The Thawiest Place On Earth
It was a great deal louder than Rainbow Dash had anticipated. She panted as she shuffled, waded, and swam through the ever-thickening crowd of celebratory ponies.
“Eeeugh!” Rarity grimaced. “How dreadful!” She waved a hoof before her muzzle. “I know nopony's body sweat can get on my fur, but—for Celestia's sake—do I still have to smell it?!”
“Keep your horn in the game, Rarity!” Twilight insisted.
“I'm... trying... darling...”
“My tail's going bonkers!” Pinkie exclaimed, trying to hold her fluffy appendange still as she phased through wall after wall of living equines. “I'm not even kidding!”
Twilight looked over. “Is something about to fall?”
Pinkie's nose scrunched for a prolonged period, as if she actually had to think about a response. “No,” she finally blurted. “It's more like a quifty-quiver than a twitch-a-twitch, but I just can't put my hoof on it!”
“Well, I can...” Fluttershy stammered, wincing. “Rainbow Dash, you must find some cover!”
“What do you think I'm doing?!” Rainbow grunted, clutching tightly to her hat as she struggled to thread her weay through the rambunctious crowd. “Gotta make our way north.” She gulped. “This crowd is like twenty Summer Sun Celebrations poured into a glass jar, shaken, and spilled all over the place!” The pegasus panted, sweating through to her cloak. “If you ask me, there's no way in Tartarus anyone could spot an elephant in this mess, much less a—”
“Think again!” Fluttershy's voice cracked.
“Huh?” Twilight twirled around. “Where's the nearest griffon, Fluttershy?”
“Mmmmm...” Fluttershy fought the urge to whimper. “High above! Gliding in from the west!”
Rainbow pivoted her head around—
“No no!” Fluttershy yelped. “Don't look up!”
“You heard the mare!” Rarity insisted. “Run, Rainbow! Run!”
Panicking, Rainbow scampered northeast, bumping into multiple citizens along the way.
Up above, Raptr glided over the streets and alleyways of Kunmane. His expert hawkeyes traced left and right, weaving around the dangling lanterns and sparkling streamers. At one point, he sensed a break in the crowd—like an eel disturbing a shallow pond's colored surface. Instantly, his eyes darted to the scene. He peered carefully through his helmet, spotting the wake of a rudely charging equine. Just as the body reached the edge of a marketplace, the rookie guardian spotted a flicker of dull green color... and a conical rice hat.
“... ... ...!” His beak clattered as he tightened his wings, tilted his body forward, and dove like a silver missile into the thick celebratory sea.
Cl-Clakkk! Metal-plated talons landed on the old stone floor.
Five merchant stalls away, Rainbow Dash hunched low. Her four friends gasped in fright. Meanwhile, the mare stealthily snuck her way under a table full of edible wares, and she proceeded to hobble down a long corridor lined with claustrophobic open diners and buffet tables. Ponies from all corners of Rohbredden had gathered to offer a cornucopia of foods to feast on. Tables were full of rice, rolls of raw meat, fish heads, crayfish, and octopus tentacles. Fat, happy ponies sat in droves, their flanks seated side by side in stools as they munched on curry, slurped noodles, and bit into meaty morsels. Plucked pheasants and partially skinned rabbits dangled above them between strips of parsley and clumps of garlic.
Upon seeing the many meats on display, Rarity and Pinkie gagged more than once, having to hug each other to keep from wretching.
“Keep ahold of yourselves!” Twilight hissed, floating alongside Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow, are you—?”
“I'm fine!” Rainbow whispered. Nevertheless, she bumped into a table, knocking some samples of cooked goose onto the ground. An angry pony barked at her from across the steamy display. Rainbow performed the “Verlaxion's Blessings” gesture with awkward speed, then galloped two spaces ahead before the angry merchant could seize her. “Fluttershy?”
“He's still in pursuit,” the pegasus murmured. “It's too easy for a griffon to see in here!”
“You should leave, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight insisted. “Get back outside where it's crowded.”
“Yes. Please.” Rarity leaned against Pinkie, struggling to keep a nonexistent lunch in. “May we?”
“Now!” Fluttershy insisted. “He's caught behind a serving table! Now's your chance!”
Breathless, Rainbow skittered under two tables and broke past a few dangling slabs of roasted meat. She burst back outside, charging into cacophonous lanternlight.
Desperately, Raptr shoved aside more than a few ponies as he dashed after her. “Sorry! Step aside! Please! Move! Grnngh... A thousand pardons!” He snarled: “Official Court's business! Move! Move!” At last, he reached the edge of the roofed market...
...and burst out into a side street.
Panting, the Sergeant looked left and right. All Raptr could see was smiling, shouting faces—and none of them coated blue or topped off with a conical hat. Colored lanterns dangled over the scene, and sparkling fireworks shimmered from the edges of carnival game tents. The longer he stared, the griffon observed the crowd surging gradually towards the heart of town—where a loud parade was just then starting, accompanied by bombastic drums and fanfare.
Raptr blinked. He looked at the crowd... then seethed under his beak.
“Rrrghhh...”
With a single flap of his wings—FWOOOSH!—the griffon shot up, throwing a few surprised ponies off their hooves.
Blocks away, in the center of town, Seraphimus and Keris stood side by side on a rooftop. Their ears rang from the loud booming of drums and metal snares. The parade had started, clanging and clashing its way southwest through the main thouroughfare of Kunmane. Ponies in flowing robes with floral colors danced and sashayed as they proceeded down the channel that had been cleared in the center of the street.
Off in the distance, rising like a bright cloud, was the floating effigy of a windigo. The thing was enormous—a collection of silver blue balloons floating beneath a translucent shroud of flowy white fabric. A carefully constructed wire frame afforded the effigy a vaguely equine shape, with pulsing white torches for eyes and rippling tresses serving as the frozen banshee's ethereal wake. The thing was supported by multiple wires anchored by the grips of strong stallions trotting the length of the main street below.
As the grand “windigo” hovered over the Rohbreddenite crowd, everyone within eyeshot cheered and clapped their hooves. Lanterns and sparklers strobed across the marketplaces as the float gradually drifted southwest towards the very center of town. There, a platform had been erected, and the mayor of Kunmane stood along with his family and a gaggle of foals, all armed with torches burning from old, hoof-carved hilts.
Keris kept his magenta hawkeyes trained on the crowd. Nevertheless, as the noise of the traveling percussion group increased in decibels, he caught sight of a moving, glinting body in his peripheral vision. The Lieutenant glanced west, instantly spotting the figure of Raptr hovering at a distance.
The Sergeant swung his arms and twirled his silver-laced talons.
The Lieutenant blinked. As he “read” the gestures, he inhaled sharply. “Commander!” He turned towards Seraphimus, struggling to shout above the deaffening drumbeats. “Commander! Sergeant Raptr has spotted someone! Moving northeast!”
Seraphimus' dull eyes clung to the streets. She stared silently at a four-year-old colt, standing streetside with his parents. The little thing was dressed in paper wings with a paper beak. He spun in circles, his tiny muzzle gripping a sparkler that spilled shiny colors all across the stonework. Thoroughly dizzy, the foal fell on his flank with a flounce of fake feathers. He giggled into the bright lights.
The Commander sighed.
“Seraphimus!” Keris hollered.
She snapped out of it, twirling to face her number one officer. “Lieutenant?”
Keris silently motioned towards her. After several talon-signals, he pointed in the direction of Raptr.
Seraphimus' charcoal eyes lifted. She spotted Raptr, and her headcrest lifted beneath her helmet. With a firm nod in Keris' direction, she flapped her wings. Both leaders of the Talon dove off the roof and swept their way west—where they met with the Sergeant and began combing the streets.
“Rrrrgh! Stay still ya silly stupid tale!” Pinkie Pie snarled, biting onto her fuzzy fluff. “Grrrrrr!” She looked at the others. “I just don't know what's gotten into it! It's like it's got a mind of its own!”
“Well, when you get a fix on it, Pinkie, let us know!” Twilight said, panting. Her body phased through the ponies of the crowd every second, causing her body to ripple with lavender light. “Rainbow!” Catching up with the pegasus, she stammered, “What are you doing?! The exit to the Mist Cliffs is that way!” her voice cracked as she pointed north.
“I... rnnngh... know...” Rainbow grunted, stumbling along with the flow of ponies.
“Don't you know that you're moving with the crowd?” Twilight exclaimed, gulping. “They're leading you straight towards the heart of this town!”
“Imagine if I try moving against the flow,” Rainbow grunted, bumping into confused pony after confused pony. She sweated, hard. “Just what citizen in her right mind would be doing that? They'll friggin' spot me in an instant.” Gnashing her teeth, she looked at the fronts of multiple storefronts and stave buildings, desperate for a place to escape to. Every entrance was chock-full of ponies standing on building stoops, gazing and cheering at the incoming parade and its glowing, floating effigy. “Luna Poop... this place is a madhouse.”
“You have to find a place to escape soon, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy breathed. Her eyelids fluttered. “Three of them are gathering up in the air above us.” She gulped. “They're heading our way.”
“Good heavens...” Rarity gasped.
“One of them is Keris.” Fluttershy gasped slightly. “And the other...”
“Huh?” Rainbow looked at her, jostling through the crowd. “What about the other?”
Fluttershy gaped at Rainbow. She merely trembled.
Rainbow gulped. “Well, then...” Rainbow looked ahead. “Month of thawing indeed.”
“Hey Dashie!” Pinkie Pie pointed. “Look over there!”
“A path!” Twilight gasped, grinning wide. “And it's clear!”
“Thank you, Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash lunged through the cloud, galloped down a narrow strait, and ended up in a small, circular, grassy clearing. “... ... ...Screw you, Pinkie!”
“Huh?!” Pinkie blinked, struggling hard to contain her quivering tail.
“It's a blasted dead end!” Rarity grumbled. She flinched at the sight of drunken revelers vomiting against brick walls. “...in more ways than one.”
“Eeeeughhhh...” A greasy stallion propped himself up against a wall, brushing crusty bile off his stubbled chin. “Verlaxion's... blessssssings to meeeeeee... HIC!” He pivoted from the other sickly ponies, juggling an empty bottle as he smirked blearily at Rainbow. “Heyyyyyyyyyyy there—HIC!—gorgeous. Wanna melt with me?”
Rainbow grimaced, hobbling backwards. “You're a few years and rehabs too late, bud.” Sweating, she looked back at the single alleyway that brought her there. “Wonder if I could double back...”
“They'll be over us any second now!” Fluttershy yelped.
“Whatever you do, Rainbow, you'd better do it fast!” Twilight insisted.
Rainbow Dash stood in place, shivering with each boom of the drums as they drew closer... closer. “Right...” Taking a deep breath, she tugged at her cloak and saddlebags. “Fluttershy, keep your head open.”
“Uhm... I'll try?”
“You're certain of this, Sergeant?” Seraphimus growled into the whipping winds.
“As sure as I've ever been!” Raptr exclaimed. “She was wearing the exact same clothes described in Riverstem! And I saw a blue coat—just as described by the Lieutenant!”
“Did she stick to one place?”
“No. She was heading northeast.” Raptr gulped. “And her movement increased dramatically as soon as I gave pursuit.”
“Sounds like Rainbow Dash alright,” Keris said. “She must know we're here. Courtesy of her invisible spirit friends—”
“Yes yes,” Seraphimus grunted. “Where was she headed last, Sergeant?”
“I chased her out of a marketplace. She joined the crowd in the street directly below us, and they're all headed in just one direction.”
Seraphimus nodded. “Towards the parade.”
“In fact, there's next to no avenue where she could have broken off... except...” Raptr squinted, his eyes spotting a narrow strip leading to a round, bricklaid enclosure. His vision centered on a green figure with a conical hat. “There! I see her!”
“Where?”
“In that recess! Due north!”
“I see it.” Seraphimus whistled shrilly. She and her two wingmates dove down.
One by one, they landed in the circular pocket—far from the main crowd. The frazzled figures of drunken ponies jolted in surprise.
“Formation...” Seraphimus droned.
All three griffons blocked the only exit with their armored bodies.
“You there!” Seraphimus' voice boomed, piercing the distant drumbeat. She stared daggers at the figure in green. “Face us!”
The pony merely shuffled along... teetering.
“By the authority granted me by the Council of Verlaxion, I order you to turn around!”
Keris exhaled. “Something's not right...”
Seraphimus blinked at him. Turning forward, she took a few bold steps and yanked the rice hat off the pony.
Raptr grimaced.
“Mmmrrrnnghhh...” A slimy stallion stood before them, his body too thick for the green robe to perfectly wrap around. He teetered about, puked up wine and rice, and smiled slimily at the group. “I sssssurrender.” He fell on his flank, giggling like a newboard foal. “It was I who... mmmmplucked the tusks from... the wyvern princess... chuuuu...”
Seraphimus' feathers drooped.
“Dammit!” Raptr spun to face the crowded street, seething. “What now?”
“It's a bold gamble,” Keris said calmly. He looked at the Commander. “She's completely exposed now.”
Seraphimus flashed him a look. After a deep breath, she motioned to both wingmates and took to the air.
Raptr and Keris swiftly followed.
“Heeeeeee...” The drunken stallion hugged the conical hat close to his chest. “...you and me, bucket. We'll rule the seven seasssss—HIC!”
Rainbow Dash shivered. Sweat coated her shaved mane and bandaged wing as she darted like a blue bullet through the crowd. Somehow, without the peasant's robe and hat, she felt more agile, and she knifed her way between groups of ponies as if they were melting butter.
“It seems to have worked, darling!” Rarity exclaimed.
“Yes. But only for a little while.” Shivering, Fluttershy caught up with Rainbow. “They've returned from the enclosure... flying above the streets again.”
“I'm telling you, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “You're only more vulnerable now.”
“Yeah, well...” Rainbow tightened the grip of her saddlebags as her pendant glinted with lanternlight. “...all the more reason to make like a fart and float away.”
“Better make it a popcorn fart, Dashie!” Pinkie held onto her tail for dear life. “Something's about to go down! I just feel it!”
Rarity's eyes lifted up to the windigo effigy as they came closer. “She's not kidding.”
“Rainbow...” Twilight pointed. “Main street.”
“Yeah. Everypony's facing one way. I see it.” Nodding, Rainbow galloped briskly towards the central thoroughfare, straight into the booming drums. “It's our one clear chance.”
“They're getting closer!” Fluttershy squeaked.
“Go go go go go!” Pinkie insisted.
Rainbow bit her lip and darted down the storefronts.
Seraphimus shot out above the crowd. She reached a high point, hovering over the staved structures. As her charcoal eyes swept the crowd, she waited for Keris and Raptr to join her side.
Once they had all gathered, she signaled to Raptr.
“Go east,” she muttered. “Grab Starstorm and bring her back here.”
“She has to be in the main street,” Keris said. “It's the only clear way to cut across town at this point.”
“Right. Lieutenant, you take the south side. I'll take the north.”
“Sweep east?”
“We'll sweep east. Ground level.” As Raptr flew off, the Commander bellowed. “Go! Eyes open!”
Fw-Fwooosh! Both leaders of the Talon dropped like anvils.
Keris touched down. His talons scraped along the old stonework of the street.
Wincing, the Lieutenant adjusted his sling, then looked across the crowd.
A few nervous ponies glanced curiously at him. Most of the citizens—however—were too busy cheering the oncoming parade. The street was awash with color and sparklers. Little foals waved windigo flags around while the scent of candies and ciders filled the air.
Keris took a steady breath. With an icy gaze, he marched east, skirting in and out of the sidewalk as he forced his way against the grain.
Likewise, on the north edge of the street, Seraphimus clawed her way towards the incoming parade.
Her gait was strong, heavy, intimidating. Nevertheless—when she brushed ponies aside—it was with remarkably expert grace. Foals stared up at her, gawking and breathless.
She ignored them, marching east as her piercing eyes traced each face in the crowd.
Gulping, Rainbow Dash stood still for a brief moment.
She flung a shivering look over her shoulder.
Rows and rows of bodies stood along the edge of the main street—all except two. One across the way... and one a few blocks behind her.
Fluttershy bit her lip. Her eyes flashed nervously in Rainbow's direction.
Rainbow nodded, beginning to trot away. She kept her pace slow... struggling to not bring too much attention to herself. The pendant around her neck reflected a sea of sparkles as she surged deep into the beating drums and celebratory bedlam.
From his perch along the town's northern gates, Windburst squinted into the glowing aura of Kunmane. His expert eyes traced the streaking silver figure of Raptr. The rookie sergreant flew east—then made contact with Starstorm. Windburst watched as both guardians exchanged a series of talon-signals. Starstorm's figure jolted in mid-air, and soon she was following Raptr briskly as the two soared back west.
Windburst's eyes narrowed. His beak clenched as she shuffled from side to side, feeling the dull weight of his crossbow. His talons itched...
The front of the parade had reached Keris.
The Lieutenant's skull pounded from the travelling percussion band. He stared past flowy figures dancing and twirling in the streets. Behind them, a group of earth ponies darted back and forth, dressed as unicorns, wyverns, griffons, and pegasi as they “did battle” with dull, clashing wooden blades. The crowd cheered them on, laughing merrily.
This was followed up by elaborate paper mache “sirens” on wheeled tracks. The giant seapony figures twirled about, trailing bells and glittering tresses. Another row of dancers followed the “warring tribes,” this time clad in snowy gowns bespeckled with snowflakes.
The drums increased in tempo...
...taking on a feverish, frenetic pace as Seraphimus worked her way through the crowd.
The Commander found a series of wooden crates. She perched up on them, staring from her lofty position at roadside.
Her charcoal eyes had to squint—for the floating, glowing windigo effigy was coming up next, carried by stallions as they approached the wooden stage in the center of town. The mayor of Kunmane and his family smiled, clapping jubilantly as the foals waved their torches.
With a heavy breath, Seraphimus hopped off the crates and sprinted past the line of parade gazers.
Fluttershy trembled. She signaled to Rainbow Dash that one of the griffons was coming closer at an alarming speed.
Rainbow looked back, nodding. She stood amidst a thick group of ponies who were blocking her way from crossing the entrance of a crowded market. Citizens stood at every doorway and window, happily gazing out at the passing effigy.
In the silver blue light, Rainbow peered out from the crowd. She spotted an opening in the parade—a gap behind the balloon-tugging stallions. It was just wide enough for a petite pegasus like her to gallop on through to the other side of the street.
Holding her breath, Rainbow prepared to do just that—
Fw-Fwooosh! Raptr and Starstorm suddenly touched down across the way. Their silver helmets flashed in the fake windigo's ethereal glow.
“...!” Wincing, Rainbow Dash drew back. She bit her lip.
From a distance, she watched as Raptr and Starstorm gestured to one another. Both griffons nodded, then shuffled in opposite directions. Starstorm was drawing closer.
Pinkie Pie held onto her tail, teeth chattering. Rarity squeaked something, but it was difficult to hear above the thunderous drums. The orchestra was just then passing by.
Nervous, Rainbow slinked her way through the crowd, sliding past protesting onlookers as she struggled to make her way east.
Keris' talons scraped to a stop.
Standing perfectly still, he craned his neck to the left.
He peered across the street. For a moment there, he thought he spotted a tight crowd parting ways from the center. Upon closer inspection—between the bodies of parading drummers—he could only see hundreds upon hundreds of smiling faces. Everypony pivoted left as they watched the windigo effigy reach the center of town.
Just then, Raptr reached him—almost startling the Lieutenant. Raptr said something, but Keris could barely hear him.
He patted the Sergeant's armor reassuringly, then looked over in time to see Seraphimus marching parallel to him. The Commander moved forward with intimidating grace, knifing her way through the crowd.
Fluttershy whimpered. It was the only thing Rainbow could hear at this point. Every where she turned, their was a body in the way. Drums echoed from all sides, flipping the flickering night upside down.
By then, the rear of the parade had passed by. At this point, ponies flooded the streets, surging west, following the effigy.
Twilight pointed this out.
Rainbow Dash was hesistant to move at first. She felt a feathery touch nipping at her flank—and it startled her. She looked back to see an infant filly dangling from her mother's saddlebag. The child toyed with Rainbow's shaved tail, batting at it curiously while she drooled.
Rainbow exhaled. Silver armor glinted in her peripheral. A hint of something even colder... like frozen charcoal.
Twilight shouted something.
Rainbow leapt ahead, pushing against the crowd.
Seraphimus' eyes narrowed.
She sensed a breaking of bodies two blocks ahead.
Everypony was moving towards her... marching and surging towards the heart of town...
...save for a tiny, tiny spot where the crowd was forced to split apart in an eastward line.
Holding her breath, Seraphimus retracted her armored wingplates and flapped her feathers.
She shot east like lightning, causing many citizens to flinch.
Starstorm noticed her Commander's movements.
She broke her gaze from the west end of the crowd, then scampered desperately to follow Seraphimus' direction.
Somewhere up ahead, the shuffling bodies split and reformed.
Lanterns swayed in the wind.
On many rooftops, stallions stood up, cracking their joints as they prepared the evening's entertainment.
Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth. She reached a wooden post and clung to it, crouching low.
Now that she was no longer moving, the crowd flowed past her freely.
Twilight glanced up, noticing the stallions moving along the rooftops. Her horn glowed, and the spectral unicorn blinked. She tried saying something to Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow was too busy staring at Fluttershy.
The pegasus shook her head, then nervously motioned for Rainbow Dash to “stay still.”
Rainbow did so. Rarity trembled at her side while Pinkie clutched her tail.
Fwooosh!
Seraphimus touched down in the middle of the crowd.
She blinked.
Ponies were surging past her... all moving west.
There was no longer a sign of a disturbance to the flow.
The Commander's eyes narrowed. She pivoted around, looking at both ends of the street.
Starstorm lost sight of her Commander.
Breathless, the Sergeant calmly waded through the sea of citizens.
As the celebrators collectively surged west, the street grew less and less crowded. The stonework and sidewalks cleared up.
Starstorm blinked, her eyes sweeping the central thoroughfare of Kunmane. As she pivoted about, her silver armor reflected the panting, motionless figure of a blue pegasus squatting two paces behind her, clinging to a wooden post.
“... ... ...” Starstorm looked west. Her feathers shifted beneath her helmet. The griffon's brow furrowed, and she spun to the east.
A wooden beam stood up from a street corner, lone and barren.
Starstorm clenched her beak tighter. After a sharp breath, she pivoted again and followed the crowd, searching every pony figure marching up the rear.
Rainbow panted... panted... panted...
She stood on her hind legs, her bandaged wings coiled behind her as she planted her flank against the east edge of the wooden post.
A minute passed. The drums stopped. Her petite body relaxed, and she shifted her weight to peer west from behind the lone structure.
The effigy had come to a stop just above the central stage of Kunmane.
The crowd silenced as the Mayor gave an impassioned speech to those who had gathered from far and wide.
Citizens gathered in a large circle.
Couples leaned against one another, smiling.
Families hugged and snuggled their children close.
Standing side by side, Raptr and Keris continued to scan the crowd.
The Lieutenant took a deep breath. He glanced east, then shuffled out into the clearing street. He motioned for the Sergeant to follow.
Raptr scuffled along. Behind him, the mayor finished his speech. The leader of Kunmane signaled one of his children, and a little colt rang a bell.
On command, the stallions gripping the reins to the windigo effigy let go.
The bright white shroud drifted skyward, carried aloft by the bulging balloons underneath.
One wave after another, the crowd broke into cheers, counting down from twenty.
Twilight gazed at the silver-blue effigy floating up to meet the stars. She turned and smiled at Rainbow.
Rainbow took a deep breath. Flexing her muscles, she fell back on all fours, ditched the wooden post, and galloped out into the street. She ran for an empty avenue that bent north.
Fluttershy gasped, yelping something. Sweating.
Rainbow turned to glance at her. Whump! She bumped into a clattering set of armor.
A body twirled.
So did Rainbow Dash's.
Charcoal eyes met ruby eyes.
Both figures froze in the middle of the street.
Rainbow shivered, her ears twitching above a shaved mane.
Seraphimus glared, icy and still.
No breaths.
The crowd reached “zero” with a celebratory shout.
The mayor gestured to a group of foals. They dashed out into the street with their torches. Before the dangling reins to the effigy lifted entirely off the ground, the children struck their torches to them. With multiple sparks, the flame danced up the tapering fuses, soared sky high, and met the combustible gases of the balloons holding the effigy above.
And then... with a brilliant explosion of sparks and streamers...
...the streets of Kunmane filled with ice blue light.
Seraphimus winced, instantly blinded. Before her twitching eyes, the Rainbow Rogue flickered... and was gone in the next blink.
“...!!!” The Commander lunged ahead, metal-laced claws raking the cold mountain air. She landed, stumbling, talons completely empty.
And that's when the stallions above triggered their fireworks. The night sky filled with explosions, bright blue and silver like melting ice. With brilliant mirth, the city of Kunmane ushered in the beginning of the Month of Thawing.
Seraphimus spun in circles, breathless and frenzied. She struggled to stare across the flashes of exploding lights and colors. Figures and shapes were darting in every direction. Citizens lit their streamers while foals pranced in the open street, tossing confetti and flags every which way.
With a clattering beak, Seraphimus attempted to launch herself skyward—but immediately flinched from a massive explosion of blue sparks. The rooftops were launching fireworks left and right, and flying for so much as a block would risk her feathers catching aflame.
A growl rose from the base of her throat as Seraphimus cursed into the brand new bedlam.
“Go go go!” Twilight hollered, her horn flickering in time with each launched firework. “There are plenty of magical charges left! Now's your chance!”
“Head for the north exit!” Pinkie yelped. “Before my tail goes off too!”
“But... b-but the one last griffon's there!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “Guarding the gate!”
“I'll find a way!” Rainbow hollered, darting in and around cheering ponies.
“But how—?!” Rarity protested.
“One step at a time!” Rainbow growled. “Nana Pearl believes in me! So should you!”
Seraphimus tried and tried to fly upward for a better vantage point, but the exploding fireworks gave her no opportunity. Every time she thought she had an open window, a blue burst of light would only force her back into the streets.
“Rnnngh!” She descended, panting, coughing up smoke and fumes.
“Commander!” Keris ran up with Raptr and Starstorm. “What do you think you're—?!”
“I saw her!”
“You saw the Rainbow Rogue?!?” Starstorm sputtered.
“She was right in front of me!” Seraphimus snarled. “She must be making a break for it! I've got to get airborne!”
“But Commander!” Keris' beak clattered. “You'll hurt yourself! The fireworks—”
“It's the only way to signal Windburst!” She pointed a furious talon. “All of you! Head north! Take the streets! You must cut her off!”
Keris gulped. “You heard the Commander!” He dashed northward with the two Sergeants briskly following. “Move! Move!”
“Ah jeez...” Raptr panted, throwing a nervous glance behind him at Seraphimus. “Ah jeez!”
“Careful, Commander—” Starstorm stammered.
“Just do as you're ordered!” Taking a huge... huge breath... Seraphimus flew up into the exploding sky. “Rrrrnnngh!”
Violent blue explosives lit up on either side of her.
The concussive blasts rocked Seraphimus, knocking her from side to side. Nevertheless, with a breathy growl, she powered past the mayhem. Her armored plates billowed with sparks and flame as she carved her way into the starlight.
Windburst's eyes twitched.
A sharp breath left him as he spotted a single figure knifing her way up past the colorful bursts above Kunmane.
He leaned forward on the edge of his perch. “Commander...?!”
From a distance, Seraphimus could be seen slapping the fire out before it crawled up the rest of her armor. With an iron-wrought frown, she signaled Windburst sharply from afar, then pointed towards the north edge of town.
“... ... ...?” Windburst's eyes fell earthward. His vision sliced from rooftop to rooftop... street to street.
At last, his body jolted.
He spotted her—a petite blue figure galloping past rows and rows of crowded marketplaces.
“Hmmmff...” He reached a talon back. “The rainbow stops here.” Schiiing! He unhooked his crossbow and twirled a bolt loose, loading it in.
“Rainbow!” Fluttershy gasped. “He sees us!”
“And he's unsheathing something too...” Rarity hummed into the blurring lights. “A silver arrow. Wooden stock. Iron bolts.” She grimaced. “Good heavens! A crossbow!”
“Bet he's a crackshot too,” Twilight muttered.
“Yeah, well I'm a crackpot,” Rainbow hissed in mid-gallop. “Rarity? Any safe places to hide?”
“Well, yes, Rainbow.” Rarity gulped. “But—”
“Keris and two others have given chase!” Fluttershy said. “They're not far behind!”
“The fireworks will be ending soon,” Twilight said. “There won't be anything left to hold them back!”
“He's taking aim,” Rarity said, glancing north. “This is it!”
“What are we going to do?” Fluttershy squeaked.
Rainbow skidded to a stop, staring around a nearly-vacant intersection. “I... I don't...” She gulped. “I don't—”
“Hey!” Pinkie Pie suddenly chirped, grinning wide. “Guess what! My tail finally stopped quivering!” She looked over, blue eyes reflecting the fireworks above. “That can only mean one thing, Dashie! It's time for you to kick the bucket!”
Rainbow frowned. “Pinkie, now is not the time for joking—”
“Kick the bucket, Dashie!” Pinkie hollered.
Rainbow jolted. Her head dropped, and she spotted a rusted metal container right in front of her. “Uhhhhh...” Gritting her teeth, she gave the bucket a firm kick. Clang! It flew across the street, coming into rough contact with a storm drain. The old pipework rattled loose, then slid sideways. The top of it grazed several shingles, causing the building's rooftop to slide loose. A stallion up top gasped as he slid sideways—along with the collapsing firework launcher that he had just lit. POWWW! The thing fired at a steep angle.
“Whoah!” Twilight gasped.
Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Rarity watched—breathless—as the streaming missile soared its way north...
...and straight towards the gates of Kunmane where a certain griffon was perched.
The Kunmane guards shrieked and dove out of the way.
“What...” Windburst lifted his squinting eyes from the sights of his crossbow. His helmeted face lit up from the incoming blue flame. “...the shit?”
POWWWW!
“Aaaaaaaaaaugh!” The griffon's body went flying, his tail-feathers on fire. He fell against a building front with a grunt, then collapsed into an unconsicous heap in the streets below.
Meanwhile...
BOOOOM! The north gate was full of sparks and streamers, blue and white and flashing. The wooden framework of the gate instantly caught fire. A brilliant flame spread across the exit.
Rainbow Dash gasped as she came to a skidding stop before the spectacle. There was just enough clear space left for a petite body to gallop through.
“What are you waiting for, Rainbow?!” Rarity hollered.
Rainbow looked at where Windburst had landed. “Is... is anybody hurt?!”
“A bit shaken up, Rainbow, but nothing serious!” Fluttershy said.
“But... but he took such a bump and—”
“He'll live!” Fluttershy suddenly glared into Rainbow's face, teeth gritting. “You won't! Now move!”
“Uhhhhhh...” Rainbow's ears drooped as she backed away from The Stare. “Buhhh... b-buhhh...” Holding her breath, she pivoted north and dove through the flame before it closed up entirely, covering the northern edge of Kunmane.
Seconds later, town guards came rushing in, carrying buckets of water and dousing the flames into a smoldering mess.
Seraphimus touched down beside Windburst. She lifted his body, giving him a gentle shake. The Sergeant woke up, dazedly waving a talon.
Not long after, the rest of the Talon caught up, gaping at the smoky scene. Starstorm and Raptr looked in shock at Seraphimus.
Seraphimus patted Windburst's shoulder and stood up straight. She gazed across the smoke and fumes at Keris.
Keris gazed calmly, emotionlessly back.
Tightening her beak, Seraphimus glared north. Every griffon stood in place, forced to wait until the fireworks ended.
“Woohooo!” Pinkie Pie cartwheeled ghostily in mid-air. Behind Rainbow Dash, the town of Kunmane had been reduced to a narrow strip of flashing lights sandwiched behind a mountain pass. “Oh yeahhhh! Pinkie sense for the win!” She floated down until she “reclined” across Rainbow's galloping flank. “How's that for a Grand Finale? Eh? Ehhhh?”
“Very good, Pinkie,” Rainbow panted, following a jagged, ascending road into the mountains. The air grew colder, breezier as her eyes adjusted to naked starlight. Several ravines loomed ahead of them as she hugged the rightmost path. “I'll be sure never to doubt your quivering tail again.”
“No time for celebration,” Rarity insisted. “We must put as much distance as we can between you and Kunmane, Rainbow.”
“Are they following us, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.
“Not at the moment.” Fluttershy gulped. “But something tells me they're about to.”
“The fireworks. I get it.” Twilight took a breath. “They'll be ending within minutes.” She turned towards Rainbow Dash. “You gotta keep moving, Rainbow.”
“Story of my friggin' life.” And Rainbow disappeared into the misty mountains, where she was obscured by fog and moonlight.
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Only 364 more to go and you're done for the year!
Oh, that was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too goddamned close.
"tail"
Yes! Epic Fight!
Getting pretty tense!
Jink left! Dodge right! Dash ahead!
I was on pins and needles the whole time
Hmmmm I thought that she was going to get caught at the end of this chapter. Though I suspect It can't be put off for much longer, I give it a 80% chance she gets caught by the Talon eventually.
Reminds me too much of the Carnival scene in Moonraker, just Seraph didnt dress up in blend in costume, but is certainly worthy of the title, Jaws.
Next, into the ice and snow mountains, filled with the homes of the Snow Ponies who build, and Id expect, maintain the Snow Paths?
Weird, I just finished watching Pikachu use its tail as a Metronome to perfectly time out Future Sight as well.
Will the Talon catch up enough with Dash to at least see which path she vanishes into, and then either fly round to wait for her, or will Seraphimus be driven to try and catch up at least the first while, given snow, blizzard, wind shear, white out and as yet to be described magical effects?
Given what Ive seen over the years in the local weather, Im waiting for Dash to enter the Rainbow Fields. Not flakes of snow, but entire collections of up to talon sized thin ice plates, which lying on the ground, bounce any sunlight as multicoloured, and same with swirling in the air, rainbows, halos, nacrenes, multiples, tunnels, azimuthal. Not even counting the sundogs and rainbow dragon. I hope the photos are still there, but I wish I could find the cards they are on.
Well, thats one hay of a start to the New Year. Now to survive the Easter onslaught?
Nice trick-shot, Rainbow. You should compete in the bucket-kicking Olympics.
Alright, now that was cool.
Pinkie Pwned
Gotta admit I was a little worried this would end in a dredge-coal terrorist attack providing the distraction for Dash to escape... A sucker punch for Windburst is a much easier ending. Aaaaand now for wandering through a zero-visibility frozen wasteland. I wonder how the Foofy Five will pursue.
pinkie confirmed traitor
i.imgflip.com/we9la.jpg
...holy shit that was tense.
This was an epic start to the year for this series.
That is a nice mental image actually, the 5 griffons silhouetted by the exploding fireworks.
Really nice.
-Companions have returned, inner darkness spurned. Utaan.
FUCK this chapter was fun.
Stifling party atmosphere coupled with sustained tension can make for a thrilling mix. As proven here.
With the path having already been laid out in detail for Dash however, I couldn't see it being cut off by the Talon at this point. If they're bold enough to pursue, then choosing the right ravine to take as a group may be too much of a gamble. Splitting up would likely prove more effective, though increasingly risky as conditions deteriorate.
Swapping thrills and spills for chills isn't easy.
And for a brief moment, Rainbow realised that the thrill of being caught by a commanding catbird gal in uniform was the greatest thrill of all...
Out of the fridge and into the tundra.
Awesome chapter was awesome.
[youtube= https://youtu.be/2P5qbcRAXVk]
'Shy ain't puttin' up with your bullshit, Dash.
PLEASE make this into a story someone!!!!
This seemed like something out of a Bond movie.
That was some Final Destination shit right there.
As always, your action chapters never disappoint.
6791507 indeed it was, as evidenced by me missing the character identifier for holly about hakfway through when deleting them
The best part about this is that we don't know whether or not Dash has a plan to get captured. My favorite thing about IC, confirmed ever since Lerris, is that he's willing to do whatever to RD, whenever we least expect it, and has taught us well about fates worse than death. We never know what hell RD is going to go through next. That's the only thing that amplifies the suspense, and makes it truly enjoyable.
What an action scene!
Fucking pre-cogs.
...
...
"What...the shit?"
My sides have become escape trajectory.
Deus Ex Pinkamina
I have seen the face of the enemy, and she is...not attractive enough to give Dash a wingboner. Do I ship it anyway? You bet I do!
The music that came to mind when reading this chase scene.
You don't run, that will just draw attention, Rainbow's friends once again show their naivety in these kinds of situations once again.
*Drools*
I bet that she and her kids used to do stuff like that all the time.
But she doesn't seem to let it get to her for more than a few minutes.
This guy could be useful
But the Talon are quick on the uptake, as they should be.
I wonder how pinkie would react to a twitch that she Never felt before, or one that she does not know what it means.
Well, round one is over, and while close, Rainbow has received a decisive victory over the Talon. Now the question is how will the Talon react to this. Will they immediately pursue and risk loss of forces, pull back and reassess and risk losing the target (especially if they know where she is headed), or rage at their defeat?
6794254
Not with her helmet on anyway.
Serainbow or Dashimus?
6794357 I was thinking Sedashimus. Just to mix it up a little.
Maybe the rest of the Talon will take Keris a bit more seriously now that they've seen some of what Dash can do first-hand.
First... paw? What do griffons have for hands?
You feel that Fluttershy?
Multiply it by 10, sprinkle insanity over it, and I bet that's what Shell feels like.
I know it's terrible.
6794254 Even if Seraphimus is married and has offspring? If there must be a griffion I'd stand with an old favorite, Gilda. But Keris is a cool catbird too.
Wow that was way too close. I was actually worried there for a second.
It seems pretty fitting that the Month of Thawing is ushered in with the resumption of Dash's journey.
The bucket is the real hero and that hat is going to take over the seas! I knew that hat was up to no good.
One of the best chapters so far
6793890 Damn Fluttershade. You're one stone cold mare.
Aww, for a second, I was hoping that the chapter title referred to thawing Seraphinus. Way too early for that though.
If at all.
That said, she might be the most likeable fanatic we've had chasing dashie so far.
6794495
Claws.
Eagle claws, specifically.
Daaaamn. That was some of the most nerve wracking, tense chapters I've seen in fimfiction in a long time. And with out touching any purple prose
I think that was more intense than the fight on Red Barge. Entirely too close.
That entire chase scene was intense as hell!
Not to sure if I should be glad I got knocked out by fireworks, or hurt
Awesome way to get knocked out though
I knew that this would be awesome...but hitting Windburst in the face with a firework? I never would've guessed just HOW awesome.
horychit dat chase sequence doe
Yup, that sure was rather intense.
6794495
i.imgur.com/D7EeC9b.gif
Uh-oh . . .
That was far too close of a brush
Rainbow Dash, you're going to have to explain yourself eventually, you know. And probably to Seraphimus, too.
BAHAHA! The ending to that chase was perfect!
That was so close that I'm tempted to try to break into the story and give the Talon something else to deal with...
*com my Bolo Mark XXXIII*
Now that is how you make a daring escape. Good job, Rainbow, although depending on how far away the pass is at this point, the Talon will likely cut you off on the sheer principle that they can fly and you can't, and they know exactly where you're going.