It took the combined work of several Job Squadders, but they were eventually able to reassemble a battered wagon from its disparate pieces. The barn that had sheltered their transportation had only half collapsed, allowing them to extract the materials they needed with only residual difficulty.
As time wore on, the cold snow and ice blanketing the fertile valley began melting. This oversaturated the earth, reducing the farmland soil into a shallow lake of consistent puddles and muddy embankments. Wildcard, Bard, Rainbow Dash, and Ariel had to use their combined strength to lift the wagon at multiple spots while Logan ad Remna pulled from the front. It took much struggle, but the group eventually cleared the deepest ruts, exiting the east end of the ranch and taking a descending path down a sloped valley of rocky soil.
Kepler, Flynn, Echo, and Nicole sat in the wagon. Kepler and Flynn performed a thorough check of the supplies that the group had freshly acquired for the trip. Nicole—in the meantime—kept her slitted eyes forlornly cast on the farmland growing more distant and distant behind them.
As they exited, the foster children of Blue—along with neighboring sharecroppers—had gathered in the center of the farmsteads. Together, the locals heaped wreckage into a central mountain of debris. A few dozen meters to the west, fresh graves were being dug for those who had recently perished during the windigo stampede. Nopony spoke, and there were few breaths taken that weren't shuddering.
Even as the Herald passed—along with their wagon—nopony dared to look up at them. As Nicole observed from the vehicle, she saw many familiar faces—all too sorrowful and melancholic to summon even a smidgeon of anger. Ray and James busied themselves with their work. Mike hugged his significant other while Kelly and Marie quietly sobbed along the sidelines.
No one bothered to leave.
Nicole sniffled. She gazed towards the front of the procession.
Bard marched firmly, his eyes on the east horizon. Wildcard and Rainbow Dash trotted alongside him.
Concerned, Echo reached over and placed a hoof on Nicole's shoulder.
Nicole patted his fetlock reassuring. Then—spreading her wings—the female sarosian took off from the wagon and drifted forward. She touched down next to Bard, struggling to march in pace with him.
Bard slowed his steps—which affected the entire procession. But not a single member of the Herald protested... especially when Bard reached a wing out and drew his adopted sister closer. Held tenderly in his embrace, Nicole closed her eyes and quietly wept.
Wildcard said nothing. He remained close by. Rainbow Dash exchanged a few quiet glances with Applejack and Twilight Sparkle—but even her ghostly companions were silent.
Step by step, the group descended into the rocky valley... and marched deeper into Twilight.
In another part of Rohbredden...
Deep within the Frosted Shelves...
...a stallion sat... slumped... hunched over in bulky, haphazardly-crafted armor. A large stone chamber stretched around him, lit ceremoniously by candles. A tomb rested before the stallion. It was more akin to a sarcophagus fashioned by concrete slabs layered on top of one another. Flowers, prayer beads, and delicately sealed scrolls lay all over the shrine. Through the respectful detritus of Frostknife's mournful populace, the barest hint of engravings could be seen—depicting an equine monarch with a loving face and warm forelimbs outstretched.
Brye Chandler lifted his melancholic face up. Trembling hooves nervously turned and turned a newly-crafted helmet in his grasp. Swallowing a lump down his throat, the Defense Minister of Rohbredden gazed into the candlelight. The image of Verlaxion's tomb faded into an amber fog before his eyes, but it didn't stop him from murmuring:
"I need you..."
His voice was barely a whisper. It shook and wavered, like a sad colt's.
"I need your guidance." His ears drooped as he sat in place, turning and turning the helmet around. His eyes searched... searched... and found nothing but more empty, pleading words. "I need your blessed spirit to tell me that I'm doing the right thing..." He clenched his teeth. "For once in my life... beyond all of the money... beyond all the muck and filth and dying imbeciles of this world... I need to know that I am right."
Candlelights flickered. Flower petals shook, danced in the breath of his voice, then were still. There was no reply. There was never a reply.
"Why did you choose me?" For a brief moment—like lightning—Chandler's face registered anger. "Why did you choose me?"
More silence.
"I don't understand faith," he said. "I only understand power." He gulped. "I thought I had the power once to save your children... to save all of us. But it wasn't enough. And yet still... you chose me." He slowly shook his head. "When I hadn't even thought of choosing you. When I didn't even believe in you." He shuddered. "But your dead now. And your power... your power..." His eyes clenched shut. "...can I even compare?"
The helmet fell from his hooves. The echo it produced was like a gunshot in the chamber. Chandler didn't bother picking it back up.
"If... if it is what you wish of me... I will stop the Rainbow Rogue," Chandler murmured. "I don't know how killing her will restore your power. But I promise that I will restore your honor." At last, he tilted his head up... and it was with an iron frown. "As you have gone so far to restore mine."
The metallic joints of his armor creaked as he stood up. He was just picking up his helmet when he heard claw-scrapes from the back of the room.
Without looking, Chandler exhaled. "We are clear to leave?"
"Yes, Defense Minister," Seraphimus said. She wore a full set of Central Guard armor—with golds and amber plates replacing the usual silver of Talon design. A sharp-pointed helmet clung to her face and beak while charcoal eyes peered out through the visor. "Your batallions await your command."
"Then let us go." Chandler raised the helmet to his head—but paused. "But first..."
Seraphimus lingered, gazing at the Defense Minister.
"...do you wish to pay your respects?" Chandler said, pointing to the grave. "They will likely have relocated her to the Mausoleum at Starkiss by the time we return."
Seraphimus took a deep breath. She did not even look at the grave. "I will pay my respects... the moment that I've torn the heart out of the monster that tossed her into the void."
Chandler bit his lip.
Seraphimus bowed, turned tail, and made to leave.
"Seraphimus..." Chandler fitted his helmet on. "We may not have much opportunity to speak during our hunt. I would have you know that despite the events that brought us together—divine or otherwise—you have my everlasting respect, and I... I believe that you will bring great honor to the legacy of Verlaxion."
Seraphimus spoke without looking back: "I would not hold much weight in it."
Chandler raised an eyebrow beneath his helmet. "Honor?"
"Belief."
"Belief in what?"
"Anything." And Seraphimus was gone.
Chandler stood alone, bogged down in his clunky armor. The Defense Minister gazed at the grave one last time. With a cold shudder, he hobbled forward, and made his noisy exit.
I fear for the people of the recently-ravaged farmlands...
...But I fear even more for the Sarosians that the Herald are headed towards. And the Herald themselves. Blue or one of his adopted sons or daughters will surely point Chandler's forces in their direction.
"and"
ih1.redbubble.net/image.121401273.0683/sticker,375x360.png
That last part of the chapter almost makes it feel like Chandler is going to somehow stop Seraphimus before she kills Rainbow Dash, but I doubt it. He'll probably end up hiding like a coward in the end.
with the armor, the talks of honor, and the asian-esque feel to the mainland, i'm getting a sorta samurai lord vibe from chandler right now
and i don't feel it will end well for him, what with the inexperience
still, maybe a brief talk/beating with dash will give him the chance to be strong enough to make that tough decision to turn back and be a strong leader
or, y'know, he'll die
that could happen too
Yeah, Seraphimus is gonna be a major problem. As in, even more than I thought.
Also, it just occurred to me: with the 200-chapter limit gone, we have no idea how long it'll be before the end of the book. There's no framework by which to forecast the shitstorm to come, and that freaks me out a little.
If home is where the heart is, then Bard's home is buried with Amber and Melody. There's nothing for him on the farmstead anymore.
Seraphimus' home is gone, along with her husband and chick. She has no heart, no home, no religion. She has nothing...
-Companions are abound, frozen spectres hound. Utaan.
Really? Even after the thourough THRASHING seraphimus got from rainbow she wants to play for keeps?
I find it interesting to see how far Seraph and Chandler have come. Seraph used to be a behement believer in Verlax, and after all that transpired seems to have lost that faith, while Chandler was exactly the opposite. He disregarded everything initially, but now deeply believes in Verlax, even if it is only her legacy at this point.
I simply found it interesting how much their characters have switched since they were first introduced.
Ftfy chandler
If the farmers want to stay there with so much Windigo attractor, theyre going to have to dig an awfully deep hole. Hopefully pulling all those rocks out of the fields to build it with will give healthier fields. Once they get the animals replaced.
Chandler and Seraph, the puppet master dropped their strings at the end, but is still guiding them those first steps on their last action. Will they realise, or die?
Well, things are crap now. Hope they get better.
Oh boy is Seraphimus has completely lost herself, I'm sure that she isn't even doing this for Verlax anymore this is just revenge for herself. This is going to be one heck of a confrontation that is for sure.
7371483
Just to put on a show for anypony on the farm who asked what he did with the body. I mean, they would know where the "grave" was, marked or not, but only Blue would know if there was anything actually in it. Oh, I'm fully aware this isn't likely, but I do so enjoy speculation, and it is an interesting fact that Bard never actually saw his daughter's body and only has the word of a proven liar that she died.
Now this is an impressively stupid question even by your standards, Chandler. Of course you can't. Consider the consequences.
Hoboy
Brye chandler wants to know that what he is doing is right
But he was just part of a prank verlax was pulling
Cue identity crisis
They can't leave the farm until someone says they don't understand the crystals and wants to know what time it is, and Bard answers "it's high noon".
7371605
It's just a prank, bruh.
Seraphimus have finally lost faith.
Now that her family is gone, I think she hates Verlax more than Rainbow for not healing them, but hating the living is easier, so she decided to hate Rainbow instead. And I fear that after she don't plan to come back after the chase, whatever the result is...
7371605
7371649
Calm down Chandler, ur on camera!
We should really start up a proper Easthorse deadpool.
My bet is that Seraphimus will perish by diving off the edge of the world in suicide. Possibly while looking Dash in the eyes.
Damn....
What part of "your God-queen is dead" did you forget, Chandler?
I thought Chandler's armor was supposed to be finely crafted, not that pile of junk this chapter describes it as.
7371642 Why? Why would you say it?
No. Just--no.
I'm not talking to you now.
The going for all parties - Herald, Talon, Chandler and his troops - is going to be brutal. With Chandler's troops in particular, it'll be like throwing random people into Siberia - they haven't trained for this kind of situation. They won't have all the equipment they need, they'll have superfluous gear, and they won't have the stamina to keep on going when they're tired and hurting.
I can practically guarantee that there will be cases of hypothermia and frostbite because many won't have proper insulation, and also severe dehydration, because many won't feel thirsty (because it's much harder to sense when you sweat in winter). I also foresee that trying to set up camp is going to be a disaster, since ponies will not set up their tents properly, their cohesion will break down because they aren't used to doing stuff when they're so fatigued, and finally, if it's cold enough, at least one person will get their skin frozen to a piece of metal.
And that doesn't even bring up mundane concerns, like blisters, chafing from straps and gear, and muscle cramps, among other issues.
So in other words, Chandler's troops are going to be absolutely miserable.
7372133 Like when Germany tried to invade Russia during WWII?
7372862 Yep. Almost exactly like that. Without T-34s and the Soviet military, I can't guarantee that they'll be stopped, however. Just rather painfully slowed.
7372133 Throw on top of all of this the issues of the massive miserable army attracting windigos like nobodies business, and Rainbow and company may never actually learn that they were being chased at all. The entire force may well be decimated long before they catch up... and even if that doesn't happen, it is also fully possible that the army will simply travel slower than Rainbow's group, and never catch up as a result... and in the end, wouldn't that be the saddest outcome of all?
It's good to at least see Chandler somewhat questioning himself and whether what he's doing is right or not. Shows that while he's neck deep in lying to himself, some part of his brain is still aware that something isn't as it should be, like his intuition is telling him he's been duped by Verlax along with the rest of Rohbredden, but he just can't let himself believe it. He'll inevitably get a reality check at some point, it's just a question of whether he can survive to learn from said reality check.
And Seraphimus continues to be vaguely Shellish and such, though a part of me is wondering if there's more going on under the hood than any of us have seen yet.
7370879
Isn't chaos great?
*Ahem*
Just think of it as because Dash is about to cross too the chaotic dark side, the orderly and predictable chapter lengths are now, not so orderly and predictable.
Besides, what fun is there in making sense?
This seems like one of those Latin phrases that show up by default in PowerPoint.
...as the group cleared her duodenum they collectively realized that this was not "Fantastic Voyage."
It honestly seems that Seraphimus plans to do a suicide-by-cop using Dash considering she's gone off the despair deep end.
7373453 Generally speaking, correct.
Less should be used for continuous (non-countable) quantities, while fewer should be used for discrete (countable) quantities. One may have less water and fewer ping pong balls, not fewer water and less ping pong balls.
*you're
Hmm. It's been pointed out before, but there's a lot of emphasis on the armour - but it almost to me seems to help showcase Chandler's own mental state? Earlier, if I remember correctly, it was described as beautiful and elegant or something along those lines- But now, now it's just 'clunky and haphazard'. It's an interesting narrative tool.
The Void, eh?
Hail Sithis.
Yup, Sera is definitely on the "kill the Rogue or die trying" train. This is only going to end with blood and bodies. Unless Rainbow somehow miraculously converts Sera to her side, I don't see it ending any other way.
Seraphimus will be the most deadly out of The Rainbow's persuers, after all, how do you stop someone with nothing to lose?
7371716
If someone on that list refuses to die, you just know they're going to take up the name Deadpool.
7370879
I'm watching the word count as well. It's the longest story thus far in the series, but I wonder how long it'll be when it's over. It's getting awfully close to one million,
Sera has fallen pretty far after everything that's happened. I feel for her, but then again . . . it's only pity, to be honest. I don't think shell be able to recover from this, but she's got nothing to lose, so she doesn't care about anything. That's dangerous, and Keris needs to be careful.
I ship it
Apparently Seraphimus is worse than Chandler now. Sheesh.
7523470
Rather fitting how you left the ' out of "she'll" and made "shell."
Rather fitting indeed...
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually developing a modicum of respect for Chandler. Don't get me wrong, I hate his guts and I know what he's doing is dumb as Hell, but looking at it from his perspective, he actually kind of gives a slight vibe of an early Theanim. He may not be a scientist of the Order, but his beliefs have changed from a scientific view— he had his original beliefs/views, then more 'information' (which of course was based on a lie, but he wouldn't have known that at the time) was presented to him, and his views changed. Again, they were a lie, but it seems most Rohbreddenites only care about what's in front of them, so he isn't really different than any other in that regard.
Still... you're a dick, Chandler.
Not for any good reason, I'll be honest.