Judith "Judas" Blackwing:
Winter Solstice:
Chapter 4
Cold Shoulder
“Solstice, are you well?” asked Heretic.
“I’m... I’m fine... teleportation sickness.”
“Judas?”
“I’m good. Still a little sore from that blow I took. Where’s brother?”
“I don’t think he made it.”
“...Damn it, Solstice. Don’t say that.”
“Judas, considering the mass quantity of stained glass that he-”
“Heretic.”
“-followed by his terminal velocity-”
“Heretic!”
“-and the sheer drop-”
“Shut up, Bubblemint!”
Bubblemint "Heretic" Berry:
Judith "Judas" Blackwing:
Winter Solstice:
The sound of crickets chirping and a stream in the distance were all too peaceful considering what these three ponies had been through. The grass around them was the only sign of a conflict, flattened by the shockwave of a large teleportation spell.
Heretic adjusted his glasses. “Solstice. Your assistance spared our lives and prevented any long term injury. You deserve the chance to recuperate from your exhaustion.”
Solstice laid her head on the soft grass. Even in her weakened state, her icy blue coat and white mane looked gorgeous. “I didn’t need your permission,” she said as she slipped into what would be a long nap.
“Judas, the fate of your sibling is unconfirmed. I recommend you rest for the remainder of the evening as I begin reconnaissance and construct a makeshift camp.”
“I’m far too beat to even insult you right now. Good night.” Judas curled up next to a nearby tree and used her wings as a sort of blanket. Not completely uncomfortable.
Heretic made a point in being the voice of reason in his motley crew. He was always smarter and more rational, however his brains contrasted his brawn, for he never grew much larger than the average filly.
From a slightly higher elevation, Heretic could see the diameter of the forest. It seemed to go on for several kilometers, and that was good.
“Excellent, any pursuers shall have marginal difficulty in determining our precise location.” He looked up and saw the storm clouds that had lasted almost a week had begun to disperse, giving way to a clear night. The only place the storm remained was... “Canterlot’s climate shares empathy with its inhabitants.”
“Return yourselves to a wary disposition, my friends. The hours of daylight are upon us and we must move carefully.” Heretic woke Judas and Solstice with his loud and complex words. “Detection will be hard to come by, however that is no excuse for unnecessary loafing. This is a forest of immense volume and density, at least it seemed so from my discovery. Further, Canterlot is in a frenzy following the incident.”
“Have they dispatched any guards?” asked Solstice in her usual soft elegant voice.
“Not at the time when I witnessed it, but it’s a given that it will happen within hours.”
Judas felt annoyed and anxious - one feeling was because Heretic was around, and the other was for her missing brother. She forced a smile on her face, hoping her friends would do the same. Heretic was always so stuck up and Solstice was so cold. Then again, her full name was Winter Solstice for a reason.
“Should I fly overhead and scout out any cities?”
Heretic was enthusiastic about that idea. “Capital! Stay within earshot in case a threat is to interrupt our escape.”
Judas’ wings were still sore from being smacked around but the pain was manageable, and the thrill of flight overshadowed any discomfort. She broke through the treetops and saw the size of this forest, and it was impressive. She turned her head to the left and saw a small yet lively town in the distance, lit up by the sun behind her.
“Heretic! There’s a country town over there!”
“Well done, Judas! Now retreat, before-”
“HALT!” Just as Heretic had feared, armored guards had been dispatched to find them. All of the guards were large winged pegasi, white, a total of nine. They had Solstice and Heretic surrounded on all sides. A single black unicorn, likely the leader, emerged. “You and your associates are traitors to the Princess of the Sun, accused of attempted murder. Will you come quietly?”
Heretic realized that the black one had only identified two of them. Judas was still above the trees, unseen, and if her were to initiate her usual battle plan, that is, charging in headfirst without consent or reason, then this would be a minor obstruction, at best.
“LEEROOOOOOOOOY WINGKINS!”
All nine royal guards looked to the sky and saw a blur of purple rush past them. One of the pegasi guards panicked a little. “What black magic is this?” He then found himself struck in the head by the very same blur. His gold helmet put up little resistance and it was knocked off. He was thrown to the ground with dilated pupils and a nasty bruise on his noggin. The remaining eight pegasi guards were frozen in place with shock.
The unicorn leader was shuffling his hooves. “Don’t just stand there, attack!” That snapped the eight out of it. Three of them charged at Heretic and Solstice while the other five slowly closed in, limiting their breathing room. Heretic jumped to his usual battle position at Solstice’s side, she towered over him. He hardly got himself involved in battle due to his small stature, instead he saw fit to call attacks. The three rushing guards stood in front. He looked to the sky.
“Judas! Dive bomb!”
Judas stopped in mid air above him. “Awwww yeah!” She stuck her hoof forward and launched herself toward her target. Three guards were blown away from a shockwave where Judas collided with the ground, one of them bowling over one of the surrounding guards. Four more down, four to go. Heretic’s glasses were knocked askew from the blast, but he adjusted them in time to see that the four standing guards had taken position at each cardinal direction around him and his friends. Perfect.
“Solstice, if you would use a radial ice spell, I would be most appreciative.”
“Get down.” Solstice raised her head and closed her eyes to concentrate. Her long sharp horn shined its signature icy blue color. Around her feet, the moist grass began to freeze and the mud became solid as a rock. Everypony’s breath was visible. Heretic and Judas hit the deck. Suddenly, a blast of crisp, cold air emitted from Solstice, followed by a brilliant wave of blue and white ripples. They dissipated when they hit the surrounding trees, leaving frost and wet snow in their place. Solstice opened her eyes to see the pegasi guards, including the incapacitated ones, frozen to the ground, encased in a thick layer of solid ice.
“T-That was... i-i-impressive,” said the black unicorn. He apparently anticipated that spell and sought shelter behind a tree. His armor was frosty from the collateral damage. He stuttered as he shivered.
Judas laughed at his misfortune, even though she was shivering as well, although she could speak just fine. “Obviously you’re frozen with terror!”
Heretic facehoofed himself, but not before wiping the ice off of his glasses. “Clearly I’m dealing with neophytes... en guarde!” he galloped to the black unicorn.
“B-back off, s-s-small fry!” a blast of non-elemental energy was cast from his horn, but Heretic easily sidestepped out of the way. The energy rushed past Judas and Solstice and sputtered out. Heretic made a long leap, broke into a slide on his back. He had enough momentum to be missed by the unicorn’s attempted swipe with his horn and trip him. Before the unicorn hit the ground, Heretic stood up, kneeled down, and bucked, landing his hind legs right into the unicorn’s chest. He landed on his back with a large bruise, moaning in pain.
Judas couldn’t help but cheer for the little guy. “Way to kick some ass, Bubblemint!” Heretic turned to his friends and returned their proud smiles with one of his own.
“I’m much too satisfied with my performance to be insulted.”
“Yeah, I just wish bro was here to see that.”
“What’s next, Heretic?”
“Elementary, my dear Solstice. We trek to the provincial location identified by Judas. Would you point us in the right direction?”
Judas was busy making faces at a frozen guard. She stopped mid-raspberry. “Um, that way?” she pointed her hoof west...ish.
“That will do,” said Heretic. “I say we separate to further lessen the possibility of detection. We will reunite in town.”
Solstice spoke. “Good idea, but... what about them?” she nodded her head to the nine frozen guards and their moaning leader.
Judas was impatient. "Frozen in ice and a broken rib cage. I think we’re done here.” She spread her wings and took off into the woods.
The one thing Heretic enjoyed being alone with more than anything in Equestria was his own thoughts. He would often talk to himself for hours on end, which he must have done here because it was already hours into the night. “Continuing analysis on possibility of mass transit without manual labor. Trains? Out of the question. Too large and cost inefficient. Perhaps wire driven carriages? Would require more electrical outputs. Hold that thought. Maybe a- hold on.” The forest had become less dense and through the brambles and moss Heretic could see a lit pathway. “Excellent. Judas’ haphazard directional assumption was correct.” As he made his way down the path, he stopped to take in the beauty of the night sky. “Princess Luna, you honor us with your artwork. At least, you would be if you weren’t- what the devil is that cacophony?”
“...the point of putting a hooded figure on a wanted poster?” An orange female earthwalker was shouting at a lone tree that lay in a split in the path. Great. A crossroads is a lost traveler’s worst foe. Hopefully this pony knew which direction to take, if she were a native. She continued to ramble. “More important, why am I talkin’ out loud? Nopony is around to hear me!” Heretic saw fit to intervene.
“I disagree in a most formal matter.” The earthwalker leaped. Heretic may have surprised her with his sudden interruption, or it could have been his unusually small stature. “You vertically ascended equal to or greater than two thirds of a meter. Did my introduction surprise you?”
“Um... yes?” she spoke with the Apple family accent. Upon closer inspection, Heretic could see her blonde hair and tail, along with an apple themed cutie mark. A farm pony.
Clearly the average farm pony wouldn’t understand Heretic’s mannerisms, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt, as he did catch her at an awkward moment. “My fellow equestrian, it would be of much appreciation on my part if you were to direct me toward the nearest location of publicity and give it’s moniker.”
“...what?”
Facehoof. She was just like everypony else. “I see I have to resort to the terms of the one called Layman. Where is the nearest town?”
Now she got the message. “Oh! Yeah, yeah.” she pointed her hoof to the right fork in the road. “Ponyville is that way.”
Heretic had heard of Ponyville somewhere before. Hopefully he and his friends wouldn’t be well known there, especially after all they had done. “My deepest gratitude to you, aquaintance- I mean, thanks.”
Heretic could see the town called Ponyville and it wasn’t all that exciting. The buildings were mostly two story huts, restaurants and shops, split up by a town square and an average sized park. Heretic only now realized how hungry he was. He hoped there was a bakery in town. He could really go for a cupcake...
“Yo, Bubblemint! We’re in trouble!” Judas landed next to him. She seemed panicked about something. That was problem right off the bat, she never panics. She had a scrap of paper in her mouth, which she laid on the dirt below a lantern.
“A spare bit of parchment?”
“No, look!”
“I’ll look once you stifle yourself.”
Judas took a deep breath. “Just... look.”
Heretic examined the paper and saw... his face. And Judas’ face. And Solstice’s face. “‘Wanted for attempted assassination of Princess Celestia.'” In a momentary lapse of more sophisticated vocabulary, Heretic could only utter, “Well... shit.”
“That’s not the worst part. I can deal with armed guards, but look at this.” Judas pointed at the fourth figure on the wanted poster, a hooded colt with angled eyes.
“Isn’t that your brother?”
Judas placed her hooves on Heretic’s shoulders. “Heretic, I was hiding up in the tree at the crossroads. That hick you were talking to? After you left, she mentioned a ‘Dragon freak’.”
Heretic was reluctant to believe this, but how many other half dragons did he know? “Oh my...”
“He’s here! Cerberus is in Ponyville!”