"B-Belle?" Kera stammered.
"Get behind me, Kera..." Bellesmith uttered, reaching across the windswept plateau for her rifle.
"But, Belle!" The foal gulped, her horn flickering. "My magic! I'm sensing—"
"Just lay low!" Belle exclaimed. She glanced across the way. "Mr. Phoenix!"
He was already ushering the frightened family members to hide behind a cleft of rock. Cocking his rifle, he crouched low and aimed it over the craggy earth. The loud vessel hovered down, hissing with steam and mana. "Let them come to us!" he exclaimed as the thing landed. "If there're too many of them, I'll distract the group from the flank! You and the families will run to the entrance to Deep Ridge and hold out from there!"
"I can't afford to let you sacrifice yourself—"
"No time to argue!" he grunted, squinting down the line of his rifle's sight. Take care of Kera and the foals! You've got it in you to do that and more!"
Belle gritted her teeth and crawled across the stone and dust, dragging her rifle along with her. The air lit up with a crimson aura that fought back the golden glow of the blossoming day. As she paused besides a large stone, she took a breath, heaved the rifle through a crook in the rock, and aimed at the top deck of the vessel. Her face twitched in awe, for it was unlike any airship she had seen before. Instead of a dirigible, the airship was powered by a large chunk of red matter. The rigid substance dimmed as a metal grated door in the stern opened, revealing an intricate, two-level hangar. Several bodies stood, and they descended swiftly onto the plateau.
"This is it!" Phoenix hissed from several feet away. "Make every shot count."
"Spark, help us." Belle stifled a whimper and touched the edge of her hoof to the weapon's triggering mechanism.
A soft hoof pressed against her shoulder. "Belle... please." Kera leaned in, speaking calmly, "It's okay."
"Huh?" Belle cast a nervous glance back. "How do you know?"
Kera smiled. She pointed forward.
Belle followed her hoof, and a sharp breath left her.
With a flurry of colors, Rainbow Dash landed in the middle of the plateau. She was covered from shoulder to hooves in thick plates of battered armor. Also, her tail appeared to be shorter. The only thing that wasn't different were her colors. Each shiny band was as bright and awesome as ever, and it brought brilliance to that dusty cliff as much as it brought breathless cheer to Belle's skipping heart.
Behind her, a strange mare and an even stranger stallion made out of crystal trotted up. They were followed by two equines that Belle actually did know, a stallion with soft features and a demure gait, and then a muscular specimen with a metal cast that stole a gasp from her lungs.
"Stop!" Phoenix shouted. "That's as far as you go!" He was a sneeze away from pulling the trigger. "One more step, and I'll..." His ears drooped on either side of his shaved head. With a dropped jaw, he stood up, leaning on the rifle like it was a cane.
Eagle Eye, naturally, saw him first. He let loose something between a squeal and a yelp. Crimson instantly looked over, when his eyes locked with Phoenix's, he froze.
Phoenix blearily blinked. He glanced aside at Belle, who had emerged from behind the rock. When he looked back, the thick shadow of his former captain had covered him. The battered stallion shuddered, dropping his rifle and collapsing completely.
Eagle Eye rushed forward to catch him—but froze. Biting his lip, he pensively looked up at Crimson, who hadn't finished trudging thunderously forward.
"Nnnngh..." Phoenix winced as he stood up straight. His shattered horn broke the sunlight beaming past him. He stretched his legs out, standing at attention. He almost saluted, but something in the glint of Crimson's eyes made him weak, so that his forelimb fell just as swiftly as it had tried to rise.
Crimson glared at him. With flaring nostrils, he looked at the frightened and confused families, clinging to their children upon the fringes of their tender reunion. His head pivoted to the other side, and he saw Belle standing—alive and whole—next to Kera. At last, he leaned forward, staring into Phoenix's face. "Did you have a hoof in this?"
"I..." Phoenix's lips trembled. He gulped. "I... I helped as much as I could. It was... was all Belle." He avoided the stallion's gaze as his shivers increased. "I just followed her lead. She... saved me... multiple times..."
Crimson gazed fixedly at the mercenary's shattered horn. His shoulders rested slightly as he muttered, "Did she, now...?"
"Crimson..." Phoenix seethed through clenched teeth. "Sir, I... I'm sorry. I... I'm so sorry for everything." He stumbled on his legs. "I can't... I can't even—"
Crimson's forelimbs reached foward. He embraced the stallion dearly, his muscular grasp as soft as an autumn cloud. "At ease, soldier," he said in a quiet yet firm tone. "Let's go home..."
Phoenix inhaled. His eyes moistened, and he wept like a foal into Crimson's hug. "Aye, sir... I c-can do that..." He covered his quivering face as he hissed, "I c-can totally d-do that..."
Crimson smiled tenderly, giving him a light pat on the shoulder.
Eagle Eye sniffled. He trotted in with a tearful expression and nuzzled Phoenix while the Xonans looked on.
Belle watched this all with a gaping expression. She pivoted her head aside, spotting more ponies emerging from the airship: a blonde mare, a burgundy stallion with a pleasant demeanor, a mustached gentlecolt, an obese stallion—
With a rush of air, a rainbow landed in front of her.
Gasping, Belle nearly fell back.
Rainbow looked shocked—almost hurt—by the mare's timid reaction. She gulped and pointed at herself with a rattling horseshoe. "Dashie...!"
Kera looked at Rainbow, then up at Belle.
Belle sniffled, then pointed at herself with a cracking smile. "Ding Dong...!"
Kera's face scrunched up. She looked back at Rainbow.
Rainbow was biting her lip. "Belle. I..." She stepped forward, but suddenly froze, her smile fading.
Curious, Belle squinted at her.
Rainbow slowly, slowly shook her head. Her smile came back—softer this time—as she stepped back and gestured towards a shadow lurching against the sunlight behind her.
Belle looked up. She saw runes. She saw stripes. She saw twitching ears.
A gasp lit the air. The mare spun around, clutching opposite sides of her face as a cold sweat ran over her body.
Rainbow stammered, "B-Belle?"
Kera trotted up, looking concerned into the mare's golden face. "Belle? Belle, what's wrong—?"
"Th-this isn't real...!" Bellesmith squeaked, her eyes moistening as her pupils shrunk to pinpricks. "I'm... I'm sequencing again, Kera! Oh blessed Spark!" She clenched her eyes shut as her lips whimpered over and over again. "Pull me out of the spheres! Nnngh... please. Pullmeout! Pullmeout! Pullmeout!"
"Belle..." Kera rose up on her rear legs and shook Belle's skull as hard as she could. "Belle!" Her tattooed face frowned. "Get up and turn around, you fraidy-fart! This is as real as I could kick you!"
"K-kick me?"
Kera gave her a swift buck in the knee.
"Ow ow ow..." Belle spun about, wincing. She heard a voice cracking with a giggle. She looked aside.
Rainbow Dash was smiling, her face crystal clear as a spring sky. She wagged her ruby eyes forward.
Belle followed the gaze, until she made visual contact with somepony who couldn't.
"B-Belle...?" Pilate stammered, trotting ahead, lurching ahead, limping ahead. O.A.S.I.S. flickered madly as he swung a hoof forward left and right with increasing desperation. "Bellesmith? Please... pl-please, I hope... I-I know that... that..."
Belle reached a hoof forward. She froze in mid-stretch, biting her lip. She brought the hoof back, took a breath, and exhaled, "Beloved."
The zebra froze. His gray eyes instantly watered. With twitching ears, he turned about, then trained his muzzle instinctively towards the source of that heavenly sound.
Belle stifled a whimper. She shuffled forward, then leaned back on her haunches with both forelimbs outstretched. "I'm here, my beloved."
Pilate's metal brow relaxed. His ears drooped as he gritted his teeth. A circle of friends and strangers watched as he took one step across the plateau, followed by three jerky trots, then at last a full gallop. He flew blindly into her embrace, and she caught him. As instantly as they made contact, he ran his hooves up across her neck, her face, her shattered horn. He jolted slightly upon feeling the shaved mane, but then his hooves returned to her lips, which were curved at the moment. She cracked forth a giggle, and he responded with gasp—a short one—for he instantly planted his muzzle over hers. The two nearly toppled over from the passionate kiss. When they broke for a breath, he allowed her to curl against him, nuzzling the fuzzy underside of his chin with a blushing, tear-stained cheek.
"Somehow, I knew..." Bellesmith squeaked between hyperventilating sobs. She tried to articulate the words beyond her smiling lips. It was a nigh impossible task. "Somehow. All th-this time. Something k-kept my heart going. I... I c-can't explain it..." She hiccuped and chirped, "I love you. I love you forever and always..."
"I know, beloved..." Pilate whispered, tears running down his cheek to christen her in their embrace. "Oh blessed spark, I know..."
"I... I-I don't know what to s-say... I just... I just..."
"Say anything," Pilate said with a shudder. "Ramble. Sing. Cry. I just want to hear you." He kissed her forehead repeatedly while stroking circles along her neck and shoulders. "Please. Say anything. Do anything. I love you, Belle. I love you so much..."
"I... I..." Belle gulped and squeaked forth, "I-I cut my mane. I'm sorry..."
"Snkkkt—Heh heh heh..." He sniffled and nuzzled her even more dearly. "I don't care."
Belle giggled hysterically, falling limp in his grasp as both ponies fell to their knees, leaning their chins over each other's shoulders as their trembles dissolved into one shared breath of warmth.
From a distance, Props could be heard wailing like a stupid infant. Josho tried not to roll his eyes. Ebon wiped his cheek dry as he smiled at the scene.
All the while, Rainbow Dash stood rather awkwardly, clasping a hoof before her tight blue muzzle. She hadn't realized it, but she was holding her breath in like a stuffed balloon. When she finally inhaled, she was somehow surprised that she hadn't knocked her two best friends off their hooves. The edge of her sight turned fuzzy, then returned to focus. She saw a shiny figure in peripheral vision, so she looked over.
Roarke's helmeted face turned, as if she was staring at the reunited couple the entire time.
Rainbow blinked. She gazed beyond Tweak, Imre, Crimson and his fellow soldiers. She stared once more at Pilate and Belle, and her smile turned rosy yet again. She took a few trots forward, reaching a hoof up—
The entrance to Deep Ridge exploded.
Everypony's ears pops from the blast wave of shrapnel and fire erupting over their heads.
Kera shrieked, spinning to see chunks of the bunker flying every which way.
"Warship!" Eagle Eye shouted suddenly, pointing towards a brown spot on the horizon, flickering. "From the north! It's shelling us—"
A chunk of earth exploded right beside the Noble Jury, pelting the ship all over with pebbles and burning rock as the airship wobbled. A barking squirrel echoed over the cussing voice of a startled elk.
Rainbow Dash's eyes went wide. She turned to shout at everypony—when a shell landed right in front of her. "Aaaugh!" She flew back, half of her armor sparkling like fireworks. Somewhere in the distance, Belle and Pilate's voices were shrieking. She looked aside through a rain of dirt to see them rolling across the plateau, assaulted by an avalanche of mortar, and then the pegasus couldn't see anything from the falling ash in between.