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.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.044 seconds
Total duration
835 users online
697,448 hits today, 2,782,760 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
It is going to be very difficult to fight Lexxic, if needed.
Ow.
It's almost time for bed, let me just fool around for a few minutes before I head in early.
!!!!!
Whelp, no early bed tonight!
Well, here we are, and ho boy does Lexxic deserve his reputation....he is more terrifying and dangerous than we could have ever imagined o_O
Wow.
Just...wow. Lexxic. Wow.
This is gonna be one heck of a mission o.O;;
Now I'm picturing Lexxic as Pyramid Head. Probably not accurate, but it's at least humorous.
Oh joy, bat Krogan's. This will be... interesting.
As an aside... it seems like there's some conflict brewing between Dash and Ariel.
I think she might end up being frustrated at being dismissed by all sides so easily and do something fatally stupid.
Through the path long forgotten, into the darkness long begotten. Ofolrodi.
I feel like this arc is where Dash tries to "get along" with Discord just for her and her friends to get by.
Lexxic is definitely MDK Pyramid Head.
Now, how to get Fox Mulder to shove that removal agent up the end where Lexxic primary defenses aint, and where being the skunk he is, has a really nasty suprise waiting?
For some reason, I get this feeling that a mere Daisy Cutter actually wont.
Oh, that was it. Somone needs to give Lexxic a Pokeball Enema, with Smooze. At least, at this momnent in time Im thinking it Might be effective. Then again, thats how Wild Wild West ended up with the giant mechanical spider.
10329774
I got that vibe too, triangular metal hat which covers the face
Hypotheses...
First off, the sarosians at Bleak’s Plummet were very clearly matriarchal. It sounds like the dream council is as well, and in the first chapter we saw evidence that the whole of the dark vigil used to be. But Lexxic’s crew is all stallions, and pretty misogynistic ones at that. Is this evidence of an overall shift in culture within the dark vigil? Or a schism? Either way, I’d bet it’s going to make things more difficult.
Second, we’ve heard multiple times about the armor of nightmare moon, but haven’t seen any sight of it. I’m gonna hazard a guess that Lexxic has figured out how to use it, and that his chaos helm thing helps make that possible.
Finally, Lexxic clearly has some special senses going on. I’m really curious to find out more about what they are.
Well, Lexxic is not someone to be messed with for sure. He clearly knows about the girls (not sure if we knew this before, I honestly forget) I also feel he has some kind of ulterior motive going on here, again not really remembering if this was something hinted at before. Should have really reread this once it started up again, oh well.
Love how intimidating the Bloodwings are.
Lexxic is on a whole 'nother level of intimidation tho.
He's definitely the kind of character that I'll always be nervouscited to see what he does or says next.
Ooooh. I like Lexxic already!
I like him!
Do I sense... A QUEST!?
Seven, eh? I mean if you include Discord... I'm not sure which group of seven he's referring to. Scary to think he might know that not only does Rainbow have ghost friends, but how many--including Discord. Or maybe he does just mean the Herald
Ya know call me crazy but there is just something about theis Lexxic guy that doean't feel right.
Well, both sides were laying it on thick, but for good reason. Lexxic seems well informed, but I doubt that he knows everything. Now time to travel again, and then comes politics.
With a chaos-metal faceplate, anything should be expected. Sight of things that aren't visible. Dream stalking without notice. Perhaps the faceplate is just the receiver for Lexxic commanding the body from elsewhere. We'll just have to wait and see. Though, got to give kudos to RD for easily calling out their posturing (with a a headbutt from her rock-hard head no less) Truly, what makes Lexxic so dangerous is his mind rather than his brawn. His cruelty though seems to aid him.
It's been so long since we've been able to enjoy Roarke's presence. Barring another April 1st side story, it will be a very long time before we may see the OG Noble Jury again.
Finally we meet the cuwute batties!
I really like their sense of humor and talkyness.
I came in expecting them to be all tough and gruff and edgy, and I was happily proven wrong. Can barely wait to get more of these guys.
Frat-bro bats it is.
Also, here's to the obligatory:
66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mco7r6DGhS1re3c2eo1_500.gifv
...is what I would say if this wasn't Skirts' writing. Since it is, have the femboy instead:
trueachievements.com/achievementimages/7063/252766.jpg
Given the absolute devotion of the Sarosian race, I find that story hard to believe - fallen asleep during a single nightly vigil on Luna's own side? Given that much and more must have been twisted in the past millennium, I wonder...
10329959 Consider the state the Dark Vigil is in. Looking back at the World Wars, you've had casualties in the double digits of total population percentage for a quite a few countries, and that was in four to five years. All-out war is under no circumstances a sustainable state, and for this one to have gone on for so long, there must be an incredibly efficient culture of reproduction in place.
Keep also in mind the old evolutionary rule that the reason male mammals are almost always built for combat instead of females is that females do most all of the work in reproduction and are thus decidedly more important for sustaining the race as a whole. A single male can easily keep a number of females in the high double or even low triple digits pregnant almost permanently, assuming an efficient breeding program is enforced. At the same time, each female lost is one child born less every year with no way to replace it, no way to compensate.
Which is also one of the major reasons women have never been a major part in armies in human history, especially not in all-out wars. Even a matriarchal culture would have to adhere to these realities of reproduction when trapped in a situation like this - and even matriarchal societies in history have always let the men fight. Women, as one scholar put it, aren't stupid. Why would they fight when they've got disposable assholes who are way better at it.
The bottom line is that even though one of the warriors has shown contempt when addressing Ariel as a breeder, it might well have been an insult more along the lines of 'civilian' than 'slave'. The position of breeder might well be a respected, even revered one in a fashion comparable to the glorification of the mother role in Sparta, Prussia or even Nazi Germany. It would make more sense to have females willingly accept that role as their duty in a fully discipline-based society than having them subjugated anyway - just like the males accept their life as nothing but soldiers eagerly - simply because it usually produces much better results on a purely technical level and would make much more sense in such a strongly matriarchal society.
YES bring it on!
I see Dash took a page from the Renegade Shepard playbook
Guess they scrubbed "Angel of Death" from the name for being too much of a mouthful.
Lexxic's going to be fun to fight. I mean that literally and ironically, because it ain't gonna be easy.
This is some good blarg. I’m not mad at the weekly update format either, even though the traditional daily update format has long sense been dead and I was a fan
Here I am, back at the front lines!
10330610
He mentioned earlier that this was before the Sarosians existed.
Characters dervived from my username. I think my brain is having a bit trouble processing this so, Imploding Colon, I hope the names "Bosonn" and "Hyggs" will serve you well in making this epic journey.
You know Just Essay (11th paragraph) referenced my Appledashery comment about safely making twin tornadoes, so Hyggs and Bosonn together could be The Twin Twisters of Nightmares. Maybe RD will teach them the awesome art of utilizing using twin tornadoes in battle.
This Masser'myn guy sounds like an douche, and what a stupid name.
-Wait
Wow, Lexxic is even more creepy than I was expecting. It's hard to get a good read on him, but I'm not holding out much hope for him being a good guy in the long run. The fact he has literal chaos metal affixed to his head sure doesn't bode well.
The other Sarosians, on the other hand, are a different story. Yeah, they're battle-hardened fighters, and their apparent misogyny doesn't do them any favors, but I'm not getting a truly sinister vibe off of them. I suspect their ranks may be fertile ground for allies down the road. Of course, Rainbow's meeting with the Dream Council may be a moment of truth. I'm detecting a bit of tension between the Council and Lexxic, and Rainbow might just be the catalyst for a schism.
The batponies are a lot more chill than I imagined. Didn't expect them to be so relaxed around Lexxic, given his reputation. I'm really liking them as characters. I was expecting another fanatical warrior race like the Searonese or Xonans, nice to see a "human" side to them. The apparent misogyny is worrying of course, I wonder if all mares other than the Dreamer council are "breeders"? Would be a little strange for ponies who worship a goddess.
I swear if you go full Captain Shakespeare on us with this I will both be completely unsurprised an delighted at the same time.
10333090
Aww, and here I thought IC was showing an interest in quantum physics.
Part of me wonders if the "first son of nightmares" is an actual title or something he (or his troops) decided on using. I'm expecting some lines to be drawn in the sand between lexxic and the dream council, and soon.
Y'know, it would actually be more surprising - and amusing - if Rainbow winds up teaming up with Lexxic, rather than the Dream Council. Would be interesting to see Rainbow teaming up with a Warlord, though you'd have to look out for the potential back-stab.
Not what I was expecting
Bree-der?
That went far better than any of the innumberable ways it could've, although that largely seems due to the fact that Lexxic is keeping his people in line.
I'm just glad the sarosians aren't a bunch of Chaos Space Marines in bat pony form. Granted we already knew that from the long ago flashback at the start of this story, but its nice to see there's plenty of diverse personality underneath all that 'skreeee' and scar tats.
Pretty sure in time we'll see there's still plenty of brutality and such within a culture that's literally be in an all out state of war for generations, but yeah, I'm actually digging their vibe thus far. I don't want to make the Klingon comparison, but...
They do strike me a bunch that would use 'pain sticks' for a rite of initiation, don't they? Wonder what that 'blood colts' thing was all about? Maybe they toss the young into fighting pits to battle for supremacy?
Not even going to guess, myself. I mean, we'll see with our own eyes soon enough. I'm more wondering about Lexxic himself. He's extremly eloquent and charismatic, but that doesn't mean I doubt for a second that he'd carve someone's heart out in an instant if he felt it was neccessary for his goals.
He's clearly very intelligent, and also from what I'm picking up on here, somewhat chaffing under his own culture's traditions. I mean, who goes on a story-rant about Luna playing ping pong with the moon for the first time with a baked in lesson a about how lies turn into cultural traditions unless they seriously have a hate-boner for tradition as a whole.
Beats me, but I can tell the dude's got plans for Dash and her friends, otherwise this meeting wouldn't have gone half as well as it did. And when I said friends, I'm not sure I mean Seraphimus, Wildcard, and Ariel.
You're thinking he can see and hear the ghost gals?
Might have something to do with the chaos plate he's got bolted to his noggin', but yeah, I'm thinking he can at least see the other Mane Six. Not sure if he can hear them, but the way he said a certain thing in this chapter gave me the impression he knows they're there. At any rate, I think he's playing as friendly as he is with Dash because he figures her pressence might help his own plans in some way. I mean, he clearly can switch from diplomatic psudo-philospher mode into 'KILL YOUR FACE WITH CHAOS DAGGERS!!!' in a heartbeat, like he did with his 'Brother'. Not sure that's all an act there, or if it is, it just proves the due can put up a friendly front when it suits him. Heck, he might be one of those types who can genuintely be friendly and even like someone, and still decided to kill them a second later because he sees it as neccessary.
Yeah, he does strike me as the 'goal oriented' type. So the big question is just how bad will this get, rather than if it'll get there at all?
Well, violence will likely commence at one point or another, but who knows who's terms it'll be on? Dash tends to hammer through things in a straight line.
Until recently.
Until recently. Hey, that reminds me, what's the opposite of a straight line?
i don't know. I failed geometry.
Well, a stright line will always go from one point to another; A ------- B ------- C right? So what does the opposite of that? What will always take you back to A?
...A circle.
Bingo. Or yahtzee? Anyway, yeah, just a thought I had. Rainbow's journey has largely been a straight line, but had plenty of curves and even circles tossed into it, which were always pretty chaotic.
So what? A line is order, a circle is chaos? Yeah, I'm going to say you're thinking about that shit waaaaay too much.
Probably, but if the story is going to toss this stuff at me, I might as well fiddle with it. I mean, the circles thing didn't come up until the Dark Side, with Discord in the picture, so why wouldn't the circles be related to the nature of chaos?
Well you have fun thinking about that, in the meantime I'm going to on this ward, because I want to see more of these bat ponies.
Well, Lexxic is certainly...intriguing? One thing for sure is that he's going to make one hell of a boss fight later.
On second thought, maybe smashing the patriarchy is the real boss fight here.
Oh man, Lexxy'kyn. Lexi-kun. I'm gonna call him that from now on! Anyway, he's great, and so are the bloodwings. I like that they're not grim stoic jerks, and are instead kind of fun jerks. Good stuff.
Huh. Well, that definitely was not what I was expecting. A sense of humor from a batty battalion? Though that headpiece is certainly going to present some problems... on multiple levels...
I'm calling it now. Massa, the pony RD headbutted, is gonna defend RD against Azarius. Azarius is clearly going to be a huge issue for the Rainbow Squad and it would be fitting for Massa to play a part in RD's defense.
So anyone else wondering how Roarke would handle this?
10330610
Yeah, I always figured a matriarchal culture would still have the men fight, with the exception of maybe a handful of women who are really good at it, but they'd change the parameters of what's considered socially valuable. The society would actually consider motherhood to be an incredibly important and honorable position, unlike societies that pay lip service to that. Women who are excellent fighters would be thought of as people who had sacrificed power and position to fight by their comrades' side... they'd be respected the way a second son of a nobleman who has gone into the military full time rather than hanging around the castle as his brother's advisor, eating bonbons and ordering servants around, would be, at least by the soldiers themselves, but there would definitely be a sense that the mothers are higher ranking.
10333090
I'd argue that Masser is also based on your username because of the Higgs field giving other elementary articles mass. Lucky you!
Alright well that's fucking terrifying.
So they're basically rugby gesturing at us.
Why do I get the feeling you aren't actually Lexxic.
....aw man. This is gonna be one of those cultures, isn't it? Where one fuck up is the basis of their whole lifestyle?
.......OOOOOHHH BOY he's gonna be a big problem.
So Bad Loyalty is trying to intimidate Real Loyalty. This is gonna be a total shit show.
.....uh....that's not what's supposed to happen....
Alright. What the fuck is his deal.
....can he fucking see them?????
I just said this last chapter, but Ariel is currently proving herself to be the lowest hanging fruit of the Herald. What in the actual Hell was she thinking?
THANK YOU SERA
Sounds very familiar.
YES!! Finally!!! By Luna’s gleaming moon teats!
What kind of wacky place are we in where Sera is being a better Heraldic Angel than Ariel?!