The noble mare did not accompany Alex to her banishment. There were only the guards, a half dozen or so of the burliest, most unfriendly-looking ponies in town. They didn't take her possessions, didn't even seem to recognize the potential danger of her weapon. Unless they can tell it's broken. She might still be able to use the rifle, the trigger and firing mechanism still worked just fine, but she would have to aim with her whole body, and guess at the bullet's path. It was essentially impossible.
Governess Noble Calling hadn't exaggerated about the "mountain" to climb, either. They had a long way to walk north, past the edge of town and the most extreme boundary of the old city. The guards escorted her through more sparse farmland, and the foul lake came into view. She smelled it along their walk, the rot of saline and death that was always near it. At least they don't want to drown me.
The unicorn from before was among those who escorted her out of town, the apparent leader of the band Calling had selected. Alex cooperated with all their commands—which was far easier to do now that she could understand them.
"What is the Nameless City like?" she asked him, through the clanking chains around her hooves. "That's where you're taking me, isn't it?"
The guards shared a few uncomfortable looks, though none of his inferiors seemed eager to answer for him. He moved a little closer to her, so she would be able to hear him easier. "You shouldn't know how to talk. Where are your outcast words?"
She shrugged. "The spell you saw me make—I am borrowing your Governess's language skills. When night comes the spell will end, and I won't know your language anymore."
"Oh." He looked away, focused on the path around them. They weren't the only traffic out of the city—there were farmers with their carts, as well as foot traffic of other kinds, flowing out as the day wound down. They all kept their distance, and none of them looked at Alex.
"What is the Nameless City like?" she asked again. "I know it's terrible, and I know it's not your fault I'm going there. But anything you know might be helpful."
One of the other guards laughed. "Mare is mad! I heard the governess offer her freedom, and what does she do? Refuse. Says that's where she belongs. Madness!"
"You made the wrong choice, if that's true," he said. "I've never seen the city—it's too far away for a common pony to travel. No serf is free to leave the land of their birth. But everypony's heard the stories." He shook his head. "You go to die, pony."
"Death isn't all it's cracked up to be," she muttered. "Last time I stayed..." she trailed off, thinking. "Wait! What year is it? Do you... can you tell me the year? Any of you?"
The other guards laughed. Somepony behind her muttered. "Thinks herself a noble, does she, all wrapped up in numbers and letters? See what the city ponies do to her..."
More laughter, though the unicorn did not join in. "Quiet!" he ordered, curtly. "Give some respect to the dead." He turned back to her. "The question you asked could be answered better by a priest. It's the sixteenth year of new harvest. In four years, it will be the first year of cold starlight."
She grunted. "I was afraid you'd say something like that. You ponies don't use the Gregorian calendar... marking from the Event as year zero... do you know what the Event is?"
The unicorn made a sign across his chest with the motion of one hoof before answering. "The time of judgement. You speak of the Dawn. A sacred time."
"Yeah, fine. How long has it been since then?"
He shook his head. "Like I said, a matter for the priests. Or the scholars."
She sighed. "Thanks anyway. Maybe you can answer something else: how often do you take outcasts to this 'Bloodgate' thing?"
He considered a moment before answering. "Every year is different, depending on the war in heaven. You would know more about that than I would, since you'd only just been banished."
"I..." She lowered her voice to a whisper, so that only the unicorn could hear. "Do you actually believe any of this? I didn't come from heaven. I wasn't banished from anywhere."
The unicorn stiffened a little, glaring at her. "You can't deceive me, Outcast. I might not have the education of a priest, but I've read the Dawnwords. I know the sacred doctrine of Arianna. If you think you can escape your sentence with your tongue, you're wrong."
Alex groaned and looked away, back at the sandy ground passing by beneath her. "I'm not trying to escape anything. If I'd wanted to get out of it, I wouldn't have forced the governess to send me. Somepony has to do something about what you're doing to those ponies. If there's a monster, somepony has to kill it. If not, well..." She shook her head. "It's the largest gathering of outcasts in this part of the world. They might need help."
"Oh, they need help all right," laughed another guard. "Help giving up their souls to the Nameless Power. Help being devoured by his city."
Alex didn't bother trying to extract more information during the walk. Her mind turned over what might be waiting for her, and what strange circumstances might've created such a strange religion. No answers were forthcoming.
Eventually they reached their destination, up what felt like miles of steep hillside trails. Alex could feel the gate before she saw it, a subtle grinding on the air, a poison that she couldn't quite name. There was no easy way to quantify how the sparse prairie vegetation seemed somehow weaker around it, or how few animals she saw. No birds got near the place, not even very many insects. By the time they had reached the top of the hill, she saw no animals at all.
Archive saw the gate, and knew why animals hated the place. It seemed almost like a pool carved out of granite, with perfectly square outlines and many channels carved with care into the rock. The channels formed letters, all of varying thickness and all connecting to form a spell diagram. The smell of rot and corruption boiled up from the bottom of the bloodgate, and at their approach a dozen ravens scattered to the sky, cawing in protest and circling around overhead.
The bloodgate was aptly named. Inside it were half a dozen corpses in various stages of decay and corruption, with obvious stains of blood in the channels and around it. There was a single squat, square building beside the gate, and near it, a very large cage of rough iron.
There were deer in the cage, about a dozen she could see. Even as they approached, a griffon emerged from the building, wearing a red uniform just like the ones from the city and bearing no weapons but his sharp claws.
"We have an offering for the Nameless City!" the unicorn called, and the guards separated. They formed up on the other side of the unicorn. None of them looked particularly happy to be up here, surrounded with the scent of death.
"So be it." The griffon reached into a pouch around his neck, and drew out a piece of metal. He tossed it to the unicorn with one claw. "Take this to the fair governess. Good day."
The unicorn moved forward with a key, moving it towards her shackles. "Don't try to run," he whispered. "Or the gatemaster will send you through with two broken legs. I've seen him do it."
Alex held still as the shackles came off. She didn't run. A few seconds later and she felt something around her neck—an enormous, powerful claw. The smell of decay boiled around the griffon, as thick as around any vulture.
He threw her towards the bloodgate, where a rope waited on a post. She rolled with the fall, landing upright and quickly rising, but she did not run. She had eyes only for the spell, deconstructing it as quickly as she could.
The griffon wrapped the rope around her neck, tying it off on the post with practiced ease.
Alex didn't struggle. "You tell some lie about a city, only to round us up and use us as blood sacrifices?" She started trying to line up a shot—it wasn't going to be easy. Griffons were very large predators, and the caliber of her rifle was quite small. She would have to fire as many of her shots into his chest as possible. There was no chance at all she could hit him in the head, not without being able to aim properly. "It's wrong. There's a special place in hell waiting for people like you."
The griffon only laughed, walking away from her. Was he going to get a knife? He would have to get very close if he wanted to do any kind of ritual bloodletting, that would be her best opportunity. There would be no margin of error.
But no... there was nowhere close to the post waiting to receive the blood. There was a basin set into the stone, but it was on the other end of the gate. But why...
Alex's heart froze as she saw, and suddenly realized the reason for the cage. The griffon emerged from within dragging a doe behind him. The poor animal kicked and struggled as it was dragged along, and the ground scraped mercilessly at its coat. "What made you think I was killing you? Everyone knows it is against the law to kill a person to power a spell, even an Outcast. Only animals can be used for that." The griffon had a very thick accent, though it didn't stop him from being understood.
Alex watched with horror as the griffon reached the other end of the gate. He yanked the animal into a standing position, and provided most of the strength to hold her that way. She was dressed—some kind of cloth vest, along with tribal patterns of white paint on her coat, faded but still matching the natural spots on her back. Most horrifying of all were the eyes. In that instant, Alex started struggling again, bucking and surging against the rope. As an earth pony, she could've easily torn it right out of the ground. As a thestral, on the other hand... she couldn't budge it. "Dammit, no! That isn't an animal, she's a person! Can't you see her eyes? Can't you see the clothes she's wearing?"
There was a harsh, sickening sound, like meat dropped onto a counter. A few strangled gasping sounds, as the griffon slit the deer's throat into the basin. The body twitched and spasmed a few times, and the griffon held it down, draining all the blood that emerged from within. Then he shoved, tossing the corpse callously in to join the others. "See? I am as kind as any butcher." He licked one bloody claw clean. "It is not the deer you should be worried about, Outcast. Where you travel waits far worse things than death."
Alex seethed with rage, but no amount of pulling at her rope would do any good. She couldn't get an accurate shot off, not at this distance. Besides... if she killed him now, the deer would've died for nothing. If I can end the human sacrifice, maybe I can end the animal sacrifice too. The deer were not her responsibility, but that didn't mean she wouldn't help them if she could.
Blood seeped down from the basin into the numerous channels around it, and with it came the sense of magic. Not the natural, pleasant tingling of a unicorn spell... something unclean, something dirty and evil. Alex read the runes, and knew that the riddle of how races besides unicorns might cast spells had been solved at last. Few events released more energy at once than the death of an intelligent being. The spellnet of runes was clumsy and awkward, and only some small fraction of power would be preserved. Apparently that was what it took to open a gate.
Red light bubbled up from within the gate, filling it as though it were no empty basin at all, but a solid pool of bubbling red blood.
The griffon neared her, raising one of his claws. "Behave now, Outcast... I do not know how you can understand me, but I know what will happen to you if you struggle." He leered down at her. "I know you will not like it."
She nodded, and took her submissive posture again. "I won't struggle."
"Good." He untied the rope in a single fluid motion, taking the end in his claw and shoving her towards the pool with the other. He stood very close then, less than a foot away. "I will remove the loop from your neck, and you will jump. If you don't, I'll throw you in myself. Do not think you can save yourself by wasting my time—the gate will not close until a soul has used it."
"Hurry then."
He laughed. "In a rush to get to hell, eh? Very well." He got very close, his claw still smelling like death as he tugged on the loop, loosening it. "Go."
She did. Archive might not have a powerful body, or the magic that came from the earth, but what she did have was several lifetimes of training and the swiftness of air. She struck the griffon's back leg with a bullet, snapping the bone.
He screamed in rage, lunging for her with beak and claws outstretched. She rolled easily out of the way, and he went down on the ground where he had been standing. "I may not be able to stop this!" She leaped sideways again, out of reach of his claws.
The griffon rose unsteadily to his three good legs, eyes feral with anger and mouth frothing. "You think they care if I send you through as a corpse!? I'll tear you apart!"
He lunged again, though he could do no more than lurch. Archive froze, waiting until he was inches away before snapping to the side again, letting him come down on empty air. She followed forward with a leap of her own, shoving her shoulder towards the back of his head. She kicked her back leg, and the report of a rifle cracked the air.
The body twitched beneath her, spasming for a few seconds, then fell still. There was a hole in the back of his head.
Archive fell backward onto the ground, shivering all over at the blood. It didn't help to know that she had just killed a murderer, one who had killed countless times and enjoyed what he did. That did not make the blood stain her less. It isn’t like I haven’t killed ponies before. She fished around on the corpse for a moment, until she came up with the keys, which she slipped around one of her legs by the ring.
Eventually she got up, shambling to a well beside the cage. She cranked a bucket down into the depths, then turned and turned until chill water came up. She washed away the filth, cleaned off the barrel of her gun, then looked around.
She stood alone beside the hut, its cage packed full of deer. Every single one of them seemed to be watching, a dozen pained eyes on her. They were about twice her height, though it seemed the years had changed them a little. They were more petite than the deer she had seen before the event, and had a few minor similarities in build to herself. The warping effect of magic. But how many years?
Alex approached the side of the cage, and the timid captives retreated, out of reach. "I am sorry I couldn't save your friend," she said, her head lowered in respect. "I would've killed him sooner if I realized what he was going to do." She took a moment to get a good look at the deer inside the cage; one buck, several doe, and even more fawns. They're using the lives of children to cast spells. God, how long have I been dead?
One of the mares seemed less timid than the others. She also seemed to be dressed differently—there were numerous bits of something woven around her neck. She had no mane, no vest, only the necklace of stones. Semi-precious, glittering rocks, like quartz and other pretty but worthless varieties. She opened her mouth, and spoke in a halting voice. "You... one fawn... killed the skycat."
Alex nodded, pointing at the rifle. "I blew his brains out while he was down, not exactly a fair fight." She walked up to the edge of the cage, and tried to pull it open. The bars were locked tight.
"We fought before. So strong... he kill, eat... how did fawn do it?"
She shook her head. "I'm not a fawn."
The deer were all gathered into a far corner of the cage, huddled protectively around one another with the buck facing her. His antlers lowered slightly and he scratched the ground with one of his hooves.
Only the doe was brave enough to remain near the side as Alex put the key into the lock, and was able to talk again. "Can you tell your friend to relax? I'm not going to hurt you."
The doe raised an eyebrow. "Tiny one who kills skycats give no harm?" She sounded doubtful.
The lock clicked, and Alex tugged the rusty gate open. "No harm." She stepped out of the way, back beside the cage. The entrance was wide open now. "Go on. They'll probably be back to use this place eventually... get as far away as you can."
The deer exchanged a few terse words in another language. The buck hissed. "It's a trap, Longstrides-through-dense-grass! The blood of magekind runs thick with lies!"
Alex froze in shock as she heard the words. Though the accent was thick and the rhythm was unfamiliar, she knew them well. The deer were speaking Dutch.
"This magekind is different, Fleetsteps-among-thorns! You saw how hard she fought when the skycat took Gestalt-of-rainbows! Besides, magekind don't eat meat! What could she possibly want with us?"
Alex didn't wait for the buck to answer. She tried her best to imitate the strange accent and cadence. "This magekind wants you all to get to safety. If you are too afraid to leave now, please don't be afraid once I use the door."
It was their turn to stare. The doe, Longstrides-through-dense-grass, recovered faster than any of the others. "You know our language? H-how? It's forbidden to teach... if any of the Mother's children ever..."
Alex cut her off. "Nobody taught me. I learned from books. Believe me, I'm dying to know how your species learned a human language not even used much on this continent, I don't have time to investigate." She turned away from the deer, and walked slowly towards the gate. "Good luck. Don't get captured again."
She was almost to the edge of the portal by the time something nudged her—Longstrides-through-dense-grass. Archive looked up, but she didn't turn. "What? I can't stay long... I have somewhere I need to go."
She stared down at Alex, her gaze intent. She didn't speak, not for several long moments. "Fawn who saves Kin from skycats, magekind who talks to Kin and sets us free: did the Mother send you?"
Alex realized then what Mother the deer meant. She lowered her eyes reverently to the ground. "We are acquainted. I have fought for her before, many times."
She felt hooves wrap around her, pulling her tight. It wasn't an attack. "Then you shouldn't go. The mankind's horrors make her bleed. And this... this..." she pointed. "The magekind save it only for the weakest. I think they send those who aren't cruel enough to die."
"I know." Alex didn't pull away. The deer smelled as bad in her own way as the griffon had. Not death, but sweat and waste and fear. She had been in that cage a long time. But gratitude and love were universal. After being hated and yelled at and fighting for her life, Alex could use a little love. It was good to know what she did mattered.
Eventually the doe released her, looking down with serious, expressive eyes. Animal it might be, but the concern was universal. "You will be welcome with us. When we return to the Kin of the northern forests and they hear of what you did... you will have a place with us."
"I can't..."
The doe tugged her back a little, interrupting her. "I'm not ignorant! I know your strange blood stretches your life like a tree. I will tell my fawns of you, and they will tell theirs, and all the Kin will do the same. Your welcome will not wane when we are gone. You must come with us!"
Alex hesitated. It would be so easy to leave this horrible place behind. The magic of the portal revolted her, and what had been done to create it would linger in her nightmares. Going with these deer might give her a chance to correct an even greater injustice. Intelligent creatures, people, were being hunted and enslaved. How hard would it be to give them the weapons to fight back?
You can't fight every battle, she heard Cloudy's voice say, in the echoes of her memory. Even an immortal can only be in one place at a time. Look what happened with Oliver. You built a city, but it cost you a husband.
Alex shook her head. "I can't, Longstrides-through-dense-grass. If... that is your name, right?" The doe nodded, but Alex didn't give her a chance to argue again. "I honor you for your hospitality, and I wish you luck getting away from here back to live with these Kin. But I can't come with you... there are others I have to rescue." She gestured down at the swirling, bloody portal. It smelled horrible.
"You said so yourself, only the weakest were thrown through there. I have learned that many cities just like this have been banishing the weakest and most unfortunate among them to whatever is on the other side. The Mother..." She wasn't going to lie, not with that being. "I can't hear her anymore, but I know she would be horrified at all this. I must end it... and I can't do that from here."
The doe nodded resolutely, then glanced back over her shoulder. The rest of the deer had barely ventured outside the cage. They pranced about around the entrance, bouncing nervously on their long limbs. None got anywhere near the portal. "I'm going with her! Take the others, Fleetsteps-among-thorns, flee home!"
The buck emerged from the crowd, bounding closer, though not too close. "You can't! What would I tell your parents?"
"You shouldn't come with me," Alex agreed. "It's going to be horrible through there. I don't know what this place will be like! It won't be safe!"
"You heard her! The fawn was sent by the Mother. She deserves the Mother's protection. That would be you, but... it's more important you get the rest home safely. I am the most we can give." She looked down, back towards Alex. "Unless you plan on killing me too, I'm coming. Such a small one can't stop me."
"Can you at least stop calling me a fawn? I'm older than your whole species."
The buck protested a few more times, but he wouldn't get closer. The other deer only watched, either too nervous or not able to speak. Alex didn't wait for them to get their courage. The power of death would keep the portal open until it was used, but she wasn't sure how long it would stay open once that happened.
"You might die." She stood at the edge of the precipice for another moment, looking to the deer. "I may not be able to protect you."
"I am already dead." The deer pointed behind them at the griffon's corpse. "Every minute now is a gift from the Mother, and I will spend them how I choose."
"Alright." Alex closed her eyes, taking one last, deep breath. "Jump when I do." She didn't open her eyes, to see if the deer would follow, but leaned forward until she could no longer keep her balance, letting herself fall into what she knew looked like a swirling ocean of crimson blood.