At about that same time, or at least a few minutes earlier, Rainbow Dash was spitting out her own blood. This came at the end of a nasty tumble she made across the edge of a steep cliff covered in pebbles and frost. Quivering, she tried pulling herself up on four limbs, but ultimately slumped back down with a groan.
All the while, Lady Pestiferous lurched towards her on creaking, groaning spider legs. Her metal limbs were covered all over in scrapes and scuff marks from the joint roll down the mountainside that both mares had endured. Vapor vented from her mask and mixed streams of mana energy and crystal pony blood leaked from her battered armor.
"It hassssssssh taken every resssssshource that I have left, but I shhhhhall end you, outssssshider..." Her eyes narrowed. "And it shall be a good death."
"Frickin' wake up, Lady!" Rainbow Dash spat, snarling up at her. "You've already lost! Your body, the Hold, all of your so-called 'daughters in blood!' They're all gone!" At last, Rainbow got up on shivering limbs in the cold mountain air. "They were gone long before you went overboard with all of this vengeful, bloodlusting nonsense!"
"You think I haven't planned for my end?!" Pestiferous raised a glistening forelimb in the snowy air. "I have—Hckkkt!!—whittled away the rubbissssh and narrowed it down to the only mare capable of carrying on my legacy..."
Rainbow Dash blinked. "Roarke?" Pestiferous' limb clamped over her, shoving her hard against the clifface. "Aaaugh! Nnngh... nutsauce..."
"Roarke may be a rarity..." The Top Spear leaned her frail head over, practically spitting onto the limb-locked pegasus. "But her loyalty is questionable..."
Rainbow merely twitched. "Oh r-really?"
"Ssssshearo's legacy must run on a true warrior's sssssshpirit, not the guile of a pony who reliessssssh on cunning and deception alone..."
"Deception?" Rainbow winced. "For cr-crying out loud, lady! That 'Terra' mare will backstab you the first instance she gets!"
"And after ssssssshe doessssh, she will be true to her sssssshisters and they will be true to her. Of thisssssssh, I am convinced. I have seen the roots of loyalty in her heart..."
"Th-that thing you call a heart...?" Rainbow spat. "It's really nothing but a huge, throbbing ego!" She gulped and wheezed forth, "At least Roarke would turn your daughters into something reasonable—"
"Raaaughkkt!" Pestiferous raised Rainbow high, clamping the ends of both forelimbs over her throat as the metal mare stood up on the mountainside like an enormous tree sloth. "Roarke would poissssshon the legacy of Sssssshearo with emotionsssh and pretenssssshe! What does sssssssshe posssssssshess that could possibly improve the might of my sssssshisters and daughterssssssh?!"
Dangling, Rainbow Dash nevertheless managed tos putter, "She's kind... and sh-she's generous... even when she doesn't want to be..." Rainbow's eyes rolled back, but she fought for the strength to speak some more. "You see, ya big rusted cicada, loyalty isn't everything." She glared at the Top Spear. "Especially when dealing with a huge walking turd like you..."
Pestiferous' slimy eyes narrowed. After a wheezing cough, she tightened her grip on Rainbow's neck. "Ssssssshince you are such an expert on excrement, let ussssssh see you ssssssplatter like it!" With that said, she let out a grotesque yell and flung Rainbow deep into the valley beyond the cliff.
Rainbow Dash disappeared below, her warbling cry dwindling in the snowy vacuum between mountain peaks.
The Top Spear took a deep breath, as if having relieved herself of an enormous burden. She turned to scurry back up the rocky mountainside and return to Searo's Hold. Just then, a thunderous noise rumbled through the air. Vexxed, Lady Pestiferous spun around. She had to squint in the resulting flurry of snow and frost that was being kicked into her face.
Rainbow Dash was levitating back up, though none of her limbs were moving. Then, directly beneath her, there lifted the glistening body of Roarke's manaship. The pegasus stood perched on the top of the bounty hunter's vessel as it levitated off the clifface, hovering evenly with Pestiferous' form.
The mutated mare's eyes twitched.
Rainbow Dash blinked. With a goofy blue smile, she gave a prolonged shrug.
A loud thud rolled across the mountain as Pestiferous slumped limply to her metal haunches. "Hckkkt!" Her head and torso hung in a slump. "At leasssssht it wassssshn't from a breeder in bed...."
Two massive mana cannons extended from the bow of the ship.
Rainbow Dash saluted.
Then the air filled with thunder and shrapnel.