Rainbow shuddered as she felt the chilly winds of the tundra of Macalania, the lake frozen over as it leads to a pathway that supposedly headed off to the temple out in the distance. The rest of the group waited for her as she slowly made her way over to the inn. She couldn't focus on anything other than her anger. Since arriving in Spira, she was lost and alone, able to find some help from Fluttershy, Applejack, Twilight, and Pinkie, helping her get used to this future of sorrow and destruction. Everything she believed in Zanarkand was fading away as she had to cope with all these new rules, all of these depressing moments that have come up in the past week, and constantly reminded of her father no matter where he was.

Fluttershy wants her guardians to smile. She wants them to have a happy journey. How was Rainbow Dash supposed to stay happy when all she feels is misery and anger, all while having all of her questions remain unanswered and more confused with each vague response? Why did Jet Stream want her to kill him while dragging her into this horrible future where all she sees is death and pointless religions that don't solve anything involving Sin and repentance?

"Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy snapped the pegasus out of her thoughts, looking up at the summoner. "Are you feeling ok?"

"...I think I need to blow off some more steam. I'm still really ticked off," she said, kicking the snow underneath her hooves. "I'm trying to be happy, Fluttershy. I really am. But how can I when, for the past week, so much has happened? I wish I never wound up here and was back in Zanarkand. I'd rather stay at home, play some blitz, or just sleep."

"I'm sorry...Maybe things will get better soon, once Sin is gone," Fluttershy said, receiving a scoff from the sour pegasus.

"And you'll marry Blueblood because the public demands it." Ironically enough, leaving the shop were some Guado with fliers, holding pictures of both Fluttershy and Blueblood together, a heart between the two. That only irritated Rainbow Dash further. "Oh come on! How fast does word travel about this stupid wedding!? It's like they planned all this!"

"...I-I don't know." Fluttershy seemed a bit nervous as the Guado passed by them and began to alert all of Spira about the wedding.

Up ahead, walking over from the lake, Tromell and a few Guado guards approached them, the elder servant bowing to Fluttershy. "Lady Fluttershy, we have been expecting you. Forgive us for leaving so abruptly without telling you. Though it's a surprise to see you all having come so soon."

"I have a question, Mr. Tromell," Fluttershy said. "If I marry Maester Blueblood, will he allow me to continue my pilgrimage?"

"Of course, m'lady!" Tromell said excitedly. "He wouldn't want to stop you from fulfilling your duty as a summoner. Come, we shall escort you to the temple, and send more guards to guide your guardians. Guado tradition, after all."

"Ok." Fluttershy followed the Guado, but stopped for a moment as they reached the lake to look at Rainbow Dash. Bringing the tip of her wing to her lips, she let out a shrill whistle, catching the pouting pegasus's attention. "In case I need your help, Rainbow Dash."

That brought a smile to her face, getting her out of her little rut, if only for a moment. Rainbow nodded her head, promising to come to her rescue. Unfortunately, the moment was ruined as they heard the sound of engines rumbling in the distance.

"Oh no!" Pinkie exclaimed in fear. "Not now!"

From the hills around the lake, Al Bhed rode in on snowmobiles and surrounded the Guado and Fluttershy. "Consarn Al Bhed!"

The guardians all hurried down to the lake and protected Tromell and Fluttershy from them. With the guardians taking care of the Al Bhed, Tromell tried to bring Fluttershy to safety, but the summoner refused and stayed with her guardians, fighting alongside them. Before they could try and fend them off, the stallions all rode off as a blueish gray mare with a gray short mane and tail, almost the same style as Pinkie's was when she freaked out in the Thunder Plains, stood on the snowbank.

"Pinkamena!" They all looked up, spotting the earth pony Al Bhed mare, with a deadly gaze that could pierce the soul of the scariest of fiends. "Tuh'd ehdanvana un oui kad drec!" Suddenly, rolling up the side of the hill was a heavy artilary machina tank, a large turret resting on its base along with several smaller ones hidden behind the treds that served as its wheels. "Ouin bnaleuic magic yht aeons yna caymat!"

"Uhh, what the hay did she say!?" Rainbow asked as she pulled out her sword.

"She's using the anti-magic machina on us!" Pinkie shouted in fear.

"Kad dras!" the mare said, pointing her hoof at the unfortunate group.

The machina rolled down the hill and stopped in front of them, looking really dangerous with its massive size. Before Twilight could cast any Thunder spells on it, a small drone popped out from the tank, glowing brightly while negating her magical aura.

"Nrgh!" Twilight strained to use her magic, but nothing came. "I-I can't use my magic!"

Even Rarity had no use of her telekinetic grasp, resorting to holding her katana over her shoulder and use her hooves. "Whatever this machina is, it's negating magic, including telekinesis."

"Applejack! Attack the Negator!" Pinkie ordered as Applejack stared at her in confusion. "Do you want to die!? Kill it so Twilight and Fluttershy can use their magic!"

"How in tarnation do ya-!?" Applejack was interrupted as the group was suddenly bombarded with gunfire coming from the small turrets.

Deciding not to ask anymore questions until the Al Bhed are dealt with, Applejack threw her ball hard at the floating drone above the machina, smacking it hard enough to destroy it. With their magic able to be used again, Twilight began casting her Thundara spells on the machina. However, in destroying the magic nullifying drone, the tank shook violently as a light humming sound could be heard in the large barrel of the cannon turret. Along with the low noise it made, as any one of them struck it, it charged forward, attempting to ram into the party.

"Ok, this thing is really annoying!" Spike complained as he was rammed into by the machina after thrusting his spear into it.

The humming noise began to grow louder, the Al Bhed watching from afar as they knew exactly what the machina was about to do, even Pinkie knew as she began to panic. "Oh no! This is bad! Fluttershy, summon an aeon thingie! Hurry!"

"W-Why?" Fluttershy asked in fear.

"Just do it! It's gonna fire its lazers!" Heeding the Al Bhed's warning, Fluttershy decided to summon Odin.

Her staff began sparking electricity, swinging it over to the empty space that remained on the lake. She seemed desperate to not get struck by whatever the tank had planned, the sparks around her staff growing more powerful as she put all her strength into it. The portal opened up, Odin leaping out as he held out his sword to the machina.

The aeon thrust his sword into the ice and tossed his shield aside temporarily as he unleashed his powerful attack. Lightning storms appeared around him, striking the blade with a bolt, making it spark. He pulled the blade out, along with a chunk of the earth, making it look like a hammer than a sword. The mallet began sparking dangerously as he held it out at the machina, shooting a beam of electricity into the tank, sending it floating up and spiraling wildly in the air as it was shocked repeatedly by the dangerous volts being poured into it.

Keeping the machina held aloft, Odin reared his arm back and flung his makeshift hammer into the orb of electricity, causing a powerful explosion of sparks as it connected to the tank. As the blast subsided, the machina fell hard to the ice with a thud, sparks flying out of its body as it was gravely damaged by the electricity and heavy hammer that struck it. Odin's sword returned back to him, the piece of earth having shattered as it connected with the machina, along with his shield. The machina fell apart, unable to function and blowing up, leaving nothing but scattered, smoldered parts of the unstoppable machina.

"Pinkamena! E femm damm Marble, Maud, yht Vydran!" the mare shouted, glaring angrily at Pinkie.

"Limestone, E ys dra guardian uv Fluttershy! Fluttershy ec cyva! Fa femm kiynt ran!" The mare on the hill growled as Applejack stared at Pinkie in shock and confusion.

She was silent for a moment, only to sigh in defeat. "Veha. Oui tu drec ymuha, cecdan!"

The Al Bhed soon left, having been defeated. As the others looked at Pinkie Pie, Tromell and his guards lead  Fluttershy down the path toward the temple. She was caught by Applejack, having no choice but to speak Al Bhed to stop the mare before she did anything drastic.

"...W-Why were ya speakin' Al Bhed?" Applejack questioned as she grew suspicious.

"...Because...I'm Al Bhed." The ex-blitzball captain's jaw dropped, her eye twitching as she stared at Pinkie in shock. "And that mare was one of my sisters, Limestone Pie."

"Weird," Rainbow said. "I didn't see her on the ship when you guys found me. Who was that stallion who ordered me around? Your brother?"

"Cheesie's not my brother! He's my coltfriend!" Pinkie blushed as she explained. "That would be weird if he was related to me! Why did you think that, Dashie!?"

"Sorry. I just thought he was your twin or something. You both had the same poofy hair, and he seemed just as weird as you were." Having completely forgotten that Applejack was standing with them, it only further aggravated her.

"Wait, did ya'll know she was an Al Bhed!?" she accused, looking over to the others, who apparently also knew as well. "...All of ya'll knew!?"

"Yes, Applejack, we did," Twilight said, Mog and Smarty Pants nodding their heads. "Because if you knew, you would have thrown a fit like back at the Djose Shore."

"...Unbelievable. Ah've been travelin' with an Al Bhed, ponies that use machina, always bringin' Sin back because they're a bunch of no good heathens!" Pinkie appeared in front of Applejack as she turned around, glaring harshly at the orange earth pony.

"No we're not! We have nothing to go against Faust's teachings!" Pinkie argued. "Show me proof! They say the proof is in the pudding, and since I don't see any pudding, chocolate or vanilla, then there's no proof we're 'evil'!"

"Ah don't need any proof," Applejack snarled as she gritted her teeth. "Sin will be gone once everypony atones for YOUR sins, and we get rid of them stupid machina!"

"Sin won't go away, even if we destroy every single machina, even those that are hidden in the ocean's depths!" The two earth ponies butted heads as they kept countering each other's arguments. "Sin always keeps coming back anyway, so why bother getting rid of machina when you all clearly use it in Luca!"

"That's different! The stadium's acceptable because of blitzball! If we all abide by Faust's teachin's, then Sin will finally be gone, somethin' ya dirty grease monkeys don't seem to understand!" Pinkie eventually gave up, Applejack too stubborn to listen.

"Why do I even bother?" Pinkie sighed as she huffed away.

"Pinkie? Can you fix this?" Rarity stood next to one of the discarded snowmobiles left behind by the Al Bhed.

"Hmm? Yes! It can still run!" Pinkie bounded over to the mare, fixing up the injured components of the snowmobile.

"Uh uh! No way in Faust's name are we usin' them contraptions!" Applejack complained.

"AJ, just shut up, will you!?" She turned to face Rainbow, who was getting sick and tired of the mare's prejudice against other ponies. "You got along well with Pinkie earlier! Even if she used machina, so what!? She's a pony like you! And unlike you, I don't know everything about Spira, or the Al Bhed! And you know what I see!? Pinkie as Pinkie! Not some kind of freak who deserves to be hated!"

Applejack stammered, trying to find the words to argue back at the pegasus, only to growl and march off down the path to the temple on hoof. "I think we should let her walk it off," Twilight said. "I'm sure she'll come around...eventually." Twilight approached one of the snowmobiles, looking over the strange vehicle. "...Uhh, do you know how to drive this thing, Rainbow?"

Rainbow Dash was about to answer, only to hear Spike grunt as he flipped over one of the vehicles that fell on their side. Not even bothering worrying about how to control it, he started it up and began driving it over to Rarity, offering her a ride. She accepted it and leapt up onto the back, the two driving off to the temple.

"Well, a lot better than Spike can." Pinkie got on the second one, speeding off as she caught up with the other two. Twilight seemed a little bit nervous about riding on the machina, but Rainbow knew what she was doing, having been around machina since she was born. "I'm not gonna do any insane tricks off this thing, if that's what you're scared about."

"No, it's not that...I just...kinda wanna know how it all works," Twilight admitted.

The two got on the last one and rode off down the icy pathway, a calm and relaxing ride, one that Rainbow needed after the emotional roller coaster she's been through. They passed by Applejack, who grumbled sourly as she disliked the others using machina, the two hearing something about bad luck from the disgruntled mare.

"So, Twi. What do you think about Pinkie Pie, being an Al Bhed and all?" Rainbow asked, sparking up some conversation as they calmly rode down the road.

"She's...random. But she's pretty helpful. And since she's an Al Bhed I know I can trust, I want to study their language." Mog and Smarty Pants hopped over both mares and sat on the handlebars, enjoying the fun ride.

"Of course you would, egghead," Rainbow teased. Knowing how smart Twilight was, she decided to ask a risky question. "So, Twilight, can I ask you something?"

"You actually want a lecture this time?" Twilight asked.

"It's just a theory...Is it possible for somepony to become Sin?" Rainbow asked.

"...I really don't know," the unicorn said. "Sin just came out of nowhere. It's our punishment for everything our ancestors have done in the past. All we can do is run or fight it."

"That's all, huh?" Twilight shook her head as she looked back at Applejack, still trudging along down the icy trail.

"You really do live in a world where Sin doesn't exist." She looked back down at the pegasus, worried about her emotional state after seeing her look at her mother and hearing kindhearted words from Jet Stream. "Rainbow Dash, are you alright? You've been pretty agitated the past couple days."

"...I'll be fine," she lied as they caught up with Rarity, Pinkie, and Spike.

They waited a bit longer for Applejack to catch up, her glare centered on Pinkie Pie. This was going to be a long pilgrimage if the mare was going to be constantly hating the Al Bhed earth pony, since Fluttershy had allowed her as her guardian. Next Chapter: Chapter 28: Blueblood's Betrayal Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 22 Minutes