My Little Pony: The Pyres of Friendship

by Scribe of the Nightwings

The Rite of Dissenting Attitudes

The wooden wheels of the blackwagon grinded to a halt as the vehicle finally made it to its destination. One by one, the occupants of the wagon exited out into the evening air, where the moon had just begun its journey across the sky. Before she left, Twilight made sure to grab the Book of Rites and tuck it under her wing so that she would be ready right away for tonight’s proceedings. While all of the others were busy setting up camp for the evening, Twilight decided to get a bearing of the area. The first thing that the purple mare noticed about the location was its temperature. While it was true that Jomuer Valley went down a couple degrees during the evening, it didn’t even compare to the chill she was feeling right now. The alicorn looked around to see that there were blocks of blue ice scattered around the surrounding area. This only served to confuse Twilight even more. Twilight was familiar with this type of ice from her readings, and she knew that no desert environment, even at night, could even be cold enough to create this type of frigid ice. She was about to wonder how exactly this was happening when she noticed that her answer was towering right in front of her.

Just as with the Spring of Jomuer, there were the remains of some giant creature loomed over the landscape. Only this time, the giant didn’t resemble any creature that Twilight was familiar with. One of the more notable features was its giant, narrow skull opened wide to reveal its sharp, jagged teeth. Thin, black wisps protruded from the top of the skull, assumingly the creature’s hair. Below the skull was the chest, no skin whatsoever to cover the exposed ribcage. However, the strangest aspect was that some portions of the remains, include the skull itself, was indefinitely suspended in midair. Twilight looked closer to see that the bones were colored the same blue as the ice that surrounded the area. She could also see the bones twinkle a bit in the bright moonlight. Based on the color alone, Twilight guesstimated that the giant remains were the reason for the anomalous ice in the area.

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said as she walked up to the side of her friend. “That’s quite the sight, isn’t it? I can’t imagine what that creature must have been like when it was…well, alive.” Twilight could only nod at the pegasus’s comment, unsure of how to properly address such a sight.

“Aye, Miss Fluttershy.” Tariq spoke as he walked to where the two ponies were standing and looked to the giant remains. “Even in death, the Greater Titans still possess great stature and influence all across the Downside.”

“Greater Titans?” Twilight asked the minstrel in confusion. Before she could get any answers, however, Rukey suddenly ran over to the trio.

“Hey, sister!” the Cur said to Twilight. “You gotta go check this out. You won’t believe it!”

While the alicorn wanted to stay with Tariq to hear more about what exactly he meant when he mentioned the Greater Titans, it was clear that Rukey would keep pestering her until she complied. Therefore, Twilight bid Fluttershy and Tariq a brief farewell and went off with Rukey, making a mental note to fine time later to discussion what the minstrel was alluding to.

Twilight then followed Rukey a good five minutes away from the campsite to see what exactly the Cur wanted to show her. As they came to a stop, Twilight’s eyes widen in surprise as she saw two familiar creatures that she had just met a few days prior. It appeared that the Slug Market had set up shop right outside of the Cairn of Ha’ub this night. Falcon Ron was still perched on top of his father, just as he did when she met him, and their enormous backpack was already open to reveal their wares. And just like last time, a number of various slugs surrounded them. The purple mare was quite puzzled as to how the two manage to beat the Nightwings to the Cairn, since it appeared that they had no other method of traveling other than walking.

Musical Cue - Dirty Deal

“Oh, hey guys,” Ron greeted the alicorn and Cur. Fancy running into you here this side of the sand! Might I interest you in some of my wares?”

“Uh, Ron?” Rukey question the green merchant. “How’d you make it all this way ahead of us? We literally got her by wagon.” It appeared that the Cur was just as curious about Ron’s method of transportation as Twilight was.

Ron responded with a chuckle. “Eh, come on now, Mister Greentail, I can’t just give up all my business secrets, am I right?” Neither Twilight or Rukey decided to answer, seeing how it was rather pointless to try to fish more information from the merchant. “What I CAN do though, is provide you a sample of a little something-something that I think you might like! Think of it as a small gift for being such good customers and all.”

Ron’s father then began to rummage through the backpack to find the item they were looking for. Eventually, the red creature shoved his fist up before Twilight and slowly opened his hand to reveal the item. She looked down to see that it appeared to be a tiny amount of sparkling, blue powder held in a tiny scrap of paper. The alicorn lifted it with her magic, careful not to spill the powder, and gave it took Rukey to put inside his satchel. “That right there is call Stardust.” Ron explained. “You sprinkle it any of those talismans you use in those Rites and it’ll boost in power. You might want to try and use it on that Ashen Coal thinger I sold you last time. I only gave you a pinch, though, so don’t expect the power to skyrocket.”

The alicorn was curious about the merchant’s claims, so she asked Rukey to bring out the Ashen Coal. She then took that talisman and then began to sprinkle the Stardust onto it. The talisman then began to faintly glow for about a few seconds. While the purple mare couldn’t exactly place her hoof on it, but she somehow felt that the Coal had a tiny bit more power to it now. Twilight gave a friendly smile to the merchant. “Thanks, Ron. Do you mind if I look at your other wares?”

Ron was more than happy to oblige the alicorn as he and his father moved out of the way for her to look. Twilight then began to browse through the items to look for anything that might be useful. After a while, she spotted a shiny trinket that bared a resemblance to the sigil of the Nightwings. Ron identified it as a Moon Crest, further stating that it gave the holder a small chance to return from banishment in the Rites. The alicorn seemed satisfied by this and purchased the talisman with some of the remaining money that Rukey carried on his person. With the Moon Crest and Stardust in tow, Twilight decided that she had seen enough and bided Ron and his father farewell.

“So long, you guys!” Ron called out to the pair as they left. “Remember, we’re always getting new merchandise. So don’t forget to stop on by again!”

Twilight and Rukey eventually made it back to the campsite as the stars were beginning to twinkle in the night sky. It wouldn’t be long before they would be shining much brighter to indicate the beginning of the Rites, so Twilight was not surprised to see that the Nightwings were already in the process of donning their raiments and retrieving their masks. Rukey went off to gather his own gear, Twilight looked around to to find out that someone (or rather somepony) was missing.

“Where did Fluttershy run off too?” the purple mare asked herself aloud.

“She trotted on back inside the wagon with Ti’zo.” Twilight turned around to find out it was Applejack who had answered her question. “The little critter started to chirp about one thing or another and the both of ‘em went back inside all the sudden. I reckon they’ll be back before the Rite starts.”

“We best be prepared for anything,” Jodariel chimed into the conversation. “our adversaries should arrive any moment now.”

“Wonder what these ones will be like?” Hedwyn asked himself, although it was a thought that Twilight had in mind as well.

“Now come on now, y’all,” Applejack attempted to lighten the mood. “Old Dalbert seemed decent enough the last time around. Maybe these next folks will be the same!”

Musical Cue - Thrash Pack

Twilight was about to share in the orange mare’s assurance, but she immediately froze up when she heard a howl in the distance. The first thought that ran through the alicorn’s mind was that the Howlers had returned for another attack, but this was proven wrong when wicked laughter followed the howls. Twilight and the rest of the group began looking around the campsite to find the source. They did not have to look long as three Curs appeared out of nowhere and began circling around the campsite. At first the alicorn was confused as to why these Curs would provoke them for no reason, but then she noticed what they were wearing. Each of the canines were donned in black and orange raiments; masks identical to Rukey’s were covering their identities. These were the adversaries that the Nightwings would face this night, and they didn’t particularly look friendly.

One of the Curs stopped in its track right in front of Twilight, causing the mare to take a step back. He then reached up its paws and began to unfasten the mask. Once the mask was removed, Twilight was taken aback at what she saw. Compared to other Curs like Rukey and Dalbert, this one looked wild and fierce. His fur was jet black and had a crimson red mohawk on the top of his head. He had on metal piercing on multiple parts of his face, ranging from his long ears to even one on his tan nose. There was also a collar around his neck, which was adorned with what looked to be two, miniature, chromed dog skull with red eyes. Finally, there were his burning orange eyes that gave off a sense of ferocity and wildness from the Cur. After staring at the alicorn for a few minutes, the wild Cur let out another wicked laugh.

“Well, well, well,” he chimed out with a hint of an accent. “look at what we have here, boys! I’ve seen a LOT of crazy things, but you look like something straight out of those namby-pamby fairytales me mum use to tell me as a pup!” The Cur then let out another laugh that was shared with his other two compatriots. During that moment, Twilight could see how sharp and jagged his teeth were.

“Psst, sister!” Twilight looked over to see it was Rukey who was whispering at her side. Although when the alicorn saw her Cur companion, she noticed that he looked timider and more reserved; quite the contrast to his usual expressive self. “That over there is Barker Ashpaw. Real piece of work. Whatever you do, try not to make direct eye contact with him.” Twilight was about to ask more about how exactly he knew about Barker, but it seemed as though the wild Cur had taken notice of Rukey.

“Oy, well would you look at that! If it isn’t our good old friend, Mister Rukey Greentail! Not only are consorting with these other two-leggers, but now you’re hanging with these girly horses too! You’re a disgrace there, mate, you realize?”

Rukey only responded with an uncomfortable laugh. “Uh, good to see you too, Barker,” he timidly greeted. “Didn’t know you knew about the Rites. Small world.”

Barker snickered a bit. “Oy, I know ‘bout a lot of things, my friend! For instance, I know that you’re going to be very, very sad when we wipe the floor with you here.” The wild Cur dropped his smile and gave them a dark look. “Don’t know whose back you scratched to earn yourself a spot on the high-and-mighty Nightwings, there, but I am gonna make sure you, your horse friends and the two-leggers regret it. Because, why not?!” Barker then put his smile back on and laughed away as his pack scampered behind him.

As the pack began howling and cackling, Rukey forced on a pitiable grin. “Sounds good, Barker! Sounds…good.” He let out a small groan.

Twilight looked to the Cur with concern as to why Barker was causing Rukey so much distress. Before the alicorn could probe further on this matter, the stars above them shined brightly and the familiar constellation of the Rites formed. The light shined down onto the area where the Rite would take place this night. It was a circular field of even ground surrounded by a short wall od ridged ice on all sides. Amongst the field, there were a few circular disks of smooth ice that were decorated with small candles on top of them. See their objective, the Nightwings and the ponies made there way to the field and were greeted with a familiar voice.

Musical Cue Continue - Thrash Pack

Once the Nightwings had reached their sigil on the side of the field, Twilight looked over to see that Barker and his pack, who she now knew were called the Dissidents, were on the other side.

The sigils on both sides suddenly ignited to form each triumvirate’s pyre. As the alicorn looked to orange flames on the other side, she laid eyes on the Dissidents once again. The ominous warning from the Voice concerned her just a bit. After meeting with Barker, herself, the purple mare could confirm that it appeared the end goals of the Dissidents were more about being malicious towards their adversaries rather than their own salvation. Barker noticed that Twilight was staring at them and decided to give the alicorn a dark smile and a wink, causing the purple mare to shutter a bit. Satisfied with the results of the gesture, Barker turned back to his triumvirate.

“Oy come on you lot, let’s boil some blood!” he yelled out to the pack. The other two Cur gladly joined Barker as he began to howl and hoot towards the sky, as if they were psyching themselves up for the upcoming Rite. Twilight shook her head clear and looked to her own triumvirate. She knew that the Dissidents were going to be a tough opponent, so she knew that everybody had to be at their best. As she was beginning to decide who she would have to participate in the Rite, Rukey stepped up to her, looking even more unsure than before.

“Um…look, sister, I really don’t know how to say this, but,” Rukey hesitated a bit and started to dig at the ground with one of his paws. “…I just can’t go up against these guys, I really can’t. I know you what an explanation now, but just trust me on this one. Okay, please?”

Twilight gave the Cur a sympathetic look. While she was immensely curious about how the apparent history between him and Barker would cause Rukey such distress, the alicorn knew that now wasn’t the time for that. Right now, the purple had to support her friend and respect his wishes. “Of course, Rukey. If you’re not comfortable, you don’t have to perform tonight.” she told him with a kind smile while bring a hoof to his shoulder.

“It’s alright, Rukey,” Hedwyn chipped in to the conversation. “We can take care of them.”

Rukey looked over to see that Mae was giving him a kind smile and even Jodariel was giving even a nod of support. The Cur put on a small smile, even though he still looked down trotted. “Thanks, guys. This…really means a lot. I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”

As the Cur moved to the side, Twilight regained focus on her original thoughts. With Rukey out for the night, it looked as those she would have no choice to go with Hedwyn, Jodariel and Mae for the Rite. Just as she was about to announce this decision, the alicorn was interrupted once again.

“Begging your pardon, Madam Twilight,” Tariq announced to the purple mare. “but if you need another to stand at your side tonight, I have somebody here whom I would recommend.” Twilight gave a confused look to the minstrel. Due to process of elimination out of the group, Twilight assumed that he was referring to himself. However, Tariq was not donned in the traditional raiments, neither did he have a mask to put on.

“Do not be coy with us, minstrel.” Jodariel stated towards him. "Don the robes if you intend to stand with us.”

The Lone Minstrel gave small chuckle and held up his hand. “Oh, I did not mean myself. The Rites are not in my destiny. I was instead referring to this one here.” Everybody turned to see where the minstrel was gesturing towards and found out that Fluttershy had returned from the blackwagon, a bright smile on her face. At first, Twilight assumed that Tariq was referring to the pegasus, but that notion was quickly rejected since she wasn’t wearing either the raiments or a mask. The alicorn was about to ask Tariq what exactly he was referring to, but she stopped when she noticed something peeking out from behind Fluttershy’s pink mane.

Musical Cue - Flutter Fly

A small creature wearing a miniature version of the Nightwings’ raiments hovered from Fluttershy’s back and perched itself on top of her head. The creature was also wearing a small white mask that had two long, pointed horns protruding from the top. The creature then used the wings on its sides to remove the mask from its face and finally reveal its identity. Of course, Twilight was hardly surprised when she saw it was the familiar Imp that they had picked up last night. “Skree-hee-hee!” Ti’zo chirped in a happy tone.

“Absurd. The Imp knows of the Rites?” Jodariel stated with disbelief. It was a sentiment that was admittedly shared with a small part of Twilight. While she knew that Ti’zo was indeed smarter when compared to the other drive imps, she was also sort of skeptical that even he would understand the complex proceedings of the Rites. However, Fluttershy was quick to stand for the Imp’s credibility.

“Ti’zo told me that he already knows how the Rites work and he’s very eager to participate. So long as the Nightwings stand together, he’s willing to help.” the yellow mare explained while looking up and giving a smile to the creature on top of her head. While Fluttershy seemed confident on Ti’zo’s abilities, there was still some doubt among the group.

“Uh, sugarcube,” Applejack said to Fluttershy. “Are ya sure that it’s alright for him to participate? Ti’zo is, uh,…awfully small.” This, of course, caused Ti’zo to scrunch his face at the farmer and gave a low growl.

“You need not take our word for it.” Tariq interrupted, then turned to the alicorn. “Madame Twilight? Our adversaries seem to be preoccupied at the moment. Perhaps you would like to guide Ti’zo for a moment to see what he can do?”

Twilight took in what Tariq had suggested and looked over to the other side of the field. Barker and his gang were still busy hyping themselves up for the Rite, so it did appear that they had some time. The alicorn then looked back to the Imp to see that he had put his mask back on. At that moment, something peculiar occurred with the purple mare. Even with the mask concealing his face, Twilight could almost sense the eagerness from Ti’zo and she could almost confirm that he in fact was familiar with the Rites. After looking at the Imp then at Fluttershy, who was giving the alicorn a pleading look, Twilight made her decision. “Alright,” she finally said. “let’s see what you’re made of, Ti’zo!”

The Imp gave a few excited chirps before he began to flutter over to the field. Once the little creature landed on the ground, Twilight felt the Book vibrate a bit under her wing. When the purple mare levitated it in front of her, it opened up to the glowing set of pages she was familiar with. Though it took a minute, Twilight realized that this probably meant that she had to make that connection with Ti’zo like she did with the other Nightwings. The alicorn concentrated on the Imp and began to form the link. Once the connection was made, Ti’zo gave a small shudder. “Scraa-heeeee!” he cried out. Normally, Twilight wouldn’t have any idea what Ti’zo had said with those chirps without help from Fluttershy. Now, however, the alicorn could now get a general idea of what the creature was saying, though it still wasn’t a direct translation. She could only assume that this was only possibly due to the link she had just made. She now knew that the Imp was eager to demonstrate some of his tricks to Twilight.

“Madam Twilight,” Tariq spoke to the mare. “influencing Ti’zo may take some getting use to. He is inviting you to try.”

Twilight gave the minstrel a nod and began to have Ti’zo move around the field. While the Imp wasn’t particularly fast on his two feet, he was able to use his wings to flutter in the air for a brief period of time. Back on the ground, however, the Imp could still zip a short distance quite a few times before he got tired. While Twilight was busy practicing with Ti’zo, she heard the Voice giving his own commentary once again.

“Um, meek?” Fluttershy asked while looking up. “Who’s saying that? And why does he sound so…rude?”

Applejack let out a sigh. “Just ignore him, sugarcube. He ain’t worth the attention.”

Twilight was slightly caught off guard by the Voice’s hesitance over his familiarity with Ti’zo, but she doubted that he would offer any more information even if she asked. For now, she continued to focus on how the Imp could cast his aura. When she instructed him to do so, the Imp suddenly stopped in his tracks. The alicorn was surprised when she saw that a silhouette of the Imp’s aura formed and quickly expanded in circumference that covered a large portion of the field. Ti’zo then released and the entire circular area of the silhouette was the blasted with aura. After this “aura implosion”, Ti’zo immediately disappeared from the field, much to Fluttershy’s shock.

“Oh my goodness!” the yellow mare cried out. “Is little Ti’zo okay? It looked like he…exploded, all the sudden!”

“Don’t not fret, dear Fluttershy,” Tariq calmed the animal lover. “Banishment from the Rites is completely painless to the participants. Ti’zo will return to the field in a matter of time.”

True to the minstrel’s word, the Imp returned next to the Nightwings’ pyre, no worse for wear. Twilight had now gained a better understanding of how Ti’zo operated in the Rites. While he was small, his wings and light stature gave him the ability to both flutter and zip around the field in order to outmaneuver any impeding adversaries. His implosion skill would be useful in banishing said adversaries in a large area, it would consequentially banish him, leaving the Nightwings’ one participant short for a short period. With a wordless command, Twilight had Ti’zo come back from the field and return to the group.

“Well done as ever, Ti’zo.” the minstrel congratulated him as the creature returned to the group.

“Skraak!” the Imp chirped as he fluttered back on top of Fluttershy’s side. The pegasus gave a small giggle and gave the Imp a few pats on the head.

When Twilight looked over to the other side of the field, she saw that the Dissidents had finally stopped with their howling and congregated next to their burning pyre. This indicated to the alicorn that the Rite was ready to begin. “Alright, guys,” she addressed the group. “I’m going to go find an overlook and I’ll choose who’ll go out there. There’s not going be any hard feelings if I don’t choose somebody, right?” Twilight was quite relieved when all of the Nightwings shook their heads. With that, Twilight fluffed up her wings and tried to take flight. Unfortunately, they were far too tender from still healing, which still left her grounded. So instead, she decided to quickly walk over to some nearby outcrops.

Musical Cue - The Eight Scribes

“Best of luck to you, Madam Twilight.” Tariq called out to her before she left. A quick scan of the area revealed that there was a small outcrop of ice that would give her a perfect vantage point of the field. After hiking up the steep slope to the outlook, she looked over the right side of the field to get a good look at the Dissidents’ sigil; a black, searing maw with two red eyes. The mare didn’t have much time to dwell on the threatening sigil as the Book began to float before her and opened to the pages with the names of the Nightwings and the talismans.

Twilight began to look through the list of names. She decided earlier that Ti’zo should probably perform tonight to see what she could do with the Imp in a real match. She also decided to give the Imp the Moon Crest, giving him the small chance to immediately reappear after one of his implosions. Just like before, Twilight focused on the words on the pages and they began to shine.

“Skree-haa!” the Imp chirped as he appeared on the field and donned his mask, apparently very excited to have been chosen.

With Ti’zo on the field and Rukey unwilling to perform tonight, that only left the alicorn with three other choices. Based on her experience with Rukey and Dalbert, Twilight knew that Curs were quick on their paws and could easily make there way across the field to the adversary’s pyre in less than a minute, so dealing with three of them at once would prove challenging to somebody like Jodariel. Therefore, the purple mare decided that she would go with the other two options as to not lose the speed advantage to the Dissidents. Twilight chose Mae from the Book and attached her with the Tailwind Crest to give her a slight boost in speed.

As the moon-touched girl appeared on the field, she gave a small bow. “I shall win this night for the Scribes.” she spoke with determination as she put on her own mask.

All that was left for Twilight was to summon Hedwyn to the field. The alicorn had to internally admit, she was curious as to see how the enlightenment the Nomad received from their Rite with the Accusers would affect his performance in this Rite. Twilight also decided to give him the Ashen Coal as well to give the Nightwings’ pyre a bit of a boost.

The Nomad appeared onto the field and looked up to where Twilight was overlooking the Rite. With a small smirk, he gave a nod and looked over to the Dissidents. “Let’s show these guys that we’re not intimidated by all their talk.” he told the others and put on his mask.

With all of the Nightwings’ triumvirate was in place by the pyre, aura surrounded each of the respective members. All that was left was to wait for the Celestial Orb to fall to begin the Rite. Twilight looked over to confirm that Jodariel and Rukey were on the side along with Applejack, Fluttershy and Tariq to spectate tonight’s proceedings. Her attention was taken away from them when she heard Barker and his pack give a few final howls.

“Alright, you swill,” the wild Cur shouted to the Nightwings. “time to show you who’s really one top around here!” Barker then looked to the side and gave Rukey a dark grin. “Get ready to see your friends get whipped, Greentail!” He then gave another cackle at the indirect threat he had made.

Twilight couldn’t help but feel pity when she saw that Rukey was looking even more uncomfortable with the situation. He let out a mirthless chuckle in an attempt to hide his uneasiness, but it clearly wasn’t working. Some relief did come to the alicorn, however, when she saw her pegasus friend come to the Cur’s aid.

“Um, Rukey,” Fluttershy asked with worried. “Are you okay? You look a bit nervous, if you don’t mind me saying.”

“Hm?” Rukey perked up and looked the yellow mare. “Oh, uh, I’m good, Flutters. It’s just…Barker and his gang kinda…put me on edge. Don’t worry yourself over little old me!” The Cur tried again to put on a brave face, but it was already faltering. The animal lover still had on a look of concern, but she then smiled as if an idea just came to her.

“Would somebody maybe feel better if I gave them some scratches behind the ear that they happen to like so much?” she asked in an enticing tone. The Cur gave another fidget, though it seemed that this time it was out of slight embarrassment rather than worry.

“Errr…that would be nice.” he murmured. The pegasus then went ahead and began to scratch behind the Cur’s ears. The effects were immediate as I dopey grin spread across Rukey’s face and his tail began to wag vigorously.

Twilight couldn’t help but smile at the tender scene. It always warmed her heart whenever she saw Fluttershy use her trademark kindness to lift the spirits of others. It was one of the many reasons why she cherished the friendship that she had made with the yellow mare all that time ago. With Fluttershy taking care of Rukey on the side, Twilight could now focus on the Rite that was about to commence. And not a moment too soon as the beam of light shot down from the sky and dispensed the Celestial Orb in the middle of the field.

Musical Cue - Thrash Pack

Twilight was almost caught off guard with how quickly Barker sprinted for the orb to pick it up. However, this didn’t stop Mae from casting her aura and banishing the wild Cur from the field. The alicorn then had the girl pick up the orb and make her way to the Dissidents’ pyre. While moving across the field, Twilight noticed that the disks of ice in the middle of the field could be moved around if somebody happen to push them. Twilight realized that these disks could be used as movable cover from any incoming aura cast and mentally noted it down for future reference. Just as Mae was about to jump for the pyre, she was suddenly banished by the aura field of one of the Cur adversaries that had closed in on her. Twilight reacted immediately and had Hedwyn rush over to pick up the dropped orb. The Nomad grabbed the orb before any of the other Dissidents could get to it first, then he tossed the orb into the orange flames. The orb exploded and caused to pyre to shrink by a small amount.

The field reset itself and the two triumvirates returned to their side of the field. As she looked at how the Dissidents were arranged on the field, Twilight suddenly got an idea. The purple mare had Ti’zo advance first, while Barker once again made a beeline for the orb. However, the Imp skipped getting the orb for himself and instead made his way to the middle of where each of the three Curs were positioned. Before any of them could react, Ti’zo charged up his aura to encompass all three of them and released his implosion, banishing him and all three of the Dissidents. Twilight was quick to take advantage of the open and field and had Hedwyn make a run for the orb. As the Nomad ran across the field, the alicorn noticed that he appeared to have more stamina that he had in the previous Rite he was in. This boost in stamina was incredibly helpful in allowing Hedwyn to grab the orb and plunge into the pyre before any of the Dissidents could return.

After the field reset, Twilight moved Ti’zo ahead in hopes that she could banish all of the adversaries at once just as before. However, it appeared that Barker was expecting this and maneuvered around the Imp and banished him with an aura cast. With Ti’zo banished and Hedwyn out for the round, Mae was the only Nightwing out to stand against the three Dissidents. Twilight panicked for a moment and tried to come with a strategy for the moon-touched girl until Ti’zo returned from the temporary banishment. In this moment of hesitation, one of the Cur adversaries had picked up the orb and now was rushing the Nightwings’ pyre. Twilight tried to have Mae cast her aura in defense, but the Cur quickly passed the orb to Barker, who then rushed around the girl and jumped into the blue flames. Twilight stamped her hoof in frustration for falling for such a simple trick.

As she heard the echoes of a slow, mocking clap, Twilight just grumbled in annoyance and focused back on the reset field. This time, the Nightwings had the upper hand now that Barker was banished for the round. However, the alicorn thought it best to arrange the Nightwings in a defensive position around the pyre, just to see how the adversaries would react. The Dissidents took the bait as one of the Curs rushed up to grab the orb. The Cur attempted to jump for the pyre, but he fell short of his target and was banished away from the Nightwings’ collective aura field. Twilight smirked at this opportunity and had Mae pick up the dropped orb. Although the one remaining Cur was fast, the girl was easily able to easily out maneuver him and made a long jump for the pyre. She struck her target and plunged right into the orange flames, shrinking them to less than half of its original size.

When all three of the Curs returned to their side of the field, Barker let out a loud, angry growl. “GRAHHH! Alright, you lot, that does it! No more fussing around, right?! Me and my boys are proper angry now!” The wild Cur let out an ear-piercing howl and the other two began to cast their aura in all different directions around them. Twilight wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn the all of the Dissidents were now engulfed in a faint, dark orange glow. Barker then made a mad dash to the middle of the field and began to charge his aura. Unfortunately, the way the wild Cur was positioned on the field made it so that when he finally casted his aura, the resulting blast banished Ti’zo and the Hedwyn. With no Nightwings on the field, Barker had no problem picking up the orb and jumping into the pyre with it.

The field reset with only two Dissidents on the other end. The alicorn hoped that this advantage would win them this round. Unfortunately, the Dissidents were not as vulnerable as they appeared as one the them made his way of the side of the field and banished Hedwyn with an aura cast. Twilight tried to have Mae pick up the orb, but the other Cur adversary banished her when she got close. The Cur then picked up the orb and leaped over Ti’zo and right into the blue flames.

Twilight was now starting to become nervous as the Nightwings pyre was now half of its original size. She looked over to the other end of the field to see that Barker and his other companion were still fired up as ever. If the purple mare wanted to win this Rite for the Nightwings, she would have to think outside the box. When she looked over to Ti’zo, she got an idea. With Twilight in control, Ti’zo zipped forward and picked up the orb, while dodging incoming aura casts from Barker and his crew. Once the orb was in his possession, the Imp tossed it over the Dissidents’ heads. However, the orb did not go straight for the pyre, as expected, but instead landed a small distance away from it. All according to the alicorn’s plan. For while the adversaries were still in trying to figure out the strange strategy, Ti’zo fluttered over them and reclaimed the orb. The Curs were then too late to stop the Imp from zipping himself into the pyre.

When the field reset itself once again, Twilight saw that the Dissidents’ pyre was just about out. One final plunge from either Hedwyn or Mae would all it would take for the orange flames to finally dissipate. However, the Nightwings still needed to get by the three, angry Curs that were in the way. The alicorn decided that the best course of action for this would be a bait and switch. Using that extra stamina of his, Hedwyn ran forward and grabbed the orb. The Nomad then took shelter behind one of the ice disks on the field to defend against any aura casts from the Dissidents. One by one, however, the Curs were slowing making there way to Hedwyn until Barker finally flanked him and casted his aura. Right before he was banished of the field, the Nomad tossed the orb over to Mae. Since all of the adversaries were busy closing in on Hedwyn, they failed to notice that the moon-touched girl had a clear path to the other side by the outer edge of the field. Twilight had Mae make a dash for it, although Barker was quick to return by his pyre to stop her. Time almost stood still as when Mae reached the halfway point of the field, her incredible jumping abilities propelled her to the other end. Her aim was true, and the girl managed to land right into the pyre, reducing it to nothing more than just an empty sigil.

All the members of each triumvirate returned to the field. The blue flames of the Nightwings’ pyre shot up into the night sky and exploded. Twilight gave a small sigh of relief as the Rite finally ended in the Nightwings’ favor.

“LOXALAS!” Hedwyn, Mae and Ti’zo cheered (although Ti’zo chirped it in his native tongue). As the three of them made their way back to the rest of the group at the sidelines, Twilight flew from her perch to join them.

“Hrah-HAAHAAAH!” Ti’zo chirped out loudly. Twilight guesstimated that the Imp must have been excited to have prevailed in his first Rite with the Nightwings.

“Oh Ti’zo, you were so marvelous out there!” Fluttershy congratulated the little Imp. The pegasus then gave him a few pats on the head, at which he happily accepted.

“Mighty fine work y’all did out there, Mae! And you too, Hedwyn!” Applejack said to the pair, who both graciously accepted the compliment.

The alicorn then decided to offer her congratulations to the triumvirate, and a few apologies as well. “Great work, you guys,” she began. “They almost had us there in the end, but we showed them what for!” Twilight’s cheery mood then began to dower a little. “I’m sorry if I sort of…hesitated a bit during the middle. Sometimes I have a bit of an issue when working under tense circumstances. I promise to work on that for next time.”

“On the contrary, Madam Twilight,” Tariq intervened in her melancholy. “I believe your guidance of the Nightwings was quite splendid. Your fellows are quite fortunate to have found one such as you. And I am quite sure that they would agree with me.”

Twilight looked to the rest of the Nightwings and saw that they were either smiling or nodding in agreement with the minstrel. The unanimous agreement on the quality of Twilight’s leadership made her feel much better about her standing with the group. Sure, there would undoubtedly be even more moments in the future where she might mess up again, but that hardly matter when it was clear that the Nightwings had no regrets with choosing the alicorn to be their Reader. “T-Thank you, everybody,” she managed to say. “That really means a lot.” The tender moment was then cut off by an all-too familiar cackle.

“Aw, you lot are gunna make me weep me eyes out if you keep it up!” Twilight turned around to see that it was Barker who had made that sarcastic remark. Apparently, Barker and his crew had decided to walk over to their side of the field unannounced while the Nightwings were busy talking amongst themselves. Everyone went up on their guard as the wild Cur continued to taunt them. “But enough of that! Just thought me and the boys would come over here and give credit where credit’s due. I didn’t really expect much from such a flimsy lot such as yourselves! Guess that means we’ll have to take you a tad more seriously next time!”

Twilight, for her part, was rather getting tired of dealing with Barker’s attitude. “Alright, Barker,” she told him in a polite but firm tone. “you’ve had your fun, but I think it’s time we went our separate ways for the night.”

“Oy, big talk coming from you there, eh purple? Well, too bad! We’re not here for just you.” Barker’s pack then began to encroach onto Rukey, who had stay silent during the encounter. “Just thought we’d give Mister Greentail a reminder. A reminder that yours truly remembers everything! And it gonna be trouble for him or anybody else he holds near and dear when I remember things.” Barker ended with a dark chuckle that was shared with his other two comrades.

Rukey didn’t respond to the wild Cur’s threats, either because he was physically unable to speak, or he simply didn’t know how to counter. Twilight was about to come to his defense, but a certain somepony beat her to it.

“Um…excuse me?” Fluttershy said as she stepped between Rukey and Barker. Twilight noticed that the pegasus had a determined look on her face in contrast to her usual passive features. “I don’t really know what you have against Mister Greentail, but what I do know is that you shouldn’t be treating him that way. He happens to be a very stand-up Cur, and I don’t…particular like it when bullies such as yourselves talk down to him like that. So, I’m going to have to ask you to leave now…please.” The yellow mare then gave a soft stamp of her hoof and continued to gaze at the Dissidents. After she was done speaking, Barker just gave another one of his insulting laughs.

“Seriously? Listen here, Buttercup, why don’t mind your own damn business and….um…uh..” The wild Cur suddenly found himself short of words after he got a good look at the mare. Fluttershy didn’t say anything or moved a muscle and just continued to simply look at the Curs. Twilight noticed that Barker’s gang also appeared somewhat astonished when they looked at her as well. Barker then tried to speak again. “I…I mean,…what are…you…?” Words continued to fail the wild Cur as Twilight even noticed that he was starting to take a few steps away from them now. After a while of watching this, the alicorn realized what was going on and gave a small smirk. If there was one thing Fluttershy excelled at, it was standing up to creatures that refused to behave.

After another minute of this, Barker finally broke out of his trance. “Graah! Forget this!” he yelled out in annoyance and turned back around to his crew. “Let’s blow this dunghole, boys. They’ll get theirs next time!” The three Curs then gave one last threating growl and then ran off in the other direction. The group watched on as the Dissidents eventually disappeared into the darkness and heard them give off one last howl for the evening. Twilight looked over to see that Fluttershy had that angelic smile of hers back on and was patting Rukey on the head.

“T-Thanks, Flutters.” the Cur softly said to her. The pegasus responded with a small giggle.

“Fluttershy, how did you scare off Barker and his gang like that?” Hedwyn asked her. “I didn’t see you move an inch.”

“Oh, well let’s just say that I have a stare that has an effect on unruly animals.” the yellow mare answered him.

Musical Cue - A Step Closer

Before anybody could ask more questions about Fluttershy’s ability, three pillars of light shone down on Hedwyn, Mae and Ti’zo. The alicorn almost forgot that they were due for some enlightenment now that the Rite was over.

Everybody watched on as a bright glow then encompassed Mae for a moment.

“The Scribes,” she muttered with a peaceful look on her face. “they whisper to me, they do, from time to time.”

The alicorn then looked on in surprise as little Ti’zo was engulfed in the same glow.

“Hrooo-hryooom!” the Imp chirped, undoubtedly excited about obtaining his first Mastery for the Rites.

The lights eventually faded from the trio and returned up to the night sky. Twilight then looked up to see that the stars were no longer shining brilliantly and had returned to their original brightness. The proceedings were then capped off with the Voice’s word.

Musical Cue - Through the Valley (White Lute)

The short trek back to the blackwagon was rather uneventful for the group. Although, Twilight did keep a close eye on the sky for a certain something that the Lone Minstrel predicted would happen after the Rite. Unfortunately, the alicorn saw nothing yet by the time they all made it back to the campsite. Everybody was already splitting up to do various tasks and maintenance for tomorrow morning before they would eventually retire to their bunks for much needed sleep. As the purple mare looked around, she saw that Rukey was still quite his usual peppy self, despite the fact that Barker had left them moments ago. Twilight wasn’t the only one that noticed this as she saw both Hedwyn and Fluttershy walk up to the Cur.

“…You alright, Rukey?” the Nomad asked his companion. Rukey turned around to look at him and then gave a small sigh.

“Think so, chum,” he said with a small smile. “I just need a little time. I didn’t really expect Barker to be caught up in all this.”

“Would you…like to talk about it, Rukey? With me?” Fluttershy cautiously asked. The Cur stopped smiling again and gave yet another sigh.

“Eh,…later, Flutters. I promise to talk about it later with you. I gotta…go make sure the wheels are all oiled up for tomorrow.” Before the Cur could leave, Hedwyn knelt down and put his hand on the Rukey’s shoulder.

“Don’t dwell too much on it, my friend. You don’t owe him your conscious.” Hedwyn then gave a comforting smile to the Cur. “You’ll sort things out with him, you always do.”

Rukey was speechless after hearing such confidence from his companion. He looked over to see that Fluttershy was also giving a look of hope and reassurance. Eventually, the Cur couldn’t hold back and gave another smile of his own. “Thanks, you two. Really means a lot to me. Hey, Flutters, mind helping me out with this wheel situation?” The pegasus nodded eagerly and the pair then made their way to the wagon’s wheels. While Twilight was definitely relieved to see that Rukey was starting to perk up, she still wanted to hear why Barker was making him so nervous in the first place. She made a mental note to see if he would be willing to let her join Fluttershy in the discussion at a later date. Afterall, Twilight always wanted to make sure that her friends were feeling good about themselves.

The topic of her friends then reminded the alicorn about her earlier anxiety about finding another one of them tonight. Applejack and Fluttershy had already made their arrival by this point after the Rites, so she was starting to really worry. Sure, it had only been a hypothesis by this point and there were no guarantees, but that still didn’t stop herself from really hoping. She wanted to make sure that all of her friends were safe and unharmed from the mistake that she had apparently made back in Equestria. Twilight’s hoof then began to dig into the ground.

“Is something troubling you, Madam Twilight?” The alicorn turned around and saw that Tariq had taken notice of her behavior. “I would have assumed that you would be in high spirits, given your victory over the Dissidents. What seems to be the source of this melancholy?”

While Twilight greatly appreciated the minstrel’s concern, that didn’t stop her from giving a heavy sigh. “I’m fine, Tariq. I was just thinking about your theory; about how one of my friends would appear if we won the Rite. But, it’s been a while now, and there’s no sign of that portal in the sky that brought Applejack and Fluttershy here. I don’t mean any offence, but I’m starting to believe that your theory is wrong.” The purple mare then lowered her head to the ground in disappointment. “I just…want to make sure my friends are okay.” As she was still looking at her own hooves, Twilight was caught off guard by what the Lone Minstrel said next.

“I wouldn't be too concerned, Madam Twilight. You should take a look up to the stars.”

When she looked up just as Tariq suggested, Twilight’s eyes widen in surprise. The familiar blue twinkle was shining in the night sky. It wasn’t long before the spark opened up into the blue portal that both Applejack and Fluttershy had fallen out of. The phenomenon captured everybody’s attention, especially the ponies. Twilight’s mind was racing as to which of her friends would fall out of the portal this time. Her question was immediately answered when she saw something fall out of the opening. It only took the alicorn a second to recognize the sky-blue pony leaving behind a rainbow trail as she fell.

“RAINBOW DASH!” Twilight shouted out in alarmed. By the looks of it, it appeared Rainbow was conscious, leaving to plummet to the fast approaching ground. The alicorn wasted any more time in spreading her wings and taking flight towards her falling friend. Her wings began burning in pain, but the safety of her friend concerned her much more. Although the blue pegasus was quite a distance away, the purple mare had no trouble reaching her in mid-air. Unfortunately, as Twilight finally grabbed the unconscious mare, she was pulled down by the sudden downward momentum. As the two mares continued to fall to the ground, Twilight tried to open her wings again in hopes of reducing their speed. When she realized that her wings wouldn’t be enough to slow their decent, the alicorn knew that she had to wake Rainbow up now or else their journey would come to an abrupt end. “Rainbow, please, you have to wake up now!” Twilight begged as she vigorously shook her friends. “Rainbow?! Rainbow Dash?! DASHIE, WAKE UP!”

Finally, the blue pegasus’s magenta eyes began to flutter open. “Mmm, Twilight? she managed to mumble out. As Rainbow began to wake up, she began to notice the winds blowing against her face. “Twilight, what’s going-“

“RAINBOW, OPEN YOUR WINGS!” Twilight cried out. The daredevil followed the alicorn’s orders and spread out her wingspan. With both of the mares’ wings open, their decent finally slowed down right before they both hit the ground. While the landing was rough, it was nowhere near fatal. Twilight let out a soft groan and stood up to check for any outstanding injuries. When she confirmed that she was fine other than a bit of soreness, her attention immediately went to Rainbow. The alicorn let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the blue mare was unharmed and was even beginning to open her eyes again.

“Ugghh,” she groaned out. “Tw-Twilight?!”

“Oh, Rainbow, I’m so glad that you’re-“ Twilight didn’t get a chance to finish her thought as she was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, Twilight, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Rainbow cried out as she hugged the alicorn more. During this sudden act of affection, Twilight remembered to cast the translation spell on the pegasus so that she would be able to understand the Nightwings. However, Rainbow was too caught up to notice the spell taking effect on her. “When the mirror went all haywire and that explosion happened, I tried to push you away from it, but I-I wasn’t fast enough. I’m sorry, Twi. I’m really sorry!”

Twilight calmed the pegasus down back slowly rubbing her back with her hoof. “It’s okay, Rainbow.” she spoke in a gentle tone. “I’m okay. You’re okay. We’re both okay.” Neither of them spoke for a few minutes and just took comfort in each other’s presence. It probably would have lasted longer if they weren’t then interrupted.

“Ya know, me and Fluttershy are okay too, Dash.” Applejack said to the pair. Rainbow looked over Twilight’s shoulder and gasped when she saw the other two ponies.

“Oh, Applejack! Fluttershy!” the blue pegasus flew over to the pair. “It’s good to see you guys too! I was kinda worried when I saw you guys walk through the door. Glad to see you guys are okay when you landed…here?” The daredevil began to look around the area. “Uh, are we still in Equestria? None of this looks familiar.” Before any of the ponies could answer her, Jodariel made herself known.

“Another one? The blackwagon is going to begin to feel cramped at this rate.” the Demon said in a neutral tone. While Rainbow was initially taken aback by the horned woman’s imposing figure, she quickly began to inquisitively look her over.

“Woah! You look…actually kinda awesome! Are those horns real?” the pegasus both asked and complimented the Demon.

Jodariel looked a bit taken aback by this, obviously used to being complimented on her condition. Thankfully, Applejack was there to ease the growing tension. “Uh, Dash,” she said to the Wonderbolt. “Why don’tcha come along with me? I’ll introduce ya to the rest of the folks here and tell ya about where we are now.”

“Sounds good, AJ.” the blue pegasus agreed. Before she left with the apple farmer to go inside the wagon, Rainbow looked over to the purple mare. “Uh, it’s…good to see you’re okay, Twi.”

Twilight waved back to the pegasus and then turned to the Demon and the minstrel. “She is quite the active one, isn’t she?” Tariq commented on Rainbow’s behavior. The alicorn gave a small giggle, but she was cut off by Jodariel.

“Reader,” she said to Twilight. “Where do the stars take us next?”

Twilight nodded at the Demon’s question and gazed up at the night sky. Among the stars, one of them was giving off a greenish glow. When the alicorn focused in on the star, she got a lock on the next location for the Rites. She then pointed out the star to her other two compatriots.

“Milithe, the Bog Star.” Tariq identified the star. “If we follow it, then it should lead us to the Pit of Milithe.”

Jodariel gave a tired sigh. “Then it is as I feared. This is going to be very difficult.”

Twilight gave a confused look. “Wait, what’s the problem with that, Jodariel?” The Demon gave a grim look to the alicorn.

“It means that we will have to press through the Flagging Hand.”