The Pale Land

by OrphiusOlyandra


Chapter 24

Thunder and lightning. Normally, she'd be basking in it, but all Dash did was draw her clothes tighter around her. She never thought she'd miss the sight of snow – that white, cold, stupid, thing – and yet here she was, knee deep in brown junk. Ugh. It reminded her of the bathroom when she was a mere cadet.

Who wanted to end winter now! Get rid of all that snow and leave behind this crap to deal with. What happened to green grass and brown trees and all those bloody great things that fucking stupid unicorn kept going on about? Another flash of light lit the sky and a second later, a blast of hot air slammed into them, searing them to the bone, feeling as though their very fur was being scorched off their body. She didn't glance up, there was no point, all she'd see was blinding yellow light, maybe some extra bursts of magic and shapes flying in all directions. If she had her wings, she'd go up there and show them how a real pegasus did things.
Not that she was even a pegasus anymore... but once she got her wings back! Once she got them back she was gonna beat Hurricane into a pulp, rips his wings off and then force feed them to him. They weren't pegasi, they were mockeries of what they should be and she was going to show the world that. Loyalty. What did those bastards know about loyalty anyways? Bloody fucking bit-

A bolt of pure magic slammed into the ground a mile to the right, but despite that distance, she was forced to look away and brace herself. A second later, there was no way to tell up from down from left from right, not with the ringing in her ears and the spots that danced across her vision. She was dimly aware of a body being pressed up against her, and for a brief second she leaned into it, enjoying the warmth the contact bought with it, but then she remembered who it was and shoved her off. It didn't matter if it was the unicorn or Spitfire, she was not about to accept their charity even if she couldn't feel her legs anymore. Not that it mattered, she couldn't feel them since two hours ago, and what was another limb? Not much really. Heh, maybe it'd even help even her out.

Out the corner of her eye, she watched as somepony turned to her, yelled something and then gestured forward with a limb. Whatever, it's not like what was being said was actually useful in any way, shape or form. It was always some useless crap about needing to go somewhere to do some pointless thing that only served to delay everything by a couple of days. If it was her choice, they'd be marching through the night and ignoring the stupid weather so they could get to their destination three fucking days earlier!
Sun blasted stupid unicorns.

A second burst of blinding light struck the hill to their left. There was no wind, no explosion of raw power, instead one second there was a hill and the next second, there was a frozen tomb. She simply ignored it and kept walking on despite her shaking legs. Spells rained down all around them, tossing them around, slamming her into trees and into the ground again and again. There was no pain, the cold had made certain of that. Was there blood? Maybe, it was impossible to tell with how drenched her clothes were, but the cold probably froze the wound over anyways, so it's not like she was going to bleed out anytime soon.

Stepping forward, her hoof slipped in the mud, sending her to the ground once more.

"-ash!" Bleary eyes looked up at Twilight, just in time to receive a punch to the face. "Wa... up!"

Dash's hoof immediately snapped out, smashing Twilight straight in the face causing the unicorn to stumble back. Damn it, if it wasn't for the cold, that unicorn would totally be on her flank right now. Stumbling back onto her hooves, Dash just managed to stay standing long enough to take a step forward before falling back onto her knees.
If Twilight said anything, Dash didn't hear it, but she did feel that annoying thing prop her up like she was worthless. She was a pegasus! She was strong, she bowed to nopony, especially not a bit of wind and water. Wing or no wing, she was a fucking pegasus and they ruled the skies , she was not about to bow to something that was beneath her!

She struggled back onto her hooves, shrugging off the other two as she began walking forward once more. West Wind, Hurricane, Spitfire, it didn't matter who it was or what their position was, she was going to show them all that she was still a pegasus. She was... she wasn't...

Her entire body slumped forward, collapsing onto her forehooves as sweat dripped from her brow.

"Get up!" Hooves wrapped around her waist, hauling Dash to her hooves. A second later, another body was pressed up against her on the other side, and together, they braced her, slowly driving her forward and over the crest of the hill.

"I can take care of myself," snapped Dash, but it came out like a mew.

"Don't give a shit. We're in this together, and we're getting out of this together. Wings or not, you're a pegasus and-"

It no longer mattered what Spitfire had left to say, all that mattered was that Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts still thought of a wingless thing like her to be a pegasus. A pegasus, not an earth pony, not a unicorn, but a pegasus. Nothing had changed, but everything had changed, if she never got- No, don't think about that, but if, if it was true, then maybe there was something left for her.

"Um... guys? Two things. One, keep your hooves off my mare or I'll gut you, and two, are you seeing this or am I just going insane?"

Ugh. Oh by the stars, was that puke in her mouth? It certainly tasted like it. Dash really, really, really didn't need that image in her mind, thank you very much, and somehow, it made everything Spitfire just said worthless. After all, how much could a horn licker know about being a pegasi? They'd rather gag on a big juicy horn, probably shove it up their- Okay, stop. Just... just stop.

"You're already in...sane...?" Spitfire's jaw dropped.

Focus on something else, focus on something that wasn't that. Just... oh look, trees. Frozen trees. Everywhere. Let's count those! Yeah, always need to know how many of those there are. Or the... frozen... battle... field...

"Fuck."

Unicorns and pegasi caught in mid swing, blades still crossed with snarls on their face. Arrows littered the ground, ponies lay on the verge of death, frozen blood formed frozen lakes that dominated the entire scene. There was no wind here, no snow or rain or explosions. As they slide down the hill and walked through the frozen field, nothing dared move. They weren't bulky with excess ice dripping off their bodies, instead they were wrapped in a layer of ice that clung to their body like wet fabric. Frozen tombs, killed by the weather like some slave.

As far as the eye could see, statues saluted the dead.

"Every pegasus must be here," whispered Spitfire in awe, her voice immediately swallowed by the emptiness.

"And every unicorn," said Twilight, brushing past the first frozen pony without so much as a bat of her eye. " 'Harmony is dead' after all, it seems."

The two pegasi exchanged a glance before following after Twilight. As they passed the first pony, Dash could only watch in morbid fascination as her reflection warped across the surface, momentarily taking over the snarling pegasus and then it was gone and she was left staring into the murderous eyes of a unicorn. With a snort and shake of her head, Dash slipped past, ducking under a pair of crossed swords as she did so.

"Do you think they're dead?" said Spitfire.

"Of course, they're encased in ice, they'd be dead within seconds." Twilight kept walking, not even bothering to lower her voice as she gestured at a random statue. "Magic or not, that's ice and that means death within seconds."

Dash bite down on her tongue, glaring at the unicorn from behind as she continued to ramble on about magic this and magic that. These ponies were dead! Didn't she know anything about respecting the dead and not saying ill of them? And the worst part was, they didn't even go out fighting with a sword in their shoulder or an arrow through an eye or with a spell melting their faces off. No, they were stabbed from behind by an enemy they could not see before they could even react. This was not how a warrior went down, this was not a good death, this was the death of the slaves who tilled the fields. This... this was...

How dare she disrespect them like this? They had already suffered so much and now even the awesome death they should have had was denied to them and this unicorn was just trampling over all of that without a second thought. Gritting her teeth, Dash stopped before the nearest pegasus and gave a smart salute. After a bit of hesitation, she turned and did the same for the unicorn. They may still be lesser creatures, but she had to admit, to face a superior force straight on took guts. A snort escaped as Dash shook her head and turned away. Whatever, they were worthy opponents.

They continued through the frozen field, weaving their way between weapons and bodies. More than once they came across the shattered remains of a pegasus who fell from the sky, a leg here, half a wing there, and every time Dash wrapped her wings tighter around herself. Or at least, she tried to. That sharp jolt of pain, like a knife in the back would wind its way through her body making her eyes water, forcing her to relax.

"They've stopped," said Twilight, not even looking up at the sky. "That is not good news."

"How can you tell? Maybe they wo-"

"Always plan for the worst," snapped Twilight as she threw her hood up as she stepped onto the lake of frozen blood. "Though in this case, in the worst case scenario we might as lie down and wait to die."

"Pessimist," said Spitfire as she slid past, skating on the ice as easy as flying.

"Optimist." Twilight raced after the pegasus, trying to catch up, but failing miserably just as expected.

Rolling her eyes, Dash joined them on the ice, her wings opening out of habit before the pain bought her back to her senses. With a hesitant push of her hind leg, she felt herself sliding forward and a small smile tugged at her lips. This wasn't so hard after all, should have known. With an awkward push of her other leg, she felt the ice slide out from underneath her and the next thing she knew, she was on the ice, gasping desperately for air with her head spinning.

"Not used to skating without using your wings?" Spitfire took advantage of the situation and forcibly dragged Dash onto her legs. "Yeah, I was the same starting out, but Twilight insisted on a no wings policy."

"Because it's cheating," said the unicorn from in front.

"Look, just hold on an-"

"I can still move, I don't need your he-"

"Cut the crap. As far as I'm concerned, you're still a soldier and Wonderbolt material, but if you keep this up I may change my mind."

"Not like it matters much, you're not even a Wonderbolt anymore." With a shrug of her shoulders, Dash freed herself from Spitfire's grasp and floundered across the ice. She could feel Spitfire's eyes boring into the back of her head, but she ignored it as she finally got to the opposite bank and clambered out. Dash shoved past Twilight, gritting her teeth against the shocks that ran down her limbs with each step only to stop when she came face to face with Hurricane.

She reached out, running a hoof down his cheek before drawing it back, winding up for a punch. How easy would it be to shatter him right here and now. Break off a limb, cut off his dick, break his wings into a million pieces then slowly defrost him. To watch his eyes as he woke up from that deep slumber only to feel that pain and realize what had happened as he slowly bled out while begging for his life.

"If you don't do it, I will," said Twilight as she came to a stop next to Dash. "He's the smuggest bastard I've ever come across and only idiots will miss him once he's gone."

"No."

"No?"

"No." Dash lowered her hoof and continued on her journey. "If he's still alive after being defrosted, I'm going kill him on my own terms. I want him to watch, I want everypony to watch as I beat this worthless excuse for a pegasus into a bloody pulp and make him eat his own cock. That is a promise."

"In that case, let me know beforehand, I want to watch." Twilight easily fell in step beside Dash. "I've been itching to kill him every since I met him face to face four years ago."
"Well sorry to disappoint, but I'm getting the first and only shot. But, feel free to blow up his corpse or something, string it up, I don't know. Whatever it is you freaking unicorns do in your spare time." Dash spat at Hurricane's hooves. "I'm coming back for you. Come on, let's get going."

"You know I'm actually proud of you," said Spitfire as she walked next to Dash. "Though I'd have killed him right there and then. There is a reason why he's th-"
"There's a reason why you're a horn licker too."

"Aaaaaaaand, not proud of you anymore."

"I know." Dash smirked and pushed forward once more, eyes scanning the sky for any sign of movement, but all was still. "And talking about horns... Twilight! That horn of yours telling you anything about what's going on up there?"

"Nothing. The fighting has stopped, I think." The three of them exchanged a nervous look before Twilight pushed on, taking that first step onto the rocky climb up the mountain. "We should hurry, if they needed our help, it'd be now."

"If they were foals, then perhaps you could help."

Dash spun around, gritting her teeth against the pain as her wings instinctively flared open into a defensive stance. Her eyes darted around, searching for the source of the voice, but it was like a blizzard, all frigid and hollow that encompassed her from all directions. She took half a step back, rump bumping against the others as they formed a defensive circle. To think she'd end up having her back protected by a unicorn and a horn licker, maybe she should just throw in the towel now. Then again, she didn't want the fight to be too easy, now did she?

"Help? Too small, too weak. Inconsequential."

The voices bounced around in her head, each word being pounded into her head like a hoof to the face. Even with her ears laid flat against her skull, the words continued to echo all around her, making it impossible to figure out where it was coming from. Damn magic tricks, they're worse than a bloody unicorn running for their life.

"Dearest brothers, stop playing and kill them."

Dash could feel it, whatever 'it' was. There was just this force that came from all sides, something that shook her to her very core, as though the very sky had opened up and was now speaking to her. If lightning could speak, this was the voice.

There was no warning, no sudden explosion of light or magic and cold. One minute they were staring at the icy wasteland and the next, three stallions stood before them. They towered above her, larger than any pony she had ever met, even easily dwarfing the impressive stature of Hurricane. They stood still as ice, neither mane or tail moving in the wind, body too perfect to be natural. Every muscle, every hair, every inch carved with a care that was mind-boggling.

"To play, or to kill, why not do both?"

"Shit! Twilight, can you-"

A scream split the air.

"Twilight!"

Dash stood her ground, staring at the stallion before her, teeth bared at the stallion before her. As much as she wanted to turn around and know what was going on, there was no way she could do so. To turn her back on this thing was a death sentence. Always, always, always keep an eye on the enemy. Slowly she raised a leg to step to the side, but she felt nothing. Eyes darting down, they widened at the sight of ice encasing her legs all the way up to the elbow and in that split second look, it had easily grown an extra inch. Her head immediately snapped back up, staring into those impassive eyes as the chill began seeping in. With a snarl, Dash threw her entire body into breaking her prison, but she didn't even get a creak out of it. A second snarl escaped as she thrashed and bucked and wrenched her hooves with all her might.
All the while, the stallion looked on with emotionless eyes.

She could feel the ice crawl along her body, coiling around her torso, chilling her to her core. With each laboured breath, ice filled her lungs and her breath stopped misting in the air before her. She could hear something happening behind her, words being spoken, jaws being broken, it didn't matter what it was, she couldn't hear anything. All she knew was a constant muted buzz like a long night of drinking after a successful raid.

"Enough."

Ice shattered and Dash fell to her knees, drawing in shaky gasps. Dimly she was aware of a pony stepping past her, all regal and graceful as though the damn thing owned the entire earth. Well fuck them! Dash forced herself back onto her hooves, legs shaking uncontrollably as she took that first step forward before dropping to one knee again.

"Get out of here." Dash looked up and froze in place. Wings and a horn, brimming with a raw power that made it impossible to look straight at her. She could feel the heat rolling off the alicorn, steam clouding her vision as the snow just evaporated leaving behind dry ground. "Go to the mountains and hide, we shall take care of everything."

It wasn't a suggestion, it wasn't even a command. It was something more, something deeper, it didn't just compel her to run, it forced her to run. Dimly she was aware of a black alicorn rising out of the shadows, and a battered Cadence appearing in a flash of light. The others ran with her, tripping over their hooves and cold air seeping through their clothes as they climbed higher. Eventually they collapsed, sweat dripping from their brow as their breaths came in pained gasps.

"C-Come on, we can't stop now." Spitfire hauled herself onto her hooves and began limping forward. "There's a cave up there, we can hole up over there."

"We should be down there," snapped Dash before sighing. "Sun damn it, we're meant to be helping ..."

Together, they dragged themselves into the cave and immediately collapsed in a heap. How much time had even passed? It had been day, she was certain of that, it had been fucking day! And now, now the sky was pitch black as the clouds twisted and turned on itself, red lightning dancing between them.

"How fucked are we?" whispered Spitfire.

"More than you can possibly know. I knew they were powerful, but they're warping the very world around them." Twilight rubbed her temple as she struggled back onto her hooves. "I told you this was a stupid idea."

"I'm so-"

"No." Dash glared at the unicorn. "Coming here was the right idea, we had to know."

Silence greeted her words.

"Exactly," said Dash.

"No, she's right," said Spitfire. "We should never have come here. Certain failure versus potential failure, the choice was logical."

"No!" Pain laced through her entire body as Dash tried to flare open both wings, but she ignored it. The humiliation, the tears that threatened the spill over, the look of horror on Spitfire's face – Dash ignored it all. "Screw your bloody logic! Nothing is ever pure logic and you need to get that through your thick skull for once in your life. Going after Pinkie, rescuing everypony, that wasn’t the logical thing to do and yet you did it. So don’t, just don’t, give me this bullshit now. Sometimes there are things that need to be despite how stupid they are.”

“And this is one of those times?” Twilight took an aggressive step forward, the barest of glows surrounding her fractured horn. “We could be saving ponies right now! Bringing them to safety, ensuring they’d survive, that we would survive, but no, yo-”

“You came with us, you followed us like a bitch in heat an-”

“Stop it!” Spitfire was suddenly between them, forcing their muzzles apart and glaring at both of them. “Both of you, just stop it. Fighting now will not make anything better, we need to focus on working together.”

“To do what?” Even Dash recoiled at the snarl in Twilight’s voice. “There’s nothing we can do. Maybe if we hadn’t come here to begin with, we could actually do something productive instead of huddling in this cave like fillies!”

“Oh, so you’re saying it’s my fault now?” said Dash.

“I couldn’t care less if you died screaming for your mommy while having your intestines ripped out by a pack of rabid timbrewolves,” said Twilight and out the corner of her eye, Dash could see Spitfire recoiling as though slapped. “I should have let you be killed by the pegasi you love so much.”

“And I shou-”

One second they were standing up, the next Dash found herself face first in the dirt, a scream being ripped from her throat. She immediately rolled over, trying desperately to block out sensation of the skin on her wings being flayed off. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she snapped her wings shut, the world around her going hazy for a split second as everything around her spun out of control. Then, on trembling legs, Dash stood up, knees threatening to buckle for the lightest breeze, but she stood up and stayed standing. And there before the mouth of the cave, lay a single pink alicorn, chest barely rising with each brea- Wait, that wasn’t a pink alicorn. Eyes wide, Dash raced over, shoving Twilight and Spitfire out of the way before skidding to a stop.

Blood.

It had soaked through her fur, turning it from white to pale red. Cuts littered her body, a wing completely ripped from its socket and who knows what else lay underneath the ice that encased parts of her body.

“Come on, we need to get her inside,” said Dash as she knelt down, gingerly taking on injured foreleg and wrapping it around her neck. “Stop staring and start helping!”

She could hear the cogs turning in their head, the silent question that was being asked, and they were idiots for even thinking about it to begin with. This alicorn, this pegasus with a freakish horn, she was her only ticket to getting her wings back, to getting the sky back. One of them had to live if she was to get her reward. And… well…

Respect.

It was really as simple as that. This thing fought for her, for all the peagsi, for everypony. She wasn’t going to gain anything, find anything, be rewarded for her actions, and before they had even turned up, if the alicorn had died, she wouldn’t even had been honored for her sacrifice. Death without acknowledgement. A small shudder ran down Dash’s back at that thought. Now this was a pony Dash could respect.

Twilight was the first to react, grabbing the other foreleg while Spitfire moved around help brace the torso. Together they began dragging the unconscious alicorn back to the cave, but before they even got halfway, a black bolt slammed into the cliff above their heads. All three of them threw themselves on top of the alicorn, shielding the body as bits of debris rained down around them. Then, out of the dust, a lone black alicorn tumbled out, hitting the ground with a sickening crack.

“No… Luna…” It was faint, barely audible above the howling breeze, but Dash could see the pain in the alicorn’s eyes.

The very next second, Dash found herself being flung back into the cave, a blue bubble wrapped around her as she bounced harmlessly along the ground. The last thing she saw before the cave entrance was sealed by ice was Candence standing above her fallen comrades, shards of ice pressing down on all sides as her shield flickered and wavered.

Then, there was only darkness as the cave entrance froze over.

It started off with a small flicker. Barely brighter than a burnt out candle, but it was there and it grew until it was a dull magenta glow. It was impossible to make out faces or shapes, but it was enough to tell the others were there with her. Trapped with those two or trapped alone, it was hard to say which was the worse fate.

“Twilight…” All that worry and tenderness, it made Dash sick.

“It’s fine, I’m fine, there’s nothing to worry about,” replied Twilight, but even Dash could hear the strain in her voice.

They just sat there in silence, dull explosions pounding against their skulls as the fight continued outside. A part of Dash wanted to be sick at the way Spitfire and Twilight were leaning against each other, but for once, she just didn’t have the energy. Plus, they were all going to die soon, if that’s how they wanted it to remembered, then go for it, but herself? She wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, doing what was right and now that was denied to her. First her wings and now this.

Her hoof slammed into the ground, startling the others, but Dash didn’t care. She was so close too! So fucking close. A place under her command, sure it was a small place, but it was on a map at least and the Wonderbolts already had an eye on her. All it took was another month, maybe two and she would have had it all. But no, she had to throw it all away. For what?

The worst part is, she’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

“Dash? I’m...” There was concern in Twilight’s voice, actual concern. “I’m so-”

“Finish that sentence and I will kill you.”

“Rainbow Dash, please, just…” Spitfire sighed. “I’d rather not have my last minute on this tartarian pit be an argument.”

“Whatever.”

Silence descended once more, awkward tension filling the air. The explosions outside stilled, tremors barely felt as the light from beyond the ice wall finally died down.

Spitfire was the one to voice what they were all thinking, “Do you think…?”

“That we won?” Twilight snorted and stood up, leaning heavily against Spitfire. “Since when has our life ever been easy?”

“An easy battle is one not worth fighting,” added Dash as she followed suite with a wince. “I suppose it time for us to kick some flank.”

There was a beat before Twilight chuckled and shook her head. “Sometimes, I can’t tell if you’re stupid or just insane.” Her grin suddenly turned feral. “Let’s do it.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but how do you expect to get out?” asked Spitfire from the ground.

“Um…” Twilight and Dash exchanged a look.

“That’s what I thought.” Despite everything, a small smile appeared on Spitfire’s face and from the way Twilight stiffened beside her, it was clear they both recognised that smile. Southern Star had given her that exact same smile as she lay on snow, arrow through the chest, drowning in her own blood even as Dash begged for her to stay.

Dash wasn’t an idiot, she knew what that look meant even if she never got it. Why would you give up on your life that easily? Fight for it! It was- To just give up, to welcome it like an old friend, well what about the actual friends? The ones who were alive, waiting for you to come back, to keep your promises!? Whether her leg was trembling from rage or weariness, it was anypony’s guess, but Dash stood there with her teeth clenched.

“Look, I’ve seen a lot, done a lot, and let’s be honest here, every other week we’re going on some dangerous mission. Sure, I’d prefer it if Rainbow Dash here was out and we were alone-” Dash gagged at that mental image. “-but there are worse ways to go. Come on, sit down.”

“Spitfire…”

“I’ll even tell you the story of the Battle of Blood River, it’s odd-”

“Oh yeah, I love that one, but I’m totally telling it,” said Dash. “What? Why are you looking at me like that? You’re looking at me, right? It’s kinda hard to tell in the dim light.”

“It’s a story about accepting death!”

“What? No it’s not, it’s about being totally awesome, kicking flank, and then going down in a blaze of glory. Crimson Skies was a total badass up to the last second and look at her now, remembered forever. She’s a celebration of everything right with the pegasi.”

“She’s a tool used to delude fools like you.” Spitfire sighed and shook her head. “Just like how the Wonderbolts and I were nothing more than tools to trick the public.”

“You’re a pony,” whispered Twilight.

“I know that now, but back then? Back then, I had my head in the clouds, riding the high of being the youngest Wonderbolt ever. Ha! I’m glad you set me straight.”

“All it took was the two of us almost dying.” Even though it wasn’t directed at her, the warmth in Twilight’s voice pushed the cold away. “You know, I came this close to killing you in your sleep on the first night. Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire, heavily wounded and falling asleep. It was like the sun had delivered your head to me on a platter.”

“Well, if I was alone with you, I’d have totally killed you,” said Dash before blinking at the scowls she got. “What? It’s a compliment!”

“How is that- Actually, I don’t even want to know,” said Twilight.

“Pegasus culture. One on one duels, front on assaults, no underhoofed tactics. To do anything less was to be a unicorn, for all pegasi are honorable.” Spitfire gave a bitter laugh. “If they’re willing to backstab you, kill you in your sleep or take you out from behind in the middle of a duel? Congratulations, they either completely hate you, or you’re that big of a threat.”

Twilight touched her horn. “Lucky me.”

“The unicorns are just as bad,” muttered Dash under her breath, but the others didn’t seem the hear. “But seriously, come on! You’re a bloody pegasus yourself.”

“Well mayb-” Whatever Spitfire was about to say was cut off as the sound of cracking ice echoed through the cave. “Okay, what was that?”

“Give me a sec-”

“Don’t you dare!”

But it was already too late. For a split second, light flood the room before Twilight screamed out in pain and collapsed clutching her head. Spitfire was immediately by her side, but it was pointless really. That fraction of a seconds was enough for Dash to see the frozen walls and ice that frozen ground. They wouldn’t die from starvation, they wouldn’t even die to suffocation. No, they’d die to the cold, frozen alive in blocks of ice just like the fighters outside at the base of the mountain.

“You stupid, stupid mare,” whispered Spitfire. “Why would you do that?”

All the response she got was a weak whimper.

“Shhhh… It’s fine, everything’s fine. Don’t worry, I’m here and I won’t leave, promise.” Dash laid her ears back, trying to block out whatever was being said and being done in the darkness, but it was impossible. “Would you like to hear a story? Would that help?”

Another pained whimper.

“Alright, well did I ever tell you about how Soarin and I got accepted into the Wonderbolts?” Despite everything, Dash found her ears perking up. “Sun knows why he was picked, but we were friends even back then and this happened on the day a blizzard hit - not that we knew that at the time. Anyways, this particular story started on a windy day with a blizzard just on the horizon and…”


“Come on, it’s just a bit further!” Spike landed on Applejack shoulder, yelling into her ear while using a wing to gesture what he hoped to be the ridge. “We need to hurry.”

“It’s too late sugarcube! We need to-” Whatever else she was said was drowned out by the blizzard, but Spike didn’t need her to finish that sentence. She wanted to turn back, to find shelter, to get out of the cold before they froze into solid popsicles. As much as he hated to admit it, even he was starting to feel the cold as it seeped through his scales, but he pushed it aside. His fire would burn for as long as it was needed.

A green flame shot into the air, casting light in all directions and through the thick snowfall, all they saw was empty fields. For a brief second there was silence before commotion broke out as orders rang through the air. They needed to go back - no, press forward - throw their hooves into the air and pray for a miracle?

Something within Spike snapped. He threw himself into the sky, air flooding his lungs before a roar exploded along with a gout of flame. Instant silence, not even an echo as the winds drowned out everything. He ignored the fear that rolled off of some of them as he wheeled around above them, getting a rough idea of how many there were. The answer? Far too many, and even if there was shelter in sight, there was no way they’d get there in time.

“Here’s the plan,” said Spike as he landed on Lyra’s shoulder. “Get all the unicorns who can cast fire magic, we need to carve out a cave in the snow.”

“What? That’s stu-”

“Do it,” hissed Spike, letting a hint of flames spark past his muzzle. “Either we die out there, or we get the slimmest chance of winning down there. Do you see any shelter anywhere near here? So start. Giving. Orders.”

The two stared at each other while those within earshot held their breath, but in the end, it was Lyra who backed down first. Turning around, she began yelling out orders and while there was a bit of hesitation at first, it was a very bad idea to try to out stare an unblinking dragon capable of burning a pony’s face off in less than a second.

“You’ll also need to have support beams every so often so don’t carve out enti-”

“Look dragon, I know what I’m doing, I’ve helped earth ponies build structures before, so why don’t you get lost before all the unicorns and I decide to rip your wings off,” snarled Lyra.

Spike took it all with an impassive face. “If we had immediately left instead of discussing it, we wouldn’t be in this predicament to begin with.” He turned to face Eclipse. “Forget the injured, forget the old, forget the young, get the adults in first.”

“...I’m sorry, but I cannot comply with that order.” It was almost like gazing into a warped mirror, the way Eclipse’s expression was emotionless and unreadable. “We are better than those monsters. We are better than animals. We have come this far without giving up our ideals, our morals, our dreams. I will not let us give up on those now.”

“If we don’t give them up then you’ll all die!”

“Then let us die. Some of us fought in wars, some of us have even been tortured, but we’ve all seen what evils desperate ponies are capable of committing. I won’t let us descend to their levels. The young and the old go in first along with the injured, then and only then, do we follow.” Eclipse broke his gaze away from Spike and swept it over those around them. “Got that?”

Though a couple looked like they wanted to argue, none of them so much as breathed in Eclipse’s direction. Finally, his gaze came back to Spike, and in them the drake found sadness.

“You know, I used to think you were what kept Twilight from crossing that line. Now? Now, I’m not so sure.” Dozen different replies jumped to mind, but as Spike opened his mouth to say them, they all died. In the end, Eclipse just turned away, barking orders like the drill sergeant he was.

Blowing a puff of fire out of his muzzle, Spike took the air once more, letting the wind toss him around as he went with the flow. The world twisted and turned around him, as he let that cold flow over him and sink into his scales. Normally he wouldn’t even feel it, but today it was a constant itch that he could not scratch, like a rock trapped between trapped between two shoulder scales. No matter how he flew, how he went with the wind, the knot would not unwind and with one final sigh, he plummeted back towards the earth.

He watched as they worked away, horns constantly aglow even through the snow as they carved out an underground cavern. Already ponies were being moved in, the injured gingerly being lowered into the rooms with the young being ushered in, trailing after promises of their favourite stories. Coming in at a gentle glide, he hit the ground with a stumble, ignoring the glares that were directed at him as they scrambled about to get everything done before they froze to death.

Already there were ponies collapsing to the ground, stumbling around as the cold took them under her wing. They were among the first to be taken to safety while the rest of them toiled away, waiting for there to be enough room below ground. It started off slow, barely audible over the howling wind, the faintest of hums that flowed through his scales like liquid fire.

I set my sail;
Fly, the wind it will take me
Back, to my home, sweet home

A couple of pegasi, no more than a dozen sung, but it quickly spread through the crowd, the tune picked up by the other pegasi and as Spike dropped down into the entrance, he watched as a couple of unicorns perk up at the tune. A couple even paused, head cocked to the side as they hummed along with it and then the one beside Spike raised her head and joined in even as they continued their work.

Lie on my back Lie on my back
Clouds are making way for me Clouds are making way for me
Back, to my home, sweet home Back, to my home, sweet home

Spike could only stare, eyes blinking as he watched these ponies sing. Just… sing. They worked, they sang, they hummed, and all the while the injured kept coming in. The young, the old, the lovers and the crippled. Dimly, he was aware of sobbing as another pony passed away, unable to take the cold any more, but he felt his wings locked in place, legs glued to the ground.

“You don’t get it, do you?”

Spike looked up questioningly at Eclipse.

“We’re ponies.”

It was as though he expected that to explain everything. ‘We’re ponies’. What kind of answer was that! And yet… Even he had to admit there was something here, something different, something he would not have been able to comprehend no matter how long he lived. Would dragons have ever done this? Would gryphons? Singing in the face of death, singing in defiance. An amused snort escaped.

I see your star, Build that wall and I see your star,
You left it burning for me; Build it strong, cause You left it burning for me;
Mother, I’m here We’ll be there before too long Mother, I’m here

“Bloody ponies indeed,” muttered Spike.

Eyes open wide, Eyes open wide, I dig my hole, you build a wall
Feel your heart and it's glowing Feel your heart and it's glowing I dig my hole, you build a wall
I'm welcome home, sweet home I'm welcome home, sweet home One day that wall is gonna fall

I take your hand, I take your hand, Gonna build that wall up to the sky
Now you'll never be lonely Now you'll never be lonely Gonna build that wall up to the sky
Not when I'm home, sweet home Not when I'm home, sweet One day your bird is gonna fly

I see your star, Build that wall and I see your star,
You left it burning for me; Build it strong, cause You left it burning for me;
Mother, I’m here We’ll be there before too long Mother, I’m here