Icon: Remnants of the North

by Vixavior

Act 4- Chapter 14: The Last Question

The Last Question
Proofread by TehSporkBandit

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”Alright, y’all, let’s get this thing open. One, two, three, hup!” The door disintegrates in a flurry of ice dust that sparkles like diamonds in the bright morning sunlight. Every frost-kissed surface glimmers with the radiant beams of a fresh new day as light pours through the shattered window at the end of the hall. A cool wind billows through the empty mountain stronghold, whisking away any semblance of death and disease.

The night of terrors had passed, the walls that felt as if they closed in on you by the darkness of night had been held at bay. You sat between friends, curled up in a swath of impromptu blankets around a cozy fire as the windigoes raged and wailed just outside that rickety door. One by one, the ponies had drifted off to sleep like stars fading in the night sky.

The heralded dawn is bright and clear, a new day springs forth to melt away whatever horrors stalk the lonely palace.

“Darling, button up or you’ll catch a chill.” The brisk breeze brushes your neck as the scintillating hum of magic purrs in your ear, a scarf made of an tapestry hem cozeies against your skin and neatly tucks itself away. Rarity slips beside you, “Ah-ah, hold still.” The red and yellow tassels dangling from the ends of the scarf are jostled to and fro until the Unicorn finagles them into something she’s satisfied with. “There, et tut Finis, proper and dandy, if I do say so myself.”

Applejack trundles back out from the shadow cloaked room and peers out into the sunlit hall. Rainbow darts behind her, hoof on Applejack’s back and head thrust out just a little farther into the corridor as both peer left, then right, then left again as if synchronized. “Shucks, ain’t seen that one before. Hey, all ya’ll better take a look at this.” Applejack’s voice crackles as a flicker of a smile hovers around her muzzle before breaking free. The relief shines across her face as she closes her eyes and lets her shoulders slump before taking a deep cleansing breath.

You flash Rarity a thankful grin and give her a quick hug. She peeps in surprise before you dart off towards the door. The slick floors nearly slide your feet out from under you, but you grasp the door and steady yourself.

There's nothing to harm her; the hallway is scoured clean by the sun’s rays. There is no bodies, no scars, and no blood bath to be seen, just the tiny ice diamonds that cling to every surface. The glorious golden morning glows warm and bright, sweeping away even the darkest vestiges of the night that shrouded Equestria for so long.

The fresh breath of a new day is crisp and sweet. “I guess it is the dawn of a new day after all." you say, then drink in the fresh alpine air.

“It’s always a new day. Good or bad, you just gotta suck it up and make the best of it, eh, champ?” Rainbow bumps your shoulder and grins. You wince and hiss as you rub the already painful spot, making Rainbow fix you with an amused smirk, her smarmy expression easily readable as she rolls her eyes, ‘what did I just say?’

“New day, new day! Haaaah! This is why I love getting up each and every morning. New day, winter day, fun day, fun day!” Pinkie blows past the pair of mares blocking the door in a hurtling cartwheel, scattering them like ninepins as she slips and slides happily on the ice-slicked floor.

“Steady on, Pinkie.” Rarity huffs and rasps in a stage whisper, “We still don’t know if it’s safe out there. There might still be some of those ghastly horrors roaming the halls, waiting for us to come out. We should wait until everypony is ready before going anywhere.”

“Hmm,” Rainbow chuckles, “what do you say, scouting party?”

“You read my mind!” Pinkie beams as she glides down the hall with a swooshing motion like she were on skates. “Scouting party is a go!”

Applejack just looks up at Rainbow and smirks, “Ah’ll go help them ponies back up on their hooves.” She gestures back at the cluster of Unicorns who are slowly starting to stir amid a myriad of confounded blinks and wary glances cast towards the entranceway. Fluttershy is helping one up and giving a few reassuring pats as she flits from pony to pony to keep them placated. Applejack softens her voice to a whisper, “They'll be ready ta’ go by the time yer back. Don’t worry, Fluttershy’ll have ‘em right as rain, lickety-split.”

“I…Uh, I think I’ll stay back and make sure that… um, that Twilight doesn’t need anything, of course. Yes.” Rarity nervously licks her lips and backs away from the door towards the purple Alicorn laying in a cozy-looking ball beneath a few blankets among the Unicorns.

“C’mon, we better get going before somepony gets worried about you staring. See, a few of them are shaking in their horseshoes because of you. C'mon, lets go."” Rainbow pokes your ribs with a smirk and slips out into the hall.

“Nah, I think they’re just happy to be out. And who wouldn’t? I mean, stuck in a room for weeks at a time. It’s like being grounded for a super-duper long weekend. Besides, I think they might be shaking from the cold, or maybe that’s because there’s no bathroom nearby. Hmm, anyway, I don’t think they’re scared of him.” Pinkie blithely comes to your aid as Rainbow rolls her eyes.

It’s enough to suppress a chortle as you step outside into the ice crystal coated hallway with Pinkie and Rainbow. The latter of which has a scarf and vest, but her wings are unwrapped and she seems to relish finally being airborne again. Sucking in a deep breath, she lets it out with a happy sigh as Pinkie hop-slides over the icy floor.

Something is starting to dawn on you while carefully picking your way through the rotunda. Something rises to the forefront of your thoughts; you were currently standing on the same spot that Iblis did when confronting the Windigo. All that is left is an unsightly pile of black ice broken up like lumps of coal encrusted in purest white.

Crouching down, you inspect the black chips and spot an irregular shape: smooth and long with a twisting spiral down to its splintered tip. It’s the Alicorn horn, the Icon. Dust and crumbled remains are all that is left of the vile would-be tyrant. For all his guile, his experience, his practiced deception, there is nothing left of him apart from those few innocuous and nearly unrecognizable fragments. You gingerly pick up the ivory spire, a single recognizable heirloom and the source of everything here. With a gasping breath, you secretly slip the ashen horn in your pocket.

“Hey, you okay?” Rainbow’s voice echoes from the corridor.

“Yeah, sorry, just thinking is all.” You hurry to catch up with the other two. “How are we going to get out of here?”

“How do you feel about hiking up a mountain rim trying to avoid avalanches, canyons, rock slides, and sheer drops? Because if you’re okay with that then AJ’s path will be totally great.” Pinkie answers with nary a sign of sarcasm.

“With all those shaken up Unicorns?” Rainbow quirks a brow adding, “I’ve got something waaaaay better.”

Pinkie hums as you enter the main hall, “Is it a good idea?” Dash’s indignant huff and strained glare of irritation bounces off Pinkie’s unflappable exterior as she smiles, still waiting for an answer.

The silence only lasts a few heartbeats as you enter the room where the swirling melee had occurred the night before. There is no great heap of corpses, no blood-streaked stains, no contorted expressions from pale bloodless faces, it’s a hall scoured clean by the ravages of winter. Every step churns up a bit of black, but it could have been discarded pebbles from the side of an asphalt road if you didn't know better.

“You’ll see.” Rainbow Dash trails off ahead, up the staircase and back towards the throne room. You and Pinkie tramp after her through the sunlight spilling in from the shattered windows. Outside is a clearer picture of the snow fields and empty flats across the mountain caldera, a wide plain reaches to the rocky slops which stretch off in every direction. It passes out of sight, and you are brought to the relative darkness of the landings and hearth room. The door to the throne room had been cracked open, letting in the the howl of wind through the ragged gap in the walls.

“What are we gonna' see, when are we gonna’ see it? C’mon Dashie, we’re waaaaiting!” Pinkie’s excitable chatter bursts into the throne room as Rainbow noses the door open enough for the squeaky protestations of frozen hinges to break the stream of questions.

Rainbow Dash shoulders the weakened barrier aside and smirks as she pants, “Ta-dah! Told you I had the perfect plan.” The ruined hall is in the same condition as everything else, but there is one obvious addition through the large bank of windows: the crumbling pillars still show the grey cloudy wisps and angular metal body of the cloud barge that had carved through the castle wall.

“Huh, I guess that works.” You blink and wonder just how stable a half-cloud and half-metal skeleton nearly crumpled to scrap metal would be. The pile of rubble acts as a half decent gangplank as Rainbow is the first to skip over to it and land on an inky cloud.

“Just stay on the plank and on the runners. Don’t worry, I’ll get us through.” Rainbow pats the side of the ungainly flying machine.

“It’s true, she was a captain before. Yarr, it be captain Dash, Arr.” Pinkie growls like a pirate before sidling up to you and stage whispering, “The ‘Arr’ stands for Rainbow.”

“Yeah, I gathered.” Giving her mane a pat gets that bright ever-present grin to spread across Applejack's face before she bounds up the plank and onto the airborne barge.

Pinkie pops her head back over the precipice and waves you up the rubble heap, “C’mon, let’s give it a test drive, uh, test fly! Lets go!” It's she won't take 'no' for an answer.

The metal oozes beneath your feet as Rainbow chimes in, “Yeah, just stay near the front end, the back’s all clouds, so falling through sounds like it’s a bad idea.” Emerging into the sunlight, Rainbow quickly sets out here and there, lightly nudging or punching the cloudy bulwarks, turning the deep grey barriers to fluffy white bastions as she manipulates the vessel to what she wanted. “See, told you Storm Gremlins are just amateurs playing the weather game.”

“So what’s this cutie’s name?” Pinkie affectionately strokes the bow of the ship, “It’ll be super sad if we just call it That Thing or the Whatchamacallit or Junky McMast.”

Rainbow Dash snorts, “Yeah, well, why not the Rainboom?”

Pinkie wiggles her nose, “Why do I get the feeling we’ve already used that?”

You venture a single thought, “Well, that’s not a bad one, but you did just take all the darkness out of the thing so it doesn’t sound as threatening. What about Captain Rainbow Dash’s Illustrious Skywalker?”

Rainbow Dash merely shrugs nonchalantly, but the gleam in her eyes betrays her. “Yeah, sure, that can work good, I guess.”

“See, now you’ve got a name. Ah, I’m so-soooo happy for you!” Pinkie pats the railing before her head sharply rears up, “Wait! Don’t they have a celebration for naming a ship?”

Rainbow blinks and looks to you, “Actually, yeah, I think they do. But I don’t think now is the time.”

“Time?” Pinkie blinks, “We make time! And cake, confetti, banners, balloons… sure, we don't have those, but ice cream is another story. We can probably make a bajillion buckets of that."

“There's more to ice cream than ice, Pinkie.”

“Just think of it as lactose-free all natural ice cream with no flavours or preservatives added. You got to think healthy with that much ice cream.” Pinkie quickly pads off to the bow as Rainbow Dash pointedly ignores her in favour of coaxing the vessel to life.

The floating ship pulls free from the ruined chamber, raining broken masonry down onto the snowy slopes at the foot of the fortress. The Gremlin airship slowly yaws wide and lazily drifts out over the open world. Rainbow Dash stands behind you on a raised walkway with a tiller in her hooves as the ship slowly circles the great stone walls of the citadel; its imposing granite peaks and flush surfaces are a marvel to behold among the many arches and windows decorating its upper floors. There are valleys and plains, even what looks like a lake below with that single little town. The great 'carrion city' of New Trondheim looks like nothing more than a long abandoned village with snow drifts piling up in the streets and an empty row of storm barges laying anchored at their docks on the cliff ledge overlooking the town. It’s all so simple, so pristine. the vessel hoves closer to the sheer rock face of the castle and drifts to a halt.

“Well then,” you start off as the barge glides back to the large window bank where everypony could be loaded onboard, “I suppose that we should head back to Vanhoover and drop everypony off. You and me, Rainbow, we’ll just… try not to be seen.”

From her position of captain, Rainbow Dash cackles a defiant laugh to the north wind, never any more confident than when she was flying. “I’ll give the orders around here! But yeah, lets pick ‘em up and head to Vanhoover, then Canterlot. Pinkie Pie-”

The burst of pink that flares past you stops mid-gallop towards the aft section of the sky barge, “Aye-aye, first-mate Pinkie the Pie-rat ready for orders, Arrrr-D.” She tosses up a quick salute.

The Pegasus points her hoof dramatically at the bow, “Make ready for boarders and batten down the hatches.”

You can already see the little parade of ponies take their first nervous steps into the hallway. The great dark barges which had abducted so many now stand as their ticket to freedom. You expected them to balk at the sight of it, to cower, to flee.

Most of the ponies look mildly afraid of you, each staying back and no one volunteering despite a few words of assurance from their helpful watchers. Twilight occupies the exact middle of the group, a blanket tossed over her back as she wobbles unsteadily at every step. Despite the dark rings under her eyes and the plodding, methodical motions, a smile slowly stretches across her muzzle. Rarity presses against her side to keep the princess stable as she approaches. Twilight takes a half breath to avoid yawning and looks to the other five ponies, “Don’t worry, he’s really okay. Trust me.” The mass of ponies respond with a few reluctant nods.

While they pause, a familiar voice calls out, “Come now, we wouldn’t want to linger. Lets get you all set up and we’ll be home before you know it.” Fluttershy emerges from the low entranceway, looking back at the stalled column of ponies and offering a hoof to them. The gentle voice coaxes the first Unicorn forward. A wide-eyed, blue-coated colt unsteadily inches towards the vessel.

You smile, holding out a hand to say, “Welcome, sir, aboard the maiden flight of Captain Rainbow Dash’s vessel, the Illustrious Skywalker. If I may.” You wink and try to reassure the colt. His golden eyes widen and a small gaze of awe appears on his face. Gently grasping his hoof, you and Pinkie haul him aboard the ramshackle bow of the damaged ship.

“Alright, everypony,” Applejack calls out, “all ya’ll heard the mare, lets git movin’.” Applejack trundles forward, taking Fluttershy’s place as the weaker Pegasi drifts back to help any flagging individuals.

It takes about ten minutes, but one Unicorn after another is brought aboard and situated where it is safe. Thanks to the help, everything goes smoothly. Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack are the last aboard..

“Your Grace.” You smile at the gaunt figure; Twilight still has that spark in her despite her hollow cheeks and glassy gaze. You pull her up and gently resettle the blanket over her. In time, she would be well again.

“Ahem, must a lady beg for a little bit of help?” Rarity asks once Twilight is being led away by Fluttershy and Pinkie. You nod and return to the side of the vessel, bracing a foot on the low railless bow.

Reaching out a hand, you draw them under her forehooves and pull her up while Applejack gives a grunt of discomfort. “Sorry, dear, I swear I’m not doing that on purpose.” Looking over, the Unicorn’s hind hooves are placed on the farm mare’s back though a misstep had flattened the top of Applejack's hat over her brow.

“Got it. One, two, three, push!” Between Applejack and yourself, you manage to pull Rarity onboard; though the last ungainly pull sends her sprawling on the deck in a jumbled heap.

Whatever dignity Rarity had lost, she hurriedly regains; the Unicorn smooths her coat out and rises to her hooves with a petite cough. “You’re both tremendous, I seriously can’t thank you enough for your help and timely intervention.”

Applejack hurriedly travels back to check the room again. “Need a hand, AJ?”

She stays silent for a few moments, letting the wind billow through her mane as it sweeps further into the vacant hollows of the ruined keep.

“AJ? Something wrong?”

She breathes a sigh and lets her shoulders slump before turning to look over her shoulder. “Nope, everything’s good. Everything’s finally alright.” Darting back the last few paces, she vaults up and onto the deck as the last instructions filter down from Rainbow and her ‘first mate’ Pinkie Pie-rat.

“Alright, ya landlubbers, ya heard him! We be takin’ you out of here. Aaaall aboard who’s coming aboard. Next stop: Vanhoover. Get your tickets ready at the door and air sickness bags are located nowhere, so we’ll try to keep this thing niiice and level.” Pinkie ties one of her scarves into a headband, jauntily keeping it stretched over one eye as she squints the other.

Pinkie Pie, never change.

It is done; you’re finally left to rest against the bow, letting the worry and pain relinquish their hold on your tired body. A sharp and uncomfortable object prods into your side. The twisted length of Alicorn horn peeks from your ragged pants pocket.

Almost done.

☘

The bright sunny day had been a boon for you and your companions; punching through the cloud cover which had endured for weeks and bathing the world in vivid colour once again. The bow of the Illustrious Skywalker bobs up and down on the wind like a vessel on the swells of the open ocean. The cold snap was broken, its frigid memories ebbing like the tide. You drift above the clouds, looking over the faint islands showing the soft whites and greens of Equestria in the winter. Sunkissed mountain peaks slip beneath you on the airy main like reefs under a glass bottomed boat.

Yet, as the sun sinks in the west, you look over the incandescent brilliance and lower your head to the barge's gunwales. Something else occupies your mind as you toy with the twisted length of ivory you'd picked up in the fortress that morning. It is such a simple thing, a broken horn with a shattered tip, nothing more than a misshapen relic now.

“Something the matter?” Twilight's tired voice carries just above the gentle whisper of the air currents. You quickly tuck the macabre token away.

The last rays of sunlight stream across the white clouds, turning it into a field of gold as far as the eye can see. While the crumpled bow of a ship was hardly a fitting location for a dignified conversation with royalty, it seems somehow okay. With the world laid bare and pretensions brushed away, it felt like a fitting court for honest feelings.

“Not really. I'm just thinking: I'm done here, right? So that means I suppose I'll be leaving soon.” Those words leave a bitter taste in your mouth as you say them, but it’s only voicing that last pertinent question.

“Ah, a case of melancholy. You know, despite this all being a mistake, I'm glad you came here. Whatever you might think, we’ll miss you if you leave.”

You look over at the princess, seeing the resolute mare stare out over glittering expanse. She closes her eyes and breathes deeply, savoring every moment of being awake and alive. You could see it in her smile, in her poise, in that nearly tangible aura around her that you sorely lack.

It takes a moment or two before you reply, “Melancholic? Maybe a little. If I leave? Staying is an option?”

Twilight sighs, lowering her voice noticeable, “Maybe. If it doesn’t cause some wild imbalance. I have heard a lot of theories regarding what could potentially happen between transdimensional spaces with these issues. If there's another corresponding pony here that is like you-””

“There’s not. Iblis said he killed a pony like that, hoping it would get rid of me.”

Twilight remains quiet for a few moments, “Then it might be possible in a way. I'm sorry, I didn't know he... that he would...please, don't blame yourself for what happened to him. Okay?”

The thought draws to the forefront of your mind, “Well… I didn’t up until you said it, but I guess if it wasn’t me it would be somepony else.”

“Iblis was evil, right to the core but I hoped that Ulf might see reason. I suppose he never did, did he? He wanted power and everything else, he wanted to be in charge and that was what it was all about.”

You hold that silence as Twilight looks back, silently letting you speak your mind. “Ulf was right about a number of things, though. What if I am just like him?”

“You're not.” She insists without pause.

“When we were captured, AJ asked me what the plan was when it came to getting all the other Unicorns out, I said I didn’t care if any of them got away, so long as you and Rarity did.”

There was a moment of silence, but it was broken by a quiet question, “And?”

“And what? I mean, I smacked her hoof away when she said I wasn’t thinking, and I… well, I’m not sure I didn’t mean it either.” You lean heavily on the bow. Part of you wondering if this would be the perfect opportunity for Twilight to tell you to leave, thus, solving that lingering question.

“But you didn’t abandon all those ponies. You stood up for them in the end, you stuck by our friends even when you knew the danger. Reluctance might have been in your head, but you stayed true to your heart and did what you knew was right.”

“That may be true, but I’m not sure AJ or anypony else is going to just forget I said it. It’ll probably be in the back of her mind even if I did say I didn’t mean it.”

Twilight looks over for a moment, “If you’re that worried you’ve hurt Applejack’s image of you, then why don’t you go and ask her about it? It's one thing to say you're sorry, it's another to ask for forgiveness and work towards making it right. But, I’m sure Applejack would be willing to forgive you for wanting to protect Rarity and myself. You would probably say the same thing if it was her instead of us, wouldn’t you?”

“Yeah. I guess Applejack would tell me if she didn’t trust what I said. Still, what about all the other things? You heard Ulf. Well, unless you weren't quite in your right mi-”

“I heard him perfectly fine. He said a few things that most ponies have problems with. It doesn't make you a terrible person, all it does is tell you that you have room for improvement. All ponies do.” She stops for a few moments, the quietness bringing with it the muted conversation of your other friends at the other end of the vessel. Yet Twilight remains ever confident, looking sunward and basking in that salubrious glow.

“Then what was wrong with Ulf? How do you know this won't do the same thing to me?” You reach in your pocket and pull out the broken Alicorn horn. “I kept it, too, doesn’t that mean something?”

Twilight balks at it for a moment, lifting a forehoof but remaining seated as she wrinkles her nose. In a few moments she shakes her head with a sigh, “Perhaps it does have the power to do exactly what Ulf said. Maybe it'll bring you all the wealth in the world. Celestia and Luna could reward you with treasure, but I'm sure it pales in comparison with what could be bought back in your home where magic is so exceedingly rare. After all, gold and jewels aren’t the real treasures of Equestria. So, if wealth is what you think is the best reward, you could always take that and leave. You would probably be a king back home if you did. I won't stop you.”

You think about it a moment and stare at the simple remnant of an antique horn. Men would kill for it and worship it. Real magic, tangible magic could certainly be sold back home. Men would revere it as a creator of power, for glory, for their own means and benefit, even if it was nothing more than a macabre token. Yet the inert spiral of ivory exuded nothing. It was the source of a dream, a will for something selfish in the memory of one entirely selfless. From the shores of Scandinavia to the heart of Equestria, the Icon of Theophilus would be remembered as nothing but the legacy of a madman and his infernal minions.

Better that it never existed at all.

But it did exist: whether it was to plant the seeds of illumination revealing the elements of harmony, or as a twisted mockery of those very values, mattered little. It was the last physical remnants of an ancient Equestrian paragon of exceeding virtue, melded into the symbol of something else.

And it belonged back in Equestria.

With a single flex of your hand, the horn shatters into dust. Opening your palm, the errant wisps of the evening breeze whisks it away in a cloud. It hangs on the air for a few moments, the hum of magic thrumming as it shimmers like diamonds, before the playful breath of the mountain winds carries the sparkling motes away. All that's left is the dimming rays of gold, and the first crepuscular finger of night as dusk settles over Equestria.

“That’s proof.” Twilight sidles up closer to you, leaning heavily on your side as you both stare at the myriad of fiery hues painted in the clouds. “It’s not for me, it’s for yourself. Nopony is perfect, you can’t expect them to be. You’ll find that out, too. It’s a start.”

“Just a start?”

“A new start, on a new journey”

You look over at the tired Alicorn and gently place an arm around her shoulders. As the sun slips below the horizon, the world eases into night's comforting embrace.

Several minutes pass by as you drink in the last few moments of precious daylight before the beautiful night descends on the land. Twilight's sarine breath is just as peaceful as the world that drifts by unhindered as she slips into the realm of dreams.

You sigh, looking out at the last brilliant fingers of light that creep across the horizon in all its glory. Twilight was right: the greatest treasures rest in gold or jewels, nor the power to control or coerce. The greatest treasures lies in the closeness of your friends, in the memories you create, and the difference you make helping others.

What would you need with vast stores of gold and jewels if you lost the boundless riches that money wouldn't buy? As day fades into night and the moon’s silvery crescent rises from the distant hills, a sense of relief and sureness settles over you.

Your question had been answered.