Frostknife's harbor echoed with noise and bedlam.
Along the walkways, earth ponies galloped. Through the air, pegasi and griffons glided swiftly. Even in the cold waters far below, schools of seaponies swam in multicolored waves towards the steep bluffs of the jagged inlet's northernmost point.
Above all of this, a lone griffon flapped his wings, weaving in and out of dense air traffic. Raptr panted for breath, slipping on his helmet in mid-flight. His armor jostled as he hurried towards the upper lengths of the frozen bluffs. Walkways converged on the lofty position of the Court of Verlaxion, and every square inch was covered in workers, traders, politicians, secretaries—countless citizens all clambering to catch a single glimpse of the scene transpiring just beyond the lotus trees and cold doorways to the chamber.
A wall of armored guardians formed a living chain. Together they staunchly held back the sea of loud, curious, angry Rohbreddenites. Raptr flew up to the barrier, showed his badge, and was allowed past with a nod and a salute.
Within seconds, he was surrounded by noise and commotion. The Council of Verlaxion were in full attendance—and then some. Every single seat of the Court was filled, and various delegates even stood on the sidelines, occupying the edges of the frosted courtyard.
Raptr blinked. A familiar voice echoed against his helmet, and he gasped.
"Commander...?"
Squinting from where he hovered, the Sergeant caught sight of two figures standing in the middle of the court before Hymmnos' podium—with hundreds upon hundreds of eyes plastered on them.
Raptr's hawkeyes twitched. Before he could produce another confused thought—
"Sergeant." It was Windburst.
Raptr glanced down. He took a full five seconds before locating the other guardian within the crowd. On gently gliding wings, the young rookie touched down, joining Windburst in the Court's sidelines.
"What in Verlaxion's name is going on?!" Raptr stammered. "I was checking on Longaze's cell when I heard about an impromptu session."
"Never mind that crazy horse," Windburst droned. He nodded his helmet towards the center of the court. "We've caught ourselves an Ace."
"My goddess..." Raptr wheezed, wincing. "Is... is that Brye Chandler?"
"Mmmhmmm." Windburst gravely nodded, hawkeyes glaring. "Seraphimus personally carried his rich flank all the way from the shoreline."
"No way. Did... did she have permission from the Council?"
"Nope." Windburst shook his head. "Arrested him without warrant."
"But... she'd need probable cause."
"Didn't stop the Council from meeting per her arrival."
"When did she get here?"
"Two hours ago. She's been grilling Chandler before the Council ever since."
"Windigoes on fire..." Raptr gulped. "You... you think the Commander knows what she's doing?"
"Yes." Windburst nodded. "But I don't know if she has much more to bank on than her own trustworthiness."
"That's... not very reassuring," Raptr said. He caught a glint of metal out the corner of his eye and looked aside. "...you have your crossbow drawn?"
"Mmmhmmm."
Raptr clenched his beak tight. "May I ask why?"
"This place is like a pressure cooker," Windburst droned. He gazed up at the rows and rows of filled seats. Above the ampitheatrical layers, tanks bubbled, full of anxious sea ponies communicating with one another via telepathic strobes. "All it takes is one shove and this place could go off like a powder keg."
"Yeah, no kidding."
"In a situation such as this, it's the highest priority that we protect the Grand Magistrate's life at all costs."
"Right. Got it." Raptr nodded. "Shhhh... please. I wanna hear what case the Commander's making..."
As both guardians of the Talon listened in, Seraphimus paced between Hymmnos' podium and a thoroughly windblown Chandler.
"...it was then that the mare known as Longaze—who now resides within the deepest hold of the Frozen Shelves to be tried for her crimes in Braum—related to me the details of her tasks in Ivory Prefecture and abroad." Seraphimus scuffled to a stop on the cold stone courtyard. Her glaring eyes swam across the gawking Council. "Beyond her clerical responsibilities to Brye Chandler, Longaze was personally tasked with chasing down the Rainbow Rogue and bringing her before the Council in the name of the Shoreline Trade Consortium. It was Chandler's desire to claim responsibility for the capture of the creature from beyond the Blight, in hopes that it would advance his political gains. To this effect, he gave Longaze full authorization to utilize any and all resources of the Shoreline Trade Consortium, along with the express permission from the corporate executive to operate outside the boundaries of the law. I believe this was the impetus Longaze needed to torture citizens of Braum in Steamfall and threaten even more ponies with her unwarranted attack on the local village."
The crowd broke into stronger gasps and murmurs.
Magistrate Vilcheez fiddled with a diamond necklace from where she sat along the crowded steps. Her lips hung open in anxious thought.
Chandler merely rolled his eyes, positioning his weight from where he stood in shackles behind the Commander.
Seraphimus continued, her booming voice echoing off the cold white statues flanking the steps to Verlaxion's Throne: "When the Consortium representatives of Steamfall were approached about the crisis at Braum, they denied any culpability. And yet, the tortured citizens missing from Sarda's village were discovered in the Consortium's very own warehouse, bound against their will. All survivors testified Longaze as being the one responsible for their maltreatment. When confronted about this, the employees of Steamfall ultimately acknowledged the presence of Longaze at their facility just hours prior to the attack on the neighboring village of Braum. However, when questioned about Longaze's purpose in Steamfall to begin with, they claimed ignorance."
Vilcheez suddenly blurted: "For heaven's sake..." The mare flung a hoof, frowning. "The Right Talon of Verlaxion interrupted a Month of Thawing Communion for this?! All of this evidence is circumstantial at best!"
"Yes!" Another magistrate stood up, barking: "Where is the physical evidence to support Chandler's agency in these crimes?!"
"Sounds to us as though his employee acted alone—"
Hymmnos slammed her gavel, frowning. "Will the Magistrates of the Prefectures please exercise patience and restraint?!" She pointed beyond the podium. "There will come a time for cross-examining the case, with full consideration of the facts involved. However, for the time being, Commander Seraphimus has to complete her presentation."
The air filled with dull muttering.
Taking a deep breath, Hymmnos looked at the griffon. "Commander, please... for the sake of the Council and my sanity... tell me that you have more for us to go on."
Seraphimus nodded. "I do, Grand Magistrate." She paced in a wide half-circle before the seats. "After questioning Longaze in Braum, I flew south along the shoreline prefectures, investigating every Consortium trade depot and clerk's office I could find!" She threw her voice so that every Magistrate—even the delegates in the highest seats—could hear her without fail. "I interrogated high ranking members of Chandler's Corporation. Prefecture after Prefecture, I was exposed to extensive financial reports detailing the transfer of money to unnamed departments within the company. These corresponded with shipments of raw dredge coal ore funneled eastward and into the heart of Central Rohbredden over the course of the past year and a half. While I found evidence of such money and ore being delivered in large quantities, the Consortium possessed no existing documentation of the materials being received."
"What are you trying to imply?!" Vilcheez blurted again. "That the Consortium has been losing assets due to clerical error?!" Hymmnos' gavel banged, but she managed to get a few last words in: "A company that big?! It's only a natural error!"
"But it is no error, Magistrate," Seraphimus said, glaring icily into the crowd. "In fact, I do believe the Consortium has been transporting money and ore into unmarked destinations for a purpose." She took a deep breath, facing Hymmnos' podium again. "And that purpose is to supply the insurgents and terrorists of Central Rohbredden of the resources they need to commit arson and sieges all across our Prefectures."
It was difficult to hear Seraphimus' last sentence from the roar of commotion angrily thundering across the domain. Even outside the walls of the Court—where citizens crowded against the lines of guards—mad outbursts could be heard at varying decibels.
"Are you insane?!"
"He's an outstanding citizen of Rohbredden!"
"A very model of a foal of Verlaxion!"
"How could a Continentalist turn against his own kin?!"
"Lies... the Talon shouldn't have ventured beyond the Shoreline! Now they're poisoned by Colonialist propaganda!"
"Have we become the Seven Seas now?!"
The angry chatter reached a boiling point. Windburst and Raptr silently glanced at one another.
"Order!" Hymmnos hollered, gnashing her teeth. She slammed the gavel louder and louder. "Order! I will have order in my Court—!"
Seraphimus' voice raised, swallowing up the noise of the crowd in its righteous fury. "Brye Chandler has betrayed his own kind!" She glared into the ponies surrounding them. "While you esteemed delegates have fought and squabbled uselessly with each other, wringing the blessed Court of Verlaxion of all wisdom and sincerity, venomous vipers like Chandler has slithered in to devour what's left innocent and unprotected in our very own nests! He's been using money and dredge coal to sow strife just so he could sweep in and win the hearts and trust of the very same Rohbredden he's betrayed... and all for a vain grab at political power in the favor of the Council!"
"Alright..." Chandler waved his shackled hooves in the air. "We've had a chicken metaphor. This Council has reached a new low."
Whack! Hymmnos slammed the gavel and then pointed it at the stallion. "You will speak when you are all—"
"With all due respect, your honor, the righteous commander of the Right Talon of Verlaxion has been allowed a damned hour to curse and defile my name while I stand here like a vagabond in chains." Chandler glared. "May I now be allowed to present my case?"
Hymmnos took a deep, shuddering breath. She turned to look at Seraphimus. "Are you done presenting the details of your case, Commander?"
Seraphimus swallowed, then nodded. "I am, Grand Magistrate."
"Very well then..." Hymmnos leaned back. Exhaling, she pointed at the Corporate Executive in question. "You may proceed."
Chandler cleared his throat with professional delicateness. The crowd suddenly quieted, giving him a hushed space to speak plainly. "Dear Council... the Talon has been very... very pressured as of late."
Raptr rolled his eyes before casting a lethargic gaze at Windburst.
"Yes! In fact, they've been dealing with stressful circumstances the likes of which none of us can even relate to! Being forced to chase a... veritable ghost of unholy repute across the Seven Seas and the western prefectures! From Red Barge to Dust Prefecture, they've chased this monster of the Quade. Were they successful in catching the beast? Well, no, despite their loss of sleep and health—they have not been successful. Which—of course..." He gestured at Seraphimus. "Is no slight against the competence of our dedicated defenders."
Seraphimus' beak tightened as she tapped her claws against the cold stone below.
Chandler went on: "We are, after all, talking about a corrupted abomination of a pegasus with no love or respect for Verlaxion. This is a beast empowered by the dark magics that exist beyond the Blight. The Consortium has recognized this threat. Did I authorize a campaign to catch the vile creature? Of course I did! Everypony knows that! Right now, even in this Month of Thawing, there simply is no greater threat to the kingdom as a whole. There's no telling just... what kind of a deleterious effect this beast may have on the conscience and moral center of those who cross its demonic path." He took a deep breath. "I... regret the actions that my secretary has taken in her attempts to capture this... banal chaotician from the west. But I assure you—and the entire council—that I never once gave her permission nor encouraged her to harm innocent citizens or break the law in any capacity."
Hymmnos leaned forward. "Mr. Chandler. Is it the understanding of this court that you deny authorizing the criminal actions testified as having been committed by Longaze, the mare formerly in your employ?"
"That is correct, Grand Magistrate."
"And..." Hymmnos glanced at Seraphimus before raising an eyebrow at Chandler. "...you are attempting to imply that... the Rainbow Rogue's evil presence may have had an effect on Longaze?"
Seraphimus blinked. She opened her beak—
"Not just Longaze, your honor," Chandler spoke before the Commander could interject. He waved a hoof in the griffon's direction. "But the Talon as well."
A nervous murmur rolled across the Court.
"Did my secretary come to blows with the Rainbow Rogue in Braum? Yes. That fact cannot be disputed. But the Right Talon of Verlaxion?" Chandler turned to squint at Seraphimus. "They've been in close contact with the Rainbow Rogue for weeks... pursuing her... fighting her."
Seraphimus' headcrest lowered as he gazed back at the stallion. The commotion above and around them grew louder. Windburst and Raptr shifted nervously in their armor.
"And not only after several instances did they fail in catching the Rogue... but Seraphimus spontaneously decided to cancel the hunt! What did she do then?" Chandler turned to look gravely at Hymmnos. "She sent her Lieutenant and Sergeants back here to Frostknife with no support or representation of the chief authority of Talon. And then—as if that wasn't unusual enough—she proceeded to brutally and mercilessly interrogate my former secretary..." He raised a hoof. "Through torture, mind you..."
The crowd shifted anxiously in their seats.
"...and then—after a brazen act that was not authorized by the Council, she proceeded to abandon her wingmates entirely and fly on a personal, vindictive, and entirely groundless campaign to soil the image of an organization that's not only had absolutely zero affiliation with our common enemy, but has been working very hard around the clock to see to the capture and imprisonment of the Rainbow Rogue from the very start!"
The Council was grumbling and hissing at this point, and Chandler fed them.
"I fear that years of fighting countless threats all across Rohbredden has filled the good Commander's minds with shadows. Being in such close proximity to the Blighted monster certainly hasn't done any good for her sanity. Year in and year out, we expect the most out of the Talon and we give them the least. This, is the result, your Council." He held his forelimbs out, rattling the chains connected between them. "An innocent member of our Verlaxion-fearing society being framed for a crime that simply does not exist."
Seraphimus took a fuming breath. "Grand Magistrate—"
"You'll find that the Commander of the Talon has no physical evidence to support her demented hypotheses," Chandler interrupted, facing the mare behind the podium. "She is tired, confused, and constrained by paranoia—to such a point that she has unjustly intimidated and tortured—not one—but several members of my Company without any divine authorization of the Goddess' wisely appointed council!"
By now, members of the Senate were standing on their hooves, shouting and hissing angrily. Griffon beaks clattered. The sea ponies flickered brightly from within their chambers.
Raptr gulped. "Not good..."
"Eyes on the Commander and Grand Magistrate," Windburst murmured. His muscles tightened beneath his armor. "Be prepared for anything."
Raptr nodded.
"Grand Magistrate," Seraphimus spoke, though it was difficult for her voice to be heard above the engraged chatter. "This Council has entrusted me with the might of Verlaxion to root out evil and restore peace through the divine intellect of the Goddess herself. That is precisely what I exercised in the northwest prefectures. I saw evidence of a corrupt organization preying upon the innocent civillians of this kingdom and I took it upon myself to investigate that." She pointed at Chandler. "This pony is twisting the truth in order to maintain his power grab, something that has gone on unchecked for months and threatens to usurp the order our Tribes have established by Verlaxion's glory since the days of Unification!"
Hymmnos banged her gavel. When she had enough of a hush to speak, she said: "And much authority has been given to you, Commander Seraphimus, especially in pursuit of truth and justice." She gulped, giving Chandler a forlorn glance. "However... I fear that the former of those two things is... rather strained in your case."
Seraphimus' beak fell agape.
Hymmnos continued: "Unless more concrete evidence is presented, I cannot—in good conscience—personally mandate a hearing by the laws of our Goddess. I am, however, authorized to put it up to a vote..." Her muzzle hung open for a brief moment. Her eyes swam around the furious Council, then fell on Seraphimus yet again. "...in which the magistrates of our kingdom will collectively decide whether or not the citizen you've brought before us should be tried for the crimes you that have alleged while investigating his organization in the field."
Chandler bore a coy grin.
"If it is more evidence you want," Professor Theanim Mane's voice echoed. "Then you shall have it!"
Chandler's smile vanished instantly.
Raptr gasped, pointing upward. "Look!"
Seraphimus craned her feathery neck.
The heads of countless delegates turned to see four figures gliding in from the misty cloudbeds above. Lieutenant Keris carried Theanim Mane while Starstorm cradled a frazzled Magistrate Timplan in her forelimbs.
The two guardians touched down. Keris released Theanim, then caught glance of Seraphimus. "...Commander."
Seraphimus swallowed. With a slight shuffled, she bowed back. "Lieutenant..."
Hymmnos stood up straight. "Lieutenant Keris... Professor Mane?!"
Theanim brushed snowflakes off his vest. "Of the Ninety-Seventh Rohbredden Scientifi—"
"I know who you represent!" Hymmnos barked. "An explanation, please! What is the meaning of this?! The Council is in a very important session right now!"
"Indeed." Theanim nodded, lifting his goggles and exposing his blue eyes. "And I trust that you will find this most relevant." He glanced aside.
Keris stepped forward. "Grand Magistrate, Sergeant Starstorm and I just now returned from assisting the Professor in an investigation in Sunset Prefecture."
Chandler's eyes twitched.
Hymmnos squinted. "What kind of an investigation...?"
"Jeryn, the former Southern Hoof of the Syndicate, shared sensitive information with the Professor from his cell in the Frozen Shelves, alleging the date of a chance meeting between criminal terrorists guilty of arson..." Keris took a deep breath. "...and members of this very Council."
Gasps and murmurs filled the air.
"The purpose of this meeting—" Keris spoke loudly. "—was to discuss the reappropriation of funds in order to maintain a secret partnership between an unspoken cabal of magistrates and those guilty of the Central Rohbredden insurgency. With the assistance of Professor Theanim Mane, Sergeant Starstorm arrived in Sunset Prefecture in time for this alleged date that was supplied to us by Jeryn... and it was there that we successfully bore witness to an exchange between the very Magistrate of Sunset Prefecture and multiple terrorists of ill-intent." Keris pivoted about. "We arrested the delegate in question and brought him here to testify of his crimes before the Goddess' Council."
Shivering, Timplan hesitantly tilted his head up.
A deep hush filled the Court.
Hymmnos blinked. "The Council... r-recognizes Magistrate Timplan of Sunset Prefecture."
"Ahem..." Starstorm cleared her throat and released the elder stallion before pointing. "Will the Magistrate please step forward...?"
One nervous hoof at a time, Timplan did as he was told.
Chandler clenched his jaw to keep from shaking. Bulbs of sweat formed along his forehead.
Theanim Mane trotted around until he stood beside Timplan. "Dear Magistrate... is there is something you would like to report to the Council?"
"There is, Professor." Timplan nodded. He looked at the podium. "Grand Magistrate... Dear Council..." He cleared his throat, summoning the strength to speak. "I have personally and willfully overseen the distribution of several illegal goods to various... interests within the confines of Sunset Prefecture and its neighboring provinces."
"Care to define 'goods' and 'interests,' dear Magistrate?" Theanim said with a frown.
Timplan gulped. "By 'goods,' I mean money... and raw dredge coal." He looked up, eyes glossy. "And by 'interests,' I mean various splinter groups comprised of Mudtop mercenaries and Seven Seas privateers who were smuggled into Central Rohbredden in order to stage guerilla war ambushes on multiple communities within this kingdom."
As the Council grew more and more anxious, Theanim leaned in, staring Timplan in the face. "And just who was responsible for smuggling these criminals deep into Rohbredden territory in order to commit these crimes?"
Timplan exhaled. His shivers stopped, and he spoke in a cold tone: "Brye Chandler of the Shoreline Trade Consortium."
The Council nearly exploded. Delegates exchanged shocked expressions. The water chambers rattled as the sea ponies pulsed red and yellow.
Seraphimus blinked. She turned to look at her Lieutenant. Keris bore a calm smile in return.
Hymmnos banged her gavel. This time, the Court paid heed, and they silenced almost immediately. "Magistrate Timplan, are you aware that—by admitting to your willful connection with these crimes—you are thereby admitting to treason? A crime that is punishable by death?!"
"I am aware of that, Grand Magistrate."
"And in labeling Brye Chandler of the Shoreline Trade Consortium as a co-conspirator, you are spreading the charge of treason to him."
Timplan took a deep breath. "You must understand. At first, I thought it was in the best interest of the Six Tribes to create this alleged strife from within."
Hymmnos growled: "The Court did not ask for your reasoning..."
"But it needs to be said!" Timplan's voice cracked. Panting, he looked around at the crowd. "Where is our solidarity?! Where is our focus?! It's been decades since our Goddess has even appeared in any faculty whatsoever! And what have we got to show for our loyalty to her?! Bureacratic nonsense?! Witch hunts after... nebulous Rainbow Rogues?!" Gulping hard, he turned to point at Chandler. "It was the dream of that stallion to establish a new unification... by giving us a singular evil that we could combat! And... and I believed him." He gulped. "...until everything collapsed."
Seraphimus slowly stepped towards him. "What... happened, pray tell, Magistrate?"
Timplan sighed. "Chandler's ambitions got the best of him." He looked up at the high seats of the Council. "He made a deal with the Slaver of Waves! Monket of Mudtop! This drew him even deeper into the muck of the Seven Seas! Until he stained his hooves in the blood of Top Dredger Skagra and other nefarious equines!"
Chandler's sweat reflected Theanim as he approached Timplan again. "But was this insurgency funded before or after Chandler's involvement with the denizens of the Seven Seas?"
Timplan hung his head. "Before." He gulped. "It was before his involvement with Monket... before the fall of the Syndicate... whom he was also exchanging resources with."
A magistrate gasped from his seat, "Chandler dealt with the Syndicate?!"
"He was partners with Revan and Jeryn?!"
"Yes. It's true." Timplan frowned. "His dredge coal was partially used for crimes of arson within Rust... just as it's been utilized here in Rohbredden."
Another wave of commotion erupted across the Council.
Keris stepped until he was facing Timplan directly again. "Were you the only Magistrate who assisted Chandler in creating this terrorist cabal?"
Timplan shook his head. "Five Magistrates—including myself—worked with Chandler, helping him smuggle terrorists and weapons into the central prefectures."
"Magistrate Timplan..." Theanim leaned forward. "...can you name these other four individuals?"
"I can." Timplan nodded. "And will." He took deep breaths between each word. "Magistrate Hoofmore of Bramble Prefecture. Magistrate Dawnlight of Shoal Prefecture. Steward Jeslem of Ravine Prefecture..." His head tilted aside as he gazed into the seats. "...and Magistrate Vilcheez of Lotus Prefecture."
"Lies! Lies!" Vilcheez shot up, trembling. "It's... it's like Chandler said! The..." She pointed a shivering hoof. "...th-the Talon have been tainted by the blight of the Rainbow Rogue! Her... her evil has infected them! Clouded their minds to make them produce these gross generalizations!"
Theanim swiveled to face Hymmnos directly. "Grand Magistrate, I have operated by the boundaries of the Scientific Order. In so doing, we have collected several documents and bits of evidence from Timplan's hold in Sunset Prefecture. They are en route to Frostknife via pegasus and griffon cargo carriers as we speak."
"And Jeryn of the Southern Hoof is fully willing to provide further testimony," Keris added. "Along with Echo, a former agent of Revan's organization, as well as an insider who spent months in Mudtop."
Starstorm spoke up as well: "It may also interest the Court to know that Top Dredger Skagra, former leader of Red Barge and Seven Seas crime boss, was caught staging an ambush on Timplan and his servants. While Skagra himself did not survive the encounter, the Talon was able to capture several of his associates. The Top Dredger was attempting to slay Timplan in revenge for Chandler's actions, and Skagra's partners in crime are also willing to give testimony."
"This... this isn't..." Vilcheez's face blanched. She shivered harder, gazing at Chandler. "You... y-you promised us!" She stamped a hoof, her jewelry rattling. "You promised us that this would be a new beginning!"
Chandler sighed, resting his muzzle in his hoof.
"You promised us that you would steer the Six Tribes into a prosperous future!" Vilcheez's voice cracked. "One free of the superstitions of the past and... and... damnation!" She reached into her thick coat. Schiiiing! Unsheathing a dagger, she aimed it at her own sobbing neck.
Gasping, other magistrates lunged at the mare, wrestling for control of the weapon and attempting to restrain her.
"My stars!" Theanim winced.
"Stop her!" Seraphimus hollered. "We need every existing branch of this conspiracy to remain exposed!"
"Sergeant—!" Keris shouted.
"On it!" Swooosh! Starstorm flew into the crowd, grabbing Vilcheez and pressing her hard to the steps. The mare howled and sobbed as the guardian yanked the dagger from her grasp and hoofcuffed her.
Chandler slowly tilted his head up to gaze at Keris and Seraphimus. "Do you have any idea what you've done...?"
Neither of the Talon members had the ability to answer him. By now, the Court had fallen into pure chaos. Magistrates gnashed their teeth, barking and snarling at each other.
"Our own Magistrates?! Threatening the Foals of Verlaxion?!"
"If you hadn't put so much faith in the Consortium, this wouldn't have happened!"
"Don't insult me! You supported their monopoly as much as we did!"
"How could we not?! Our citizens needed that dredge coal more than the outlier provinces!"
"This! This is why we should have buffed our security forces along the western shoreline!"
"The Seven Seas are seeping in! We must do something to stop it!"
"Like what?! Stage sieges against the Colonialists?!"
"If that is what it takes to contain this corruption!"
"You would actually condone open war?!"
"War is upon us! How many families and children have died to these terrorists?!"
"Don't you get it? There are no insurgents! This was a conspiracy to begin with!"
"That's pretty predictable, coming from a Magistrate who's lived in the Consortium's filthy pocket for years!"
"You share land with the Sunset Prefecture! How do we know you weren't in on this?!"
"Why the audacity—"
"Do not insult me with your petty—"
"Our Prefecture has been loyal to the Six Tribes for generations—"
"If there should be a war, it's against your selfish money grabbers—"
As the Court grew louder and louder, Theanim winced, twirling nervously around as he gawked at the sea of angry, shouting faces. Keris and Seraphimus flapped their wings, flying higher and higher as they attempted to silence the rowdy delegates with authoritarian shouts. Hymmnos' gavel could no longer be heard. Amidst the chaos and discord, a hyperventilating Chandler spun and actually attempted a futile gallop for the exits—
FLAAAASH!
—and just like that, the entire Council filled with a bright blue light.
Chandler stopped in his tracks, pale and breathless.
Windburst and Raptr looked over, eyes widening.
Starstorm stood with Vilcheez in restraints. What the Sergeant saw stole her breath away.
A current of cold, vaporous mists rolled down the high steps leading from Verlaxion's throne. It billowed past the stone faces of the Tribal statues. Within seconds, solid icicles dripped from the granite edifices of wyverns, griffons, ponies, and sirens. All the while, a deep bass rumbling issued from the foundation of the Starkiss mountain due north of the Court.
Hymmnos spun around. She gasped wide. She dropped her gavel, trembling. Then, with frantic motions, she gestured at a clerk. A young pony galloped up, hoofing her an ornamental shawl. She draped it over her neck, closed her eyes, and began a praying motion with her forelimbs.
Seraphimus saw it. With a pale expression, she touched down at the base of the steps. Keris landed beside her. Side by side, the two members of the Talon stared up at the steep incline.
More and more fog rolled into the court, cold and blistering. Then—out of the heart of the mist—a pair of slitted blue eyes materialized. Within seconds, an animated suit of frozen metal emerged, marching down the steps with cold, calculated grace. Deep within its helmet, an ice-blue gaze pulsated, piercing the vision of all who laid eyes upon the golem's silver visage. When the entity "breathed," frigid vapors issued from its helm, forming veins of frost all across the walls, steps, and floor.
A tiny sob escaped Seraphimus throat. She dropped like a rock, containing her deep breaths as she bowed low... lower before the entity.
Blinking, a confused Lieutenant Keris did the same, albeit hesitantly. He watched with nervous, magenta eyes as the armor approached, finally reaching the stone floor of the Court after an interminable lurch down the steep stone stairway.
The temperature dropped, and Timplan was the first to whimper.
"Oh Goddess..." The elder stallion fell to his shivering knees. "...oh blessed Unifier, I am s-so sorry..." He pressed his forehead to the cold floor.
Starstorm gulped, then fell to her knees. Across the way, Windstorm dropped to the floor. Raptr stood, gaping stupidly—until the other Sergeant yanked the rookie down to join him in the humble gesture.
In one surging wave, the entire Council of ponies and griffons bowed. Within their chambers, the sea ponies curled into fetal positions, drifting silently with their eyes shut in reverence. Muffled sobs and emotional murmurs lit the air as the formerly rowdy chamber formed a penitent hush beneath the scraping hoofsteps of the entity.
"Blessed Verlaxion..."
"The Goddess... she is amongst us..."
"Oh beloved Queen... forgive us..."
"...we beseech you...," Seraphimus whimpered, armor rattling. "We beseech you and your everloving kindness..." She held her breath.
Undaunted, unspeaking, the armor marched forward... and straight past Seraphimus.
The Commander shivered from the sheer proximity of its frozen essence. As she heard the hoofsteps growing distant, she gasped. Eyes wide open, she tilted her head up and turned to gape at the anomaly.
Theanim was the only one not bowing at this point. It was fright—more than anything—that forced him to finally collapse on his flank. Jaw agape, he stared wordlessly at the animated armor as it crept past Hymmnos' podium.
At last, when it was finally within the dead center of the Court, the messenger stopped completely. The glow of its eyes traveled down to its breastplate, resonating with ice-blue brilliance. "My children," a voice rumbled from deep within the entity. "My beloved... foolish foals..."
The entire Court of magistrates collectively quivered.
Vapors issued from the speaker's helm with every ghostly word: "I have been gone for many years... but has my love dwindled? Has my power gone away from the frost chambers... or from the beating heart of this unified land that I have so graciously warmed?"
Seraphimus stared. Tears trickled from her eyes.
"I am not disappointed... I am merely sad... like a mother who mourns for an infant whom she knows will only come out stillborn." The golem's metal limbs tightened against the stonework, spreading more frost. "The tribes fight amongst each other like enemies. Have I not made you all brothers and sisters in harmony? Have I not patched the wounds of this land with my labors?"
Choking on sobs, Hymmnos bravely sat up. She kept her teary eyes shut as she slid her right hoof along the length of her left forelimb and extended both fetlocks towards the source of the voice. "Oh Beloved Queen... Gracious Mother of Unification... on behalf of your Court, I t-take full responsibility for the dissent that has grown among your foals." She hiccuped, whimpering. "Please, punish me as you will, but I ask that you spare the delegates who lay prostrate in sincere humility before you—"
"Your Goddess hardly possesses the strength to punish even if she desired to," the golem spoke. "This land has been so bereft of faith... so famished for love and respect over the past century that I can scarcely leave my throne in one piece."
Chandler stared, wide-eyed and disbelieving. He flinched the moment the messenger resumed speaking.
"This weakness... this vulnerability has crippled me. And it is now that a great evil seeks to strike."
Hymmnos gulped. "What... wh-what great evil is this, My Goddess?"
Vapors rippled from the silver helm. "The Rainbow Rogue... she has polluted the hearts and minds of the monks of Wyvern Point. Together with an alicorn named Mortuana—a demonic aberration who also hails from beyond the Blight—they are both staging an assault on the Starkiss. They seek to destroy your Goddess with their dark magics. If they reach me in my current state... they shall do just that, and your beloved Queen... your Mother of Unification will breathe no more."
A dreadful murmur rolled through the crowd of bowing figures.
Theanim blinked. He glanced across the way at Keris.
The Lieutenant's brow furrowed. He looked at Seraphimus.
The Commander's eyes were locked on the golem, hard and unwavering.
"If my foals love me... if the remaining Five Tribes are truly honored to serve and protect my legacy... then they will do whatever is in their power to protect their Goddess... by intercepting the Rainbow Rogue and her foul allies... and eradicating her... no matter the cost."
Hymmnos gulped. Sniffling, she bowed lower, murmuring into the cold vapors: "Yes... beloved Goddess... your will be done."
For the first time since coming to a stop, the helmet pivoted on its armored neck. "Brye Chandler..."
The stallion's breath was instantly sucked out. He sat straight up, pale as a sheet.
The golem stared him down with a vicious blue gaze. "...you have sown much dissent and chaos in this land... the product of a faithless heart. This pride... this arrogance has brought much suffering to my foals. Needless suffering. Do you repent of your sins... before your very Mother, the Goddess Verlaxion?"
Keris blinked. He and Theanim turned to look at Chandler.
Chandler panted and panted. Tears trickled down his muzzle, instantly freezing to translucent eye. "Mmmmm... y... yes..." He whimpered, shaking to the core. "I... grkkkt... I-I am sorry... G-Goddess..." His pupils shrank in abject terror as he brought both of his forelimbs together. "I am... s-so sorry... and..." He sniffled. "I repent... before you and the c-court... oh Verlaxion... I r-repent of my sins..."
"Very well," the messenger answered swiftly. "The wealth and power that you have used to spread evil shall now be used for righteousness. You shall be the spear by which the Rainbow Rogue is impaled. Can I trust in you to help my foals eliminate the demon that threatens to spread blight across this land?"
"Yes..." Chandler wept, smiling through his frozen tears. "Oh yes... d-dear Goddess... mother..." He whimpered. "I shall devote every ounce of my being to her demise."
"Let it be known far and wide, to every household and family that shares the warmth that I've bestowed upon this Continent." The golem reared its legs, billowing vapors across the entire Council. "The Rainbow Rogue must be stopped at all cost. The Wyverns have betrayed us, and their Tribe can no longer share my blessings. Nevertheless, my obedient foals remain as I see before me. Let this Month of Thawing be a grand celebration of a renewed Unification. Eleminate the threat... cease your petty disputes... and your Mother's Love shall last forever..." The golem brought its hooves back down with a thunderclap. "Your. Goddess. Has. Spoken."
The air shifted as the vapors were suddenly sucked into the suit. The blue light went out like a torch...
...and the armor fell dead and inert to the Court's floor, littering the stone in pieces. Within seconds, magistrates clamored to bow along the fringes of the sacred detritus, weeping and sobbing praises to the dwindling spirit from within.
Chandler stood dead-still, panting for breath. His beady eyes darted across the empty space where the voice of Verlaxion had previously emanated. All around him, ponies stood up and galloped every which way, rushing home to commune with their friends and loved one, carrying the words spoken to them by a sacred breath.
Hymmnos stood up—wobbling—and recollected her senses. Wiping her tears away, she spun and spoke briskly to a group of delegates as they attempted to recover from the sudden, inexplicable divination.
Meanwhile, as ponies continued to pray and weep in sullen humility, Keris stood up. He approached Seraphimus.
"Commander..." He gulped. "Commander... I..." Clearing his throat, the Lieutenant continued in a hushed tone. "We need to assemble the guardians. Before... the Court makes any brash decisions, we need to come up with a plan to keep things balanced. We're still the Right Talon of Verlaxion, and it is imperative that we ascertain what the messenger meant when it addressed Chandler about—"
"My Goddess..." Seraphimus whimpered.
Keris blinked. "Commander?"
"She... she didn't even look at m-me..." Seraphimus clammed her beak shut.
Keris gulped. He glanced nervously at the hysterical figures around him. "Ahem... Commander, what do you wish for us to—"
Seraphimus flapped her wings... and limply drifted off.
Keris stretched his good talon out, but she was out of reach. He stood in place, breathing heavily.
Theanim Mane wandered over, his eyes glued to the weeping magistrates. "And just like that... their squabbles have ceased..."
Keris nodded, watching the Commander become a distant, morose speck above the bluffs of Frostknife. "Indeed."
"This... this changes everything."
Silence.
Theanim looked at Keris. "Lieutenant?"
Keris finally made eye contact with the scientist.
Theanim squinted. "Isn't it... curiously... devilishly ironic that our very own Goddess—a Queen who has not made herself manifest for decades... suddenly and dramatically decided to make an appearance precisely when we were unraveling a deep-seeded conspiracy in the heart of our kingdom?"
Keris cleared his throat, speaking in a raspy tone: "Our Unifier... simply wishes to maintain harmony."
"Or perhaps the harmony itself is a farce... much like the unification was from day one?"
Keris blinked.
"You spent weeks hunting Rainbow Dash... a wild goose chase with no hope of progress whatsoever. And now... just when you... just when we were unearthing a real danger, we've been set on that very same absurd quest yet again." Theanim raised an eyebrow. "Tell me... where's the harmony in that?"
Keris clenched his beak. He stared over the prostrate crowds. "I'm not seeing it, Professor." He shook his head. "If there is harmony... it's not in Rohbredden."