//------------------------------//
// Time to Turn In 
// Story: Ofolrodi 
// by Imploding Colon 
//------------------------------//

"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..."