"All aboard who's collapsing aboard!" Zaid exclaimed, waving his hoof from where he stood atop the Noble Jury's starboard deck. He smirked while Josho hopped off the snowy plateau and landed by his side. "Welcome back to the ship, ship."
"Please," Josho muttered as he made a bee-line for the rear stairwell. "The ship ship is down by thirty-eight percent for the time being."
"Heh..." Zaid winked. "The fact that you understood me well enough to respond with that shows that I've made progress with you."
"Blow it out your cult hole."
"Spoken like a true whale." Zaid leaned over the airship's wooden railing. "That enough grilled cheese, for you?!"
"Yes! Very!" Sam the Llama exclaimed.
"It's absolutely s-sufficient!" Sam the other Llama said, gripping the stack of piping-hot containers.
"Salamander squirrel ripcord!" added Dave.
"Thank you for not dying of cold before you got to Ether Point!" Winree exclaimed, waving a woolie hoof. "Also for taking those bug horses off our shoulders! That was pretty swell too!"
"Besides, they tasted sour whe we licked their shells."
"Sam says bye, everypony!"
"Good bye!" Bellesmith, Kera, Props, Pilate, and Booster Spice exclaimed, waving with pleasant expressions. "Good luck with the borealis!"
Kera glanced up at her foster mother. "So, are we ditching these mountain flouncers or what?"
"Shhhhh! Kera, darling!"
"Hey, just one sec!" Rainbow shouted, gliding across the plateau to where the three remaining Jurists huddled around Whizzball.
There, Ebon Mane stood before a thick crowd of changelings—all staring at him with bright, blinking eyes.
"You'll like it where we are going!" Ebon said with a smile. "For one, it's a lot warmer. For another, there are plenty of ponies to share emotion with. For a third, there're countless numbers of plants and herbs to make scrumptious meals out of!"
"But... but..." One changeling shifted nervously. "We don't need the same kind of sustenance as your friends."
"That's just it!" Ebon grinned. "Not having to eat food can actually make you pretty darn good at serving it! And if there's one way to a non-shapeshifting pony's heart—no matter the race—it's food!"
"Could you... t-teach us how to make this food?"
"Not only that..." Ebon smirked. "I can teach you how to make it well."
"That's just what this continent needs," Roarke droned, her eyes thin above a subtle smirk. "An army of empathic cooks."
"Well, if anypony can make it work, Ebon sure can!" Eagle Eye exclaimed.
"Yeesh!" Rainbow Dash touched down. "Look who's pony of the hour!"
Ebon spun around, blinking. "Who, m-me?"
"You were shoveling out grilled cheese and vegetables over the past three hours for the llamas over there," Rainbow said, motioning. "And now you're about to lead a bunch of changelings to a new, glorious home." She winked. "Real renaissance stallion you've won yourself, Eagle Eye."
"Yeah, well..." Eagle Eye folded his forelimbs. "I-I liked Ebon before he was cool!"
Ebon murmured, "I-I think Props has you beaten by over a year."
"Pffft! What does she know? She's overdosed on Zaid."
"Who wouldn't be?"
"Uhm..." One changeling shifted nervously. "About this new home..." It bit its lips with pensive fangs. "...would Mother come to find us there?"
Eagle and Roarke exchanged glances.
Ebon smiled. "You do not have to worry about her," he said. "We've got ponies making sure that she never enslaves us—her children—to do anything mean again." He gestured towards the Jury. "These ponies. My best friends."
The changelings looked at one another, murmuring. There was a slight twinge of warmth to their eyes.
"I think it's about time we headed south," Rainbow Dash said, taking off. "We'll keep in contact! You know Props' number!"
"Yeah! It's the only leyline frequency that shrieks!"
"We'll let you know how it goes with the Duchess!" Rainbow said. "Assuming she's there when we arrive!" She saluted. "Stay frosty!"
"In a place like this, that won't be hard," Roarke muttered.
Eagle and Ebon waved enthusiastically while Rainbow flew back to the Jury. Within a minute, Floydien lifted the vessel up from the plateau, pivoted south, and throttled away, shaking the air above Ether Point. The three remaining Jurists watched as the ship blended in with the obscure gray winds beyond the sloping mountains.
"Well, guess that's our cue," Eagle Eye said.
"Everyone!" Ebon gestured. "Follow me! Let's head towards the west cliff! That'll be the best spot for all of you to take off! Now, we'll be taking breaks every three hours of flight! That way you can rest your wings and we can collect our bearings—"
Roarke sat still, taking a deep breath. She began tucking her flowy red mane into her helmet when a blue body floated down in front of her.
"Hmmm?" The metal mare looked up, her thin eyes blinking. "Huh?"
Rainbow hovered in front of her, breathless. She rubbed her forelimbs together and grimaced. "I... I don't want to leave you..."
"Don't be going stupid on me, now," Roarke droned. "We went over this. The Jury needs you, okay? Besides, we'll rendezvous later—ulp!" Her ears flattened in surprise.
Rainbow Dash was kissing her deeply.
Swiftly, Roarke broke the kiss, only to feel Rainbow Dash clinging to her with a tender hug. "Nnngh... R-Rainbow?!" She seethed. "I'm serious! Fly! The Noble Jury is going to leave you behind at this..." She froze in mid-speech, blinking. "...wait."
"I'm so gl-glad," a voice deeper than Rainbow's drawled. Out of the corner of her eyes, Roarke spotted the mare's mane growing longer, fuller. "I'm just so glad you f-found somepony, sugarcube."
Roarke grimaced. She dashed backwards, staring. "Wh-who...?!"
A freckle-faced mare looked on, her face mirroring the same shock and confusion. Slowly, the orange coat and blonde mane faded away, exposing a glossy black exoskeleton with glossier eyes. "I... I-I..." The changeling's jaws quivered. "I'm so sorry! It's just that... w-we've been so hungry!" It gulped. "And what you h-have is so strong..." It winced, curling its gossamer wings around itself. "I-I'll go now! I'll be quiet and follow Ebon! Please..." It ran off, fighting back a sob. "Pl-please forgive me!"
Roarke looked after the creature. She raised a hoof, feeling her blood pulsing heavily through her limbs. Gawking, she stared curiously past the southern horizon, to where the Noble Jury disappeared. In silence, she hung her head, staring fixedly into nothingness.