//------------------------------// // 117. The Frozen North // Story: Tales of the Oppressed // by Terran34 //------------------------------// “Now, I want you to remember what I've showed you,” Iron tells me firmly, his face stern and focused. He hunches his body down and scuffs at the ground, letting me know he's getting ready for a charge. “This time, I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to do. Study my movements and predict.” “Okay,” I say, nodding in assent. I lower myself into a defensive stance that Iron helped me devise, where both arms are outstretched. My left hand is spread out before me, palm held open, and my fingers loose. This, as Iron instructed me, is the hand I'm primarily going to use for guarding and redirecting. My right hand is held upwards, clenched into a fist. This one is meant for retaliation. Of course, this is all just for the initial clash. After that, I'm allowed to use each hand in either role depending on the situation. On the sides of the room, the others watch, as they have been the whole time. Rainbow and Swift sit together at the one table, while Salamul sits alone at the other. Crimson, this whole time, has been pounding away at the anvil, the heat from the forge causing beads of sweat to roll down her face. Iron doesn't give me any more warning. He breaks into a gallop, quickly closing the distance between us. As I've been taught, my eyes track his movements as he strafes from place to place, which he once told me was so he could throw his enemies off until the last moment. As I watch, Iron switches which hoof is leading, telling me exactly what angle he's going to attack from. The moment he leaps, I swiftly move my left hand to intercept his swinging right hoof. My palm stings from the impact, even as I hook my right arm beneath his leg. Pivoting on my right heel, I completely turn my body and throw Iron the other direction using his own momentum against him. Iron lets out a pleased grunt and lands on all four hooves on the other side of the room. Panting, I watch him, wondering if he's coming for me again. “Excellent. You have a long way to go, but this is a decent start,” he compliments me, cracking his neck. I nod, but scoff a little. I can tell that even despite his praise, Iron has been pulling his punches this whole time. It's honestly a little terrifying. For the first time, I start to wonder...if it came to blows between Shining Armor and Iron, who would win? “Let's stop there for now. If we still have time, we'll try again once you've had time to rest.” “Thanks. Where did you learn to fight like that? You and Salamul...you're both ridiculous,” I inquire, moving over to Iron near the edge of the room, just beside an area where the weapons are being stored. Coincidentally, we're right next to Iron's shield and trident, as well as Salamul's crimson axe. Iron's eyes harden at the question. “My father taught me the basics. The rest I was forced to pick up for myself,” he reveals to me. Huh. I suppose that's the most personal thing he's ever told me, though that's not really saying much. “On Bleak Island, you learn through experience, if you're lucky.” “And if you're not lucky?” I have to ask, even though I know I probably won't like the answer. “Then you die,” Iron tells me plainly, not bothering to sugarcoat it for me. Hah, I figured it would be something like that. Bleak Island sounds like one hardcore place. I'm just gonna make a mental note never to visit the place. “Sheesh,” I retort, a sentiment to which Iron agrees, judging from the way he's nodding. Just as I start to move back over to where Rainbow and Swift are, Applejack comes walking in through the door, wearing her armor once more. “What's up, Applejack?” “There y'all are. The feller in charge o' steerin' the ship sent me to let y'all know were almost there,” Applejack says, addressing all of us. Everypony looks up at that, and an air of serious drops over the room. “We'll be there in about an hour.” “Alright, you heard the mare. Everyone get suited up,” Iron tells us all, heading to the armory rack, where his armor and weapons are waiting for him. Salamul moves to join him, and even Crimson sets down her hammer and powers down the forge. “Where are the others, Applejack?” I ask the farm pony as I grab my jacket from the table, slinging it on. It's only warm right now because of the engine beneath us and the forge nearby. Outside, it's going to be cold as fuck. If we're almost there, we should be in the frozen north now. “S'far as ah know, they're up on deck. Least Trixie is. Ah dunno 'bout Pterax,” Applejack answers, adjusting her hat. “Ah'm about to head up there mahself.” “Me too. We're gonna go and get those gates open. It'll be easy!” Rainbow declares bravely, clenching one hoof. “Right Seth?” “Yeah, sure, let's go with that. I don't even know what this place looks like yet,” I say with a shrug. Honestly, I figured we were just going to wing it once we got there, but now I'm starting to get anxious. I guess I'll use this hour to think up a decent plan. We've got to get in ourselves somehow without getting spotted, and that'll be impossible if we don't know the place well enough. Which we don't. “I'm sure I'll think of something. Anyway, go on ahead. I'm gonna stay here, finish my drink, and grab myself a new weapon.” By drink, I mean the cup of water on the table that I just hijacked. “That was my drink, but okay,” Swift retorted, joining Rainbow and Applejack by the door. I give another shrug and take a long drink from it. Well, she wasn't finishing it, so I figured I might as well. “I'll see you on deck, commander.” “Try not to take too long,” Rainbow teases me, and then the three of them depart, leaving me with the two warlords and the smith. I set the cup down once it's empty and join Iron and Salamul by the racks on the wall. The two of them are lifting their individual suits of armor down from the racks and strapping them on with their magic, their individual auras casting a small glow around them. Salamul's armor, unlike the majority of the Islanders, is a dark, blood red, matching the color of his axe. A question comes to my mind when I glance over at Iron's weapon. “You know, I've always been curious,” I say, turning away from the racks to address Iron, who is currently strapping on his helmet. Once I have his attention, I indicate his weapon. “I've literally never seen anypony use a trident in battle. Why is your weapon so different from the other Islanders?” Iron nods at the question, as if he'd heard it before. “My weapon, as well as my brother's, are what we call the Storm Regalia, the unique treasures of Bleak Island. There are no other weapons like them, and only we can wield them,” he reveals, lifting up his trident with his magic. I quirk an eyebrow at that. What does that mean? Why wouldn't a normal pony be able to use it? “Huh, so what, they're like, legendary weapons?” I question, taking a step closer. Iron nods wordlessly, allowing me to inspect the trident. I reach a hand towards it curiously. “You mind if I...?” “If you wish,” Iron responds, setting the trident down on the table. He and Salamul both watch me as I approach the weapon, lowering my hand towards the haft. The moment my hand gets within a few inches of the haft, lightning visibly arcs from the silvery metal and shocks the fuck out of my hand. “Ah, fuck!” I curse, withdrawing my hand, where there's now a faint red circle of lightly burned skin on my palm. Iron nods, not looking surprised at all. “What the hell? Your weapon has an attitude problem.” “As I said, only we can wield these weapons. No other can lay a hoof on them,” Iron finishes. Huh...I guess that's what he meant. My palm stings a little, but it's fading away. No doubt that if I actually touched the thing, I might have burned my fucking hand off. Sheesh, that thing is hardcore. “Now, if your curiosity is assuaged, perhaps you should be joining with the rest of your team.” Yeah, I guess I've lingered here long enough. I return my gaze to the weapon rack and quickly making a decision, pulling down a sword of similar make to my previous one. It comes with its own scabbard, thankfully, so I'm able to fasten it around my waist through the loops Rarity helpfully stitched into the waistline. There. Now I can fight the Oppressed again. This time, I'm not going to lose it. “T-Trixie is f-f-freezing!” Trixie stammers out through gritted teeth. I roll my eyes as I walk out on deck. I notice that she, unlike Applejack and Rainbow, is wearing a set of thick winter clothes that she must have found below decks somewhere. We've been flying for almost a day now, so it's already starting to get dark...though I doubt I'm going to get any sleep tonight. “Ah'll agree, it's a little nippy,” Applejack admits, shivering a little herself. “Ain't too bad though. Ain't worse than workin' the farm on a cold winter day.” “I've gone flying through worse! Pony up, Trixie!” Rainbow brags, seizing the moment to nudge Trixie smugly, much to the unicorn's annoyance. Yeah, it's just as cold as I'd expected. I button the jacket I'm wearing together in a rather vain attempt to keep out the cold. To Rarity's credit, it does help to keep me warm, but I wish I'd have brought a scarf or something. “You there...changeling. Aren't you cold as well?” Trixie turns to Pterax for help in her plight, all while hugging herself with her hooves. Pterax just gives her a blank stare, and then turns into a small polar bear with a green flash. Trixie blinks, and then moans. “That's just not fair!” “Oh hey, Seth's here now!” Rainbow finally notices me, making room for me to join her in their little circle. “Finally,” Swift groans, rubbing her face with her hooves. “Commander, please come here and put an end to this nonsense.” I join the circle...and then I turn to Pterax and gesture emphatically at him with both hands. “What...how is that a bear? That's way too small to be any kind of bear,” I criticize him, more for the purpose of annoying Swift rather than out of any problem with Pterax's form. Pterax blinks, and then he grows in size slightly, tilting his head at me. I chuckle when I hear Swift groan again. “Hah, that's more like it. That is a proper bear.” “Seth, what in tarnation are you talkin' about?” Applejack calls me out on my bullshit, smiling despite her confusion. “I dunno, really. I'm just trying to see how far I can get before Swift gets an aneurism,” I retort. Swift's immediate response is to practically fall over, while Applejack and Rainbow snicker at her expense. “Anyway, let's get serious. Where are we right now? I'm assuming we're close, considering.” “We're a little ways out from Everwinter.” A griffon lands amongst us, a light dusting of snow covering his feathers. I recognize him as one of the griffons who've been at the helm. He clicks his beak and leads us to the edge of the ship, pointing his wing. “My orders are to put us down in the foothills of the mountains, to keep out of sight of their sentries.” Over the edge of the ship, we can see Everwinter in the distance. I can tell that's the place because of the large stone walls surrounding it...that somehow were built in the space of a week. Fucking magic. The little dots circling above the town are likely undead pegasi or griffons serving as sentries, though I can't tell how many there are due to the dimming light. As for us, we're flying through the craggy peaks of the mountains, as it's the safest way to travel without being detected by the enemy's scouts (if they even have any). In the distance, far to the west of Everwinter, I can see the blizzard Gale mentioned raging like a wall of roiling solid white. I mean, it's snowing right now, but nowhere near that much. Yeah, anyone that goes anywhere near that is going to freeze...unless you're Chrysalis. “That's correct. The Bleak Island forces will be disembarking in the foothills,” Salamul confirms the griffon's words, stepping out on deck with Iron and Crimson close behind him. He's all suited up now. That bulky crimson armor plus his similarly colored horned helmet makes him an imposing presence on the airship. “We will be on standby until you return to tell us it's safe, Seth.” “Got it. Ideally, we can slip in, disengage the locking mechanism on the gate, and slip out with the undead being none the wiser,” I respond, rubbing my chin and looking over at the town. Behind me, Applejack and Rainbow exchange glances, and then look back to me. “Exercise caution. Remember that our ultimate victory relies upon your survival,” Iron reminds me. “We need you to fight King Sombra.” “I know that. Trust me, I'm not gonna go in there and fuck things up on purpose. This isn't the first time I've been on an infiltration mission,” I answer him impatiently. Of course, I'm referring to the time during the changeling invasion, when Rainbow and I sprang Iron from solitary. The only difference is now my opponents are dumber and I have a lot more ponies backing me up. “I guess all that's left now is to wait.” “That's right. We'll let you off once we've found a place to set her down. In the meantime, it's about to be my turn at the helm,” the griffon informs us, soon leaving us alone in the area. Behind us, the Islanders are emerging from below decks and forming ranks without need for much direction. I guess that's just another testament to their experience. There isn't much conversation between us all during the short time we have before it's time to begin the mission. Well, apart from Trixie griping about the cold and Rainbow snickering about it behind her, despite her own shivering frame. Talk about winter all they want, they're still cold. It's the fucking frozen north. The ship comes alive with activity once the griffon at the helm announces that we've reached our destination. Griffons fly to and from different locations on the deck, making the preparations necessary to land the airship. The engine rumbles and hums beneath our feet as the ship starts to descend into a small valley. Despite Everwinter being a little ways from here, they have to land this far away to avoid being spotted. Once I feel us land, the griffons lower a gangplank, allowing everypony to disembark. As for me, I leap right over the side, lithely landing on my feet at the bottom of the valley. My feet sink well over a foot into the snow, to the point where I almost slip and fall. “Sheesh, I don't think I've ever seen so much snow before,” I comment, shivering. Rainbow and Pterax fly down next to me, though Pterax quickly resumes his polar bear form. The warmth aside, I'd never be able to see Pterax if I didn't know he was there. “Golly, ah feel like ah'm swimmin' in it all,” Applejack agrees as she steps into the snow. Trixie balks a little just behind her, but staggers down as well when Swift impatiently gives her a little shove. Above us, Iron and Salamul take command of their troops, leading them down the ramp now that we, the infiltration team, have finished using it. “Okay, let's get going. Nothing good can come from waiting,” I say once all six of us have gathered in one place. Without waiting for an answer, I plod through the snow towards the direction of Everwinter. Rainbow and Pterax easily keep pace with me, and the other three doggedly push on just behind me. I can't say that I blame them for having difficulty. This snow makes it difficult to move very fast. “Do you have a plan?” Swift asks from behind me. Honestly, I don't have a clue. All I know is that we're supposed to get inside somehow, get the gates open, and then get out without raising the alarm. That's easier said than done. But..I'm guessing Swift wants something concrete. I guess I'll fake it. “For right now, let's focus on getting as close as we can without getting seen. From there, we'll analyze the situation and decide on a course of action then,” I respond with false confidence. However, it seems to work, because Swift doesn't raise any objections. We soon leave the clearing behind. The Islanders are following slowly, I think, though I doubt they're going to leave the safety of the foothills until our task is done. As of right now, we're passing through a set of rocky cliffs, upon which heaps of snow are piled perilously. We're in a mountainous area, and there's snow everywhere. No doubt avalanches are common. After at least half an hour of walking, I spot a ridge up ahead that looks down upon the town of Everwinter. It looks to offer us some concealment as well. Getting the attention of the others, I direct us to the ridge. “Everypony get down, and keep your voices low. We're as close as we're going to get without being seen,” I order them, flopping down on the snow, wincing at the feeling of the cold snow against my clothes. Goddamn, I really need to think Rarity for this jacket. Not only is it warm, but it's also white. I hear the sounds of the other ponies grunting as they do the same, though I hear a whine from Trixie as she feels the snow sink into her fur. Ignoring her, I peer over the ridge at the town. All I can see of Everwinter are the large stone walls easily reaching around thirty feet. What I didn't notice from the map is that there's a frozen river running around the front of it, making the approach perilous for anyone approaching on foot or hoof. As far as the gates are concerned, they're made of thick and sturdy wood and reinforced with chains. I don't know how they built it so fast, but that gate isn't going down without one hell of a battering ram. No wonder we were sent here. Above the town itself are several circling undead pegasi and griffons, numbering around ten. That makes approaching the place without getting seen even more dangerous. Not to mention, there doesn't even seem to be any other entrance that all of us can access. There look to be some side doors, but I bet they're locked tight. I can't just break my way in with magic, as that would make too much noise. If we want to get out of this without being discovered, we have to do this the old fashioned way. All of these difficulties serve to make me realize exactly how difficult of a task I've been given. Why did Celestia think I was capable enough to handle a mission like this? The better question is, why did she think I'd be able to command? These troubling thoughts almost make me start to hyperventilate. “Commander? What are your orders?” Swift addresses me in a low whisper. Okay okay, I need to calm down. If I think about this rationally, I should be able to come up with some kind of strategy. Firstly, what are my assets? Rainbow's extremely fast and maneuverable. No doubt the low visibility of the night and snow wouldn't slow her down much. Applejack is sturdy and packs a hell of a buck, but that doesn't serve me well until we get inside. Pterax can transform...hm...I remember the changelings taking the form of the undead back at the battle for Cloudsdale. I can most certainly make use of that. Trixie has illusion and powerful magic, though I'm not certain what kinds of illusions she can do. Lastly, Swift is good at tactics herself, and she is fairly capable with her weapon. “Okay, we're running mostly blind here. I need to know where the undead are, what all the possible entrances are, and most importantly, the location of our objective,” I start off, having an inkling of an idea. “Rainbow, how good are you at staying out of sight?” “I can do a good job of hiding if I need to,” Rainbow boasts, keeping her voice quiet. Applejack turns her head and gives her a wry stare. “Ya mean like how when it comes time to work, yer nowhere ta be found?” Applejack quips, causing Rainbow to swipe at her with her hoof. While that is funny, we don't have time for that. “Not helping Applejack,” I snap. Applejack murmurs an apology, but I'm already looking back at Rainbow. “Do you think you can take a quick flight around the town? What we need right now is information, and you're the only one that can do it.” Even as Rainbow puffs herself up with pride at my words, Pterax tilts his head in confusion. “Why wouldn't you send me? I can take the form of an undead myself and fly close,” the changeling suggests. “I figured you could, but even with that, undead stick out like a sore thumb against this snow, and I'm pretty sure even a brainless undead would find the sight of a single other undead flying in from out here strange,” I reason. “You say that as if you think the undead are capable of thinking that well,” Pterax scoffs. “Trust me, they won't know the difference.” “How about no? You may be right, but I'm not about to take that chance,” I return. Pterax doesn't seem convinced, but he does back down. I don't know enough about the capabilities of the undead, so I'm not making any assumptions. “Can you do it, Rainbow?” “Darn right I can. You're trusting the right pony!” Rainbow whispers enthusiastically. She's about to take off, but I reach out and grab her by the tail. “What the...” “Not yet, idiot,” I snap at her. There's still one more issue I need to address. “Trixie, can you do something about Rainbow's appearance?” “Excuse me?” Both Rainbow and Trixie respond at the same time, making me groan. I think this is a good idea, but it's hard to explain. “You said you had some skill with illusions. Can you make it so that Rainbow is harder to spot amidst the snow?” I reiterate. Understanding dawns in their faces as my point finally gets across. “You mean camouflage? Such spells are foals play for the Gr...for Trixie,” Trixie responds confidently, noticeable stuttering mid sentence for some reason. Whatever, it's probably not important. Her horn starts to light up...causing Rainbow to back away from her. “Whoa whoa, nopony said anything about spellcasting. What exactly are you going to do?” Rainbow questions nervously. Trixie smirks, saying absolutely nothing, even when she casts the spell at Rainbow. Rainbow yelps as the spell hits her, and the changes immediately start to make themselves apparent. “What...what's happening?” Rainbow's cyan fur seems to lose color, slowly turning paler. Her mane undergoes the same effect, until finally Rainbow is a pure white pony, blending in easily to the snow of the ridge. The only way we can see her is because she's so close. “Genius. Good thinkin', Seth,” Applejack compliments me, with Swift nodding in agreement. Rainbow looks down at herself and yelps. “I'm white! What is this?” Rainbow exclaims, pulling at her fur restlessly. “I look like that Mist pony. This isn't permanent, right?” “Sadly not. Trixie thinks you're much more pleasant to look at now,” Trixie retorts, causing a vein to twitch in Rainbow's forehead. “It's a simple camouflage spell. Your body will change in color to reflect the environment upon which you are currently in.” “Good. Now get going, Rainbow. Find out as much as you can, and for the love of God, don't get yourself caught,” I order her before she can snap back at Trixie. Rainbow nods and breathes out, as if mentally preparing herself. When she looks back at me, it's with a confident smile. “I got this. I'll be back before you know it. Wait for me, okay?” she declares. Without another word, she turns and launches herself off the top of the ridge, flying a low path along the snowy ground. It isn't long before her white coat blends completely into the background, making it impossible to see her. “And now we wait,” I say with a heavy sigh. I hope she'll be alright. As we sit here, I start to become aware of another problem. We're all fucking cold, and we're in the frozen north. Despite our bravado, we're all shivering. Which means there's only really one way to keep ourselves warm. “Pterax, become the polar bear again, and get in the middle of us.” Pterax quickly shifts, becoming a normal sized polar bear. He bemusedly does what I told him, lowering himself down on the ground between Trixie and I. “Any particular reason I'm doing this?” Pterax questions. Before I answer, I reach over and grasp Applejack, much to her surprise. I then drag her over to me, earning a yelp from the farmer pony. “Huddle close to each other. It's not getting any warmer, and the last thing we need is any of us getting frostbite,” I order them. I hear sounds of understanding from the others. Pterax even shifts again into a larger polar bear with longer fur, now that he understands my meaning. Applejack and I huddle together up against Pterax, his warmth providing some relief. “Swift, huddle up with Trixie and get yourself as close to the bear as possible. And I don't want to hear any complaints from either of you, got it?” “Yes, commander.” “...Trixie understands.” With that, we all fall silent, pressing ourselves up against Pterax to keep warm. I never thought I would be grateful to have this changeling on my team, but right now he's keeping us all as warm as we're gonna get. I keep my eyes on the town, watching the flying undead for any differences in their flight patterns. If Rainbow gets caught (which is a possibility), then I want to know as soon as possible so we can go to plan B...which I have yet to think of. Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be any sign of a disturbance just yet. “Trixie, what else can you do with those illusions?” I decide to ask now. All we're doing is waiting, so now's the time to discuss this. “Is it possible to disguise us once we're inside?” “Disguise? Er...” Trixie seems taken off guard, looking a little uncertain. “It's possible, though it's an extremely difficult spell...” “If you can't do it, just say so. We can afford to bet on maybes,” I tell her flatly. Trixie looks offended by that, but I couldn't care less. “Trixie never said she couldn't do it. It just requires a bit of planning,” Trixie returns indignantly. “Keeping just one of you disguised would be simple, but if Trixie needs to disguise you all, you would all need to be close to Trixie for her to keep the spell active.” “How close?” I ask her. Trixie ponders hard for a moment before responding. “Trixie believes she can keep the spell active within a radius of ten meters,” Trixie answers. Hm...ten meters. That's a bit of a limitation, but I should be able to work with that. I look over to Pterax. “Pterax, you're our trump card. You don't need an illusion spell to keep yourself disguised. Thus, the hard jobs are likely going to go to you,” I warn him. Pterax give a bearlike grunt, letting me know he understands. “I'll come up with the specifics once I hear from Rainbow.” We fall into silence once more, waiting for our scout to return. I can't even tell you how anxious I am becoming, as more time passes. It feels like hours are passing, even though I know it's only been a few minutes. You cannot imagine my relief when Rainbow lands on the ridge with the sound of fluttering wings. Her eyes are wide and she's panting, though not from fatigue. “And back...whew, that was too close,” Rainbow emits, wiping away sweat from her brow. She then notices our position. “Uh...what are you all doing? Why are you hugging a bear?” “Trying not to get frostbite, smartass,” I retort, though I feel like a weight's been lifted from my chest now that she's back safe. “Did you manage to get back here without getting seen?” “I think so...though it was close. I am so glad the spell turned me black when I was up against the top of the wall,” Rainbow expresses. “I thought that one dead guy was gonna see me.” “Well, I don't hear an alarm, and the sentries are still flying normally, so I'll believe you,” I say, and then I pat the ground beside me. Rainbow sits down there, wincing at the cold feeling of the snow on her body. “What did you find out?” “There's...um...a lot of undead. Like, a lot,” Rainbow reveals, much to our dismay. “I don't have a number, but I think it's safe to say the Islanders are outnumbered three to one.” “Huh, so an estimated twelve hundred,” I calculate in my head, wincing at that number. “ I certainly hope Salamul knew what the fuck he was signing up for when he volunteered for this mission. I don't care how good they are...twelve hundred is still a lot. Rainbow, are they all gathered in the town?” “More or less. There's this big building in the center that I don't think used to be there, because it's all stony like the walls. A lot of 'em in are in there,” Rainbow answers. Hm, so standard castle layout. There are four walls surrounding a keep. Usually taking the keep would mean victory, but in this case, we have to wipe out all undead. “The gates look like we can get 'em open if we go to the gatehouse that's like, right next to them.” I nod my head at the mention of a gatehouse. That makes sense. That means that's our objective. Which just leaves one more thing to take care of. “What about entrances? Did you see any way for us to get in?” I question her further. “Sort of? Everything's locked up tight, but the windows on the upper levels are open,” Rainbow explains. “But that wouldn't exactly work for all of us.” “No, but it's a start. If you, Pterax, Trixie, and I can get up there, we should be able to get down to one of the side doors and let in Applejack and Swift,” I reason. Trixie blinks. “Trixie is...a little curious how you plan to get her through one of those high windows,” Trixie asks, looking as if she doesn't really want to hear the answer. I give her a stare. “I'm carrying you of course. Out of all the ponies here, we need you with us. Whether you realize it or not, you're one of the most important ponies on this mission,” I tell her honestly. Trixie flushes a little, but nods nervously. “One last thing. Rainbow, are there any defenses you saw?” “Yeah. There are ballistae on the walls, and there are these two pots set into the wall above the gates. They look to be controlled by this lever at the top of the wall,” Rainbow reveals. Well, that's a problem. Those ballistae need to be taken care of, and that goes double for the fucking pots of what is no doubt oil. “Okay. So let's go over this one more time. Our objectives are to get in, disable the defenses, open the gates, and then get out before we're caught,” I summarize. “I'm taking Trixie and the fliers through the upper windows. Once we're inside, I'm going to send Pterax to take out the defenses, because he doesn't need to be near Trixie for the spell to work.” “What spell?” Rainbow asks in confusion. “We're going to be disguised as other undead. It won't be glamorous, but it should work.” That's a big should there, but unless any of them have a better idea, this is the only plan we've got. “While Pterax does his work, the three of us are going to open up a side door and let in Applejack and Swift. Then we'll meet up at the gatehouse and get those gates open.” “After that is the hard part,” Swift correctly surmises. I nod grimly. “Yeah. We'll have to make sure they can't just close the gates again. Which means breaking the mechanism and getting the hell out of dodge before they find us,” I finish. “That's the plan. Any questions?” “Not really a question...but there's a tiny little detail that I may have forgotten to mention,” Rainbow admits, shuffling her hooves nervously. Oh god, please tell me this won't be something that'll wreck my whole plan. “...what?” I ask despite my trepidation. “I saw General Mist inside the building in the center,” Rainbow reveals. I stare at her in silence for a few seconds, and then I groan. “Well, shit,” I curse, pounding the snow with my fist. “Things just got a lot more complicated.”