//------------------------------//
// Away With the Frozen Wastes 
// Story: Urohringr 
// by Imploding Colon 
//------------------------------//

	The arctic wastes were the very definition of calm.  A full day into the eastward trek, and the crew of the Noble Jury no longer had any reason to doubt that Stratopolis was the thing responsible for the alleged "Strip of Flurries" to begin with.  At all times, the ponies on board Floydien's ship needed only to glance down, and they would see an immaculate reflection of their skystone vessel gliding across the glass-like frozen waters.  The icebergs grew less and less frequent, and the smallest of sounds resonated across the frigid seascape.  Even the northern edge—a distant dim glow at this point—still issued thunder across the thin air from afar.

Rainbow Dash's job of scout lasted barely a day and a half.  As it grew more and more obvious that there was next to nothing for her to observe before the bow of the Jury, she ultimately relented, retreating to her post on board the ship and allowing her wings a chance to relax, as well as her wounds of battle to heal.  For the most part, however, she remained on board the top deck of the Jury, eyeing the horizon with an instinctual wariness.  By the beginning of the third morning, she had given up worrying, and started trotting downstairs to join the rest of the crew in their regular meals.

The mood on board the ship was calm.  The crew conversed with a general degree of liveliness, be it in small groups or as a whole over dinner.  Roarke, as always, kept her distance from the rest of the jurists, excusing herself more often than naught to examine the readings of her Lounge tech, checking up on the conditions and whereabouts of her alleged transport.  Elma didn't touch a single morsel of food.  Pilate and Belle weren't ignorant of this, and they kept their mealtimes short—choosing instead to congregate around the changeling and remain in her company as often as possible.  It took much coaxing—not to mention a regal amount of redundant conversation topics—but they eventually succeeded in making the shape-shifter smile from time to time.  A renewed glow of green energy flowed through her eyes; the changeling's health was satiated for a little while longer.

At the start of the third day, Rainbow Dash, Pilate, and Floydien had a frank discussion concerning the ship's bearings.  Taking into account the memories Elma had to share about Alafreo's whereabouts, the crew decided to bend the ship's trajectory ever so slightly south.  The vessel's skystone carried them swiftly, scaling the parallels south of the extreme arctic regions.  Props worked hard to keep the engine running in best shape, and soon the Jury was operating at the best efficiency since they first ever stationed themselves in Gray Smoke.

By the fifth day, Rainbow Dash noticed a slight spike in temperature.  The icebergs had completely vanished.  The waters below were considerably warmer.  Rainbow tested herself, gliding lonesomely above the lapping waves and dipping her hooves through the current.  Soon enough, the crew could walk the topmost deck without needing thick wintry gear.  Everypony welcomed the sensation, and many came up for fresh air for the first time in days.

All the while, there was still no sign of land.  Although Elma assured them that the western edge of the continent was ever-looming, several members of the crew started to get antsy.  Most of all was Ebon, who fretted that the food supply might not last the remainder of the journey.  Hesitantly, the crew decided to conserve their rations, which cut down the volume of their daily meals by nearly two-thirds.  This left Josho in a less-than-pleasant mood, to put it lightly.

To keep their minds off the lethargy and hunger of the trip, several ponies collaborated in constructing a make-shift hull to cover the damage done to the ship's forward observation room.  This involved utilizing much of the metal scrap confiscated from the Lounge's vessel.  Seeing as how even Roarke lent a hoof to the operation, this proved to be no real issue.  While the crew were able to seal off the observation room from the outside, it was still deemed too dangerous for occupation.  This meant Rainbow Dash had to find another place to sleep.  Begrudgingly, she chose the sofa inside the bottom deck's navigation compartment right across from the observation room.  The pegasus got very little sleep those evenings.

To stave off the insomnia, Rainbow Dash resorted to pacing about the ship.  She even did this while most of the equines were asleep.  No matter how far she trotted or in how many circles, she always returned to the same spot—or rather the same thing.  The Sword of Solstice was being housed in the engine room.  It was Props who hypothesized that—perhaps just like the lavender tome—the enchanted blade might have some sort of a positive impact on the Noble Jury's skystone engine.  This, however, proved fruitless, and the engine room simply became a place to house the ancient artifact.  So, as a consequence, Rainbow Dash often found herself standing there, eyeing her reflection in the blade, pondering over the number of beasts it had slain in its time...

And if Commander Hurricane ever purposed for another pegasus to pick the blade up.