My Little Pony: The Pyres of Friendship

by Scribe of the Nightwings


The Rite of the Heartful Pyres

Chapter 16: The Rite of the Heartful Pyres

Two hours had passed before the blackwagon finally made landfall again onto many of the islets. And not a moment too soon, as the sun finally finished its daily journey across the sky and set down for the eve. Twilight took a moment to look out the window to get a better look at the Hulk of Ores. Though the sun had set, the bathing moonlight was plenty enough for the alicorn to see the mighty spectacle before her. Just as she saw from a distance, the Celestial Landmark was made up of the front half of a giant shipwreck with its bow pointing upward to the shimmering stars. However, Twilight could no see that there was a giant, singular tentacle coiled around the entirety of the hull. Two, pale arms of similar size were sprouted from the tip of the appendage and arranged in a way that suggested that the creature reached upward in agony. There were also numerous smaller and thinner tentacles that stuck out from the water surrounding the shipwreck. Each one of these tentacles were tipped with large, white orbs that had a singular black spot floating in the middle of them. Twilight could hardly comprehend the creature she was looking at, but it was clear that this was a Titan that came from the Sea. And that it had expired for a very long time now.

As usual, everybody began to pile out of the wagon to set up camp for the evening. Twilight stopped for a moment before leaving out the door and looked back to Hedwyn. The Nomad was still passed out on his bunk, sleeping off his small fever. It appeared that Tariq had at some point replaced the headband that he wore around his forehead and replaced it with a cool towelette. The purple mare trotted over to the Nomad with a look of concern. He had been asleep the entire day now, and he still didn’t look any better than before. She did remember how Tariq told her that he condition was improving, but she was starting to have her doubts. Her pessimistic thoughts were interrupted when she heard somebody clear their throats. She turned around to find that it was the minstrel, standing patiently and quietly as usual.

“Go prepare for the Rite, Madame Twilight. I will watch over him while you participate in the ceremony.” he said to her.

Though Twilight did want to protest, she remembered the small heart-to-heart she had with the Lone Minstrel and did what she asked. The alicorn grabbed the Book of Rites before leaving and made her way out into the evening air. As she stepped outside, Twilight looked around at where the wagon had landed. While somewhat larger than the others, the islet wasn’t particularly different from the many others they had past, decorated with the usual rocks and puffy trees. However, it was what was right next to the islet that caught her attention. Beached upon the western shore of the islet was the back half of the shipwreck that made up the Hulk of Ores. Though the bottom hull was still submerged under the water, it looked like that the spacious deck of the ship had survived and was still open to the sea air. What resulted was a large, flat surface of aged wood sprinkled with the occasional crack and holes in the floor. Twilight was about to wander over to investigate further, until she was called over by Rukey.

The alicorn followed the Cur’s summons and back following him to the eastern part of the islet. Right near the tip where the sand met the water, Twilight saw a very familiar green creature atop a red one. It seemed that the vast openness of the Sea of Solis couldn’t stop Falcon Ron from finding potential customers for his various wares. As much as Twilight wanted to question how the merchant was able to traverse the Sea without any sort of watery vessel in his vicinity, but she didn’t bother asking, assuming that Ron would just say something along the likes “savvy business secrets”. Nevertheless, the purple mare pushed that thought aside and looked to the bag of merchandise that Ron’s father opened up. Twilight started by asking Rukey to give Ron the Frothsea Flounder that Ti’zo had caught earlier. Ron happily accepted the fish and paid a decent some for it. With their bag full of new and old coins, Twilight was able to purchase some more Stardust with still a hefty sum to spare. She looked over some of the Talismans until one of them caught her eye. It was a ball of tangled vines and thorns about the size of a fist. Ron identified that Talisman was knowns as a Thorned Knot. Seeing how it caught her fancy, Twilight decided to purchase the item from the merchant. With their transactions finished the pony and Cur bid Ron a farewell. Ron returned the goodbye and wished them luck until their next meeting.

Back at camp, the Nightwings were all dressed in their raiments, save for a certain Nomad. As they all walked to the western shore where the shipwreck was, Mae and Applejack went over to Twilight. “Um, Miss Twilight?” Mae asked shyly. “May ask you for something?”

The alicorn was a bit confused, but also curiously as to what she wanted. “Of course, Mae. What is it?”

The moon-touched girl hesitated for a bit; looking down and dragging her foot along the sand. Applejack then tapped her on the side of her other leg with her hoof. “Go on now, sugarcube. Twilight won’t bite.” the farmer said with a supportive smile.

This seemed to be the push Mae needed as she then looked to the purple mare again. “I was wondering if I could participate in this Rite…for Mr. Hedwyn that is. I just want to do my part so that he doesn’t have to feel guilty about missing this one when he gets better.”

While Twilight was initially perplexed at the girl’s reasoning, she slowly began to get the idea. Both Mae and Hedwyn were both human and even the masks the wore in the Rites were exactly the same. The only difference between them other than age was the fact that Mae was classified as a Savage rather than a Nomad, and even that was just some overall negligible categorization brought on by the Commonwealth. Therefore, she guessed that Mae wanted to participate in the Rite as a subtle way of having Hedwyn there with them while he was still recovering. Seeing no fault in that logic, along with the pleading smile Applejack was giving her, Twilight saw no real reason to deny her request. “Sure, Mae. I’m positive that Hedwyn will rest well knowing that you stood in his place.”

The moon-touched girl’s eyes lit up and the alicorn’s approval and she quickly knelt down to bring her to a tight embrace. “Oh, thank you, Miss Twilight!” she cheered. Mae stood up again and gave Twilight a determined look. “I will not let you down tonight. The Scribes be my witness to it!”

Twilight smiled at Mae’s optimism and then looked to the orange mare.

“Thank ya kindly, Twilight. I’m sure as a snake is slippery that Mae will do a fine job in the Rite!” Applejack happily stated. The alicorn couldn’t help but nod her head in agreement.

“Sooo, how do we know when this Rite thingy starts?” Pinkie asked the group, who had still yet to experience the ritual. “Is there going to be a super loud air horn or something else exciting?”

“Well, usually the stars start to light up and then some weird constellation forms in the sky.” Rukey explained to the party pony. “Although, the other adversaries that we’re suppose the face normally show up before us. Wait, did we actually beat them this time?”

The Cur’s question was immediately answered when the group heard some splashing in the water. Not a second later, three creatures emerged from the waves and landed on the shore before the Nightwings. The creatures were small in size, just a hint smaller than Rukey was. Their bodies were serpentine, lacking any sort of limbs or appendages saved for their tails. What was most unique, however, was that they were all donned in raiments of their own. Their color scheme was somewhat similar to the Nightwings’, only instead it was an aquamarine blue accented with bright orange. The masks that they wore were more akin to helmets that were over their heads instead. Given how the creatures arrived from the water and seemingly possessed amphibious qualities, Twilight assumed that these must have been the Wyrms that she and Tariq had saw earlier.

Musical Cue - Quest for Honor

Before anybody could say anything about their arrival, one of the Wyrms slithered up in front of the other two before the group. They then used their tail to remove the mask covering their face. Once the mask was removed, the Wyrm’s yellow, scaled skin was revealed in the moonlight. The creature had one large eye that took up most of his face and a wide mouth below it. When Twilight looked closely, she could seem multiple small scars decorating the Wyrm’s face, as well as one large one going diagonally across his eye. Finally, the Wyrm was wearing yet another helmet on his head that was quite similar to a helmet Twilight would see on a suit of knight armor that would grace some of the hallways at Canterlot castle. The helmet the Wyrm wore was composed of a worn, navy-blue metal with the grated visor moved upward to reveal his face, along with a red plume on top.

“Good sirs and good ladies,” he began speaking in a very excited, chivalrous tone. “so it is you that heed the summons to glorious competition against this knight and his brigade!” The Wyrm then straightened his posture to give himself a more confident display of himself.

“Umm, is he where a helmet under his helmet?” Rainbow Dash asked out loud. That was when the Wyrm took notice of the ponies.

“By the great Underking! Such strange and fascinating creatures the Nightwings have recruited.” He then began to address Twilight directly. “Pray tell, where might your kind dwell in this great world beyond the Sea-Dominion? This knight is quite curious as to your origins!”

While Twilight didn’t want to be rude to the rather polite adversary, she also still wasn’t comfortable with outright saying that she and her friends were from a different world to complete strangers. Therefore, she decided to compromise by partial answering the question and then try to change the subject. “Well, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I’m the Reader for the Nigthwings. Me and my friends are ponies and we’re…not really from around here or the Commonwealth. A very faraway land, to be more exact. I hope that answers your question, Mr….? I’m sorry, what is your name?”

“Oh, great apologies!” the Wyrm quickly corrected himself. “Lest this knight forget his introductions. He is called Sir Gilman! He salutes to you all on behalf of the great Pyrehearts!” Sir Gilman then placed his mask back on his head. “Well then, your origins seem to matter little at the moment. Be you walk either on two legs or four, this knight will still greatly accept your invitation to battle. Let us commence without delay! More than our freedom is at stake here, but our very honor. And this knight fully intends on reclaiming his! Until the contest!” The Wyrm and his two companions then jumped back into the water and disappeared from view.

The group was still at a loss at what they had just saw, until Applejack found the words. “Well, he was certainly…eccentric. Kinda reminds me of that old fancy speak Princess Luna used to talk in. But at least he was courteous and all that.”

Twilight nodded in agreement with the orange mare and looked to the waters again. Though she had to admit, there was something that he said that stuck her as a little odd. She understood what Sir Gilman meant when he said that their freedom was on the line, but she was confused as to what he meant when he referenced honor as well. Twilight decided to put that thought aside and looked to the night sky. The stars began to shine, and the star constellation formed above. A mystical light shown down on the rotting deck of the shipwreck on the shore, indicating where the Rite would be held. With no reason to hesitate, the Nightwings and ponies made they’re onto the deck for the next Rite.


Musical Cue Continued - Quest for Glory

“RELENTLESS, AREN’T WE, READER?”

“EVEN THE VASTNESS OF THE SEA WAS NOT ENOUGH TO THWART YOUR COMING HERE, UNTO THE HULK OF ORES.”

“Oh my gosh, Twilight, do you hear the big voice in the sky?!” Pinkie asked excitedly. He sounds so sophisticated! Hey, how come his dialogue is in bold and centered? Does that mean he’s an important character?” Twilight hadn’t had an inkling as to what the party pony was referring to and thus was at a loss for words. The Voice, however, responded to the pink mare’s outburst.

“…YOUR NEW COMPANION IRRITATES ME, READER. MIGHT I SUGGEST YOU SEW HER MOUTH SHUT FOR THE SAKE OF ALL OUR SANITY.”

“Irritate?!” Pinkie said sounding rather offended. “Hmph, well I guess I’m not much of a fan of you, Voice-in-the-sky!” The baker then finished by turning her nose from the night sky.

“HRGG…REGARDLESS, YOU WOULD BE WISE NOT TO UNDERESTIMATE YOUR ADVERSARIES HERE, DESPITE THEIR PITIABLE LOOK. I AM, OF COURSE, REFERING TO THE PYREHEARTS!”

“THESE RITES ARE BUT ANOTHER WAR TO THEM, AND THAT MAKES YOU THEIR MORTAL ENEMY.”

“I EXPECT A GLORIOUS BATTLE TO BE GLORIOUS HERE, READER. ELSE I MIGHT HAVE TO GIVE YOU ANOTHER REMINDER IN YOUR SLEEP.”

“Wait, what’s he talkin’ about, sugarcube?” Applejack asked Twilight after hearing that last statement from the Voice.

The alicorn hesitated for a moment as she quickly remembered the horrible dream she received after their less than stellar performance in the last Rite. As much as she didn’t want to hide anything from her friends, she also didn’t want them to worry about her problems when they should be focusing on the Rite. “It’s nothing, Applejack.” she said as convincingly as possible. The apple farmer gave her a look, but she eventually brushed it off. Twilight inwardly sighed in relief from dodging the subject. She then figured that as long as the Nightwings did well tonight, she wouldn’t have to worry experiencing another night terror. At least that was her hope.

Focusing back onto the task at hand, Twilight took a look at the state of the field. The state of the deck was…less than ideal for something that was supposed to hold six creatures. Holes and small fissures were scattered throughout the water-rotted deck. Traversal across the field would be difficult, lest someone risk fall into the water below. However, the most intriguing part made itself known when both of the sigils erupted into flames. Normally, the two opposing pyres were directly across the field from each other. This time, the Nightwings pyre appeared to be tucked in the upper corner of the field, while the light blue flames of the Pyrehearts’ pyre were located in the lower corner across.

As the alicorn was peering over to the other side of the field, she saw three figures jump out from the water and land on the deck. It turned out to be Sir Gilman, along with the other two Wyrms that were behind him. The amphibious knights were no doubt prepping themselves for the upcoming Rites just as the Nightwings were doing. Apparently, Twilight wasn’t the only one to notice their adversaries’ arrival as she noticed Rukey was next to her looking in the same direction.

“You know what? I’m curious.” he mumbled to himself as he began to walk over to the group of Wyrms.

“Hey, Rukey! Wait up!” Rainbow Dash said as she caught up to the Cur and flew along side him. The alicorn was perplexed as to what the pair wanted from the Pyrehearts, but her thoughts were interrupted when Jodariel caught her attention.

“Best you make sure they do not taunt our adversaries too hard.” the Demon warned. “Lest we invoke some hidden wrath like with the Withdrawn.”

Twilight remembered how it was Rainbow’s and Rukey’s confident boosting that had led to an increased ire in Udmildhe, so she had no problem agreeing with the Demon. The purple mare then quickly trotted over to the pair just as they had crossed the field and had met with the Wyrms. Sir Gilman was the first to notice their intrusion and removed his mask to address them.

“Aha, you lot return so soon!” Gilman said with subtle excitement. “What may bring you here to the Pyrehearts? Care to partake in playful repertoire to stoke the fires of competition for tonight’s ceremony?”

“Err, no. Just wanted to ask you a quick question that’s been bugging me about you Wyrms.” Rukey said as he scratched the back of his head. “You guys were tossed down the River when they exiled you here, yeah? So, can’t you just swim your way back to the Commonwealth, or the Sea Dominion, or whereever it is you’re from?” The more Twilight thought about it, the more she realized that Rukey brought up a good point. From what she had gather so far, sounded as though that the main method that the Commonwealth used to exile its citizens to the Downside was through a River that she had yet to see in detail. With that in mind, what was there to stop an amphibious species such as the Wyrms from using said water channel to return from their banishment.

The Wyrm knight let out a hearty laugh at the Cur’s question. “Hah, HAH! An excellent point! It seems that these adversaries are quite clever.” He then looked over behind him to one of the other Wyrms. “What say you, Sire?”

In contrast to Gilman’s boisterous tone, this Wyrm spoke in a more shaky and meek voice. “J-j-just get rid of them already, Gilman! As your commanding officer, this knight hereby c-c-commands it!”

“Wait, hold on,” Rainbow interrupted and gestured to the cowering Wyrm. “that’s who in charge of your group? The one literally cowering behind you?”

“HARK! Hold your reservations, prismatic one!” Gilman exclaimed as he slithered next to the Wyrm. Allow this knight to properly introduce his commander properly. No Wyrm-knight in history has withstood as many front-line battles!” He then turned to his commander. “Doff you helm, Sire, as is our custom! May our adversaries tremble at the sight of thee!”

Musical Cue - Knights of the Sea (White Lute)

Without hesitation, Gilman quickly removed the mask from his commander’s head, much to his protest. With the ceremonial mask removed, Twilight was finally able to get a better look at the Wyrm’s features. Aside from a large, singular eye on his face, the Wyrm looked entirely different from his comrade. His skin was light green, and he had flowing locks of seafoam-colored hair cascading down from the top of his head. The Wyrm was wearing a knight’s helmet, only his was colored brown from rampant rust and seemed far too big for his head. So much so that the grated visor was hung around his neck rather than up to his eye. With his identity revealed, the commander gave a dramatic fit to Gilman. “AHH! G-Give this knight his mask back at once!”

Gilman paid him no mind and returned to introducing his commander to the Nightwings. “This knight hereby presents to you the great Sir Deluge! A noble visage, is he not?!”

Despite Gilman’s proud presentation of his sire, Deluge could do nothing more than continue to squirm and tremble to the Cur and ponies. Out of pure courtesy, Twilight did her best to keep a polite, neutral expression. However, she inwardly admitted to herself that Deluge hardly had the look of a leader of fearless knights. And based on both Rukey and Rainbow’s deadpan expressions, it was clear that they felt the same.

“Uh-huh, really noble.” Rainbow said sarcastically. “So can you guys swim or not?”

“HAH! Of course we knights can swim! All knights of the Sea-Dominion can!” Sir Gilman said with pride. He then switched to a sullener tone. “Alas, we are exiles of this land, the same as ye. We can swim, ‘tis true. However, not even the mightiest of our kind could brave the ever-strong currents of the River. We can not return through the channel that flushed us here in the first place. Nay, these ceremonies are the sole way to return.”

“Silence, Gilman!” Sir Deluge shouted. N-nobody cares! Return to your post at once!”

Sir Gilman hesitated at first, but then let out a defeat sigh. “Fare thee luck, Nightwings.” he said to the group, still sounding rather dejected. “May the most skilled triumvirate achieve victory this night.” The Wyrm then slithered over to his other comrade near the Pyrehearts’ pyre.

That only left Sir Deluge to confront the trio. “T-this knight is not afraid of you, Nightwings. It matters not if your ranks are bolstered by…unsightly c-creatures such as yourselves! W-we will be superior this night!”

“Unsightly?” Rainbow said sounding offended. “And what the heck is that supposed to mean?!”

As the blue pegasus went over to get in his face, Deluge prematurely panicked and scuttled back in fear from her. When the Wyrm commander peeked back and saw that Rainbow had stopped her advance, he tried to resume a straight posture again. He then slithered back into his mask again and looked to the group on last time. “Y-y-you best keep your distance, lest you invoke my wrath. Now, ENGARDE!!”

With that, the cowardly Wyrm returned to his triumvirate to take their places for the Rite. Meanwhile, Twilight and Rukey were still in place trying to fully comprehend what had just happened. Rainbow just scoffed at the Wyrms and turned back to the other two. “Yeesh, the nerve on that guy! ‘Unsightly.’, where does he get off calling us something like that?!”

Twilight did have to agree with Rainbow on Sir Deluge’s rude behavior. However, there was something different about his prejustice toward the ponies. Back when she met with the Accuser, Lendal also had a sour reaction to Twilight’s presence. Although, the old Nomad gave off a tone that suggested that she was below him in terms of recognition and respect. It was slightly different with Deluge. “I don’t know, Rainbow,” she said to her friend. “I think he doesn’t like us because…he might be scare of us.”

The Wonderbolt tilted her head for a second, but she then nodded her head to the alicorn’s logic. “Yeah, I think you might have a point there. I mean, did you see him back there? I think he was even worse than Fluttershy was back in the old days. And she was literally scared of her own shadow, for Celestia’s sake!” She then shook her head. “Well, whatever. Looks like you won’t have a tough time kicking his butt tonight, Twilight.”

The purple mare smiled a little at her friend’s confidence in her abilities. “Thanks Rainbow, we’ll give it our all tonight!”

“Hey guys,” both of the ponies looked over to see that Rukey was addressing them both. “Jodi’s giving me that look that saying that we need to get in gear.” They all looked over to see that the Demon was indeed giving then a serious expression. “Yep, that’s the one. I know it well.” The Cur confirmed.

Musical Cue - The Eight Scribes

With that, the group made their way back to their side of the field to regroup with the rest of the Nightwings and ponies. When they returned, Jodariel walked to Twilight and knelt down so that they were nearly at eye level. “Reader,” she said calmly to the pony. “Hedwyn is counting on us to win tonight. I would hate for him to feel guilt for not being there if we were to lose. Do you understand?” Twilight glanced back over at the wagon, knowing that the Nomad was still recovering. She took a guess that he would no doubt blame his untimely absence if they were to fail tonight. It was an added layer of pressure to succeed, but Twilight took a deep breath. She couldn’t let the pressure get to her like it did in the last Rite. She had to be in peak mental condition if she wanted to properly lead the Nightwings. With that thought, she looked back to the Demon and gave her a determined nod. “Good then.” she said to the alicorn. “Rainbow Dash,” she said to the pegasus. “Carry her to a suitable vantage point of the field. That crow’s nest should work finely.”

Twilight and Rainbow followed the Demon’s gaze upward to where she was looking. Amongst the ship wreckage was a particularly large crow’s nest on top of the ship’s center mast. It seemed as though at some point during the wreck, the mast had broken off from the center of the ship and landed a good distance away while still in its upward position. “Alright, sounds good.” Rainbow confirmed the location and went over to pick up Twilight. “You ready, Twi?” she asked the alicorn. When she nodded, Twilight was lifted up into the air by the pegasus. It only took a few seconds of flight before they reached the nest, which was surprisingly roomy enough to fit two ponies easily. Jodariel was correct in that the nest did give the alicorn a good view of the field, along with a look at the Pyrehearts’ sigil, a burning heart. “Alright then. Good luck, Twi!” Rainbow said before she began to take off.

“Wait, can you do me a favor, Rainbow?” Twilight asked Rainbow before she could leave. Here gaze went downward back to the group and focused one member in particular: Fluttershy. Memories of her actions and contributions flooded into her mind, as well as the discussion they had afterward. Even though she was entirely sure how she did it, Twilight couldn’t deny that the newfound powers she had were detrimental in the success the Nightwings had in the ceremony. The alicorn thought about bring the shy pegasus up here to assist her again, but then she had another thought. She remembered the rough hypothesis she made that this Blessing ability Fluttershy had may be connected to the Elements of Harmony. If this theory was in fact true, then it made sense that her other friends might have this power as well. Seeing the opportunity presenting itself, Twilight thought that she would do some experimentation. “Can you bring Applejack up here with me?” she finally asked.

“Um, what do you need AJ for exactly?” Rainbow asked.

“I just…want to talk to her about something. I think that she might be able to help like Fluttershy did in the last Rite.” the purple mare explained.

Rainbow still looked a bit perplexed at her reasoning, but the blue mare eventually shrugged. “Alright, I’ll bring her up.”

Thus, the Wonderbolt flew from the crow’s nest and landed back with the group. When Rainbow went up to Applejack and explained that Twilight wanted to see her, she agreed. A moment later, Rainbow grabbed hold of the apple farmer and flew back to the crow’s nest. Once Applejack safely landed onto the nest, Rainbow gave one final salute and flew back to the group. “So, ya wanted to see me, sugarcube?” the orange mare asked.

“Yes,” Twilight replied. “Do you remember in the last Rite when Fluttershy helped me out and made the Nightwings stronger?”

“You mean when she started glowing pink? Yeah, I think Rukey called it a Blessing or somethin’ like that.” the farmer mused. “Why ya bringin’ it up with me?”

Twilight gave her friend a small but encouraging smile. “If that power really is related to the Elements, then maybe you might be able to use the same power.”

“Wait, what?” Applejack said with confusion. “Twilight, you know I’d love to help ya out in any way I can, but are ya sure about this? Even if I had these powers, how the hay would I even know how to activate ‘em? Fluttershy didn’t seem sure herself.”

Twilight had to admit that her friend did make good points, but she did her best to keep a positive attitude. If this was indeed a potential advantage that she could use to help her in the Rites, she had to seize it. “I understand that, Applejack, but there’s still no harm in trying. The worst that can happen is that nothing will happen, and the Rite will continue on as normal. “Can we at least try, please?”

The orange mare still looked unsure about the proposition, but she eventually let out a sigh. “Alright, sugarcube,” she agreed. “I won’t make any promises, but yer right, there’s no shame in tryin’.” The two mares were then interrupted from above.

“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS, READER? TRYING TO REPEAT THE FARCE THAT OCCURRED IN THE LAST RITE, ARE WE? HRM, AND WITH THE RUSTIC ONE, NO LESS.”

“FEEL FREE TO TRY TO REATTEMPT YOUR LITTLE MIRACLE, READER. THOUGH I HARDLY EXPECT ANYTHING FROM HER.”

Applejack looked rather offended by the Voice’s passive demeaning of her and let out a huff. “Come on, Twilight.” she said as she turned to the field below. “Let’s get this rodeo started!”

“YOUR COMPANION IS CORRECT. BEST WE FINISH THIS CERAMONY BEFORE THE SUN RISES. CHOOSE AMONG YOUR PARTY NOW.”

The Book or Rites then floated from under Twilight’s wing and opened itself before her. She then looked over the page to make her choice from the Nightwings. Her first choice was obvious as she focused in on Mae’s name on the page. She also decided to give the moon-touched girl the Ashen Coal to help bolster the Nightwing’s pyre by just a bit.

“MAE”

The girl appeared on the field donned in her ceremonial mask. “For Mr. Hedwyn, for the Scribes!”

Twilight’s next choices required a bit more thinking. Given their size and what she had seen so far, she no doubt guessed that the Wyrms would have a fast pace during the Rite. Therefore, the alicorn figured that having a quick participant of their own would help in evening the playing field. Twilight focused on Rukey and paired him with Jomuer’s Fang.

“RUKEY”

“No way those Wyrm-knight bozos are faster than me!” Rukey confidently said after he appeared.

For her last choice, Twilight looked to Jodariel. While it was true that her size left her wanting in the speed department, she also realized that the demon’s aura would be extremely difficult to maneuver around. As for the talisman, Twilight looked that the new one that she had just purchased from the Slug Market: the Thorned Knot. For some reason that was escaping her, it was as though the Book was able help her figure out how the talisman would work in the Rites. In this case, the Thorned Knot would be able to increase the aura cast of whomever was holding it. The alicorn figured that the talisman would be perfect for the Demon’s strengths and thus selected it along with her.

“JODARIEL”

The hulking Demon appeared on the field, combining her aura with the others, thus covering a large area surrounding their pyre. “Let us show these so-called knights why our skills should be recognized.” She said sternly.

Back on the other side of the field, the Pyrehearts took notice of the Nightwings on the field. “Gilman!” Sir Deluge yelled out. “S-S-Status report! What is the enemy’s position?!”

“Hmm,” Gilman mused as he peered over to the other side. “They now stand ready to confront us, Sire. A very brave triumvirate they seem to this knight’s eye!”

“B-B-Brave?! Air-sucking monsters, one and all!” the Wyrm said in disgust. He then gestured up to where Twilight and Applejack were positioned. “All of them leaded by those…a-a-abominations!” He looked back to the Nightwings again. “Pyrehearts! BE READY!”

Twilight’s attention was then driven to the center of the field. The familiar beam of light rained down from the night sky, slamming the Celestial Orb down onto the field.

“COMMENCE!”

Musical Cue - Knights of the Sea

At the Voice’s command, the Rite began. Twilight had Mae make a run for the Orb, and Sir Gilman had already sped forward to grab the prize for himself. During this, Twilight noticed something particularly odd about the Wyrm’s movement. The aura around him was incredibly small, befitting for his size. Although it looked wavy and based on his movement, it almost looked like he was swimming in the aura to move forward. The aura also left of trail behind him, giving it even further similar properties to water. Nevertheless, Twilight focused back on Mae to see that she had successfully grabbed the Orb.

However, before the girl could make her way to the other side of the field, Sir Gilman made his move. The Wyrm circled around the moon-touched girl, perplexing the alicorn. When he was completely behind her, Gilman flicked his tailed and he seemingly teleported back to the end of his aura trail. Unfortunately, Mae was right in between those two locations, so she was banished from the field once the Wyrm had shifted through her. It was almost if the Wyrm had banished the girl by slashing her with his aura. The Orb fell to the ground, leaving it open for the Wyrm-knight to pick it up for himself. Twilight quickly scrambled to try and position Jodariel and Rukey in a position to block him from the pyre. As Gilman approached, Rukey shot an aura cast at him, only for the Wyrm to jump out of the way. To finish it off, Sir Gilman then maneuvered his way around Jodariel and jumped right into the blue flames. After the small explosion, the pyre appeared a tad bit smaller.

“ALREADY YOUR ADVERSARY SMOTHERS YOUR PRECIOUS FLAME.”

“WOOHOO! Go team, go!” Pinkie cheered from the sideline.

“Pinkie! That’s a bad thing. The Nightwings are losing now!” Rainbow explained to the pink mare.

“Oohhh.” she said, realizing her mistake. “Woopsie, sorry about that!”

As the field reset, tried to refocus her thoughts as the all the Nightwings return by their pyre. The Pyrehearts were down to only two Wyrm, which provided them with a small respite. Before the Orb appeared on the field again, Twilight’s internal planning were interrupted. “Uh, Twilight,” Applejack asked her friend. “What exactly should I be tryin’ to do here?”

Though she didn’t have an exact answer for the farmer, she tried to think about what Fluttershy did back in the last Rite. “Trying to be encouraging. Say some inspirational stuff to them.”

Applejack still looked unsure about the alicorn’s admittedly shaky answer but attempted so anyway. “Alright, y’all!” she awkwardly yelled out to the Nightwings. “They got a lucky shot in, but just keep yer head in the game!”

An awkward silence passed as both ponies waited for something to happen with the orange mare. However, no such anomaly occurred, only the Nightwings looking up with brief confusion. Twilight couldn’t dwell on the disappointing results as the Celestial Orb landed on the field again. Sir Deluge attempted to grab it first, but he was quickly banished away by an aura cast by Mae. With only one Wyrm on the field, Twilight saw her chance. After moving Jodariel in a defensive position just in case, she directed Rukey to grab the Orb. Once the Cur got a hold of it, the remaining Wyrm-knight began to circle around him. However, Twilight was prepared this time and had Rukey jump out of the way before the Wyrm could slash through him with his aura. With the path clear, Rukey made a dash straight for the pyre. The Cur leapt and landed in the flames. Just in time, as Deluge had just reappeared from his brief banishment.

“THEIR FLAMES BEGIN TO FLICKER!”

The field reset and the Nightwings were down one Cur. Both pyres had taken damage but were still burning strong. As the Orb reappeared, Twilight was determined to acquire the advantage this round. The alicorn started by having Jodariel slowly advance forward towards the center. The Demon wasn’t fast enough to get the Orb before Gilman, she was in range to cast her aura at him. The Wyrm-knight couldn’t get away from the large blast in time and was banished from the field. Mae dashed forward and scooped up the Orb from the ground and dashed from the pyre. When Twilight saw the third Wyrm circle around Mae, she expected him to slash his way through the girl. However, she was surprised when he ended continuing move down towards the right toward the Nightwings’ side of the field. As that was happening, Mae was just in range of the pyre and made a jump for the flame. Before she could reach the flames though, Sir Deluge jumped in the air to intercept the girl, causing the Orb to fall to the ground. Twilight tried to get Jodariel to collect the Orb again but was too late as Sir Gilman had returned and quickly snatched it up. Gilman then passed the Orb over to the Wyrm that was positioned at the other end of the field. Twilight could only look on as the Wyrm-knight dashed right into the Nightwings’ pyre.

“UNFORTUNATE.”

The field had reset itself again, but Twilight was still caught off guard by the admittedly impressive maneuver that the Pyrehearts pulled off. Thankfully, it appeared that the Wyrms didn’t do much damage to the Pyre, so the flames were still over halfway strong.

“Ha ha! A stunning maneuver against our opponents!” Gilman boasted out loud. “Let it be known that the Pyrehearts are indeed worthy adversaries for the mighty Nightwings! Wouldn’t you agree, Sire?”

“Enough Gilman,” Deluge grumbled. “Save your incessant gloating for after we are successful this night.” The Orb landed on the field once again and the Wyrm commander sped right for it.

Twilight looked back to her friend. “Applejack?” said muttered with a pleading look. She knew that it was a bit low to ask of something of her friend that even she had no idea how it worked. But still, the alicorn was getting a bit desperate. She hoped that giving the orange mare a bit of a harder push would help her figure out what to do.

As for Applejack, she looked to her hooves after seeing the desperation in the purple pony’s face. A second later, she looked back up wearing an expression of determination. She then took a few steps forward and looked to the Nightwings. “Mae,” she addressed the moon-touched girl. “just focus on me right now. The varmint’s coming in fast. Flank’em on his right and blast him!”

Spurred on by the country mare’s much more confident voice, Mae followed her orders to a tee. Deluge was so focused on the Orb that he never saw the aura blast coming from his right. The Orb fell to ground and Mae quickly picked it up.

“Alright sugarcube, listen up closely,” Applejack further instructed. For a second, Twilight swore that she saw something shimmer in the country mare’s eyes. “You still got one more Wyrm out there that ya gotta get by. Just look closely at his movements and slip by him. Once you get right near the flames, I want ya to put everything you got into it!”

Mae gave a solid nod at the command and turned her attention back to Gilman. Said Wyrm was trying to offset the girl by performing a sort of zig-zag movement towards her. Instead of trying to go around him, Mae took advantage of the Wyrm’s small size by leaping over him while avoiding his aura trail behind him. Once she successful dodged the Wyrm-knight, Mae dashed for the pyre. “Give it all you have, Mae!” Applejack yelled out again. “Snuff out that fire and win this one for me, Hedwyn and the rest of us!”

Twilight almost did a double take at what happened next. The moon-touched girl began to have an orange glow around her just as she leapt for the pyre. Once she successfully hit her mark, the resulting explosion seemed much more intense than it normally was. As for the pyre, there something off about it. The light-blue flames seemed to be halfway gone now. The only thing was that Mae’s aura shouldn’t have done that much damage to the pyre. How could that have possibly happened? The alicorn received her answers when she turned to the pony next to her. Applejack was covered in the same orange glow that Mae was right before she went into the pyre. After she was done examining herself, she looked back to Twilight.

“Woo-wee! I guess ya were right, Twilight. I had it in me this whole time!” the orange mare shouted excitedly. “Guess it only worked once I focused in on one of ‘em.”

“SO, IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE RUSTIC ONE GRACED YOU WITH ANOTHER BLESSING AFTER ALL. OH JOYOUS NEWS FOR YOU.”

“PERHAPS THE SUDDEN SURGE OF GLORY CAUSED BY HER MAY ASSIST YOU IN QUENCHING THE REMAINS OF YOUR ADVERSARY’S PYRE.”

The field reset for the next round and all of the Wyrm-knights back on their side of the field. Although it appeared that one of the was far from happy. “Grah, what in the Underking’s name was that supposed to be?!” Sir Deluge cried out.

“T’would appear that that the enemy’s fires of passion assisted in countering ours, Sire” Gilman calmly rationalized. “Quite fascinating, at least to this knight.”

“SHUT IT, GILMAN!” Deluge chastised him. “These Nightwings will not best us with their cheating ways! Full frontal assault, NOW!”

At the Wyrm-commander’s orders, Gilman charged forward towards the Orb whilst avoiding the cracks in the deck. When the Wyrm grabbed the Orb, Twilight immediately switched to Jodariel to go defense. Sir Gilman tried his best to jump over the Demon’s surrounding aura, but seemingly jumped far too early and landed just short of the pyre. He was then easily banished by Jodariel, leaving the Orb on the Nightwings’ side of the field. The Demon picked it up and began moving slowly to the center of the field. Deluge had begun advancing towards her, so Jodariel quickly passed the Celestial orb to Rukey. With a few agile jumps, Rukey was able to avoid being circled by Gilman and even jumped right over the other Wyrm. The Cur leapt into the light-blue flames with ease.

“SUCH WHEREWITHAL!”

The field reset and the participants returned to their respective pyres. The Celestial Orb landed in the center and Twilight expected the Pyrehearts to rush for it yet again. However, she was surprised when something entirely different happen.

“GILMAN!!! Your form is sloppy! Fight them as if your miserable life is on the line!” Sir Deluge shouted at the top of his lungs.

The Wyrm-knight cowered slightly at his commander’s harsh words, but still responded. “Your words do wound me, Sire. This knight gives every Rite his very, very best!” He then slightly glanced over to Twilight and Applejack up in the crow’s nest above. “Though, perhaps we do have much to learn from such a brave triumvirate as the one whom we now face. It is quite clear that their leadership is suburb!”

Deluge hit the Wyrm-knight on the top of his helmet with his tail. “Idiot! Wh-Whose side are you on?! Get over here, immediately!” With that, the trio of Wyrms moved away from their pyre and gathered in a small circle. What resulted was a constant borras of complaints, bickering and whining with Deluge being the loudest. Twilight could only look on in confusion as the Pyrehearts continued to argue amongst themselves as if they weren’t in the middle of the Rite.

“Are…Are they serious?” Applejack said, obviously just as confused about what was going on as the alicorn was.

“THERE SEEMS TO BE DISSENTION IN YOUR ADVERSARY’S RANKS!”

“TIS LITTLE WONDER THESE FOOL WYRM KNIGHTS ARE NO LONGER FIT TO SERVE THE COMMONWEALTH.”

As the Wyrms continued to argue, Twilight began to think. She looked to the Pyreheart’s small pyre, then to Applejack and then finally over to the other side of the field to Jodariel. A plan began to form, and if it worked, then they might be able to end the Rite. “Applejack,” she said to the country mare. “do you think you could use your power on Jodariel when I say so?”

“Well, I reckon I could.” the farmer replied. “I think I have this Blessing business down. Why?”

Twilight turned back to the field. “I have a plan. While the Pyrehearts are busy, we can have Jodariel go straight for their pyre for a direct hit. With her strength combined with your Blessing, then I think we should be able to completely extinguish it. Does that sound good for you?”

It seemed as though that Applejack understood, but she still seemed unsure. “I don’t know, Twi. Doesn’t seem very sporting to do that when their obviously distracted like that. Shouldn’t we give ‘em a fair shot.”

Twilight had to admit that it did seem like low blow. However, she knew that she had to go through with it. Both the Nightwings’ freedom and her chances of seeing Equestria again was on the line. “I know, Applejack,” she explained. “But they shouldn’t be doing something like that during the Rite. So whatever happens next, it’s on them. Okay?”

After hearing a fairly decent explanation, Applejack nodded in agreement. With her friend’s support, Twilight looked to the field and focused on Jodariel. Thanks to their link, the Demon was able to learn of the plan and nodded in confirmation. Thus, the Demon began to slowly make her way to the center to pick up the Celestial Orb. It was admittedly tense, as expected for the occasional dash, the Demon continued moving slowly towards the Orb. Twilight was a bit afraid that the Pyrehearts would finally notice the encroaching Demon, but it seemed as though they were still preoccupied with their internal skirmish.

“Sire, your distain for the ponies seem very unreasonable. They clearly have no ulterior motives with the Rites, especially against our noble company.” Gilman tried to reason with his commander.

“NO ULTERIOR MOTIVES?!” Sir Deluge yelled in disbelief. “Just look at them, Gilman! Are you honestly fooled by their innocent-looking exterior? They are obviously plotting something!”

Sir Gilman sighed at his paranoia. “Sire, must we have to distrust these ponies? This knight senses a high stake of honor within them.”

“This knight is quite tired of your constant praising of the adversary, Gilman.” Deluge said in annoyance. “As commander of this company, you are hereby ordered to NOT trust those abominable creatures! They deserve not our praise or our pity!”

“Ya know, I suddenly don’t feel so bad about doin’ this now.” Applejack deadpanned at hearing Deluge downplay the ponies.

Twilight did inwardly agree that the Wyrm-commander’s bigotry was starting to irritate her, but they had more pressing matters at hoof. “Alright Applejack, get ready for the signal.” Jodariel picked up the Orb and began to make her way to the pyre. The Pyrehearts had foolishly moved away to have their squabble, leaving an open path to the light-blue flames. Finally, the Demon was in place on the other side of the field. One last dash was all that was needed for her to plunge into the pyre. “Now!” Twilight yelled.

At the command, Applejack closed her eyes and took a deep breath. No sooner than that, she was once again bathed in the orange glow. Jodariel then also began to emit an orange hue, indicating that the Blessing was taking effect. With no other reason to dawdle, Jodariel dashed forward right into the pyre. A mighty explosion followed that then snuffed out the remains of the flames.

“AND IT IS DONE!”

“WHAAAT?!” Sir Deluge cried out as he removed his mask in disbelief. Before him and the rest of the Wyrms, their pyre was nothing more than a smoldering sigil. The remaining flames on the Nightwings’ sigil then shot up into the air and exploded.

“THE NIGHTWINGS PREVAIL! TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEIR ADVERSARY’S IDIOCY, MIGHT I ADD.”

‘THUS CONCLUDES THE RITE!”

“LOXALAS!” Jodariel, Mae and Rukey cheered out to the stars.

“YEE-HAW!” Applejack cried out. “That’s how we get it done! Nice work leading, sugarcube!”

Thanks, Applejack.” Twilight happily said. “And thank you for your help as well.”

Soon after that, Rainbow flew to give quick congratulations and then worked to flying both Twilight and Applejack back to the ground. Once the pair had been returned to the group, Pinkie Pie ran up to Twilight. “Wowie, Twilight! That was the most super-duper Rite I’ve ever seen! Oh wait, it’s the only Rite I’ve ever seen. Ah, who cares! I’m just so proud of you, Twily!”

“Skrriii-haaa!” Ti’zo chirped at Twilight, no doubt congratulating her on the victory.

The alicorn tried to hide the small blush that was forming from her friend’s praise. Meanwhile, Jodariel spoke up her thoughts. “Hm, I expected more from the Wyrm-knights from the Sea Dominion.” She then turned over to the orange mare. “Nevertheless, your contribution was well-noted, Applejack. I wasn’t exactly sure of this Blessing phenomenon but feeling it for myself did quell my doubts.”

“That’s right!” Mae excitedly said all the sudden. “Thank the Scribes that you did have a Blessing after all! Thank you so much for helping me, Miss Applejack!”

“Ah shucks, sugarcube,” Applejack said bashfully. “ya did most of the work out there. I only just chipped in a little.”

Amidst their congratulations, the Nightwings and ponies were suddenly interrupted. “Noble Nightwings!” They all turned to see that it was none other than Sir Gilman, mask removed and looking at them with his singular eye. “This knight came here to commend you all for your performance in the Rite. Especially to thee, Twilight Sparkle. Leadership is a heavy helm to wear, however you seem to wear it stupendously. Gloriously fought, indeed, and this knight shall wistfully remember this defeat until the end of his days!”

Twilight had to admit, she was rather taken aback by Gilman’s words. His praise didn’t seem hollow at all and he seemed to really be taking his defeat with grace. It was a little bit touching to the alicorn, and she was more than ready to return the compliments to the Wyrm for his performance in the Rite as well. However, she never got the chance as the Wyrm-commander slithered up to Gilman.

“S-S-Silence, Gilman!” Sir Deluge yelled to his underling. “First you botch up the Rite and now you’re here cavorting with the enemies?! This knight told you to no longer trust these land abominations!”

“This knight was but attempting honorary compliments, Sire. Is it not in accordance with the Rites to praise one’s adversary on a worthy outcome?” Gilman tried to explain to his superior.

“W-W-WORTHY?!” Deluge exclaimed. “Th-This knight will show you worthy, you miserable minnow!” Sir Deluge then raised up the end of his tail and smacked Gilman upside the head with it. “You are a failure, Gilman! A disgrace to the good name of the Pyrehearts and the Sea Dominion!”

“Hey, take it easy, will ya?!” Rainbow shouted at Deluge. “He did just fine out there. In fact, from what I saw out there, he did most of the work out there while you just kept getting banished!”

Both Wyrm just looked to the Wonderbolt in astonishment, mostly likely for different reasons. For Deluge, it was out of surprised outrage. “Y-You dare question my strategy, foul creature?! I’ll have you know that this knight has led countless battles for the good of the Commonwealth and led the Sea-Dominion to glorious honor!”

Rainbow raised her eyebrow at that. “Oh yeah? Then how come they dumped your sorry behind down here in the first place?”

Sir Deluge was once again at a loss for words. “That…That is not of your concern!” he finally yelled out at the mare. “This is…this knight will no longer subject himself to this drabble. Gilman! Bring your sorry hide back to the company!”

With that, the Wyrm-commander swiftly turned and slithered off to dive back into the waters below. Sir Gilman looked to the waters to follow his superior, but he turned one more time to the Nightwings. Judging by the look on his face, it appeared that Rainbow’s defense of his credibility still stuck with him. “This knight bids you a farewell, Nightwings.” He dully stated before he leapt into the Sea as well.

The Nigthwings and ponies were silent after that exchange. That is until Rukey spoke up his own thoughts. “Jeez. That was kind of sad.”

“I hope that Sir Gilman isn’t punished too much.” Fluttershy admitted. “I think he really did his best.”

Their attention was driven away when three pillars of light shined under Mae, Rukey and Jodariel, followed by another proclamation from the Voice.

Musical Cue - A Step Closer

“WHAT STIRS NOW IN THE HEARTS OF THESE EXILES?”

While Jodariel and Mae remained the same, began to glow for only a brief moment.

“IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE EXILE RUKEY HAS GAIN A FEW MORE TRICKS.”

“Faster, stronger, and perhaps a little better looking too? I mean, is there anything I can’t handle?!” Rukey boasted. This was met with a few eye rolls from some of the group, but also a small giggle from Fluttershy. Eventually, the pillars of light retracted back into the night sky and the stars above stopped glowing and returned to their normal state.

“UNTIL THE STARS ALIGN AGAIN.”


The walk off the rotting deck of the Hulk of Ores was rather uneventfully as the group eventually made it back to the blackwagon parked on one of the islets. When they arrived, they found Tariq sitting by the fire while strumming a few tuneless chords on his lute. He looked up from his concentration and smiled at the group. “Salutations all. Given the bright expressions, I imagine that you were successful in the Rite?”

“Sure as sugar we were, Tariq!” Applejack cheerfully said. “Not only that, but it looks as though I also got some type of Blessing power myself.”

“Miss Applejack assisted you in the Rite just as Miss Fluttershy had?” the minstrel asked Twilight. When the alicorn nodded, he began to subtlety scratch his chin in thought. “Most interesting. You will have to tell me more.”

“She may tell you later.” Jodariel interrupted as she stepped forward. “How is Hedwyn?”

Twilight realized that the Demon raised a good question. She looked around the camp but found no sign of her Nomad friend. When she looked to the minstrel, she saw that he moved his mouth, but words had formed. Almost as if something was troubling him. “He…” he finally said. “I urged him to remain bed-ridden…”

Fluttershy let out a gulp. “And?” she said cautiously.

“And…he simply would not listen. I am very sorry but…” Tariq trailed off again.

“Wait, what?!” Twilight finally exclaimed. “But I though you told me he was recovering?! What happen to Hedwyn?! Did he…did he…?!” The alicorn couldn’t bare to finish her sentence. Her mind began to run rampant with worse case scenarios of the Nomad’s fate. Everyone else stared at the Lone Minstrel in a stunned silence. The only thing he do was let out a heavy sigh and look to the ground. All signs that led to the conclusion that they young man had met his end at the hands of his illness. A conclusion that had Twilight desperately holding back tears.

However, the pony’s emotion did a complete turn around when she heard the door open.

Musical Cue - Surviving Exile

“Hey, what’s with all the long faces, everyone?” Hedwyn asked as he stepped outside.

Twilight could only look on in awe for a few seconds before her brain caught up with her. “H-HEDWYN!” she cried out and immediately rushed to the Nomad. She then jumped into his arms, which almost caused him to tumble down to the ground. The alicorn cared little for that and proceeded to wrap her forehooves around his neck. “I’m so glad your okay!” she said as a few reserved tears graced her cheeks.

The Nomad was certainly surprised by the sudden affection, but he didn’t reject it either. “I’m…glad to see you missed me, my friend.” He said with a smile.

“MINSTREL!” Jodariel yelled at Tariq. “I should wring that neck of yours!”

“Yeah, what the buck?!” Rainbow joined in. “Why’d you put us on edge like that?!”

Tariq cleared his throat in an attempt to ease the tension. “As I was attempting to explain…Hedwyn is already up and about. Despite my having strongly recommended further rest.” Seeing how nobody seemed satisfied with the explanation, Tariq continued. Those that are unaccustomed to sea voyage and take ill as a result are very likely to experience further symptoms. I knew that he was on the verge of full recovery, but not remaining bed-ridden could have compromise that.”

“What are you, a doctor?” Rukey asked sarcastically.

“Nay. Although I traveled once with one, extensively.” Tariq answered.

“Look, I appreciate all of your concern,” Hedwyn began as he put Twilight back on the ground. “but I’m pretty well accustomed to discomfort here in the Downside. Besides, I haven’t had to stay out of a Rite like that.”

“So, you are back among the living, Hedwyn?” Jodariel asked cautiously.

“I was just sea-sick!” the Nomad tried to downplay his previous condition. “In any case, I’m sorry if I caused any concern or worry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry, Hedwyn.” Twilight explained. “We’re all just glad that you’re okay now.” Hedwyn looked down at the smiling alicorn and petted her mane in appreciation.

Tariq then interrupted with a clearing of his throat. “Nevertheless, I still firmly believe that Hedwyn’s full recovery will require a good night’s rest.”

This time the Nomad had no trouble agree with the minstrel. “I think we could all use some rest after tonight. But before that, I think it would be a good idea to figure out where we’re going next.” He then looked to Twilight. “Well, my friend, where are the stars guiding us tonight?”

The purple pony nodded and looked up to the night sky. There were many twinkling stars out this night, but there was only in particular that caught her eye. Upward a bit north, there was a lone star that was shining purple. The star shined brighter as she focused in more onto it. That’s when she knew that it was the star she was looking for and pointed it out for the rest.

“That would be Triesta, the Silver Star.” Tariq identified the star. “So, still further north then…This will prove difficult.”

“How so?” Rainbow asked. “The wagon can still float. What’s the problem with a little more water?”

“The issue is that our next destination is beyond what is known as the Deathless Tempest.” he explained. “A raging storm of high winds and heavy rainfall that permeates the northern region of the Sea of Solis. A vessel such as ours has little hope of traversing it intact.”

For a moment, everybody stayed silent after hearing the bleak news from the minstrel. Even Twilight herself was quiet as she tried think of solutions to bypass the Tempest. “Come on, people!” Rukey suddenly broke the silence. “It’ll just be another day in the Downside! Let’s get as far as we can in the morning, and we’ll deal with it when we have to.”

Twilight had to admit that was probably the best solution for now. And everybody else seem to agree. “Your optimism is infectious.” Jodariel dryly answered.

Rukey put on a sly grin in response. “Isn’t it?”

Speaking of optimism, Twilight noticed that Pinkie Pie was unusually quiet throughout all of this. She looked around the group and saw that the pink mare was staring out to the Sea. “Pinkie, is everything okay?” she asked her friend.

The party pony looked back to the alicorn. “Oh, everything’s fine, Twilight!” she responded cheerfully. “I was just looking at the weird, swirling, blue portal thingy just over there! It’s pretty!”

When the mare then pointed out what she was looking at, Twilight’s eyes went wide. Just off from the shore and right over the water, there was a portal that she recognized. The same portal that had brought her friends to this world. The only difference was that this portal was much lower from the sky than the other, this one only being just a meter or two above the water. She was so focused on Applejack’s Blessing and Hedwyn’s recovery that she completely forgot that one of her missing friends were supposed to appear after winning the Rite. “Pinkie, why didn’t you say anything?!” she asked the pink mare.

Pinkie shrugged her shoulders. “Well, you guys were busy with making sure Hedwyn was okay and looking at the stars. I didn’t wanna be rude and interrupt you.”

Twilight decided to shake off Pinkie’s flawed, if not considerate, logic and focused on the portal. Any minute one of her friends would fall out of the portal and into the Sea. While thankfully she didn’t have to worry about any serious injuries since the portal was so low, she still didn’t want them to get wet. “Okay, guys,” she turned around and addressed the ponies. “here’s the plan. Rainbow will fly over to the portal opening to catch anypony that fall out. And just in case, Fluttershy will carry me over as well so that I can use my magic to catch them. If we work fast enough, I think we can-“

Twilight was interrupted she heard sudden screaming and then a splash afterward. The alicorn cringed a bit at the realization that they were too late and somepony had already fell into the water. She turned around to see who it was, but it seemed as though they hadn’t resurfaced yet. “Did uh…did anypony happen to see you fell into the water?” she sheepishly asked the others.

“I think that was Rarity!” Fluttershy said with a bit of surprise and worry.

“How could you tell?” asked Twilight.

A second later, the form of a pony resurfaced from the water and let out another cry.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! MY HAAAAAIIIIIIIRRRRR!”

“Yup. That’s Rarity alright.” Applejack confirmed.

“I got her!” Rainbow Dash then quickly flew out over to the water and swiftly picked up the unicorn. It only took another second before both ponies returned. The poor mare was soaked to the bone with her normally beautiful, curly purple hair now drenched and pressed against her fur. “Uh, could somebody get her a towel or something?” asked Rainbow.

While Jodariel went inside, Twilight walked over to the fashionista to make sure she was okay. “Rarity, is everything okay?” she asked her fashion-forward friend. Before she forgot, the alicorn then casted the translation spell on her so that she would have no trouble understanding the Nightwings.

Musical Cue - The Herald

“T-T-Twilight?” the white unicorn said amidst her shivering. When she looked up and got a good look at her purple friend, she quick wrapped her forehooves around her neck. “Oh, Twilight! Thank goodness you’re okay, darling!” She then looked around and noticed her other friends. “Oh, and it’s lovely to see the rest of you are fine as well. Wait, where’s Starlight? And Spikey-Wikey?”

Twilight grimaced at her concern for the last two members of the group still missing. “We haven’t found them yet. But, don’t worry, it took me awhile to found everypony else here. So, I’m sure we’ll find them eventually.” She said trying to reassure her. Thankfully, it to have worked, though Rarity looked as though she was still hiding some worry in her expression.

“Excuse me.” Jodariel said as she approached the pair of ponies. The fashionista initially was shocked by the woman’s tall and intimidating presence and partially hid behind Twilight. Jodariel did her best to seem less threatening, although her stern expression only softened a little. “You are wet. You may use this towel to dry yourself.”

Rarity eventually step out from behind Twilight and grabbed the towel. When she was done drying her body and wrapped the towel around her soaking hair, she looked up to the horned woman. “Thank you. Miss…um…”

“Jodariel.” The Demon introduced herself.

“Right. Thank you, Miss Jodariel.” Rarity then looked over the rest of the Nightwings. “I suppose that I’ll just have to also get acquainted with the rest of your…entourage. However, it does me well to know that you’re fine, Twilight. Well, aside from those ghastly bandaging that you’re wearing.”

It was then Twilight realized something. She realized that she was finally reunited with Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Rarity again. Her five best friends that she met all that time ago in Ponyville and had changed the course of her life forever. She then remembered back when she first arrived at the Downside. When she was lying there on the desert ground, broken on the verge of death. Even though it had seemed as though she was at her end, all she could think was the hope to see her beloved friends one more time. Flashforward a couple of days and here she was. Her friend back at her sides and ready to support her as they always had in the past. It was this line of thought that guided her to use her telekinesis to pull all five of the ponies to her. She then did her best to bring them into a big group hug.

“Guys,” she said softly. “I’m…I’m so…” She was having trouble speaking from being so choked up in the moment. The tears that she had held back from the misunderstanding with Hedwyn were now being shed for a different reason.

“Ugh Twilight,” Rainbow began. “If this is about blaming yourself with the mirror thing, we already had a talk about-“

“No, Dashie, it’s not that.” Twilight said through her tears. “When I got to the Downside, I really missed you guys. You’re always there for me, and guess being here in this world all alone…I was really scared. I know that we still need to find Starlight and Spike, but I’m just so happy to see you all again. I promise you all that we’ll get home to Equestria again.”

A small moment of silence pasted before Rarity spoke up. “It will be alright, darling.”

“Ya know that we got yer back, sugarcube.” Applejack then said.

“We’ll all get back home safe-and-sound in no time!” Rainbow Dash added.

“It’ll be easy-peasie!” Pinkie Pie said.

“Afterall, there isn’t a problem we can’t handle when we’re all together.” Said Fluttershy.

All the Nightwings watched the tender moment continue between the ponies. As for Twilight, she felt her heart swell with happiness. Now that she had more of her friends at her side and with hearing their encouraging words, she felt like her confidence was now soaring. In that moment, she knew that she would find Spike and Starlight, lead the Nightwings as their leader and finally giving everybody their freedom. The only thing in between her and that final goal was the other dangers that the Downside had.

But those things seemed a little less scary now that the Elements of Harmony were back together.