“Whoah, no way. So she was really Xonan?” Zaid grinned as he teetered back against a cobblestone wall. “Hah, and I thought those tattoos were stick-on!” No sooner had he finished saying this when an ice cold bucket of river water was tossed over his face. “Gaaaaaie!”
“Sober up, featherbrain!” Rainbow Dash placed the empty bucket down and leaned forward. “So you got a good look at the foal’s face?!”
“Gaauchkt! Jeez…” Zaid spat and shook his soaking mane. “You know, I thought your fillyfriend was doing the water torture. Not you.”
“Don’t be stupid. I’m just keeping you awake, pal.” Rainbow blinked, then scowled, “And she’s not my fillyfriend!”
“Uhmmm…” Zaid smacked the left side of his head, shaking water droplets out of his right ear canal. “Petite little filly. Peach coat. Dark tattoos from head to tail. If that ain’t Xonan, then I’m a big leather suit full of chipmunks!”
“Did she say anything at all when you supposedly caught her from falling to her death?!”
“Ain’t no supposedly about it, Harbinger… Austroganoff… Rainbow Goddess Pony thingy…” Zaid squinted at her. “What the hay should I call you anyways? All those stuffy old books were super vague about it.”
“Will you please just talk to me about Kera?!”
“How about ‘Har-Har?’”
Rainbow Dash snarled. “No. You most certainly will not call me ‘Har-Har.’”
“Cuz I could call you ‘binger,’ but… heheh… knowing me, that’s like the pot calling the kettle black--”
Rainbow Dash lunged forward and fiercely gripped his shoulders. “The foal! The foal, darn it!”
“Alright! No, she didn’t say anything! I mean, we were kinda busy being blown to bits by the Ledomaritans at the time!”
“But they stopped?” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “And then they came for Kera?”
“It’s like they saw the little filly from afar or something. I gotta tell ya, ‘binger, we’ve bumped heads with those beret fetishists a bunch of times, and they’ve never once showed us any moment of compassion. I’m surprised they would have stopped shelling us for anything, much less to protect a little kid. I mean, how did they know she wasn’t with the Herald? Khao hired a bunch of super young ponies to guard the ancient winged pony bones. It didn’t work much. They still got stolen by agents of ‘Nut Shear Industries.’”
Rainbow’s face scrunched up. “Nightshade? Nightshade Industries?”
“Whatever.” Zaid shrugged. “All I know is that Khao was super-merry-go-ground-pissed when the fossils went missing. Heh. The lady sure does love her bones.”
“Why were you chasing Kera around to begin with?” Rainbow asked. “I thought she was held inside the ship after she was kidnapped, not out on the deck.”
“Beats me. I’m thinking the little bugger escaped. She seemed like quite the scamp, before the bad guys hauled her off and sent me and the rest of my co-workers sailing to our inevitable doom, that is.”
“Well, I hate to break it to ya, pal.” Rainbow Dash folded her forelimbs with a frown. “But your ‘co-workers’ attacked my friends and I without our asking for trouble. You’re looking like the bad guys from this angle, too.”
“Yeah, well, I gave up being a saint after this one year in college when I realized that my really wicked sexy dream wasn’t a dream at all.” Zaid slicked his yellow-streaked mane back. “Whew! Tell ya what. It’s one thing to score with twins. But to piss them off? There aren’t enough eyes on a stallion to turn black! Heheh…”
Rainbow Dash leaned back. “Ugh. You’re grosser than gross, pal. I expected all of Khao’s lackeys to be total meat fodder, but hypocrites? You make me wanna barf.”
“I’m not all that fond of mirrors myself, lady.” Zaid smirked. “Though, for what it’s worth, being with the Herald paid pretty well. I didn’t do much but patrol the deck and bum cigarettes off of passing merchant ships. I tell ya, the wheat they feed you at devotionals is tangy to the tongue and all, but it clogs up the nose like tar when you smoke it.”
“Was there, like, a test to pass in order to qualify for their brotherhood/sisterhood thing?”
“Yeah. They asked me if I thought the world was miserable and incomplete. I said ‘yeah.’ So they then asked if I wanted to help restore balance to the universality of all life. And I was like ‘Will there be grilled cheese?’ And they were all ‘certainly.’ So I was all ‘cool!’”
Rainbow Dash face hoofed, sighing. “I can’t believe I didn’t just follow the lavender light…”
“Oh, so you know what she did with the book?”
Rainbow Dash did a double-take, bringing her hoof down. “Huh?!”
“Wait…” Zaid’s face twisted. “Now that I think of it, I haven’t seen one slice of grilled cheese sandwiches--”
Rainbow Dash thrusted her muzzle into his face. “What do you know about Kera and the book?!”
“Well, she has it. Right?” Zaid blinked. “I mean, that’s what this is all about, isn’t it? The book she stole?”
“She… she stole it?” Rainbow Dash stammered.
“Yeah! You know what, she totally did!” Zaid smirked. “That’s why we were all chasing after her! Well, they were all chasing after her. I was trying to get this lighter to work, and suddenly we were being shelled. Then next thing I knew, this poor little kid was falling over the edge and I was all, ‘Jee, that would suck to die so young and never get old enough to smoke, and here I am getting all worked up over a lighter… and being shelled to death.’” Zaid blinked. “Come to think of it, it didn’t make much sense at the time. I guess it was instinctual. I didn’t even see a book on her until I pulled her onto the deck, and by then she had hidden the thingy when the Ledo lugs sent a skiff with enforcers to take the girl… and her thingy. Her girlthingy.”
“That… that means they have Kera…” Rainbow Dash winced. “And the book!” She spun towards the southeast, staring at a distant speck of lavender. “Unnngh-Dang it!” She fell upon the ground and tugged at her mane. “I’m such a moron! Why didn’t I fly faster?! Why didn’t I let Roarke take point or something?! Rgggh!”
“So, like, Khao said that your eyes can see the ancient book wherever it happens to be,” Zaid said. “That right, ‘binger?”
“Mmmm… stop calling me that…” Rainbow Dash muttered.
“Well, if you’re so hell-bent on finding the little scamp, why not go after her now?!”
“She’s with a crapton of enforcers now!” Rainbow Dash frowned. “On a battlecruiser! If I fly within one hundred feet of the darn thing, I’ll be weaker than soggy noodles! They’ll blow me out of the sky and then the only pony who can save Kera is Roarke, and I’m not entirely sure I can predict how trustworthy she is anymore!”
“Ew, the book conks you out, ‘binger?” Zaid squinted. “Why not just use the odor’s jut?”
Rainbow Dash flashed him a look. “What what?”
“Y’know…” Zaid motioned with his hoof. “The odor’s jut! The rune! I mean, you keep a bunch of them around you while making your trip to save the world from dying and stuff?”
“Uhhhhh…”
“Hold on a second. I’ll show you what I’m talking about.” Zaid reached for his fetlock. He pulled the rainbow-colored band off, inverted it, and showed its dark underside. “This right here. Don’t tell me you haven’t got one!”
Rainbow Dash leaned forward, taking the hoofband in a nervous grasp. Her lips parted as she gazed at the symbol before her.
The emblem consisted of three parallel horizontal lines flanking a central stalk. Towards the right of the center line, two angles floated, one small and the other large, with their lines meeting at the right. Within the larger angle, a half circle was housed. The whole symbol resembled a complex arrow in a way. Rainbow’s hoof felt the grooves that the lines made in the ex-Heraldite’s band.
“‘Odrsjot…’” Rainbow Dash muttered.
Zaid raised his eyebrows. “Oh, so that’s how you pronounce it?”
“According to… well… according to a very good friend of mine.” Rainbow Dash gulped. “A mare who’s desperately wanting to see Kera again.”
“Did this mare explain to you how to use the thing?”
“Use it?” Rainbow Dash glanced up. “Use it how?”
“Well, according to Khao, whoever holds the Text of the Prophets with this thingy will be imbued with Angelic Power. She gave us all one to carry around, so that if we had to hide from the Harbinger’s eyes in a pinch, we’d invert it and grab onto the book.”
“What… for?”
“I dunno.” Zaid shrugged. “But according to Khao, the runes were all originally etched in pages belonging to the book. They were taken out ages ago and turned into a stencil by monks who really had nothing better to do with their lives. Heh.”
“The… the rune cancels out the power of the book?” Rainbow Dash spoke aloud as she gazed across the gray trading post. “Then, with this thing, I j-just might be able to snatch Kera from the Ledomaritans, no problem!”
“Uhhhh… sure?” Zaid shrugged. “You can have the thing if you want. It totally isn’t a chick magnet. Heck knows, I’ve tried. Heheh… unless… uhm… y-you count, of course, but Khao said that the Harbinger would be a ‘lonely soul seeking no comfort besides what Elk June Burrow can provide.’ She said nothing about her having an angry metal sarcophagus with legs for a fillyfriend.”
“She’s not my fillyfriend!” Rainbow Dash waved the hooflet around, frowning. “You ever actually tried this thing, genius?! How do I know you’re not making this garbage up?”
“What?!” Zaid chuckled. “You kidding?” He slipped his mane back and smirked towards the overcast sky. “It’s been years since I’ve eaten out of garbage!”
“And so you think this band you’re wearing will protect you from the adverse effects of the tome?” Roarke asked as the two flew swiftly southeast.
“That’s what I’m hoping!” Rainbow Dash nodded and spoke over the whipping wind. “We’ll track down this airship, find a way to sneak on board, grab Kera, grab the tome, and book it back to Gray Smoke! No pun intended!”
“Sounds like a plan!” Roarke shouted back. “I only have one question!”
“Shoot.”
Roarke grumbled through her helmet. “Why in the name of Searo’s titanium uterus are we bringing that breeder along?!”
Rainbow Dash glanced down at the breathless, wide-eyed stallion flailing in her grasp as the two soared over trees, marshes, and forests. “Look, I’m not entirely sure just how the book ticks, ya feel me? And this guy’s been with the Herald long enough to possibly have a clue. There’s no telling how badly things will go down when the book is in our grasp! We could use him, still!”
“That is a stupid and foolhardy choice,” Roarke droned. “But knowing you, I suspect there’s no arguing the point.” Roarke faced ahead and accelerated. “Just try not to get any of his stallion sweat near me.”
“You hear that, dude?!” Rainbow Dash shouted down at the dangling equine. “She’s no longer wanting to kill you!”
“I have bugs in my teeth!”
Rainbow shrugged. “Good enough.” And she flapped her wings harder and tailed Roarke under the fall of evening.
Oh lord, poor, poor Zaid is in for a wild ride...
All that's left now is for Shell to
contrivecome up with a perfectly legitimate reason to join the rumble in the swamp lands and we'll have a regular three-way throwdown on our hands.3365518
He will read the map wrong.
Everyone wants to ask him if he's sure he's reading the map right, but too afraid to ask. Therefore, they keep going towards this random swamp- hey, is that a battle-cruiser and a Rainbow?
I'm tellin' you: Tommy Chong.
Anyway, got a new rune. That's always a good day. Kinda a stylish one, at that. Kind of has a Navajo vibe. And convenient plot device is convenient. I'll leave it to Pilate to work out the intricacies of the symbolism, since whenever I try, it comes out sounding like... well, Zaid.
And what's this? A connection between Nightshade's foals and Khao's fools? Intriguing.
3365518
That's what I'm hoping for. Let Shell and Fortis duke it out while the girls sneak out.
We're chugging right along, ):(, so give me fifty flutter kicks. Knock 'em out!
A new character has joined the party.
If the Odrsjot symbol suppresses the book's power, does that make the pony/ies who are Odrsjot a passive hindrance on Rainbow's journey?
All these roles destined to be fulfilled seem reminiscent of Homestuck, except there's significantly less death involved.
3365746 It definitely seems that way. Either that or Khao is more cognizant of Austraeoh's stubbornness after all, if she preps all of her soldiers to learn how to AVOID the Harbinger in a pinch. Almost like she knew something was gonna go wrong. Or that she has other intentions.
I'm starting to think these Heraldites aren't misguided, but rather misled, by Khao herself. The rest of them definitely seem to legitimately want to help Austraeoh and honestly believe they're Eljunbyro, but if Khao herself has failsafes designed to fight Austraeoh, then that throws all of her intentions into question. It's really starting to seem more and more like she isn't just desperately evil, but rather someone with an agenda against Austraeoh for some reason. Why would a cult who worships and wants to assist Austraeoh have a backup plan to evade or fight her, unless its leadership secretly had no intention of helping her in the first place?
HAH! Ghosts of Harmony, I see!
Well, no wonder Khao's so mad, they stole her super cool bone collection! If I had a super cool bone collection and it got stolen, I'd totally go around hunting for rainbow ponies and attacking her friends too!
Hooray! More Zaid endangerment!
Wait...
What are these books? What do they say!?
In any case, seems like Roarke and Rainbow are on their way to find Kera and Nightshade...
...and probably find themselves in the crossfire between the Steel Wing and the Lightning Bearer.
Hey...
What happened to the grilled cheese sandwiches?
Zaid.
Okay, he's pretty intriguing now.
The curse of har-har strikes again!
Zaid....the guy is so airheaded I would be seriously wondering whether he was doing it all on purpose, except for the fact that it seems more likely to get him killed and/or tortured.
The latest symbol revealed. I think I like this one the best. Because I have a thing for polygons.
What you did there. I sawed it. And boy did I saweded it.
If Har-Har were here, she'd definitely give all of those Enforcer guys what for.
...In-between having emotional fits over Rainbow Dash.
The Council said that they were gonna murder Shell, right? If so, i'd say an epic threeway is in the making
Cameo appearance by Har-Har and Shaggy from Scooby Doo. "Like, zoiks, harbinger! It's a s-s-searonese bounty hunter!"
We are expecting to experience a little turbulence. Please ensure all luggage is secured and your seat is fixed in the uptight position.
I knew today was a bad day to give up not pissing off heavy weapon mare.
A quest with no prize at the end. Just a battleship and a psychopath.
An armband that repulses the effects of the book, hm? Sounds too good to be true. If it weren't for the impending explosions waiting to happen between the Lightning Bearer, Steel Wing, Roarke, and Rainbow Dash, I'd say it'd make getting the book and Kera out almost too easy.
Another symbol? Excellent. So the symbol for Odrsjot cancels out the book's presence. Well, the stalk- I mean cult- I mean Heralds are the ones who have taken the book away, and they were using the symbol, so I'm thinking that the Heralds may be Odrsjot.
Mystery solved:
i.imgur.com/mirUT7O.jpg
Zaid is full of squirrels.
I see wut U did thar, Skirts.
3367286
This guy. This guy right here. Let me tell you a little bit about this guy right here.
He is smart.
3366973
I can get behind that. Belle, Pilate and the gang are Eljunbyro, giving Dash endurance; I guess Odrsjot is what sets her back on track, albeit they're kinda being dicks about it. After all, it has felt more like a big road trip (air trip?) lately than the mission that was originally intended.
I want to see the impending air battle.
Lightning Bearer Vs. Steel Wing, place your bets ladies and gents. The respectable navel ship vs Shell's giant lunatic stick.
3367533
My bets are on Shell, whether the Steel Wing survives or not.
So... fifty bits on Shell's survival. Who's going to run a tally?
Sure, Rainbow. Whatever you say.
The Eljun Bureaucrats carry Odrsjot runes? How convenient.
Seems even more likely now that Zaid will join the Jury.
~Basso Fthe
zaids a funny dude
This chapter had so many references that a facepalm is no longer an appropriate reaction. The only thing that may suffice is
cmi.memecdn.com/49/1730049.gif
Squirrels.
3365746 On that front, I for one have stopped wondering. It doesn't even make sense to me why the book would weaken Rainbow in the first place, when ruby flames clearly empower her.
3365804 Khao stated that Rainbow is the vessel of the Austraeoh and not aware of her true position, power and purpose. She has the divinity, but the Heraldites have the knowledge. She has been misled, but the Heraldites are there to get her back on track. Khao completely misunderstood the concept of the symbols - especially Eljunbyro - by assuming a religious fellowship to take that place: deity, prophet, and the faithful as the roles of Rainbow, Khao and the Heraldites accordingly. She doesn't know Harmony, nor the magic of friendship. She views Rainbow's companions as what they are from a pragmatical point of view: a burden. Within the metaphysics of the Spark, this concept also stands. But both the psychology of Rainbow and the metaphysics of Harmony destroy that idea: Rainbow needs friend to carry her will, not followers to carry her body. Khao, like her followers, does not understand; at the same time, she is so absolutely certain that she does understand that she is willing to oppose Rainbow for her own good - like a mother educating a child.
3367456 I always thought that Pilate and Belle were the Eljunbyro, and only Pilate and Belle. We still don't know exactly what the Innavedr is - though we have reason to suspect the book - but I am quite certain that the Odrsjot is the entirety of the crew. With the word meaning - what was it, "frantic companionship"? - and the word being the title of this particular arc, which is the first where they travel as a group all together, I daresay it's pointing us at that direction. In addition, it just wouldn't make sense for a bunch of misguided villains to be an inherent part of the Austraeoh's destiny, not like that.
Aww, the picture doesn't have a funny title in the URL...
The rune cancels out the books power.
Does that mean Rainbow can get near the book without having a seizure?
I'm liking Zaid. He's the loopy one that makes no sense in a drunkenly hilarious way. Josho is the drinker who kicked the bucket. Zaid is the drinker who tried to kick the bucket but yelped and tried to flee when the bucket bit onto his tail and didn't let go.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Now, this is interesting. While Austraeoh and Eljunbyro both had physical embodiments and symbols, the symbols themselves didn't have any power. Innavedr is still a mystery, I believe, and now we've got Odrsjot. Since the symbol itself has an effect, maybe there isn't a physical embodiment of it. We can't be sure of which one applies to Innavedr, though...These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
3365806
Dude, you totally had a super cool bone collection and it got stolen, and you totally went around hunting for rainbow ponies and attacking her friends too
This cult just reached a new level of evil: promising grilled cheese sandwiches and not delivering. That's just wrong, And now I really want a grilled cheese sandwich. For Zaid of course. Good thing I feed myself and can make one and don't have to wait for the cultists to make me one.
They had to bring the hippie with them, didn't they? He reminds me of Chong from Avatar: the Last Airbender, except he doesn't sing. Or at least, he hasn't yet. Maybe our new trio will will meet up with Kera and Nightshade, and Zaid will show Nighty the ways of peace and grilled-cheese, and they'll run off into the wilderness together to start a nature convent or something.
I'm shipping it until the story tells me otherwise. Even then, I'm not making any promises.
Onward!
Is Zaid a poke at Australians?
Zaid is hilarious. Okay, so Austraeoh is Dash, Eljunbyro is Belle and Pilate, Innavedr is Belle, and Odrsjot nullifies the book's power. If there was a pony representing Odrsjot, could they be detrimental to the quest?
-Spirit
Hey, I want you to promise me something. I want you to promise to me that Zaid will die. And not only that he will die, but it will hurt. A lot.
Wow, Ziad makes Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack look smart. ...Not that I hate those three.
5130175 Or maybe excessive weed use/abuse has adlled his brain, as you remember he said "Far out dude" and if that's not stoner language i don't know what is.
I think I'm going to like Zaid.
Oh dear, Zaid's a moron. A cute moron, but still a moron.
Woah, calm down Zaid
4438614
Innavedr is the book you dumbflank!
5889235 Technically it was both.
5889760 Innavedr was several things. I felt like it was the "evolution" of Eljunbyro into something More. From belle and Pilate Restoring her, to The whole group coming together to journey with her. But Straight up though, innavedr was the LEAST explained one so far and it's hella confusing.
Odor's jot.
The image isn't showing up on my computer or when I open image in a new tab. What's it supposed to look like?
_____________________________-
5889235
Actually you're mostly wrong. Yes it was the name of the book. But every book is named after an important part of story. That references someone or something in the story. Austraeoh [the first book] was Dashie; Eljunbryo was Belle and Pilate who gave Dashie back her wind / purpose to live; Innavadr is what the circle of children in the Animus Machine called Belle [or it was the Ghost / Colt Memory; creepy what you call it with in the Lotus Eater], It said in the fic itself that she was no longer Eljunbryo, that she was now Innavadr.
[As for how you're mostly wrong. While it was the name of the book. That's all you got right, the rest is wrong including calling 4438614 a dumbflank for being right [about Belle being Innavadr].
4438614
Honestly that'd suck. I'm hoping that it's only a rune this time rather than a pony.
Your image is broken, at least on my end.
20 weeks later, still broken.
Yep, the image isn't loading just after:
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Imgur disabled embedding. The direct link to the image is: https://i.imgur.com/uBBJTRc.png