Kera sat on the edge of the bed inside her cabin, fidgeting. Her green eyes locked with the door as the dull vibration of zeppelin engines hummed through the tight walls of that place. She bit her lip, glancing from the door to the floor and back. At last, with a sigh, she jumped off the bed and trotted over to the door. One nervous hoof outstretched, she grasped the knob and turned it. The door opened with a creak, pelting her with the cold winds of the battleship's high altitude voyage.
The foal stuck her head out, looking down both ends of the hallway. She saw no movement. With a tense breath, she scampered out and pressed herself against a wall. The door to the living quarters closed behind her. She stood there, inhaling and exhaling the cold gusts. At last, she galloped down the hall and made a right turn.
Daylight pierced through gray clouds to greet her. She saw mountains breezing by, as well as appropriately ashen forests of burnt trees. Curious, the foal trotted up to the edge and peered down. She saw a landscape pockmarked with craters and scattered zeppelin parts. Camps hung off mountainsides in the distance, but most of them were tattered, war-torn scraps of the past.
Hoofsteps sounded off against the deck. Kera gasped. Spinning about, she made for a door along the far end of the zeppelin. Halfway there, though, she tripped and fell flat on her belly. "Ooomf!" A wave of pain sat through her, and she struggled to stand back up.
The hoofsteps came closer. Her heart skipped a beat—especially when a pulse of telekinesis lifted her up by the scruff of her neck.
"Unnngh!" she hissed and flickered her horn. "Let go of me! I mean it! I—"
The pony had already let go. She spun around to see the tattooed face of a Xonan grunt, smiling. "Hejj munn lemh heit, trentte." He winked, chuckled, and trotted off. Two Xonans immediately followed him, one pausing to ruffle the filly's bushy green mane.
"Projj klem bess thriul Ledomulian browt, dreit?"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
"Heh heh heh heh... trentte flaas meen."
The group trotted off, heading towards a higher deck.
Kera stared after them, eyes wide. After another gust of wind, she turned and looked towards the lower decks. Curious, she trotted down a series of steps and into a wide, brightly-lit hall. The belly of the Lightning Bearer was crawling with Xonan soldiers, and a good half of them were simply lounging about, enjoying the spoils of war. Kera strolled daringly through the thick lot of them, her eyes darting left and right at the many sights and sounds.
Most of the Xonans were busy polishing their weapons and sharpening their armor. Some stood in a corner, casting die over who would get to take possession of one piece of Ledomaritan technology or another. Through a thin doorframe, Kera saw Xonans marching before a line of squatting prisoners, shouting and spitting at them. Through another door, Kera saw Xonans forming two rambunctious groups huddled around a makeshift arena where two ethereal serpents were being forced to duel one another.
She squinted—then nearly bumped into a tattooed body. "Ooof!" She stepped back, and her nostrils were instantly filled with the smell of roasted meat.
A Xonan glanced down at him. He stood with several others around a trio of steaming pots. He smiled and bent down low with an amused grin. "Havv null merr blait saat krem, trentte?"
Kera bit her lip. She stared fixedly at the pots, and her stomach growled.
The Xonan noticed it. He stood up, then whistled over his shoulder. Another stallion trotted over, telekinetically carrying a long rod with several skewered pieces of meat. He levitated it to the first pony who then offered it to Kera.
"Thien. Mress tuul raast meem sutt rejj!"
Kera fidgeted. Just then, her eyes narrowed on the strips of meat. At least two of them still bore the wispy signs of grasshopper legs. Another had dragonfly wings bent from the heat.
With a gasp, Kera practically leapt forward and swiped the rod from him. She scurried to a corner and began nibbling to her heart's content, enjoying the crisp and crunchy sensation of the meat morsels in her mouth.
"Ha ha ha ha!" Several stallions merrily chuckled, elbowing each other and pointing at the filly. "Greer blenn yuus thriel mark treen!"
"Heh. Dreit. Jaat malk benn teel."
"Suuk lemm trentte braak."
"Heh heh heh..."
Kera was almost halfway through her meal. Her eyes darted to the far end of the hallway where a stack of Xonan supplies had been heaped. She noticed several cages flitting with large insects. Her throat swallowed the succulent morsels with rapture.
"Its heart does not recognize the Song, but its stomach recognizes the flavor," a thick accented voice said from aside. "It is a good thing, dreit?"
Kera almost choked on a grasshopper leg. She dropped the rod completely.
Zytharros caught it in a telekinetic field before it could touch the floor. Calmly, the armored warrior lifted it back towards Kera. "Best not to poison blessings of Nagu'n with dirty Ledomaritan surfaces."
Kera was already scampering away from him, panting heavily.
Zytharros calmly said, "It has murdered many heathens, but never a child. Does it doubt this?"
Kera slowly peetered to a stop, hyperventilating. After a few shuddering seconds, she finally turned around and slowly trotted back towards the warrior. Her eyes darted up, blinking.
Zytharros lowered the rod of meat samples back towards her. "It does not wish to take from this world, but only to give back. The ponies of Ledo have robbed enough. It sees that the enemy is a different, darker color?"
Kera bit her lip until it nearly bled. With a grunt, she slapped the rod from his grasp and clasped onto it, biting onto the closest chunk of meat she could.
"Hmmm..." Zytharros stood back, nodding. "Again, its stomach does the speaking. Most natural daughter of Xon."
Kera paused briefly in mid-nibble. She glanced at the many Xonan grunts, then back at Zytharros. At last she swallowed and said, "You're different from them."
"Dreit."
"Why?" Kera scarfed another fried insect down and muttered, "If you're all 'sons' and 'daughters' of Xon, then what's up with the super weird tongue-baths?"
Zytharros' glowing eyes narrowed in utter confusion.
Kera nodded towards the background with her horn. "They all speak like they're grunting. None of them say long and pretty-sounding words like you." She took another bite, swallowed and said, "What's more, they've got super short manes. Like, they totally buzz below the ears, and yet you've got super long threads. What's up with that?"
"It simply knows its place within the Song of Nagu'n," Zytharros said in a neutral tone. "It is Second Born, whereas they are Third Born. Their place in the chorus is lower, and yet no less important."
"Oh yeah?" Kera gulped and leaned forward. "Then what about that Dalen guy? He's got a full mane like you, but he speaks as if he's one of those grunts."
Zytharros slowly nodded. "It is Second Born in blood only. Shame blankets its coat like mud. Until the grace of Princess Lasairfion, blessed by Nagu'n, washes it clean, it is bound to the lower chorus."
"Oh yeah?" Kera asked. "How come?"
"Is not important," Zytharros said in a breathy tone. He trotted closer to her. "It brings glory to Nagu'n, as do all children of Xon empowered by the Song. It leads us to victory over the unclean and fills the sky with rapture." His eyes narrowed with a shimmering glint. "Perhaps it has also felt it, now that its eyes are no longer blanketed?"
"What, you mean me?" Kera planted a hoof over her chest, frowning. "Look, I'm glad that you guys aren't binding me with a ball and chain or whatcrap, but this is still not a happy day!"
"Would it care to explain?"
"Do I really have to?!" Kera dropped the rod, now picked clean of meat. "This is the last place I wanted to be right now! Also, you've got my friends jailed up somewhere and I doubt you're giving them anything nearly so special to eat."
"Food shall come. Shelter shall come." Zytharros nodded. "Princess Lasairfion, blessed by Nagu'n, has summoned its colors."
"You mean Rainbow Dash?!" Kera leaned forward, gawking. "But, why?! She's not exactly 'princess' material!"
"Wisdom of Princess Lasaifirion, blessed by Nagu'n, is beyond it," Zytharros said. "It has fed Nagu'n with more than the song, and it has led us in victory over the Ledomaritan filth. It does not deserve to be questioned."
"So... this is just one big escort mission?" Kera's face scrunched up. "All the killing, all the imprisoning, all the gruntwork is just to get Rainbow Dash to Lasairfion, and not the ship?"
Zytharros shook his head as he paced around the foal. "It should not be confused. The ship is most important. It has a grand place in the Song of Nagu'n. But all things happen when the chorus demands it. Princess Lasairfion, blessed by Nagu'n, has a will that must be followed. The sons and daughters of Xon have benefited from her glory, ever since she entreated Nagu'n for the gift of serpents."
"Serpents...?" Kera's eyes reflected the white strip hanging off his armor. "You mean those glowy little monster things I saw?"
"They are the vanquishers of monsters," Zytharros said in a slightly growling tone. "Without their fury, we would be suffering shame at the hooves of Ledo's bastards." He spat on the floor and grunted, "Mehkuulien thrassa Ledomulian trenta hraakraat!"
"Yeah, okay... okay... jeez..." Kera winced, inching away from him. "Say it, don't spray it, bucko."
With a calmer breath, Zytharros looked at her once again. "If it hasn't seen the taint of Xon's enemies, it will soon. Perhaps it will realize that ponies like myself and Dalen are long lost siblings in the Song."
Kera blinked, then narrowed her eyes. "Y'know, you've got me thinking. If I'm supposed to contribute to this super-special 'Song' stuff, then what would I be, huh?" She gestured with her hoof. "I mean, I'm just a lil' kid with tattoos who grew up on a boring farm and then galloped around the streets of a Ledomaritan dump. Exactly where would I fit in this happy family of yours?"
"It is not obvious to it?" Zytharros blinked. "It is Third Born."
Kera smirked. "Heh. Of course. Y'know, you're not making a very good sales pitch, buddy."
Zytharros' armor rattled as he fidgeted to say, "It is lost as to its meaning..."
"Gawd..." Kera rolled her eyes. "Not only are you religious as heck, but you've got no sense of humor! Yeesh... I think I was better off pulling a plow in Lerris."
Zytharros was about to say something when Dalen trotted up. "Jaas lien threnn marr, Zytharros Xon-Nagu'n. Haav flejj—" The stallion paused, blinking at Kera's presence.
Zytharros had spun to snarl at him. "Kaluum sateelium threnn, trenttu. Bleinuulum thrum!"
Dalen cleared his throat, turned towards Zytharros again, and bowed low. "Blaat blaat, Zytharros Xon-Nagu'n. Hreej yuun laast blemm sreit. Huum reen grejj Nagu'n gonne blenne."
Zytharros sighed, his ears drooping slightly. "Nagu'n gonnellen blennsuun?"
"Dreit, Zytharros Xon-Nagu'n. Gonne siel opph yemm traat sien foort bluus."
"Havasielen drunadessa thriulen vreimemeer. Halamessuul neersun thriel."
Dalen nodded, bowed once more, and trotted down the far end of the hallway.
"What was that sneeze-fest all about?" Kera asked.
Zytharros' face hung in a depressed haze for a few moments. At last, he turned towards Kera and said, "It may be Third Born, but it deserves to know the shattered sound."
"Huh?" Kera's ears twitched atop a confused face. "What shattered sound?"
"Nagun'n's," Zytharros said in a dull tone. "Her breath is ragged and She has been suffering an abominable affliction. It has forced a shattered sound into Her Song."
Kera did a double-take. "You mean this 'Nagu'n' thingy is actually real?!"
For the briefest of moments, Zytharros gave her a burning scowl.
Kera gulped and murmured, "I-I mean, eheheh... of c-course She is! Heheh... Glory to Nagu'n and stuff!"
Zytharros sighed again. "It is forgiven. This war must end swiftly if Nagu'n is to see the glory of Her Song. Or else it will be up to the Serpent Reborn in years to come. Princess Lasairfion, blessed by Nagu'n, has toiled much to bring the fruits of the Song to Her eyes, but time is of the essence, and feeding Her Voice is not enough, it fears."
"How do you know all this?"
"Her Song has fallen to pieces since this campaign started," Zytharros said. "It would have a better way to guage the fragments of the chorus, but the Second Born child of Xon most gifted in soundscapes has perished from Ledomaritan shelling."
Kera rubbed her chin in thought. She blinked, then brightened. "So, what you're telling me is that you need an expert in 'sounds' to see how Nagu'n is doing?"
"Dreit."
"Y'know, I think I might know a pony who could make the cut."
Zytharros squinted at her. "Truly?"
"It depends..." Kera smirked devilishly. "How much does 'it trust it?'"