//------------------------------// // A Declaration of Intent // Story: Dark Arts and Kind Hearts // by Boomstick Mick //------------------------------// "I knew I sensed something," Said Twilight Sparkle as a structure began to come into sight. Starlight Glimmer squinted her eyes to get a better view, but the stinging sensation of the frigid wind assailing her combined with the stark white of the landscape made it difficult for her to see anything. Like Twilight, she could detect the remnants of powerful magic emanating from the area, but the harsh, inhospitable elements of the peninsula made it difficult for her other senses. The howling wind constantly roaring in her ears rendered comprehension of articulation difficult. All she could seem to smell was the cold. She had wrapped her scarf around her face, as it was all she could do to keep the walls of her nostrils from freezing over. The cold had seeped in through her hooves and ran up the bones of her legs, making them numb to any kind of sensation. She found herself constantly looking down at them, as if to reassure herself that she still had them. Moon Dancer was better prepared for the elements than her. She wore a cloak, just as the others did, only hers was lined with fur and thick padding. A heavy woollen scarf and dark tented goggles obscured her features. After some experimenting, she was able to figure out a way to augment a cloud walking spell in order make it easier for her and the others to traverse through the treacherous snows of the terrain. She had claimed that the process was elementary when one considered that snow and clouds were practically of the same makeup, the defining variation being that snow contained a higher condensity of H20. Starlight Glimmer cursed herself under her breath when she had not thought of that first. Moon Dancer was smart. Insanely smart. Too smart for her own good, Starlight thought. It made her cocky. Not insufferably so, but one could surmise from engaging in only a brief dialogue with the girl that she was in possession of a contemptible smugness. Sunset Shimmer was definitely the more athletic of the four. While the others were panting and complaining about the cold, she effortlessly strode on with brisk abandon. It was as if the long, arduous trek through the thick snow was no different than a leisure stroll through Canterlot Park. She too wore a cloak, but the hood was drawn down. She had claimed that it was so her peripheral vision wouldn't he hindered. Moon Dancer sniggered that her red hair would give away their position from miles away. Sunset Shimmer, in order to further illustrate her intentions, or simply to not be outbitched by Moon Dancer, combated the sally by saying, 'True, but at least if danger approaches us from the side, I'll be able to see it coming. Nice goggles, by the way. No solar eclipse will be getting the drop on you.' Moon Dancer was either unable to formulate a quip, or she simply didn't care to reply. As amusing as the jest was, Starlight was beginning to wish she had brought some protective eye wear of her own. The sensory overload of the endlessly white frozen wasteland was blinding. And the jagged winds made her eyes smart. It made it almost impossible to see what Twilight was pointing at. But she could sense it. Like hoof prints at a crime scene, unicorns and other creatures of magic possessed a defining signature that was unique to only them, an arcane residual that lingered for hours, even days after the initial discharge of power. The more power that was employed, the stronger the sensation of the signature was. When Starlight had arrived at the Crystal Empire, the sensation left behind by the evil wizard Sombra was everywhere. The only word she could think of to describe it was 'black'. It was the blackest thing she ever felt. It was cold, and it was terrifying. Like the lingerings of a malicious poltergeist, it oppressed the emotions of those who could sense it and left behind naught but despair. As the party approached the structure, Starlight was beginning to make out its features. To her, it looked like it had once been a stronghold. Parts of it were blackened, while other sections were crumbling and falling over. What may have at one time been a sturdy door used as an entrance to the structure had been smashed and blown into splinters, as if it had been peppered by cannon balls. The four unicorns exchanged cautionary looks before entering, and when they did, they soon found themselves wishing they hadn't. A cluster of heads mounted on pikes accompanied one section of the ruined stronghold, their faces contorted in lifeless expressions of pure, stark terror. Rows upon rows of bodies swung and swayed at the ends of hempen ropes from the ramparts of the upper wall, occasionally colliding with one another like a set of fleshy, grotesque wind chimes. Eviscerated cadavers laid strew about over blotches of pink and red snow. Moon Dancer lifted her goggles to reveal her wide, horrified eyes. "Dear Celestia..." Starlight Glimmer could feel her gorge rising. After several vain attempts to keep it down she finally bent down and wretched. Twilight Sparkle approached what looked like a statue of a terrified stallion holding his hooves out in a pleading manner. But when she touched it, it scattered to the wind in a cloud of ash. "He was here recently," Sunset Shimmer stammered, Sombra's lingering oppression physically distressing her. She wrapped her forelegs around herself and tremored under its power. "I've never felt anything like this before. It feels- It feels like he's standing right behind me." Twilight Sparkle, looking down and closing her eyes, she drew her hood back around her neck. "How could he? Who could be this cruel? This bastard doesn't deserve to live." Starlight Glimmer attempted to spit the remaining taste of her stomach contents out, but it was to no avail. All she could do was wipe her mouth and hope the sour flavor wouldn't linger long. "Why would he do this?" she said, catching her breath. "To send a message," replied Moon Dancer, logically. "Look at the way some of the bodies are displayed." She gestured to the corpses hanging from the upper walkway that protruded from the wall. "These bodies were meant to be found, meant to be seen, and their killer's intention was to sew terror and intimidation into whoever comes across them." Well, it worked, Starlight thought. She then looked to Twilight Sparkle and asked. "What are we going to do?" "We're going to do what we set out to do," Twilight said. "If we fail-- "We won't fail!" Twilight Sparkle cut her off, slashing her hoof through the air. "Failure isn't an option. I won't allow it. That monster still has Fluttershy, and who knows what other atrocities he'll commit if left unchecked. Make no mistake, ladies: This is not just a rescue mission." "Well, then, what else is it?" asked Sunset Shimmer. Twilight threw her hood over her head, and she made her intentions clear. "This," she said, narrowing her eyes with intent, "is an assassination."