//------------------------------//
// 07 Into the North (I) 
// Story: My Little Exalt 
// by Lithl 
//------------------------------//


My Little Exalt
INTO THE NORTH

by:    Lithl

special thanks:
Rhanite
LordofRansei


Groan.

Twilight said, "That wasn't me. Rarity?"

"No lady would ever make such a noise!"

Rainbow shook her head, "Hey, don't look at me!"

"Nope, Ah'm stuffed!"

Fluttershy shook her head quietly.

Groan.

Everypony turned to look past the adult human to see a desiccated face lurching up behind him.

"EEEAAAAAhhh!" Rarity screamed, and tried to hide behind Fluttershy. It was a difficult feat, since Fluttershy was simultaneously trying to hide behind Rarity. Her scream launched the human into action, though. He turned and with one stroke he separated the creature's head from its shoulders.

"{Zombies...}"


The younger man sat down heavily and stared at the ground where his son had fallen. Fluttershy moved to try and comfort him, but he shook his head and waved her off. "{Go. You can do more good in the city than with me.}"

Applejack spoke, "C'mon girls, we should go back to the manse and rest. We can go see those Syndic folk tomorrow."

As the group walked back towards the manse in the night, Pinkie rejoined the group, jovial as ever.

"Pinkie, where did you run off to? We had to fight off zombies with a pair of humans!" Twilight was not pleased with Pinkie's disappearing act.

Pinkie cocked her head to the side and gave her most innocent smile. "You were throwing humans at zombies? That doesn't sound very nice, Twilight!"

"You know what I mean, Pinkie!"

Pinkie stifled a giggle with her hoof. "Sorry, I couldn't resist." Pinkie tapped Twilight on the nose, "Don't worry, everything's okey-dokey now!"

Pinkie began trotting back towards the manse; there wasn't much that the others could do but shrug and follow. In the direction Pinkie had come from, unnoticed in the darkness, a cloud of smoke and steam lifted in the wind, revealing a battleground covered in scorch marks and disturbed earth.


The next day, the six Bearers gathered after breakfast to meet the Syndics of Whitewall.

"Rarity, what are you wearing?" Rainbow asked. "It looks like you just grabbed your sheets..."

"It's called a toga, dear. I figured since we're planning to meet our first human leaders in this world, I ought to dress for the occasion."

"It still looks like you made it out of your bed sheets."

Rarity mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that?"

"I made it out of one of the curtains that were hanging in my room, okay? It's silk!"

Fluttershy put on one of the amulets from Servant's chamber. Twilight gave her final instructions to Spike. Applejack spoke to the Crusaders, instructing them to stay inside the compound. Pinkie Pie baked cupcakes for the Syndics.

By midday, the group had reached what Pinkie called the Traveler's Road. The road was wide enough for twenty ponies walking abreast, and it was paved with smooth white granite. As soon as the ponies stepped onto the road, the chilly northern air became pleasantly warm. Every few minutes, the ponies passed a pair of pillars standing sentry on the road's edge.

At the third set of pillars, the group stopped. A man hung from his neck swung in the breeze.

Fluttershy began to tear up. "W-who would so such a thing?"

"Urgh... I think it was a suicide." Twilight tried to keep her breakfast down at the thought. "Look at the log underneath him; it seems he used it for support and then kicked it away."

Suicide wasn't unheard of in Equestria, but it was extremely rare; when a pony did commit suicide, the matter was only spoken of in hushed voices behind closed doors.

"Gasp! Why would he do that to himself?"

"It's the curse," Pinkie nodded. "Anyone who attacks another on the road is compelled to take his own life by hanging." Pinkie paused, then, "Or, if a ghost does it, the curse forces them back into the cycle of reincarnation."

The ponies continued, but the image of the suicide hung low over the other ponies for some time, stifling attempts at conversation. Eventually, though, the city's eponymous walls appeared over the hill. Rarity's and Rainbow's spirits both rose with a destination in sight. For the Solar exalted, the sight of the white-walled city drew forth something more than relief at seeing a destination. Nopony could put their hoof on it, but there was something special about this place.

The walls were easily fifteen ponies high, and the open gate revealed them to be thick enough for three ponies to stand nose to tail. There was no traffic through the gate in the early afternoon, but the guards were ever-vigilant.

"{Halt, fae filth!}" A spearman on the ground leveled his weapon at the ponies, and archers with crossbows leaned over the side of the wall. "{Turn back now and you will not be harmed!}"

Although nopony understood the words, the body language (and weapons!) made the message clear. With practiced regal grace, Rarity stepped forward. "We are here to meet the Syndics of Whitewall. I travel with three Lawgivers who wish to speak with Their esteemed graces." On cue, Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy ignited their caste marks.

The response of the guards was not the same warm reception given by the old man and his son the night before. The guards murmured to one another, and sent a runner into the city. In silence, the remaining guards blocked the gate, denying entrance.

Rarity waited patiently, with a smile on her face. The others tried to follow her lead, but Rainbow began to get antsy.

"What are we waiting for, Rarity? Why can't we just go inside?"

"Patience, Rainbow," Rarity replied out of the side of her mouth, "if we want to be treated as guests, we need to be cordial, not barge past the guards who are simply doing their job."

Rainbow grumbled, but kept her peace.

A few minutes passed, and eventually a man in royal blue robes walked up to the gate, with the runner in tow. He barked a few questions to the guards, who replied by pointing at the ponies.

"I am Seneschal Luxrian. The guards claim you have the power of Lawgivers, but you bear unnatural forms."

Rarity bowed low. "Greetings, Seneschal. As you say, we are different from yourselves. Our kind hails from afar, but I can assure you we are who we claim to be."

"The winterfolk are skilled with glamours and illusions; they could surely fool a man with the appearance of a Lawgiver's powers. Will you prove your claim?"

Rarity arched one brow, displaying both curiosity and a reserved indifference to the man. "What would you have us do as proof?"

The Seneschal smirked as he replied, "None of you have been invited into the city. If you can pass this gate without such an invitation, you will have given proof enough." The Seneschal spoke in a language the ponies could not understand, and waved the guards to the side.

The smirk that still lingered on the Seneschal's face gave Rarity pause, but she steeled herself and stepped forward into the gateway. When nothing happened, her stride lengthened, and the other Bearers followed. Once everypony was through the gate, Rarity turned back to look at the Seneschal. His smirk had disappeared, and he had begun to bow. The guards stowed their weapons and turned out towards the road once again.

"Please forgive us our trespasses; the winterfolk are forever a problem despite our treaties with them. We can never be too careful." Luxrian rose to his full height, towering above the ponies. "If you were winterfolk entering our city without invitation like that, you would be writhing in agony right now. You may not be human, but you're no fae, either." For the first time since meeting him, an honest smile spread across the Seneschal's lips. "And if the guards' report is anything to go by, that leaves you as true Lawgivers. The Syndics will certainly wish to meet with you. Please, follow me to Afton."

Luxrian led the ponies onward through the city. Immediately inside the gate stood a market – much larger than the one in Ponyville, and the buyers and sellers were aliens, but it was otherwise not much different from what Applejack was so used to. Soon, the buildings shifted to a residential district built of white marble.

"And over there stands the Jeweler's College," Luxrian explained the high points of his city as they passed. "You won't see it, but in that direction is our acclaimed College of Agriculture."

In the center of the city stood a gilded building with many golden spires which reached towards the heavens. The exalts could feel the building's power before they could see it, and the Solars recognized it as the primary source of the feeling they had upon seeing the city. Rarity began walking towards the entrance only to have Luxrian stop her.

"I'm sorry, that's not the Syndics Hall. That's the residence of Rune, a special diplomat to the winterfolk."

The group walked around the edge of the manse – for that is the only thing it could be – and continued out of Midtown towards Afton.

"And over there is the Lotus Mind College of Thaumatugical Sciences. That's the College of Architecture. The Guardians' barracks are over there. Here we are, at the Syndics Hall."

The Syndics Hall, while not as large as the manse in the city center, was just as radiant. Built like a temple, the block surrounding it seemed older than any other part of the city the ponies had seen during the tour across the city. The city wall rose behind the Syndics Hall, completing the circle that began at the gate.

Luxrian opened the doors for the ponies. Inside, the comparison to a temple was even more pronounced. Gilt-leaf decorations and golden sunbursts decorated many of the walls. A mosaic spread across the center of the floor with a distinct sun motif. The far wall held a generic shrine, but the decorations made it obvious what god was worshipped.

Contrasting with the aged temple, desks of government workers divided the room, and citizens with various grievances or forms to fill out were scattered around. Many were too busy with their business to notice the multihued ponies following the Seneschal, but a few took note. Interestingly, the ones who did look up at the ponies tore their eyes away with haste, as though being caught staring was some grievous offense.

"This way, this way," Luxrian directed the ponies to a door leading to the east wing of the building. As they drew close, they could hear music from the other side.

When Luxrian opened the door, the music became fully audible. It was a soft, unending tune played on a harp or lyre. The melody filled the ponies' hearts and evoked emotions from their very souls. The music brought forth memories new and old, happy and sad.

"My word, what beautiful music," Rarity sighed as the door closed behind them. "Where did you find such a talented musician?"

Luxrian shifted uncomfortably at the question, but didn't answer.

"My lord Seneschal, whatever is the matter?"

Luxrian kept quiet, but Pinkie answered in his stead. Her voice was different; she sounded almost angry with the man. "I know what's wrong. He won't answer you because that's not a talented musician. That's an angyalka, isn't it?"

Luxrian tried to keep his distance from the glaring Pinkie Pie, but eventually he nodded the affirmative. "Ethernais plays for the Syndics all day. Every day. We have her chained to the floor so that she cannot escape." The news that Ethernais was restrained seemed to relax Pinkie somewhat, but she didn't return to her bubbly demeanor.

Pinkie turned to the others to explain, "An angyalka is a demon harpist. Their music is pulled from time itself. The only reason to keep one around so long is so the music reminds you of who you are." She rounded on Luxrian again, "Just who are the Syndics, anyway?"

Luxrian saw an opening to escape from the pink pony who had changed so much in the past few minutes. He swept his arm towards another door and said, "Why don't you meet with them and find out?"

Pinkie opened the door while Luxrian made his escape. The music's volume jumped again; on the floor by one of the walls, a beautiful woman sat shackled with golden chains. Her hair flowed along with the music, which emanated from the twelve seven-jointed fingers on each of her hands.

On the wall adjoining the one Ethernais was bound to, three golden thrones stood side by side. In each of the thrones sat an identical figure: tall, slender humanoid with immaculate features. The Syndics' skin was clear ice, and their bones fashioned of silver. They wore identical crimson-and-gold robes and silver headpieces with a golden orb at the apex. Each carried a crystal scepter in the left hand which bore the image of the eight-spoke wheel that appeared on banners throughout the city.

When the Syndics spoke, each spoke in turn – it was as though they spoke as one being. "Welcome, strange Lawgivers. It has been far too long since your kind graced our city with a visit."

Pinkie raised a hoof, and the Syndics turned their attention to her. "You're not humans, what's going on here?"

The Syndincs scrutinized Pinkie for a moment before replying, "You're no Lawgiver. Why are you here, Vizier?"

"No fair! I asked first!"

Rarity put a hoof to Pinkie's shoulder, "It's okay, Pinkie. We're not here to fight them." To the Syndics, she said, "Pinkie is not a Lawgiver, that's true. But she is our friend."

"We do not wish Sidereals within our city. Vizier, please leave."

Rarity shook her head. "Pinkie is no threat to you. She is one of us."

Pinkie's mouth drew up into a smirk like the one the Seneschal used when the ponies entered the city. "They don't want me because they're afraid I'm going to report them. I'm right, aren't I?" Pinkie pointed a hoof accusingly at the Syndics, "You're gods! But it's obvious to anyone with eyes who the city-god of Whitewall is, and you're no Unconquered Sun. Ruling the mortals like this is breaking at least a dozen laws, and you just don't want me to tattle!"

"You cannot report us. You do not know who we are."

Pinkie's smirk grew. "So that's why you've got the angyalka? You're disguising yourselves, and you don't want to forget that you're not, in fact, the Syndics." In a sudden shift, Pinkie dropped her smirk and her accusatory tone. "Look, you guys are doing a bang-up job here, even if it is against the rules. If I swear to never report you to the censors for your activities in Whitewall, will you let me stay with my friends?"

The Syndics looked to each other, in silent conference. Finally they said, "Yes, if you so swear, you may stay. We will even reveal ourselves if you desire."

What followed did not surprise Pinkie's friends. However, it was the most bizarre oath any of the Syndics had ever seen. "Cross my heart and hope to fly," Pinkie pulled out one of the cupcakes she had baked in anticipation for human Syndics, "stick a cupcake in my eye!"

The Syndics stared in disbelief. Twilight waved her hoof to the Syndics, indicating them to continue. "She practically turns into a demon if she even thinks somepony broke her Pinkie Promise. You don't need to worry about her breaking it herself."

The three Syndics shimmered, and their appearances all changed.

"I am Luranume, the Master of Fivefold Luck and the Lord of Auspicious Surprises." The center Syndic's appearance changed very little. His robes changed from crimson and gold to blue and silver. His clear icy skin changed to translucent ebony. His silver bones shifted to a normal bone-white, and the headpiece did not change at all.

"I am Uvanavu, the Chrysanthemum Shogun and the God of Health and Well-Being." The left Syndic wore crimson and gold armor over white flowing robes. He appeared to be a man in the prime of life, with a short goatee and cropped blonde hair underneath a golden headpiece. His headpiece kept the golden orb, but it was located in the center rather than the apex, and a golden curl of fire stood in its place.

"I am Yo-Ping, the Celestial Minister of Harmony and the God of Peace." The right Syndic wore white robes with a large silver and gold collar. He had a curl of golden fire above the orb in his headpiece, like Uvanavu, but the rest was made of a royal blue cloth. Like Uvanavu, he appeared to be a man in the prime of life and he also wore a goatee, though his hair was jet black.

Rarity bowed deeply before them. "We are honored that you willingly reveal yourselves to us, despite the danger it could cause for you in Heaven. I am Lady Rarity Belle, master seamstress and Element of Generosity."

"Rainbow Dash! Most awesome pegasus alive, and Element of Loyalty!"

"Pinkamena Diane Pie, Chosen of Serenity, baker extraordinaire, and Element of Laughter!"

"Applejack Apple, Dawn caste, manager of Sweet Apple Acres, and Element of Honesty. It's good t'hear y'all telling the truth."

"Twilight Sparkle, Twilight caste, student of friendship, and Element of Magic."

"Um... Fluttershy Posey. I'm a Zenith and the Element of Kindness."

Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy quizzically. "Your name is 'Posey'? I never knew that..."

The yellow pegasus hid behind her mane and squeaked, "I don't really like it, but everypony else was using their full names."

"So," Yo-Ping began, "what brings you to Whitewall?"

Rarity lifted a hoof to her head and sighed, "Truthfully, we were simply in the area. We ran into a pair of men and Fluttershy exalted right before them. Applejack and Twilight revealed themselves, and the men recommended we see you.

"We are not from this world, Minister Yo-Ping. More than anything, we wish to go home. According to Pinkie, however, the only known route is deadly to mortals, and we have our entire town to transport back to Equestria."

Luranume nodded with understanding. "I can feel the misfortune that surrounds you. We would love to have more Solars living in Whitewall. We hope to one day restore our city to the glory it once was, but that goal cannot be fully realized without a Zenith like Lady Fluttershy blessing each brick."

"I suspect you will wish to continue your journey?" Uvanavu asked. "It is a shame you will leave before Rune returns from his mission. He would have liked to meet you. Captain Macha Pethisdottir is currently out of the city as well, on a campaign to quell some of the local barbarian hordes."

"We do not know of anything that will help you get home."

"But we do know someone who might."

"It would be a dangerous meeting, but The Lover might have some information you seek."

Yo-Ping stood, and fetched a scroll from a desk on the wall. He unfurled it to reveal a map of the region. "The Lover owns a small tower, here in Gradafes," he pointed at a dark spot on the map.

"Be wary of The Lover. She knows many things, but is sure to ask a high price."

"Do not bed The Lover. None leave her bed with both their mind and their life."

"Above all else, do not leave her tower at night."

"The Lover is not violent, but there are many weapons in this world which do not have an edge."

Rarity accepted the map in her telekinetic grip and the ponies turned to leave. "Wait," called Luranume. "I do not wish to see you sent to your deaths. Take my blessing, and may all things go according to the wishes of those that hear it."

"Hmph," Rarity smiled, "the blessing of the god of luck? I think I can accept that."


In Servant's chamber, the Bearers gathered to see if the manse's power could cut their journey's distance.

Twilight leaned over and whispered to Pinkie, "Hey, does the curtain to Servant's chamber say what I think it says?"

"I dunno, Twilight," Pinkie whispered back, "what do you think it says?"

"If I read it right, it said 'Servant's room! No girls allowed!'"

"Ah-hem"

The sound a pony makes when clearing his throat sounds extremely strange when spoken by an AI interface with no throat to clear.

"That curtain was stitched many years ago as a joke by one of your allies, pony master. I assure you, I have no prejudices against females of any species."

Twilight blushed at being caught gossiping. Trying to change the subject, she said, "Rarity, do you have the map?"

Rarity levitated the scroll from her saddlebag and presented it to Servant. "Our goal is here, in a place the Syndics called Gradafes. Are there any locations The Spark can reach that are closer to there?"

In response, a section of stone on the wall began to melt, much like the stone on the pedestal had melted to reveal the amulets. When the stone became solid once more, there was a bas-relief of a world map. Scattered around were twenty-five shapes, and one was set inside a circle: north of a narrow area of a sea surrounding a large island. The shapes each corresponded to the shapes of the hearthstones, and each was rotated so that a different vertex was pointing up. For all except the teardrop-shape that hung around Twilight's neck, the shape on the stone map was etched with the imperfection coloring the interior of the gem.

Twilight took hold of the Syndics' maps from Rarity and compared it to the map on Servant's wall. Sure enough, there was a location to the southeast of The Lover's tower that The Spark could shift to. Twilight used her forelegs to stand on two legs up against the map and pointed it out to Servant. "Can we go there?"

"All you need to do is concentrate, pony master. Or use the appropriate hearthstone."

Twilight glanced at the wall; the location was one of the smaller hearthstones that nopony had used. Rather than waiting half an hour, she concentrated on the point, and felt a familiar sensation of falling.

Rainbow gushed, "That. Is. NEVER. Going to get old."

Twilight studied the scale of the two maps, trying to figure out a bearing and distance. Her ears drooped. "Girls, this is as close as we're going to get to The Lover's tower... and it's still two and a half weeks away on hoof. That's assuming we don't run into any problems on the way and the ground is fairly even."

"I don't like leaving everypony from Ponyville hangin', but they can take care of themselves – especially with Spike and Servant here. This is our only lead on getting everypony home safely, Twilight. We've gotta do it." Rainbow was right. Despite the length of the trip, it seemed to be a necessity.

"This is going to be absolutely terrible for my hooficure, isn't it?" Rarity sighed, "What must be done must be done, I suppose."

"Then we'll head out at first light tomorrow morning. Everypony pack what you need tonight. There are tents in storage near the armory, and Granny Smith found a device for food preservation, so grab some of the stuff she's been experimenting with." Twilight stalked off to follow her own directions (and maybe pack a book... or three... or six...)