The Road Back
"Hurreh up, Zigzag!" Truly called back over her shoulder in annoyance. "If ya'll keep fallin behaind like that, we'll nevah reach Dream Caistle befoah naightfall!"
"I am hurrying, without delay!" The zebra gasped, galloping after the three ponies ahead of her. "Lest my slowness lead our mission astray."
After informing Gypsy of their vision and their plans, the four equines had taken most of the following day to make the necessary preparations, and then set off back towards Dream Castle. Gypsy had managed, through several short distance teleports, managed to wink them within walking distance of their home. Racing quietly from tree to tree, the four mares hoped to evade the vile unicorn's notice.
"Do you think she knows we're coming yet?" Moondancer asked, sticking her head out from under the tree they were currently hiding under. "She doesn't have very powerful scrying magic."
"I vouyldn't underestimate zhat pony's capabilites, darlink." Gypsy warned. "Avter all, zhat iz vhat led Dream Valley into trouble in zee virst place, now isn't it?"
"Gypsy's raight." Truly, agreed, as they dashed to the next tree. "Whay, thait scaliwag mare maight even be watchin us raight naow!"
...
"Well wel well, it looks like the four strays have come home." Sun Shimmer snarled, watching the four sneaking ponies through Queen Majesty's magic mirror. "While I was hoping to catch their monarch or her bratty daughter returning, this will do just as well."
Situated in her new palace of ice, The wicked mare smiled as the windigoes danced and flew around her in the air, still sucking what little nourishment could be had from the now-frozen mares throughout the palace. Sun was unsatisfied with her icy revenge, however, as there were still ponies away from the castle that had escaped her wrath. Twilight had managed to get a few of the fillies, including queen Majesty's brat, out before she could spring her trap. But now, three of the escapees were coming back to her, like moths to a flame.
"You up there... we have guests." The angry unicorn called up to one of the windigoes. "You and your friends go give them a reception they'll never forget!"
The horse spirit glared down at the unicorn mare, snorting it's icy breath at her indignantly.
"Hey, I am not trying to order you and your kind around- believe me, even I'm not insane enough to try that." Sun whinnied nervously. "But that's where your freshest meal is going to be, now isn't it?"
The windigo glared at her for a moment, before nodding to three of the others, and leading them out through a nearby window. Looking back towards the mirror, Sun Shimmer grinned evilly.
"Ladies, prepare for a very, very icy reception." The mad mare snorted, her eye twitching. "You four won't stop me from carrying out my dear sweet mother's revenge!"
...
"Girls, wait." Moondancer raised her hoof, stopping the rest in their tracks. "Did you hear something?"
All of the equines' ears picked up, and the heard the distant howling and whinnying of what sounded like several horses. As the sounds drew closer, a chill wind blew though the branches above them.
"Oh no, darlinks..." Gypsy said nervously, hunkering down a bit. "...are zoze zounds vhat I zink zhey are?"
The chilling wind suddenly began to pick up, and snow began to fall at an extremely alarming rate. Ice crystals formed on everything around them, as the horrible sounding whinnying and snorting drew ever closer.
"Our luck has truly reached it's lows!" Zigzag wailed in despair, confirming the roma pony's suspicions. "For we have encountered the windigoes!"
The icy spirits quickly appeared, swirling and twirling in the skies above them. The sight of these horrifying creatures from ponykind's oldest legends was enough to even give these four mares pause.
"What ah they doin heyah?" Truly asked in terror. "Mah momma told me these haunts onleh live up in the faw nawth!"
"Sun's spell of hatred must have drawn them here." Zigazg replied in a terrified tone. "And if we don't think of something, our end will be near!"
The creatures howled again, causing the four mares backed up in fear. The four stared, uncertain, until finally Moondancer spoke up.
"Keep moving forward!" Moondancer ordered them, lowering her head in the face of the now-blowing snow, and trudging forward. "Clear your mind of hateful thoughts! As long as they can't feed, they can't freeze you!"
The other three lowered their heads, and began walking forward, even as the drifting and blowing snow obscured everything around them. The mares began to recite their Zoroponthian mantras, attempting to cleanse their minds and hearts of all emotions.
"Hatred is a poison, that must be drawn out by love... anger is a raging fire, that must be cooled by the waters of serenity... one emotion must cancel out the other, so that the balance may be achieved. Such is the way of the horsemaster, the great equalizer that brings order to all things."
As a serene and peaceful calm washed through the four equines, whispers began to creep into their minds. Wither it was the windigoes or Sun's magic, they could not tell. But the intent of the voices was clear enough.
"Stupid little Roma pony! Can't you see all of the others hate you? They are jealous of your looks, and your graceful beauty! That's why they exiled you to live in the wilderness!
"Look at you! A poor, exiled mare from the plantations of southern Mustangia! You see yourself as sophisticated, but all of your so-called friends look down on you as some kind of backwater hick! Even Heart Throb -your own sister- is disgusted by how you look down on other ponies like they were slaves! Dream Valley will only ever see you as some rich snob!"
"You claim you left your tribe because you didn't want to marry the zebra daddy picked out for you... but that's not the whole truth, now is it? Your own family couldn't stand how outspoken you were, even your own brother left you! Why would any of these ponies want to listen to you shoot off your mouth?"
"You know the real reason your such a prude, don't you? You've seen what the darkness can do to a pony, haven't you? Those destructive desires you felt as a dragon, still burn in the back of your mind... the desire to see everything consumed by flames. You may have gotten the shape of a pony back, but the ferocity of a dragon still burns in your sinful heart!"
Again the four hunch down, trying to resist the poison seeping into their minds. They huddle close together, trying to stay warm as the icy spirits close in. For a moment, Moondancer honestly believes that this may be the end...
...until one word seeps into all of their hearts, silently whispered by three distant pony spirits who were watching them.
truth...
At that moment, the four ponies didn't feel weak and helpless any longer. Rather, they felt the strength and courage of a hundred stallions flowing through them, bolstered by the power of that one, simple little idea. Looking up at the three threats swirling around their heads, the mares finally knew exactly what they had to do.
"No! Ah ahm NAWT an arrogant poneh!" Truly roared, standing up defiantly. "Ah left mustangia because ah thought those ponehs were mah friends, nawt mah slaves! Ah stood up for whut was raight!"
"Zhey do not hate me, zhey just vear me because zhey do not understand!" Gypsy screamed, standing up, and stamping her hoof. "Und vile I pity zhem, I vill not hate zhem for it as vou vant me to!"
"I left my tribe, because I would not be oppressed!" Zigzag followed them back onto her hooves. "And the doubts that you have stirred, have been laid to rest!"
"It may be true, that I fear my own inner ferocity. But I don't act like such a prude out of fear of the monster I was! " Moondancer finished, standing up defiantly with all the rest. "Rather, I don't want any other pony to suffer the way I did under evil's taint! I only do what I do because I love Dream Valley so much!"
The windigoes bucked and neighed angrily, annoyed that they were being denied their meal. But then Moondancer and Gypsy's horns suddenly began to glow, along with the zebra and earth pony's eyes.
"The truth has set us free!" The four yelled in unison, their voices speaking all as one. "And we shall NOT be consumed by your hatred!"
A beam fired out form the four ponies, striking the four windigoes dead center. The icy creatures let out a howl of pain, as the beam of light tore through them. There was a bright flash of light, and the windigoes exploded into a thousand icy shards. The mares could only stare up in shock, as the icy shards rained down around them.
"W-we did it..." Truly muttered nervously, a slow grin spreading across her face. "We actually managed ta beat the windigoes!"
"Not jhust beat zem, darlink, ve destroyed zhem!" Gypsy added excitedly. "Zhat's never been done vefore!"
"If we have found a way to banish them beyond the gates of Tartarus," Zigzag added in a non-rhymed sentence. "Then our way to the palace should be clear."
"I just wonder why it was the windigoes that attacked us." Moondancer asked, looking on down the path towards Dream Castle. "Do you girls think that they could be working with Sun?"
"Aw, come awn, Moony!" Truly laughed, as they all got back on the path. "Whut could thait old witch possibly have ta offer th' ancient pony spirits a' hatred?"
"And zhe devfintiely doezn't have ze power to control zhem." Gypsy added with a shiver. "Othvise, ve might be in a lot vorse trouble zhan we thought."
"Uh, laidehs?" Truly said, as they crested the hill where dream castle became visible. "Ah think ya'll maight wanna re-think thait assessment."
To thier horror, the four mares saw the spires of the Dream Castle entire encased in ice. The chilling pony spirits zoomed around the entire structure, as all of the surrounding valley was covered by ice and snow. Trotting up beside Moondancer, the earth pony voiced the question that the other three were all think.
"Oh deah, Moony! What ah we gonna do naow?"
...
"Impossible!" Sun roared in anger, stamping her hoof on the throne of ice she had made. "How could those four insignificant equines defeat the windigoes?!?"
Jumping off the icy chair, she stomped out into the castle's main archway, looking around at the frozen ponies that surrounded her.
"No matter, I have another ace up my hoof that'll stop Moondancer and her rescue party dead in their tracks." The mare let out another soft laugh. "Don't worry mother, these stupid ponies haven't beaten your little girl yet!"