//------------------------------// // Chapter 6, The Fire of Friendship // Story: We Rule the Night // by Solar Flare //------------------------------// Chapter 6: The Fire of Friendship Redstar gazed at the creatures before him. They were long, sleek wolves, but were made up of sticks and wood. These were but some of the many creatures of Everfree that had become a friend to him and the other night ponies. So far, no dragons or ursas had confronted them, but Redstar would give them time. He also hadn’t seen scale or moustache of the purple sea serpent he had talked with during his first visit here. He walked along the castle walls, which were now all but rebuilt, to the gardens. There, many cloaked ponies were hard at work sewing and harvesting various odd plants. These were the edible crops that grew at night, without the light of the sun. They were bland, but one grew used to them given time. A pang ran through his snout, which had a bandage securely wrapped around it. He resisted the urge to rub it, knowing it would only cause it to hurt worse. The stallion in Ponyville had done a number on it. “Master Redstar!” Redstar looked upward to see a pegasus swooping down toward him. “What is it?” “The queen would like to see you at once.” Redstar did not discuss it further, but shot off into the air toward the window overlooking the throne room. It remained open at all times and served as an entryway for any Pegasi who needed quick access to the inner sanctum. He shot through it and landed before Nightmare Moon. “You wished to speak with me, your majesty?” “Yes. I’ve received word from our informant in Canterlot Castle that Celestia has become wise to our presence.” “Did we not anticipate this, your majesty?” “Yes, we did. It would seem now would be the proper time to move on Equestria.” Nightmare Moon said with a wicked grin, her dragon-like eyes flashing. “Yes, yes! I agree whole heartedly my queen!” Redstar stated enthusiastically. “Ready the troops and the creatures and assemble before the palace.” Nightmare Moon commanded. “I have a plan that can’t possibly fail. Now, go!” - Spike was roused by the light of the sun on his face. He looked around for a moment before remembering that he had stayed at Sugarcube Corner the night before. To his right was the letter that he had been attempting to send. He sighed and trotted down the stairs. Mr. and Mrs. Cake greeted him, a warm pancake breakfast on the table. He thanked them for their generosity and wolfed his food down, grateful that it was someone else making the breakfast for once. “Say, where’d Pinkie Pie go?” He asked Mrs. Cake once he was finished. “Oh, she went to see Big Macintosh, the poor dear…” Mrs. Cake replied. Spike picked at his fang once with his claw, paused for a moment and produced the letter once more. He focused as hard as he could on the face of its intended recipient then blew a puff of green fire on it. Mrs. Cake watched as he waited for a minute, then two. A flicker of hope welled up in him, but disappeared just as quickly when he belched out more fire and the scroll appeared once more. “Darn it!” “Oh, don’t stress yourself deary, you’ll get it eventually!” Mrs. Cake replied cheerfully. “Yeah, I hope so…” Spike hopped on his stool, wished Mrs. Cake goodbye and started off toward the hospital. - Hood huffed. “I don’t know. How can we be sure this Windtrot can be trusted? It seems a little farfetched that through all time he would pick now to start this uprising.” “Maybe so, but what other choice do we have?” Twilight pointed out. “You could give up. There’s no reasoning with pegasi.” One of Butterscotch’s diplomats replied sarcastically. Hood shot him a look but said nothing. Some diplomat. “Let’s keep on toward the unicorn tribe. We aren’t gonna get anything done standin’ around in the cold.” Elderberry said. The six friends and two diplomats started walking once more. Far in the distance they thought they could see a palace, but it may have been a trick of the feeble light. As always, the strange noises from above unnerved them, but never seemed to pose any real threat. Hood glanced over at Solar Flare and Rainbow Dash, who looked more flustered than he had ever seen them. The way they had described Northwind had made him sound like Solar Flare. And there was no arguing with Solar Flare. Finally, the shadowy palace in the distance came into view. It was enormous, with high towers and decorative turrets along the walls. Rarity paused to gaze at it a moment, awe struck, but continued her pace. Unlike the first two times, nopony attempted to stop them when they entered the city, but many looked down their noses at them. The unicorns were dressed lavishly, or as lavish as one could dress in a snow storm. The walk through town was awkward at best, and Hood kept his head down. When they finally reached the drawbridge to the palace, they were finally stopped. A guard stepped forward and blocked their path. “Halt. None are allowed to pass here without royal permission. State your business here.” One of the diplomats replied. “These six ponies are here on royal business from Equestria, and would like to have a word with Queen Silver Hoof.” “And yourself?” “I am an emissary of Chancellor Butterscotch. She has made an agreement with these ponies on the grounds of pursuing peace among the tribes. “ The unicorn guard gave him a strange look. “Follow me then, and no sudden movements.” Hood wasn’t sure he liked the ponies here. They were too haughty, too, well, too much like the ponies in Canterlot. He followed the guard across the drawbridge and through the elaborate gates. The inside of the palace was warm and welcoming, but the disposition of the ponies inside was anything but. At the end of the hall sat not a throne, but a highly decorated couch. The cushion was a deep royal purple and the back and legs appeared to be solid gold and were embedded with countless gems. Hood could almost hear Rarity gawking at it. Atop the couch rested Queen Silver Hoof. Hood couldn’t help but stare. This mare was tall and sleek, much like princess Celestia. Her silvery white coat shined like the gems of her resting place and a matching crown rested atop her head. She was wrapped in a regal cape, but her cutie mark, a dark grey crown, could be seen. Everything about her was regal. “Well, who would this be?” She asked in a lyrical voice as the party approached. “Your Highness, these ponies come from Equestria to beg your aid.” Hood raised an eyebrow but remained silent. “Queen Silver Hoof.” Twilight began stepping forward. She explained the entire situation, from the news of cultists to Windtrot’s silent rebellion. All the while, Silver Hoof remained respectfully quiet and listened contently. When Twilight was through, Silver Hoof pushed a strand of silver hair out of her face. Her horn was highly polished, as were her hooves, and they sparkled in the torchlight of the hall. “To think. All the while, we had the means to quell these winter spirits that have so plagued us…” “You knew about the wendegos?!” Rainbow Dash gasped. “Oh, yes. The tales have been passed among the unicorn tribe for millennia. We’ve found ways to keep ourselves warm and fed through the cold, but we never knew we could truly be rid of it.” Silver Hoof explained. “So, shall we return to Chancellor Butterscotch with news of your allegiance in this matter?” One of the diplomats asked. Silver Hoof flicked her mane. “I only worry about one thing. History tends to repeat itself. Pegasi can be unpredictable and short tempered, no offence intended of course.” She addressed Solar Flare and Rainbow Dash. “However, a chance to be free of this blizzard is far too valuable to pass up. Yes, you may return to the chancellor with the friendship on the unicorns.” The six friends whooped despite themselves. Silver Hoof smiled. After a bit of discussion, the party broke up. Rarity had elected to stay in the unicorn palace, while Hood would accompany Solar and Rainbow back to the Pegasus city. Elderberry and Twilight would return to Chancellor Butterscotch. As Hood walked along the hard, frosty road back toward the Pegasus city, he discussed the situation with his friends. “What I don’t get is why none of these ponies seem to know anything about any cult.” Rainbow pointed out. Solar Flare agreed. “I’m glad we could help them out, but the princess might be dissapointed that we couldn’t find anything.” “Or relieved that there was nothing to find.” Hood pointed out. They reached the stone city of the pegasi. However, something was wrong. There were no ponies walking in the streets or flying through the air. It was like a ghost town. “What happened?” Rainbow asked, peering over buildings. Solar Flare flew high up into the air. “Hey, there’s something going on near the keep.” “Let’s check it out.” Hood said, trotting toward where Solar Flare had pointed, his friends right behind. Hood did his best to conceal his horn, but he wasn’t wearing his usual cape. However, nopony even gave them a passing glance as they trotted into town square. A large crowd of pegasi had assembled around the stone steps of the keep. There, Hood could see an armored brown Pegasus giving some kind of address. Solar Flare nudged him. “That’s Windtrot.” Hood strained his ears to listen over the howling wind. He could just barely make out what Windtrot was saying. “That, my fellow pegasi is why Northwind has to be delt with accordingly. An era of peace is about to come to our land, and Northwind’s presence would be counterproductive to our aims!” Windtort shouted. The surrounding pegasi cheered, but Hood had a bad feeling about what Windtrot was saying. Hood gently pushed his way to the front of the crowd. Once he was close enough, he could see that Windtrot was covered in bumps and bruises, as if he had recently been in a fight. He had a bandage wrapped around his right hind leg. “What do you think he means by ‘accordingly?’” Rainbow Dash whispered to Solar Flare. “I don’t want to think about it.” Windtrot raised a hoof to quiet the still cheering pegasi. “Bring out the prisoner!” He commanded. The door to the keep opened and two ponies exited. The first was a dark grey similar to Solar Flare and had a black bag tied around his head. His wings were tied down to prevent him from flying away, and he was covered in minor wounds just like Windtrot. The second was deep green and her face was covered by a cowl. She was flying, and had a long hafted axe gripped in her hooves. A chill ran through Hood, but it wasn’t from the cold. “They aren’t gonna kill him?!” Solar Flare whispered frantically. “That’s Northwind?” Hood whispered back, never taking his eyes off the prisoner. “I think so.” Windtrot gripped the prisoners mask in his teeth and yanked it off. Hood winced at the battered pony underneath. It was clear he had lost whatever fight he had been in. “Commander Northwind.” Windtrot began. “You have officially been ousted as leader of the Pegasus tribe. I will offer you a choice. Live among us in the coming days of peace, or you will have to be delt with.” Northwind sneered and spat on the ground at Windtrot’s hooves. The older Pegasus said nothing and nodded to the green Pegasus. She nodded in kind and raised her axe. “STOP!” The axe fell but was stopped a quarter inch from Northwind’s neck. Light blue magic enveloped it and the executioner was helpless to move it. Windtrot looked at Hood with a startled expression. “Who are you? How dare you interrupt this ceremony?” He turned to Solar Flare and Rainbow Dash. “You. Is he with you?” “Yeah, he is. What in the hay is going on here?!” Rainbow shouted hovering above Windtrot. “What does it look like?” Hood climbed the steps, wrenching the axe from the executioner’s hooves. He tossed it across the stone steps where it landed with a harsh clang. Northwind was trying to look around, but could see nothing through his execution hood. “What, somepony doesn’t agree with you and you lob their head off?! Isn’t that exactly what we’re trying to stop here?” Solar Flare shouted. “What happened after they left?” Hood asked quietly, gently removing Northwind’s mask. The Pegasus gave him the most confused look Hood had ever seen. “My ponies and I attempted to apprehend Northwind. He fought us. This would have been the surest way to ensure he did not attempt to sabotage the peace of these lands.” Windtrot explained. “That doesn’t even make sense!” Rainbow cried. “That is the way of the pegasi here! If one does not cooperate, one is dealt with.” “Then let him leave! Just because he doesn’t want to live with unicorns and earth ponies doesn’t mean you have to kill him!” Hood exclaimed, untying Northwind’s wings. The grey Pegasus regarded him with confused discomfort, but did nothing to object. “And how can we be sure that he will not pose a threat later? One pony can do much damage, young unicorn.” Hood looked at the crowd of ponies. Some seemed bothered while others regarded him with a quiet calm. He turned to Northwind. “What do you think?” Northwind gazed back for a second. Then, his expression went from befuddled to angry. “I will not live among earth ponies and unicorns.” “Then leave. Fly away. You can’t stay here, they’ll kill you.” “And where, pray tell, do you suppose I go, unicorn?” “There’s a city in Equestria that’s all pegasi.” Rainbow Dash said, stepping forward. “I was born there. Maybe you could go there?” Northwind looked at her for a moment, the lowered his head. “Am I free to go?” Windtrot grimaced but nodded. Northwind spread his wings and flew off lopsidedly, his right wing at an odd angle. None of the other pegasi made a move to stop him. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Windtrot said, gazing after his old leader. “We do, but we have other things to worry about.” Rainbow Dash said. “Who’s gonna lead the pegasi now?” “I will take over as formal commander of the pegasi.” Windtrot said. “My first order of business is to pay a visit to Chancellor Butterscotch and Queen Silver Hoof to discuss the process of ridding ourselves of the wendegos. How is it that the ponies of Equestria were rid of them?” Rainbow explained the story behind Hearth’s Warming Eve. Hood stood by awakwardly. He knew most eyes were on him. It was odd being the only pony of his kind here. A pang of pain ran through his head and he rubbed his temple with his hoof. Solar Flare leaned over to him. “You alright?” “Yeah, just, headache.” Hood wobbled a little bit, his vision blurring slightly. He did his best to ignore it. When Rainbow Dash was finished explaining things to Windtrot, the commander issued some orders to some soldiers and flew off in the direction of the earth pony tribe. Rainbow Dash went with him, but Solar Flare stayed to make sure Hood got out of the city safely. The two friends walked silently along the frozen path. Hood’s head was killing him, and his vision just wouldn’t right itself. He guessed it had something to do with the amount of time he had been spending in the light, despite the fact that the eternal snow blocked out most of the sun. “So what are we gonna tell Celestia?” Solar Flare asked. Hood shrugged. “There was nothing here.” “What about the vision you had?” “I don’t know.” Solar Flare blew a lock of his mane out of his face. “Could the vision have been wrong?” Hood shrugged again. “It’s possible. We’ll just have to wait and see.” They were silent for a long time, shivering in the cold. Solar Flare broke the silence again. “Do you think Rainbow Dash likes me?” “Of all possible things to worry about right now, that seems the single most irrelevant.” “Maybe, but I want to know.” “I don’t know.” “You don’t know anything.” They laughed as they stepped back through the gates of the earth pony tribe. - A regal cart clattered its way through the earth pony town. Ponies quickly moved out of its way. It was hauled by four large unicorn stallions. It was a full carriage, and nopony could see inside, but it was obvious who was in it. Behind, a procession of unicorns marched curtly, their noses in the air. Above, dozens of pegasi flew over the town. It was a sight the likes of which had not been seen in thousands of years. Many ponies of all kinds all in one place. The cart clattered its way to Chancellor Butterscotch’s long hall, where the pegasi landed on the roof and looked down on the other ponies patiently, waiting for word from their commander. The carriage stopped in front of the hall and Queen Silver Hoof stepped out. Many of the earth ponies were taken aback by the regal unicorn, who was far taller and sleeker than any of them. Her silvery coat and royal purple clothes almost seemed to repel the snow and not a single flake clung to her. She marched into the rustic hall, looking very out of place. The other unicorns found a place outside and lied down to wait. After some time, some of the earth ponies built up the nerve and approached attempting to strike up a conversation with the ponies from the other tribes. It didn’t take long after that for the pegasi to leave the roof and mingle with the other ponies. Every tribe was surprised by how much they all had in common. They shared stories and information of their cultures with one another. They talked of crops, of working against the winds, and of magic. The hatred between the tribes seemed so petty to all those present. They were all so alike in so many ways. They were all ponies. - Queen Silver Hoof gazed out a window with fixed interest. She had enchanted the window so that she could see outside, but nopony could see her watching them from it. Commander Windtrot and Chancellor Butterscotch watched as well. The ponies outside were getting along perfectly. Not one fight or argument had broken out. Twilight Sparkle, Hood, Rainbow Dash, Solar Flare, Rarity and Elderberry were gathered around the fireplace and waited quietly for one of the leaders to say something. They had just been watching the ponies outside for almost an hour. “It seems odd.” Windtrot said, rubbing his chin. “What’s that?” Silver Hoof replied. “All this time, we all had so much in common. Hmph. All this time, and all those thousands of years before, we’ve all been so alike. And we didn’t trust one another based on who did and didn’t have wings or a horn.” Windtrot said soberly. Butterscotch agreed. “It all seems so petty now.” She turned to the ponies from Equestria. “Thousands of years of hatred and distrust. Turned on its head in two days, thanks to you six.” Twilight beamed. “My whole life I was taught that you shouldn’t judge ponies based on how they look. It’s what’s inside that really matters.” “This will make an excellent letter to the princess.” Rarity said. “Shall we address the subjects then?” Windtrot asked. Silver Hoof nodded. Chancellor Butterscotch pushed open the door the long hall. The ponies surrounding the building turned to look at their leaders. “Ponies of the Unicorn tribe!” Silver Hoof shouted, her lyrical voice drawing adoring gazes from everypony. “And the earth tribe!” Butterscotch shouted. “And the pegasi!” Windtrot finished. “The leaders of the three tribes have come to an agreement!” Silver Hoof said. “You ponies have illustrated that the distrust between our tribes was foalish. We watched as ponies of all kinds came together, not out of necessity, but out of curiosity. It made me proud to see you all talking peacefully.” The ponies in the yard cheered. “From this day forward, this land will not be divided into tribes!” Butterscotch shouted. “The three tribes will be disbanded, and we shall call this land Notribeland!” At this the ponies exchanged glanced. “We’ll work on the name…” Windtrot snorted. Silver Hoof opened her mouth to say something else, but was interrupted. A horrible balking noise was heard from above. The ponies turned their gaze skyward. Horrible creatures swirled above them. They looked like hideously distorted ponies made from clouds, and the balked and whinnied furiously. “What are those things?!” Somepony shouted. Twilight and her friends ran out of the long hut. They looked at the creatures above them. “The wendegos…” Twilight whispered. The wendegos swirled faster and faster, whipping the sky into a rampant whirlwind of snow and black clouds. Twilight looked at her friends. She had no idea what to do, and their faces read that they didn’t either. Elderberry planted a hoof in the ground, looked skyward and huffed. Then, his face growing red, he did the thing everypony least expected him to do. He started singing. Twilight and her friends looked at him for a moment. It obviously embarrassed him to break out in song like this in front of so many ponies. Rarity joined his song. It was one that was familiar to all ponies of Equestria. Solar Flare grimaced slightly and then joined in. Rainbow Dash and Twilight jumped in as well. The last one left silent was Hood. Elderberry jabbed him with his hoof and he too joined the song. “Oh, fire of friendship lives in our hearts. As long as it burns we cannot drift apart…” The native ponies gawked at them for a moment. Then slowly, quietly, a few of them began to sing as well. None knew the carol that the equestrians were singing, but instead sang their own songs. The earth ponies sang of bountiful harvests and glorious feasting, the pegasi sang songs of victory and bravery, and the unicorns sang of magic and beautiful things. The leaders of the tribes exchanged glances and then joined in, Silver Hoof’s lyrical voice chiming over all the others. The wendegos whipped themselves into a frenzy. They balked and screamed and did their best to stop the singing, to bring back the hatred and distrust that they fed on, but to no avail. The songs continued, ringing out over the whitewashed hills and show covered plains. As they sang, the ponies drew close to one another. They sang and sang, some embracing one another. Complete strangers. Ponies of all kinds. Brought together by their songs. The horns of the unicorns began to glow. Brighter and brighter, the magic growing stronger as they sang. When the light seemed as if it could grow no brighter, a wave of fire flew from their horns. Fire of all colors, red, pink, purple, blue, even white and brown. The fire flew to the heavens and engulfed the wendegos, who screamed and whinnied as it burned at their essence. The wendegos disappeared into the fire and were silent. The waves of fire came together, forming a great, heart shaped fireball as bright as the sun in the sky. Then, before the ponies’ eyes, the sky cleared. The snow stopped falling, the wind stopped howling and the blue of the sky appeared before them, a sight none but the Equestrian ponies had ever seen before. They squinted as they looked at it, their eyes adjusting to the unfamiliar light. They stopped singing. “We did it…” Silver Hoof whispered. Butterscotch said nothing, her eyes fixed with fascination on the sky. Windtrot shot up into the air, the heat from the fire of friendship warm in his wings. The other pegasi did the same, whooping and laughing as they flew. On the ground, waves of cheering and laughter filled the town, the earth ponies and unicorns embracing and laughing heartily. Twilight jumped up and down joyfully with her friends. “We did it!” She cried happily over and over. The air grew warm quickly from the combination of the sun and the enormous heart shaped fireball. Twilight looked over to where Hood was standing, or rather, where he had been standing. He was gone. She looked around for him but couldn’t find him. She excused herself and went back into the long hall. Hood was lying near the far wall. He had removed the furs he had been wearing and replaced his cape. His hood was up and he was rubbing his eyes. “Hey, what’s wrong? We did it! We brought the sun back! You should be happy, if it weren’t for you we never could have…” Hood looked up to see her and squinted. He looked pained. “Are you alright?” “Twilight?” “Yeah, it’s me, what’s wrong?” She lay down in front of him and lowered her head to his. “Twilight, I… I can’t see.” Hood squinted at her again, turning his head at an angle. Twilight lifted his head gently with a hoof. “Open your eyes for me.” He did and Twilight looked at them. A lovely purple color, but then she saw the problem. Deep inside his pupils she could see cataracts forming. “Oh my gosh! When did this start?” “My vision got a little blurry on my way back here.” Twilight thought about it for a moment. “Can I cast a spell on you? It might be able to help.” Hood nodded. Twilight lit her horn and poured all her effort into the spell. Hood’s eyes felt warm as the magic washed over them. He closed them tight until the warm feeling went away then opened them. He was no longer completely blind, but his vision was still blurry. “Any better?” “Much better, thank you.” Hood lifted himself to his hooves and tried to get his bearings. When the fire of friendship had ignited, he had got an eyeful of it. He glanced over at the blur near the door. “Hey, what happened?” Solar Flare asked. “Hood hurt his eyes. Hey, Rarity, did you bring your reading glasses?” Twilight asked. Rarity hurried off to retrieve them from their room in the hall. She returned and levitated the glasses gently over Hood’s eyes. He used his own magic to secure them and blinked once. Looking through the glasses he could see perfectly. He thanked Rarity for her kindness. Solar Flare and Rainbow Dash stared at him for a moment and then collapsed in giggles. Hood furrowed his brow and looked at his reflection in a window. The vibrant red glasses didn’t suit him at all. Once they got back to Ponyville he would certainly have to find another pair. “Stop it, you two.” Elderberry scolded. Solar and Rainbow continued to snicker. The three leaders walked back inside and Twilight approached them. “We cannot possibly repay you for all that you’ve done, ponies.” Silver Hoof said, lowering her horn to Twilight’s shoulder. “If you ever need anything, you shall have it.” “We were glad to help.” Twilight said proudly. “Sorry you didn’t find what you were looking for.” Butterscotch said. Elderberry shrugged. “Nothin’ to find, nothin’ to worry about.” “And now we get to walk all the way back…” Rainbow Dash griped. Twilight began to say something, but was interrupted by a quiet pinging noise. A flash of light appeared near her horn and a scroll dropped to the ground at her hooves. “That’s weird…” Twilight said, lifting the letter with magic. She unraveled it and gave it a once over. Her eyes grew wide as she read. “What’s it say, dear?” Rarity asked, trying to get a look at the letter over Twilight’s shoulder. “It’s from Spike. And you’re not going to believe what it’s about…” Twilight said grimly. She flipped the letter around for her friends to see.