“So... your plan was a suicidal charge at the base, with evidence you'd already killed the governor, and some token supplies, hoping they'd think you were alone?” Clockwork asked the sergeant, incredulously.
They all sat in the cramped tent. As soon as they had gotten back, with Snowglade's permission, Gratitude had taken the fire-ruby peytral and put it on the deeply hypothermic governor.
Snowglade had wheezed and hacked, and even started turning purple – so Gratitude quickly returned the peytral. But even the few seconds it had been on the governor made the difference. Her state was still dire, but now she was savable.
Snowglade was left exhausted, so only idly listened in while getting back in her sleeping bag, wearing the peytral again.
Gratitude and Rarity sat on either side of Governor Spectrum, all three wrapped in the same blankets and down to underclothes, sitting with the lamp next to the governor's head. Rarity still wore the translator necklace.
“Proof, not just evidence,” he corrected. “And it's the best shot we have for all of you surviving. The Victoria's come under attack and had to retreat. We would've had just enough supplies to still make it back, if it weren't for the two extra hitchhikers we have,” he nodded towards Twilight and Rarity. “One is an alicorn, so that goes without explaining, and the other has an incredible story that could give us knowledge to change the course of the war – and an incredible artifact to back up her tale. Snowglade also thinks she's her sister, so killing her isn't an option, and leaving her to die is even less of one.”
“But what about you?” Gratitude asked.
“That's my choice to make,” he said.
“No – you're the only Earth pony here. How will we carry the radio kit?” Clockwork asked.
“You're strong. And you're not carrying the weight of the explosives anymore.”
“No, you mean how 'would' we carry the radio kit,” Gratitude corrected, then turned towards the sergeant. “Be that as it may, he can't carry his load and yours. And I need to help Snowglade.”
“She was in bad shape, but she looks like she'd be able to walk if she can keep the necklace on,” he glanced at her.
“Peytral,” Rarity corrected.
Sergeant Courageous Fate continued, “and I'd take what you don't really need. This tent only absolutely needs half of its poles. The lamp only makes things easier for our unicorn, but it's not really necessary, either, you'd just have less time with light at night, dimmer light, and it'll wear her out more to have to do more heating for water. You also don't need the flare gun or bowls, just heat the cans. They and the change of clothes are luxuries -”
“No, if it weren't for the extra clothes, Snowglade would have nothing to wear at all. Only her socks were still wearable without major sanitation and thermal issues from being wet,” Gratitude objected.
Snowglade's ears flopped and she looked to the side, blushing.
“No shame to Snowglade, but if you encountered another patrol on the way back to the Victoria, I doubt you'd need clean clothes to change into. Search patrols are far larger than the few guards we snagged in the train car,” the sergeant said.
“And then there's Twilight's head injury,” Gratitude added, looking at the hornless alicorn. The alicorn was awake, but it was evident she was only barely awake. And with Rarity wearing the translator necklace, she could only understand what her Equestrian friend said. “We don't have enough antibiotics for her. They cut bone with unclean tools. This is extremely serious. We used so much medicine on Rarity and Snowglade, and with how long it'd take us too long to get back to the Victoria, especially with it retreating now, we just don't have enough left. And I don't expect everypony to be able to march like we'd need to. But Clockwork said something about stealing a plane, right?”
“It's an insane suicide mission meant to give teams with no other option something to hope for while they die fighting. It's not a real mission you ever want to perform when there's any alternative at all,” the sergeant explained impatiently. “There's no way you could expect to sneak into an outpost – nevermind the East Shades Complex – get an aircraft ready for takeoff and fly it out without getting detected, overwhelmed, slammed with artillery, blocked by other aircraft or trucks, getting locked in the hanger – or whatever else they come up with. And then you'd just get intercepted, or shot down by anti-aircraft guns at the place you're taking off from.”
Governor Spectrum looked even more exhausted than Twilight – she struggled to keep sitting up. The chafe marks were still visible on her neck. But she spoke up, her voice as tired and haggered as she looked, “Blue Moon... it's an engine program... Meant to make our bombers able to fly above any interceptors,” The Governor explained. “There's an experimental bomber there, at East Shades. It's flown.”
“And we could fly low out of the airbase to avoid AA fire, then climb when we're further away to avoid interceptors,” Clockwork added.
“And what about getting the plane ready? Nevermind sneaking into the base!” Sergeant Fate replied.
“Twilight, you wouldn't happen to... be able to teach me to do some invisibility spell or something, could you?” Rarity asked.
Twilight shook her head. “No, I'm sorry, maybe if I even knew one, at least...”
The Governor sluggishly spoke up again, “Maybe I have something even better... did you... anypony, steal-get... take, some emerald necklace from the... yeah, the cargo car, by any chance?”
“Snowglade. Didn't you take something from the cargo car?” The sergeant asked.
She bolted up. “Yes! It's right...” she turned and started going through some bags in the corner of the tent. “right... here!” she levitated out the emerald necklace with a small gold chain.
“Emerald...” Twilight quietly commented.
“That's it. It's a shapeshifting necklace. It will make the wearer look... like the last pony to wear it. If one of you look like me... then you can order the 'Blue Moon'... to be prepared for takeoff,” she sluggishly explained.
“And the rest of us?” Clockwork asked.
“Prisoners?” Snowglade offered.
The sergeant shook his head, “We'd have to sneak in the normal way. We don't have any Vanguard uniforms for any of us to pretend to be captors. Also, how do we know you're telling the truth about this necklace?”
“Twilight!” Rarity interjected, then turned to the sergeant, “she hasn't understood a word said so far, except for what I've said, so ask her what that necklace does.” With many years of magic and clothes, she quickly and easily put the translator necklace on her friend.
Twilight blinked with surprise, then turned to the sergeant, “It – should – well, you can do a lot of things, but mostly emeralds are best for spells that modify appearance, forms of prestidigitation. So... it's probably something to do with that.”
“Can you tell me with more certainty?” he asked.
“...no,” she said, her ears lowering, her posture slouching a bit further. “Not anymore.”
“Can you at least assure me it won't lure an army here?”
Twilight shook her head. “A gem that small? Of that quality? It's good, but you'd need something bigger than the fire ruby for something like that. And plus, if it had an enchantment anything near that powerful, Rarity and Snowglade would both be able to feel it. I think I even would, too, despite my horn...”
The sergeant shook his head. “Still too risky. We're not gonna try it. And I'm not going to let any members of my team or the alicorn risk themselves with it. And I don't want to let the governor wear it, either, in case it does something to help her.”
“...that still leaves one pony,” Clockwork said. All eyes turned to him, then to Rarity.
“Twilight, why are they looking at me? You're wearing the translator necklace, I don't understand them...”
“And if it works, sergeant, then will we consider this alternative?” Gratitude turned and asked.
The sergeant narrowed his eyes. “Maybe. Just maybe.”
Rarity blinked at the glaring sergeant, speaking an alien language. “Twilight, will you please give me the translator necklace?”
Rarity trudged through the soft, fluffy, deep snow across the starlit meadow. She didn't notice that she wasn't leaving tracks. She paused for a moment when something clicked in her mind. She looked down at Ponyville to her right, slightly below the horizon. This is that field me and Twilight had that conversation in, isn't it?
It felt oddly fresh in her mind – enough that she could tell this was the field, despite the snow and the blue moon masking the appearance it had worn on that summer night. Well, Twilight may have to worry about immortality and gotten that creepy book from the old castle, but I have to worry about neither! I don't intend to outlive Sweetie Belle by a even a single lifetime, either.
She slipped an uneasy laugh. Outlive her? Why did I use that particular wording? It's not like she's in any mortal danger... Her frightful laugh quickly sank, and a weight appeared in her gut.
She saw a figure in front of her in the distance, wearing a navy blue cloak, fringed with a dark blue and purple pattern. Her fur was a deep purple, her mane an even darker purple still. Only her magic provided a dim glow as she walked through the darkness towards her. Her face was hidden by her cloak's hood.
“Twilight? Amethyst? Is that you?” she asked. “What are you doing out here tonight? Can I help you?”
“I came to talk with you,” she answered, the voice familiar, but different enough that she couldn't place it. “And no, I am not a pony you know already. But perhaps this can be remedied.”
She found herself sitting in the snow next to the cloaked figure, looking up at a brilliant night sky above them, the gentle glow of the milky way visible behind a million diamonds embroidered into the nocturnal tapestry.
“What do you think of this world?” the figure asked.
Something poked the back of her mind, telling her she should ask for this pony's name, but it didn't feel right for the moment. She could feel they were close friends, so she didn't ask. “It's beautiful, at least,” she said.
“It is,” the pony warmly replied, then sighed. “Beautiful, yet tragic.”
In front of them, Sweetie Belle ran through the snow, heading off to their left.
Rarity opened her mouth to call out to her, but nothing came from it. Taken by surprise, she looked to the cloaked pony for help. She could sense something urgent and terrible was happening, and she had to stop her sister – but she couldn't remember what.
The pony lowered her hood. Her snout was speckled with white spots, and she had a sympathetic look on her face.
It came crashing over her – she knew what happened on this dreaded night. She knew where Sweetie Belle was running, and what happened to her – and she knew it had already happened, that there was nothing she could do.
She cried, falling into the chest of the mysterious pony as she put her hooves around Rarity's back in a comforting embrace.
“Why – why did it h-have to h-happen? Why couldn't I have been stronger? Why didn't I chase after her! I even woke up in the middle of that night and didn't see her! I could've – I could've...”
The robed pony simply patted her back.
A long minute passed as she sobbed and slowly regained her breath.
“What - … Who are you?” Rarity finally asked, blinking her tears away.
“You recognize me, yet you do not know my name. I know you and your name. You may call me Veil. And I am a fellow soul, wearied and stricken of this world. Even your world, despite being so much better, has known the tragedies of existence. So, Rarity, what will you do?” she asked.
“I'll – I'll never sew again! I'll -...” she suddenly cut off and her eyes went wide as it sank in yet again, that she wouldn't have a second chance. She couldn't be there for Sweetie Belle again. There was nothing she could do to make it up for it.
Veil gently, sympathetically shook her head. Rarity broke down again.
After a few more minutes of crying, solace and recovery, Veil finally spoke again, “Your tragedy is far from the only one. You were given hope, at least. Many others have none. Some have seen their friends' bodies litter the ice. Others have had their entire families taken away. And others still have learned they were tricked into doing all of these things. What of them and their stories? Is there not a solution to all of this suffering?”
As she spoke, she could feel the world underneath her spin.
“The greatest tragedy is that nopony wanted this,” Veil continued, “yet ignorance, pride, anger – ironically, even fury at those who they supposed to cause it, and self-righteousness in their crusade to set it right – has led to the world being this way. So many have given everything, even their own lives to end the winter – but in their desperation and pride, they've done nothing but make it worse...”
Veil was gone. Rarity saw Rainbow Dash's, Pinkie Pie's and Applejack's bodies all broken and bloodied on the ice sheets – she knew it was her fault – she failed them – she led them here to their deaths. Their bodies had been mauled by a terrible monster.
Then she led Twilight and Fluttershy through the ice again, to the very same arctic sheets. The same savage monster that murdered the others appeared again in front of her. She tried to fight it, grabbing it with her magic and pinning it to the ground – she knew the monster would never relent, never turn around, so she started choking it to take its life. Fluttershy charged at her, tackling her to the ground and holding her back as the monster rose again. “You can't hurt that monster, Rarity!”
The monster charged at Twilight, herself, and Fluttershy. Rarity cried out in frustration at the betrayal, only for Twilight to pin her down as well, even as the beast charged at their turned backs. “No – why are you fighting me! The monster! It's coming! LOOK!” They ignored her cries.
The vision faded. She was panting, shaking her head, but alone again. Then she saw Veil. “Do you understand? Do you now know why your sergeant wanted to slay the Governor, so that the monstrous machines wouldn't kill all of you?”
“No – no! It's – it's not like that! We found a way! There's an appearance-altering necklace – and an aeroplane we can steal from some camp nearby -”
Veil scoffed. “You don't even know what you're talking about, yet in desperation you believe your ignorance over the sergeant's wisdom and experience – the very same one who saved you, you will now lead to his death. This stupid, foolish hope is what let this monster kill your three friends earlier, and you'll let this monster kill the rest of you?”
“NO!” Rarity cried, “Snowglade swiped some gold-set emerald necklace from the train – it's enchanted so if Rainbow wears it, then Gratitude wears it, Gratitude will look like the governor! Then she'll go to the base, steal the airplane, and we'll all fly out on it – even the sergeant! Snowglade, Twilight – and even Rainbow Dash! We won't all die in some horrid book!”
“...you, sad creature, are beyond reason,” Veil's voice was genuinely heavy with sorrow.
Rarity heard the monster prowling, so she turned to see the great beast. Its coat was cyan, its eyes glowing magenta. Rainbow's, Pinkie's, and Applejack's blood were all still on its claws. It spread enormous, terrifying wings.
“This beast isn't Rainbow Dash,” Veil told her.
She turned to the robed unicorn, “I – I don't care! This isn't a beast – it may only be some faint shadow of my friend but I know her heart! She's a Wonderbolt – a monster only to evil ponies who'd fight Equestria, but she's good – a loyal friend to those who are kind!”
The beast growled. She turned to face it, seeing it charge at her. Twilight stood next to her, flaring her wings out to protect her in vain. A swipe of its claws sent her sprawling across the ice, breaking her right foreleg in a familiar and painful tear that pulsed in pain. Twilight fell to the ground next to her, her horn breaking off, her body bloodied and broken. She barely, weakly breathed.
Rarity turned to face the beast again, and instead saw Governor Spectrum standing in front of her in the monster's place. Her magenta eyes still glowed as she prowled, preparing to strike again.
Sergeant Courageous Fate tackled the governor from the side, rope in hooves, and began strangling her.
Rarity dashed forward to save her yet again, crying out, “No! We'll find a way! Together! You can't! You can't! I'll give her another chance!” she finally screamed.
The world spun under her again, the hard ice melting into soft snow, the second vision fading. She was again in the snowy field outside of Ponyville. Veil again stood in front of her, hood now raised, hiding her face again.
She saw a glint of moonlight from below the hood as a tear fell.
“You are a fool to take this risk. A damned, naive fool, and a traitor to those who depend on you. Now go, you damned, stupid hero, learn your lesson!” Veil's voice shook as she turned around.
Rarity felt a hoof on her shoulder startle her awake.
She blinked her eyes open, feeling her soaked cheeks as her senses took in the tent around her. Snowglade stood over her. The younger pony clasped the translator necklace on Rarity with her magic.
“Are – are you okay?” Snowglade asked.
She rubbed her cheeks – half expecting to see washed-out makeup on her hoof, but remembered it'd been days, at least, since she wore any.
Her memories flooded back – last night, she'd gladly tried the emerald necklace, and it had worked exactly as promised. The soldiers had all voted – except Clockwork. Out of refusal to vote his sergeant to his death, Clockwork abstained to vote. Snowglade and Gratitude won.
They would infiltrate the airbase at the East Shades Complex.
Gratitude would pretend to be the Governor. Nopony else could pass a touch-test. The emerald's illusion magic couldn't do that much.
Behind Rarity the curtain that divided the tent in two was already deployed – she could hear ponies changing clothes behind it, and only the mares stood around her on this side of the curtain. Snowglade was already dressed. Gratitude was wearing the nightgown they'd found Twilight in – identical to the governor's – while she helped Twilight into her usual set of winter gear. Governor Spectrum simply sat in the corner, as dejected and tied as she had been since they'd captured her.
Rarity still shook from the dream. “Y-yes. Is it – is it time?”
Snowglade nodded. “Yep. It's time to get dressed. It's a long trip to the complex.”
“You would've woke everypony up with all your crying if you weren't sleeping in. We had to wake you up before your yelling got the attention of a patrol,” Clockwork jokingly added from the other side of the curtain.
“He's joking, there hasn't been any patrols yet. But you can magic everything on in an instant, so we didn't see the need to rush to get you dressed...” Snowglade explained as she began packing sleeping bags away. “Good thing we tested this last night, because it's time to use it,” she chimed as she produced the emerald, gold-chained necklace out of a bag with her magic.
“Oh!” Governor spectrum perked up, turning to Gratitude. The prisoner's sudden energy got everyone's attention, “I'm sorry – last night I wasn't really thinking very well...”
“You're lucky to be alive, nevermind conscious...” The medic reminded her while helping Twilight into the many layers of winter gear.
Spectrum nodded, “Well...” she looked down and away, her ears folding back, before facing the medic again, “Anyways, so I'm only now remembering – they'll want to do some checks to make sure you're not illusory. Higher command is – well, I suspect a lot of them are aware of things like this enchantment. They'll ask you for 'the colors'. They're 'yellow on green'. Just think of wheat growing on a grassy plain. The contingency code is 'hailstorm'. Just remember it takes some real hell to make a governor need to use that code. You'll need that to requisition the bomber.”
“Good mnemonics...” Gratitude commented with a nod. “Yellow on green and 'hailstorm'...” she started echoing to herself, memorizing.
“Hold on!” The sergeant objected from the other side of the curtain, “Are you saying we need these codes or we'll all die – and we're just supposed to trust you that they're authentic? After we tried to kill you?”
“You would've been doing me a favor, really...” she mumbled in response, barely loud enough for everypony to hear. “I told you about Blue Moon. You seem to have known about it already – so you know I'm telling you the truth.”
He didn't respond. The silence was unsettling.
Rarity tensed, halfway expecting him to just kill the governor on the spot.
“Now, now – she uh – she did keep Twilight alive...” Rarity tried to ease the tension she felt.
The governor continued, “I haven't resisted you once, even when you tried to kill me. Either you're right about the Wendigos, and you can end the winter by ending the Vanguard, or this world needs to be relieved of its suffering. Either way, The Vanguard must fall.”
“She uh – she did tell us about Blue Moon, and we already knew about it...” Clockwork pointed out, his voice coming from behind the curtain.
“And?” The sergeant asked.
“Then how would she know if we didn't already know the truth about the color and contingency codes? If she told us a lie, then she knows she could be tortured for it.”
Gratitude turned to Rarity, speaking quietly so as to not interrupt the other conversation, “if you'll get dressed, we can take the curtain down.”
Rarity nodded, and using her magic, was fully in her winter gear within seconds.
Gratitude started taking the thin curtain down, revealing the two stallions of the group fully dressed, armed, and the sergeant looking in their direction.
“And... something else...” The governor hesitantly started, facing the floor. Her hesitance got everypony's attention as surely as her spontaneous energy had a moment ago. She looked up at Gratitude, the fear showing in both her voice and expression, “they... Higher command knows a bit about unicorn magic. They'll know about enchanted items. They might have a domestic servant – the normal ponies who might help me dress in an extravagant gown, anyways – do a strip search on you for items just like that necklace we're using. They'll take it off, and discover the illusion.”
“Clockwork, seize the governor,” the sergeant ordered.
“Yessir!” he answered at the same time he grabbed the pegasus and pinned her chest to the ground.
“Medic,” the sergeant faced Gratitude, “I'm not yielding control of this op. For Clover's – and your – sake, I allowed us to negotiate an alternative plan. But it's not going to work. Given her presence constitutes a clear and present danger to this group, and returning her to Vanguard hooves alive is unacceptable given our mission objectives...” He turned to the governor. “Though you almost have my respect for warning us about this at the cost of your life.”
“But – we voted - !” Snowglade objected.
“On a plan we now know won't work!” The sergeant answered.
Clockwork hesitantly nodded, “I – I'm afraid he's right. I'll vote against it if we can't find a way to keep the illusion spell going without the necklace, then it's a tie and sergeant breaks it. It was his call to vote in the first place.”
“Wait – wait!” Rarity quickly magicked the translator necklace from herself to Twilight. “Twilight, quickly, they'll kill Rainbow – and the Sergeant! – if we can't find out how to get the illusion spell to stay on without the necklace!”
“Wait – what? No-no-no,” Twilight immediately objected, her wings flaring out of their coated sleeves, cramming the tent uncomfortably. She leaned forward, blocking the sergeant's sight of the Governor in the tiny space. “This is easy. Just simply divert the spell effect through Gratitude's body – it may take a pool targeting modification to the spell, but it should allow the simple cantrip to last at least a few minutes after she takes the necklace off – maybe even hours! It's really nothing but a very particularly shaped prestidigitation spell...”
“Prestidigitation...?” Rarity echoed quietly to herself, thinking for a brief moment before returning her attention to the conversation.
The governor looked at her, surprised. “That – that's doable?” she asked.
“I'll want proof this works,” the sergeant firmly set. “This plan is insane enough as it is. I want to make sure this part at least won't fail.”
Twilight nodded. “I could do it in a flash, except...” her wings and ears drooped as she put a hoof to her flat forehead. She winced in pain.
Rarity put a comforting hoof over Twilight's.
“No other solutions?” Courageous Fate asked. “Step out of the way, Twilight, unless you actually have a solution.”
“I – uh – Snowglade, can't you do prestidigitation!? As part of your training?!”
“N-no, I can't.”
“I can!” Rarity said.
Twilight's expression perked as she turned to Rarity, “Oh yeah! The gem-hunting spell is a form of that, isn't it? And all those effects you do for fashion shows? But this isn't just doing it, this is integrating the medic's life energy as a middle step in the spell – if you get it wrong, you could cause –” she cut herself off as she realized who she had to answer to. She turned to the sergeant. “...Rarity can do it. I'll have to guide her, but she can do it,” she feigned confidence. “She can modify the transformation spell so it can last even after the necklace is removed.”
He met her eyes with an intense, suspicious glare. “Whatever you two figure out, we don't have all winter,” he warned them, “And this isn't some fashion show. We'll all be tortured to death if you do some half-assed job.”
“This is Rarity,” Twilight answered, the feigned confidence turning real. “She never does anything short of perfect.”
“Twilight... right now I'm glad you're the only one who can understand me,” Rarity said. “Because I'm really not as confident as you are...”
Veil stood in The Abyss, the ice stretching on in every direction in the eternal night, the endless wind ruffling her dark cloak. “You win again, abbess. But only for now. May this be one of many things to herald in the end of your pathetic, cruel and terrible world.” Her horn lit up, the wind ceased, then reversed, and then began to howl as a thick fog materialized and began to wash over the icy plains.
She sighed, bowing her head, and put a foreleg to her chest. “Oh, Lionheart... The time has come for me to keep my promise... I will deliver them salvation from the suffering they endlessly bring on themselves. I carry not hatred in this heart, but the cool wrath of justice, and the warmth of mercy. The end is near, and you shall see it. And they shall be its emissaries.”