After Ocellus finished her story, slowly everyone else settled down for the night. Not Ferkó, though; he decided to keep watch to ensure they wouldn't be taken by surprise. The city walls were chillingly cold, the winter not sparing its freezing grasp. However, Ferkó didn't mind the cold. Despite showing signs of age, the old, dilapidated houses stood majestically, their solid white walls blending beautifully with the snow. Their straw roofs were soaked and weakly supported, but the boards underneath compensated for the stability.
Ferkó feared for his friends, as they no longer had the dream-catching golem to ward off nightmares. He enchanted his horn and conjured a small telescope in front of his eyes, surveying the landscape. He wasn't particularly searching for enemies; rather, he marveled at the world's beauty—the towering mountains in the distance, covered in pine forests at their base and crystalline snow at their peaks, rabbits skating on the frozen stream near the city, and the watchtowers and bastions a few hundred meters from the city.
As the moon reached its zenith, he began to hear faint crunching of snow, followed by the creaking of branches and a painful "ouch" cry. Unsure if his horn had adjusted properly, Ferkó decided to act cautiously and leapt down from the wall with his sword and knife at the ready. With determined steps, he moved towards the source of the noise. When he reached it, he stopped dead in his tracks. Magic guided his horn as he prepared for a fight.
"Come out, or I'll come in!" he growled in a gruff voice, followed by precisely 1.22 seconds of silence.
"Hi there, who am I talking to?" asked a cute, soft voice that was neither deep nor high. Slowly, a yellow-coated pony with a red mane and tail emerged from the bushes, prickled with numerous thorns.
Ferkó was momentarily stunned. "Apple Bloom?" he asked, surprised, fearful, and hopeful all at once.
The little filly eyed him oddly for a moment, then slowly formed words again. "Do we know each other?" she asked with embarrassment.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot you haven't met me yet. My name is Ferkó, and I'm a good friend of Sweetie Bele's," Ferkó explained.
"I'm very pleased to meet you, Ferkó," said Apple Bloom, hopeful, with a sweet gaze. "Are you the mysterious rebels branded as traitors by Sombra?" she asked.
Ferkó was not swayed by the innocent eyes. Using his magic to peer into Apple Bloom's basic magic, he was surprised to find it purely yellowish-red, devoid of any black magic. "Yes, we are, but why does that interest you?" he asked, still gripping his knife tightly.
"Well, when they took your friends to prison, one of the escapees freed me and a few other ponies with his last bit of strength. When this happened, he said to me that we're looking for a town that's cold in winter and summer, and there you'll find the one who will bring the age of freedom," explained Apple Bloom, first patting her neck, then her chin.
Ferkó was very surprised, but he didn't dispute the story. "Look, Apple Bloom, if this is all true, hurry and bring everyone here, and join us," Ferkó requested, still somewhat skeptical.
Without hesitation, Apple Bloom dashed away and returned ten minutes later with two other ponies and a hippogriff. The hippogriff had rose-colored "fur" and feathers, but its mane was a beautiful azure blue, with a string of pearls hanging around its neck holding a shell-shaped pendant in the middle. Ferkó knew who she was but kept to the rule of providing as little information about her as possible. One of the ponies was somewhat surprising, as he looked like a regal pony with a copiously braided purple mane streaked with pink, which was darker than her fur but radiated so much that it seemed they wanted to imitate the same color. A beautiful crystal tiara adorned her mane, matching her beauty mark perfectly. Ferkó knew they wouldn't come out with Apple Bloom, but he left them be. The other pony was slightly less surprising. She had a turquoise mane and tail with a blue coat, and her hindquarters were adorned with three little turtles. Kindness and innocence radiated from her face.
After a quick wall test, Ferkó led them into the camp. With four new members, the little group expanded, but Ferkó knew it wouldn't be enough. Slowly, everyone settled down for the night. Ferkó climbed back onto the wall and began humming softly.
"My homeland, forgive me; I won't return home again. The world awaits, and the battle calls. Whoever sacrifices their life will never be alone; fear not, for my life defends the sky. As the sun circles, so does my time pass, and as the battle quiets, a beautiful new day comes, at the end of which awaits a new life. Death may come if needed, but I won't leave my friends in exchange. The tower freezes, but life nurtures, and love warms and sets your path, whose end you'll never see until the end arrives," he sang softly, making sure not to disturb anyone, but Sweetie Bele woke up nonetheless. She heard the soft humming even from her deep sleep. The little unicorn slowly climbed onto the wall after Ferkó, and when she reached him, she sat down slowly and drew closer to Ferkó. The two friends didn't look at each other. Ferkó's shy, embarrassed self emerged, while Sweetie Bele waited for him to initiate, so she remained silent as well. This awkward silence lasted for an uncomfortably long minute, then they finally broke it together. To be continued...