far away from the skull of Nancy Jane,” grumbled a voice from the cockpit.
“Right, right…” Josho sighed as he stood up and shuffled towards the stern. “I can take a hint. You have fun… nngh… playing with your antlers, or whatever the heck it is you do in the pilot’s seat.”
“Never you mind!”
“Ugh… I gotta find a way to clean this thing,” Josho talked to himself as he trotted down the stairwell at the rear of the ship. “Looks like it was put together in the rectum of a sperm whale. I swear to Ledo…”
Kera continued running little foalish circles, making zeppelin noises with her lips while chasing Simon. Unbeknownst to her and Floydien, several shadows shifted along the upper docking ports, growing denser and denser with the rippling of cloaked garments. Moving like one large serpent, the silent assailants closed in on the Noble Jury, unholstering steam pistols from beneath their garments.
Rainbow, please, just this one time, break their kneecaps.
I bloody knew it! Bad guys!
Bullsquat. This whole thing stinks like last week's cowpies. Bunch of snake-oil salesmen,Dashie. Willing to bet they are the so-called "others."
My back is still fucked up, so no pushups this round, ):(
Not cool, guys...not cool.
Floydien's a bit of a powerhouse. I'm sure that he, Simon, and Josho (and maybe Kira) could take on the attackers in a direct fight. But on the other hand, that's not what these jokers seem to do...
I foresee Kera launching Simon.
These guys are way too religious for my taste. They seem to have the right intentions, but they are definitely going about things the wrong way. I'm more willing to trust foals who have been in direct contact with the ancient pegasi than a cult whose teachings have had millennia to get corrupted. Also, Pilate and Belle are proven beyond doubt to be the true Eljunbyro.
~bass
Silly Heralds, Rainbow Dash never leaves her friends hanging.
I figured they were idiot fanatics.
I almost prefer Shell- Wait, he's crazy now too. Shit. All the ponies in this continent are crazy!
Well, fuck, Khao's a huge jerk.
Seriously people, what do you know? Maybe you've been watching all along, but you haven't done anything for Austraeoh, or for the world. Heck, if anything, the fact that you've been watching makes you completely lose credibility about everything.
You don't have a rightful place anywhere, especially nowhere near harmony from the way you've been acting so far.
3262611
Bite your tongue Guy, Shell is still following the trial.
Hmm... loyalty or no loyalty? I think RD just happens to be a smidge more on the loyal side....
Kick their asses Dash!
Vger has followed orders of the Creator. VGer will sterilise the infestation.
lying sons a bitches, i knew it ever since... last chapter...
Here ya go Josho, some action for ya. Maybe Kira and Simon can do some damage of some kind or, best case scenario, Roarke returns to the ship and owns everyone.
This line of reasoning always amuses me.
"The one who has been foretold has arrived! He/she is the only one who can achieve that which must be done!"
.....
"Clearly, in order for this to happen, we must restrict the prophesied one's actions, choices and judgements in such a way that they can only act as we see fit!"
I'm sure there's a logical fallacy in there. Too tired to go look it up for now.
Then again, it's prophesy. Circular reasoning is pretty much the name of the game.
3263483
"This is far bigger than all of us and that means no one has any right to make any decisions about it, therefore we are going to make decisions about it."
That's pretty much exactly what they're saying.
Hey, it's the Pharisees and Jesus all over again.
When will they learn?
thefilmexperience.net/storage/1950s/plan9-futurespeech.png?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1355922590712
Future events such as these, will effect us in the future.
Silly Herald, traps don't work if you brag about them beforehand.
Rainbow's hair really is magic.
Case closed.
Yep. "We know better than you" adventure-gestapos. Man, I've been on a roll lately. These guys are gonna be a pain in Rainbow's ass this whole installment, won't they (or beyond: Shell's certainly been around for a while)? I just hope they don't kill someone or mess things up too badly. The real bummer is that they might have some really nifty info.
If I'm not mistaken, this isn't the first time that a secret, powerful force lurking behind the scenes has been mentioned. It makes me wonder what other forces are in play that we're not really seeing yet. And now that we're moving past the socio-political evils of Ledomare and leaning back into the mysteries of the past, these other forces will probably be coming into play more than ever before. I think this installment is gonna be good.
Freaking finally got caught up. Yeesh, college, you are too cruel.
So, we've got a group claiming that they need to get Rainbow from A to B even faster than how she's going? Interesting sort of evil-for-the-good-of-the-world vibe going on with those guys.
Floydien's lines are always too perfect for me
And now it's party time on the Noble Jury! Kera's going to kick some flank with that slingshot of hers, calling it now.
You know, back to Khao and those other guys, what if they're ultimately right? What if Rainbow Dash fails in her task because of her loyalty to her friends? What then? We always see the "oh if you don't abandon your friends you're gonna lose" ploy, but what if for once it's actually true?
THAT would sure as hell be a magnificent twist.
24 out!
cult ponies are creepy and blinded by what they believe in. maybe there is room on nancy Jane for one cult pony who isn't a dult?
Calling it now. The Jury provides the harmony that keeps Dash alive. Going on without them would make Discord's curse finally kill her.
The Innavedr blows away the chaos.
~bass
Well done, Colon. You have successfully replicated the type of person I really, really hate. Well, no, I do not hate anybody, but folks like these are pushing it.
I would like it very much if these angelic arsewipes are a smaller part of this story, because these guys are the people I cannot stand.
But yeah, with their super legacy, understanding, connections to Axan and seemingly limitless numbers and resolve, I highly doubt this is going to blow over in a single arc.
Cue the heavy sigh.
>inb4 Roarke murders them all
3266311
You don't hate anybody? Not even Shell? You are a better man than I.
3262375
I think they're sincere, but stupid. Or have blinded themselves to the True Light of Awesomeness.
Not sure which would be worse.
3262276
Breaking of kneecaps is good. Breaking of spines is better.
"You kill the Keeper or I kill the Listener? Now. THAT'S. MADNESS!!"
Philosophers are often faced with the accusation of being arrogant in their wisdom - so certain of themselves because of the obscure knowledge they have acquired that the greatest of them end up doing the dumbest mistakes, because they forget that in all their wisdom there are still some often very simple things that they just don't understand. Khao is the very image of the sage in the ivory tower; the kind of sinner for which we are constantly told to watch out, lest we become one of them. I feel that my disdain comes almost natural.
It is pleasant to know that they will learn to respect the power of the Odrsjot sooner than later. Friendship is magic, bitch.
I was worried Pilate was gonna take a bullet right there. That seems like the kind of "persuasion" this group would go for.
I think Kara seems a lot more childish in this story...
3266501 Well, yes. You can empathise with Shell. He was loyal to Ledomare, he thought he was serving his country, and doing the right thing for everybody. Look where that has got him. His loved ones are dead, his job is at a stagnating standstill, he spends most of his time murdering innocent people and he gets orders from ignorant, self-righteous, callous, morons. That would drive anybody to breaking point.
These guys? They are the ignorant, self-righteous, callous morons. The kind of people with their head so far up their own excretory passages they cannot see what is directly in front of them. I dislike these people far more than Shell.
Of course, we still have little idea who they really are. That is why I don't hate them. If IC can make me empathise with Shell, I am quite certain there is something deeper to these zealous cultists than there appears to be.
An awful, awful cult.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Alright, it's simple enough to understand. Before unicorns, earth ponies, or even alicorns roamed the plane, the pegasi formed this cult of Austraeoh worshippers. They aren't evil or bad - they're just misled. If, somehow, Dash can convince them that Pilate and Belle really are her Eljunbyro...for that matter, we don't even know what Innavedr is yet. Not complaining, though. These are thoughts so far.
-MASH
These Angelic whatevers better refer to the section of their prophecy books where they get their asses whooped if they've been watching all this time and still think that they'll be able to defeat Rainbow's resolve or any of the Noble Jury when fleets of zeppelins, countless rounds of ammunition/explosives, psychotic spidery dictators, flying foxes, an entire corrupt government and hordes of goons of varying species and competence couldn't. Right now all they're bringing to the table are pretty colours, and even those are the results of a dye-job.
Face it, silly-plots, ain't nobody needs fakers when Dash clearly has the real thing already.
Sound like a twisted version of the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword.
A while back, Luna mentioned one of the Divines saying that there was a dark shadow growing. The cultists are now saying that a something has corrupted the bones of the pegasi, and they have at least had contact with Axan.
What if the cultists are actually correct about the skeletons being corrupted? Sure, they may be "helping" in the wrong way, and I doubt they are Eljunbyro. But they may not be completely wrong.
I do realize this arc may have been resolved at some point in the next 120 or so chapters, but I'm rambling anyway.
Insane Pegasus lover cult doing the one thing they don't want to do: Hindering Dash's journey.
And subsequently heaping up a huge order of beatings.
-Spirit
Cults, man. They suck.
"doughnut boomer"
Order of the Robed Paintbuckets kind of have a point. That said, their point would be helped if they didn't come across all cult-ish and creepy. Presentation is important, guys.
They know a suspicious amount of... specific details. Things that, unless you were an unlucky soldier of Ledomare or a companion of Dash herself, you wouldn't be able to know.
I sense a spy!
This reminds me of Terry Goodkind's 'Sword of Truth' series. Prophecy is the only way, there is no other choice. Bullcrap, and as the protagonist in 'Sword of Truth' put it, (not verbatim, but still) 'Prophecy is for the blind who don't want to decide for themselves.' Free will/free decision is the anti-prophecy, prophecy is strict while free will has many options.
Harmony and Friendship are not distractions, they are the whole reason behind the journey.They know nothing of Ynanhluutr, of the purpose from within
5887246 Yes! But I'm afraid these cultists are far more devious than melons.
5887246
Ah, but free will is the balance to prophesy. And by following free will he was actually fulfilling prophesy left and right. That and prophesy, at least in the Sword of Truth series, was a branched affair. Culminating in tons of either / or / and logic branches.
But like Sword of Truth, prophesy was always meant as a spark for the gift, where as those who didn't have it could and did misuse / misinterpret the words of prophesy to fit their own ends. Or steer things to their own end goals. So in a way, the cultists do fit that in that I doubt they [unlike Tia or other prophetic ponies] have a prophetic abilities. Although there is a book of Prophesies in the show, and pony prophesies are relatively straight forward.
7433457
More often then not these are exactly the people in real life that are the dangerous aspect of society.
People who are only too willing to only see things their own way.
Regardless of what else they may be wrong about, I'm inclined to believe this part.
Who could it be? My first suspicion would be another dragon - maybe the Frost one, who seems the least trustworthy.
But none of the Divine actually want the world to end. (Well, I don't know about Endrax.) Even Axan was immediately willing to help RD when she realized she was Austraeoh.
Another Discord- like chaos spirit? He'd probably have made his way to Ponyville by now...
Considered opinion: You guys are nuts.
Tactical estimation: You are about to acquire a bunch of new plot holes.
Almost two years later, still as FOS as ever.
05/20/2017 19:05 UTC