Rainbow Dash trotted east. She wasn't alone.
Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle hovered close to their anchor, filling the ghostly air with color and conversation.
The Herald—over seven strong—accompanied the Austraeoh. Remna took point. Bard and Ariel recuperated in the back of Wyvern's wagon. Wildcard flew overhead while Flynn and Logan trotted protectively alongside Mortuana.
Theanim shuffled closely along Echo, giving the sarosian a shoulder to lean on while simultaneously making sure his cloak didn't expose him to too much sunlight.
Then there was the Central Guard—or at least the leftover Rohbreddenites courageous enough to maintain their half of the caravan. They dutifully took up the rear of the procession, armor rattling nonceasingly. However, as time lurched by, the distance between them and the Herald grew increasingly smaller. This came in handy later on, when a persistent blizzard rolled over the waning Star Fringes. The collective body heat of so many griffons and ponies made the trek all the more bearable, and any previous sense of a schism swiftly dwindled under the pretense of survival and cooperation.
This entire time, the Talon stood guard, diligently escorting the caravan as they traveled east. Windburst and Starstorm flew at the front, scanning the craggy landscape for signs of life, movement, or trouble. Keris and Raptr covered the back. The Lieutenant's eyes rested on both the Herald and the Guard interchangeably, minding the movement of those who pledged devotion to Verlaxion... as well as those who served Mortuana. He kept his cool, breathing calmly, all the while keeping the southern horizon in his peripheral vision.
Day stretched into night. For once, nopony admitted to feeling any lingering exhaustion. The Herald skipped camping, opting instead to continue marching—even under the shroud of darkness. The Central Guard, eager to return home alive to their families, likewise followed along without an overnight respite. The Talon—used to long stretches of restless flight—carried on, undaunted.
With starlight came the tell-tale shimmer of a green and red aurora to the north. Its pastel bands glistened off the snow and frost clinging to the jagged summits of the Star Fringes. Meanwhile, the group winded north and south, enjoying a break from the blizzard thanks to the jutting rock formations all around them. They moved east in a serpentine fashion, with the Talon's eyes on the looming shadow of Starkiss and Rainbow's gaze constantly centered on Yaerfaerda. The marching hooves of so many ponies formed a dull echo against the crooked walls of the ravine all around.
"Wowsers..." Pinkie Pie grinned, floating upside down as the group navigated a narrow chasm winding eastward. "It's like our very own hoofball team!"
"I prefer my sports without armor and swords." Fluttershy gulped. "Thank you very m-much."
"It's quite alright, darling," Rarity said with a smile. "It seems more than evident that the Central Guard won't lay a hoof on Rainbow now. And, besides... we've got the Talon on our side now!"
"I know, right?!" Pinkie blinked. "Who'd a thunk it?"
"Lieutenant Keris can be pretty convincing," Rainbow said in a calm tone, walking aside Kepler's wagon.
"He's not the only one who's good at convincing, Rainbow," Rarity said.
"Huh?" Rainbow glanced over her shoulder.
"Just saying..." Rarity winked. "Seems like you've charmed him quite a bit."
"Rarity..." Rainbow bore a bland smirk. "He's not my type. You and the gals... sh-should know that by now."
"Uhm..." Fluttershy flew into view. "I think what Rarity is meaning to say is that you've convinced him to do the right thing, Rainbow Dash."
"Or at least Professor Theanim has!" Pinkie blinked, then flinched from the other mares squinting at her. "What? Those handsome goggles of his should be outlawed!"
"Ahem... anyways, it's no small feat to have persuaded Keris like you did. And it was mostly you,darling," Rarity said, smiling at Rainbow. "Considering the exceeding virtue of his character, you should be quite proud "
Rainbow sighed, glancing forward with a soft smile. "It... is pretty cool having him on my side, huh?"
"If you ask me, Rainbow." Twilight winked. "I'd say the Lieutenant was on your side since the first time you both talked at Red Barge."
"How would you know?"
Twilight rolled her eyes.
Fluttershy giggled. "Twilight's right, Rainbow. I was there."
"Yeah, I know." Rainbow nodded.
"And now you've got an entire flippin' army on your side!" Pinkie chirped. "Plus one foul-mouthed batpony. Win win win!"
"Pinkie..." Rainbow sighed. "It's not an army."
"I see a bunch of super l33t d00ds with military-grade swag!" Pinkie winked aside at Twilight. "That's twice the threes and zeroes kind of awesome!"
Twilight's lips pursed. "What... are you even on about?"
"Ohhhhhhhhhh..." Pinkie waved a hoof, sticking her tongue out. "Lighten up, ya egg beater!"
"Over half of them are on Verlaxion's side," Rainbow muttered.
"I don't see any of them attacking you, Rainbow," Fluttershy said calmly.
"Pinkie's got a point," Rarity said. "What is this... forty-five strong? Sixty?" She smiled. "You must admit, it's a big jump from two unwitting Kihutajans in a tiny sailboat!"
"Heehee!" Twilight nodded. "Yeah! Or a blind zebra and a magically-disabled unicorn straight out of Blue Shelf!"
Rainbow Dash shuddered, staring east at the shadow of Starkiss looming against the aurora. "Friggin' crazy..." She gulped. "You know... there are times when I've seen my journey as... like... this one single train built out of craziness and awesome."
"Do tell, Dashie!" Pinkie smiled.
"Like... it's stupid, I know... but sometimes I feel like I'm the train's conductor. The engine and the cars have been the same. And more often than not, the coaches have been empty. But—every so often—they fill up with all kinds of different ponies." She smirked. "And zebras and elk and Xonans and changelings and griffons..." A dreamy sigh. "...and bounty hunters."
"You mean like these guys?" Pinkie gestured at Bard and Wildcard in the distance.
Fluttershy giggled. "Not those bounty hunters, Pinkie."
"Huh?"
Rainbow cleared her throat. "Still... I'm starting to understand the Desperadoes." She took a deep breath. "And their super freaky loyalty."
"What's not to understand about loyalty in your case, darling?" Rarity asked.
"I dunno..." Rainbow glanced over her shoulder. "With each leg of my trip... it keeps showing newer and crazier shades of itself." She gulped. "I dunno if the Herald truly... truly know what kind of a mess they're getting themselves into... but I'm thankful that they're tagging along, all the same."
"And the Talon," Fluttershy added.
"And the Professor again!" Twilight said.
"And now the proud and mighty soldiers of the Central Guard!" Pinkie cheered.
"You mean the same cretins whose posteriors the Herald royally thrashed?" Rarity cooed.
"And who have—all their lives—dedicated themselves to a false goddess?" Twilight droned.
"Okay okay okay!" Pinkie pouted. "It's still better than nothing, though! I'm tellin' ya! A flippin' hoofball team!"
The other mares giggled.
Rainbow ended her chuckle with a sigh. She stared forward. "I'm... I'm really lucky..."
Her friends stared at her.
"I'm... so crazy lucky..." Rainbow swallowed a lump down her throat. Her pendant rattled, and she reached a hoof up to steady it. The mare's moist eyes centered upon the bright and brighter glow of Yaerfaerda, looming so close now that she could almost feel its radiating heat. "And... on top of all that... we're about to free AJ."
The mares exchanged glances.
"Yeah, but..." Pinkie rubbed her head, blinking cross-eyed. "What about Verlax—mmmfff!" A yellow hoof was planted over her muzzle.
Fluttershy turned to smile at Rainbow. "Applejack will be free sooner than you know it."
"And then we'll all be together!" Rarity reared her ghostly hooves. "Smashing!"
"Heheh..." Twilight smiled. "I do admit... I'm starting to miss her terribly."
"Yes..." Rarity nodded. "The darling's hometown simplicity is sorely missed. Almost feels like the land and sky are empty without her charming voice..."
Rainbow weathered a deep sigh. "You've no friggin' idea..."
The next morning brought with it a dismal overcast. If it weren't for Starkiss, the sky would be a uniform soup of sickly gray. The towering mountain devoured most of the east horizon at this point. The star fringes dissolved, one hill at a time, until all of the miniature canyons and ravines vanished completely. All that was left between the caravan and its destination was a solid stretch of snow-covered rock.
Towards the south, Rainbow spotted the summits of several jutting mountain ranges. Two hours past daybreak, she and her friends stared through a narrow passage formed between two jutting peaks. All they could see through it was hazy sky and ethereal grayness. It was then that they realized just how elevated their position was; no piece of Rohbredden was visible at eye level. Everything beyond the southern ridges dipped lower and lower, until ultimately cascading into Frostknife and the bordering prefectures.
With nothing else to look at, Rainbow's head tilted up to take in the enormity of Starkiss. It wasn't necessarily the tallest mountain she had ever seen. It was—however—the most outstanding land formation in her collective memory. No other mountains stood nearby to mask its enormity. The structure emerged from the ground in an almost cylindrical fashion. Its summit formed upwards, coming together like a bullet, with the occasional cliff jutting outward from the curved surfaces, dangling with icicles and age-old landslides, frozen solid in time.
And yet, despite the incredible heights of the towering formation, Yaerfaerda persistently lingered beneath the majority of it. The mare had to tilt her head down to see the burning orange symbol in all its glory. This left Rainbow feeling relatively unsettled, and it certainly didn't help that the whole of Starkiss resembled a ginormous block of gray ice scooped up and plopped unceremoniously down on top of the Fifth Seed.
"Yup. If you ask me..." Bard flapped his wings, hovering alongside Kepler's wagon. "It sure as Hell dun look normal."
"I very much doubt it, Mr. Bard!" Theanim Mane exclaimed from several paces ahead. "It's not crafted out of any the same limestone or eroded rock that fills up most of the Rohbredden continent!"
"A turd is a turd," Echo muttered. "No matter how polished."
Theanim sighed. "Old Chap... must you?"
"Hey... this is like a walk through ultraviolet hell..." The sarosian grunted, shaking the white snow off his hooves. "Why couldn't a terrible death goddess build her lair in the tropics?"
"You'd be all the more closer to coral, then, wouldn't you?"
"Mrmmmfff..."
Theanim smirked. "See? I can make insufferable jokes too."
Bard shrugged. "Whatever the case... ain't like no mountain I've ever seen."
"That's precisely what I was going to say!" Rarity exclaimed, gesturing up at the massive structure. "Its outer surfaces are so terribly smooth and pristine!" She blinked wide. "If you ask me, it's... more like a work of art than a natural formation!"
Rainbow nodded. "Thanks for the observation, Rare-Rare." She looked back at the wagon. "What are the odds that you-know-who sculpted the thing?"
"Who?" Theanim glanced over. "Verlaxion?"
"No. Santa Clop." Rainbow's eyes squinted. "Who else would I be talking about?"
"It's a verry rreal possibility, Rrainbow one!" Kepler remarked with a nod. "Wrritten worrd only speaks of Starrkiss being discoverred shorrtly afterr the Queen of Frrost prresumably gatherred the earrly trribes durring Unification! If the old sanctuarry rrecorrds arre of any indication, then the drragon Divine quite likely built this as a spectacle to imprress the morrtal masses!"
"If so..." Rainbow squinted as they marched along. "Then that presents some big, worrisome questions. Like... just how hollow is it on the inside?"
"Right!" Ariel looked over. "Or, more to the point, what is Verlax keeping in there?"
Bard nodded. "And who the Hell is 'Santa Clop?'"
"All things that we will surrely discoverr in time!" Kepler said. He adjusted his spectacles. "Well... some answerrs soonerr than otherrs. Ha Hah!"
"I've got another important question." Rainbow looked over at Bard. "You sure you're good enough to fly again?"
"I'd say so." Bard winked. "How about you?"
Rainbow bore a bland smirk. "You know what I mean."
"Nothin' for you to worry about, darlin'," Bard said, flexing his forelimbs. "Them magic wyvern fixes did the trick!"
"Nothing quite so magical about them, good frriend Barrd!" Kepler chanted. "Just ancient knowledge, prreserrved wealthily thrrough the ages!"
"Whatever." Bard shrugged. "Vittles is vittles. Anyways, I'm good to keep on a wing. But... might wanna rest the leg a bit until Dubya needs me for extra special face-smashin'."
"Speak for yourself!" Fwoosh! Ariel shot up and hovered above the wagon. "I'm super good to go!"
Rainbow tilted her head up. "You sure about that, girl?"
"Totally! I've been sitting in that stinkin' cart for waaaaaaay too long! Besides..." Ariel winked. "One of us has got to show the Talon who's the real boss around here."
"Now now..." Bard gestured. "Dun ya go shakin' no bee hives that ain't got no business bein' disturbed."
"Puh-leeease..." Ariel rolled her eyes. "Would I cause that kind of trouble? Right when the Austraeoh needs me the most—owwww!" She spontaneously winced, rubbing her bandaged leg. "Erm... uh..." The mare fought the urge to blush. "I was j-just... uhm... pr-practicing for the arduous slobberknocker with Verlax up ahead! Yeah!"
"Suuuuuuure you were..." Bard waved his hat. "Get lost, varmint."
"I can get lost... and do recon!" Fwooooosh! She shot forward in a gray streak.
"Heh..." Bard fitted his hat back on. "Dang harpy thinks she can butter me up by usin' the word 'slobberknocker.'"
"She's no less impressive to me," Rainbow said, watching Ariel fly wide circles around the caravan.
"Well, ain't a big heapin' surprise she wins you over."
Fluttershy giggled. So did Rainbow.
Remna glanced back from the front of the line, squinted, then resumed her brisk trot.
Bard glanced at her, breathing in and out slowly. "So many ponies with so many secrets..." His nostrils flared. "...good thang I only know the Herald through the Job Squad. Or else I'd go crazy."
"Mortuana and her allies aren't the only ones holding aces," Rainbow said.
"Darlin', there's only one ace up my sleeve." Bard pointed at the goggled griffon several wingspans overhead. "And you done seen him dealt."
"Yeah..." Rainbow nodded. She swallowed. "You... uh... you sure you're cool with all this?"
"All what?"
"The whole Talon revelation."
"Haven't we gone over this?"
"I still don't think you've told me how you truly feel."
"How do ya figure?"
"Uh..." Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "Because you're a stallion."
"That's dang sexist."
Rainbow hung her head. "Sorry."
"I didn't say it was untrue." Bard lifted his head, smirking at Wildcard. "Dubya never pretended not to have a whole heap'o'secrets rattlin' around in that sleek black head of his. And... between you and me..."
"Yeah...?"
"Heh... I'm a tad bit let down that him bein' a former member of the Talon is the big reveal."
"Hey..." Rainbow shrugged. "For all we know, maybe he's hiding something else."
"Hmmmm... wouldn't doubt it," Bard said, suppressing a yawn. "What's the point in throwin' ponies for a loop when you can do it twice?"
"I don't think it's about throwin' just ponies for a loop," Rainbow said.
"Verlax has made it super tough with her dayum eyes everywhere. That's for sure." Bard nodded. "Reckon we gotta use whatever's in our arsenal... honest or dishonest. That's why I ain't cross over Dubya and the Talon... or Mortuana and the Herald."
"And what of Remna?"
Bard bit his lip.
Twilight and Rarity winced slightly.
"Mrmmmff..." Bard ultimately tilted his hat back and exhaled: "It takes what it takes."
Rainbow cleared her throat. "Uhm... Bard?" She fiddled with her forelimbs. "About... about you and—"
"I ain't got nothin' left to offer than what ya see before ya, darlin'," Bard said firmly. "Certainly no secrets that'll be useful in gettin' yer colorful keister past Verlax." He looked over, his eyes warm, soft. "And if nopony else will say it, then lemme be the first: I'm perfectly fine with yer secrets... or else the shatterin' thereof."
Rainbow gulped. "You sure about that, Bard?"
"Of course I ain't. But that's the whole point of a secret, ain't it?" Bard looked forward with a sigh. "The thang about truth, Rainbow, is that it hurts. If the truth coulda hurt you back in the Quade—like it should have—then maybe you and yer friends would be in a better spot."
Rainbow hung her head.
"But t'ain't no matter now. What's important is that we work on our timin'. All of us. And the way I see it...?" He tilted his head back... back... back... until finally his eyes were reflecting Starkiss in its near-entirety. "...the last second is exactly when we wanna show what's up our sleeve, or else we can call this whole game Verlax's."
Rainbow gulped. "I'm not prepared to do that."
"Then the last thang that should be in yer mind..." Bard winked. "...is foldin'."
Rainbow looked at him.
He smiled back. "Never played poker?"
"Never."
"I'd be plum scared to play against you, Rainbow." Bard chuckled. "Hell. I wouldn't even know up from down!"
Rainbow smiled. "But if you bluff all the time, then you gotta be super sucky... right?"
"It's all about pickin' and choosin', darlin'."
Rainbow sighed out the side of her muzzle. She gazed at Yaerfaerda again. "Don't I know it...?"
The day wore on, although very few ponies could tell. The gray clouds overhead masked the movement of the sun, so that the combined groups charted their path by the gray malaise that bathed the flat, cold plateau.
With the onset of afternoon, the shadows gave way to an ever-permeating haze. The air cooled dramatically. It was an unsettling, dry stillness. Even with the overcast lingering ever ominously overhead, no snow or sleet fell. The air thickened with the vapors escaping the trekkers' breaths, and the only sound was the shuffling of hooves or the flapping of wings. Very few talked, and even fewer deviated from the persistent, eastward lurch.
The edge of Starkiss loomed closer and closer, barely an hour's trot away at this point. The polished white surface of the towering formation reflected the tight group of bodies shuffling towards it. The immaculate shine grew brighter and brighter with the passing of day, giving it an eerie luminescence...
...and it was all Mortuana could stare at. Despite the alicorn's cool demeanor, a slight shudder overwhelmed her narrow fetlocks, so that her breaths came out in wavering bands, dissipating beyond the reach of her bony wings. She swallowed, her ears drooping as her eyes narrowed on the massive mountain stretching above them.
"... ... ...this is far too simple..."
"Mountain Matron," Flynn's voice said.
Mortuana inhaled and exhaled. Her eyes traveled up the shiny surface of Starkiss... almost to the point of rolling back—
"Mortuana?" Flynn trotted into open view of the Herald's leader.
The alicorn's hooves scuffled slightly. This drew the attention of Remna, who glanced worriedly back.
Composing herself, Mortuana cleared her throat and spoke: "Yes, my little pony?"
"The... uh... the Lieutenant of the Talon would like to speak with you," Flynn said.
Mortuna gazed down at him in mid-trot. "He and his faithful associates have been guiding us peacefully for one full day and night. I do not believe such an introduction is necessary at this point."
"Told ya," Logan grunted out the side of his muzzle.
Flynn sighed. "Anyways, he's got something important to share."
"Very well." Mortuana tilted her head up to meet Keris' gaze. "Lieutenant? What troubles you?"
Keris blinked. His headcrest rose and dipped, almost as if surprised to have his mind read. Suppressing a cough, he said, "My Sergeants have noticed... something peculiar at the base of Starkiss."
"Do tell."
"There isn't much of a wind this close to the mountain," Keris said. "Thus, there hasn't been much to disturb the snow... for at least a week now, we're guessing."
"Oh?"
"We've found several imprints in the snow. They could very well be several days old."
"What kind of imprints?"
"Keris?" Rainbow Dash trotted closer, followed by Bard and Kepler. "What's up?"
"As I was just explaining to... your ally," Keris spoke, "We've discovered evidence of an encampment."
"The Lieutenant's right," Theanim Mane said, adjusting his goggles over his eyes for once. "Several ponies were here fairly recently. Tracks in the snow show that there was a large base."
"Huh?" Rainbow gawked, then glanced east. "Like... how large?"
"Supremely," Keris explained. "Evidence that the Central Guard has been here."
"The tracks are in a formation indicative of Rohbredden military placement," Theanim explained.
"Rohbreddenite soldiers?" Rainbow did a double-take. "This close to Starkiss?"
"There... are some metal deposits left in the snow, Rainbow," Rarity said.
"And spent manacrystals," Twilight Sparkle added. "There was a group of ponies here... and they weren't small in number."
"Where in the Hell did they go?" Logan asked.
Keris took a deep breath. "Not west. That's for certain."
"Right..." Flynn nodded. "We would have run into them by now."
Echo sniffed the air. "I certainly don't smell no soldier stink... I mean aside from these soldiers' stink."
"Not helping... again... old chap," Theanim muttered.
Echo sighed out the hood of his cloak. "Remind me why I'm even friggin' here again?"
Bard glanced at Rainbow Dash. "Maybe... them troops went into Starkiss?"
"Ahead of us?" Rainbow looked at Fluttershy.
Fluttershy gulped. "I'm sorry, Rainbow. But I can't help here."
"You've got no clue?"
Fluttershy sighed. "All I sense is us. If there were any members of the Central Guard here, they're long gone."
Rainbow turned to look up at Keris. "Would a huge chunk of the army actually be camped out here?"
"It doesn't match any of the strategic movements that the Talon knew of before leaving Frostknife," Keris said.
Theanim nodded. He spoke: "Prior to setting out to meet you, we were only aware of the line of defense formed halfway across the Star Fringes."
"Hence, the ambush," Logan muttered. "Terrific. These motherbuckers must have fallen back to protect their Queen."
Keris' claws clenched.
"Ahem..." Logan batted his masculine eyelashes. "No offense."
"Starkiss would make for an idea last bastion of defense," Keris said. "But why none of the forces are still here... even after camping out for an unknown amount of time is... beyond me."
"Ohhhhh gosh..." Pinkie glanced at Rainbow, eyes quivering as she shook in place. "What do?"
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"
"Er... what do we do?" Pinkie clarified, smiling sheepishly.
"I got it the first time, Pinkie," Rainbow droned, looking about.
"Well I didn't," Twilight muttered.
"But you never get it, darling," Rarity sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, well, I understand that we should pay caution!" Twilight turned and said. "We've walked into countless traps before. There's no tell—" She flickered in a lavender gasp, disappeared, and reappeared. "—strike again." She blinked, then gazed at Rainbow with wide eyes.
Rainbow's ears drooped as she leaned back. "Oh no..."
"What?" Bard asked, concerned. "What is it?"
Both Wildcard and Remna glanced over upon hearing the tone in Bard's voice.
"Rainbow..." Twilight squeaked.
"Oh goodness..." Fluttershy scrunched up, her and her friends' bodies rippling with lavender interference.
"What's happening?" Theanim asked. "Rainbow... are... are you feeling faint again?"
Rainbow ignored the Professor. Panting, she turned around. "Morty—!"
"It's alright, Rainbow," Mortuana said, squinting towards the heavens. "I feel it too."
"And I hear it," Echo muttered, sticking one leafy ear out from beyond his hood. "Whatever the hell it is... it ain't good..."
"Hear what?" Keris asked. He spun to face Rainbow. "What exactly is upon us?"
"The Rrainbow one and herr companions can sense the prresence of Verrlaxion's messengerrs," Kepler explained. The group as a whole lurched to a stop around him, alarmed at the wyvern's words. "This is what shorrtly prreceded the trragedy that befell yourr Centrral Guarrdian comrrades days ago..."
"Whoah..." Raptr hovered to a stop overhead. "What's he saying?"
"Shhh!" Keris raised his good talon. "Everyone just calm down!" He glared at the remnants of the Guard. "That means you! Form ranks, soldiers!"
Remna galloped over. "What's the matter, Austraeoh? Is it my sister?"
Starstorm glanced over. "...sister?"
"Some guidance would be paramount, Rainbow," Mortuana firmly breathed.
"Twilight! Fluttershy!" Rainbow twirled about. "Where's it coming from?"
"So... intense..." Twilight rubbed her horn, concentrating. After a wincing expression, she pointed her hoof in the direction of the southern mountain range. "Over there..."
"From the south!" Fluttershy nodded, gasping. "Definitely the south!"
"Over there!" Rainbow pointed south.
The Herald and Guard swiveled, facing the distant mountain range separating the plateau from Frostknife.
Logan craned his neck about. "Where... the Hell...?" He grumbled over his shoulder. "Hey gadgetballs...?"
"Sorry..." Flynn shook his head, focusing in and out with his mechanical eye. "But I'm not seeing anything."
"I am," Windburst said.
"What?!" Logan looked up. "How?!"
"Don't ask," Starstorm droned. She glanced aside in mid-hover. "Sergeant?"
"Dots of blue luminescence," Windburst said, glaring calmly south. "Only one thing in this whole continent glows like that."
Fwoooosh! Ariel flew in close proximity of the Talon. "Where?"
"... ... ..." Slowly, icily, Windburst raised his claw. "... ... ...there," he breathed. "Seven o'clock. Between the two angled ridges, bathed in snow."
Wildcard ascended until he was hovering above the rest. His beak hung agape as his goggles reflected two... four... eight specks of blue light.
"Holy moley!" Pinkie squeaked, shrinking into a shivering pink ball.
"Mrmmmmfff..." Twilight winced as her horn flickered again. "Oh gosh..."
"How..." Rainbow breathed. "...how m-many...?"
Mortuana took a deep breath. "Enough."
Crunch! A silver set of hooves scuffled to a stop in the snow of a southern mountain peak.
Followed by two more sets. Cr-Crunch!
Ten more. Scrkkkk!
Soon, no less than thirty golems stood in a haunted line, facing north along the jagged rock formation.
They stood tall, their metal joints groaning. Cold blue vapors billowed out from their joints, forming into one combined cloud that frothed outward from the conjured herd.
"Not much longer, Austraeoh..."
The mists intensified, forming wild tendrils that rolled down the mountainside like gray vines.
"Not... crkkkkktt... much longerrr..."
The voices dwindled, giving way to crackling echoes as the only voices left to give was one deathly exhale of cold fog.
The bulk of the Central Guard trembled as they gazed upon the distant lights.
Whimpering voices broke out among them.
"This it..."
"This is our reckoning..."
"Oh Goddess..."
"Oh Goddess, I-I'm so sorry!"
Panicking, five soldiers leapt out from the group. Four pegasi and a griffon broke ranks, taking wing as they flew south in a desperate blur.
"No!" Other members of the Guard shouted. "Don't!"
"Wait! Are you crazy?!"
"We are being punished!" one of the pegasi wept, panting as he flew along with the other four. "We must show our penitence! Or else we'll all suffer!"
"No!" Theanim hollered, waving a hoof. "Don't give in to fear! Whatever's out there... it will not save you!"
"Soldiers, fall back!" Keris shouted. Even as his voice echoed, he could only watch as the five guardians flew wildly towards the glowing lights. "Fly back into formation this instant! That is an order!"
"Like tossing shit at shit," Echo grunted.
"Lieutenant, what should we do?!" Starstorm exclaimed.
Keris gulped, shaking his head. "I-I can't risk the lives of the rest of our group. I-I don't even know what we're dealing with."
"Well, we gotta do something!" Ariel exclaimed. Gnashing her teeth, she flapped her wings, soaring south. Swooosh! "I'm going after them!"
"Ariel!" Rainbow shouted.
"Dammit!" Flynn winced, then glanced at Mortuana. "For buck's sake! She'll die!"
Mortuana merely nodded and said, "This is nothing less than death." She glanced at Wildcard.
Wildcard breathed. He glanced at Bard... then shot southward after Ariel.
"Hey! Wait up—!" Rainbow waved a hoof.
Bard grasped her gently from behind. "Shhhh... dun you worry. He'll bring her back safe."
Rainbow watched, clenching her teeth. Her friends hung silent, tense.
Meanwhile, the five panicked members of the Guard flew south. The griffon and two other pegasi pulled ahead of the rest, hyperventilating in the cold, stagnant air.
"Goddess!"
"Goddess Verlaxion!"
"Please forgive us, oh Queen!"
"She led us astray! The Rainbow Rogue and her damnable friends!"
"We're sorry! Please... have mercy on us!"
"Have mercy on our families!"
From behind, Ariel's voice could scarcely scale above their hysterical shouts: "Don't! Stop it! Come back!" She wheezed and flew as fast as she could. "Can't you see what's happenin—?"
When the group was just a scream away from the southern mountain ridge, the tendrils of fog snaking down suddenly shot up, piercing the overcast heavens above.
POWWW!
The resulting shockwave threw the Guard off balance.
"Aaaaugh!" Two stragglers—a mare and a stallion—flew back from the rest, their armor rattling.
"Goddess! Why?!"
Ariel and Wildcard caught up, grabbing the two from behind. The guardians struggled, whimpering and gnashing teeth.
Wildcard swiftly overpowered the stallion in his grasp.
"Will you knock it off?!" Ariel shouted into the ear of the mare she was holding.
"But... but we n-need to show our humility—" The soldier's breath melted into a gasp. Her wide eyes reflected bright lights through the overcast clouds.
Wildcard and the stallion in his grasp also watched in silent horror.
The other three soldiers had fallen to the foothills of the mountain range. They looked up, muzzles and beak agape as the heavens unfurled above them. The first line of a howling stampede of windigoes descended upon the trio. A lasting prayer or two lit the air—and then all was shattered screams as the three Rohbreddenites were instantly shredded to icy bits.
The soldiers in the Heraldites' grasp whimpered. Ariel and Bard spun about-face, dragging the survivors along with them.
"Come on! Let's move! Move!" With blurring wings, they raced back to where the rest of the group lay in wait.
Not far behind...
Fw-Fw-Fw-Fw-Fw-Fwoooosh! The demonic torsos of raging windigoes surged after them, propelled by icy forelimbs. The banshee shrieks quadrupled, forming a malevolent thunder that shook the plateau to its very stone foundation.
Even from so far away, the ground shook beneath Rainbow, Bard, and the others.
"Ah jeeeeeeez..." Logan winced. "That's a lot of 'em. Yup. Who's for a round of frozen piss?"
Echo raised a hoof. "Put it on my tab."
"Stuff it, fatso!" Flynn snarled. "You too, Midnight Express!" The unicorn twirled east. He tapped a hoof to his mechanical eye, flashing a red beam of manalight straight at Starkiss. "Come on... come on..." He cursed under his breath. "...it's over half a kilometer to Starkiss! Even if there was an entrance or a cave in plain sight, maybe the fliers among us could make it. Maybe."
"The rest of us..." Theanim gulped. "...not so fortunate."
"Then that's it?!" Logan spat. "We're boned?!"
"Save your crude words!" Remna grunted. "Perhaps a distraction is in order?"
"Fat load of good that will do!" Bard said, signaling Wildcard and Ariel as they flew closer with the two survivors in tow. "They're only after Rainbow, ain't they?"
"Maybe..." Rainbow gulped. "Maybe if I ran northwest then the rest of you could—"
"That is not happening," Remna growled. "We're getting you to Starkiss."
"But—"
"Maximum priority!"
Keris took a deep breath. "Then we shall distract them!"
"What?!" Rainbow's voice racked.
"How in heaven's name to you intend to do that?!" Theanim cackled.
"We've performed effective misdirection with monstrous beasts before." The Lieutenant glanced at his wingmates, and they all nodded. "I don't see why we can't buy both groups some time."
"Listen, buddy..." Bard waved. "Y'all dun understand! These thangs will suck the breath outta ya!"
"Do you have another option?!" Keris exclaimed.
Mortuana blinked. She sensed a flicker of reflective banshee-light. She glanced down, cradling her dangling vial with a bony hoof.
"It's impossible to survive such a stampede directly!" Remna hollered as a blistering wind picked up, carrying the howls of the demon horses. "Why we aren't already galloping east is beyond me! We must go!" She tugged at Rainbow's forelimb. "Come on, Austraeoh! Now!"
"But... b-but..." Rainbow dragged her hooves.
"No more arguing!" Remna gnashed her teeth. Her fiery mane danced in the winds. "We cannot survive against this onslaught!"
"She's right, Austraeoh..."
Rainbow turned, blinking.
Mortuana took a deep breath. "You cannot survive against the windigoes..." She turned to look over. "...not with me."
Rainbow blinked. She glanced at Mortuana... then at the vial in her grasp.
Remna's eyes narrowed to burning slits, then melted round once more. Her muzzle fell agape. "Mortuana..."
"Herald..." With a firm breath, Mortuana snapped the necklace loose from her shoulders. She glared south into the incoming herd. "...follow through with your sacred order."
"But—!" Remna grimaced.
"Axan, you have a mighty task ahead of you." Mortuana's eyes sliced aside. "Get Rainbow Dash to the Dark Side. I am trusting in you."
Remna clenched her jaw muscles.
"You have my faith, oh Divine. Now go." Mortuana's nostrils flared. "You are now the lead of the Herald. Do as Rainbow Dash says, and all will go well."
Bard blinked. Flynn and Logan exchanged gaping expressions.
Remna fumed... fumed... and spun around with a snarl. "Rrrrngh!" She galloped east, the snow melting beneath her hoofsteps. "Come, Austraeoh! We must make haste!"
Keris gulped. "Is... is this the plan?" He swung a claw, pointing. "Can she hold them off?"
"You're damn right she can." Logan took a deep breath, his eyes steady and glossy. "Mountain Matron."
"Logan..."
"... ... ...it's been an honor."
"Likewise."
Logan spun and galloped after Remna. Meanwhile, Keris gestured at the Central Guard.
"Everypony! Follow the violet mare! We are heading to Starkiss!" Keris flapped his wings, blurring east. "No stopping! Not even to breathe! Talon—"
"Right!" Windburst gasped, flying in tight formation alongside Starstorm and Raptr. "Take wing!"
"Go go go!"
"That's our call, Theams..." Echo stumbled east, yanking at Theanim's tail. "...move it or smear it!"
"Guhhh!" Theanim grimace, fumbling to keep up with the rest of the group. "For goodness' sake! She's committing a noble act of heroism here! Let us not w-waste it! Rainbow Dash! That means you!"
Raptr panted and panted. With a nervous gulp, the rookie took one glance west.
Mortuana marched slowly south, catching the eyes of Ariel.
"We m-managed to save two of those idiots!" Ariel stammered, hovering beside Wildcard as the two guards flew to join the Talon in their race to Starkiss. "But Verlax's finest are on our tail! We haven't got much long before..." She blinked. "W-w-wait, what's happening?"
"Ariel. It was a pleasure knowing you and your mother," Mortuana said. "She would be proud of you, just as I am."
Ariel blinked. "Wait... wait..." She shook in place, trembling. "No... no no no no no! Bullshit! Th-there's gotta be another way!"
"Ariel..." Flynn cleared his throat, already galloping east. "...the Job Squad has an oath to fulfill."
"Rainbow! Please! Talk her out of it! Remna! Hell... where's Remna?!"
Wildcard looked down at Bard. He gestured with two claws.
Bard nodded. Swooosh! He lifted up, grabbing Ariel from behind. "Skedaddle time, darlin'."
"No! No!" Ariel sobbed, struggling to free herself from his grasp. "You can't just let her do this! Mortuana!"
"Ain't our choice. We gotta live." Bard flapped his wings stronger, joining Flynn and the Talon. "For Rainbow."
"Rnnnngh... pl-please! Mortuana!"
"Rainbow..." Twilight cleared her throat, looking nervously at her anchor as the bellowing shrieks intensified. "We... we have to go..."
"I... I know... but..." Rainbow gulped, hobbling towards Mortuana. "Mortuana. Please... maybe if you just let me—"
"No, Rainbow," Mortuana said. "Not this time."
Rainbow blinked.
Mortuana gazed down at her. "Your moment will come yet." The tiniest of smiles formed. "As will many after that. Take pride in what you are... who you are." She shook her head. "Do not give in to guilt."
Rainbow gulped. "It's not g-guilt," she cried.
"We will meet again," Mortuana said. Her eyes narrowed. "We will all meet again."
Fluttershy whimpered. She and Rarity leaned against one another while Twilight and Pinkie shivered.
"Now go," Mortuana said. "Be the gift that Whitemane so richly delivered." She pivoted her head about. "Wildcard... make sure she gets to Starkiss in one piece."
Wildcard nodded. He flew down, gently taking Rainbow by the shoulder.
Rainbow shuddered. She stumbled into his grasp... and then the snow gave out from beneath her hooves as the griffon lifted her up. Her marefriends watched—teary eyed—as Mortuana became a dark black spot from afar.
"Kepler..." Mortuana calmly said. The banshee cries intensified. "...Kepler?" She looked to her left.
The wyvern stood limply at her side. His spectacles had fogged over. He lifted his face, only to avoid her gaze with a nervous stammer. "My... exuberrant apologies, mountain matrron. I had all the time to prreparre... but... but alas..."
"Shhhh..." She took the time to caress his chin with a gentle hoof. "Kepler.. ever loyal and wise Kepler. I have lived thousands of lifetimes. This last one spent with you I have treasured the most."
He smiled. His tusks shook.
She leaned down to nuzzle him. "Go. Carry your brothers' spirit in the flesh... as I carry them in my heart."
He backed up. He unhitched himself from the wagon with a shrug of his hairy shoulders. Then, with a pent-up breath, he kicked off the earth and glided east after Wildcard and Rainbow Dash.
"At last..." Mortuana pivoted south, glaring into the onslaught of pale equine figures. "...I have kept death waiting long enough."
And just as the demons converged on her, she closed her eyes... breathing in and out... calmly... meditatively...
Far east, at the head of the group, Remna galloped up a snowy embankment, approaching the pale white wall of Starkiss. She lingered for a few steps, stumbling in place. Panting. She turned and looked west.
Keris and the rest of the Talon streaked by her. Soon, Theanim, Echo, and the Central Guard galloped past her position as well, their eyes full of desperation and panic.
Remna's slitted eyes locked on a lone figure... the only soul facing the surging wall of windigoes head-on. The edges of Remna's sockets evaporated with a strange mist. Snarling, she tore herself from where she was anchored, rushing to join the Talon in reaching the mountain.
"Brrotherrs... fellow ponies... gatherr rround..."
"...the elderrs have made theirr wise decision," the wyvern monk said. He stood south of the monastery at Wyvern Point, cradling a scroll in his clawed grasp. His smile beamed in the sunset over northwest Rohbredden. "We arre now rready to rread the final worrds ourr Mountain Matrron has given us..."
Wyverns—both young and old—glided into place. The silent ones stood at the rear, craning their necks while feathers dangled from their bat-ears. Snow-Bloods wandered up from the rustic mountain village, some still balancing farm tools and buckets of water over their haunches. A hush of silence fell over the mixed crowd as the monk in the center opened the Emeraldinian seal and unveiled its contents.
He read aloud, proudly and with a booming voice in the crisp mountain air: "'My little ponies... dearr brrotherrs of the Wyverrn Trribe... and memberrs of the Herrald in hearrt and in spirrit... it is no joyful task leaving you...
"For we do not die only once in this life... but many times...
Mortuana placed the black vial onto the snow-covered stone. She calmly raised a hoof over it... held her breath...
"We die when we leave our families...
...and smashed her fetlock down, shattering the glass entirely. Crkkk!
"We die when we lose our friends...
The blood splattered outward in every direction... and then the enchanted liquid became animated... rolling and snaking up Mortuana's limbs. It trickled against gravity, sliding over every bony contour, making its way up Mortuana's body until it formed together like a glowing black breastplate over her chest.
When Mortuana's eyes next opened, they were glowing with magical brilliance. The air around her crackled with onyx energy, resisting the wind being blown her way by the incoming charge of windigoes.
"And we die when we sacrifice the parts of ourselves that would otherwise weigh us down in a prosperous future... or else we forsake the very livelihood of our families and friends...
Breathing deeply, she summoned the strength to raise a trembling hoof up to her horn. The limb fumbled for a bit to grasp the dangling end of her bandage. At last, when she caught the fabric in the crook of her fetlock, she slowwwwwly tugged it loose. The ribbon slid away, exposing a narrow stalk of bone, porous and see-through with many cracks, fissures, and holes.
"But there is one death that we must allow ourselves never to suffer...
Mortuana clenched her teeth. Her hooves spread apart, bracing her body like an anvil against the coming storm. A tiny narrow beam of pale black mana solidified inside the hollow of her horn, growing thicker and wilder... splashing outward in every direction with translucent waves of gray energy. A high-pitched whine fought against the surmounting cacophony of banshee shrieks.
"And that is the death of hope...
Ariel sobbed. She fought one last time to wriggle her way free from Bard's grasp, but to no avail. She buried her head in his shoulder, carried to the edge of Starkiss.
As Bard flew closer, he turned around, scanning the horizon for his comrades. Once he saw Wildcard, he shouted the griffon's name.
Wildcard saluted back, all the while hauling Rainbow further and further away from the coming tempest.
Kepler swept low, clutching Flynn and giving him a boost. Flynn, in the meantime, looked over the wyvern's shoulder. His mechanical eye rotated, and he shouted something with alarm.
Rainbow looked back, her eyes reflecting the rippling white manes of windigoes. Her marefriends shrieked, phasing in and out of lavender form.
"We may sacrifice our flesh... we may sacrifice our dreams... but hope must not suffer on anypony's behalf. It is the one thing in this universe not permitted to taste the sting of death...
Wildcard gasped. He twirled aside, barely dodging the winged sweep of a windigo.
Kepler shouted something. Another windigo grazed by, and the wyvern's very own breath froze in mid-air, falling in icy sheets behind them.
Flynn bellowed, firing beam after magical beam from his horn in a futile attempt to drive the windigoes off.
"Civilizations come and go. Entire generations crumble before the wages of time. But so long as they carry hope forward... so long as they keep passing the torch and lighting it with the ashes of their blinking lives... then they are triumphing for the greater good...
With a crazed shriek, one windigo flung its frozen wings forward, knocking the Heraldites off balance.
Wildcard and Rainbow Dash fell to the ground. Snow flew as they struggled to get up. The windigoes circled, their hooves slicing the ground and shredding fresh trenches of frost and icy barbs.
With a grunt, Logan turned about face, galloping back to join the group. He slid towards Flynn and Kepler's side, swinging his axe. He barely grazed the windigoes before the sheer cold was too much, and he dropped his weapon with a hiss of pain.
As the demons converged, Rainbow stood up. She shouted something while pressing a hoof to her pendant, firing beams of harmonic energy into the herd, holding them off by mere inches.
"Because if we allow that light to fade... if we let this world suffer the one, true, final death... then we have failed our purpose in this universe... even if we don't yet know what that purpose is...
The Central Guard reached the west end of Starkiss. Windburst and Keris searched the outer perimeter while Remna looked on. Upon hearing Rainbow's shouts—and those of the others—Echo lurched to a stop. He pressed a hoof to Theanim's shoulder. The Professor spun around, letting loose an audible gasp. This was not lost to Remna, who twirled in a blink. Her eyes list up, and she howled something in horror. But before she could rush to aid the rest of the Herald, windigoes swooped down, overtaking her and the rest of the group.
Rohbreddenites shrieked, cowering low.
Keris shouted commands, rallying the group closer so that they clung to the wall of Starkiss. It was around that time that Windburst finally found a stone door, blocked with chunks of solid frozen ice. He, Starstorm, and Raptr hammered away at the frost, chiseling it apart... one inch at a time. Theanim leaned in, helping in any way that he could.
All the while, more and more windigoes descended, freezing the breaths right out of soldiers and Talon members alike until they went blue in the face.
Remna struggled to get up. Her equine body steamed all over as the windigoes breathed upon her and the rest, covering the entire area with deathly blight. Her slitted eyes centered upon a distant pulse of black energy... billowing like a torch against the gray cyclone.
"But hope exists if for only one reason... that some day... against all odds... someone will ascertain that purpose. And all of the struggles... and all of the conflicts... and all of the trials that we have endured to support that purpose with the backbones of our legacies will be worth it.
Mortuana's mane danced around her. She spread her wings, lifting up... hovering from the sheer output of mana from her crackling horn. Spiderwebbing black veins spread under her skin, crossing her muzzle and between her glowing black eyes. Her tail disentigrated. Skin and hair peeled off her flank and legs.
"And when that time comes, all souls... both mortal and immortal alike... will share in the feast of eternity's labors...
The alicorn gnashed her teeth. The glow of her horn spread down through her skull, manifesting in her mouth. When she nexted breathed, it was as if the entire continent was opening up.
That very instant, every single windigo jerked in flight. The entire herd was drawn inward, with Mortuana at the eye of the storm. She breathed again, and once more they flailed as they were dragged towards her... towards her muzzle... towards her heart.
"I do not go to die in vain... or to cement my life's story in an act of brazen heroism. I go now to do that which I and the Herald have committed... which is to protect hope in the most definitive form any civilization has ever known... so that we will all have a chance to meet again... beyond the Harmonic Plains... waiting—as all things will—for a Spark beyond the blackness to reunite us... as it is doing now... by harmony's solemn blessing.
Mortuana's wings curled inward. Her horn cracked in a dozen more places as a vaporous bubble of turbulent magic formed around her. The windigoes had nowhere to escape now. They scampered and whinnied and clawed at the air as they were drawn towards the alicorn, melting into a fine ribbon of compacted mist, circling and ribboning into an infinitely small focal point situated in the middle of Mortuana's enchanted forehead.
And then... when all but her neck and throat had withered into a hollow skeleton...
...Mortuana gasped. A tear blossomed in her eyes. One final flower.
"Sister..." She choked. A millisecond of silence. "...it's so bright."
THOOOOOOOOOOM! The atmosphere around her imploded. Where Mortuana was, there now hovered an intensely dark ball of burning magic. It absorbed the windigo herd from the inside out, dragging them from all corners of the plateau.
This included the demons pouncing upon Rainbow, and the others. They gasped, along with Flynn, Kepler, and Logan.
Ariel and Bard looked on—mouths agape—as shrieking phantoms ripped past them, surging backwards towards the alicorn's last known position.
Finally, those assaulting Remna and the Talon were torn to misty shreds. The Central Guard looked up, shivering in awe as the windigoes formed a weak tendril of frost, drawing westward. Echo lowered his hood, watching with narrow eyeslits while Theanim stumbled to his side.
At last, every remaining essence of the herd surged into the dark spot. Once they all vanished deep within the sphere, there was a momentary lapse of noise, then—POWWW! The air filled with a rush of cold... followed by gently falling snow.
The mortals exhaled... very much alive.
And Mortuana was no more.
"'And on that glorrious day, we shall be one, as it was so in a beginning beforre beginning. So do not weep, my little ponies,'" the wyvern monk read, his eyes reaching the bottom of the scroll. "'Prreserrve hope in yourr hearrts... live and die as you would everr wish to be: happy... wholesome... and harrmonic. Forr such is the way of all ending, a cirrcle that completes itself, making rrevolutions with everry beautiful life. So be it. Mountain Matrron... Prrincess of Emerraldine... Herrald to the last. Morrtuana.'"
He exhaled with finality, folding the scroll back up.
The other wyverns bowed their heads, murmuring honorable words beneath their breaths.
The Snow Bloods nodded, several of them sniffling emotionally.
The moment of silence was broken... however... by a flock of birds cawing overhead. Disturbed.
Curious, the wyverns and Snow-Bloods alike pivoted about, facing southeast towards the source of the noise.
They spotted several dark shapes against the mountaintop... growing more and more numerous. Then—as the numbers quadrupled—the sanctuary inhabitants saw the tell-tale glint of silver armor.
A pegasus soldier glared down at the exposed structures of Wyvern Point. He exhaled a fuming, vaprous breath... then fitted a sharp helmet over his skull. He raised a spear high in his hoof.
Schiiiiiiiing!
Hundreds of fellow pegasi and griffons stood at his side, all armed to the teeth with silver armor and weaponry.
"Soldiers of the Central Guard!" the pegasus hollered, then pointed his spear forward. "Cleanse in the name of our Queen!"
An echoing war cry filled the air as the entire battallion dove down the mountainside. With merciless precision, they filled every nook and cranny of the sanctuary, slicing and dicing at everything that moved.
"For Verlaxionnnn!" the voices sang.
And as the sun set, and the screams subsided, smoke and ash filled the air, marking the spot where Wyvern Point and all its buildings were burned to bare rock.