Cloud Shroud, still in the form of a spirit, was watching the painter, whose name had been revealed to be Dandy Rose, finish his work.
“It’s done.” he said happily with finality as he wrote his signature on the painting. “This has to be my best work yet!”
“I would concur.” a blue-robed unicorn with a familiar voice as well as a familiar appearance said from behind, trotting through the snow from his house to greet Dandy. His style of mane, goatee, and voice were all identical to that of one particular pony Cloud had met before...
“Is that...Neighsay?” Cloud asked curiously in thought as he saw the familiar figure approach Dandy before he examined the figure more closely. “No, that can’t be him. That must be…”
“Master Neversay!” Dandy exclaimed joyfully over receiving a compliment from a pony he admired. “Thank you! I must admit though, you kind of caught me by surprise! I wasn’t planning on showing this to you until all the work was done for the day!”
“No, it’s alright.” Neversay replied warmly. “It’s been a slow day, and the laborers worked especially hard to get everything done early. I find it peculiar how they’ve been extra compliant lately, but I’m sure it’s only a coincidence.”
“Yeah, it must be.” Dandy agreed half-heartedly, feeling guilty over the fact that he wasn’t being honest. His guilt led him to rub the back of his head nervously, a tick Cloud immediately caught.
“I’d know that body language from anywhere…” Cloud thought suspiciously. “I used to do that all the time at work when I had made a slip-up I didn’t want anyone else to know about. That guy is definitely lying...but what could he be trying to cover up?”
“I can tell you exactly what he’s trying to cover up…” Amoros answered from behind, appearing beside him. “...A revolution…”
“You!” Cloud exclaimed, turning to face him. “Where did you come from? I thought it was the Windigos doing this.”
“Who said they wouldn’t let me intervene to make things easier for you to comprehend?” Amoros retorted. “Believe it or not, I know Dandy even better than my subordinates do. He was originally a stone mason, who worked as a slave for his master, Neversay, the owner of the land we watch over now. Soon, however, he curried favor with the master, earning his friendship and the promotion to the role of a supervisor. On days like today, where he doesn’t have extensive projects to oversee, Neversay actually prefers for him to focus on his part-time job, creating art for him.”
“Hold on…” an unsettled Cloud replied, catching something that bothered him. “Did you say...slave? Master? Oh boy…”
“Yes,” said Amoros, “you are being made to view a vision of a much darker time in Equestria’s history where ponies were torn apart by hatred. We’ve gone back to two thousand years ago, the day Belohzhero was born.”
“Of course,” responded Cloud, “I should’ve known. The Windigos wanted to show me how they died, so there’s no way Belohzhero wouldn’t be in this vision. Is he the reason for this snowy terrain?”
“No.” Amoros answered bluntly. “He was born on the night of this otherwise normal winter day. Not to say that’s the only reason for all the snow though. This is before the fire of friendship was discovered, after all, as well as just before that “mysterious blizzard” overtook the land…”
“Hmmm…” Cloud pondered. “Come to think of it, my body is made of weather phenomena...and knowing what Sombra told me about my will...could it be…”
Cloud was beginning to wonder if it really was simply fate that led him to get a job at the weather factory right after he had been given an “immortal, immaterial body” made of cloud...
“A storm is coming, young one.” Amoros warned him, sensing what he was thinking. “A storm that my subordinates wish to come. Right now, their will is far stronger than yours from being raised in this far more grueling and unforgiving time in history. You yourself are not stronger, thus you must eliminate your ego and allow your fire to transcend...the fire given to you by the true god…”
“What is this fire really about?” Cloud asked curiously. “What do you and the Windigos want with it? Why are you giving me advice on how to beat your men?”
“Because I am not their master.” Amoros answered. “I am merely their leader, their guide. And not just their guide, but the guide for all souls to be put on the path to being redeemed by love. So long as you trust in me, not only will you overcome your hell, but you will save all from the storm...you just need to be willing to take discipline. Discipline that will inspire all.”
“What kind of discipline would that be?” Cloud asked nervously.
“My disciples already told you.” Amoros replied with a wink before he began to fade. “Knowing what they went through also means knowing their pain…”
“Guh…” Cloud grunted, not wanting to admit to himself that he was worried before Amoros fully faded away. “I want to believe that I can handle anything...but I can’t help it. I’m scared. I’m shaking…”
Cloud recalled the excruciating pain he felt when the Windigos first brought him here and trembled.
“It chilled me to the bone…” he told himself, feeling great discomfort and anxiety. “It was beyond agonizing! Already, I’m starting to understand why they...want...to know...how my fire works…”
Cloud’s view then shifted from watching Dandy Rose to watching three other ponies, an earth pony with a brown mane and tail and blue coat, a unicorn with a white mane and tail and purple coat, and a pegasus with a black mane and tail and gray coat, look up at a statue of Neversay in disgust.
“At least the statue’s more appealing to look at than him…” the earth pony said to lighten the mood, in a familiar, soft, male voice.
“You can say that again…” the unicorn retorted in a familiar female voice. “I’m sick of wasting my talent on this trash for trash ponies…”
“I’m even more sick of how we have to do this while the master’s pet gets special treatment…” the pegasus interjected in a familiar deep, male voice. “At least this way, we all get to worship him...PAH!”
“Those voices…” Cloud remarked in realization, instantly recognizing them. “They have to be...those ponies have to be who the Windigos were when they were still alive!”
“Right you are…” the Windigos replied, finally making their appearance beside Cloud. “How does it feel to pay witness to our worthless mortal lives? Would you also like to know our worthless mortal names?”
“Yes…” Cloud answered angrily, growing spiteful towards the nihilism he had once given credence to. “Because they’re not worthless to me.”
“...Very well then.” the Windigos responded, continuing to be pleasantly surprised by how Cloud was changing.
“I’m the earth pony.” Aero told Cloud who he was. “My name was Rock Slide. But every pony called me Rock, because just Rock sounded so much cooler.”
“I’m the unicorn.” Aera relayed. “My name was Mysterious Shade. But every pony called me Shade, because just Shade had a much nicer ring to it.”
“I’m the pegasus.” Aeros explained. “My name was…Merry Go Round. UGH. I made sure every pony called me Merigo, yes, Merigo, not Merry Go, because I loathed that accursed name so much.”
“Rock, Shade, and Merigo…” Cloud mused. “So your names were changed when you became Windigos, just like how I changed my name when I became a pony.”
“A superfluous tidbit.” the Windigos retorted bitterly. “We didn’t choose our names like you did, Belohzhero gave us our slave names. Do you know why they all sound the same? Do you know why they all mean the same thing, wind? It’s because “Aero, Aera, and Aeros” don’t exist. We’re just extensions of our master’s power, nothing more, nothing less.”
“Do you even know what you’re saying?!” Cloud cried, continuing to show frustration towards their cynicism, something else he once embraced. “That’s bull! How could you have ever allowed a parasite like him to brainwash you so badly?! Why didn’t you stand up for yourselves?! Especially when at that point, you couldn’t even die?!”
“JUST. YOU. WATCH.” they answered irately, their eyes glowing white.
“Ugh!” Cloud exclaimed in discomfort, feeling familiar chills.
“You think standing up for yourself is easy?!” they angrily yelled. “You think the worst thing about risking your life to stand up against corruption is the fact that you might die?! Ha! The pain we felt when we died...that was NOTHING compared to the suffering and humiliation we’ve had to endure for two thousand years, even now as Belohzhero is gone! Once you’re dead, you never have to feel physical discomfort again! But the shame you bring upon yourself by failing to defeat those who rule over you while you’re still alive lasts forever! That’s why we need you to watch this and learn! So that no one will ever repeat our mistake AGAIN!”
“They couldn’t possibly mean…” Cloud thought in astonishment, aghast at the realization of just how much his epiphany was being contradicted by the Windigos’ ideals.
He looked down and prepared for the worst as the tale of the Windigos continued…
“I know you guys don’t like Dandy…” Rock responded to Merigo’s denigration of the painter. “But I respect his work and how he’s been cool to us.”
“Oh my stars, you always do this!” Shade whined. “You don’t have to hide the fact that you sympathize with him because he’s a dirthoof like you!”
“What the-wha-” an irate Rock stammered. “Well, at least I don’t want to kill a fellow stickhead like you!”
The two then locked eyes and growled at each other.
“Break it up, you two…” an annoyed Merigo said in an attempt to diffuse the situation. “I view you as inferior, you view me as inferior. We got together and formulated this plan knowing the tribes we come from shall always be segregated. But this is more than just a simple revolt against a slave master...it’s a revolt against Equestria’s putrid, crooked government…do you think we have any time for futile quarrels?!”
“...You’re right.” Rock admitted as he and Shade both conceded. “If we’re ever going to lead a revolution, we can’t have any in-fighting. I disagree with both of you on a lot. I don’t want Neversay to die after everything he did for us, but he has gone too far with wanting us to worship him now.”
“This is exactly why we fight…” Shade said with a sigh. “You need to toughen up. Unicorns are only “nice” to earth ponies to ensure their dependency and make themselves feel better than the pegasi demanding food from them upfront. Why become an independent farmer if the pegasi are just going to steal your food? This is why you need us! It’s the perfect swindle, exactly how the higher-ups established the dynasty of that detestable Princess Palladium!”
“Exactly why I chose this line of work…” Rock told himself, content with how he became a stone mason instead of a farmer.
“Hmmm…” Merigo hummed suspiciously. “You seem awfully resentful towards the Palladium government, Shade. I thought an outsider like yourself would at least be happy that this land is ruled by unicorns...what would give you a reason to hold a personal grudge against them?”
“That’s none of your business!” Shade exclaimed defensively.
“I hate perceptive pegasi like you…” she thought to herself in frustration. “But you’re a fool if you think you’ve actually seen through me! You have no idea that I’m only fighting with Rock to keep you distracted! I don’t hate the guy, he’s my friend! I love him and he loves me! I’m just trying to toughen him up to get ready for a relationship with me! I can’t wait to prove my stupid sister wrong when he’s building my statue! Ha ha ha!”
Cloud was musing over everything he’d heard so far. He didn’t know what was running through Shade’s mind, but everything that had been said gave him the same suspicion as Merigo.
“It’s nothing short of obvious that these three were no saints when they were alive…” he thought. “But could the rabbit hole go even deeper? If this revolt against Neversay was meant to inspire a revolt against the government, and one of them was actually a government agent in disguise...a conflict that great...just might have been what birthed Belohzhero…”
Cloud’s hunch was correct. For having been part of the government’s secret research into magic, Mysterious Shade knew the kind of spells that could call forth spirits from other worlds...she knew that demons existed…
“Mwa ha ha ha ha…” she continued to laugh sinisterly in thought. “Soon, Equestria will be all mine…”
Cloud was growing increasingly more unnerved at the prospect of the Windigos themselves being to blame for Belohzhero’s creation.
“What is going on here…” he said to himself in frustration as the tension in his mind continued to grow. “How was this supposed to make me understand you better?! I’m more confused than ever now!”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Aero sarcastically remarked. “Were you expecting us to be simple creatures with simple motivations when we were alive?”
“Don’t get smart with me!” Cloud retorted. “I always knew there was more to you than met the eye, and I never expected you to be angels...but I never expected you to be total jerks who only cared about themselves!”
“This is exactly why we’ve been so vague about our plans up until now.” Aera explained as she shook her head. “You couldn’t possibly understand our mindset from then with the privileges you take for granted now. You’re barely better than the spoiled princesses of Equestria, thus why we’ve had to lead you by the hand every step of the way. Tell me, O Venerable and Holy One, what would you have done if you were us?”
“I would have either kept working even if I had to worship that maggot begrudgingly, or I would have led a selfless revolution!” Cloud proclaimed. “I would have died before murdering even a lowlife like him for my own selfish causes!”
“Easy for you to say, but at least you share our regret now.” Aeros replied. “Given the choice again, we would have stayed in slavery. We’re not as heartless as you’ve inferred, we looked at our enslavement to Belohzhero as nature’s way of punishing us for our foolish sense of idealism that cost many their lives. Freedom is not black-and-white, it comes with a price. And too many fools today are not ready to pay that price, thus the enslavement of their minds is a necessary evil.”
“So another thing I wished was only a hunch has turned out to be true…” Cloud muttered angrily. “Your intentions have always been darker than you wished for me to believe...and I bet this body’s not actually immortal either! Why am I even-”
“HUSH!” the Windigos exclaimed. “Our vision of this day does not end here, even if this where our memories grow hazy.”
“Hazy?” Cloud asked before he recalled something. “Why would...oh…”
“There were things we witnessed before we died that were so terrible...we blocked stuff out…” the Windigos explained despondently. “Would you at least witness them as well before you judge us any further?”
“...Sure.” Cloud answered sympathetically, though frustrated over feeling that he had no choice but to comply.
“It’s already been difficult as it is to piece together everything that’s happened from what they’ve shown me…” he thought. “And now their memories get faulty from here on out? Geez…”
And so, Cloud watched as the vision below him began to behave abnormally. All of a sudden, Rock, Shade, and Merigo were in front of Neversay’s house, leading an army of his slaves wielding pickaxes and torches against him. Neversay and Dandy Rose were outside, with a furious Neversay preparing to cast a spell as a flustered Dandy shouted something incomprehensible before pleading with Neversay. Then, abruptly, every pony was staring in horror at a dead body…
...it was the dead body of Dandy Rose. A fatal blow to the heart from his master’s magic had left him lying dead in the snow. Neversay fell to his knees, screaming and crying as tears came out of Rock’s eyes. Merigo was left completely bewildered as Shade was overcome by bloodlust and rage.
“FOOL!” she shouted louder than she ever had before. “YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF FOR INTERFERING WITH OUR RESEARCH ON THE FORBIDDEN SPELLS!”
And then, another mortifying occurrence took place without warning...Belohzhero appeared. The three-eyed demon with the body of a lizard and a pony unceremoniously slaughtered every pony there...simply by breathing. One breath that transformed into a gust of fierce, chilling wind was enough to freeze all of them to death.
“And they all died horribly ever after.” the Windigos said to conclude the vision. “The end.”
The scene below Cloud dissipated, and he found himself in the realm of his soul again, staring at his fire. Even after all the terror he had just witnessed, he found himself feeling surprisingly calm in the presence of his spiritual flame, which was now roaring with tremendous energy.
“I definitely can’t say I understand everything about them…” he told himself in thought. “But I definitely understand now why they care so much about my fire. They hate the fire of friendship because friendship didn’t work for them. They think friendship is what got them killed by intense cold. A fire from someone who’s truly alone is what they want. That must be why me reforming Sombra would be so inconvenient for them. They don’t need friendship getting in the way…”
“Do you see what you can accomplish with our guidance now?” Aero goaded Cloud as he and his companions materialized beside him. “It’s not that agent you need, it’s us.”
“And they also want my full dependency…” Cloud thought in realization. “After feeling their pain for myself, they must believe there’s no way I could ever use my fire against them…”
“There’s nothing wrong with having friends…” Aera buttered him up. “It’s just that the term, “friendship”, has been tainted by these oblivious, pampered ponies. Do you truly believe your fire would have ever come this far from listening to them?”
“Just imagine how much stronger not only the ponies, but the people of your world would be if they were only willing to listen to us.” Aeros remarked, playing his part in the manipulation. “It is not “friendship” that guides us, but purpose given to us by a god of love. And that purpose allows us to see things beyond “good and evil”. This “evil” we foolishly incline ourselves to condemn is essential to our world. We can not get rid of it, we must embrace it. In order to grow stronger, we must embrace discipline, submission. Total freedom is a myth. If all were willing to submit their minds to a loving god, our fire would burn so brilliantly that fiends like Belohzhero would never be able to bother the world AGAIN! WE COULD BURN THEM FOREVER! MWA HA HA HA HA!”
“...” Cloud had no idea how to respond. He understood better than ever why the Windigos were the way they were now, but he couldn’t bring himself to agree with them. Not only did he still have his suspicions of what Amoros was really about, his idea of a loving god would allow him to save Sombra.
“So Cloud…” the Windigos said gleefully, feeling they had him in their clutches. “Do you promise to never defy us again?”
Cloud seriously pondered how he would give his answer...